- Date of Release: 22 July 2024
- Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
- Language: English/Hindi
- Watch On: Film Website
Fairy Folk
Introduction
In the opening act of Fairy Folk, you are introduced to a couple who suddenly come across a humanless figure in the forest of Aarey, a spot in Mumbai that is known for its share of Urban Legends. The figure is hairless and without genitals, almost painting a haunting picture given its sudden appearance, even as the couple look to abandon their car and booked an Uber back home instead. Amidst their little conversations, you can make out that the husband and wife are all but too familiar with each other, having entered a phase in their marriage where it is seemingly getting more platonic with companionship ruling the roost, while love may have fizzled out, but not to a point of actually have a fall-out. There is a sense of quirky humour lacing the narrative that almost has a setup straight from a horror film. Yet, what sets this ‘urban legend’ apart is that the fairy here is itself an object of desire that can take forms as triggered accordingly, and that has appeared in a guise of a ‘folklore’ for the couple who are on the verge of a marital exhaustion. What was a seemingly straight-forward tale, did turn on its head with bouts of magical realism in this rather absurdist drama. So then does Fairy Folk manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
Fairy Folk is essentially an absurdist take on love, desire and identity in the life of a couple who encounter a genderless being that actually transforms itself based on the manifestation of different forms of desire. The story is absurdist and quite unique with its storytelling wherein the idea of an urban legend is turned on its head. In fact, the ‘fairy’ itself is given an identity of a genderless being that acts as a catalyst in cooking up a storm in the lives of a couple who are perhaps, too acquainted with each other in their years of marriage that is seemingly headed towards companionship without any spark of love. And so the lack of desire in their relationship is itself given a shape or form in this incredibly weird but masterful storytelling comprising of a screenplay standing at exactly 100 minutes.
After the initial encounter with the ‘being’, the drama here shifts base to the house of the couple who are just about sticking around with each other following their years of marriage. Contrary to the beliefs that only ‘fights’ lead to marriages having a fallout, the scenario here is a whole lot different if you take a sneak peek into their lives a little further. There is a growing distance even as the concept of love has story deteriorated in their marriage, which is not necessarily resulting in fights, but a seemingly sense of distance even though you do get to know that communication is still being used to cater to their companionship. This was quite an intriguing take on a modern day relationship that was filled with suppressed desires but never quite going anything beyond that, while sticking to their routines.
The strongest aspect of the drama is its characterization given how the two protagonists – the husband and wife are poles apart. You do get a glimpse on how Ritika might be the sole breadwinner of the family even as Mohit resorts to playing poker wherein he seems to be a professional. But more importantly, you see the dormant sense of masculinity coming to the fore after Mohit, having being acquainted with the ‘Being’ who landed up at his place, looks to mould his persona as per what he feels is deemed for an ideal partner. So you see him being trained to serve the guests and not counter back, all qualities which are ideal qualities of a life partner as per Mohit. The twist in the tale occurs when he invariably wishes to cross the final hurdle – that of physical intimacy, unaware that the being could transform as per the desires of the person closest to him. And thus appears Kabir, a renewed form of Mohit who doesn’t look like him but still boasts of his nature while almost being an upgraded version of the man that Ritika longed for, thereby resulting in her intimacy with him, much to the dismay of Mohit.
It is almost like a win win situation for Ritika, given how she is acquainted with ‘another man’ who is also her ‘husband’, both at the same time. The difference in the behavior of Ritika can be attributed to the fact she wasn’t chasing an earlier version of her partner but looking for someone who would ‘fit her requirement’ as things stand currently. This is contrary to that of Mohit who wishes to indulge in a previous version of his partner, probably from the earlier phase of their marriage that coaxes him to trigger another person of desire. Only this time, he triggers the arrival of Hansa, a transwoman who retains the feelings of Ritika but doesn’t appear the way Mohit had envisioned her. She boasts of a beard while having the body of a woman that makes the viewers question their object of desire from the gaze of Mohit – is physical attraction the highest form of desire? Does identity of an individual play an important part in a relationship even though the partner ticks all boxes at an emotional and subconscious level?
These questions often encircle the viewers even as you see Mohit gravitate towards Hansa, even though there is a lot of hesitation in store. In a scene, you see the duo indulging in a first date wherein for Hansa, her man of desire and the idea of marriage are two mutually exclusive events, even as she warms up to Mohit, who has his guards up but subconciously leaning towards Hansa at an emotional level. Yet, Mohit does intend to transform Hansa based on what he deems fit in his head, that triggers the series of events are reverse the case completely in an open ended finale. He may have got a better looking Ritika too but was she as emotionally invested as Hansa? The screenplay is laced with these questions where the vicinity of borders of love are blurred, yet the tinge of humour infused in the narrative adds to the absurdity of the drama, as also the universe where the drama is staged. The writing is pretty solid and pretty wacky!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational to the point that you will be able to relate to the tone of the drama, with the lines transpiring in the form of dinner table conversations. There is a natural streak with the tone that rounds up a genuine case of authenticity around the lines. The BGM is sparingly used, allowing the rawness of the drama to take centerstage. The cinematography is excellent comprising of wide stationary shots wherein the action does transpire. Yet, there is a hint of playfulness with the frames that keeps the intended bouts of humour intact even with some mid or tight closeups in fray. The editing is excellent here, almost being representive of the dual moods of the drama. So it is quick to transition between being simplistic to being absurdist, without worrying too much of the transit in between, something that also doubles up in accentuating the tone of the drama without delving into the subtext with respect to justification provided. Director Karan Gour does a splendid job in creating an absurdist world by taking the concept of desire and turning it on its head by giving it life in the form of shape and size. And amidst that world, he is successful in creating a folklore with dollops of humour while tacking an uncontrolled theme with a sense of ambiguity tagged to it. And to top it, the characters are unevenly flourishing too, in sync with the mood of the drama that makes for an incredible piece of art that is absurdist and niche, both at the same time. The direction is splendid.
Performances
The performances are splendid by the ensemble cast, and I did like the meta-references in terms of the relationship that the characters share, something that is an extension of their real-life dynamics. Alekh Sangal as Maher, Jahnavi Dave as Afreen, Jankee Parekh Mehta as Isha, Shaan Vyas as Shaan, Ankit Challa as Ankit, Avinash Verma as Avinash and Geetika Vidya as Geet seem to be a part of the same group offscreen too, and the kind of banter that the group shares just seems like an extension to the real-life conversations of just chilling and jamming together, that triggers a free flowing conversation amongst the group wherein each of them standout. Annukampa Harsh as Ritika 2 has her presence felt too in a wave of ambiguity given the setup with respect to her character at the end.
Nikhil Desai as the ‘Being’ is wonderful to witness too, with his stoic presence of a genderless human adding intimidation and humour with a sense of unpredictability to the character. One of my favourite characters has to be Hansa essayed by the phenomenal Asmit Pathare. He does bring a spate of emotions by blurring the concept of love for Mohit as well as the viewers, who may have been conditioned in a certain manner. The kind of softness with assertiveness that he brings to his character with a ray of sensitivity, made him a stunning character to absorb and adore.
Chandrachoor Rai as Kabir, a character being the ‘upgraded’ version of Mohit, again with a hint of ambiguity surrounding him, is in top form. He seamlessly gets into the skin of his character and performs splendidly. And it does help that Rasika Dugal and Mukul Chadda are husband and wife in real life too, given their sparkling chemistry with dollops of banter that they transcend with the characters of Ritika and Mohit respectively. Rasika is simply adorable and easy on the eye even with the kind of suppressed vulnerability that her character is subjected to. But it is Mukul Chadda who is simply phenomenal as a character who is probably aching and fighting his own battle of insecurity, while bringing out his emotions with dormant masculinity as a byproduct. There is a sense of ease when he shares screen space with Rasika, and their banter often results in subtle bouts of humour.
Conclusion
Fairy Folk is an absurdist and surrealistic ‘Urban Legend’ on love, desire and identity that makes for a wonderful watch. The concept itself might be a niche but it does result in a memorable watch that is trippy in so many ways. The film is streaming on the official site of the film(www.fairyfolkthefilm.com), so if you like the film and if you can(there is an option for watching it for free too), do contribute towards the film(NOT A PAID PROMOTION) to help support and sustain such beautiful pieces of art. The drama is Highly Recommended from my end.
