A Shahrukh Khan movie sans songs,item-dance,skin-show,romantic dialogues or unwanted masala that marks the comeback of 'stellar' actor that he is - that's micro-review of Maneesh Sharma's 'Fan' for you! With this movie that's poles apart from the likes of Dilwale and Happy New Year,the 50 year old actor once again proves that he's still capable of doing wonders with his acting prowess and producing brilliant roles out of his comfort zone with ease and perfection.May it be the heavily obsessed fan Gaurav Chandna that reminds of iconic yesteryear characters like 'Rahul' from Darr or the bollywood superstar Aryan Khanna that feels more like a cinematic version of himself,the 'Baadshah Of Bollywood' nails it with perfection and amazes with his flexibility in handling two characters that are diametrically opposite of the other.

The love or more appropriately 'obsession' of Gaurav towards Aryan Khanna was established brilliantly by director Maneesh Sharma and the first hour was breezy with a special mention to the impressive introduction sequence that's filled with well-written dialogues like ''Woh Sirf Star Nahi,Duniya Hain Meri"(Translated as 'He's Not Just A Star,But My World').

On the negative side,Maneesh lost the grip in narration once the the cat and mouse chase between fan and his star commenced and the second half couldn't match the thrills that the first hour offered.Something that looked solidly realistic and gripping gave way for cinematic liberties and the abundance of too many sequences that defy logic spoiled what could have been one among the best thrillers ever to comeout from Bollywood.

The storyline has few similarities with yesteryear films like the Robert De Niro starrer Fan(1996),but the screenplay is original and different from the western counterparts.At 138 minutes even without songs and other masala,the movie felt too lengthy and effective trimming could have added to the pace of the movie,particularly towards the second half.Dialogues by Sharat Khatariya were touching and a notable aspect of the narration.

The whole movie belongs to SRK and it is his brilliance in the portrayal of Gaurav Chandna and Aryan Khanna that manages to cover-up all the glorious loopholes in the half-baked screenplay written by Habib Faisal.The willingness to include negative shade to the character Aryan Khanna that resembles his real-life persona deserves a special mention.There are only few notable supporting characters and they did their part well.

Surprisingly there aren't any songs in the movie,but the exclusion isn't justified as the movie is still lengthy at around 138 minutes.The background score by Andrea Guerra was adequate.Cinematography by Manu Anand was impressive,especially during the chase sequences that was shot overseas.Editing by Namrata Rao could have been much better as there were quiet a large number of unwanted sequences that resulted in lags particularly towards the second half.

Overall,Fan is a decent thriller that's saved big time by a brilliant act by Shahrukh Khan.

Verdict::The lazy narration,application of too many cinematic liberties towards the second half and of course,the lack of usual masala elements may prevent 'Fan' from making big numbers at the bollywood box office,but nevertheless its a daring attempt from the team that inspires one to make an identity of his own rather than blindly following someone in the name of fandom.Watch it if you love SRK,the actor!