What are the odds of a film starring Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao being laborious and uneasy on the eye? With those heavyweights, mediocrity wasn’t even an option, and anything below that, a catastrophe.
But that is what Fanney Khan turns out to be: uninspiring, unmemorable and unruly for the standards set by these actors. And for a film that bills itself as a musical comedy, what it also happens to be is unmusical and unfunny.
Prashant Sharma (Anil Kapoor) called Fanney Khan among his friends had aspired to be a renowned singer in years gone by, and now wants to live his dream through his daughter. Lata (Pihu Sand), named as such because of her father’s aspirations for her, has all the makings of a musical entertainer, except that she is fat-shamed, which masks all her talents.
Meanwhile, Baby Singh (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) is a star singer, whose existence is dedicated to stunning the world around her with performances and personification of glam. Then there is Adhir (Rajkummar Rao), Prashant’s trustworthy sidekick whose character is designed to inject comedy with the required charm. All the while an unlikely romance appears to be in the offing.
These four characters are linked by one quest: a father’s unflinching goal to make sure that his daughter finds her place on a stage that she, according to him, is destined to achieve. Only that Prashant Sharma decides to take matters into his own hands.
Therefore, what follows is kidnapping and blackmail, with not nearly the same intrigue as these crimes are supposed to be loaded with, or the entertainment coefficient that the script intended to bring to the screen with this setting.
While the first half of the film is flat, the second half takes a nosedive. Even though the ambition of the storyline – just like Prashant Sharma – is noble, the route it takes to achieve that – again, just like Lata’s father – is absolutely unadvisable.
And even though Fanney Khan the film fails to achieve what it sets out to do, whether or not Fanney Khan the character manages to pull it off is for you to see – if you completely disregard this review, that is.
Again, with an acting trio like Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao, that is one facet of the film that you can bet your house on. And indeed they live up to whatever one would expect from them.
The only problem being that they haven’t been given much to play with in terms of the script. While Anil Kapoor’s character suits him to the tee, and hence the execution is expectedly emphatic, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao have roles that one wouldn’t normally associate with them.
Hence, what these two needed was stronger writing – a luxury not granted to any aspect of the film.
The greatest casualty owing to failure in strong writing is the overall lack of comedy, especially for a film that sets out to be that. Yes, there are laughs and giggles to be had along with a few smiles, but you’d be hard pressed to delineate anything memorable five minutes after the end of the film.
As the comedy half failed to inspire, the musical half duly followed suit. For a musical that was supposed to be all about two generations worth of a dream, all centering around music, the film’s soundtrack doesn’t complement all the great claims that are being made left, right and centre.
Fanney Khan is a patched up film that has been set up to succeed solely on the basis of acting prowess. But the tools that the star trio have been handed aren’t particularly strong.
Anil Kapoor’s performance or Aishwarya Rai Bachchan dazzling the screen might be reasons for you to consider Fanney Khan. Die-hard fans of Rajkummar Rao, a number which continues to grow, might also be interested. There isn’t much else that the film offers.
But that is what Fanney Khan turns out to be: uninspiring, unmemorable and unruly for the standards set by these actors. And for a film that bills itself as a musical comedy, what it also happens to be is unmusical and unfunny.
Prashant Sharma (Anil Kapoor) called Fanney Khan among his friends had aspired to be a renowned singer in years gone by, and now wants to live his dream through his daughter. Lata (Pihu Sand), named as such because of her father’s aspirations for her, has all the makings of a musical entertainer, except that she is fat-shamed, which masks all her talents.
Meanwhile, Baby Singh (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) is a star singer, whose existence is dedicated to stunning the world around her with performances and personification of glam. Then there is Adhir (Rajkummar Rao), Prashant’s trustworthy sidekick whose character is designed to inject comedy with the required charm. All the while an unlikely romance appears to be in the offing.
These four characters are linked by one quest: a father’s unflinching goal to make sure that his daughter finds her place on a stage that she, according to him, is destined to achieve. Only that Prashant Sharma decides to take matters into his own hands.
Therefore, what follows is kidnapping and blackmail, with not nearly the same intrigue as these crimes are supposed to be loaded with, or the entertainment coefficient that the script intended to bring to the screen with this setting.
While the first half of the film is flat, the second half takes a nosedive. Even though the ambition of the storyline – just like Prashant Sharma – is noble, the route it takes to achieve that – again, just like Lata’s father – is absolutely unadvisable.
And even though Fanney Khan the film fails to achieve what it sets out to do, whether or not Fanney Khan the character manages to pull it off is for you to see – if you completely disregard this review, that is.
Again, with an acting trio like Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao, that is one facet of the film that you can bet your house on. And indeed they live up to whatever one would expect from them.
The only problem being that they haven’t been given much to play with in terms of the script. While Anil Kapoor’s character suits him to the tee, and hence the execution is expectedly emphatic, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao have roles that one wouldn’t normally associate with them.
Hence, what these two needed was stronger writing – a luxury not granted to any aspect of the film.
The greatest casualty owing to failure in strong writing is the overall lack of comedy, especially for a film that sets out to be that. Yes, there are laughs and giggles to be had along with a few smiles, but you’d be hard pressed to delineate anything memorable five minutes after the end of the film.
As the comedy half failed to inspire, the musical half duly followed suit. For a musical that was supposed to be all about two generations worth of a dream, all centering around music, the film’s soundtrack doesn’t complement all the great claims that are being made left, right and centre.
Fanney Khan is a patched up film that has been set up to succeed solely on the basis of acting prowess. But the tools that the star trio have been handed aren’t particularly strong.
Anil Kapoor’s performance or Aishwarya Rai Bachchan dazzling the screen might be reasons for you to consider Fanney Khan. Die-hard fans of Rajkummar Rao, a number which continues to grow, might also be interested. There isn’t much else that the film offers.