Yeh Faasley

Cast: Anupam Kher, Pawan Malhotra, Tena Desae, Rushad Rana, Kiran Kumar, Suhasini Mulay, Sudha Chandran, Seema Biswas, Rajendra Gupta, Jagat Rawat, Satyajit Sharma, Natasha Sinha, Mazhar Syed, Rachita Bhattacharya

Director: Deepak Pandit

The movie “Yeh Faasley” is based on father-daughter relationship and how the daughter is perturbed by psychedelic thoughts that the man whom she loves the most, that is her father, is the possible murderer of her mother. Arunima (Tena Desai) comes back home after the completion of her studies, and is very thrilled to spend time with her dearest dad Devinder Devilal Dua (Anupam Kher). Her mother passed away long ago, when Arunima was a child, in a car accident. Devinder is a broad-hearted man, does everything to please his daughter, and not at all a strict dad. He even helps, Arunima’s boyfriend Manu’s sister, for her marriage. In this way, everything was going on well, Arunima was happy with her dad, even though she missed her mom. But one day, she caught sight of a will made by her mom for her. She could not understand, why would her mother who was only 28, and died accidentally, leave a will? After she enquired a few people who knew her mother, she came to know that her mother was very different from what her father used to tell her. After that, Arunima meets an old friend of her mother, who says her mother was not happy with the marriage.

Eventually, her father comes out of his shell and the daughter gets to know how violent he gets at times. She is in a dilemma, and is disturbed by the fact that she suspects her father whom she loves the most, might be the reason for her mother’s death. Her journey to unravel the paradox commences. Will she be able to unknot the mystery and take vengeance on the murderer even if it is her father? You will have to watch it, to find it out!Aah, now this one could really have been better. This is what one ends up exclaiming as the concluding reels of 'Yeh Faasley' start running. Reason being that what seemed to be a really promising idea, as conveyed through intriguing promos, turns out to be something that wasn't fleshed out to the fullest. Ultimately what one ends up seeing is a movie that would have been better off had it been made as a tele-film or an hour long 'Saturday night suspense' kinda show for television.

To think of it, the premise of 'Yeh Faasley' (leave aside a really weak and an inconclusive/non-enticing title) was quite decent. A girl (Tena Desai) really close to her father (Anupam Kher) only to realise that he could possibly have been a murderer of her mother now there haven't been stories on the same subject shown on the big screen in the past. Of course the genre by itself isn't anything overtly original; after all there have been instances of such films made in the past when a close relative/friend is suspected of being a murderer. However when a first time director comes on board, in this case being Yogesh Mittal, you always have some good hopes that there would be some new story telling at least. Reason being that there are fresh ideas taking form all over the industry today (case in point being 'Tanu Weds Manu' that released recently). With the knack of making even common stories interesting by means of the way they are being told, even the common subjects start looking interesting on screen if presented well.

Unfortunately for 'Yeh Faasley' though, this isn't really the case as the film fumbles, especially due to the curse of the second half (which by the way is getting more and more troublesome in last couple of years especially). Hence, what starts off with a promise of an interesting tale only leads one to boredom as it progresses. Now that's particularly disappointing because in a suspense drama, one actually looks forward to the graph only going up as the story reaches it's culmination. It doesn't happen in case of 'Yeh Faasley' due to which as a audience you truly feel that if only there was more meat put into the written material, Yogesh would have managed to make the film half-interesting at the least. Not that the film is a total let down though. Leaving aside the fact that you aren't quite engrossed with the tale, especially during it's latter moments, there are portions in the first half of the film which do bring you on the edge of the seat. Tena realising that there is something really wrong with her father, his aversion at not quite letting out the truth, their conversations that seem to be meeting abrupt ends, her own investigation as she comes across various people with whom her mother had interacted in the past, Kher being tried in the court of law one does stay on with the characters here in the quest of 'right' v/s 'wrong'. However as stated earlier, for any suspense drama to work, there has to be a good enough culmination, something which turns out to be a weak link here.

Performances are good here though and that is one silver lining that ensures that 'Yeh Faasley' isn't an unbearable watch. Anupam Kher in a central role is quite good yet again and showcases that he deserves to be seen in more deserving parts. Tena is decent though one wonders how far would she go from here as in 'Yeh Faasley' she isn't seen as a quintessential leading lady. Pawan Malhotra is reliable as well while Rushad Rana is decent. Technically, the film is just average, whether in terms of production values, cinematography or music. Over and above the fact that 'Yeh Faasley' isn't quite a film that makes it to the top of the must watch activities over the weekend, another factor that would severely hamper it's prospects is a near-to-nil promotion. With nothing known about the film and no one knowing if this film has even released, 'Yeh Faasley' would largely go unnoticed.Independent films often hold a promise. You know that they are made of lesser money and more passion. But the passion for filmmaking does not always make a good film. There are a lot of elements that are required to sustain the audience's attention. Yeh Faasley falls because it tends to tire you out rather than keep glued to your seat.

Yeh Faasley is an absolutely slow journey. Having said that, it's undeniable that the film has a very good story! A human drama and battle of emotions pitched into a murder mystery is refreshing. Also the fact that the truth could be so much more than what someone sees, hears or is informed is a concept that is very rarely handled. Yeh Faasley is about father daughter relationship. As Arunima Dua (Tena) is glad to back with her father Devender Dua (Anupam Kher) after staying away for quite some time because of her education. But things turn sour as she stumbles upon clues which point finger towards her father, indicating he is not really the person he is and neither was he true about the death of Arunima's mother. What ensues is Arunima's struggle to find the truth and that distances her from her father - and also makes her feel quite guilty.

The writers establish the characters very well early in the story. The last few minutes of the film are very well handled. The story takes twists and turns, turning up a new surprise every time you think it is over. However the way it moves ahead is not quite welcome. A slow, bookish pace is not appreciated. And the director adds to it by constantly repeating shots to emphasize on effects he wants to create. He loses the game and our attention. Yeh Faasley could and should have been shorter by half an hour. Technically, the film is a misery. Its grainy look does not help and things only gets worse when you find certain scenes completely out of focus, as if it has been shot on a handy-cam! What manage to hold attention throughout the film are performances. Anupam Kher and Tena have good roles and do complete justice with superlative performance. Pawan Malthotra is measured and good as usual. Rushad Rana does his bit. But performances never made a film good. Yeh Faasle fails. You won't miss much if you give this a pass. Rather you could save some time.