A beautiful promise

Nonika Singh

A love story set in Kashmir, a love story created out of Charles Dickens magnus opus Great Expectations and in the hands of the director Abhishek Kapoor who gave us one of the best films of 2013 Kai Po Che. Indeed, expectations are bound to spiral out of control. 

And fair enough, Fitoor begins like a poem and you have a lump in your throat from the moment you set your eyes on young Noor and Firdaus. Much before the chemistry between Aditya Roy Kapoor and Katrina Kaif can melt away the snow, much before Aditya’s well-chiseled body and Katrina’s red haired look can enrapture you, it’s their childhood parts that transport you in an ethereal world. Of pristine beauty and love where time stands still. Without being drawn into the politics of Kashmir, except one or two odd interludes, Abhishek, consumed by his desire to showcase this paradise on earth effectively, manages to create a lost world full of charm and intrigue.

Later, he places the film in the jet-setting world of art. That Noor has artistic flair is evident from scene one. That he becomes an acclaimed artist only helps the narrative that makes no pretensions other than artistic.  

If Aditya makes love to Katrina with his eyes so does Anay Goswamy’s camera to Kashmir bringing out not just its idyllic landscape but also the poignancy. You can feel the ache of the heart in each frame that he captures oh-so-lovingly and longingly. 

In fact, there is so much promise in each frame that words seem redundant. Going slow on both dialogues and songs, the director builds a tapestry of love and beauty where stand not only these two lovers divided by class but also Begum who is as much a benefactor as destroyer. Tabu, as expected, is priceless in a part that is complex, layered and is undeniably central to the film. With a back-story backing her varying inflections, she imbues the necessary mystique and mystery that hangs heavy on her persona as well as her abode, the mahal. Till a point even post-interval Abhishek captivates with panache.

Only when the cataclysmic events begin to unfold, these are not quite as devastating as one begins to hope for. Be it when Noor burns his art works or when Begum is on the edge… the impact is lost and the climax doesn’t help matters. Indeed, Abhishek maintains the poetic thread all through. The film remains a gossamer vision but the promise that he mounts up is not quite fulfilled and you end up asking for more. So the lump in your throat remains just that never becoming an overwhelming emotion. What overwhelms you is the visual beauty. But then poetic caress is not meant to make you cry buckets full. 

If there is an artist in you or a romantic within go for it. Only remember Abhishek’s Fitoor is more of an ode to Kashmir than love. The film’s best kept secret of course Ajay Devgun’s cameo may not be the best part of the film. But with several actors like Aditi Rao Hydari (even bohemian artists Thukral and Tagra appear as themselves) it has many a moments to make you feel love (and your ticket money of course) is worth its while.

As for the fact that it’s based on Dickens’ classic, well that is a detail left best forgotten. For a movie can hardly match up to a novel which George Bernard Shaw summed up as, “All of one piece and consistently truthful.”