Visfot unravels with minimal tension, despite a premise that should promise more. The filmmakers seem to believe otherwise, however, with every element of production steeped in misplaced confidence.
In Visfot, directed by Kookie Gulati, everyone seems to be having the worst day imaginable. A reformed criminal is trying to live a peaceful life, only to have an old friend leave a drug-filled jacket at his place as he’s being chased by the police. Meanwhile, a pilot wakes up late, discovers his wife cheating by afternoon, and by evening, his son is kidnapped. The son, frustrated over a misplaced science project, finds himself at gunpoint by day’s end. And a waitress named Lucky gets caught up in the chaos, simply because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lastly, there’s Sheeba Chaddha, a 52-year-old actor playing the mother to Fardeen Khan’s 50-year-old character.
All of this could have been intense, but instead, Visfot feels like a film made on a bad day for bad days. The movie’s green-tinted aesthetic, heavy background score and scenes filmed with unnecessary tension create a sense of dread that never materializes. Sanjay Gupta, one of the producers, leaves his mark as the film unfolds like a watered-down version of his usual style.
Fardeen Khan’s Shoaib lives in Dongri with his mother (played by Sheeba Chaddha), while his girlfriend, Lucky (Krystle D’Souza), works at a café. When Shoaib’s drug-addicted friend leaves a jacket at his place, a fire breaks out, leading to a spiral of events where his friend threatens his family. In a parallel story, Akash Shelar (Riteish Deshmukh), a wealthy pilot, catches his wife cheating, and in the process, his son is mistakenly kidnapped by Shoaib and his crew. It’s a terrible day for everyone involved.
Written by Abbas and Hussain Dalal, Visfot drags along without the tension one would expect from such a plot. The filmmakers, however, seem oblivious to this, as scenes are drawn out and characters come and go without much purpose. Seema Biswas, for instance, appears as a mafia queen, yet her role feels hollow.
As the film moves into its final act, it loses all pretense of seriousness. Characters start shooting aimlessly, Fardeen Khan seems to give up on acting, Sheeba Chaddha exits early, and Riteish Deshmukh appears stunned to be part of this mess. In one scene, a character says, “I can’t believe this,” to which another responds, “I can’t believe you exist.” This exchange sums up the film perfectly—an unremarkable mess made worse with every minute. By the end, it’s not just the characters having a bad day—it’s the audience, too.
