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‘The Fakir of Venice’: Naive and heart-warming (IANS Review, Rating: ***)
By Troy Ribeiro
Film: “The Fakir of Venice”; Director: Anand Surapur; Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Annu Kapoor, Kamal Sidhu, Mathieu Carriere and Valentina Camelutti; Rating: ***
Director Anand Surapur’s “The Fakir of Venice” is based on a true story. It is the story of a strange relationship between two contrasting characters to carry out a deception.
On the face of it, it is a straight laced tale of a hustler, “jugadoo”, who goes to various lengths to ensure that he gets the right exhibit for an art installation in Venice. The exhibit is a ‘fakir’, a yogi who can perform the feat of endurance by burying himself in sand for hours – sort of an ambassador for mystic India.
Farhan Akhtar plays Adi Contractor, the production manager or the “go-to” man in the advertising fraternity and Annu Kapoor essays Sattar, the downtrodden man, who willingly surrenders himself to Adi’s demands.
Scratch deep into the narrative and you will find layers that subtly tell you about human psychology, greed, choices and much more. It also tells us the art of telling stories and how, “each one of us conjure stories or fairy tales”, to survive.
While Farhan’s portrayal of Adi is ordinary and perfunctory, it is Annu Kapoor, who gets into the skin of his character as the unassuming Sattar. With minimal dialogues, he woos the audience with a near-perfect, heart-rending performance. There are some beautiful moments in his trajectory, although they are sometimes so fleeting as to frustrate when they aren’t further developed.
Nevertheless, despite realising that the entire art-exhibit is a con-job, you empathise with Sattar and your heart bleeds for him. The contrast between the two characters, their chemistry and inter-play, are what keep you hooked to the very end.
The duo is aptly supported by Kamal Siddhu as Adi’s love interest Mandira, Mathieu Carriere as Massimo, the artist in Venice, Valentina Carnelutti as Sattar’s love interest Gia and Jhilmil Hazarika as Sattar’s sister Hameeda.
The simplicity in the narrative and the wry humour are what make this film stand apart. Sample this, when Sattar innocently asks Adi why is there so much water in Venice, that it always appears flooded? To which Adi, in his inimitable style, retorts: “The gutters in Venice are jammed.”
With moderate production values, the film exploits the locales and its characters to the fullest. The cinematography, the background score and editing are all of ace quality. What is missing is maybe the over-dose of forced drama that one is so used to seeing in Hindi films.
Despite the film being is the cans for nearly a decade, the film does not appear dated.
Overall, this film is naïve and heart-warming and will clearly appeal to cinephiles.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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