Locations in Europe: Poland
Storyline
Star(s): Aamir Khan, Kajol, Rishi Kapoor, Tabu
Songs/Dance: Songs and Action shot in Poland
Indian/ International Crew: Partly International
Language: Hindi
Director/Producer: Kunal Kohli (Director); Aditya Chopra (Producer)
Line Producer/Executive Producer/Associate Producer: Padam Bhushan (Line Producer); Feliks Pastusiak (Supervising producer in Poland)
Film Location Analysis
By Ranjani Mazumdar
Fanaa’s central theme is a love story in which there are hidden secrets that unravel slowly, creating a schism at the heart of the bond between the two protagonists, Rehan and Zooni. The love story and its rekindling follow a distinct path in the film. While the first phase of the romance is set in Delhi, providing a sense of the city’s tourist attractions, the second part is shot in Poland, in the snow, a place that is meant to stand in for Kashmir in the winter. While Delhi is cast in warm, earthy tones with bright daylight and romantic nights, bazaars, people, and good cheer, the second part is staged in an isolated place to enhance the space of rekindled love and the threat of imminent danger. It was shot in Zakopane, a town at the foot of Tatra, the highest mountain range in Poland – a well know space for winter sports. The snow, shot extensively in this part, provides a vivid landscape for a shift in mood, bringing to the fore the film’s deliberate strategy to map turbulent interiority, deception, and guilt. In an interview, Kunal Kohli said that he wanted Poland’s snowy landscape because it was less manicured than Switzerland or other parts of Western Europe. He felt there was a similarity between the Polish landscape and Kashmir. "The trees were similar."
The production team worked with photographs of Kashmir, which they showed to the location manager so a house could be identified. An airstrip was turned into the site of an Indian military base. Polish helicopters were repainted to appear as Indian choppers. Since very few Indians lived in Poland at the time of the film’s shooting, eighteen Indians from Germany were brought in to play army personnel. Even the Jeep that Zulfikar drives when he discovers Rehan Qadri’s identity was brought from London since most cars in Poland had left-hand drives.
The snowy landscape is introduced literally half way through the film when we see a bunch of young men in military clothing playing soccer at a base camp. High-angle shots present them as bodies against the snow. The camera moves, and then we see Rehan, also part of this world, having infiltrated the military. The white snow set against military personnel is dramatic, and Rehan is referred to as Major Ranjeev. When Major Suraj (Shiny Ahuja) is called on the phone by the anti-terrorist force to bring the nuclear missile trigger to Delhi, Rehan overhears the conversation. We then cut to the other group present in the snowscape—Rehan’s uncle with his terrorist gang. It is here that the actual Major Ranjeev, kidnapped and held prisoner, is killed point blank by the uncle. Having set the stage for action with two sets of weapon-using groups, the film moves ahead. While the snow is being set up as a new site for violent revelations, the office of the anti-terrorist task force is working to understand how to apprehend Rehan.
The military team in the helicopter is poisoned by Rehan in a chilling sequence. He then parachutes down after blowing up the helicopter with a grenade. From here on, the music changes to almost a Bond-like theme, presenting us with a dramatic and extended action sequence in the snow. A combination of aerial and ground-level views of snowmobiles, skis, and jet skis and the surveillance vision of a helicopter invokes a cartography of thrill, adventure, and violence. When an injured Rehan, after he guns down the helicopter, makes his way to a lone isolated house, he is shocked to see Zooni, who of course does not recognize him. From here on, the film unfolds primarily in interior space, with the snow surrounding the house, lending atmosphere, and the feeling of intense love standing on a precipice. A blizzard adds sonic force to the atmosphere. Unable to get out because of the storm and his injuries, Rehan slowly becomes integrated into the household during his recovery. He finally reveals who he is to Zooni, and the rekindling of passion between the two protagonists shows literally two sides of Rehan’s personality: a ruthless killer and an intense lover. It is the split context of this persona, played by a major star like Aamir Khan, that gives Fanaa its unique quality. And it is here that the snowscape near Zakopane enables the spatial context for this mood to emerge. Snow became the visual strategy in the posters of the film as well. Almost every poster carried the image of snow, with some adding trees and mountains and others using helicopters in the sky.
One song, "Chanda Chamke," was shot outside the house with Zooni and her son, later joined by Rehan and Zulfikar. This is the one moment in the film where the snow offers the possibility of a redemptive logic with the hope that the family can be reunited. This moment of intense happiness is followed by the next in interior space, where Rehan confesses to Zooni that he is indeed her lover from the past and is alive. This discovery leads to some friction, some hurt, and their ultimate reunion. As the narrative takes this logic forward, Rehan’s secret slowly begins to unravel, leading to a sudden spurt of violence—Zulfikar dies struggling with Rehan, and the Colonel is killed after Rehan’s cover is blown. In the final confrontation, Zooni takes matters into her own hands and performs her ‘national duty’ by killing Rehan in the vastness of the snow. These mountains in Poland are well known for many reasons, since the people are allowed to practice walking, climbing, skiing, and some biking. All this is presented in Fanaa, and the absence of iconic markers helped in the mesmerising simulation of Kashmir, creating an imaginative map of snow for the navigation of both physical and psychic experiences.
Additional Information & Links
https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/the-screen-s-on-fire-1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VK3dd7eL2806052701015_1.html
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1335743156593369
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeBMjfqALb4
Tourism
https://www.local-life.com/zakopane/news/1137-bollywood-comes-to-zakopane
