Fan Movie Review: SRK excels as psychotic fan in this unsettling thriller

Let's be honest- It had  been quite a while since we have seen Shah Rukh Khan,'The actor' and when it comes to obsessive roles Shah Rukh owns it.

After watching this thriller , a true Shah Rukh fan may forgive the actor for doing a series of no-brainers like Dilwale, Happy New year etc.

Fan traces the story of Gaurav Chanana, a cyber cafe owner, whose obsession with superstar Aryan Khanaa knows no limits. Also famous as Junior Aryan Khanna, among his folks, his sole purpose in life is to meet his idol. Gaurav heads to Mumbai to meet and wish his God on his birthday and also for an eventual heartbreak.

There, he realises there are thousands like him who want a glimpse of the star. Gaurav, who is determined to settle for no less than meeting him in person, goes to the extent of threatening Sid Kapoor, (Khanna's rival) to prove his devotion for the star. However, reality bites and he realises that Aryan Khanna, whom he adores on screen, is quite different in real. He does not give a damn about his fans.

When "Aapka fan hoon, aapki zindagi ke paanch minute bhi nahi mil sakte kya mujhe?" from Gaurav is met with "Meri zindagi hai, main tumhe paanch second bhi kyu doon?" from Aryan,Gaurav's entire world comes shattering down. The love turns into hate. Filled with bitterness, Gaurav seeks Vengeance and thus begins a cat and mouse game between the star and the fan, as the fan goes to extreme lengths to destroy Khanna's image.

In many ways, the film underlines India’s fixation with characters they see on screen and believe them to be true. It also attempts to break the myth that many Indians have grown to believe – that the stars are as good as the characters they play.

.Though with a desi touch, 'Fan' has drawn from Tony Scott's 'The Fan'  and Scorcese's The King of Comedy both starring Rober De Niro.

Made with a whopping budget of Rs 85 crore, Fan has got brilliant production values.

Andrea Guerra's thrilling background score and Manu Anand's brilliant cinematography adds to the technical front.

Though the first half of the film is deeply engaging, the twist in the second half seems far-fetched. Nevertheless, it somehow manages to draw the viewer's attention as the game between Aryan Khanna (the actor) and Gaurav (the psychotic fan) goes on for the longest time

Chase sequences are too long and makes us wonder how a 48 year old man would chase down a boy aged 25.

Between Gaurav and Aryan, Shah Rukh Khan excels as the stalker. His role may be reminiscent of Darr and Anjaam, but we do not get the 90s star who tests our patience with his hamming. Instead,his action and eyes both will disturb you.

Fan's strength lies in its unpleasantness, even if it may not be remembered fondly. Still, it manages to prove quite effective in its own way.

Also, SRK has come out of his comfort zone (especially the song and dance sequences) and challenged himself with a role that he may finally be able to look back and cherish.

Gaurav Khanna may be a pyshcotic antagonist but Aryan Khanna's character was no less flawed, the superstar never overcomes his ego. Fan could be termed as his best film since Chak De India or Swades for that matter. Also, it is the first SRK film that runs for an entire 138 minutes without a single song.

For SRK fans, it is a must-watch; as it is for his strong critics who get a rare glimpse into a facet of the actor that we are not very used to.