The Fakir of Venice (2009) Reviews

• good performances

  rvptr12009-05-03

  If you are one of those who think Farhan Akhtar was good in Rock On! or Luck By Chance, you are so wrong baby. Cause The Fakir of Venice is Farhan's best work to date. Directed by Anand Surapur of Phat-Phish (he's also the producer of Quick Gun Murugan), the story begins with etching out Akhtar's character, a "ho-jayega" production guy who can get things done for any production unit, be it getting a monkey from across the border to getting "pot" for the "foreign" unit out in India to shoot a movie. The core story kickstarts when an Italian museum needs a fakir who can be buried in sand for hours together. They have a weeklong exhibition and need such a man. Enter Akhtar who searches high and low for such a guy and when he's almost about to give up lands up at the door step of Annu Kapoor (brilliant performance), a slum dweller who paints buildings for a living. The journey of getting Kapoor trained for the job entitles, making him look like a fakir, practicing under the sand, getting his passport ready and above all battling Kapoor's alcoholism. Surapur in the entire story keeps the mood simple and the story straight, though there were ample places where this story could have been hacked to create some rip roaring laughter, Surapur's focus seems to be different, instead stressing to tell his view of the story which takes us into the darker secrets that Annu Kapoor, as the Fakir, holds in his chest.

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• It's the first-ever film of actor Farhan Akhtar, even before he shot for ROCK ON (2008)

  Tejas_Vinda_AITS2019-02-07

  ----- In today's times, getting a right release for your film is as crucial as shooting and writing it. THE FAKIR OF VENICE it's the first-ever film of actor Farhan Akhtar, even before he shot for ROCK ON 2008 which eventually became his debut flick, but releasing on 8th feb 2019. THE FAKIR OF VENICE is the story of an Indian fixer who has a life-changing experience. Adi Contractor (Farhan Akhtar) works in films as the production controller. His job is to ensure that the bizarre demands of the producers are met. He once manages to get a monkey from China as per the requirement of an urgent film shoot in the Himalayas near the border on the Indian side! The Fakir of Veniceis based on an apparently true story of an art installation at the famous Venice Biennale. It will follow an Indian con man is hired to find a fakir, who can bury himself in sand for an art installation. He finds a Bombay slum dweller and manages to successfully deceive the European art community. What follows is the relationship the two develop over time. A lot of dialogues have abuses which have been muted, courtesy the CBFC. Hence, it is difficult to comprehend some of the sentences muttered by the characters. The film is just 98 minutes long and the first half is breezy and light-hearted and does engage viewers. However, the second half gets too heavy and bizarre. Sattar repeatedly waking up with a scream becomes repetitive. Technically too, the film is not sound and the dated feel also kicks in at certain places. Although the film ends on a good note, it is too late in the day to make the desired impact. A R Rahman's music makes no impact. On the whole, THE FAKIR OF VENICE boasts of an interesting plot and bravura performance by Annu Kapoor. But the flawed execution, festival-style narrative and most importantly the delayed release will go against the film heavily.

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• interesting in parts but misses the mark overall

  Chetansd2009-04-22

  I saw this film at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. Annu Kapoor was excellent and the film definitely has some nice moments, but overall the film lacked a cohesive direction and suffered from a poor sound mix and sloppy editing. I understand that the film's producers were not working with the largest of budgets, but one would think that a portion of the money which must have been spent to shoot on location in Venice would have been put towards hiring decent film and sound labs. I also thought that many of the supporting characters and subplots were poorly developed and in some instances, simply mistreated by the director. An example is the two "boy/girl" Italian art fans who play an important role in the film but are characterized in such an over-the-top manner that the audience cannot take them seriously.

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• Tedious watch

  TheDennisBergkampFan2019-04-17

  The movie was showcased at film festivals an eternity ago but it was commercially released in India only this year. Apparently it's based upon a true story. Many many moons ago when the white man was still fascinated by the East an art gallery in Venice hired a fakir to exhibit his unique ability to breathe for hours when completely buried under the ground. Farhan Akhtar was a dreadful actor way back in 2009 and continues to remain so. He has literally no acting skills. If you had to compare him to a Hollywood actor it would be John Cena. The bloke who plays the Fakir is a really talented actor but even he cannot save the movie. The movie offers nothing.Its like an art movie that would make art movie lovers take up commercial cinema. Even at an hour and thirty minutes it feels like an eternity. The movie is like watery rice. Tasteless. Better avoid.

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