Possibly the only actor in Bollywood, who can lend his charisma and star power to this role, Shah Rukh Khan is the star and the fan in this film. Finally, we see the actor shake off his potboiler hangover and flex his acting muscle.
Fan is the story of Gaurav Chandna - a regular, "colony-raised" Delhi boy who is a diehard fan of Aryan Khanna. Khanna is closely modelled on Shah Rukh Khan himself, to the point that the line between the star and the character will start to blur for viewers who have followed SRK's journey to superstardom.
Chandna travels to Mumbai to meet his idol. Upset at not standing out from the crowd, he takes it upon himself to deliver vigilante justice to Khanna's Bollywood rival, thus catching the actor's attention. Khanna reports Chandna to the police and ensures that he understands what he does is wrong. Distressed to be at the end of his idol's disinterest and disdain, the fan turns into an enemy. Will his look-alike bring about the star's downfall or will Khanna hold on to his crown?
(Image: Facebook)
Fan's persuasive script is well-backed by SRK's performance. While he is predictable as Khanna, he is compelling as Chandna. His portrayal of the negative shades in both characters is reminiscent of his early work and in a film that is all about him - from the first frame to the last, with no song and dance to gloss over the acting - he delivers.
However, the tight and engaging first half is let down by a meandering second. Some parts of it, like the chase sequences turn indulgent, eating away at the film's entertainment quotient. Brownie points to SRK for not shying away from making jokes at his own expense.
For the effort, hype and promotion the film is a tad underwhelming. This one is mostly for the fans.
ET Bureau
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