‘Fox’ - this thriller lacks suspense

Film: “Fox”; Cast: Sunny Deol, Arjun Rampal, Udita Goswami, Sagarika Ghatge, Vipul Gupta; Director: Deepak Tijori;

It isn’t too tough to crack ‘Fox’. You end up realising the identity of the culprit in this suspense thriller 15 minutes after the interval.

If only the whodunit factor could have been held on for a little longer, “Fox” would have turned out to be as exciting as it seemed in the first half. No, Tijori doesn’t bring the culprit on screen in the middle of the film but leaves a couple of clues, unintentionally though, in the first hour itself.

A person aiming a shot at Arjun in the dead of the night and a few minutes later an old man suddenly meeting him in Goa - both these incidents, if studied carefully, throw enough pointers for audiences to ponder over the film’s plot.

At the same time, Arjun, a top lawyer, publishes a novel titled “Fix The Fox”, which goes on to become a best-seller.

The novel includes graphic details of five gruesome murders in the past and this detailing leads Arjun to Sunny Deol, a senior cop at the Crime Branch. It’s this build-up till the interval that keeps the thrilling quotient intact for “Fox”.

But the turn of events does keep you watching - whether it is the lawyer who only fights for criminals, a sense of guilt leading to a break-up with his rapist-cum-murderer friend Vipul Gupta, a momentary break from his legal partner and girlfriend Sagarika Ghatge, a fortunate encounter with publishing house owner Udita Goswami or his debut novel “Fix The Fox” gaining world wide popularity.

What mars the narrative though is that the production values are below average for a project that has stars like Sunny and Arjun.

The frames don’t boast of a rich look to them, the set design is tacky, songs are poor and Goan villas appears to be cardboard sets in Mumbai. Tijori has made quite a few thrillers on television before and watching “Fox” gives an impression that the script may well have been originally designed as a TV thriller.

A film like “Fox” doesn’t quite warrant histrionics and Arjun Rampal does well in keeping his act subtle. It’s a nice change to see Sunny Deol not really talking through his fists though one expected him to be a little more energetic.

Sagarika gets good footage for herself after her “Chak De! India” role. Udita is required to look good in her first few scenes and she does well there. Beyond that she hardly has a role to play in “Fox”.

Even though you start solving the jigsaw puzzle before the characters are able to do so in “Fox”, you don’t really mind the storytelling. The only trouble is that there isn’t any needle of suspicion that points towards various characters. That’s because there isn’t any needle at all here due to a clear black and white picture emerging quite soon. From a suspense thriller, the film ends up being mainly a thriller.

Movie Review: Fox

Fox: Falls apart

Rating: 2 out of 5

Cast: Sunny Deol, Arjun Rampal, Sagarika Ghatge, Udita Goswami, Vipul Gupta and Ravi Gossain

Director: Deepak Tijori

Duration: 2 Minutes and 34 Seconds

Churning out a suspense thriller is not everyone’s cup of tea. Director Deepak Tijori is a recent example. Fox goes down as the most carelessly made thriller. Everything is perfect till the interval and then the things take a non-gullible and predictable shaped just after one brings their popcorn packets to get ready for suspense to reveal.

The story revolves around the protagonist Arjun (Arjun Rampal) who is well accomplished and acclaimed as a criminal lawyer. He has a habit to win the cases at any cost and criminals take his name with confidence when any case is assigned to him. After rescuing criminals from imprisonment, Arjun conscious grills him to choose the right path of honesty. However, someone is there who brings obstacles in his path. So, in his mission to get rid of his guilt, Urvashi (Sagarika Ghatge) and a police officer Yash (Sunny Deol) come to his rescue.

Nigam Bomzan’s cinematography gets full marks. Sunny Deol doesn’t give his best. Arjun Rampal fits in the bill perfectly and does a good job. Sagarika Ghatge springs up a surprise though her performance in Chak De India, too didn’t go unnoticed. Udita Goswami doesn’t have much scope. Vipul Gupta is promising. Ravi Gossain is strictly fine.

Overall, Fox loses at the end, and that results in the debacle of the film at the box-office.

“Even I had my own shortcomings” -Arjun Rampal

He played a lawyer in his very first film, ‘Moksha’ (2001). Now eight years later, he returns as an advocate in ‘Fox’. Arjun Rampal has seen a definite momentum in his career during last couple of years with commercial successes like ‘Rock On’ and ‘Om Shanti Om’.

Meanwhile, he has made a definite progress in his career by working on his weaknesses, listening to all the advise coming his way, sorting out what’s valid and what is not and adapting to the situation. Result? He is a much-refined actor now with major roles in numerous top bracket films like Prakash Jha’s ‘Rajneeti’, Karan Johar’s ‘Stepmom’ and Sajid Khan’s ‘Housefull’.

On the release of ‘Fox’, Arjun Rampal talks about the roller coaster ride that he has been a part of in his professional career.

“After the success of ‘Rock On’ and ‘Om Shanti Om’, I have to be much more careful in my career decisions”, says Arjun, “After all, one can’t jump into any film that comes his way even though it may seem like an enticing offer. You have to take every step quite carefully.”

He understands that level of experience does count at the end of the day.

“What I have learnt is that one can never replace the level of experience. It could be your own experience or that of the setup you are a part of. Yes, it is great to give newcomers a chance; after all there were people who gave me a chance too. Also, these newcomers need to be backed by other experienced people. It has to be a mutually acceptable situation where you as well as the people that you work with are receptive of each other’s thoughts and opinions.”

He emphasizes on the fact that making a film is not about one person but involves teamwork.

“It may sound like an often repeated statement, but after working in films like ‘Om Shanti Om’, ‘Rock On’ and now ‘Housefull’, I have realized that how important it is to have a strong support system. Without that, a film can just tend to completely drift away. Any one individual strays and the entire intent behind making the film is lost”, says Arjun who has been seen in quite a few multi-starrers off late.

He agrees that every actor or technicians comes with shortcomings and he too suffered from a few during his earlier years.

“Yes, I had my own shortcomings but the good part is that I realized this fact and worked towards them”, he confesses, “You should actually thank an individual who makes you aware about places where you are erring. The faults pointed out by him may, or may not be the most relevant all the time, but the least you should do is listen to him and acknowledge his effort. Only when you start working on your flaws consciously would you become a much better professional and a human being.”