Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan-starrer Fanney Khan is an ode to Lata Mangeshkar

Mumbai: “I couldn’t be Mohammed Rafi . But I will make you Lata Mangeshkar,” promises papa Anil Kapoor to his overweight on-screen daughter, the spontaneous and endearing debutante Pihu Sand, whose dreams and aspirations are trailed by her father all the way to the next reality show.

[caption id=“attachment_4682611” align=“alignleft” width=“825”]  Fanney Khan starring Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajkumar Rao is slated to release on 3 August.[/caption] But wait. If you think this is a routine tearjerker about a failed singer who wants his daughter to fulfill his dreams, then there is much more here to feast on. There is a major goofed-up kidnapping where the stunning Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, playing a singer who seems to be more of a dancer, is whisked away by two inept kidnappers, played by Anil and his screen-ally Rajkummar Rao. The official remake of a Belgian film Everybody’s Famous, _Fanney Khan_ is a winsome ode to the imperishable reputation of Lata Mangeshkar as the queen of all things melodious. It spotlights and contours the Nightingale’s aura with endearing humour and warmth and gives us a spunky 17-year-old heroine who won’t be cowed down by her parents’ middle-class anxieties. The trailer gives us some sparkling performances by all the actors. The narrative seems to be spun around the harsh glare of reality shows where children are constantly subjected to scrutiny and ridicule. At one such event, an insensitive judge is heard telling our young heroine, “Just because your parents have named you Lata, you think you can sing?” Just because Fanney Khan uses the names of singing legends like Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi, it doesn’t qualify for greatness. Having said that, there is a distinct warmth and incredulity to the presentation that are bound to go a long way in making this film sparkle in a melodious rapture.