Finding Fanny

Finding Fanny is a 2014 Indian comedy film directed and written by Homi Adajania and produced by Dinesh Vijan under Maddock Films and presented by Fox Star Studios. Arjun Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia & Pankaj Kapur feature in prominent roles. The film is based on a road trip set in Goa and follows the journey of five dysfunctional friends who set out on a road trip in search of Fanny, the love-interest of Naseeruddin Shah. The film had its premiere in India on September 1, 2014 and was released worldwide on September 12, 2014. It has also been selected to be screened at 19th Busan International Film Festival in October, 2014.

Plot

Finding Fanny revolves around five rather dysfunctional characters that live in the quaint sleepy village of Pocolim, nestled deep in the interior of Goa, India. Pocolim is a village where pointless conversations are a way of life. Nothing ever really happens here and the people of Pocolim, well, they just exist. One night, the old postman Ferdie (Naseeruddin Shah), receives a letter that is slipped under his door.

He realizes that it is the letter he had written 46 years ago to the love of his life, Stefanie Fernandes (Anjali Patil), asking for her hand in marriage. To his utter shock, he discovers that it had never been delivered. All these years Ferdie has lived a life of melancholy and regret, believing that Stefanie had rejected him. He decides to find his beloved Fanny (as he fondly called her) and tell her the truth . Where would she be after 46 years? Dead? Happily married? Would she even remember him? Or is Stefanie Fernandes merely a figment of Ferdie’s imagination?

Four colorful characters from the village join the trip under random pretexts, though in actuality everyone wants a distraction from their mundane lives. A young virgin widow (Deepika Padukone), a bitter mechanic (Arjun Kapoor), a belligerent artist (Pankaj Kapur) and an obnoxious self-appointed “Lady” of Pocolim (Dimple Kapadia) join Ferdie as they experience various hilarious and moving events that change their lives forever.

Cast

• Arjun Kapoor as Savio Gama
• Deepika Padukone as Angelina "Angie"
• Naseeruddin Shah as Ferdinand "Ferdie" Pinto
• Dimple Kapadia as Mrs. Rosalina "Rosie" Eucharistica
• Pankaj Kapur as Don Pedro Cleto Colaco
• Anand Tiwari as the Church Father
• Ankur Tewari
• Anjali Patil as Stefanie "Fanny" Fernandes
• Mihai Fusu as Vladmir Olianov
• Kevin D'Mello
• Ranveer Singh as Gabo, Angie's husband (cameo apperance)

Production

Development

Homi Adajania wrote the first draft of the screenplay during his month-long stay at village Salvador do Mundo. During this period he also studied local Goan Catholics, and added some dysfunctional characters into what he called, "hybrid Marquezian Indian village", which became the fictional village of Pocolim. To get local nuances and cultural research right, he took the help of Goan writer, Cecil Pinto. Adajania didn't intend to write the film as a road film, instead he placed it in the genre of As Good as It Gets. This was his second collaboration with Kersi Khambatta, who also wrote the dialogues for his debut film, Being Cyrus. Khambatta wrote the scenes, chapter by chapter, like a novel, which aided in the development of the script. The screenplay of Finding Fanny was adapted from a novel by Kersi Khambatta. The 200-page novel is expected to hit shelves later in 2015.

He had finished writing the script of Finding Fanny by 2009, 4 years after his first directorial venture Being Cyrus released. However, casting for the film became an issue as it was an offbeat filmâ€"Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor were initially offered roles in the films, though they turned their respective parts down. Dinesh Vijan had suggested against making the film, advising Adajania that "you are going to make a Hinglish film which only 10 people will see." Hence, Adajania postponed the film and went on to direct Cocktail instead. During the shooting of Cocktail, his narration of the story to lead actress Deepika Padukone had impressed her, and she expressed her desire to be a part of the film.

In May 2013,Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh were signed on for leading roles, the latter being assigned the part of "a mechanic, who’s in denial about being a loser." Reportedly, Padukone has reduced her usual fee for the film and has also signed a profit-sharing deal with the producers. By August 2013, Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia, who earlier featured in Being Cyrus, were signed on for the film; Pankaj Kapur joined the cast the following month. Whilst the film was earlier reported to be a short film, Padukone confirmed in an interview that this was untrue. The film will be showcased in English and Hindi versions to cater for the audience in India and abroad.

Before the filming could commence, sessions and workshops were organized with the actors. A month prior shooting, Adajania and Naseeruddin Shah figured out where to place the latter's character emotionally and his body language, through story arc from vulnerable, even "borderline idiotic" to coming into his strength later in the film. Shah decided to use a mid-range voice, instead of his natural baritone. Arjun Kapoor was convinced to use a restraint acting style, compared to his usual dramatic style, and appear in the "effortlessness of just being".

Filming

Shooting of the film began in October, 2013. The film was shot on various villages across Goa, including Saligao, Parra, Assagao, Aldona, Socorro, and Cortalim, and was completed in 36 days. Dimple Kapadia worked a prostheic posterior for the film, as she did in Rudaali (1992). The film was shot in English, the Hindi version was subsequently, dubbed in by the actors. On July 4, 2014, the cast shot for a promotional music video for the song "Shake Your Bootiya". The freewheeling dance number was choreographed by Shiamak Davar, giving the actor quirky moves, keeping with the tone of the film.

Music

The music of Finding Fanny was composed by Mathias Duplessy, duo Sachin-Jigar and Sachin Gupta. The lyrics were penned by a range of artists including, Mukhtiyar Ali, Alan Mercer, Sachin Gupta, Jigar Saraiya and the film's producer, Dinesh Vijan. The first song "Fanny Re" released on August 11, 2014 in an event in Mumbai where the second song, "Shake Your Bootiya" written by Dinesh Vijan, Mayur Puri and Sachin-Jigar was also announced. The film's soundtrack officially released on August 19, 2014.

Release

The International English version has been edited by Nick Moore. The director, Homi Adajania expressed interest in premiering the film at the Toronto International Film Festival. However, it was decided the film will premiere in India 11 days prior to the film's worldwide release, on September 1, 2014 and therefore the makers decided against the decision. The film has also screened at Busan International Film Festival in October, 2014.

Ahead of its release, the film got into a tangle with the Censor Board of India. Late August, the Board asked the director to delete a supposedly a ‘vulgar’ line from the film wherein, Deepika Padukone says, “I’m a virgin" to get a UA certificate. The board also demanded a scene wherein Dimple Kapadia’s skirt gets torn be "toned down". As of September 1, 2014, the film was still waiting for approval from the Censor Board. The process was slowed down due to arrest of Central Board CEO, on bribery charges. The film was also rejected permission twice by the Animal Welfare Board of India, due to a scene involving a hen. On September 5, Adajania confirmed that the CBFC has finally approved the Deepika Padukone dialogue, which was previously removed. This came after, he pointed out to the CBFC chairperson that it had already approved the same in film's trailer.

Marketing

On July 2, 2014, the first promotional pictures were released of Arjun Kapoor as Savio D'Gama and Deepika Padukone as Angie. In the picture, Arjun Kapoor dons a pair of shades and a vest, while Deepika Padukone, who plays a Goan girl, is seen wearing an apron and holding a blood stricken butcher's knife. On July 8, 2014, the official posters for the film were released and on July 10, 2014, the official trailer was released. As a first, the makers decided to premiere the film on September 1, 2014 to gauge the response of the film before it releases worldwide.

Critical reception

Finding Fanny has received critical acclaim. On Sahi Nahi, the film has a Sahi rating of 95%, based on 35 reviews.

Rohit Sukhwani of Samajik Khabrein News Rated movie 4.5 out of 5 stars, and said this movie is truly an eye delight, the sceneries and the locations will blow one's mind away, also, Deepika Padukone has once again proved that she is one of the most talented actress in Bollywood. Raja Sen of Rediff.com gave the film four stars and said the film gives "much to smile pleasantly at [and] to guffaw at." A reviewer from Bollywood Hungama said, "Writer-director Homi Adajania has dared to break all conventional rules and manages to serve an absorbing and entertaining story that keeps you interested [...] It will surely appeal to the target group of a discerning audience that values sensible entertainment." Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times commented that "all the actors have done a brilliant job, fitting perfectly in their characters" and described the picture as a "not-to-be-missed take on life and love". In a four star review, Mumbai Mirror '​s Rahul Desai regarded the film as a breakthrough film involving commercial actors, saying "This film is exactly the kind of brave clutter-breaking effort that most critics wish for while lamenting the rigidness of mainstream stars." Sarita Tanwar of Daily News and Analysis praised the film for being "real, funny and thoughtful". Ahmad Arafa of Kuwaiti Trail Mix had this to say about the film. "I never thought I’d live to see the day when someone in Bollywood would have the chutzpah to make a Wes Anderson-esque Hindi film. Writer-director Homi Adjania has turned picturesque Goa into his playground where his brilliant eccentricities run amuck and mainstream Bollywood heroes, Arjun Kapoor & Deepika Padukone, become his playthings."

Box office

The film collected 5.1 crore (US$800,000) on its opening day on a total of 900 screens which previewed both English and Hindi versions. On its second day the film's business increased by 40% as it minted 7.05 crore (US$1.1 million). The film did average business in its first weekend as it collected 19.9 crore (US$3.1 million) crore in India and $1.6 million from the overseas market. The English version of the movie earned $535,000 and $193,000, over its first weekend, in the US and the UK, respectively. The Hindi version minted $415,000 in the Middle East over the first weekend. In its first weekend, the movie has collected $450,000 from countries such as Pakistan, West Indies, Netherlands, East west Africa, South Africa, Maldives, Norway, Fiji, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal. The film grossed £101,000 from UK and $515,000 from the US during its opening weekend. In its first week, Finding Fanny collected a total of 28.09 crore (US$4.4 million) crore. In its second weekend, Finding Fanny collected a total of 3.05 crore (US$480,000), minting collected 70 lakh (US$110,000) on Friday, 1.05 crore (US$160,000) on Saturday and 1.30 crore (US$200,000) on Sunday.

References

External links

• Finding Fanny at the Internet Movie Database
• Finding Fanny at Bollywood Hungama