F.A.L.T.U. – movie review
A question to begin with. Consider life as a building where you have been stranded on the ground floor while all the lift doors leading to the floors of success have been shut on your face, what would you do? Well, our Faltus would create such a basement that the floors above look cheerless and dreary.
Faltu is a story of coming of age of today’s youth. They don’t choose a different path but create one. Inspired by Mr. Nek Chand the creator of the famous Rock Garden in Chandigarh the film exhibits how the discarded waste of the society when channelized smartly can create a Rock Garden and become the pride of the nation.
Faltu is a story about a group of friends that are considered a total waste. The cherry on the cake being that they take pride in the fact. These hard-working back-benchers are hardly seen working. They crowd up the clubs of the town while the lecture halls remain empty. However a turn in their life leads them to such a situation where fates of many more like them comes in their hands.
We have one more film which takes on the education system in India. Just recently, there were Taare Zameen Par and then 3 Idiots and now we have F.A.L.T.U. which is inspired from the English film ‘Accepted’ (2006).
FALTU is about four college friends – Ritesh (Jackky Bahagnani), Pooja (Puja Gupta), Vishnu (Chandan Roy Sanyal) and Nanj (Angad Bedi). They just want to enjoy life and do not take their college studies seriously. To prove this, Ritesh even turns up late for his last exam for the reason – he was busy packing for his Goa trip!
The results are out and Ritesh, Pooja and Nanj just about managed to pass. With such low percentage, they fail to get admission in any college. They come up with an innovative idea and with their pal Vishnu around, this gang start a fake institution named Fakirchand and Lakirchand Trust University or F.A.L.T.U.
So they finally have a University which gives them admission. This brings happiness in their homes and a smile on their parents’ faces. They create a website, issue ads in paper about the institute which brings authenticity to their newly formed university.
They get support from a kindhearted professor Google Chand (Arshad Warsi) who finds a place for their university campus in Panchgani and even appoint a young principal named Baaji Rao (Riteish Deshmukh). Everything is going on well, till some students actually turn up at the campus.
What does not work for ‘Faltu’ apart from lacking in originality, there seem to be countless songs. Yes, the number Char Baj Gaye, Party Abhi Baki Hai is a hit, and become a sensation among the youth with one or two other numbers, but the rest of them just end up lengthening the film.
FALTU propagates that being excellent in studies alone in not the only thing. What is important is to take up the study stream where you find joy. There is an instance in the film which tips the viewer to take up your hobby as your profession. That’s fine. But it also professes to realize the importance of people in your life.
Jackky Bhagnani has improved considerably. Debutante Puja Gupta is attractive and fine for her first film, while the favourites – Arshad Warsi and Riteish Deshmukh are just hilarious. Chandan Roy Sanyal is as impressive as he was in Kaminey and Angad Bedi for his debut is just okay.
FALTU begins impressively with a fun and music with the actors having a ball in their college life. The first half is full of energy and dynamism, post the interval, the pace slows and this is where it brings to the average category.
Cast of FALTU:
Jackky Bhagnani as Ritesh Virani
Puja Gupta as Puja Nigam
Angad Bedi as Nanj Nayar
Arshad Warsi
Chandan Roy Sanyal as Vishnu Vardhan
Riteish Deshmukh as Bajirao
Akbar Khan
Akshay Kumar as Cameo Appearance
Darshan Jariwala as Jeevanlal Virani
Mahesh Thakur as Mr Nigam
Vijay Kashyap as Mr Nayar
Rameshwari as Mrs Nayar
Credits & Crew of FALTU:
Remo D’Souza – Director, Choreography
Vashu Bhagnani – Producer
Sanjay Mehta – Executive Producer
Jigar – Music Director
Sachin – Music Director
Vijay Arora – Cinematography
Manan Sagar – Editor
Aparna Sud – Art Direction
Sachin Bajaj – Writer
Lizelle D Souza – Costume Designer
Niharika Khan – Costume Designer
Sameer – Lyricist, Lyrics
Eric Pillai – Sound Mixer
Playback Singers – Atif Aslam, Hard Kaur, Neeraj Shridhar, Suzanne D’Mello, Apeksha Dandekar, Vijay Prakash, Neuman Pinto, Mika Singh, Joy Baruah, Krishna, Rana Muzumdar, Priya Panchal, Jigar Saraiya, Lehmber Hussainpuri, Devan Ekambaram, Bob
Musicians – Kalyan Baruah, Prasad Sashte, Sheldon, Niladri Kumar, Hamtu
FALTU – movie review