Fan Movie Review, Casts, Release, Production

Sharma conceived the idea for Fan in 2006 and shared the story with Chopra, who advised him against tackling such a challenging project for his directorial debut. That same year, Yash Chopra presented the story to Khan, who expressed interest in the project. The film was revived in late 2013, with Khan undergoing 3D scanning in 2014. Principal photography began in July 2014 and concluded in November 2015. Notably, Fan is a songless film; however, a soundtrack album featuring a promotional song in various languages was composed by Vishal–Shekhar, with the original score by Andrea Guerra.

Fan was heavily marketed and, after several delays, was released internationally on 15 April 2016. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised Khan’s performance, the visual effects, and the action sequences, though the editing and loosely written script faced criticism. Despite collecting ₹1.88 billion worldwide against a budget of ₹1.20 billion, the film underperformed in India but did well at the box office internationally. At the 63rd Filmfare Awards, Fan won the award for Best Special Effects.

Story

Gaurav Chandna is a Delhi-based, obsessive fan of Bollywood superstar Aryan Khanna. He harbors a crush on Neha, his friend and neighbor who works at a call center. Gaurav’s face bears an uncanny resemblance to Aryan’s, which helps him win a local talent show by impersonating Aryan. Encouraged by his parents, he sets off on a train journey to Mumbai, hoping to meet Aryan and present him with the trophy he won.

When actor Sid Kapoor criticizes Aryan publicly, a furious Gaurav assaults Sid and forces him to apologize to Aryan on camera. Gaurav uploads the video online, where Aryan sees it and has Gaurav arrested. In jail, Gaurav is beaten, and Aryan angrily rebukes him, declaring that Gaurav is not a true fan and revealing that he had Gaurav arrested. When Gaurav asks for five minutes of Aryan’s time, Aryan dismissively refuses. Heartbroken, Gaurav returns home, burns his Aryan memorabilia, and vows revenge against Aryan for rejecting his fan.

A year later, in London, Gaurav impersonates Aryan at Madame Tussauds, causing a disturbance that leads to Aryan’s arrest. Released on bail, Aryan receives a call from Gaurav, who reveals his actions and demands an apology. Aryan refuses, and Gaurav disguises himself as a crew member on Aryan’s show.

Aryan is scheduled to perform at a billionaire’s daughter’s wedding in Dubrovnik, Croatia. After his performance, Aryan receives a card with the message “Say sorry,” realizing Gaurav is nearby. Gaurav, posing as Aryan, molests a guest, causing the billionaire to angrily dismiss the real Aryan from the event. Aryan spots Gaurav outside and chases him, but Gaurav escapes. The molestation incident is reported by the media, tarnishing Aryan’s reputation and leading to boycotts of his shows.

Gaurav invades Aryan’s home in India, vandalizes his trophy collection, and frightens Aryan’s wife, Bela, and their children. Aryan visits Gaurav’s parents and meets Neha. With their help, Aryan impersonates Gaurav at the local talent show, declaring Gaurav’s love for Neha and revealing Gaurav’s misdeeds, angering the audience. Provoked, Gaurav shoots at Aryan, leading to a chase and a bloody fight. Aryan subdues Gaurav and urges him to stop impersonating him and live a normal life. Gaurav responds by accusing Aryan of destroying his life and reminding him that he never apologized. Gaurav then flings himself off a roof, dying with a smile.

Aryan’s name is cleared, but the ordeal haunts him, and his identity remains intertwined with Gaurav’s both in his mind and in the public’s perception. On his next birthday, Aryan goes to the roof to greet his fans. As he turns to the crowd, he glimpses a haunting vision of Gaurav smiling up at him, which deepens his respect and appreciation for his fans.

Main Casts

Production

After working as an assistant director on Yash Raj Films productions Fanaa and Aaja Nachle, Maneesh Sharma pitched the story of Fan to Aditya Chopra in 2006. Chopra felt the film was too ambitious and expensive for a debut, advising Sharma to abandon the idea, which led Sharma to direct Band Baaja Baaraat instead . However, Yash Chopra shared the story with Shah Rukh Khan in 2006, and Khan expressed interest in the project . The concept of Fan stemmed from Sharma’s observations of fans’ desires and expectations from their idols, a theme he felt had not been extensively explored in cinema.

On 16 December 2013, Yash Raj Films announced the project with Shah Rukh Khan as the lead and Maneesh Sharma as the director . After a year of discussions, Khan signed on . On 25 March 2014, it was revealed that Greg Cannom would develop Khan’s look for the film, handling special makeup effects . Khan underwent 3D scanning to achieve the appearance of a young boy . Initially, there were reports that Khan would play a 17-year-old, but he later denied this claim . Khan started working on Fan before the release of his previous film, Happy New Year, and underwent a significant makeover for the role. He described Fan as a “family” film and aimed to create an “intense yet commercially viable” project .

Amidst speculation, Khan confirmed the film would feature two heroines but stated that it “did not require a big female star” . Model Waluscha de Sousa was cast in a significant role after an audition with casting director Shanoo Sharma. De Sousa had previously acted with Khan in several commercials . The film also marked the debut of Shriya Pilgaonkar, daughter of Sachin Pilgaonkar, who was cast after an audition . The screenplay was written by Sharat Kataria and Habib Faisal, with Manu Anand as the cinematographer and Namrata Rao as the editor . Parveen Shaikh and Oh Sea Young served as the film’s action directors . Additionally, Sayani Gupta, Deepika Amin, and Yogendra Tiku had roles in the film. Gupta was chosen after impressing Shanoo Sharma with her performance in Margarita with a Straw.

Release