To begin with, the basic outline of the subject is actually the same we have seen umpteen times before in Hindi films featuring similar looking double roles and obsessive characters stalking their beloved with a dangerous killer instinct like in DARR, DASTAK, ANJAAM and more. However the major novelty here lies in the fact that the Hero is a big Bollywood superstar and the stalker is a look-alike fan who later turns into an evil force with changing circumstances.
But before moving on to Hindi films, here are some English movies revolving around the similar themes close to FAN.
THE FAN (1996) – Based on the novel with the same name by Peter Abrahams, YRF cannot be so naive to take it from a film with exactly the same title. Yet there can be no denial to the fact that there are some strong similarities in the concept, with the only difference being that here the two actors are not having any similar looks as in the SRK film. This 1996 film has Robert De Niro playing the temperamental die-hard fan of a baseball player enacted by Wesley Snipes.
Misery (1990) – Talks about a famous novelist and his passionate fan who saves him from an accident but later reveals her obsessive state of mind as the film progresses. Directed by Rob Reiner, Kathy Bates won the Best Actress Oscar for her powerful performance of a fan in the film.
The King of Comedy (1982) – Martin Scorsese directed this realistic comedy focusing on the fake ‘celebrity culture’ and ‘deep desire of fame’ among the aspiring artists. Here post the humiliation faced by Robert De Niro in his auditions, he decides to kidnap a celebrity to get featured in a TV spot. Focusing on dark humour, this is certainly the most underrated film of the two masters that deserves to be seen as a must considering it as a black satire.
Play Misty For Me (1971) – This directorial debut of Clint Eastwood revolves around a disc jockey played by Eastwood himself and his obsessed female fan who later turns into a stalker leading to more serious complexities with another girl entering the scene.
All About Eve (1950) – A different take on the relationship between a star and her fan, where the fan only becomes a rival getting closer to her idol as the time goes by. The film is a classic with fine performances winning six Oscar awards in the major categories.
Turning to Hindi Films References
Soch (2002) – Though the thriller plot of the film is highly inspired from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers On The Train”. Yet the story actually revolves around a movie star played by Sanjay Kapoor and his obsessive fan who is ready to do anything for his idol played by Arbaaz Khan.
Soorma Bhopali (1988) – An 8-9 minutes exclusive sequence of this film (featuring a double role) can be stated as the closest one to Shah Rukh’s FAN in conceptual terms. Here we have a look-alike fan of Dharmendra who talks to his photos, worships him as a GOD and wishes to meet him once. Luckily there is a shooting in his neighborhood with Dharmendra, but as soon as he reaches there, the unit members take him in considering the Hero. He ruins the ongoing shoot for a while but then later meets his idol thanking him a lot for his kind gesture.
Admittedly SOORMA BHOPALI was the one reference in my mind while writing the script for a Punjabi film that got rejected in 2013 by an upcoming production house and a big Punjabi Star finding it not worth enough. (Mentioned in details at this link)
The second film was The King of Comedy (1982) mentioned above and the third was S1mOne (2002) featuring Al Pacino wherein a lady star walks off a film leaving it incomplete and the producer digitally creates the same star on screen, who becomes an instant hit finding a big fan following with people considering her as a real girl.
Keeping all these references in mind, there is a lot that has already been showcased in both English and Hindi films related with the specific idea. Yet hope FAN takes SRK back to the days of BAAZIGAR and DARR, and we once again get to see an entertaining performance from the icon impressing both the classes and the masses together.
Cheers!
