Fanaa – Destroyed in Love August 12, 2006
Posted by Shujath in Hindi, Movies, Reviews.trackback
I should have taken heed of those reviews and stayed away from this. But this went on to become the biggest hit of the year (before Krrish and KANK arrived). The first half was the worst first half I’ve seen in a long long time. God knows what Kunal Kohli was thinking. Though the whole movie is crap, post-interval portion seems like a masterpiece when compared to the first half.
I don’t know what made Aamir and Kajol do this film. In fact Aamir was looking so disinterested in the whole movie…perhaps he realised his mistake in signing the film but it was too late I guess :).
The only good part of the movie is the background score by Salim-Sulaiman. These guys are getting really good at this. Of course, no need to mention that since this is a Yashraj film you’ll always get to see generous doses of cleavage.
After the tongue-in-cheek Hum Tum, Kunal Kohli became one of the most overrated directors in Bollywood. Fanaa falls into the same league as his debut “Mujhse Dosti Karoge” (which btw I couldn’t even watch). Unfortunately, since this has gone on to become a blockbuster we’ll have more of him in the future.
Sai and Shujath talk Cinema 
Teri film dekhne ke liye mera 10-dollar ka note be-panaah ho gaya
Mere ko pata nahin chala mere se kitna bada gunaah ho gaya
Mere ko pata nahin chala mere se kitna bada gunaah ho gaya
Kyon ki teri film dekhne ke baad main toh fanaah ho gaya
I have never paid attention to shayari nor do I intend to in the future. So, forgive me if my effort to lampoon this movie is riddled with errors. I know that there is an audience for this kind of movie but I just cannot understand the reason for the huge success of this movie, especially overseas. The strategy to release the movie with the maximum number of prints is certainly working. Bollywood seems to be going the Hollywood way by making the most of its revenue in the first few weeks. There was great hype for this movie from the Yashraj banner with Kajol’s return, the Kajol-Aamir pairing and Aamir’s recent success with the excellent “Rang De Basanti” not to mention the free publicity from Aamir’s Narmada controversy and the subsequent unofficial ban on the movie in Gujarat. Yes, these factors certainly played a great role in the success of the movie compared to the actual movie itself.
Like you, I too cannot understand what made Aamir and Kajol sign this movie. But more than these two, I cannot understand what excellent actors like Tabu and Shiney Ahuja are doing in this movie. This is a movie that should have been made by Muthyala Subbaiah (the telugu director known for his family melodramas like Pavithra Bandham and Pelli Chesukundam). I liked a couple of songs in the movie. I would actually prefer the first half for the nice looking girls (Kajol as well as her friends) and the Shayari (on its own and not as part of the movie). Ravi K. Chandran’s cinematography might just be the best thing about the movie. The climax scene with Kajol and Aamir Khan pointing guns in the picturesque snow was a great visual. I actually felt that someone might have thought of this sequence and written the story backwards. The Wikipedia article on Fanaa mentions that the climax is a lift from a Kannada movie called “Aryabhatta” starring Ramesh Arvind and Soundarya. The overhyped Aamir Khan was decent in the movie but was by no means looking young as some feel. Kajol is always likeable while Tabu and Shiney Ahuja in a special appearance are totally wasted (though they do their jobs well). I would recommend this movie to only those who hold the Yashraj and Karan Johar type of movies in high regard. This movie is watchable only for the visual beauty, music and some humor or if you are a fan of these actors.