Fanney Khan, directed by Atul Manjrekar, is a rather generic film. Similar to the likes of Secret Superstar, it revolves around a young girl who aspires to be a famous singer.
This movie was not about the girl as much as it was about the father who turns his entire life into a mission to help his daughter achieve her dreams, even if that involves a major criminal activity.
The catch in the film is, the young girl is overweight and ridiculed for the same. The people around her make her realise that her talent stands nothing in front of her appearance. This gives her the idea to quit whatever it is that she dreams of, but her father, Fanney Khan (Anil Kapoor), does not give into it.
Using the help of his fellow colleague at the factory they work for, Adhir (Rajkumar Rao) after Fanney commits the grave mistake of kidnapping the country’s superstar, who also happens to be his daughter’s idol, Baby Singh (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan).
Fanney does this in order to get some money out of her but instead uses the opportunity to get his daughter out on the map.
There is no antagonist as such in the film, except the media and it’s twisted ways of gaining publicity. It is a whole ride of shocks and cringes that unravel as the movie moves forward.
A few things to notice while watching the movie are so:
- Inclusive: In a rare occurrence in Bollywood, an overweight girl was not used as a comic relief but instead shown as one of the main characters around which the plot is designed. This is an amazing progression, there is no sympathy attached either, it’s all about how this low point in her life makes her father all the more motivated to get her into the limelight.
- Music: The music in the film is great, other than the final song around which the entire anticipation in the film is built. The introduction to Fanney Khan, to Baby Singh and the romance that buds between Adhir and Baby are all symbolised by beautiful tracks that fit the mood well.
- Casting: The cast, it is a wonderful selection of actors. Anil Kapoor as a goal driven, loving father is just amazing to watch. He is super passionate and emotional about what he wants to do. Rajkumar Rao on the other side plays the role of an extremely nice guy who gets played, but still sticks to his value as his and Aishwarya’s bond is built, a pleasure to watch on screen. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is stunning, she fits the role of a peppy superstar in a perfect manner. She looks as though she hasn’t aged a day since she was 25, her attitude in the film is interesting and lovable. The other actors fit their roles precisely, it is indeed a great casting in entirety.
Although, the movie could’ve been much better. They stretched a few aspects that shouldn’t have been. Clarity was not enough by the time climax arrived, which left me a little confused.
The entire build up of the movie was borderline satisfactory. You get what you hope for but not what you wish for. Whereabouts of certain characters are missing until the end which puts the whole plot off.
The climax is on a good note, like every feel good Bollywood movie has, but there could’ve been a much better closure that we deserved.
I would rate the film 3 stars just for the vibe and the beautifully played characters by each actor involved in the film.
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