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Film review: Finding Fanny
By Rahul Desai, Mumbai Mirror | Sep 12, 2014, 04.10 AM IST
The great goan ballad
Imagine a puppet show as large as a village", says young widow Angie (Padukone) in an introductory voiceover. She attempts to nudge us into the idle world of a Goan village named Pocolim-an off-the-map giant retirement home where Angie is perhaps one of two surviving youngsters. The other one is enigmatic 'prodigal son' Savio (Kapoor)-the man she once loved, and her dead husband's bitter childhood friend. She looks too radiant to physically fit into this environment, but her tragically proud mother-inlaw (Kapadia, as Rosy) makes up for the light in the house.
There is also an eccentric cat that seems to be a feline extension of Pocolim's very own self-proclaimed Mario Miranda-an artist and sensual connoisseur of Rosy's curvy form-named Don Pedro (Pankaj Kapur). Don Pedro oozes the foolhardy arrogance of Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau; an inside joke to the outside world, but a poet ("Madame") in his own eyes.
Yet Finding Fanny-a deliciously quirky tale that can best be described as a Goan Little Miss Sunshine-isn't about these dysfunctional characters. It is about a love that inspires them to pull off what seems like a selfless roadtrip; a love that they wish is theirs. This love belongs to old Ferdie (Shah), a hopelessly romantic man-child, who refuses to do justice to the 'Casanova of the Konkan' title bestowed upon him by Pedro. All he wants to do is find Fanny-the woman who never received his 46-year-old proposal letter.
Finding Fanny is not a comedy, yet it is one of the most consistently droll films I've seen. Most lines aren't meant to be comical-they're in English that, for once, doesn't sound unnatural amidst Indian actors. But when veterans like Kapur, Kapadia and Shah decide to understand the uncompromising vision of their director, even broken Russian (as demonstrated by Pedro) lines can bring the house down. The laughs are character-driven and occasionally situational; the anticipation of conflict and their behavioral oddball kinks keep you chuckling even through the silence. They're completely aware of their spaces amidst the unconventional treatment, symmetry within frames, landscapes, breezy well-placed music and lingering strands of melancholy. More importantly, their antics distract you from obvious emotional undercurrents-due to which even a farfetched (but hysterical) climax sequence makes sense in their distorted worlds. Much like on talk shows, where young actors momentarily forget that they're actors, even Padukone and Kapoor shed their images and inhibitions. They let a lesser-known Goa take over as the setting, and bare their souls for 100 endearing minutes. Savio's late screaming match with Rosie is a remarkable example; Kapoor isn't so much acting here as summoning desperate moments of real deep-rooted angst.
Much like the niche-bending Delhi Belly, the mere existence of Finding Fanny is a minor miracle. For this, the producer must be acknowledged. This film is exactly the kind of brave clutter-breaking effort that most critics wish for while lamenting the rigidness of mainstream stars. That it left me grinning long after the credit-roll is a testament to its ability to amuse, without resorting to gimmicky slapstick or toilet humour.
There is hope yet for Indian entertainment, and this is the ideal time. Otherwise, in the inimitable Don Pedro's words, "It is impossible to conquer the dark in the day."
Imagine a puppet show as large as a village", says young widow Angie (Padukone) in an introductory voiceover. She attempts to nudge us into the idle world of a Goan village named Pocolim-an off-the-map giant retirement home where Angie is perhaps one of two surviving youngsters. The other one is enigmatic 'prodigal son' Savio (Kapoor)-the man she once loved, and her dead husband's bitter childhood friend. She looks too radiant to physically fit into this environment, but her tragically proud mother-inlaw (Kapadia, as Rosy) makes up for the light in the house.
There is also an eccentric cat that seems to be a feline extension of Pocolim's very own self-proclaimed Mario Miranda-an artist and sensual connoisseur of Rosy's curvy form-named Don Pedro (Pankaj Kapur). Don Pedro oozes the foolhardy arrogance of Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau; an inside joke to the outside world, but a poet ("Madame") in his own eyes.
Yet Finding Fanny-a deliciously quirky tale that can best be described as a Goan Little Miss Sunshine-isn't about these dysfunctional characters. It is about a love that inspires them to pull off what seems like a selfless roadtrip; a love that they wish is theirs. This love belongs to old Ferdie (Shah), a hopelessly romantic man-child, who refuses to do justice to the 'Casanova of the Konkan' title bestowed upon him by Pedro. All he wants to do is find Fanny-the woman who never received his 46-year-old proposal letter.
Finding Fanny is not a comedy, yet it is one of the most consistently droll films I've seen. Most lines aren't meant to be comical-they're in English that, for once, doesn't sound unnatural amidst Indian actors. But when veterans like Kapur, Kapadia and Shah decide to understand the uncompromising vision of their director, even broken Russian (as demonstrated by Pedro) lines can bring the house down. The laughs are character-driven and occasionally situational; the anticipation of conflict and their behavioral oddball kinks keep you chuckling even through the silence. They're completely aware of their spaces amidst the unconventional treatment, symmetry within frames, landscapes, breezy well-placed music and lingering strands of melancholy. More importantly, their antics distract you from obvious emotional undercurrents-due to which even a farfetched (but hysterical) climax sequence makes sense in their distorted worlds. Much like on talk shows, where young actors momentarily forget that they're actors, even Padukone and Kapoor shed their images and inhibitions. They let a lesser-known Goa take over as the setting, and bare their souls for 100 endearing minutes. Savio's late screaming match with Rosie is a remarkable example; Kapoor isn't so much acting here as summoning desperate moments of real deep-rooted angst.
Much like the niche-bending Delhi Belly, the mere existence of Finding Fanny is a minor miracle. For this, the producer must be acknowledged. This film is exactly the kind of brave clutter-breaking effort that most critics wish for while lamenting the rigidness of mainstream stars. That it left me grinning long after the credit-roll is a testament to its ability to amuse, without resorting to gimmicky slapstick or toilet humour.
There is hope yet for Indian entertainment, and this is the ideal time. Otherwise, in the inimitable Don Pedro's words, "It is impossible to conquer the dark in the day."
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