Director: Shashanka Ghosh
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Alaya F, Sajjad Delafrooz, and others
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar
Rating: 4 stars
Director Shashanka Ghosh, best known for Quick Gun Murugun (2009), Khoobsurat (2014) and Veere Di Wedding (2018) brings a thrilling drama which is unexpectedly good. However, Freddy is a clear example of his experimental approach and he even does justice, it is Kartik Aaryan’s surprising performance makes Freddy a must-watch.
Dr. Freddy Ginwala (Kartik Aaryan), a dentist by profession — is shy, lonely and desperately seeking the right match on a matrimonial portal. His world only has Persis Aunty and Hardy, a baby tortoise. Freddy meets Kainaaz (Alaya F), who is in an abusive marriage with Rustom Irani (Sajjad Delafrooz) in a public gathering and falls in love with her. Freddy and Kainaaz, then befriend each other only to kill Rustom. Will Freddy get the love of his life post that?
Freddy is dark, complicated, and twisted in its own way. Although the plot is not extraordinary, the treatment with which Shashanka tackled the subject is undeniably unique. This is by far his best work. The whole eerie atmosphere adds a lot to the simple narrative. The climax especially turns out to be one of the best revenge sequences in recent times of any Hindi film.
The film is a clear winner with its digital release since a film like Freddy is definitely not for the masses despite Kartik being a massy superstar. It is a much more evolved film than you can ever imagine. Producers Ektaa R Kapoor and Jay Shewakramani must tap their backs for backing a risky project and planning its digital release.
The ‘Punchnama boy’, who is a rage among the youth and has a humongous girl fan following, Kartik is the best part of Freddy. For the first time in his entire career, he tries his hands on a script that requires him to adapt method acting. His performance is layered and satisfying to the core. With Freddy, he definitely breaks the image of his chocolaty boy. Alaya F is a good actor and she proved it in her very first film Jawaani Jaaneman, Freddy is just an addition to it.
Despite having an uncanny resemblance to the Shahid Kapoor-starrer Fida (2004) and somewhat to Darr (1993) and Daraar (1996), Freddy is engaging in the first half, though the second half compels to bore with a series of revenges, they remain true to the film and the genre. Watch out for Kartik’s unusual performance.
