Fatso movie review 2012
Director: Rajat Kapoor
Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Gul Panag, Purab Kohli, Neil Bhoopalam
Much against its title, Fatso is a film that resorts to minimalism and cuts off all excess flab and formula to come up with a sweet little story.
Naveen (Purab Kohli) and Nandini (Gul Panag) are very much in love. But their cloud nine state is short-lived when Naveen dies in a road accident and reaches heaven only to realize that his soul was wrongly brought there in place of his fat friend Sudeep (Ranvir Shorey).
Subsequently his soul is sent back on earth and replaced in Sudeep's body. Now Naveen's soul in Sudeep's body tries to touch the heart of Nandini again and rekindle romance in her life. But he has a competition in the form of Yash (Neil Bhoopalam) who is trying to hit on Nandini.
Seeking its 'soul' from the 1941 Hollywood classic Here Comes Mr Jordan, which was also remade in Bollywood as Jhuk Gaya Aasman (1968) starring Rajendra Kumar, Fatso, more or less, is the same spirit in new body. However writers Rajat Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla have entirely revamped the screenplay to modern milieu and grammar. So you don't have the regular horn-headed Yamraj in paradise.
Rather amongst the most accomplished achievements of the film is its hilarious heaven setting, which is modeled as a dilapidated government office and has every characteristic element associated with bureaucracy from long queues, indifferent officials and red-tapism. The spoof is smart, side-splitting and at the same time also subtly attempts to draw parallels with the human and ethereal world in its own sassy way.
With the minimalism treatment that it opts for, the narrative never falls prey of slapstick or melodrama and remains restrained throughout. But at the same time, it also gets one-dimensional, to an extent, with the narrative primarily focusing only on the love story. One does feel that the soul-changing idea could have been explored to better effect by tapping subplots like Naveen's strained relationship with his father or his discomfort in Sudeep's bloated body.
Ranvir Shorey takes a backseat in the first half where Purab Kohli takes lead. With the role-reversal, Ranvir takes precedence in the second half while Purab is out of picture. Perhaps some better character buildup of Sudeep in the first half could have helped establish a contrast after his soul-switchover in the second half. Also there is no reference of Sudeep's dead soul - another dimension that the film could have explored.
The chemistry between Gul Panag and Purab Kohli is so casual and comfortable that the lip-locks don't need to be blown out of proportion, like in most Bollywood flicks. However the same can't be said about the camaraderie between Gul Panag and Ranvir Shorey that appears somewhat hurried. But beyond all the trivialities, the biggest flaw of the film is that its strongest scope for human drama is never touched upon with Nandini never coming to know of Sudeep's spiritual exchange. Thereby the film dies a premature death with an abrupt end.
Barring the impulsive end, Rajat Kapoor's direction is sensible and sensitive. The way in which he blends sequences of living and dead in the first half is commendable. Also the dialogues in such scenes are very contextual and complement well. At a broader level, the film successfully conveys the message that it's the soul of a person that you fall in love with and not merely the body.
Ranvir Shorey is resourcefully restrained and plays the title role to the requisite perfection. His body structure in the film is overweight though not exaggerated. His 'spirited' act comes to fore in the final sequence where he mouths an endless monologue. Purab Kolhi is exceptionally good in the first half and his absence is felt in the second. Gul Panag puts in a poised performance. Neil Bhoopalam balances his friend-n-foe act and is perfect in his part. Gunjan Bakshi exudes raw sex-appeal. Brijendra Kala is brilliant as the messenger of death. Vinay Pathak's cameo doesn't register.
Fatso is somewhat short on body but strong on spirit. Keeping mind over matter, this film is an enjoyable experience!
Verdict: Good
Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Gul Panag, Purab Kohli, Neil Bhoopalam
Much against its title, Fatso is a film that resorts to minimalism and cuts off all excess flab and formula to come up with a sweet little story.
Naveen (Purab Kohli) and Nandini (Gul Panag) are very much in love. But their cloud nine state is short-lived when Naveen dies in a road accident and reaches heaven only to realize that his soul was wrongly brought there in place of his fat friend Sudeep (Ranvir Shorey).
Subsequently his soul is sent back on earth and replaced in Sudeep's body. Now Naveen's soul in Sudeep's body tries to touch the heart of Nandini again and rekindle romance in her life. But he has a competition in the form of Yash (Neil Bhoopalam) who is trying to hit on Nandini.
Seeking its 'soul' from the 1941 Hollywood classic Here Comes Mr Jordan, which was also remade in Bollywood as Jhuk Gaya Aasman (1968) starring Rajendra Kumar, Fatso, more or less, is the same spirit in new body. However writers Rajat Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla have entirely revamped the screenplay to modern milieu and grammar. So you don't have the regular horn-headed Yamraj in paradise.
Rather amongst the most accomplished achievements of the film is its hilarious heaven setting, which is modeled as a dilapidated government office and has every characteristic element associated with bureaucracy from long queues, indifferent officials and red-tapism. The spoof is smart, side-splitting and at the same time also subtly attempts to draw parallels with the human and ethereal world in its own sassy way.
With the minimalism treatment that it opts for, the narrative never falls prey of slapstick or melodrama and remains restrained throughout. But at the same time, it also gets one-dimensional, to an extent, with the narrative primarily focusing only on the love story. One does feel that the soul-changing idea could have been explored to better effect by tapping subplots like Naveen's strained relationship with his father or his discomfort in Sudeep's bloated body.
Ranvir Shorey takes a backseat in the first half where Purab Kohli takes lead. With the role-reversal, Ranvir takes precedence in the second half while Purab is out of picture. Perhaps some better character buildup of Sudeep in the first half could have helped establish a contrast after his soul-switchover in the second half. Also there is no reference of Sudeep's dead soul - another dimension that the film could have explored.
The chemistry between Gul Panag and Purab Kohli is so casual and comfortable that the lip-locks don't need to be blown out of proportion, like in most Bollywood flicks. However the same can't be said about the camaraderie between Gul Panag and Ranvir Shorey that appears somewhat hurried. But beyond all the trivialities, the biggest flaw of the film is that its strongest scope for human drama is never touched upon with Nandini never coming to know of Sudeep's spiritual exchange. Thereby the film dies a premature death with an abrupt end.
Barring the impulsive end, Rajat Kapoor's direction is sensible and sensitive. The way in which he blends sequences of living and dead in the first half is commendable. Also the dialogues in such scenes are very contextual and complement well. At a broader level, the film successfully conveys the message that it's the soul of a person that you fall in love with and not merely the body.
Ranvir Shorey is resourcefully restrained and plays the title role to the requisite perfection. His body structure in the film is overweight though not exaggerated. His 'spirited' act comes to fore in the final sequence where he mouths an endless monologue. Purab Kolhi is exceptionally good in the first half and his absence is felt in the second. Gul Panag puts in a poised performance. Neil Bhoopalam balances his friend-n-foe act and is perfect in his part. Gunjan Bakshi exudes raw sex-appeal. Brijendra Kala is brilliant as the messenger of death. Vinay Pathak's cameo doesn't register.
Fatso is somewhat short on body but strong on spirit. Keeping mind over matter, this film is an enjoyable experience!
Verdict: Good
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