FAN: The Jabra FAN shines over SRK

For the last few years after “Chak De”, Shahrukh just could not get it right, though his movies did 100 crores but somewhere the actor Shahrukh was camouflaged by the STAR Shahrukh Khan….

Good News is “FAN” brings back the ACTOR Shahrukh Khan on silver screen with the portrayal of Gaurav Chandana who is a BIG fan of Aryan Khanna (Shahrukh Khan) and has a striking resemblance to Aryan. Gaurav is famous amongst his West Delhi locality as the Junior Aryan Khanna. He wins a competition in a local fare and plans to visit Aryan Khanna in Mumbai on Aryan’s birthday and gift the trophy that he has won. But things go out of hand for him in Mumbai and Gaurav finds himself in the receiving end of Aryan Khanna and to his shock his matinee idol refuses to acknowledge Gaurav as his Fan. Dejected Gaurav returns to Delhi but with a vengeance in his heart to teach Aryan Khanna a lesson….is Gaurav able to take revenge from Aryan Khanna is what the movie is all about….

Story & Screenplay by Habib Faisal starts off on a realistic ground and the first half sticks to realism, it is in the second half that the movie takes a complete U turn from Realistic cinema to typical Bollywood masala. The second half is full of glitches and flaws like everybody mistaking Gaurav as Aryan, including Aryan’s guards and wife, whereas in the first half  Gaurav was differentiable, or how did Gaurav end up in London or Aryan a super star taking up on himself to teach Gaurav a lesson looked too farfetched, especially after a realistic start. Another problem with the movie is its screen time of 143 minutes; it could have been easily 30 minutes short. But it is the characterization which stands out in the writing, off course Gaurav’s character is the best written character but even the support characters are also written well, which is Habib Faisal’s forte. The middle class ethos is portrayed brilliantly by Habib Faisal. Another thing where Habib Faisal scores is getting the true feelings of a hard core FAN in his writing. Some sequences do touch your heart and remains with you even after the movie is over, especially the last few scenes in the climax.

Dialogues by Habib Faisal and Sharat Kataria brings the Delhi lingo back and blends with the narration, the words, the pronunciations everything is just apt. It won’t be wrong to say that the dialogues of the movie took the screenplay to a different level….

But what actually makes the movie shine is the performance of Shahrukh Khan, his portrayal of Gaurav Chandana is just brilliant and reminds you of the Shahrukh Khan of “Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa” or “Darr” put together but with a difference, what with him playing a 20 year old at the age of 50 and the complete Delhi mannerism which he nailed with Gaurav. Definitely Shahrukh will be the toast of the awards season for this year. Shahrukh as Aryan gives a restrained performance of cocky headed star, but it is Gaurav’s portrayal which overshadows the entire cast. Deepika Amin as Gaurav’s mother and Yogendra Tikku as Gaurav’s father complement Gaurav’s character beautifully, especially Deepika Amin, good to see that she is getting her due at last. Debutant Shriya Pilgaonkar (Actor Sachin’s daughter) as Neha, Gaurav’s friend is impressive and extremely natural though she has very less screen time, definitely an actress to watch out for. Sayani Gupta as Aryan’s PA, though a small part does complete justice to the character, though her role in the film did not justify her calibre for sure. Debutant Walusha D’Souza as Bela Aryan’s wife, is natural and does a good job, never will you feel that this is her first screen outing, she holds on to her own even in front of the stalwart like Shahrukh Khan. Rest of the supporting cast also do a good job….

Manu Anand’s cinematography gives the extra edge to the movie, whether it is the Delhi by lanes or the beautiful locations of London or Croatia, Manu captures it with brilliance, especially the chase sequences….

Well one of the flaws of the movie is its editing by Namrata Rao, being a thriller it could have been much more crisper but unfortunately some places the movie dips and fails to be a complete thriller…

I give full credit to Maneesh Sharma the director, for digging out the actor Shahrukh Khan for “FAN”. Maneesh successfully brings out the ethos of a FAN brilliantly. Well not to mention his forte in capturing the middle class Delhi brilliantly. Just one complaint Maneesh just looses it a bit in the second half, but extracts brilliant performances from the cast, especially Shahrukh Khan….But I still feel “Band Baja Baraat” as his best till date…

“FAN” is a Shahrukh Khan show all the way, and he does not disappoint with his earnest performance after a long time….I will go with Three and a Half Stars….
Movie Rating: (3.5 / 5)