Faadu: A soul-stirring saga of dreams and conflict

Tanisha Saxena

Manjari ( Saiyami Kher) is sitting with her parents at Abhay Dubey’s ( Pavail Gulati) house where each brick screams poverty. As both the family talks about their marriage prospect, Abhay clarifies that he will soon going to change everything and will only marry Manjari after that, as he believes things would change for better.

Manjari and Abhay are in love with each other. Manjari, however, says, “I am not a gold digger and I don’t care whether we live in dirty lanes or palace, our marriage do not depend on your success or failure.”

Faadu is a film that maps the journey of two individuals who have different perspectives/ideologies on ambition and life.

Directed by Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, Faadu is everyman’s story m, who wish to climb the ladder, become rich, successful and powerful. Abhay Dubey ( played by Pavail Gulati) comes from a humble background. He lives an ordinary life but dreams the extraordinary. In his journey from rags to riches he falls in love with Manjari, poet and quite a laid back personality. The narrative is split between Abhay’s unfathomable desire to achieve his dream and his inner voice that demands to live a simple and lovable life. It is also a matter of choice betwixt money and complexity or love and innocence. The eleven-part web show examines this very journey.

The web show’s first episode sets the tone of the entire series. When Abhay gets late on his day one for the college and the professor ask him for a valid reason and only truth, Abhay delivers a power packed one minute monologue. Manjari and so does the audience falls in love with his monologue, which also marks the beginning of a beautiful love story between Abhay and Manjari. Human behaviour is itself “flawed” and the cinema that portray imperfect characters which the audiences are able to relate to, then it is indeed good piece. Director Ashwini Iyer Tiwari and writer Saumya Joshi have given a masterpiece to the audience in the garb of Faadu.

“Mujhe lagta hai padh likhke Paisa wohi kamate hain jinhe zindagi ko duniya ko padhna nahi ata. Duniya ko padhna ata ho na (I think people who earn money after completing their education, are those who cannot learn life) to its very easy to be rich in this country but we don’t realise in the process of selling when we start selling ourselves,” says Abhay in the first episode of the show. These hard-hitting lines will be remembered for a long because they have been delivered honestly by Abhay Dubey. It is the dilemma of every progressive man in society who dreams. As the story unfurls we see how Abhay’s social fabric of trust and confidence is torn and ruptured in climbing the ladder. As soon as the two characters settle, their world gives us unsettling vibes. On the one hand, Poverty stricken Abhay Dubey lives with his parents and a drunkard brother, Roxy (played by Abhilash Thapliyal) in a basti. Dubey is full of energy and enthusiasm for earning money and coming out of the ‘filthy’ life. He meets Manjari who supports him no matter what like a true love ideally would, but, it is slightly unbelievable in today’s practical times. Manjari believes in a different school of thought. For her, it’s never about money, unlike Abhay. There are various characters who enter the life of the couple and change the course of action.

Saumya Joshi has beautifully used Nazm by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, ‘kutte’ and seeped into the narrative. “Koi in ko ehsaas-e-zillat dila de, Koi in ki soi hui dum hila de” ( if only they were alerted to their deprivations. O! For someone to tug on their insentient tails!)— these couplets are repeated in the show and make it even more appealing. At a time when more progressive and empowering stories are being liked by audiences, Faadu is bound to create an everlasting impact on people.

Performances in Faadu take the cake. Pavail Gulati and Saiyami Kher are aptly cast as lead characters. Gulati in his full form shines; his quirky lines, dialogue delivery, vulnerable expressions, and emotional meltdowns help connect with him on a deeper level. He is an angry poet who has so much to say about the society we live in. Playing his on-screen the better half is Kher, who delivers an outstanding performance. She is endearing, strong, and an anchor to the story. Abhilash Thapliyal as Roxy is impressive.

His character is written in a realistic manner. He finds poetry in his own world. In fact, his character reflects that it’s okay to feel weak at times. The elder need not be that stereotypical rock all the time as they are vulnerable too.

There are many other characters that help the growth of the characters Abhay and Manjari in the show. Having said that, the writer has tried to give depth and meaning to each and every one. Faadu is a different take on life and ambition and it is not conventional as anticipated. If we talk about the loopholes of the show then there are times when certain events end without much finishing. The narration is pretty slow in contrast to the speed at which Abhay reaches the highs.

Visually the show speaks volumes about poverty and the human quest to kill this poverty and move upward. Navgat Prakash’s enticing cinematography has rightfully captured a glimpse of poverty in contrast to the richness. Each episode unfolds with an Aerial view of the poverty-stricken area of Mumbai’s Basti, where street after street lives in dirt. The visuals of dirty, filthy water running through the tunnels, and the crows are a common sight as there’s rubbish dumped everywhere. In contrast, there are high-rise buildings where chic houses shine. The visuals have a clear demarcation between the expensive buildings and slums. Complementing the entire show is the music. Santhosh Narayanan has designed beautiful tunes for the series. There is enough poetry in the show as well that demands the emotional side of the audience and feel for the characters deeply.

Overall, Faadu is a relatable story which forces us to ponder over the very nature of the human quest to achieve his goal. With decent performances, engaging story and beautiful music, each episode makes for a binge-worthy watch.