Fanaa
Fanaa means destruction. And that's precisely what it did: it destroyed three hours of my precious time (not to speak of the minor hole it burned in my pocket). What a huge disappointment! With a plot that can be called contrived at best, Fanaa completely failed to grab me.
With the exception of an item number, there's something for everyone in it: jingoism, urdu shayari, terrorists, politics, disabilities (the blind girl a la Black), seduction in the rain, the love child, the special appearances. Like tossed salad, Fanaa is a medley of tired themes but the director plain forgot to add a dressing to keep the movie from becoming unpalatable.
My two cents on the actors and their performances:
Aamir Khan: Balanced and consistent, but no great shakes
Kajol: Some flashes of brilliance; engaging overall
Rishi Kapoor: Surprisingly well-chiseled
Kirron Kher: Utterly wasted
Lara Dutta: Oops.. I must have blinked and missed it
Tabu and Lillette Dubey: Unconvincing. Miscast and wasted
Child (don't know his name): Very cute
Still, Fanaa has been doing well on the box office largely because (1) it is Kajol's comeback(?) film, (2) it is backed by the Yashraj Chopra powerhouse, and (3) Aamir Khan has been embroiled in the Narmada controversy.
It's puzzling why Kunal Kohli could not repeat the directorial finesse he'd shown in Hum Tum. Frankly, I find Farhan Akhtar to be a far more promising and consistent director. Not only did I love his debut film Dil Chahta Hai, I was impressed with the way he handled his second film, Lakshya.
With the exception of an item number, there's something for everyone in it: jingoism, urdu shayari, terrorists, politics, disabilities (the blind girl a la Black), seduction in the rain, the love child, the special appearances. Like tossed salad, Fanaa is a medley of tired themes but the director plain forgot to add a dressing to keep the movie from becoming unpalatable.
My two cents on the actors and their performances:
Aamir Khan: Balanced and consistent, but no great shakes
Kajol: Some flashes of brilliance; engaging overall
Rishi Kapoor: Surprisingly well-chiseled
Kirron Kher: Utterly wasted
Lara Dutta: Oops.. I must have blinked and missed it
Tabu and Lillette Dubey: Unconvincing. Miscast and wasted
Child (don't know his name): Very cute
Still, Fanaa has been doing well on the box office largely because (1) it is Kajol's comeback(?) film, (2) it is backed by the Yashraj Chopra powerhouse, and (3) Aamir Khan has been embroiled in the Narmada controversy.
It's puzzling why Kunal Kohli could not repeat the directorial finesse he'd shown in Hum Tum. Frankly, I find Farhan Akhtar to be a far more promising and consistent director. Not only did I love his debut film Dil Chahta Hai, I was impressed with the way he handled his second film, Lakshya.
Comments