King Khan still rules

King Khan still rules

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
King Khan still rules
Shahrukh Khan as Gaurav in Fan.

For some time now it's been a recurring joke that with this movie "Shahrukh Khan the actor" is back. Devoid of any hammy lines and item songs, Fan does offer a story and script that allows SRK to finally go beyond the soulless, commercial rubbish he's been dabbling in as of late (cough, Chennai Express, Dilwale) and return to the dark beginnings that has made him adored by fans from all over the world. Before becoming the king of romance and entering the undisputed realm he reigns today, he has, after all, made a name for himself by depicting a stalker, creep and psychopath.

Playing two sides of the same coin here, the 50-year-old stars as both Aryan Khanna, an immensely celebrated (but ageing) Bollywood star, and Gaurav Chandna, the blindly-devoted Delhi fan, who also bears a convenient resemblance to his favourite star.

The characters may seem to feed off the main star's real-life persona, but SRK's acting capabilities deliver two very convincing and distinctive personalities. As a fan, you would be horrified and could only hope that what SRK portrays does not spill out from his own life. Aryan is a proud, cold and dismissively mean self-made success in his own right, while the dimple-less and buck-teethed Gaurav is a kooky geek that just wants to go to Mumbai WT (without ticket, like his favourite star did) to meet Aryan in person. Yet, there's a bit of Gaurav in all of us and when he sees Aryan coming out to wave to the swarm of fans that flock to his gates on his birthday, you feel for yourself that Gaurav's tears and immense joy are not silly.

Still, what Gaurav does next makes the screaming K-pop tings on our own shores look like huggable kittens. When he finds out that a younger and up-and-coming onscreen rival, Sid Kapoor, plans to sue Aryan, he beats up the actor and makes him upload a video apologising to his idol. Much to his heartbreak, Aryan is appalled and won't give Gaurav five seconds of his time, even if he could. From here, a disappointed fan turns into a impersonating mastermind that taints Aryan's name, all the way from India to Britain and Croatia.

Nobody really cares about the mad hunt and the 007-level sequences that take place on the picturesque terracotta roofs of Dubrovnik, but it makes you wonder about all the grand things in life Gaurav could have achieved had he not been so hell-bent on making life miserable for Aryan. The two-way middle ground could easily be reached on both sides of this codependent relationship between star and fan and it's not easy to stomach, but the issues this film raises could not be more relevant for today's self-important youths that grow up surrounded by a celebrity culture.

For all the perfectly-plotted action and full-blown SRK factor, Fan is not a narcissistic movie that idolises its star. With a sharp eye and wit, it offers an honest and sometimes squirmy insight behind the velvet ropes of Celebsville. The movie is done with a modern gloss and glitz that awes us with the glamour of the personal life of a superstar, but does not shy away from the other catty and batty truths this world is filled with. Stars are well-oiled machines with a perfect façade, but sometimes, they too are prey to arrogance, fall to temper tantrums or must do dancing stunts at a millionaire's wedding when they start to "lose steam".

It's a brave jab at his own life and a multilayered accomplishment -- perhaps an inward discovery for the actor himself too, where there's something both celebrities and fans can take from. Whether you root for the worshipping lunatic or the haughty superstar, one thing you'll agree on is that the only better actor than Shahrukh Khan is Shahrukh Khan.

Fan

Starring Shahrukh Khan. Directed by Maneesh Sharma. Limited release at Major Ekamai, Rama III, Pattaya, Mae Sot and Paragon.

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