Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Kartik Aryan stars as the shy and asocial but successful dentist, Dr. Freddy Ginwaala, in the 2022 romantic thriller of the same name. In a turn of events, he finds himself caught up in an affair with a married woman, Kainaaz Irani, played by Alaya F. However, the relationship quickly becomes complicated, leading to unprecedented consequences.
Directed by Shashanka Ghosh, the movie starts off on an interesting note with Dr. Freddy visiting the same cafe for five years, meeting women from a wedding website. However, due to his social awkwardness, his dates never materialize, as he tends to stare at their breasts. Quite a creepy protagonist really. So, it’s almost a miracle when the beautiful Kainaaz takes an interest in him after getting her wisdom tooth extracted at his clinic.
Kartik Aryan’s last serious role in the 2021 movie “Dhamaka” left much to be desired, but he convincingly portrays the invisible Dr. Freddy Ginwaala, a 27-year-old who believes in soul-mates and is haunted by a traumatic childhood. Alaya F looked a little too young for her part, but is riveting as Kainaaz. Her dual character as the young housewife trapped in an abusive marriage seeking comfort in her dentist is more challenging. However, Dr Freddy’s borderline creepy behavior makes it hard to root for him.
The pace of the movie may test the patience of many viewers, and it takes a lot of time for things to get interesting. When the more brutal parts of the thriller are unveiled, they aren’t exciting or nail-biting enough. The music by Pritam, especially the romantic number called “Tum Milo,” is surprisingly nice and helps in establishing the chemistry between Dr. Freddy and Kainaaz.
The film’s cast do justice to their roles, but much of it is too familiar, silly and almost mundane. “Freddy” is a decent one-time watch for those who aren’t used to watching dark thrillers but find the genre interesting nonetheless.
You can stream the film on Disney Hotstar.