~~~FAN Reviews & BoxOffice Update~~~ - Page 114

Raja Sen, Guha or Anupama...did anyone give their detailed reviews yet?

FAN (2016)

An unforgettable experience watching this on the big screen. FAN makes up for all the lacklustre movies SRK has been doing over the past few years. He completely redeems himself with an exceptional performance. As Gaurav Chandna, Shah Rukh undergoes a total transformation. This is without doubt the most uninhibited we've seen SRK. There's no barrier, no hesitation; SRK just untapped a new side to his talent. It almost felt like it was a different actor playing Gaurav - the mannerisms, swag, way of talking, laughing and even crying - everything is done in a different style. And as Aryan Khanna, you see shades of him you've seen before but better. As the egoistic, sarcastic and yet likeable superstar, SRK delivers a neat, subtle and hard-hitting performance. He's truly pitch perfect in the dual roles. Throughout the movie, it's hard to gauge whom to root for. You obviously side with Aryan but can't help hoping for the best outcome for Gaurav. I'm not going to reveal anything but Fan works as a thriller. The first half is brilliant as it sets the pace and perfectly introduces and builds up the character of Gaurav. You can see the hard work which went into the writing as his character graph is excellent. The second half of the movie is entirely a fight-and-chase thriller with a few cinematic liberties. Had the editing been tighter and the writing a bit more intelligent - perhaps even darker - this would have been a gem of a movie. But Fan gets ample of opportunities in the second hour too to impress.

Some of my fav scenes which I absolutely HAVE to mention:
*Gaurav's act on stage - capturing Aryan's moves and enacting his classic scenes
*Gaurav at Mannat - the whole euphoric atmosphere created blew my mind. I loved the subtle work by Maneesh here when he showed both perspectives: Gaurav screaming his lungs out and thinking he's making himself head and Aryan looking down at just a bunch of fans.
*Gaurav & Sid Kapoor - terrific!
*The first confrontation - really makes a powerful impact. SRK knocked it out of the park here.
*Madame Tussauds sabotage
*Croatia chase sequence - the camera work was outstanding.
*The Press Conference
**And the absolute best scene - finale stage-act - watch it and then we'll talk.

I've a few issues with the way Aryan Khanna handled the situations - e.g. lack of security/guards for such a massive star was questionable but then again, I guess this was sacrificed to make him look like a Hindi-film hero. The last chase scene in Delhi was futile and added to the length of the movie but these are minor issues which I'm ready to overlook.

As a fan craving to see SRK doing something different AND good, I'm satisfied. His performance alone is worth watching the movie and the fact that the movie itself is good only adds on to that. If you're looking for an edgy, stylish thriller and seeing SRK act his heart off - then don't miss Fan!

7.5/10

2016 so far...
1. Kapoor & Sons (7.5/10)
2. FAN (7.5/10)
3. Neerja (7.5/10)
4. Airlift (7/10)
5. Ki & Ka (6.5/10)
6. Wazir (5.5/10)
7. Sanam Re (1/10)