Fanaa (2006)

Producer: Yash and Aditya Chopra
Director: Kunal Kohli
Screen play: Shibani Bhathija
Cast: Kajol, Aamir Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Kiron Kher, Sruthi Seth, Tabu, Lara Dutta, Satish Shah, Jaspal Bhatti, Lilette Dubey,Sharat Saxena, Master Ali Haji
Music: Jatin-Lalit
Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi


Fanaa is the much-awaited movie of 2006. It is a Yashraj production with Kajol and Aamir playing the lead. It is also the last movie of the music director duo Jatin-Lalit. All these factors combined with the ban and other issues surrounding the movie had made it a must watch. Fanaa has everything working right for it from story to casting. You live each and every moment in the movie.

In a perfectly crafted movie like this it is difficult to point out which area is better. Let us take a look at each and every department from story to direction.

The movie is about Rehaan and Zooni and their love. Rehan Qardi is a local tour guide who is a shayar in his own way. He loves to wander through Indian cities enjoying the beauty its architecture and women. Zooni on the other hand is a blind Kashmiri girl. She had never ventured out of her house alone. One day she decides to explore the world alone. There she meets Rehan. He guides her through the places and makes her see the beautiful world outside. On their journey together they learn a lot about each other. Rehan commits to a relationship for the first time. But his other part comes in between him and his love. He had to choose between his love and duty.

Aamir, the perfectionist has done it again. With each movie he is correcting himself. In Fanaa his acting is spotless. It is a complex character. A slight mistake would have let it down. But Aamir walks the emotional thin rope perfectly. You cannot see Aamir in any scene. It is only Rehan.

Kajol gives the newcomers a run for their money. She is one of the best actors in Bollywood. She has handled all her roles well. This is not an exception. Kajol as Zooni finely expresses the inner feelings of the character. Kajol puts up a strong yet controlled performance. Coming back after along break she looks fresh and new.


The chemistry between the lead pair is excellent. This is for the first time Kajol is acting opposite Aamir. Surely this will be the best pair in 2006. The other actors have been used well by the director. Rishi Kapoor is rocking. Kiron Kher is excellent. The comedians Satish Shah, Jaspal Bhatti, Lilette Dubey, Vrajesh Hirjee all needs to be applauded. The child artist is fantastic. Lara Dutta and Shiney Ahuja do not have much to play in this film.

The story is a well crafted one. Shibani Bhathija surprises us with unexpected turns and twists. We always keep guessing where the story leads us. Cinematographer Ravi. K.Chandran’s camera successfully captures the beauty of Poland and New Delhi. This movie is a visual feast. Kunal Kohli’s dialogues are effectively poetic. It enhances the beauty of the story. This is a much-improved work of Kohli, the director. He lets us in to the life of the characters. His storytelling is so perfect that we tend to live in the movie.

This is one of the best musical creations of Jatin- Lalit. The songs ‘Chand Sifarish’ and ‘Mere haath mein’ touches our heart deeply. The singers have done justice to the verse and tune. These scores will stay with us even after the movie is gone.

On the whole, Fanaa is a well crafted, effectively acted and beautifully written movie. No controversy can mar the beauty of the movie. It is sure to pull crowds to the theatre.