Sadly, despite a great performance by SRK, the film leaves one unsatisfied because its flaws were too glaring to ignore.
By Vikrum Mathur
Everyone knows what a big fan of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan I am. I always go to see his movies opening weekend, no matter what time of day. His newest release, Fan, was no exception. I went at nearly 10 PM to see this one on a Sunday night, after returning from an out of town wedding.
My interest in this project was more than any of his recent movies. For one thing, it was yet another collaboration SRK was doing with Yash Raj Films, the banner which made him a star with classics like Darr, Dil To Pagal Hai, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, and Veer-Zaara.
Second, SRK would be playing a unique role, that of a 25-year-old fan of a superstar that is very much like him. Finally, I was excited because SRK would be collaborating with a talented newer director, Maneesh Sharma, who has proven his mettle with films like Band Baaja Baaraat, Ladies VS. Ricky Bahl, and Shuddh Desi Romance.
With all of these amazing factors going for it, in addition to two stellar writers being involved — Habib Faisal and Sharat Katariya) — Fan was expected to be that movie which would revive SRK’s reputation after the debacles of Happy New Year and Dilwale. Did it achieve that goal? Sadly, no.
But before we go into the “why?â€, let’s have a glimpse at the plot.
Fan tells the story of Gaurav (SRK), a peppy, chirpy Delhi boy who is obsessed with superstar Aryan Khanna (also SRK). Gaurav is a lookalike of Aryan and channels his passion for the superstar by covering his room with photos, going to the first day first show of all of his movies, and performing as him in the colony talent shows.
When Gaurav wins a trophy for his performance at one of his colony shows, he decides to travel to Mumbai and meet his superstar for fie minutes and dedicate his trophy to him. Upon reaching Mumbai, Gaurav realizes that it is not easy to meet Aryan Khanna and, as he contemplates his next move, Gaurav blindly goes down a path which will wreak havoc in his and Aryan Khanna’s life. Does Gaurav meet Aryan? Does the meeting go well? What happens to Gaurav when his expectations are shattered? Watch Fan to find out.
Performance wise, this movie belongs to no one else but SRK. I would say that I appreciated him taking up the challenge to play a character half his age, and the prosthetics truly make him look super creepy and memorable. His Delhi diction is bang on, and his physicality is in sync with the character he is portraying. His performance as Aryan Khanna is also fascinating because we see a somewhat vulnerable, yet cocky side to SRK, which he has not represented as strongly in his previous ventures.
All other character actors are excellent, namely Shriya Pilgaonkar as Gaurav’s love interest, Waluscha D’Souza as Aryan Khanna’s wife, Sayani Gupta as Aryan’s manager, and Deepika Amin and YogendraTiku as Gaurav’s parents. Phenomenal casting, despite the fact that the core of the movie is concentrated solely on SRK’s two characters.
The direction from a technical standpoint has no flaws. Every performance is flawless, and I give particular praise to the editing of the film by Namrata Rao. There is not a single dull moment, and the movie never ceases with unnecessary scenes. The cinematography is gorgeous, particularly in the scenes shot in Dubrovnik. The action is also the first rate, with some truly stellar pieces. One wishes that they could see more such action scenes in Bollywood movies.
Now to the very big flaws in the movie, which come at a scripting level. (Spoilers Ahead) First of all, I failed to understand the overall message of the movie. The film ends very similarly to Darr, but what were the writers trying to say. That fans can only be appreciated when they go to the extreme?
I had thought that when SRK delivers the message oriented lines towards the end of the movie, the ending would come there, and leave the film on a positive and logical note. However, what happens next completely derails the movie and really left me thinking the whole point of the movie was then unnecessary.
Second, how can Gaurav get away with posing as SRK all of a sudden and only sometimes? Why was he never mistaken prior to clashing with Aryan? When he walks around areas where he pretends to be Aryan, why doesn’t anyone suspect him after he has done the wrong deeds?
Third, I don’t think that a superstar would ever chase a crazy fan across rooftops and swing like Tarzan to try to catch him. This is one flaw that bugged me because the first half of the movie flows realistically and well. All of a sudden, the second half becomes very filmy. This shift in tone should not have been there and there should have been some consistency. Either keep the whole movie realistic or filmy, not half and half. Fourthly, the character of Gaurav is written fine, but could have been better. I did not feel as much sympathy for him as I did for SRK’s Darr or Baazigar characters.
I wish there was some more personal connection provided for Gaurav as to why he connects to Aryan so much (besides looks). Finally, I also feel that many fans would be offended by this movie, as the main character is shown to be psychotic and it may even affect some crazy fans for the worse (referring specifically to the symbolism of the climax). Unfortunately, these flaws were too big to ignore this time.
I will say that the final scene of the movie does give you goosebumps and makes you think about the psyche of a superstar and a fan.
In terms of improvement, the film would have been much better if Gaurav disturbed Aryan through a more logical, mind games type of approach and if it had ended on a more positive note. Sadly, despite a great performance by SRK, the film left me unsatisfied because its flaws were too glaring to ignore, and usually, I am able to do that, but not here.
All in all, I give Fan a 2.5/5. Its performances are good, as well are its cinematography and action. However, even with a good idea at the base, the film falters under its flaws. See it if you want to see an interesting performance by SRK or kill time.
(Vikrum Mathur is an actor, and avid film buff who resides in Maryland.)
More from Vikrum Mathur:
- ‘Titli’: A fascinating film on life in India (March 30, 2016)
- Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice – The birth of a new superhero cinematic era (March 29, 2016)
- Pyaar kar: A guide to some of the most romantic Bollywood movies (February 14, 2016)
- The Best of Bollywood 2015: The Year’s Most Entertaining Films (January 6, 2016)
- Bollywood 2016: A guide to the most awaited films of the year (January 1, 2016)
- The Modern Saint: a tribute to filmmaker Ramanand Sagar (December 29, 2015)
- Vinay Pathak sparkles in brilliant play ‘Nothing Like Lear’ staged in Maryland (September 22, 2014)