Thrillers or horror movies involving serial killers aren't new on the world cinematic stage, with Alfred Hitchcock, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, David Fincher, Italian filmmaker Dario Argento and Korean Directors Kim Jee-woon and Bong Joon-ho being hitherto the best proponents of this sub-genre. Even Tamil and Malayalam cinema have been known to regularly dish out gripping stories centred on serial killers. However, despite Bollywood being pretty adept in dark and twisted thrillers, it has seldom explored the serial-killer angle, with only Raman Raghav 2.0 and The Stoneman Murders being the only good, original ones that come to mind (Ek Villain and Murder 2 were poor ripoffs of superior Korean fare), unless you add the web series, Asur, to the mix. Well, Gulshan Devaiah-Sagarika Ghatge-Kunaal Roy Kapur starrer Footfairy, from debutant director Kanishk Verma, gives it a shot and comes out right on top.
Scroll down for my full Footfairy review...
What's it about
Footfairy, as the title suggests, revolves around a serial killer, a full-blown psychopath by the same moniker, who preys on (not-so-random) women at different railway stations around Mumbai, and cuts their feet as souvenirs, leaving lead investigator, Vivaan Deshmukh (Gulshan Devaiah), Associate Director of the CBI, and his team, at their wits' end.
What's hot
First and foremost, Footfairy is an extremely well-researched movie about both serial killers and police procedures. Additionally, it boasts a watertight script and taut direction by Kanishk Verma, embellished by pinpoint performances from Gulshan, Sagarika Ghatge, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Ashish Pathode and the rest of the cast, even those essaying bit parts. The script, narration and performances draw you in, drop clues, demand attention, keep you guessing and leave you hunched over your seat till the very last frame, when the big revelation appears.
The references to the likes of David Fincher (which Gulshan also mentioned in my interview) as also certain elements of the best Korean thrillers are done with an aim to homage rather than imitate, and the fact that Kanishk leaves his own mark while making a film that's supremely engaging for even the most hardcore of Indian viewers proves how well he understands the pulse of his product and that of his audience. Other highlights include Jeet Gannguli's unsettling background score, Sumit Purohit's tight editing and Pratik Deora's seedy camerawork.
What's not
Footfairy takes 15-20 mins to properly get into its groove, and that could act as a deterrent to those not blessed with much patience. Also, as good as every actor is, you wish that one or two of their roles (citing the characters would give away too much) had more meaning other than be present solely to play a guessing game with the audience. Moreover, the final twist, as earth-shattering as it is, does create a minor plot-hole.
BL Verdict
A higgle here and a haggle there notwithstanding, you'll enjoy Footfairy to the hilt if you're not the nitpicking kind. To put it simply, this is Bollywood's best serial-killer thriller till date. I'm going with 4 out of 5 stars.
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