Go fida over Fanaa. Review on Fanaa

Hum Tum was not a fluke. Kunal Kohli is not just good, but growing more mature with every film. From Mujhse Dosti Karoge, Hum Tum to dealing a sensitive subject like terrorism and complex personal relations in Fanaa, here’s one filmmaker to look forward to.

By now everyone knows the story, so I won’t waste words on that. Simply putting it’s a love story set in the background of terrorism in Kashmir. Rehan (Aamir) meets Zooni (Kajol), a blind girl from Kashmir in Delhi, where he serves as a tourist guide. They fall in love, make love all in a week’s time, that’s jet age. Then he disappears, proving himself to be dead. But as destiny would have it, he reaches Zooni’s doorstep shot by a bullet, and the twist. Rest is to be seen.

The second half of Fanaa is too slow, as opposed to the nicely paced first half. The first half has everything, songs, romance, shayari, the typical Yashraj stamp. But sadly, the second half leaves you disappointed with its pace. Aamir Khan and Kajol ignite the screen with their chemistry, and that makes Fanaa a must see for all Aamir-Kajol fans. You can’t afford to miss this one.

The songs are simply awesome. Probably the best score by Jatin-Lalit ever and sadly the last one before they part ways. The title track, ‘Mere haath mein tera haath hai’, is one of the most exotically shot songs of all time. The filming is fantastic and compensates for all the complaints you may have with Fanaa. The screenplay though slow, is well written and deserves a special mention. The dialogues by Kunal may have been better. But the one thing you will miss at the end is one strong scene for both the actors to show their steel. Kunal Kohli is inspired by Mani Ratnam in treating some scenes and songs.

It’s interesting to see Aamir play a terrorist fighting against India after watching him in Rang De Basanti in a completely opposite role. Kajol never gives you an impression that she has come back to the big screen after a long time. She lives and breathes her character. The silences between Rehan and Zooni leave you asking for more. The child artist in the second half is too cute and adds lot of comfort. Other actors like Rishi Kapoor, Kirron Kher do their best in their small roles. The editing could have been a bit more gripping.

Though Fanaa demands a lot of patience in parts, there is no dearth of reasons to a watch it atleast once.