Written and directed by Onir, co-written by Fawzia Mirza, Karun, a young security officer from South India, is stationed in Gurez, a remote village in Kashmir. One day, a charming man named Faheem comes to the check post and meets Karun. This marks the beginning of a romance, which, from the outset, is doomed. Starring: Akash Menon, Mir Tawseef, Satya Prakash and Mir Salman.
As soon as Faheem (Mir Tawseef) and Karun (Akash Menon) meet there’s immediate chemistry, they create a strong flirty, curious vibe. It’s very natural and light, as things move on Onir builds a wholesome, humble atmosphere which matches its grounded story. There’s a little bit of sweetness to its tone, almost in a first love kind of way, a lot of anticipation and infatuation. Although the way that their relationship is built is extremely reserved, it’s mostly offscreen and also a lot of it is through text. Their actual interactions are a smaller portion of the film than expected.
It works in some ways but feels overly light in others, particularly with the political undertones of We Are Faheem & Karun. The story does establish their presence and the pressures of their societies and families but only to quite a minimal extent for the most part. The result feels like it’s missing a bigger sense of urgency and danger, something to truly accent the difficulty of them being together and the potential fallout. So, when the finale does arrive, it lacks a stronger impact, not quite hitting as emotional of a note as hoped.
That’s something which also feels reflected in Onir’s directorial style, it has a muted quality, leaning perhaps too far into the everyday. Having the characters’ phones be such a big part of the story feels like it’s taking away from the natural or contemplative side of things, not letting the landscapes really have their moment and add a bigger depth. Especially as the progression is fairly slow and there’s isn’t a great deal happening until the very end.
Although, the performances from the entire ensemble are well done. They attempt to add that emotional note without being overt, which was a great choice. Akash Menon and Mir Tawseef create very different characters, Menon’s Karun being shy but determined, while Tawseef’s Faheem is outgoing, confident and suave. They make a great pairing and the connection is absolutely there but it does feel as though they’re holding back. A lot of the story feels like simple flirtation rather than building a genuine relationship.
We Are Faheem & Karun creates a touching connection but feels overly light. For all the politically charged layers which create the foundation of this story, they don’t feed into the atmosphere. The tone is humble and sweet, the high of first love, while not truly capturing the risk and danger of the obstacles they face until the very last moment. The performances are strong, but the atmosphere and aesthetic miss out on creating a sharpness and depth to drive home the poignant nature of this love story.
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