Fan Film Review | There are holes, but it’s definitely a Thrilling Ride

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Waluscha de Sousa, Sayani Gupta
Director: Maneesh Sharma
Rating: 3.5/5


Just when you thought Shah Rukh Khan is losing his edge, he makes a comeback. And how? Going back to his early acting days, where twisted characters gave him his big break, Bollywood’s king of romance still has what it takes to give you the creeps.

A double dose of a Bollywood superstar intent on pushing himself into new zones as an actor makes for a passably watchable spectacle in Maneesh Sharma's Fan. 

The film might, however, have yielded decidedly more than just superficial delights had the director not resorted to standard means to wrap up his tale of an obsessed movie fan run amok. 

Though one of the better Shah Rukh Khan scripts in years, Fan is not devoid of holes, but it still makes for a thrilling watch. With the actor playing the two main characters in the film, especially two that are at such odds with each other, it can’t be easy to keep a smooth narrative. However, Fan may just well be an inward journey for Shah Rukh Khan where his large celebrity persona meets the humble old him that represents the thousands of his fans.

The premise: Superstar Aryan Khanna (Shah Rukh Khan) started out small. He didn’t bother to buy train tickets and stayed in a small, claustrophobic hotel when he first set foot in Mumbai. His insatiable greed for success and an indomitable spirit eventually makes him one of Bollywood’s biggest success stories; a brand unto himself (sound familiar?).

The film comes close to careening completely out of control after the hounded movie star decides to take matters into his own hands and confront his rogue fan head-on. 

If it doesn't, it is solely because of the flair SRK brings to the film, especially in the guise of the misguided fan. 


Gaurav Chanana (also Shah Rukh Khan) is a 25-year-old who runs a cyber cafe in West Delhi’s Inder Vihar. Unusually confident, he’s a pro at mimicking his idol Aryan. A ‘best actor’ trophy in a local competition gives him a new purpose in life: Now he wants to show his trophy to Aryan. Like a true fan, Gaurav traces Aryan’s journey in Mumbai – he stays at the same hotel, travels without a ticket... but when he finally reaches the star’s house, the boy from Delhi is lost in the sea of other fans like him.

After much planning, Gaurav meets Aryan, but the encounter is nothing he expected it to be. A disillusioned Gaurav tries his best to persuade the star to show some gratitude to his fans, but Aryan is too narcissistic to share his credit with a million people.

The conflict between the two arises from the fact that Aryan Khanna is not the same person he projects to be. He is menacing and mean in real life, but takes a moral high ground on certain issues. He is in awe of himself yet wants to sustain an image which doesn’t hurt his fans’ adulations. But, he is also not ready to acknowledge their contribution to his stardom. Nevertheless, he is human, and is scared to lose it all.

Gaurav is a sharp antithesis to this. He is a regular Joe; he is intelligent but impractical and disconnected from reality. His protective parents indulged him always and never discouraged him from doing crazy Aryan Khanna-inspired antics. When we’re introduced to Gaurav, his mannerisms subtly hint at his cynicism, and the lengths to which he’d go to meet Aryan Khanna. But the question is: How far can he go?

The thrill of the movie is watching Shah Rukh Khan trying to one up himself. It is Shah Rukh versus Shah Rukh.
Director Maneesh Sharma gives Khan a chance to be self-indulgent in a film that celebrates his Darr-Baazigar-Anjaam days. In a way, Sharma demands the superstar to surpass his previous hit roles. But Shah Rukh walks a tight rope, for he plays both an ageing superstar and a no-name nobody.
With his years of practice, SRK aces this role with ease. We see film stars making appearances at wedding parties or ready to do anything as long as they are getting paid. Aryan Khanna is no exception. He is humiliated in the process, but also understands the value of his stardom. Self-deprecating humour and honesty is what makes Aryan Khanna a character to watch out for.

The dialogues stand Fan in good stead. Sharat Katariya, the dialogue writer, stays true to origins and renders the Delhi tone to Shah Rukh’s Mumbai-ness. He is also the one responsible for giving Gaurav a lovable outlook.

Though Fan is irrational at times, it keeps the adrenaline pumping all 143-minutes of the movie. Also, the idea of keeping it a song-less film works because that keeps the overdramatic tone from seeping in. It’s a total throwback to Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘90s avatars, but he once again shows how good he still is in that genre.

Maneesh Sharma may appear inspired by Hollywood, but he keeps Fan original enough.
As a whole, Fan delivers what it promised in the trailers. Logic may not be its strong point, but Shah Rukh most definitely is; he’s back in his element after a long time. Watch it for him.

Jai Gangaajal movie review: Priyanka Chopra is trying hard

Star Cast of Jai Gangaajal
Priyanka Chopra, Prakash Jha, Manav Kaul, Murli Sharma, Ninad Kamath, Vega Tamotia, Rahul Bhat, Kiran Karmakar

Director: Prakash Jha

Two Stars. 

 

The best part about ‘Jai Gangaajal’, director Prakash Jha’s latest foray into the country’s badlands, is a surprise acting turn by Jha himself: as a corrupt-cop-with-a-latent-conscience, Jha looks as if he has been doing this all his life, so comfortable is he in front of the camera.

Too bad you can’t say the same for the leading lady. As the take-charge-policewoman-in-a-tough-posting, Priyanka Chopra comes off as dressed-for-the-part and stilted. You can see she’s trying hard, especially in some of the ‘action’ sequences in which she has to kick and punch and thrash, but she’s far too smooth for this part.

Everything else in this sequel of ‘Gangaajal’, which replaces the khaki-clad Ajay Devgn with Priyanka Chopra, and pouring acid in the eye with a hanging from the nearest tree/post/fan, falls strictly in the seen-before-category. Bankipur, a village over- run by greedy politicians, ‘bikey-huey-cops’, and self-serving locals, could be any Jha ‘gaon’ from his previous films.

Jai Gangaajal movie review: Priyanka Chopra’s too-sophisticated unmade-up-make-up is very distracting, even in her few convincing moments. 

The detailing is just a little different—an effeminate ‘chamcha’ (Sharma), a young girl refusing to give up her patch of land (Tamotia), a podgy baddie in colourful shirts (Kamath; nice to see him in a substantial role)—but overall, this is Jha’s much-traversed universe, in which the lawless rule and the law is an ass, till the hero (or in this instance, the heroine) shows up to clean up the mess.

The villains, called Babloo Bhaiyya (Kaul, who’s making it a habit of playing evil pols), and his ‘chota bhai’  Dabloo Bhaiyya, are in cahoots with powerful land-grabbers and goons. Of course SP Abha Mathur (Priyanka Chopra) runs afoul of this mafia, and of course, she is threatened. But this kind of film also needs redemption, so the bad guys are vanquished, and the weak find collective strength to wreck questionable vigilante justice, in order for everyone to go home happy, cynical eyebrows unraised. Read: Jai Gangaajal to be Priyanka Chopra’s real test

But not before we have had many lectures on the sanctity of the uniform, and how, whatever anyone does, it shouldn’t be sullied. And how cops are ‘rakhaels’ of the politicians, who, the film unfailingly suggests, are the worst of the lot. And how the system sucks. “Kuch bhi kar lo par vardi par haath nahin uthaana chahiye tha.” says BN Singh ( Jha), and that is all it takes for him to see the light.

Priyanka Chopra’s too-sophisticated unmade-up-make-up is very distracting, even in her few convincing moments. And the film goes on for far too long, even when we know how all of it will end, and even when we are thoroughly enjoying Jha’s authentic’ leheja’ : ‘aap ko koi galat misguide kiye hain’, he says, and we smile.

I won’t mind watching him again.

District Authorities: No ban on 'Aligarh'

District authorities today categorically denied having imposed any "ban" on the controversial film 'Aligarh', based on the life of an AMU professor who was sacked on charges of homosexuality, even as the city mayor strongly opposed the screening of the biopic. "We have no knowledge whatsoever on this matter and no cinema owner has contacted us for seeking any sort of security for exhibiting this movie," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) J Ravindra Gaur said when asked about media reports that the movie has been banned in the district. However, the strongest opposition to the movie has come from BJP Mayor Shakuntla Bharti, who has announced that she would meet the district authorities tomorrow to seek an official ban on the movie. "This movie is against our culture. It is against the syncretic Ganga Jamuni culture of this city. 

It will bring a bad name to our city," she told PTI. Bharti said, "I would not have objected if the movie had been given some other name but we cannot accept such bad publicity for our city". Meanwhile, two AMU professors, including film critic Asim Siddiqui who saw the film on February 26, said the cinema owners might have themselves stopped the screening due to poor public response. "There were only a handful of people watching the movie that (Friday) evening. In all probability the owners of the theatre have stopped showing the movie on their own and have used the reported threats as a ruse," Siddiqui said. 

  

Notably, the 

Millat Bedari Muhim Committee (MBMC), which has a number of former AMU students, had written to Minister for Information and Broadcasting Arun Jaitley seeking a ban on the film. When contacted AMU Vice Chancellor Lt Gen (retd) Zamiruddin Shah said, "I am against the very idea of banning a movie just because a small section finds something objectionable. This only gives it unnecessary publicity." Shah said he had not seen the film and hence had no idea of its contents. MBMC Secretary Jasim Mohammad said his organisation was opposed to the biopic because "it has distorted facts". Manoj Bajpayee starrer Aligarh, which has received wide acclaim, is based on the life of AMU professor Ramchandra Siras who was suspended from his job because of his sexual orientation. He later committed suicide.

Om Puri to play Yamraaj in 'Warrior Savitri'

The makers of upcoming action drama 'Warrior Savitri' have revealed that the role of Yamraaj in their contemporary version of the Sati Savitri is played by veteran actor Om Puri.


Om Puri separates from wife Nandita
Co-producer Upendra Maheshhwari said: "We have woven the plot around the ancient fable of Sati Savitri, Satyavaan and Yamaraj from 'Mahabharata' and adapted it according to contemporary setting. The role of Yamraj is played by none other than Om Puri, the title character of Savitri is played by (legendary music composer) O.P. Nayyar's granddaughter Niharica Raizada, while Rajat Barmecha essays the character of Satyavaan." The story of Sati Savitri has inspired many women through the ages and Niharika is happy to play this character.



"Today everyone speaks about woman empowerment, discrimination with women and the changing phase of women in our society and all sectors of life. But I feel the character of Savitri which was mentioned in our scriptures was the most powerful woman to fight with Yamraaj for her love, her husband. I am very lucky and honoured to play this character in a modern avatar," she said.

Director Param Gill has showcased his versatility by composing the music of the film as well with renowned singers Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shaan and Shalmali Kholgade taking the album on another level. He said the music of the film includes diverse genres like Sufi, classical and western. 'Warrior Savitri', produced by Harinder Kanda and Maheshhwari under the banner of Dr. Bob's Production, is releasing in the summer of 2016.

Top 10 Hollywood Movies in 2014 by India Box Office Collection

Top 10 Hollywood Movies in 2014 by India Box Office Collection
Here is the list of Top 10 Hollywood Movies 2014 by Box Office collection  in India  so far by Gross Collections. This list is contains only English movies released in India. Here is the complete list . 

Movie Name	Box Office Collection (India)
Amazing Spiderman 2	$13.44 Million
Transformers 4	$10.14 Million
X-Men: Days of Future Past	$9.28 Million
300 Rise of An Empire	$6.56 Million
Godzilla	$5.79 Million
Hercules	$4.5 Million
Captain America 2	$4.23 Million
Dawn of Planet of Apes	$3.2 Million
How To Train Your Dragon 2	$2.78 Million
Rio 2	$2.36 Million

Note: All are reported studio figures and includes collection from dubbed versions