There are only a handful of SRK movies that have got unbiased critical appreciation and have thrown up enough reasons to love the actor in him, than the superstar. Swades, Chak De India, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, feature prominently in that rare list. His latest feature FAN , thankfully for every movie lover, dominates that list now, powering to the top with some terrific performances from it’s lead actors..SRK and SRK. But then the movie is Gaurav all the way. VFX or Prosthetics, who really cares, when SRK can pull off a 25 year old, with so much energy and youthful charm.
It’s like SRK flew in some project analysts, made them draw up SWOT analyses, picked up all his strengths and shunned off everything else. Made a film out of his strengths. Psychotic twists-check, obsessesive admiration – Check, Gory fights – Check, Love for himself – Check, And One other thing which will be a huge spoiler if given away. Now FAN is a perfect combination of all these and more, to give out a wonderful cinematic journey.
I’ll be honest here- I’m not a huge follower of SRK’s previous works, ( have watched none of his movies after Chak De India for shouting out loud ), but this movie has shattered many of my prejudices, and I found myself smiling and rooting for Gaurav, about almost how he does.
While at the topic, the film starts at the warmy lanes of Delhi’s middle class colonies, Indira Vihar, with the introduction of Superstar Aryan Khanna’s biggest Fan, Gaurav Chanda. Gaurav as we see, is practically and physically the biggest doppelganger of the star, as he performs his numbers and enthralls the audience, while mirroring Aryan to the tee. Gaurav is awarded a trophy for his performance, and the fanatic that he is, starts off to Mumbai with a plan to dedicate his trophy to Aryan. A series of events, breaks his heart, and the second half starts ( with an incredible scene I might add ) with Gaurav turning into Aryans biggest enemy. The thrill a minute, Cat and Mouse game ensues, leading to a highly creative and brilliant climax.
What Works For It :
1. SRK : The biggest strengths of this feature, is Shah Rukh Khan. As Gaurav, his sheer energy and desperation is thoroughly palpable, and as Aryan the dicky superstar is cringe worthy. To create two opposing characters just merely by subtle changes in his body language and accent, is superbly done. He breathes so much life into both the characters that almost all through the movie, the audience is happily convinced that there are two actors fighting it out on screen.
2. Maneesh Sharma And Habib Faizal : It becomes very difficult when you are swayed by such superstardom to halt for a moment and ponder upon how wonderfully this movie was scripted and conceptualized. Maneesh Sharma and Habib Faizal ( The brains behind cult classic Band Baja Baraat ) have bettered themselves this time around with this psychological drama with a stellar script in their hands and an unabashed actor at their disposal. They have managed to come up such a water tight script, that they negate any and all hiccups that could have very well gone wrong.
3. Cinematography and Sound Design : VFX can only take you so far, after which it’s all clever photography and visuals to convey the message. It is always a tough ask to capture a dual role, especially when it comes to chase and fight sequences, and the cinematographer does a wonderful job smartly using lighting and depth to convey the difference between the roles. The sound design starts off as warm and welcoming as does the track of Gaurav, and through the second half becomes fast and upbeat, pumping the tempo to a whole new level.
Scenes To Watch Out For :
- Gaurav’s Aryan Act at the start, followed by his fitting and dancing tribute.
- When the paths of a superstar and his fan cross in the most unexpected of ways.
- A whole range of Madame Tussauds series which really sets the tempo for the movie.
- A brilliantly thought out climax which is as much poetic as is heart wrenching.
If You Have Not Been A Shah Rukh Khan admirer as yet, This is a really good point to start being one…! We Go With 4 Out 5 Stars For Such A Terrific Effort At Movie Making..!!
