“My success, I owe it to others, what I am and where I am today is thanks to my fans, without them, I am nothing” is what Aryan Khanna said (or Shah Rukh Khan ??) at the start of the Fan film.
Fan (2016) is a fascinating work that explores the complex relationship between a star and his fan. The film is led by Maneesh Sharma and features Shah Rukh Khan in the double role of a Bollywood superstar, Aryan Khanna, and his biggest fan, Gaurav Chandna.
Fan Gaurav Chandna follows, a young man passionate about Aryan Khanna since childhood. He idolizes the star and knows everything about him, from his films to his daily habits. He dreams of meeting his idol and being recognized by him. However, when Gaurav finally meets Aryan, things take an unexpected turn. Aryan is not as friendly as Gaurav imagined and the obsessive fan quickly becomes a danger to the star’s life.
The strong point of the film is undoubtedly the extraordinary performance of Shah Rukh Khan in both roles. The actor worked hard to give life to two very different characters, and the result is stunning. Makeup (prostheses and special effects) used to transform Shah Rukh Khan into Gaurav is also very successful, making the actor unrecognizable.
Beyond the exceptional performance of Shah Rukh Khan, Fan Addresses deep questions about the relationship between stars and their fans and highlights the vague limits of this relationship and the dangers it can present for both parties. The film explores more precisely the themes of identification with the stars, of the obsession of certain fans who come to lose their own personality and to live by proxy, devotion and loneliness, as well as the limits of celebrity. Should the star be available to her fans at any time or does she have the right to lead her own life? How far should fans go to satisfy their need for proximity to their idol? Where is the limit between the fan and the obsessed? So many questions raised by the film, which does not give ready -made answers, but rather invites the spectator to think.
The film Fan is also interesting and even very intriguing because Shah Rukh Khan gave his person there, exposing himself and putting himself in danger and his image in danger, because it is easy to assimilate him to Aryan, which is almost identical to him.
Starting with the name of Aryan Khanna, indeed Aryan is the first name of Shah Rukh’s son and it is obvious that Khanna is inspired by Khan. In addition, Aryan lives in Shah Rukh’s real house, and the 20 m high mesh that protects Aryan’s house is the real wire mesh that protects the house of Shah Rukh, which sometimes gives the impression that the actor lives in a high security prison.
The two stars lead the same life and have the same habits, for example Aryan, just like Shah Rukh, goes up during his birthday and during certain celebrations, on the top of the fence of his house to greet his fans. The two stars have exactly the same behavior and the same postures. What is the share of Shah Rukh Khan’s life in Aryan’s life and Vice Versa?
In fact, there is a real confusion between Star Shah Rukh and Star Aryan. It is no coincidence, it is wanted by the director.
Surely to give more credibility and realism to the film.
But was it also wanted by Shah Rukh Khan? We could ask ourselves the question because as a fan, we have to wonder if we really want to be a fan of this star as she is shown in the film!
It is obvious that in playing this role, Shah Rukh Khan took the risk of seeing his own tarnished image, Aryan not being particularly sympathetic, or even sincere. At the start of the film, in an interview, Aryan declared that he belongs to his fans, however, he refuses to give 5 minutes of his time to his fan. What is the share of sincerity and the share of lie in what the stars say? Besides, can they blame them for wanting to devote themselves to their own lives?
But on the other hand, does Shah Rukh Khan have taken this risk showing his courage and his desire to question himself and ask questions about his status as a star and an idol?
Although the film is very successful in exploring the relationship between stars and their fans, there is still a defect: the long chases which distort it a little. It gives the impression that Fan becomes an action film, when it would have been preferable that the film remains more focused on the psychology of the characters.
The film is available on Amazon Prime and on streaming sites.
Neïla Driss
