The dry run of Summer Box-office ends with the coming of Fanaa.
The statement above is not just to emphasise the power of Yashraj Films on the box-office but also the fact that Fanaa is one of the best movies to come out from the banner ever. The statement may sound loaded as most the banner's movies have been enjoyable and super success to the hilt.

So what makes Fanaa rock? The direction, the performances, cinematography, music, background score, dialouges are all first class and complement the story/script/ screenplay which is the best part of Fanaa.

The movie starts as a usual romance story but leads to unexpected twists & turns and finally leaves you spell bound in the climax. I am not going to reveal anything more about the movie as per Yashraj Films directives which definitely does not apply to me but still it is much better to experience the movie yourself. Adi! you owe me a few now.

Kajol captures the role by both her hands and elevates it to the highest pedestal with her rocking performance. She takes on the Zooni like a fish to water and regales you. Probably her best performance to date.

Aamir rocks both as a flirtasious tour guide and as a rebellious youth. While in "Rang De Basanti" he let other newcomers share all the limelight and stood like a rock behind them, here he tackles his cheracter Rehaan with practicsed ease and charm and electrifies the scenes with his presence. Fanaa is definitely another feather in the cap for Aamir.

Besides the crackling chemistry between the lead characters, the movie is ably supported by Rishi Kapoor who is brilliant as always, Kiron Kher- fantastic, Tabu - effective in a small role and Shiny Ahuja. Satish Shah, Sharat Saxena, Lilette Dubey, Jaspal Bhatti and Vrajesh Hirjee are effective. The child artist is fantastic. And yes, Lara Dutta is there too for one scene.

One person who deserves special mention is the director Kunal Kohli. I have been watching him since the days he used to host a movie show, where he reviewed movies and tore them apart with ease. When he turned director with "Mujhse Dosti Karogi", all the criticism came heaping back to him. But he imporved by leaps and bounds with "Hum Tum" and now he can safely be counted among top 5 directors after Fanaa.

Leaving an abberation like "Neil n Nikki", Yashraj banner continues to bring out movies liked by both in India and abroad.
The movie has taken a fantastic start and has a HIT written all over it.

Go watch it. Fanaa is worth every penny of the ticket rate plus any amount you spend on popcorn, samosas and the likes.

Review by: Dheeraj Khanna (khanna.dheeraj@gmail.com)

Note: I could not wait to get my review translated in Hindi so I am publishing it in English.