Fans all over the world are a fascinating breed. They come in all forms, textures and with varied emotions. Nothing unusual in their appearance but underneath that skin, buckets laden with bizarre sentiments. Passion, fixation, obsession, addiction, lunacy, fanaticism are all terms we are aware of, but these FANS: they live them.
"Tum nahi samjhoge", voices Gaurav (aka FAN) each time he is asked a relevant question. Very true. What goes inside a fanatic, obsessed fan's mind is for him and only him to know. Difficult to comprehend and more so, tragic to watch.
FAN, then begins ever so promisingly, stays engaging for a while, but then eventually ends up falling short of what it sets out to achieve.
As the title suggests and the trailers revealed, the film hinges on the obsession of an ardent fan for his moviestar which turns into an alarming and threatening retaliation when confronted with rejection. Obsession, you see, never seeks rationality. Obsession for can turn into an Obsession against.
The initial reels projecting the making of FAN feel authentic and have the required innocence and charm. We see Gaurav immersed head-to-toe in his idol worship and waiting for his turn to meet his icon. Not so much of insight, but nevertheless a pleasing observation.
The film stays engaging as Gaurav attempts to meet his star. Barring a needless run and chase sequence at the Delight hotel, the proceedings stay afloat displaying the fixation of Gaurav for his icon. There is this brilliant scene where Gaurav (flooded among a crazy croud) sees Aryan waving to his fans, his mind and body in awe of his star. You can feel his ecstacy and euphoria, and at that exact moment you do become him.
Post-intermission is pure standard bollywood stuff. Predictability looms large and too many cinematic liberties spoil the thrill. The chase sequences(though shot exotically) are way too long and way too exhausting. Wish there was more of some penetrating face-offs instead of long drawn chases. The writing, too, in the second half becomes incompetent and even flawed. If You'd want to do without songs, you'd better have a tighter script.
But what makes the film rise above its flaws, and makes it watchable is some self-deprecatory humor and very good dialogues.
"Sorry bol do na. Sanki hai woh", vocals Aryan's secretary to which he responds, "To mein kya hun?"
"I will make it up to you sir", an apologetic Aryan says to the billionaire to which he reacts forcefully, "You better do, I am paying you for it".
Wish there was more of it, and more to the Celebrity demigod vs the fanatic fan duel. A celeb's ego and attitude against a fan's infatuation and fixation. Not a solution, but a perception maybe.
"Actor hai, acting hi to karta hai sirf", vocals the disgruntled FAN at one point. So legitimate, so valid a fact and yet so distant a belief.
I liked the movie, because I went in to understand it. For SRK fans, it will be a delight. For others, not a bad one time watch.
Decent enough, but not great.
