Fanna

Two most talented actors of Bollywood – Aamir Khan and Kajol come together for the first time in Yash Raj’s “Fanaa”. With Aamir caught in a heap of controversies, thank god his movie didn’t bear the brunt (except in Gujarat where it is banned). After watching the film, when I narrated the story to a few of my friends, they questioned whether it was a “Dil Se” type movie with the roles of the protagonists interchanged. Well I couldn’t comment on that having not watched “dil se” but can assure you that both are miles apart with the former being directed by ace Mani Ratnam and the latter by the three film old Kunal Kohli who returns after the huge success of “hum tum”.

Zooni (kajol) is blind and leads a calm and joyful life with dad (Rishi Kapoor) and mom (Kiron Kher) .She and her friends leave for Delhi for performing in the Republic Day function. Zooni gets attracted to a local tourist guide,Redan Qoodari(Aamir).Her friends warn her from befriending him but she pays no heed to all that and sees the most colorful facets of life through Redan and his poetic eloquence. What she doesn’t know is that Redan has got a darker side which can pose her a great threat. But in spite of his “other” side he too gets attracted by her naivety .Both fall deeply in love and they get intimate. Redan makes arrangements for restoring Zooni’s eyesight. But as fate would have it she gets her eyes only to find that Redan has been killed in a bomb- blast. It is now revealed that Redan is actually a terrorist in disguise and an anti terrorist group headed by Tabu and Co is close on its heels in nailing him. Five to six years have elapsed and now Redan is masquerading as an army chief Ranjeet Singh. The anti terrorist org learns of this and then begins a cat and mouse chase. Redan manages to elude them only to find himself at the footsteps of Zooni’s house that now even has a child of 5 years. Does Ranjeet tell her that he is the real Redan and the father of their child? Does Zooni accept him? Does Zooni come to know of his real identity which she still isn’t aware of? The answers to all these queries form the rest with a gripping climax.

Kajol makes a comeback after almost 5 years and her acting prowess is as fresh as ever. Her cute smile, sparkling eyes and her portrayal as the love struck Zooni and the doting mother Zooni are all a treat to watch. Simplicity is always the benchmark of a great actor and the more simple you are the more natural you can get
And this is evident in both Aamir and Kajol. Aamir is at his usual best .The sequences showing his growing love for the child and the climax are truly satisfying. Being a below average Hindi speaker I really couldn’t make out the real gist of his poetic couplets. The rest of the cast amply bolster the movie.