Finding Fanny (2014)

Interesting facts

Finding Fanny is a 2014 Indian English-language satirical road film directed and written by Homi Adajania, produced by Dinesh Vijan under Maddock Films and presented by Fox Star Studios. Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, Pankaj Kapur, Deepika Padukone and Arjun Kapoor feature in prominent roles. The film is based on a road trip set in Goa and follows the journey of five dysfunctional friends who set out on a road trip in search of Fanny, the love interest of Shah's character. The film had its premiere in India on 1 September 2014 and was released worldwide on 12 September 2014. It was selected to be screened at the 19th Busan International Film Festival in October 2014.

Production

Homi Adajania wrote the first draft of the screenplay during his month-long stay at the village Salvador do Mundo. During this period, he also studied local Goan Catholics, and added some dysfunctional characters into what he called, "hybrid Marquezian Indian village", which became the fictional village of Pocolim. To get local nuances and cultural research right, he took the help of Goan writer Cecil Pinto.

He had finished writing the script of Finding Fanny by 2009, 4 years after his first directorial venture Being Cyrus released. However, casting for the film became an issue as it was an offbeat film—Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor were initially offered roles in the films, though they turned their respective parts down.

In May 2013, Deepika Padukone and Arjun Kapoor were signed on for leading roles, the latter being assigned the part of "a mechanic, who's in denial about being a loser." Reportedly, Padukone has reduced her usual fee for the film and has also signed a profit-sharing deal with the producers.

Before the filming could commence, sessions and workshops were organised with the actors. A month prior to the shooting, Adajania and Naseeruddin Shah figured out where to place the latter's character emotionally and his body language, through a story arc from vulnerable, even "borderline idiotic" to coming into his strength later in the film. Shah decided to use a mid-range voice, instead of his natural baritone.

Shooting of the film began in October 2013. The film was shot in various villages across Goa, including Saligao, Parra, Assagao, Aldona, Socorro, and Cortalim, and was completed in 36 days. Dimple Kapadia wore a prosthetic posterior for the film, as she did in Rudaali (1993). The film was shot in English, the Hindi version was subsequently, dubbed in by the actors.

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