A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Murtaza Ali Khan
Actor-Writer-Director Faizan
Kareem has recently wrapped the post production work on his upcoming heist
thriller titled ‘Morjim’. Inspired by Casino heists like ‘Oceans Eleven’ and
thrillers like ‘The Usual Suspects’, Morjim is essentially an independent film that
stars Dipannita Sharma, Rohit Nayyar, and Manjot Sharma in pivotal roles. The
film costars Sharat Saxena, Murli Sharma, and Anisa. Faizan himself stars in a
very interesting role of a con artist—a master of disguise and a tech-geek par
excellence.
Morjim follows a mysterious
man (played by Nayyar) driven by ulterior motives. When he spots a bright young
man named Sam at one of the casinos he recruits him as part of a major plan he
wants to unleash to as part of his grand scheme of things. Now, there are two
parallel forces in the world of Morjim. There is the Russian drug lord Ivan.
Then there is Paulo who controls the Casinos. Both are ruthless and extremely
dangerous people and you surely don’t want to cross paths with them. While Paulo’s identity is known to everyone,
Ivan is an enigma wrapped in a riddle wrapped in a puzzle. A character in the
film compares Ivan to wind. One can feel Ivan’s presence but can’t see Ivan. It
is never easy to tackle such an enigmatic character but Faizan is up to the
challenge. By keeping the suspense alive throughout the film he is able to keep
the audiences on the edge of the seat.
The project is a brainchild
of Faizan Kareem and co-writer Samuel Levy both of whom share a fascination
with the game of poker. Now, Goa is the only place in India that had some trace
of poker culture and that’s why they decided to set the film in Morjim. It took
seven months to complete the script—a passion quest that Faizan and Sameul
started in 2017. Morjim is shot across Goa, Mumbai and Pune. The biggest
challenge for Faizan and team was to get the looks of the characters spot on.
And that alone took 5 months to conceptualize.
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| Faizan briefing the camera crew |
Morjim is Faizan’s first feature
film. A multi-disciplinary artist with over a decade of experience in both the
Indian and American film industries, he previously has seven short films to his
credit including ‘The Knowing of Ali’, ‘Shylock’, ‘Sabka Malik Ek’, and ‘Uninstall’.
A brief look at Faizan’s work makes one understand the importance he devotes to
highlighting the contemporary issues that form the social fabric of the Indian
and international society. His short film ‘The Knowing of Ali’ that had its
premiere at the Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles focuses on an Islamic
militant who goes through a change of heart after a chance encounter with a
child. Similarly, his acclaimed short ‘Sabka Malik Ek’ focuses on religious
discrimination in India.
Faizan, who lives in New
York and has an MFA in filmmaking from New York Film Academy in Los Angeles,
also actively produces digital videos and media advertising campaigns and some
of his corporate clients include Coca-Cola, Jio, Myntra, Sony etc. But with
Morjim he seems to have pushed his creative horizons the furthest. A proper
heist thriller like Mojim has never really been attempted in India before. So
naturally it’s a big risk to go full throttle with an ambitious genre like
this. The screenplay cleverly employs humors to ensure that the tension never
really gets too overwhelming. Faizan’s con artist character is at the forefront
of providing the much needed comic relief. Previously, he showed his acting
range in his short ‘Sabka Malik Ek’ but in Morjim he really is at his funniest.
Consider his introductory scene wherein he is sitting in an office and trying
to con two men. He is quick to convince them that he is capable of actually doubling
their money in no time. As soon as they leave he quickly changes his getup and
we realize that it's not even his office. He has merely come there as a service
boy and in no time he is able to make some serious money by conning these two
men. The different getups that he takes up in the movie really make his
portrayal unforgettable.
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| Faizan on the sets of Morjim |
Morjim may not be a perfect
film but it is certainly a delicious one. Among other things, it has a McGuffin
that even Hitchcock would have been proud of. Another interesting aspect of
Morjim is the casting of noted Bollywood actor Manjot Singh as Sam. The
challenge was to address a very important question - Can filmmakers work around
religious beliefs of actors? This is the first time Manjot, a Sikh actor, is
playing a Christian character. In all of his other films he has essentially
played a Sikh. Full marks to Faizan for creating a refreshing character like
Sam while letting Manjot keep his religious beliefs intact. While Rohit Nayyar
is solid in his role, it is really Dipannita Sharma who is the show stealer
here. Dipannita has seldom played such a glamorous role. For the film she
donned as many as 16 different looks. As Tanya, she is the epitome of feminine coquetry
and charm—the quintessential femme fatale. This is the definitive performance
of her acting career. To watch her go about her business is to witness a
bloodthirsty predator playing with its helpless prey. The performance alone
makes the film a must watch.
Rating: 8/10
A version of this review was first published in Cafe Dissensus.
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