IBTimes India Rating: 2.5
"Fitoor" is dreamy and picturesque, but lacks soul. Captured in the adept Anay's Goswami's camera is the stunningly beautiful Kashmir, but the snow-capped mountains, bright orange Chinar leaves and frozen raindrops don't infuse life into Noor (Aditya Roy Kapur) and Firdaus' (Katrina Kaif) drab love story.
There's a lot of madness, sure, but when they meet, sparks don't fly except for that one instance when they make passionate love. The day after that, Firdaus leaves Noor's tastefully done apartment in the heart of Delhi in a haste.
As a child, the artistically gifted Noor would visit Firdaus' mansion Anjuman often, and it was during one such visit that her mother Begum Hazrat (Tabu) took notice of his growing fascination for her daughter.
Begum's life's incompleteness and a fractured relationships from the past pushed her to play with Noor's heart so much that she led him on and made him believe he could have Firdaus in his life, despite the financial disparities, provided he did something substantial with his life.
The hero of the film travels cities, each time moving to a bigger one. From Srinagar to Delhi and London, Noor's career in art blossoms but his world comes crashing down soon after he realises how he was manipulated and used by two very pivotal figures in his life.
In all of Noor's emotional mess, Firdaus comes and goes at irregular intervals, making things a little more difficult for him each time. She's shown to be someone who is indecisive, under-confident and conscious of her societal status.
Kapur channels Noor's inner conflicts well, but at times his vacant stares get in the way of a decent performance. The intensity with which Noor loves Firdaus, the helplessness he feels when she snubs him and the rejection he senses when he learns the news of his one true love marrying another man — the leading man has done an excellent job of expressing all of this without going overboard.
Kaif needs to up her game. She does a good job of being the flirty design genius from Britain, but wobbles quite a few times when it comes to emoting the fears and insecurities of Firdaus.
Tabu spells magic in this romantic drama. She is sheer brilliance as the off-in-the-head ailing Begum who was once betrayed in love. The climax, in which she gives voice to her pent-up thoughts, is the one to watch out for.
Director Abhishek Kapoor is clearly mesmerised by Kashmir's charm, but that love has taken over other aspects, which hasn't worked out well for the narrative. Also, the chemistry between the film's lead pair is hot, but there's a disconnect somewhere.
In a nutshell, it's not a greatly told story.
