Freddy: Ending Explained (In Detail)

With the likes of Khoobsurat (2014) and Veere Di Wedding (2018) under his belt, Shashanka Ghosh left behind the frothy lightness of those films for the darker environs of a thriller, recruiting as his lead actor Kartik Aaryan, fresh off the monster success of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (Anees Bazmee, 2022), with Alaya F cast opposite him.

Though initially expected to open in theatres, Freddy was eventually acquired by Disney+ Hotstar, and released at the end of 2022.

Meet Freddy

Cast against the grain, given his immense popularity and relatability with audiences, Aaryan plays a socially awkward dentist named Freddy Ginwala (the film’s first atrocity against the Zoroastrian community is that surname; the protagonist’s given name is likely a nod to the frontman of music group Queen, who was also Parsi). Freddy, who lost his parents at a young age and was raised by his aunt Persis (Myrna S. Dalal), is making an honest effort to be more outgoing, especially on the dating scene, but is met with rejection from every woman. He thus spends most of his time with Hardy, his pet tortoise, and working on a miniature aircraft (like most other films looking at loners, Freddy also positions the protagonist as being one with solely indoor interests). 

It is very quickly relayed to viewers that Freddy’s father killed his mother and committed suicide, a detail of little relevance unless one wants to read into bothersome theorising about murderous traits being passed on genetically.

Freddy’s life changes when he meets Kainaaz (Alaya) at a wedding. Though unable to speak with her for long because of her prowling caterer husband Rustom (Delafrooz), Freddy appears smitten. Kainaaz lands up at his clinic the next day, wanting to get a wisdom tooth extracted. The job done, he decides that the best way to approach this married woman is to loiter around her house. He sees her being assaulted by Rustom, and summons her the next day for a post-op check-up.

When questioned about the scars on her face, Kainaaz lays bare the abuse she is meted out at home, saying that Rustom would kill her if she ever tried to leave him. She starts to see Freddy on the sly, and the two lovers eventually come up with a plot to dispose of Rustom.

Two Disposals

Freddy puts the plan into gear by running over Rustom. He then gets his car fixed before making for his farmhouse in Karjat, where he stays holed up for a week.

Upon his return to Mumbai, he finds Kainaaz in the arms of another man, a chef called Raymond (Pandit). Kainaaz comes clean about having pretended to be in love with Freddy so he’d help her get rid of Rustom and she could be with Raymond, which surprisingly arouses neither social nor administrative suspicion, given how Rustom died.

Shattered at having been disposed of just like Rustom was, Freddy puts in place a plan to get back at Kainaaz and Raymond.

The Dentist Strikes Back

Freddy begins by causing the lovers very basic inconveniences: He surreptitiously enters their house and replaces Kainaaz’s facewash with dishwashing liquid. He also removes the brake fluid from Raymond’s car. As expected, Kainaaz has an allergic reaction to the swapped liquid and, as Raymond rushes her to the hospital, the brakes of his car fail and they get injured.

Freddy proceeds to add insult to injury by posting a review of Kainaaz’s restaurant, stating that there was a lizard in his food. He also leaks an intimate picture of the couple. Certain that he is behind their newfound problems, Kainaaz and Raymond go to his house and attack him, only to be caught by the police, who had been called by Freddy beforehand.

The couple demand that the police take Freddy into custody for Rustom’s murder, only to find that the evidence of the crime, which was contained on Kainaaz’s phone, has been erased. Determined to get back at the dentist, they wait for him to go out a while later and break into his house (if nothing else, this film is a reminder to people in Mumbai to invest in better security for their homes). Like the terrible people they are, they pick on the small and defenceless Hardy, killing him.

Freddy is devastated by the loss of his tortoise, his only friend (apparently for good reason). Trouble arrives in the form of the police, who have received eyewitness testimony placing Freddy’s car at the scene of Rustom’s death. But cool as a cucumber, the dentist proceeds to frame Kainaaz and Raymond, stating that the latter stole his car to kill Rustom. He substantiates his claim by offering a series of texts between him and Kainaaz (he has authored both sides of the conversation) and also the CCTV footage of them breaking into his house.

Freddy gives the couple one last chance: He tells them that the police are coming to take them into custody and if they want to breathe fresh air, they should come to his farmhouse and apologise to him. He also instructs them to bring along a suitcase. The police see CCTV footage (which has to be the most convenient tool in this film) of the couple leaving home with a suitcase and arrive at the conclusion that they have fled justice.

At the farmhouse, the couple try to attack Freddy but he overpowers them and proceeds to extract their teeth sans anaesthesia: Raymond dies quickly but Kainaaz stays alive by some miracle as Freddy places her lover and her in a grave on the estate.

The film ends with Freddy lying down between the two bodies after having told the dying Kainaaz a painful joke that probably hurt more than the extraction. He smiles creepily at the audience before the screen cuts to black.