'Fan is about feeling close to your idol and then realising it's all a big lie'

Before we meet Fan director Maneesh Sharma we are told he doesnt answer tabloidtype questions He is busy editing his next release the bigbudget Fan with Shah Rukh Khan in a double role set to release on April 15 Fan is his fourth film after the 2010 hit Band Baaja Baraat Ladies VS Ricky Behl 2011 and Shuddh Desi Romance 2013 But as the Delhi boy tells us through the interview he always meant this to be his firstAlso readSRK is the perfect tool when talking about fatherdaughter relationship Kamlesh MotaI told Adi Aditya Chopra about a movie I wanted to make exploring the dynamics between a fan and a superstar It hasnt been attempted in Indian movies before and though its not a personal story it fascinated me Its relevant too isnt it The gap between the fan and the star is widely reduced thanks to social media But all Adi said was this cant be your first movie says the 35yearold as we chat over coffee at Yash Raj Films Andheri office Chopra hmmd and hawed asking Sharma to work on Aaja Nachle 2007 as assistant editor instead The next time he asked him to work on Jab Tak Hain Jaan After that finished Sharma was once again twiddling his thumbs his eyes framed on the Fan idea when Chopra called him to the officeShah Rukh Khan in makeup by Hollywood artiste Greg CannomHe asked me whats up Once again I said I am working on Fan He said yes yes great idea but very tough I told you it cant be your first movie Why dont you think of another idea Sharma was dejected and out of that rejection emerged Band Baaja Baraat Who knew it would work so well All I wanted to do was Fan and just because I needed to think of another idea I thought of that But my heart was still stuck on FanManeesh SharmaSharma was equally sure that he wanted SRK playing both of crazed fan Gaurav and the superstar Aryan Khanna During Jab Takhellip there was a silent agreement that Shah Rukh would do Fan Who else do you see with that kind of aura We agree and then ask is Aryan Khanna a version of SRKIn his journey sure He comes from a middleclass family in Delhi and becomes a superstar But other than that he is a fictional character Sharma is like most before him in awe of Khan He was the most experienced person on set but behaved like the youngest It was always like did I do this right Should I do this again He was always learning says Sharma He is more excited about SRK playing Guarav the fan who also resembles his idol Aryan Khanna It could be because having two SRKs could just work better for the filmYRF roped in Hollywood makeup guru Greg Cannom who worked on Brad Pittstarrer The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to work on Khans look making him appear 20 years younger On my way here I was talking to the peon who told me that one of his relatives asked him did they shoot this movie at the time of Karan Arjun and using the footage now I didnt know someone could even think like thatWe then ask him the most obvious question how his a fan becomes the greatest enemy movie is different from the obsessive fan Hollywood movies Does anybody die He laughs You want me to tell you the plot I cant Its been tackled so that thisiswhatcouldhappen tale becomes a thriller So we all think we are close to the star right But what happens when you realise thats not the truthPoint out his affinity for north Indian characters and he laughs In the next movie it wont happen I am from Delhi so I took inspiration from where I grew up We start talking about the Delhi and Mumbai divide and he laughs Aisa hota tha Ab I think bas ek joke hai Its all fun and games and these days every other person you meet in the industry is from DelhiWhile he awaits the release he doesnt want to second guess what the audience wants The line between what works and doesnt is thin People like all sorts of movies Be it Bajrangi Bhaijaan or a Piku Its such an exciting time to be a filmmaker Thats the best part