Fan Reviews by Critics

Maneesh Sharma’s FAN is Shah Rukh Khan’s most critically-acclaimed films in recent times, as the film has scored an average rating of 3.5 stars from the 18 reviews that we have accumulated so far.

The average rating of the film is the 5th best of 2016, and comparable to films like Airlift (3.7), The Jungle Book (3.8) and Kapoor & Sons (3.7).

Any film that gets rated 3 stars or more falls in the ‘good’ category, while 3.5 star plus is critical acclaim.

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Fan Review by Indicine

Rating:

Fan is the most bizarre, dramatic and thoroughly watchable movie-watching experience in Bollywood in God knows, how long. The first half is stellar and the brilliance of the first half is undermined by the unrealistic second half. If the post-interval part of the film had maintained the pace set by the first half, Fan could have turned out to be one of Shah Rukh Khan’s best films. But inspite of the missed opportunity, Fan is a solid movie which deserves to be watched by people of all ages for it gives everyone an anecdote to take home: Don’t get too close to your idol, because they can never meet your lofty expectations. It also has one of the best Shah Rukh Khan performances of all time as Gaurav Chandna. SRK, that’s all. As tweeted by Ranveer Singh.

Fan Bollywood Hungama Review by Taran Adarsh

Rating:

FAN has a brilliant first half, but loses track in the second hour, only to pick up again towards the pre-climax. The writing should’ve been tighter, while the absence of music [it’s a songless film!] may also prove a stumbling block, but what works, and works big time, is the terrific act by SRK as the fan. And that’s enough reason for you to watch this thriller!

Fan Rediff Review

Rating:

Despite its squandered possibilities, Fan is always engaging. What keeps this Fan going is SRK’s star power. The actor treads a delicate space in playing his own biggest supporter but also of the community he represents. He’s careful in his zeal, ensuring real-time fans don’t feel as though he’s mocking their affection just as he’s responsible in his response to such swaying attention.

Fan Times Of India Review

Rating:

The story is cutting-edge and settings sharp (at a millionaire wedding, the host yells at Aryan for being late to dance) with clever details – Sid Kapoor can’t read Gaurav’s note as, ‘It’s in Hindi, dude!” while Gaurav, despite adopting Aryan’s swag, eats ‘wegetable sandwich’ abroad. Alongside, Maneesh Sharma paints a compelling larger picture of Delhi, where heat and dust, violence and want, make tempers explode in a very particular Dilli ki garmi. Shah Rukh captures this rage with irony and empathy – he is, as he nicely puts it, mind-blasting.

Fan Review by Sarita A Tanwar on DNA India

Rating:

It’s brave to attempt a film like Fan – with SRK playing the protagonist and antagonist both and break all the rules of commercial filmmaking by doing away with songs and any ‘relief’ tracks. As a film, Fan is dark, moody, disturbing and definitely unconventional. And this time, the lead actor’s contribution is just as much as the director’s. Shah Rukh Khan is at his finest – this is easily his best performance in recent years.

Fan Review by Ananya Bhattacharya on India Today

Rating:

The supporting cast doesn’t have much to do in this SRK vs SRK play. But Deepika Amin, Yogendra Tikoo, Waluscha de Sousa, Sayani Gupta and Shriya Pilgaonkar are all able wheels to carry Fan forward. Acting-wise, everyone else fades in front of SRK’s Gaurav.

Fan Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies

Rating:

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.

Fan Review by Sreeju Sudhakaran on Bollywood Life

Rating:

Definitely Shah Rukh Khan! After his last couple of films only cruised through thanks to his superstar image and the love his fans have for him, this time he makes a film that almost uses the above two advantages he has to great effect. After a long time, we have seen Shah Rukh Khan in a double role, and he rocks in both roles, both as the superstar and the fan.

Review by Martin D’Souza on Glamsham

Rating:

Maneesh Sharma engages the viewer in the first half with SRK as Gaurav turning in a superlative performance. Here is a look-alike who is Shah Rukh Khan himself. The make-up team deserves kudos for rubbing off some of the likeness from the real SRKs face to make Gaurav look like a duplicate. One look and you know that he is a duplicate and SRK himself takes pains to ensure that his body language as Gaurav and his and aping of the star himself is ‘copied’.

Review by IANS on Sify

Rating:

Shah Rukh is in full command of both the characters. He gives both Aryan and Gaurav ample room to grow, grow apart and then clash in ways that shows what skilful scripting can do to a superstar’s yearning to excel.

Review by Ritika Handoo on Zeenews

Rating:

Director Maneesh Sharma might be known for ‘Band Baaja Baarat’, but now he shall be better known for helming ‘FAN’. The background score of the movie successfully pulled off a thriller, by keeping the audiences hooked, booked and cooked—all at the same time!

Review by Rohit Vats on Hindustan Times

Rating:

Director Maneesh Sharma gives Shah Rukh a chance to be self-indulgent in a film that celebrates his Darr-Baazigar-Anjaam days, and in a way, demands the actor to surpass it. But Shah Rukh walks a tight rope, for he plays both an aging superstar and a no-name nobody.

Review by Lokesh Dharmani on Masala

Rating:

Shah Rukh Khan gives a decent performance. The starry twinkle in Gaurav’s eyes when he first sees Aryan Khanna, the excitement in his voice when he first speaks to him, makes you go all ‘Aww’. Gaurav is still the easier part to play. Aryan Khanna is the trickier one. They have used his real life footage, gone into his personal space. How do you disengage and distance yourself when you play a character loosely based on your life? SRK keeps it subtle, however, I wish Aryan’s stubbornness and arrogance were further explored, both in writing and acting.

Review by Manjusha Radhakrishnan on Gulfnews

Rating:

The action scenes towards the climax are long, but well-executed. Watch this if you are a die-hard fan of Khan, but don’t expect an unpredictable thriller. The key here is to manage your expectations and you will walk home smiling at having seen an engaging drama about a stupid fan and a faultless superstar.

Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies

Rating:

YRF and Khan, who have always teamed up to come up with blockbusters, have come together again this time to come up with a thriller about the dark side of stardom with Fan, which stars SRK in a double role- as reigning superstar Aryan Khanna and his lookalike Gaurav Chandana, who has always dreamed of meeting his idol.

Review by Mehul S Thakkar on Deccan Chronicle

Rating:

While it perhaps would not have been too tough for Khan to play a star, portraying the role of his delusional fan (Gaurav Chandna) Khan would surprise many who have been waiting to see him in this avatar. It may remind you of the early 90s when Khan had made his mark by giving rise to the genre of the anti-hero with movies like Anjaam, Darr and Baazigar. His body language, his mannerisms – as the star and as the fan is markedly different and for the first time gives us a glimpse of not just Shah Rukh Khan the star or Shah Rukh Khan the actor, but also Shah Rukh Khan the person. He executes this complex act and passes with flying colours. Not new to facing backlash for his controversies in real life, he effortlessly touches upon the shades of grey in a star’s life.

Review by Shubhra Gupta on Indian Express

Rating:

Oh wait, it is Shah Rukh doing the channeling, via Aryan, also Bollywood superstar. So if Aryan has feet of clay, does SRK too? This is one of the several clever inferences the film leaves us to draw from a film which is fashioned directly out of the star’s persona and power and pull, and how it impacts other lives. The dilemma of a star who wants everything–can you ever have enough fans, and can they be mixed blessings—is laid out in full techni-coloured messy glory.

Review by Shubha Shetty-Saha on Mid-Day India

Rating:

Right from the beginning of this thriller, which undoubtedly boasts of one, oops, two of his best performances, it is evident why Shah Rukh Khan is needed for a film of this sort, and why only someone in his position and with his caliber could do it too.

Review by Raja Sen

Rating:

Take a bow, Mr Khan. Not only for a phenomenal, genuinely groundbreaking performance but for being bold enough to give us the sight of a boy wearing painted-on abs while aping you dancing in a song where you, according to rumour, wore painted-on abs. For a glimpse at a worn out 50-year-old man — massaging his temples, and stretching at the lines on his face — before turning on the high-wattage smile and stepping out to market his myth. Of course Shah Rukh Khan is his own biggest fan. It’s a rule that comes with the megastar territory, the need to believe in your own legend. What a film like Fan makes evident is that the rarified view from high up there may not always be the most pleasant. Especially when you’re looking at the fan in the mirror.

Review by Rajeev Masand

Rating:

It’s Shah Rukh’s committed performance, however, that keeps you invested in the narrative and the characters. Gaurav, whose resemblance to Aryan is the stuff of computer trickery and prosthetics, may be the more fascinating of the two leading men, not least because Shah Rukh plays him as a curious mix of pathetic and creepy. But it’s Aryan, which is the trickier role for the actor to pull off, given that it’s basically a version of himself. I think it’s incredibly brave of Shah Rukh to play the superstar as conceited and stubborn, and as someone unwilling to take any responsibility for the situation. The role cuts dangerously close to the bone; Aryan Khanna is unapologetic about dancing at weddings for cash.As I left the cinema having watched the film, I found myself conflicted about my feelings. There is so much to admire here, but it’s evident the filmmakers think they’ve made a smarter film than they actually have. Still, Fan works for the most part. And anyone who – like me – had grown tired and disappointed with Shah Rukh’s unwillingness to step out of his comfort zone will have reason to be a fan again. I’m going with 3 out of 5.

Review by Aashi Gahlot on Bollyspice

Rating:

Good on Shah Rukh Khan, the biggest star in India if not the world, to do a film provoking issues revolving around celebrity obsession. In fact, only SRK could have done this film. Because of his real life star power, the film delivers the seriousness of the issue.

Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror

Rating:

Director Maneesh Sharma is best known for his directorial debut, the refreshing Band Baaja Baaraat. But from here on, he would be known as the maker responsible for reviving SRK’s plunging career by extracting a performance that couples the enthusiasm of a newcomer and the restraint of a veteran. From the supporting cast, Shriya Pilgaonkar as the girl-from-next-gully and Gaurav’s love interest, shines in all her scenes and is a great find.

Review by Indiaglitz

Rating:

Shah Rukh Khan as Gaurav, is flawless. The spark in his eyes and the smile on his face is the perfect example of what a fine actor Shah Rukh Khan is. Kudos to see this ace actor back after a long time, trying out something daringly different. Shriya Pilgaonkar lend good support along with Deepika Amin and Yogendra Tiku.

Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning

Rating:

Shah Rukh Khan surprises us by his bewildered superstar act as well as the crazy fan act. And it is with supreme confidence that he even laughs at himself. Who else could have allowed the dancing at weddings for money scene? It laughs at his own stardom in real life, as well as the state of his stardom on screen. You hear murmurs among the audience: ‘the things he probably has to do to be rich’ and also, ‘why doesn’t he say sorry?’

Review by Meeta on Wogma

Rating:

For bringing these thoughts, maybe for not making me want to tear my hair out, for giving me 2+ hours of a solid performance, without taking anything away from the decent film that Fan is, even if I won’t want to watch it again, I, a Shah-Rukh-non-fan would like to see more of this Shah Rukh. Maybe in a film that that will take our mind of his performance.

• Neerja – 4 stars
• The Jungle Book – 3.8 stars
• Airlift – 3.7 stars
• Kapoor & Sons – 3.7 stars
• Aligarh – 3.6 stars
• Zubaan – 2.6 stars
• Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars
• Ki & Ka – 2.5 stars
• Bollywood Diaries – 2.5 stars
• Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars
• Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive – 2.3 stars
• Jai Gangaajal – 2.3 stars
• Fitoor – 2.3 stars
• Rocky Handsome – 2.1 stars
• LoveShhuda – 2 stars
• Love Games – 1.7 stars
• Teraa Surroor – 1.7 stars
• Sanam Re – 1.6 stars
• Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars
• Ishq Forever – 1.4 stars