It's been a while since we saw Shahrukh Khan in an appropriately gripping character. And after disappointing us repetitively, he has returned in not one, but two organic characters- both in performances and writing- the two characters, who are in conflict with each other in the film 'Fan'.
The story written by Habib Faisal is intriguing and thrilling in equal parts. There is a superstar called Aryan Khanna, lavish, luxurious, fandom-worthy and a true superstar, as is Shahrukh in real life. And Aaryan has a Delhi-based die-hard fan called Gaurav Chandna, who is a strikingly splitting image of Aaryan. Gaurav goes to Mumbai with a desire to meet his superstar, but gets into problems and ends up in jail, where Aaryan insults him for crossing the limits just to meet him.
And then starts a thrilling chase and revenge saga: a revenge by a fan, a plate in which a fan will serve the exact treatment his superstar gave him.
The plot, although simple, is deliciously twisted. Those chase scenes are so intriguing, they are worth dying for. The exotic scenes make way for desi thrills when the fan tarnishes the reputation of his hero.
And in these portions, Shahrukh indeed excites. The way he adds soul to the role of Aaryan Khanna is certainly appreciable, but when he takes the stage as the splitting image fan, he truly makes his performance talks.
And that's because the filmmaker Maneesh Sharma has given this fan a sense of originality. This fan replicates his superhero in the local Dussehra fair talent hunts, and has a beguling love interest, Neha, played by Shriya Pilgaonkar with utmost smarts. He will not let anyone watch porn in a public cyber cafe, be he beaten by a bunch of goons. But this bunch of sweetness gets spiced up when in the second half, through the observation of Aaryan, Gaurav becomes mysterious, criminally taut and also emotionally haunting. The sensitivity of Gaurav in the first half takes the top layer in the second half.
And how it all comes together as a bittersweet but nonetheless haunting in tone climax in the end is something really appreciable. The film is unmistakably mass, and entertainment is mainstream.
But therein lies the strength of the film makes score. Because there are all masalas, and they are all mixed up to make an entertaining film which is solidly crafted.
Let me warn you, the film is very long and in the first half, you want to doze off. At a point, the film has an unbearable 'nothing-is-happening-here' pause in the sequences and there are series of WTF moments in the second half.
But the emotional core-rattling covers it all. You must watch 'Fan' not only because of its 'fan'tastic message, but also its 'fan'atic ingenuity. All's 'fan'ned by an enjoyable premise.

This year's first biggest and most praised film was AIRLIFT starring Akshay Kumar. The success of that film might have encouraged many actors to try something offbeat, but it seems that our SRK is the first one to try among other actors after Akshay. In his recent action - drama - thriller FAN, SRK gives what we call perhaps the best performance any actor can ever give. Besides, it's not just a film that relies totally on him and his stardom, but also on several things like a powerful script, execution, and everything a perfect film has.

FAN, to be honest, is something no one has ever seen not just in case of SRK, but even in case of regular Indian films. Even AIRLIFT had a couple of songs, although they were melodious and didn't hinder the screenplay. But here, FAN doesn't have even one single song at all! The only scope for music is visible in the emotional scenes and the action sequences. This is, believe me, a huge plus point apart from the performance of SRK.

Though his last film to impress me the most was RA-ONE (2011), (I LIKED DILWALE TOO), this is his second most impressive film. Besides, another thing is that apart from RA-ONE, I had not seen any film on the first day of its release. Luckily, FAN is the second film I have seen on the first day of its release. This added to the much of my excitement and praise towards the film.

Shah Rukh Khan, or SRK, as we call him, gives the best performance in his career so far. He is extremely amazing in the emotional and action sequences, and there isn't any doubt that this performance can even bring to him various best actor awards. In my opinion, this is a national award winning act. Since everyone knows he plays two roles, it isn't a spoiler that he rocks in both the roles, although the role of the fan is the most impressive. Other actors are good, although there's only SRK to talk about.

The script and screenplay of the film are quite close to everyone's lives, and this to helps to connect with the film. I realized that during the emotional scenes, I too went emotional and felt some tears in my eyes. This is a film which everyone must watch, not just SRK fans, but even those who criticize him the most.

The technical aspects are top notch. The action sequences of this film are engaging and well shot from beginning to the end. There is no scope for the usual masala fare as almost every SRK film used to be till now, except a few. The editing is quite sharp and there's hardly a dull moment. The film comes with a strong message for everyone, especially the youth. Besides, despite of a UA certificate, this is completely a family friendly film, and can be watched by each and everyone, along with the family.

Overall, FAN is something truly out of the box; it begins with a smile and ends with tears. If you are a true cinema enthusiast, then forget everything and just watch this film. This film doesn't only teach how one should live with one's own identity, but also teaches how every film should be.

Yes, when I left my seat, I was quite emotional.

Amid much fanfare, the eagerly anticipated SRK starrer "Fan" finally hit the screens this weekend. With his IPL team, KKR off to a strong start this season; he would be hoping for a similar swing of fortune for his latest release as well after all "Dilwale" understandably fared below expectations. As always, SRK has gone all out for the movie's publicity with almost all channels training their cameras on him, though I felt it was much lesser this time around. The trailer received an overwhelming response from both the audience & industry alike with close to 4 million views on the first two days. Now it remains to be seen if it translates to footfalls at the theatres.

Aryan Khanna (SRK) is the reigning superstar of Bollywood & has millions of fans around the globe. Even Gaurav Chanda (SRK) was one among them except that his adulation for his idol bordered on obsession. He took pride from the fact that he was called "Junior Aryan" for the distinct similarity in their looks & also coz he always walked away with the best performer trophy courtesy of his tribute to the superstar in the annual competition at his colony. After having won the trophy yet again, he decides to dedicate it to his idol in person on his birthday & boards the train to Mumbai. But things doesnt quite pan out in the way that he had hoped for & when he does get to meet his idol, it was in a manner that he had least expected.

Maneesh Sharma is quite a well known name in the industry even though he has just 3 movies to his credit as a director with "Band Baaja Baaraat" being his debut venture. He is aided in his present project by Habib Faisal who had penned both the script & screenplay. The basic thread of the movie is the relationship between a star & his fan which goes sour to the extent that the fan becomes the greatest threat to his idol's existence. Though not a rip off, it did have a subtle similarity as far as the plot is concerned to Robert De Niro's "The Fan". Anywaz the idea as such was intriguing & promised to be an edge of the seat thriller which Maneesh executed impressively as well in the first half. However, the manner in which the revenge was played out subsequently lacks sense & thought from both the crafters. The fan cant be called as a doppelganger as he doesnt quite confuse the people around him early on, but surprisingly that's exactly what happens in the second half as he fools his fans, friends, security & for some time, his wife as well (eh???). As for other aspects, I did like Andrea Guerras's BGM & the "Jabra Fan" track by Vishal-Shekhar which I saw on youtube (as the movie doesn't have any songs). The prosthetics & CGI used for Gaurav's character deserves praise but it lacked consistency.

Though the script did not quite satisfy me, I have no such complaints against Shahrukh who was damn awesome. If Gaurav once again showcased his ability to portray characters with negative shades with elan, then Aryan showed his courage to try something out of his comfort zone & take potshots at stardom (at times on himself also) be it his attitude to fans, employees, officials or even dancing at weddings. When we have SRK in double role that pretty much denies screen space to anyone else but even then performers like Yogendra Tiku, Deepika Amin & Sayani Gupta gets noticed for their credible support.

Verdict: The film should make it to the 150 C mark in due time, though since it isn't exactly a masala movie as it has no romance or songs, the bulk of the collections would have to come from the urban circuit & overseas. As far as my opinion goes, there are surely loopholes in the script but SRK has done a brilliant job which makes this movie worth watching for sure. In short, watch it for SRK!!!

Rating: 3/5

Regards...Ben

Great Script, Good Execution And Excellently Acting By SRK In Both Roles.It Have Underperformed At Box Office But In Coming Year Ppl Will Talking About It's Bravery And Excellence.Though Editing Those Long Chase Sequences Would Have Made It Better