There’s a moment in Fan, directed by Maneesh Sharma, that strikes at the heart of the film’s polarising second half. It’s where we see Gaurav Chandna, a die-hard fan and lookalike of his idol Aryan Khanna (both played by Shah Rukh Khan, in what is arguably the finest performance of the last decade) storming into the luxurious seaside home of the star he worshipped, moving into his private study: a room filled with trophies, posters, and every tangible memory of Aryan’s career. It’s in this study, where in one terrific long take, Gaurav begins to dismantle it piece by piece, his bitterness seeping through. What was once adoration has now turned into bitter resentment. The scene is a masterstroke, a deep dive into the darkness of fandom, and how it evolves into something that can claim ownership over the very stars they adore, a sort of a sentiment that has only become more relevant in today’s time.Though the film may not have made a big splash at the box office, it has since become a seminal talking point in both SRK’s and Sharma’s careers. A decade later, Sharma, in an exclusive chat with SCREEN, reflects on the film’s thematic motifs, some of its key scenes, and his experience of working with Khan.Excerpts edited for clarity and brevity:The larger arc is, of course, about a fan who turns into a fanatic. So tell me about the choice to have him run a cyber cafe in the opening of the film, as it’s a perfect foreshadowing of how the digital world fuels both devotion and destruction.What you’re deducing about Gaurav owning a cyber cafe is partly a directorial choice. When we were writing the character, the larger idea was that he comes from a middle-class family, not the brightest kid, so running an internet cafe was just a way to earn a living. The idea was that at 24, his only aspiration was to be like Aryan Khanna. As for foreshadowing, I’m not sure how much of it was planned from the start. This choice came up during discussions with my screenwriters, Habib Faisal and Sharat Katariya. And filmmaking is a process, and such choices evolve when they fit the larger theme of the story.One of the major talking points of the film has been the second half, where the tone shifts drastically from a psychological thriller to an actioner, which some feel detracts from the originality that made it stand out in the first place.For all of us, myself, my writers, Aditya Chopra (the producer), and even Shah Rukh, the film was never conceived in halves. We viewed it as a continuous journey of an eccentric young man and his obsessive admiration for a star. In that journey, there’s a pivotal shift that occurs, and once it does, the story becomes a relentless, no-holds-barred ride. The goal was always to introduce Gaurav, establish his world, his devotion to his idol, and then show a turning point that alters him completely. And, by the midpoint, the intent was that the audience is so deeply invested in his emotional journey, making them ready to follow him wherever his path leads. Maneesh Sharma opened up about the polarising second half of Fan.With each viewing, I’ve realised that Gaurav and Aryan are reflections of each other. This brings me to my favorite scene, where they’re sitting in front of mirrors, their first interaction. Do you remember shooting that?That scene was the very first thing we shot. Actually, we had a test shoot before, where we wanted to test Gaurav’s look, and we filmed that train sequence where he’s heading to Mumbai. But we later reshot it as we were just experimenting with a lot of things, including the shooting style. So, the first proper thing we shot was this mirror scene, which set the tone for both characters right away. Everyone was like, ‘Aren’t you nervous?’ But I was very excited because I thought, if I can pull this off, then we’re sorted.What you’re saying about them mirroring each other is absolutely true: reflection was always the thematic core of Fan. I told Manu Anand (the Director of Photography) that I wanted many reflections in the film, but none of the mirror shots should be too obvious; they had to carry a psychological layer. For example, Gaurav never looks at the mirror; he’s only seen in it. Or, one of my favorite shots is when Aryan looks at the mirror on the plane and gives a fake smile. These were the kinds of thematic motifs we aimed to weave throughout the film.Also Read | Dhurandhar 2: Aditya Dhar genuflects and the story sinks into subservienceStory continues below this ad The mirror scene in Fan subtly underscores how Aryan and Gaurav are inherent reflections of each other.In the shot where Gaurav sees Aryan for the first time outside Mannat, Shah Rukh’s performance is just otherworldly, and he truly deserved every accolade for that reaction alone.What you see in the film is the first take. When I saw it, it hit me in the heart. I was shaking when I watched it. The first thing my DOP said was that he thought he lost camera’s focus, and I told him, ‘You can’t tell me that after such a performance.’ I said, ‘This take will go, even if it’s out of focus,’ which it was. He kept asking to do another, but I told him, ‘Do as many as you want, but this one is it.’ It’s not that Shah Rukh couldn’t do it all over again, but some moments just happen, and you have to be there to witness that magic.People might talk a lot about Gaurav’s portrayal, and rightly so, but it’s actually Shah Rukh’s performance as Aryan that stands out.Absolutely. What Shah Rukh brought to Aryan is truly one of a kind. In many of our discussions, he kept adding very intricate details to Aryan’s character. For instance, the moment in the wedding sequence where the businessman shuts Aryan down was actually Shah Rukh’s idea. Or, there’s a close-up shot where Aryan is looking at his phone. These small, subtle moments are very difficult to explain, but you can sense the vulnerability he brought to the performance, and he did so with such gravitas.