Premium10 years of Finding Fanny: Revisiting Deepika Padukone-Arjun Kapoor's offbeat road trip
Finding Fanny turns 10, and Homi Adajania's satirical road movie deserves a rewatch for its quirky charm and timeless appeal.
Last Updated: 10.24 AM, Sep 12, 2024
A decade has passed since the release of Finding Fanny. In 2014, Homi Adajania directed a satirical road movie featuring Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, Pankaj Kapur, Deepika Padukone, and Arjun Kapoor in lead roles. Fox Star Studios and Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films were responsible for producing the movie. Now is the right time to revisit Finding Fanny on OTT, which you can stream on Disney+ Hotstar.
Plot summary: The search for Fanny
Set in Goa, the film follows five dysfunctional pals as they embark on a road trip to find Fanny, Shah's love interest. Ferdinand "Ferdie" Pinto (Naseruddin Shah), a postmaster and singer, receives the return of an undeliverable letter late one night. He realises that his one and only love, Stefanie 'Fanny' Fernandes (Anjali Patil), never received the marriage proposal he sent 46 years ago. Their dear friend, as well as a young widow named Angie (Deepika Padukone), propose a road trip to locate Fanny. Rosie (Dimple Kapadia), Angie's mother-in-law, and Don Pedro (Pankaj Kapur), an artist eager to capture Rosie's likeness, accompany them on the voyage. Savio (Arjun Kapoor), a childhood friend of Angie's, serves as the driver. Angie broke his heart by marrying someone else (Ranveer Singh) six years ago.
For the uninitiated, four years after the premiere of his directorial debut, Being Cyrus, he completed writing the script for Finding Fanny in 2009.
Production challenges and delays
The film's unconventional nature also posed casting challenges; despite offering parts to both Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor, they declined.
Vijan warned Adajania that he is going to make a Hinglish film that only 10 people will see. This was Vijan's recommendation against producing the film. As a result, Adajania chose to direct Cocktail and put the film on hold.
Deepika Padukone's role and profit-sharing agreement
His narrated anecdote to the Cocktail lead actor, Padukone, left an impression on her, and she wanted to be in the film. The producers announced Padukone and Kapoor as the lead cast members, with the latter given the character of a mechanic who is in denial about being a loser. Padukone reportedly signed a profit-sharing agreement with the producers and cut her customary salary for the film.
In an interview, Padukone stated that the rumour that the film was actually a short film was completely false. For the benefit of viewers in India and beyond, the film will include both an English and Hindi version.