Fanney Khan Review : A Musical Extravaganza With A Message To Never Let Your Dreams Dim Away!

Fanney Khan Review : A Musical Extravaganza With A Message To Never Let Your Dreams Dim Away!
Starring: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Directed By : Atul Manjrekar
2.5/5 stars
Review By: Shreshtha Chaudhury 


The very root of Fanney Khan revolves around a father’s dream to make his daughter a successful singer even if it will force him to kidnap another rich superstar for ransom. One wonders whether this pressure or over involvement to thrust your dreams into your child appears toxic in some elements in the film. Prashant Sharma (Anil Kapoor) works in a factory while his real love lies in his music, not to forget he idolizes Shammi Kapoor and Mohammed Rafi and he sings for a local band of his chawl under the pseudonym ‘Fanney Khan’. A doting husband and a loving father, he derives his happiness from his music and survives on his only dream of making his daughter a famous singer.

But one does not relate with Prashant’s unrealistic and impractical notions to fulfill his dream of making a star out of his daughter which leads him to kidnap superstar Baby Singh (Aishwarya Rai) for ransom ultimately leading him entangled in his own web of a chaotic cacophony. The main highlight of the movie spun by director Atul Manjrekar and writer Hussain Dalal is the strong message it portrays against body shaming, the degradation of human emotions to promote a mere reality show or the false belief that talent is always undermined by compromise in the world of showbiz. 

Lata often has to face several ridicules and mockery due to her weight which adds a blow on her self esteem. Her mother Kavita (Divya Dutta) is a supportive mother but with a more realistic approach than her father who often ends up pushing his daughter to the very edge to fulfilling his dream resulting in his daughter often being unthankful and ungracious with her father. His only aid in his quest to kidnap Baby to fulfill his dreams is his friend Abhir (Rajkummar Rao) who further ends up with a close proximity with Baby. 

The soul, guiding anchor and the force of the film is Anil Kapoor. His performance is realistic, endearing and makes you feel the painstaking tribulations a father can take to fulfill his daughter’s dreams. The end of the climax which leads to a teary eyed Fanney Khan ecstatic on seeing his daughter fulfilling her dream only makes Kapoor’s performance captivating. Needless to say it is Anil Kapoor who binds the film together. Aishwarya Rai as Baby Singh looks stunning but her character fails to be a potential catalyst to the film as there is no suitable summarization or backdrop of her character. Rajkummar Rao adds a comic relief to the plot but remains only a trifling accomplice to the storyline. Divya Dutta is doing as a supportive and endearing mother while Pihu Sand amazes us all with her realistic portrayal as a victim of body shaming, not to forget her perfect lip syncing to all songs picture zed on her. 

The chemistry between Rajkummar Rao and Aishwarya Rai is soft and pleasing to the eyes but soon gets adrift in the plot. Girish Kulkarni as Kakkad, Baby’s manager is downright ill fitting as casting choice and is quite eerie. A reality show serves as a platform for the climax wherein an unrealistic plot coupled with the over fictionalized scenarios overshadows the emotions between the lead characters.  The body shaming is the only prominent message instead of the notion that one can go to any illogical, impractical or melodramatic extent to fulfill one’s child’s dreams even if it includes breaking the law!

Being a musical extravaganza, the film also fails to strike a strong chord through its soundtracks. Only songs like “Tere Jaisa” sung by Monali Thakur, “Ache Din” sung by Amit Trivedi and not to forget Sonu Nigam’s rendition of Shammi Kapoor’s classic hit “Badan pe Sitaare” force you to take notice. 

An unsteady script along with some divergence in the plotlines hinders Fanney Khan from being a gratifying comedy or caricature. But watch the movie to feel the tribulations of a common man to fulfill his dreams.