Fanney Khan

I don't know if I should take Atul Manjrekar's Fanney Khan seriously or lightly. On one hand it shows the struggle of a man (Anil Kapoor) who wants his daughter to be a star singer while on the other it resorts to screwball comedy to make me laugh. These two shades of this comedy drama hardly blend, while also giving me withdrawal symptoms. A lack of logic in the plot - starting from the point where the man kidnaps a famous singer (Aishwarya Rai) to the climax - pushes Fanney Khan into a territory that can be best defined as contrived storytelling. Everything is easy for director Manjrekar's characters, and thanks to some brilliant performances by Kapoor, Divya Dutta, and Girish Kulkarni, it feels effortless. I am also not sure what the non-righteous climax is trying to convey - is it okay to be bad when you are fighting for a good cause? Is it okay to break the law and put someone's life in danger just because you are a naive, old man passionate about your daughter's future? Ridiculous as it seems, Fanney Khan ends like a fairytale without even shedding light into what happened to some of the characters. The only thing that it gets right is criticizing the notion that stardom is usually a product of luck and compromise, as it poses as a question in front of the man's daughter (Pihu Sand) several times, yet Rai's character sabotages it in one scene by taking a defensive when the man asks her the same question. Director Manjrekar is ahead of himself, in trying to compete with Advait Chandan's Secret Superstar (2017), in trying to show the dark world and politics of the music industry, in fighting taboos related to body shapes and stardom, yet the container he uses to serve his dish made me look at my family members and shrug. No, really. There's a scene sometime in the 15th minute where Kapoor's character mimics to an instrumental in front of his wife and daughter. It's a great screwball moment, inducing no laughter, but that's exactly when I turned to my mum and dad and we all shrugged referring to the dull madness that is happening on screen. Don't waste your time. TN.

If Hindi movie filmmakers keep on making such insipid movies like Fanney Khan it will not do any good for the Hindi cinema. Atul Manjrekar debut as a director also credits for screenplay is a failure in both departments.

The movie is an official remake of a Belgian movie (If it has to be remake a better movie could have been adapted) but does not help its cause.

Story is about a days gone by struggling artist who wants to make her daughter a successful singer. The movie does not have any originality and the execution is also not up to the mark.

The only saving grace is Anil Kapoor and the girl who plays his daughter. Talented actor like Rajkumar Rao is wasted. Aishwarya looks attractive but overacts in some scenes though she does not have much to do.

Music is average. I am so exhausted after watching this movie that don't feel like writing more. Do not waste your money and if you are a fan of Anil Kapoor please wait to watch when it gets screened on the television.

This story is pathetic. Story is setting example of taking bad path for success and getting it using this movie. How actors like Aishwarya and Anil Kapoor can work in such type of movies.

Something similar is shown in Secret Superstar, a film by Aamir Khan, clearly visible quality or work.

Bad story, bad message, setting wrong example, hate it. I wasted my time on it. Writing this review so I can save some else's time.

Fanney Khan - to be a star and a celebrity artist is not easy in a country with a billion people and needs hard work and focus. Fanney Khan is the story of a man who didn't quite make the cut having had to sacrifice his dreams for the more important responsibility of life and family. He still nurses his creative side when he finds time from his crane operating job and sees his dream stay alive in his daughter Lata. Lata is talented but faces body-shamers bullying her constantly as she is obese, which stands in her way of recognition. Also, she finds her father annoying and is easily embarrassed due to his intrusive (actually concern) nature. Do you see a maze of subjects here already? Add to it a strange twist - Fanney Khan will go to any length to find success for his daughter's singing career, and will kidnap a celebrity singer for ransom, a case where he will transform from being a perpetrator into being manipulated by some sly bounty hunters.

It's just too many subjects to handle - director Atul Manjrekar is clearly unable to balance things out. After the interesting first 30 minutes, the film just loses its way and meanders in a wayward fashion, failing to engage. Rajkumar Rao is underused and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan misses yet another opportunity to up her game, keeping things superficial and plastic. The end is preachy. Debutante Pihu Sand as Lata is very impressive. But the film belongs to Anil Kapoor, who infuses exceptional energy and life into the role of a doting family man. He is clearly the only asset of Fanney Khan. Also must mention Divya Dutta who also produces a punchy performance. 4 STARS okay for it.

There are a few films where you get to see classy actors like Anil Kapoor and Rajkumar Rao together but acting alone cannot save a film. This is exactly the case with 'Fanney Khan'. A father trying to make his daughter a big name in the industry might sound interesting to begin with but Atul Manjrekar has messed it all up. The screenplay and the direction are by far awful. It's a story that could've been so much more but an underwhelming execution by the crew has ended up in sheer disappointment. The film is dragged and has a lot of loopholes, there is no such aspect in the film that engages the audience apart from Anil Kapoor's performance. Anil Kapoor is definitely the only good thing in the film. His act is what made me sit through this whole film. Rajkumar Rao was expected to have an impact as usual but the script doesn't let him come out of his shell and he is not utilized properly. Aishwarya is okay-ish with her performance, she looks pretty but that doesn't hide the fact that she does overact in quite a few scenes The music is decent but the story is so boring that you wouldn't be interested in the songs. Overall, the film is a complete waste of talent and money. SKIP IT