Film Review – Fredrick

Cast: Avinash Dhyani, Tulna Butalia, Prashant Narayanan

Films such as Fredrick should be included in every Film study and appreciation course – to show how a film ought not to be made. It’s touted as ‘a thrilling musical journey’; if the sole criterion of ‘musical’ is the sheer number of songs in a film, it probably is.

A 16-year old son is more than friendly with a boy his age. The disapproving father accidentally kills the other boy. Fast-forward 19 years – Vikram (Avinash Dhyani), a suspended IB agent travels to Mussoorie with wife Amrita (Tulna Butalia) to unravel a human trafficking racket.

Director Rajesh Butalia complicates the plot by getting Amrita and Vikram’s sister Shikha kidnapped. And since all clues point towards the sinister and elusive Fredrick, Vikram must, at all costs try to locate him.
Disjointed flashbacks and a gratingly loud score do not work in the film’s favour. Picturesque Mussoorie, with its breathtakingly snow-draped mountains and valleys, scores brownie points – but still 120 minutes too long.