MOVIE REVIEW: Fanaa
Fanaa
Starring: Aamir Khan, Kajol, Rishi Kapoor, Tabu
Director: Kunal Kohli
Music Directors: Jatin-Lalit
So the much-awaited film with its awesome casting is finally here. Kajol and Aamir Khan opposite each other for the first time! But alas, while they're both good individually, together they do not spell magic. Having said that, it is equally true that Fanaa is watchable only because of its talented lead pair, especially Kajol. The actress looks just as lovely as she looked five years back and emotes with the same ease and intensity.
Zooni (Kajol) is a blind Kashmiri girl who experiences emotional and sexual awakening when she meets Rehan Qadri (Aamir), the flirtatious charmer masquerading as your friendly neighbourhood guide in Delhi. Rehan bowls the girl over with his romantic shayari. They decide to marry but before they can do that, Rehan mysteriously disappears. You see, the guy is actually a tech-savvy terrorist. What happens later we will not reveal but suffice it to say that the second half is full of twists and turns, which would have kept you more engaged had the movie not drawn on endlessly.
One glaring flaw in Fanaa is that while its story is good, there are many loopholes in the script. For example, it is never really explained why Rehan becomes a terrorist. And the conflict that tears him between his love for his family and his commitment to the cause of Kashmiriyat is never really elucidated. So the only way to enjoy the movie is by doing away with your thinking cap.
Kohli's old favorites Rishi Kapoor and Kirron Kher (as Kajol's parents) are here too, and delightful as always. Aamir's complex role requires him to slip into many avatars and he does it with his trademark sincerity. But it is quite apparent that the actor is more at home playing the loverboy than the hardened terrorist. And what pray is Tabu doing in the movie? As an intelligence officer of sorts tracking down a Kashmiri militant, she is a total waste. So are Shiney Ahuja and Lara Dutta in their bit roles.
Cinematographer Ravi Chandran gives Delhi and Poland (which passes off as Kashmir) a magnificent aura. Jatin-Lalit's music is disappointing except for the very original Chand Sifarish number sung to near perfection by Shaan.
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