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Stardom and Fandom Collide Head-On in Shah Rukh Khan’s Fan

Fair warning: I’m a massive fan of Shah Rukh Khan.

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Ladies and gentlemen, first things first – I must confess to the fact that yours truly is a die-hard SRK fan. I love him, adore him, and it killed me to watch him in that disaster called Dilwale. Little wonder then, that as I went in today to watch FAN, I was nervous. Will he or won’t he disappoint me… again?

Well, it gives me great pleasure to inform you that the ACTOR SRK is back, and how!
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Fan is quintessentially a tribute to SRK the superstar. The man we all love and adore, who with a flash of his dimples or a sweeping movement of his outstretched arms has left so many of us swooning.

He is suave and witty off-screen, magical on-screen, and we see glimpses of all this as real-life footage and his on-screen avatars are weaved into the narrative.

SRK plays himself, the superstar Khan, only that he is called Aryan Khanna in the film. But Fan was always going to be tricky. There is also Gaurav, a typical “Dilli da launda” his crazy fan who would do anything to meet his screen god. Shahrukh manages to do justice to both, underplaying the star Aryan ,and keeping the starry-eyed Gaurav, who can’t help but grin like a Cheshire cat, as real as possible.

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The first half is, to put it simply, FANtastic. It’s entertaining, as we see a bit of our own starstruck selves in the fandom of Gaurav. The way he mimics his favorite hero and then slips back into his very Delhi lingo is endearing. It’s engaging, as we try to explore the dynamics of a hero and his fan. The plot promises a tantalising take on the whole issue and we can’t wait to be swept off our feet. And finally, its all adorable – because SRK is a pure gem on screen and “Shahrukh ko dekh ker aaj bhi kuch kuch hota hai”!

But post-interval, the critic in me must let you in on a heartbreaking fact. Logic has been shredded into thin strands and strewn all around as director Maneesh Sharma completely loses hold of the narrative.

From being a gripping tale about a hero and his crazy fan, we enter the realm of the bizarre. There is a head-on collision between stardom and fandom, but the scenes are contrived, the rising anxiety misplaced, as we wonder how in an age of technology and science can an imposter wreak havoc without a plausible explanation. It’s such a pity since the film was paced so masterfully and SRK the actor never once slipped.

Also read: 1st Day 1st Show: Two ‘JABRA Fans’ Give Their Take on SRK’s FAN

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So what is my final verdict?

Go for Fan because of Shahrukh’s effervescence and brilliantly-executed first half. He shines, and therefore deserves all his true blue “fans” to go and support him wholeheartedly. The critic in me might want to give it a 2.5 QUINTS out of 5 but for the love of my favorite star – 3.5 QUINTS should suffice.

(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)

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