FATEH rests on an ordinary storyline and also gives a déjà vu of previous films Movie Review: With an ordinary storyline FATEH gives major deja vu feels

Star Cast: Sonu Sood, Jacqueline Fernandez, Naseeruddin Shah

Director: Sonu Sood

Fateh Movie Review Synopsis: FATEH is the story of a man fighting cyber criminals. Fateh Singh (Sonu Sood) resides in Moga, Punjab, and works as a supervisor at a dairy farm. He's well respected in the village and likes to secretly help those in need. His neighbour in the village is Nimrit (Shiv Jyoti Rajput) and they both share a lovely bond. Nimrit runs a mobile shop and she is also an agent of a loan app called ‘Kisht Pe’. Through her, many villagers opt for a quick loan and thus benefit. But later on, they have a hard time paying interest even after paying off the loan. The loan agents threaten the villagers and even resort to sending fake nude pics of their family members in case the money is not paid in time. Sandhu (Binnu Dhillon) is one such harrowed villager who takes a loan and then is unable to pay the interest. With no other option, he ends his life. Meanwhile, Nimrit has disappeared. Fateh decides to track her down. He heads to Delhi and soon, comes face to face with the loan app sharks. Unknown to them, Fateh is no common man. He's a well-trained assassin. Meanwhile, Fateh is not alone. He's helped by ethical hacker, Khushi (Jacqueline Fernandez). What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Fateh Movie Story Review: Sonu Sood's story is just okay. Sonu Sood and Ankur Pajni's screenplay (additional screenplay by Sankalp Rawal, Rudra Anand, Shyam Nirmal) is clichéd though a few moments are well thought out. Sonu Sood and Ankur Pajni's dialogues are ordinary.

Sonu Sood's direction is stylish but suffers due to certain reasons. To give credit where it's due, he intercuts certain scenes with style and that adds to the fun. A few scenes that stand out are Fateh with Chaddha (Akashdeep Sabir) and his men at the theatre, Fateh meeting the cop Nishit Biswas (Dibyendu Bhattacharya) for the first time, a corrupt cop revealing that the password to his laptop is Satyamev Jayate etc. Also, the 140-minute-long flick doesn't bore even for a moment.

On the flipside, the film seems to have borrowed heavily from ANIMAL, JOHN WICK etc. The scene where Fateh fights masked men in a narrow corridor seems very similar to the Ranbir Kapoor starrer. The plot of an assassin who picks up the weapons once again after living a peaceful life has also been beaten to death in many films, including in the recently released BABY JOHN. The backstory of Fateh and even Nimrit is weak and the makers should have invested more time in it. A novel aspect of the story is loan apps and their dangers but it doesn’t get the prominence it deserves. The focus is on Fateh and how he fights the baddies but this aspect has been seen many times. Lastly, the audience will be left confused about Nimrit’s feelings for Fateh. Was she attracted to him or simply saw him as a brother? The makers should have simplified this aspect.

Fateh | Official Trailer l Sonu Sood | Jacqueline Fernandez | In Cinemas 10th January

Fateh Movie Review Performances: Sonu Sood as an actor puts his best foot forward. He keeps his act restrained and looks great while performing action. Jacqueline Fernandez delivers a sincere performance. However, the romantic track is very weak. Naseeruddin Shah’s (Raza) casting adds a lot to the film and he’s dependable as always. Vijay Raaz (Satya Prakash) is seen in a very different role and does fine. Dibyendu Bhattacharya leaves a huge mark. Akashdeep Sabir is there for just one scene and is too good. Shiv Jyoti Rajput, Binnu Dhillon, Prakash Belawadi (Aayappa) and Sheeba Akashdeep (Nirmit's mother) lend able support. Soundous Moufakir (Raza’s assistant) is fair.

Fateh movie music and other technical aspects: The music fails to entice. 'Fateh Kar Fateh' is not well utilized. 'Nindiya' and 'Rona Taqdeer' are good compositions but seem a bit out of place in a film like this. 'Call To Life' is the best of the lot as it’s like the theme song. 'Hitman' is played in the end credits. John Stewart Eduri's background score has a cinematic appeal.

Vincenzo Condorelli's cinematography is slick, especially in the action scenes. Lee Whittaker, Rampyare Ramdhari Yadav, Riyaz Nasir Shaikh and Habib Haji Sayed's action is very gory, as is the norm nowadays. Tariq Umar Khan and Nadiri Tariq Khan's production design and Gopika Gulwadi's costumes are appropriate. Yash Parikh's editing is satisfactory.

Fateh Movie Review Conclusion: On the whole, FATEH rests on an ordinary storyline and also gives a déjà vu of films like ANIMAL and JOHN WICK. At the box office, it’ll face a tough time despite limited competition until Republic Day.