Fitoor

I wouldn't be lying if I say I was waiting for its release ever since the first poster was out. To see Tabu, Aditya, Katrina and Abhishek working together was a very interesting prospect. It was surprising to see so many negative reviews within the first two days nonetheless I decided to watch it last night and as Noor would say... "there was an explosion in my mind!" The locations, the costumes, the music and the dialogues weave into a spell binding experience. The actors definitely did justice to the roles with Tabu and Aditya standing out. Katrina's character unfortunately did not allow her to display a lot of emotions. As I stated earlier this movie was a feast to the mind. My friend and I continued discussing the characters' motives after the movie. Somehow it was strangely relatable. But it did not create the same explosion in the heart/soul. I loved the Hawke and Paltrow's version of Great Expectations, and was glad that Fitoor is a very different adaptation. It is definitely worth a watch. And do not expect histrionics or over the top drama. The movie weirdly had a very relaxing effect. I really enjoyed it.

I saw the movie 3 years after its release on Netflix and to my surprise I think this is the best Aditya Roy Kapoor has done so far. I never really was into his acting before this but he surely has earned a fan. Tabu has been excellent as always! And I cannot even begin to describe the cinematography. It's beyond beautiful!!! I'd request people to just see and not judge this piece because art is only understood when you leave your judgements behind

It requires Passion & Ambition to mount a film as big & colorful as 'Fitoor'. Director Abhishek Kapoor's romantic-drama, based on Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations, suffers however, due to its misguided story & bland narrative. Its beautifully shot & has moments of power, but the end result, is under-whelming.

'Fitoor' Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Noor falls in love with Firdaus, daughter of Begum, the wealthiest woman in town. As their potential romance grows despite their class issues, the vengeful Begum plots retribution on their young and innocent love.

'Fitoor' is a body beautiful, minus soul. The romantic-drama is meant to break your heart given the struggles its heartbroken protagonist faces, but you are barely invested. Reason? The Writing is misguided & you fail to understand what are the makers of this film trying to say? The intension remains unclear & despite the stunning scenery, you yearn for a story that lacks heart.

Abhishek Kapoor & Supratik Sen's Screenplay is a downer. A stronger, clearer Screenplay was the need of the day! Abhishek Kapoor's Direction is rich visually. Cinematography by Anay Goswamy is the highpoint of this enterprise. Each & Every Frame has been captured with flourish. Editing, also, is mostly crisp. Art & Costume Design are detailed. Amit Trivedi's Score is brilliant.

Performance-Wise: Tabu is electrifying as the terrifying yet grief-sticken Begum. She dominates every scene she appears in & handles her part with remarkable conviction. Aditya Roy Kapur springs a pleasant surprise. Kapoor, who's otherwise typecast as a drunk, displays true intensity here, portraying a difficult part with unexpected maturity. Katrina Kaif doesn't deliver. A better actress would've elevated the part. Talat Aziz is first-rate. Ajay Devgn is wasted in a cameo.

On the whole, 'Fitoor' is all beauty, no heart.

As soon as I realized it's an Abhishek Kapoor's film, my hopes raised. But the movie was worse than its trailer. It is very slow but has a calm flow. The focus is harshly on love story only and nothing else. In fact there isn't anything else that's thought of. It's boringness often becomes killing. Second half tries to save it a little and hints some potential turner. However it boils down to the same uninteresting plate.

Abhishek Kapoor was a disappointment this time. I've stayed biased on him for so many years because of Rock On. His effortless performance is really disheartening. He was never able to bring the pieces together.

All the actors were below average and not worth mentioning. They were confused whether to act starry or be down to earth. There wasn't even a scene where the acting could be appreciated.

Amit Trivedi's soulful music was good sometimes but it lacked variety. May be he didn't get a variety in the storyline to perform inline.

Overall, a mere love story, that wasn't garnished by anything else.

I had no expectations when I watched this movie on Netflix. Although I had liked the trailer at the time I had also read the poor reviews the movie had received when it released. I mainly tuned in because of the nice soundtrack and I was pleasantly surprised that this was a visually stunning and very well acted movie. All the actors depicted their characters beautifully and this was the first time we see a mother hindering her daughter from chasing love because of her own sad story. It was very well directed and a beautiful film, even if is much slower than the usual bollywood fare it was a convincing tale and captivating.