Finding Fanny (2014)

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

When many outsiders think of Indian films, they immediately think of the Bollywood spectacles--movies with lots of singing and dancing and plots usually involving romance. There's nothing wrong with these films, though there is certainly a rather sameness to many of them. But, although here in the States these are mostly the types of films they import from India, there are other films from this movie-making powerhouse--films with much more subtlety, depth and, amazingly, not a song in the entire movie!"Finding Fanny" is a sweet road movie with five disparate characters traveling from the Goa area to find an elderly man's love of his life--a woman he never really got a chance to tell how he feels. For decades he's been living with this and now he's finally gotten up the nerve to seek her and his friends are accompanying him on this journey. However, this plot is pretty much an excuse to show a variety of characters with a variety of interesting back stories. The bottom line is that if you MUST have a strong, plot-driven movie you may just be disappointed in "Finding Fanny". However, if you like really solid and realistic acting and a gentle directorial style, you will find the film more than satisfying. In many ways, this felt like I was watching a nice indie film as opposed to a film from a movie-producing juggernaut like India. Well done and worth seeing, though the death of one of the characters late in the film was certainly very strange and was dealt with in a way that left me a bit baffled.

The film is all kinds of brilliance however its not everyone's cup of tea its deep its layered under weird quirk. A lot of metaphors and nuances will not be noticed if you see it as a usual bollywood fare actually you'll hate it if you see it that way because it'll be hard to understand why the 5 oddballs behave that way. There is a smart reasoning behind every move and expression. Rosie, Ferdy, Savio and Angie especially. Pedro is the hilarious one. The other 4 oddballs have the intriguing touch Esp Ferdy, Rosie and Angie. The cat part is dealt in the most fascinating way there is a tragic humor in that which reflected after its death scenes starting with Angie crying and Savio exposing Rosie's negligence. Ferdy never loved Fanny he is a sweet childlike dreamer who built an imaginary world with Fanny, he imagined her to be the same pretty teen he last saw some 40 years ago he was in love with that imaginary world and that dream not her. The most serious and tragic scenes shown in a quirky weird manner. It'll either make you say What or you'll go a little deep or joint 2 and 2 and see WHY. Its brilliant, its smart and its enjoyably Sweet. Naseer is adorable as Ferdy his voice pitching, laid-back body language its perfect. Dimple is hilarious so is Pankaj. As Savio, Arjun gave his career best performance and Deepika Padukone slams it on detractors face again proves why she is number 1 today. The girl's screen presence, body language, the ease is wonderful she is utterly beautiful as a performer, she looked like drop of fresh dew. The scene between Arjun and Deepika after they make love will go down as one of the most natural scenes in movies. You feel like its not acting and filming, more like someone left a camera there its that natural. Its the naturalness, lights and subtle handling of their scenes that I felt like Angie and Savio were real not actors Deepika and Arjun. Their little interactions were worth every penny this understated chemistry is one of the best things about Finding Fanny. The background music is one of the highlights of the film. The gorgeous piece have hauntingly sweet quality. Another highlight is the flawless cinematography Goa captured exceptionally well. The film would have looked soul less if cinematography was weak. Goa, the sky blue car, the greens the sky they all have a character of their own. Take a bow Team Finding Fanny what a lovely little bitter sweet film with outstanding performances. Hats off Adajania !

you should see finding fanny.it is one funny film.as you know (Dimple Kapadia)Rosie Eucharistica,(Pankaj Kapur)Don Pedro,Angie(Deepika Padukone),(Arjun Kapoor)Savio,(Naseeruddin Shah)Ferdie act in this movie.the movie is so funny that i started laughing so loud half of the theatre looked at me.you should see finding fanny.it is one funny film.as you know (Dimple Kapadia)Rosie Eucharistica,(Pankaj Kapur)Don Pedro,Angie(Deepika Padukone),(Arjun Kapoor)Savio,(Naseeruddin Shah)Ferdie act in this movie.the movie is so funny that i started laughing so loud half of the theatre looked at me.

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)Rating: 3.9/5 stars"Imagine a puppet show as large as a village", says young widow Angie in an introductory voice-over. She attempts to nudge us into the idle world of a Goan village named Pocolim – an off-the-map giant retirement home where Angie is perhaps one of two surviving youngsters. The other one is an enigmatic 'prodigal son' Savio – the man she once loved, and her dead husband's bitter childhood friend. She looks too radiant to physically fit into this environment, but her tragically proud mother-in-law makes up for the light in the house.There is also an eccentric cat that seems to be a feline extension of Pocolim's very own self-proclaimed Mario Miranda – an artist and sensual connoisseur of Rosie's conspicuous derriere – named Don Pedro. Don Pedro oozes the foolhardy arrogance of Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau; an inside joke to the outside world, but a poet in his own eyes.Yet "Finding Fanny" – a deliciously quirky tale that can best be described as a Goan "Little Miss Sunshine" -isn't about these dysfunctional characters. It is about a love that inspires them to pull off what seems like a selfless roadtrip; a love that they wish is theirs. This love belongs to old Ferdie, a hopelessly romantic man-child, who refuses to do justice to the 'Casanova of the Konkan' title bestowed upon him by Pedro. All he wants to do is find Fanny – the woman who never received his 46-year-old proposal letter."Finding Fanny" is an offbeat comedy, yet it is one of the most consistently witty and chucklesome films to emerge from Bollywood. And for once the English diction doesn't sound unnatural amidst Indian actors, because it is uttered exactly the way it was meant to be – with an authentic Goan accent. But when veterans like Kapur, Kapadia, and Shah decide to understand the uncompromising vision of their director, even broken Russian (as demonstrated by Pedro) lines can bring the house down. The laughs are character-driven and occasionally situational; the anticipation of conflict and their behavioral oddball kinks keep you chuckling even through the silence. The use of time and space by Adajani amidst the unconventional treatment, the symmetry within frames, the rustic landscapes, breezy well-placed background score by Mathias Duplessy, and lingering strands of melancholy coupled with quirky humor all gel perfectly together to reflect a fine palette of nuanced filmmaking and soulful musings. The slowly disintegrating vintage aqua blue Dodge Kingsway carrying the idiosyncratic quintet, the unreliable, confusing road, the cat Nareus, the middle-finger shoving boy from the feast procession, the eponymous lady they're pursuing — they all represent bittersweet metaphors of that hysterical adventure called life best enjoyed when traveling in company.Much like on talk shows, where young actors momentarily forget that they're actors, even Padukone and Arjun Kapoor shed their images and inhibitions. They let a lesser-known Goa take over as the setting, and bare their souls for 100 endearing minutes. Arjun's late screaming match with Rosie is a remarkable example; he isn't so much acting here as summoning desperate moments of real deep-rooted angst. Deepika and Arjun aren't exactly known for their dialogue delivery but they too steer clear of affectations and don't try to sound like Oprah is interviewing them. This lack of rehearsed refinement when they go, "I toh don't know" and "Stingy bugger" only makes them endearing. Besides, Deepika Padukone exudes that famous relaxed warmth of hers, which lights up almost every frame as mightily as Goa's golden sun. As far as Arjun Kapoor is concerned, he does what olive oil does to spaghetti; he holds the flavors of the film in place.While the younger actors seem understandably chuffed about possibly realising their potential, it's the seasoned pros who display a confidence that renders aging as powerful and blemishes as beautiful. The trio of Shah, Kapur, and Kapadia almost lead us to believe that they've spent the better part of their life traversing the scenic Goan climes. While Pankaj Kapur's wanton energy lends Don Pedro a rhythm that finds a kindred spirit in Finding Fanny's unpredictable vibe, Dimple Kapadia as Rosie Eucharistica marvelously portrays the most opaque character in this ensemble tale. And finally, its down to that powerhouse performer, one of the country's most brilliant actors, to run away with every scene he's in, in spite of the esteemed company he's in. His entire body language, each mannerism he displays, his gait, dialogue delivery, and facial expressions all blend seamlessly together to convince us that his character is a thoroughbred Goan, and a man who's still an innocent man-child nursing a broken heart.Much like the niche-bending Delhi Belly, the mere existence of "Finding Fanny" is a minor miracle. For this, the producer, Dinesh Vijan, must be acknowledged. This film is exactly the kind of brave clutter-breaking effort that most critics wish for while lamenting the rigidness of mainstream stars. That it left me grinning long after the credit-roll is a testament to its ability to amuse, without resorting to toilet humor.Even at its funniest, ""Finding Fanny" is not so much about seeking a person as it is about wanting closure. And because life, like love, has no rules, it's conveyed here in a manner most strange, albeit cinematically inspiring. There is hope yet for Indian entertainment, and this is the ideal time. Otherwise, in the inimitable Don Pedro's words, "It is impossible to conquer the dark in the day."