The Farhan Akhtar, Mathieu Carriere, Kamal Sidhu, Annu Kapoor, and Valentina Carnelutti starrer The Fakir of Venice, scored 3 in critic’s rating and as low as 2.2, according to the viewers. The film is actually a satire and depicted the fake world of art. Now, such a film is not everyone’s cup of tea. The movie has been in many festivals since 2009 and appreciated by the art filmmakers. The Fakir of Venice was meant to be Farhan Akhtar’s first movie, but it faced many production issues. Consequently, it was delayed for about ten years.
The story
Adi (Farhan), a production guy in demand for procuring interesting and rare articles. The moment he manages a commission from one of the curators from an art gallery in Venice to get a real fakir for an art project, things will be sorted. Adi travels to Varanasi but fails in his endeavors. Then, one day he meets Sattar (Annu Kapoor), who is a daily worker. Now Sattar has been acting as if buried in the sand since his childhood days. An idea comes in Adi’s mind; he dresses up Annu as a beggar and takes him to Venice.
The problem with Sattar or Annu is that he is an alcoholic and has some secret up his sleeve. The situation in the film forces Sattar to share not only a room but also the bed. This way, Adi and Sattar, hailing from diverse backgrounds, become friends as time passes by. The friendship changes Farhan’s outlook towards life, thus metamorphosing into a better human being. When penning down many Bollywood movie reviews, critics need to understand the nuances of a Bollywood potboiler and parallel movies like The Fakir of Venice.
Is it a moral tale?
The movie may be perceived as a moral story at some level. Adi is a trickster, and the naïve characteristics of the gallery visitors persuade Adi to move to Venice and become the master of his game. However, his acquaintance with Sattar, who is honest and innocent makes Adi realize his mistakes in life and to love living in all its shades, bright as well as dark.
It is said that the trick lies in describing what art is all about, and that is what Adi, as a conman tries to do when explaining artifacts to European visitors. He succeeds to some extent in his efforts. The satire comes from the lack of caution from the gallery audiences. The comments of the public are comical and highly enjoyable. So if you have a good sense of humor, you will enjoy watching The Fakir of Venice. The movie also narrates how curators of art know they are selling fake things, however, takes part in it because people love stories and interesting experiences to live and treasure forever.
The best part of the film is that it does not look old even after all these years. The content of the movie is relevant even today. The Fakir of Venice is a comedy and satire in the real sense of the terms. It just has two characters, Adi and Sattar, who will steal your attention with their outstanding performances.