Playing a 24-year-old was challenging: Shah Rukh

Shah Rukh Khan says enacting a double role of a superstar and his young admirer in his upcoming film "Fan" was physically quite challenging for him.
In the film, to be released in April this year, Shah Rukh plays Aryan Khanna and his lookalike fan Gaurav Chanana.
"It was a very physically challenging film. It was physically challenging to do a double role. It was more challenging as at this age I had to play a 24-year-old boy, have his energy, and then I had another part to play of a superstar," the 50-year-old actor told reporters here at the trailer launch of "Fan" last evening.

"It was a difficult character to play. But the team helped me and made it easy for me. We have tried to keep it normal and simple," he said.
Shah Rukh revealed that he had to work hard on his look while getting into the skin of Gaurav's character.
"We had to put make-up and initially it used to take six hours. Later, after some practise, it took two-and-half to three hours," he said.

In real life, the "Swades" star says he has never put up an image in front of people and has always been normal.
"I am never bothered about how I am. I wear stardom like T-shirt, not like Tuxedo (suit)," he said.

Directed by Maneesh Sharma, "Fan" explores the bond between a superstar and a die-hard fan who looks like him. The film is not just a story of a fan's undying love and adulation, it's about how Gaurav's admiration towards a superstar slowly turns into a dangerous obsession.
"People keep saying that I do the same acting for the past 25 years, even the critics say that. But I have tried to be different with this film," he said.
"Fan" will be a song-less film, except for the promotional
track - "Jabra fan".
"I was injured and still did 'Jabra' song. There are no songs in the film, except one. I told Maneesh to put an item song, but he refused. It's a pure experience of story telling... It's a new way," he said.

Though Maneesh made his directorial debut with "Band Baaja Baaraat" (2010), he was toying with the idea of "Fan" with Shah Rukh for quite sometime.
"I felt it's the most difficult film as it's not a double role... He is a lookalike. I was working on 'Chennai Express', that time Maneesh and I met at YRF (studio) and thought of working on this film ('Fan')," Shah Rukh said.
"Initially we did not have the technology, but today we have... We have visual effects and all. First time when he (Maneesh) narrated me the story, I felt we can't make it as that time we did not have that much technology," he said.

According to the superstar, the story of "Fan" is quite amazing.
"The script is mind-blowing. It's a different story and we hope people like and enjoy it," he said.