Shahrukh Khan plays the double role of actor Aryan Khanna, who commands the stature and fan following that Khan does in real life, and his ardent fan Gaurav Chandna, a middle-class Delhi boy whose story is quite similar to Khan’s early life. Gaurav bears an uncanny resemblance to his idol, and even calls himself Aryan Khanna Junior. He imitates Khanna’s mannerisms and dialogues to perfection and has plastered his room with the actor’s posters, photos and memorabilia.
Just like Khan’s own journey from Delhi to Mumbai, Gaurav travels to the city in the hope of meeting Khanna. Such is his love for the star that he threatens a rival co-actor with violence to get Khanna’s attention, but when Khanna scolds rather than lauding Gaurav’s actions, the fan in him feels spurned.
The second half of the film focuses on Gaurav’s transition from adoring fan to creepy stalker by impersonating Khanna and sabotaging his image. This portrayal of Gaurav’s pining and heartbreak for his screen idol is especially powerful. The action-packed chases are well-shot, especially those in the crumbling and ramshackle buildings of Delhi and Mumbai.
Rather than being a simpering ode to Khan’s stardom, the film shows us the double-edged nature of fame. Fans will love the numerous references to Khan’s early in life in Delhi, as well as throwback to the dialogues and music of Khan’s most popular films and songs, and even some action-packed chases in foreign locations.
This is an out-and-out Shah Rukh Khan film, and the actor demonstrates his talent ably. Khan successfully plays the confident superstar Khanna, but also transforms into the young deranged fan Gaurav with ease. Aided by digital effects, he adopts Gaurav’s carefree body language as well as his Punjabi-accented speech.