Early on in The Fakir of Venice, Farhan Akhtar’s character, Adi, is shown as a savvy production controller. And as he puts it, he is a magnet for these teda meda jobs. Challenging as the task is, it is not a big deal for Adi. He is soon going to be involved in fulfilling a rather bizarre demand from an art exhibitor, Massimo (Mathieu Carrière), to get a fakir who can bury himself in the mud with only his hands above the ground for an exhibition in Venice.
The Fakir of Venice tries to be a philosophically rich film with the opportunistic human nature at its center. At times, the film succeeds in bringing out the selfishness ingrained in its central character, Adi, who primarily works for himself disregarding the feelings of others as conceded by his ex-girlfriend Mandira played by Kamal Sidhu.
As Adi learns that no one is willing to comply or even match up to the demands of Massimo, one lowly building painter is his only way out. He is going to con the Italians into thinking that Sattar is indeed a fakir. Of course, Sattar does bury himself under a pile of sand, which he is proficient at as he has been doing it ever since he was a child.
Mandira reluctantly helps Adi by making Sattar look as close to a “real” fakir as she possibly can. Left to themselves, Adi and Sattar successfully con Massimo & co. However, Sattar has his problems to contend with, and that is not going to make it easier for Adi especially with his self-centered approach to doing things.
The Fakir of Venice does not dig deep enough into the psyche of either of its central characters. There are some exquisite moments in the first half when Adi and Sattar, who have polar opposite personalities, have to go along for a week all the while negotiating the other. Sattar is naive and unaware of the devious intentions of the people he comes across. Adi, on the other hand, is a narcissist who does not think twice before manipulating people for his interests.
The film thoroughly entertains as it approaches the halfway mark with the humorous exchanges between its central characters never missing their mark. Annu Kapoor is wholly convincing in his role as the simpleminded Sattar. While Farhan Akhtar plays Adi with equal conviction as his comic timing is spot-on. Although, soon the film starts to get a bit over its head. The Fakir of Venice seems like it is headed nowhere as the director loses his grip and it all comes off as a wee bit forced.
Although the second half of the film sees some other characters introduced into the mix, none convincingly further the narrative. A confused relationship between Sattar and one art admirer, Gia (Valentina Carnelutti), who frequents the installation where Sattar is lying underground does not do the film any favors. Considering that this is the first directorial venture of ad-man Anand Surapur, one cannot be too critical of the production values given the financial constraints that might be there. However, that does not absolve the director from almost ruining the film in the second half by trying to bring it to a satisfying end thereby betraying the artsy look and feel of the film.
The only redeeming aspects of the second half of the film are its occasional creative bursts, seen for instance when Sattar finds himself at a party in Venice under the effects of a hallucinogen. The Fakir of Venice also benefits from a lively soundtrack by A.R. Rahman that elevates the inconsistent narrative.
Despite a rather tepid second half, The Fakir of Venice will appeal to a niche audience who fancy offbeat themes. However, even they will be hardpressed to ignore the sloppiness as the film nears its ending. Considering its unique premise, The Fakir of Venice should have been far better than it ends up. In any case, it is an entertaining watch in parts, more so for the art film lovers.
(3 / 5)
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