FAN: What fandom and stardom might do to each other in the age of pervasive social media and surveillance..?

FAN (Maneesh Sharma 2016 Hindi)

#FAN #FAN_Review #SRK #ManeeshSharma #Spoilers_Ahead

With the much-delayed Fan, SRK must be hoping to reclaim his image as an actor (Gaurav is easily one of his top acts, more so in the recent years) and remedy the damage done by Dilwale (2015); but his acting prowess and good technical work are damped by an unlikely yet predictable plot thereby giving a less-than-satisfying feel while leaving the theatre hall. Nevertheless, it is worth a watch: it is interesting, mostly engaging but a couple of implausible plot-twists curtail it from becoming great.

Gaurav Chandna (SRK) is a Delhi lad who since his childhood days has lived and breathed the superstar Aryan Khanna (SRK). His fondness and fandom for the star get intensified by his striking facial and bodily resemblance to the actor. To the world and Gaurav’s parents (Yogendra Tiku getting typecasted as a father again, last seen as Neerja’s father), Aryan Khanna is just another actor; for Gaurav, Aryan is THE world. He refers to himself as Aryan Khanna Junior while referring to the actor as Aryan Khanna Senior. Harbouring the dream of personally greeting the actor for his birthday and handing over a trophy he won in a local contest for his stunning abilities to mimic the superstar he worships, Gaurav embarks upon a journey to meet Aryan. The rest of the narrative explores Gaurav’s efforts (using video clips, social media, and star-fights) to bring about an in-person meeting with Aryan and the consequences of going extreme with his fan activities. In the process it raises questions about fandom and superstardom. In the age of social media and surveillance, what are the perks and limits of being a fan? How does one express one’s fandom? Do superstars, too, have limits? Does being a star entail any emotional liability towards the fan community? Does a Star create the fans or do the Fans construct the star? The first half moves swiftly setting up a dramatic conflict between the innocent, bumbling Gaurav and his suave lookalike idol. The second half becomes an entrapment of the star by the phantom fan – almost a revenge drama, but not very thrilling as you already begin to guess the limited possibilities once the revenge act begins. Who will win? Or will both lose?

To keep the audience engaged in such a narrow plot, what gets shown on the screen becomes crucial. And that’s where Fan’s genius is. Habib Faisal’s screenplay is riveting, dialogues also keep up mostly. Abid T. P.’s production design and Nik Pallace’s art direction are breathtaking in certain instances; particularly the ‘The Wall of Aryan’ in Gaurav’s room at his Delhi home and the backstage milieu during Gaurav’s performance in the ‘Western Union - Moving Money for Better - SuperSitara contest’ stays back in the mind. Manu Anand’s camerawork is outstanding. All the chase sequences are captured beautifully and the framing during the prison conversation between the two SRKs is particularly unforgettable – a thumbnail for the film and the questions it brings in. Oh-Se Young (who worked on Avengers: Age of Ultron) has coordinated some real good stunt sequences in both the halves of the film that keep one engrossed from the moment they begin till they end, leaving you wanting for more: especially the seaside chase in Dubrovnik (Croatia) and the chaotic climax chase sequence. The final combat brings back memories from Darr, Baazigar and Duplicate. Another significant mention would be its special make-up effects (Greg Cannom and team have impressively created Gaurav’s disproportionate jawline and protruding teeth) for SRK’s Gaurav while the VFX by RedChillies are, as usual, impressive. 

The biggest reason for watching Fan would be SRK’s rendition of Gaurav Chandna – one can feel his initial innocent childlike fondness for Aryan Khanna grow into an obsessive fandom. SRK brings out a gamut of emotions to etch out a confused Gaurav Chandna – dedication, eagerness, excitement, struggle, heartbreak, humiliation, anguish, angst, resurgence, vengeance, dilemma and his final psychological descent. SRK oscillates effortlessly between the edgy Gaurav and the composed Aryan. SRK’s mimicry of himself in the early part of the film – waving out and performing his signature move to the swirling fan crowd from atop the fortress-walls of his abode – and the scenes that take us into the actor’s domestic space inside his home lends the film with a certain self-referential quality, and hence provides a realist feel, making these scenes exclusively enjoyable for SRK fans. However, the dramatic revenge-stricken second half takes away the realist appeal. And that’s where it becomes difficult to corroborate the proceedings pre- and post-interval. How does one imagine a fan and his star-idol engaged in sophisticated, filmi action sequences – although beautifully shot – after a close-to-real first half?

It is great that the makers decided to keep it a song-less movie; however, one cannot overlook Andrea Guerra’s – who has composed for films like Hotel Rwanda (..!) and The Pursuit of Happyness (..!) – Fan theme that lends itself as the background score in many places. Despite Fan being an SRK film, one feels that 2010’s Band Baja Baraat, which explored wedding-planning as an industry via a romance, is still Maneesh Sharma’s best work as a wholesome film although technically Fan is way ahead. Outwardly and, at times, uncomfortably, it might look like a quasi-tribute to SRK’s superstardom (isn’t it a bit early for a tribute to SRK or is it just a peril that is inherent to the casting choice?). But at its core it tries to meditate about what fandom and stardom might do to each other in the age of pervasive social media and surveillance – if only this part could have been given more emphasis. Watch it for SRK’s performance and the cool chase sequences.

Positives:                                                                     Negatives:

SRK as Gaurav Chandna                                            A far-fetched/unlikely storyline

Engaging Screenplay                                                             

Camerawork

Action sequences

Songless