Fugly Review: Effective And Potent

Fugly directed by Kabir Sadanand brings in the newcomers into Bollywood - Mohit Marwah (Anil Kapoor's nephew), Kiara Advani (Sayed Jaffrey's grand niece), Vijender Singh ( medal-winning boxer). Arfi Lamba who was seen in Slumdog Millionaire also starrs in Fugly. Jimmy Shergill is in a never seen avatar playing the baddie. He plays an uncouth cop who harasses the youth and abuses the power.

Though, Fugly trailer gives us the looks of other run-of-the-mill friendship stories, this film will sure rock the box office. Fugly has a social message which is thought-provoking.

Light on top and substantial underneath, this is the new Rang De Basanti. Thoughtful and brilliant, it tells the audience about the reasons to keep the spirit of nationalism alive as self-serving corruption grows all around.

Fugly is the cinema of social awakening. It tackles many social issues such as gay prostitution, khaki-clad uncouth atrocity and the excess of television journalism which makes the subject relevant. The director has done total justice to his subject. Cinematography is just awesome where Milind Joga's camera seems to capture through the streets of Delhi and Gurgaon in search of unsaid, unspoken answers to all the atrocities.

Positives:

Kabir Sadanand has given Bollywood two natural born actors among the four newcomers. When a film is being watched with a lot of expectation and when it doesn't fail that, it gives a good feeling. One of the many scenes that stay in the mind of audience is where Devi's (Kiara Advani) three male friends try to wash the abusive word 'bitch' off her residential door was deeply moving.

Jimmy Shergill's presence with his superb performance evokes fear and he perfectly suits in the looks of a bad cop. Moral values at test, friendship at stake, will the friends come out of the chaos or succumb to the pressure! Sadanand accompanies the quartet of protagonists' journey with wallops of whimsy and irony. Everyone including Rajveer Ahuja, who plays Jimmy's subordinate, and Praveen Singh Sisodia as the lecherous grocer, is effective and potent.

Negatives:

Director could have avoided making light of the situation when there is no room for levity in the narration. The film frequently suffers from mood swings. One minute we see the protagonists trapped in an uncouth atrocities by the Jimmy Shergill and the next minute we see Vijender Singh's character of a pampered and arrogant son of a Haryanvi politician doing a comic cat-and-mouse skit with income-tax officers, who have come to raid his father's premises.

Erratic and over emphatic at times, what works for the narrative is its supremely active heart and soul. The various debauched politicians and corrupt elements show up to mess up the four friends lives. With this comes the item number performed by Sana Saeed. The ending will shock the audiences.

Verdict:

Fugly is after all not so ‘Fugly' with an effective and potent social message ! This film possesses a very rare virtue.