‘Freddy’ On Disney+ Hotstar Movie Review: A Mind-Blowing Climax Saves This Kartik Aaryan Thriller

'Freddy': Cast & Crew

Director: Shashanka Ghosh

Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Alaya F, Karan A. Pandit, Sajjad Delfrooz, Jeniffer Piccinato, Harshika Kewalramani, Tripti Agarwal

Available On: Disney+Hotstar

Duration: 1 Hour 56 Minutes

'Freddy': Story

The lines between love and obsession blur in this romantic thriller. An introverted dentist (Kartik Aaryan) falls obsessively in love with a married woman (Alaya F) who is in an abusive relationship. He tries to save her and in that does something unfathomable. What happens next is packed with unpredictable twists and sharp turns. Will the dentist be able to save himself? Will the married woman have more skeletons in her closet? Will the two finally be able to unite? Or is there something sinister being planned all along? Well, for all that, you'll have to watch the movie.

'Freddy': Performances

Kartik Aaryan is finally out of his comfort zone. He is no longer the chocolatey boy-next-door kind of guy whom every girl is falling head over heels for. On the contrary, he has put on weight, closed the lid on his characteristic smile, dumbed down his hairdo, and above all, lost all the oodles of confidence to become a shy introverted dentist. While the change is welcome, and he does do well also, in some parts, it somewhat feels like the inner sinister in his character gets lesser priority and Kartik Aaryan tries to push himself a bit too much to get that perfect. Sadly, it ends up being a bit too forced and unnatural. But overall, it’s great to see Kartik Aaryan try something strikingly different, finally.

Alaya F, being just her second film, has done a decent job. She comes from a Parsi background and therefore gets the nuances of the character much better than Kartik Aaryan gets. She doesn’t have to put on a fake Parsi accent to make the character look believable. To add to that, she also has put a lot of effort into making the character’s transition perfect from a damsel in distress to a heartless cold-blooded woman.

Karan A. Pandit’s fake Parsi accent is so overpowering that you just want to scream out at times, please shut up!

Sajjad Delfrooz has been totally wasted in a character that was just a blink-and-a-miss.

The rest of the supporting cast doesn’t have enough screen time to even warrant a mention.

‘Freddy’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects

Shashanka Ghosh’s direction is the high point of this film. The way he swings the audience in between the two lead characters, making you guess till the very end as to who will finally end up being victorious, is superb. The numerous twists and turns in the plot are surely something that you would love. Honestly, the first half of the film is utterly boring, and you would be pulling your hair out thinking why you’re even watching this film. However, the twist in the middle before the second half begins totally flips your thought process and now you’re hooked on to the film wanting to reach the climax as soon as possible. It’s this second half and the climax that saves this film.

Parveez Shaikh’s writing looks predictable at the start considering it looks like a mundane love story. But the moment the second half begins, the writing picks pace and Shaikh has filled it with numerous twists and turns which actually help accentuate the story.

Ayananka Bose’s cinematography is one of the very few things that are actually not too great in the film. While thrillers and murder mysteries usually use dark backdrops and dark scenes to create a thrilling effect, but in ‘Freddy’ there were quite a few scenes which were not that well-lit and you’re thinking as to what’s happening. These might not cause a hindrance when watching in a dark theatre, but when the film releases on OTT directly, and the audience is sitting at their home and watching the film, some of the scenes definitely look too dark to comprehend what’s going on.

Chandan Arora’s editing could have been a bit crisper. A few lengthy scenes from the first half could have been chopped a little so as to give more time to the twists and turns of the second half.

Pritam is back with some great tracks for the movie. Songs like ‘Kaala Jaadu’ definitely hook you on even after you’re done watching the film.

However, the background score by Clinton Cerejo is probably one of the weakest works that he has done. He is usually one of the best BGM composers but in ‘Freddy’ somehow the score didn’t end up transporting you as a viewer to the midst of the story.

‘Freddy’: Can Kids Watch It?

Yes

Outlook’s Verdict

While the first half of 'Freddy' sucks to the very core, but when you're able to sit through it, a beautiful lotus blossoms amidst the murky waters. Kartik Aaryan is definitely out of his comfort zone, and somehow, it's not looking good on him, and it seems a bit too forced. However, it's a welcome change from the usual chocolate boy characters that he has been associated with for the longest time. Overall, had the second half and the climax not been as thrilling, this would have been a total dumpster. But thankfully it isn't. It's indeed a good One-Time Watch. I am going with 3 stars.