 "Actor Shah Rukh Khan, left, poses for photographers with his Madame Tussauds wax figure in central London ahead of the launch of Khan's new film 'Fan'")
Back when I was a teenager, I used to collect celebrities’ pictures and leave human shaped holes in newspapers and magazines. Almost all of us have gone through this phase in our lives. But for some, there is no end to the phase. What starts out as being a fan slowly gives way to a dangerous obsession. That's what Fan aims to capture.
However, an obsessive fan is not a novel concept — the Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes-starrer The Fan, too, touched upon this subject
Read more from our special coverage on "SHAH RUKH KHAN"
Directed by Maneesh Sharma, who made his debut with Band Baaja Baaraat, the premise of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Fan comes across as a bit conceited. Is this the actor's way of proving how magnanimous his stardom is? This is a question that comes to mind as you make your way through the film.
Gaurav Chanana, a 20-something Delhi boy, claims to be the biggest fan of superstar Aryan Khanna (both roles are played by SRK). His obsession borders on the creepy, going by how Chanana's room is more of a “shrine” dedicated to the star.
After sitting through the torturous Happy New Year and equally mind-numbing Dilwale, I was prepared for any nonsense the film could throw at me. But I had to eat my words. Khan’s Chanana looks similar to his idol in an eerie way, thanks to prosthetics. He also has the whitest set of teeth I have ever seen. But the conviction with which Khan plays the role should definitely be lauded. However, this film is entirely a one-man show. Other actors, though they do a good job, don’t catch your attention. Most of us would even forget what their characters’ names were. I think that really was the intent. This film not just stars Khan, it is more of a homage to him.
The film revolves around Chanana, who worships Aryan Khanna and is thrilled to look similar to his idol. He wins an opportunity to meet his “God” and that is when things turn sour. His obsessive love turns into an obsessive hatred. Chanana’s angst and borderline insanity can be compared to the performance Khan gave in Darr. Thankfully, this film lacks the “stereotypical” Khan moves that many of his latest films have exploited. Unfortunately, for hardcore fans, this film doesn’t have Khan posing in his iconic way. The film also lacks any choreographed dance sequences, which usually do nothing to further the plot of a film. So far, so good.
Though the first half is engaging, the second half struggles to move along. Instead of focusing on the emotional aspects of vengeance, Sharma turns Chanana into a scheming genius whose only aim is to bring down the very same “God” whom he had put on a pedestal. And this is where the audience starts asking questions. How does a 20-something Delhi lad get his hands on the resources to follow the superstar across the globe? Or how does a superstar turn into a kung fu master, fighting and running across rooftops? I praised the lack of choreography in the film, but then the film presented me with a fight sequence as choreographed as a dance sequence.
The film’s end leaves you scratching your head and saying, “That’s it”. Khan’s performance, however, will reinstate many people's belief in him as being the true superstar of Bollywood.
Fan is meant for die-hard Khan fans, many of whom would be able to relate to the once harmless Chanana. But, the unconvincing bits might irk many, including the motive behind Chanana's vengeance, which some might find petty. For film aficionados, Fan will be just another film that is good but could have been better.
