Unbelievably Good - Fanaa - Movie Review

Fanaa with Kajol & Aamir Khan

The worst part about Fanaa is that my husband did not see it with me. Which means, I spent the entire next day (today), contemplating it with no one to talk to about it. Aaaaghhh! It also meant that in order to talk to him about it I had to explain the plot. Which is no simple task, this is after all a Bollywood film.

Before I go any further, let me just say, this is a GREAT movie. I gave it 5 stars and definitely recommend it. It is fabulously acted. This is the best role I have seen Kajol in. Ever. Aamir is incredible in it. He goes from romantic comedy song and dance to a deep pathos. He is totally believable and charming and devastating in turn. Very few actors have that sort of range. He does.

Now, as to why I desperately needed to discuss this movie. If you have ever seen a Bollywood movie, you know you basically get two movies for the price of one. The first hour and a half-ish sets up our characters, after the intermission, you get another hour or so that basically takes off where the first movie ends and gives our characters a new situation to deal with. Often, the 2nd half involves a twist. You will also know that if our characters even so much as kiss (even married couples), something bad is going to have to happen to them. And no, they didn't kiss, but they did something else that is definitely a no no and so, I knew something bad was going to happen, but how bad, given that they hadn't kissed, was unclear and things seemed to be going well around intermission time. Knowing all this I was completely unprepared for the second half of this movie!  It was a total departure from the first part. The first half of the movie is a beautiful and fun romantic comedy with singing and dancing. The second half is a lot like Cape Fear. Needless to say, it's a bit of an emotional roller coaster ride. Well worth it though.

At the end, the moral lesson is clear. Morality is not about choosing between good and evil. It is about being prepared to choose between the greater of two goods or the lesser of two evils.