Freddy, a Disney+ Hotstar film, stars Kartik Aaryan as Dr Freddy Ginwala, Alaya F as Kainaaz Irani, Karan A Pandit as Raymond Nariman and others. Directed by Shashanka Ghosh, the story and screenplay are by Parveez Sheikh. The cinematography is by Ayananka Bose, and the music is by Pritam. The movie is 2 hours long.
The synopsis reads, “Introverted and awkward Dr Freddy Gunwale desperately searches for a soulmate. When he finally finds her, the relationship becomes as painful as a root canal.”
Disney+ Hotstar’s Freddy Review contains no spoilers
Freddy is the story of Dr Freddy Ginwala, a lonely, introverted dentist who lives alone with his tortoise pet Hardy. Even though he’s an introvert, it is established from the start that he’s creepy. The dentist is searching for a soulmate but often gets rejected by girls. On one occasion, he meets Kainaaz Irani, a married woman. His admiration turns into obsession, and then he begins the stalking games.
The dentist helps Kainaaz get out of her troubled marriage. But when things don’t go his way, he goes berserk. We then see him taking decisions that cause harm to the person he claims to love.
The setting of Freddy is mostly dim, giving us the idea that even though he’s a shy and introverted person, he has a dark soul. He’s a man of few words but awful actions. The screenplay shows that Dr Ginwala might have some issues due to a disturbing childhood and constant rejections. But we are never taken to the root cause of it to help us understand his actions better.
Freddy comes off as more annoying instead of an intriguing, mysterious character. Kartik’s limitations as an actor are visible in scenes where he has to put up a straight face and use threatening language. He ends up going in the Love Aaj Kal mode – a manchild.
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Bollywood has made a lot of stalker and obsessive lover movies that end up with deaths in the end. Shah Rukh Khan started his career by playing such roles, and Darr is the most talked about! Whoever watched the 1993 movie can always talk about certain scenes that have etched in their minds – whether it’s a terrifying laugh, the Kiran dialogue or the scene where he carved the name with a knife on his chest. But here, despite Kartik trying hard, nothing will startle you.
Even the twist about Kainaaz’s character doesn’t surprise you. It’s the most expected turn of events one has seen happening in so many movies or shows. Alaya F does a good job. But she’s just an object of desire in the story. Towards the end, the film tries to go a darker route than I was expecting for the previous hour. Sadly, the third act does nothing to send chills down the spine.
Freddy Movie Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, Kartik Aaryan, with his creepiness, stalker boy act and obsessive lover role, tries hard to create fear or Darr but fails. With a better script and solid performances, Freddy would’ve been a fantastic psychological thriller, considering how the character was sketched. For me, Dhamaka will still be one of Kartik’s good performances, followed by Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. In this heavily flawed movie, Pritam’s music is a true winner.
The movie is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Have you watched the movie? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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