Abhishek Kapoor is a man on a roll.
For a man whose filmography boasts of the likes of Rock On and Kai Po Che, Fitoor is just the icing on a particularly delectable cake.
An adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic 19th century novel Great Expectations, Fitoor takes all of his Victorian-era characters – Pip, Estella and the delightfully complex Miss Havisham – and adapts them to a contemporary setting that alternates between Kashmir and Delhi.
The characters, their intricacies and motivations remain mostly in sync with Dickens’ original vision – setting the stage for a powerful drama that is not only sensuous but also deeply affecting.
What particularly surprised me about Fitoor was the performances of its lead pair.
Both Aditya Roy Kapur and Katrina Kaif have never been this compelling in a long, long time.
These are performances that will be talked about for years to come.
Kapur seems to be having a blast playing Pip – it’s a role that’s tailor-made for him and one that thankfully doesn’t descend into caricature.
Katrina, on the other hand, is the living embodiment of Estella.
Fitoor’s biggest strength, however, is its subtlety and the delicacy with which it unravels what is essentially a tale of love, hope and despair.
Even the slow parts work, and work well.
This is a film that would have left Charles Dickens helplessly grinning in his grave.
And that is as big a compliment as a filmmaker can ever get.