VISFOT has its share of engaging and tense moments

Visfot Review 2.5/5 & Review Rating

Director: Kookie Gulati

Visfot Movie Review Synopsis:
VISFOT is the story of two men in a dangerous situation. Shoaib (Fardeen Khan), a Dongri resident, shifts to Australia for a work opportunity. His mother Roshan Khan (Sheeba Chadha) falls ill and hence, he returns. He’s in love with Lucky (Krystle Dsouza), who works in a café. To run the house, Shoaib works as a driver for an app-based taxi company. One day, he meets his childhood friend Manya (Nachiket Purnapatre) in the former’s cab. He’s a drug peddler and realizing that the cops are behind, he leaves behind a jacket, containing drugs worth Rs. 20 lakhs, and escapes. He later calls Shoaib and asks him to keep the jacket safe and that he’ll take it from him the next day. Shoaib goes home and hangs the jacket. He then goes out to meet Lucky. While he’s away, an electrical appliance in his house catches fire. As soon as Shoaib is informed about it, he rushes home. Thankfully, there’s no damage and even his mother is safe. But the jacket goes missing. Manya arrives at his place to get the jacket. Shoaib informs him of what happened in his absence. Manya, who is high on drugs, threatens to kill Shoaib, his mother and Lucky if he doesn’t find the jacket in a few hours. Shoaib goes to meet Lucky in her café to inform her about this incident. Lucky’s boss, Cyrus (Saransh Taneja), angrily tells Shoaib to get out. A stressed Shaoib assaults him and asks Lucky to leave with him, fearing that Manya might hurt her. Shoaib exits the café with Lucky and leaves for his residence in his car. Suddenly, he realizes that a boy named Parth aka Paddy (Prithviraj Sarnaik) has also entered the car with Lucky. Paddy is the son of pilot Aakash Shelar (Riteish Deshmukh) and Tara (Priya Bapat). What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Visfot Movie Story Review:
VISFOT is an official remake of the 2012 Venezuelan film PIEDRA PAPEL O TIJERA [written by Irina Dendiouk and Hernán Jabes; directed by Hernán Jabes]. The story is intriguing and shows two worlds colliding, resulting in chaos. Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal’s screenplay is gripping but has too many loopholes in the first half. Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal’s dialogues are a bit crude, but they are in sync with the characters’ personalities.

Kookie Gulati’s direction is uncomplicated. Despite two tracks and back and forth narrative, the film never gets complicated. The film moves at a nice pace and keeps one gripped. One expects Shoaib to be in a deep mess. But once Aakash’s track begins, you realize he, too, is in big trouble and the madness levels go some notches higher once they come into contact with each other. The track of Acid Tai (Seema Biswas) is menacing and gives a great touch to the proceedings overall.

On the flipside, the writing is unconvincing, and no attempt is made to cover it up. It’s bewildering that Aakash took his son to the cafe when he should have ideally dropped him off at school and then continued with his sleuthing. Taking him to the cafe and then leaving from there doesn’t make much sense. Similarly, after the jacket disappeared, Shoaib should have ideally checked with people in the neighbourhood if anyone entered his house and took away any item. Instead of doing this most obvious thing, he heads to Lucky’s cafe. All this perhaps was done to set the film for the second half but it could have been done in a better way. Moreover, the film drags a bit in the second half and the ending is slightly unimaginative.

Visfot | Official Trailer | Streaming 6 September | JioCinema Premium

Visfot Movie Review Performances:
Fardeen Khan is a bit raw in some scenes but overall, he manages to put up a fine act. He doesn’t get to do much heroic stuff but whatever we do get to see, it is clear that he deserves to do massier roles. Riteish Deshmukh, meanwhile, plays a character that he has never essayed before. He is known for his comic timing and here, there’s no room for comedy. Yet, he rocks the show. Krystle Dsouza looks appealing and has a great screen presence. Priya Bapat leaves a huge mark and performs ably. Sheeba Chadha is adorable and plays a difficult part with remarkable ease. Nachiket Purnapatre is the surprise of the film and the way he slips into his character is seen to be believed. Seema Biswas is terrifying. Prithviraj Sarnaik and Arhaan Khan (Mehmood) are okay. Satyajeet Kadam (Waghmare) and Inspector J K Fernandes (Purnendu Bhattacharya) are decent, and their track is far-fetched. Arjun Aneja (Javed Khan) is fair.

Visfot music and other technical aspects:
Amjad Nadeem Aamir’s music is okay. The sole song in the film – ‘Kamli Naam Piya Da’ – is foot-tapping but won’t have a shelf life. Amar Mohile’s background score has cinematic appeal.

Shikhar Bhatnagar’s cinematography is stunning and adds to the tension. Javed Karim’s action is entertaining. Sneha Bhandare’s production design is realistic, particularly the scenes shot in Shoaib’s house. Vibhuti Chamria’s costumes are straight out of life, but the one worn by Krystle Dsouza looks a bit out of place, especially for a waiter in a Mumbai café. Manish More’s editing is satisfactory in the first half but gets drags after the intermission.

Visfot Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, VISFOT has its share of engaging and tense moments and some fine performances. However, there are too many loose ends in the first half and hence, the film turns out to be an average entertainer.