When Fairies Turn into Nightmares: ‘Footfairy’ ups the bar for noir thrillers, a must watch.

When was the last time you saw a movie title and automatically guessed what it was about? Or at least We as viewers do have a good enough estimate what genre the movie belongs to only by the title. So, what comes to your mind when we say ‘Footfairy’? A fairytale? A cute story about a fairy who goes around spreading cheer and making them believe in magic? You couldn’t be further away from the truth.

Footfairy, written wickedly well by debut director Kanishk Varma, is one of those rare noir films coming out of Bollywood, and a movie we shouldn’t let fly off the radar if we want grittier, psychological, intense films in the future. The movie’s title takes a stark turn when you realize it is the name of a serial killer with a… wait for it… a foot fetish. The killer is at large, who abducts women and kills them for his weird foot obsession, and it is up to our lead Vivaan Deshmukh (a brilliant Gulshan Devaiah) to catch the killer and put an end to the killing spree. Where the movie excels is shifting its focus from the grotesque killings to the actual aftermath of it all, on the people who are involved, and the psychological toll it takes on them. The brilliant contrast that Kanishk sets it up against are the empty, haunting shots of various people in the city going about their daily routine. The nail-biting cat and mouse chase between Vivaan and the killer is portrayed with masterful cinematography, rainy settings, footsteps running down muddy lanes, claustrophobic alleys and dark shadows. What Footfairy does with brilliance amidst all of it, is shine a light on how obsessions really works, and how it can pull you down the abyss if you put in even your pinky finger. It will keep you on the edge of your seat, and also make you want to curl under a blanket due to the morbid atmosphere it manages to evoke.  Gulshan Devaiah carries this movie with aplomb. In a day and age where super heroic cops are the norm, he brings in a much needed gritty and realistic approach to the role. He is a cop who while is great at solving cases due to his great gut instinct and his resilience, he also shows cracks in his exterior upon being fooled by the killer at every step. Gulshan’s brilliant portrayal of the mental toll this case takes on a person is definitely something you shouldn’t miss. The supporting cast is also at their A game. Sagarika Ghatge plays Gulshan’s partner and his safe space with an understated calm. Kunaal Roy Kapoor is in a role like never before, and will leave you wondering why he isn’t in more movies. The story, the characters and their motives, the chase and the big reveal, all of it is enough to make you rethink what fairies mean, and might just put you off them forever! An &pictures original film ‘Footfairy’, is also being released direct-to-TV, a unique release in its own right. Tune in to &pictures, at 9 pm on 24th October, and get ready for some chills down your spine! This is a partnered post