Movie :: Fanaa (Indian)

Hey friends,

Fanaa (destroyed/ annihilated), the most eagerly awaited movie of the year has been finally released, and I deliberately avoided all reviews/ previews/ music so I could experience the movie without any preconceived notions. (They have already shortlisted Rang De Basanti, Water and Fanaa as the forerunners to the Oscars for best foreign movie)

I cannot tell you how awesome this movie was. For once, I watched an Indian movie that literally kept me at the edge of my seat, which no other movie has managed to evoke out of me.

Story:
Zooni Ali Beg (Kajol) is a Kashmiri girl, and the only child in her family. Zooni, who is a blind woman, has never ventured out of her idyllic home, comes to New Delhi with her aunt and friends for a show which they had prepared for. In Delhi, they are shown around the city by the ever so lively guide Rehan Qadri (Aamir Khan). Zooni, whose mother had always encouraged Zooni to seek out her prince charming, instantly falls in love with Rehan, as the two of them share poetry back and forth. Much to the dislike of her friend, Zooni spends time alone with Rehan. So much in love are they, that Rehan even organizes surgery to restore Zooni’s eyesight.

As soon as Zooni recovers from her surgery, we find her being escorted by the police to the morgue, where she identifies Rehan as one of the victim of the bomb blast at one of the government building. Zooni is left with no choice but to take all the memories of Rehan she has in the brief time they were together.

Meanwhile, the Anti-terrorism unit in India identifies the mastermind behind the bomb blast--- who turns out to be none other than Rehan Qadri himself, or is it?

Seven years later.

Rehan is sent on a mission to infiltrate the Indian army, and trigger off the detonator which threatens to kill thousands of people. He is partly successful in his mission as he faces opposition. During a wild chase on snow mobiles, Rehan is horrifically hurt and stabbed, but he fights back and walks away to seek help.

He comes to a lone house, and knocking on the door brings out Zooni, and a little boy who is also Rehan. It becomes clear to us that this little boy is the child of Rehan and Zooni. But, Zooni doesn’t believe this man at the door is Rehan, and because Rehan went undercover in the army, is wearing a jacket with the name tag of Sanjeev. Zooni, her son and her father all know Rehan as Major Sanjeev.

Only Rehan knows the truth of who he is, and he tries very hard to avoid disclosing himself. But old feeling surfaces, and one powerful scene, where Zooni and Rehan sing old songs to each other, reveals the true identity of Rehan.

What happens next forms the crux of the story. Will they come back together? Will she forgive him? Can she kill her husband, who is also a terrorist? Can you give any sympathy to a terrorist? Should he be killed or spared? Will he fulfill his mission or choose to be with his wife and kid? We don’t know till the very end of the movie.

My Views:
I cannot tell you what a delight it was to watch both Aamir and Kajol perform. I was totally immersed in their story, and never once did it seem like they are acting because they were extremely natural! Power-packed performances from both of them made this movie a worthy one. I was literally on the edge of my seat because I had no idea how the movie would end. Lots of questions, which are answered towards the end, made Fanaa one of the best movie in a long time!

I cannot get over the acting, since the second half of the movie solely focuses on Kajol and Aamir, and one would wonder why these two awesome actors were never paired before. Kajol has proven herself to be an actress of top caliber, and Aamir, as usual, has proven his versatility and acting.

I will stop watching the movie awards show if this movie doesn’t get the acting awards it surely deserves!

I now want the DVD!!

Mansur