He has earned lot of flak for his recent films like ‘Happy new year’ and ‘Dilwale’ with audiences as well as critics criticising him for being trapped into his stereotyped image as a ‘romantic hero’. The ‘less than expected’ response to both the above films is being seen as a sign that Shahrukh Khan as actor was past his prime.
However, Maneesh Sharma’s ‘Fan’ is Shahrukh’s reply to all the ‘naysayers’ who had read his obituary as an actor. His portrayal in the double role – an egoistic superstar and his obsessed fan- in ‘Fan’ is likely to silence his critics, something earlier did with his role as coach Kabir khan in ‘Chak de India’.
Watching Shahrukh play the superstar Aryan and his fan Gaurav makes one fall in love him as an actor all over again. His brilliant and classy act is the highlight of the film, which scores majorly because of SRK’s effective portrayal as the obsessed fan Gaurav and its racy thrill elements in the second half.
Produced by Yashraj films, ‘Fan’ is the story of Gaurav Chandna (Shah Rukh Khan) , who claims himself to be the biggest fan if Superstar Aryan Khanna (SRK) so much so that he calls himself junior Aryan Khanna since he looks like him.
Gaurav has all his life imitated Aryan Khanna at his local Inder Vihar competitions and been a winner. On the occasion of the superstar’s birthday, Gaurav decides to go to Mumbai and meet his God. While millions of fans turn up at Aryan’s doorstep, Gaurav soon feels neglected.
To grab Aryan’s attention and meet him, he gets into trouble. When his first meet with the superstar turns out ugly, Gaurav decides to teach the star a lesson. As Gaurav’s devotion turns into obsession , all hell breaks loose for Aryan.
The rest of the film shows as to how far Gaurav’s harmful obsession goes. The first half of the film deals with Gaurav’s journey towards becoming a fan of the superstar Aryan.
Though the first half is a bit slow, Maneesh, who has effectively portrayed life in the middle class in his earlier film ‘Band baaja baarat’, comes up with a realistic portrayal of Gaurav’s middle class life as he grows up watching films and interviews of superstar Aryan at the cyber cafe of his father.
The film, major parts of which have been shot in Delhi, also manages to capture the true flavour of the capital city. As the film shifts to Mumbai after Gaurav goes to meet his idol, its zeroes in on life in tinsel town. Maneesh succeeds in coming up with a realistic portrayal of the life of Superstar Aryan replete with the airy mannerisms that come with his position.
The film picks up pace when Gaurav tries to seek revenge from Aryan. The film boasts of some spectacular special effects which makes the action sequences a treat to watch. However, many of the acts by Gaurav in the second half seem illogical.
Also the denouement of the film leaves one surprised. In terms of acting, Shahrukh khan has done a spectacular job both as superstar Aryan and his fan Gaurav.
As the star struck fan Gaurav who is enthusiastic to meet Aryan but is heartbroken after his meeting with his childhood idol , Shahrukh brilliantly portrays the range of emotions -thrill, happiness and finally anger. As the superstar Aryan, SRK effectively portrays the mannerisms of a star.
As actor Shahrukh manages to excel in both the characters. The rest of the cast, including Deepika Amin (Gaurav’s mother), Yogendra Tiku (Gaurav’s father) and Sayani Gupta (Aryan’ manager) have done a competent job.
Considering that the film has no songs the director Maneesh Sharma has done a good job in maintaining the thrill element in the second half. In terms of cinematography, the film captures the city of Delhi in its true colour.
The film also boasts of good locales from Croatia and London. Despite its unconvincing end, ‘Fan’ is a must watch, especially for SRK’s fans , for the classy act by the superstar and its brilliant special effects. Rating:4.5/5: (One for the class act by SRK, one for special effects, one for the cinematography, one for Maneesh Sharma’s direction and 0.5 for story)
Courtesy: UNI
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