In the film, Zooni (Kajol), a blind Kashmiri dancer, falls in love with Raihan (Khan), a Delhi tour guide with a dark secret.

Zooni Ali Beg is a blind Kashmiri woman who travels for the first time, to New Delhi, with her friends, Fatima "Fatty" Ali, Mehbooba "Bobo" Siddiqui, Rubina "Ruby" Ansari, and their dance teacher Helen to perform in a ceremony for Republic Day.

It is revealed the IKF is fighting for an independent Kashmir and that Rehan is their leader, having faked his death so Zooni wouldn't come looking for him.

Rehan, operating undercover within the Army, steals a trigger as it is being moved, but Malini figures out he is the IKF leader and sends forces to stop him.

Zooni later sees the report and finds the trigger and flees with her son to the officer's house, and radios for help.

Initially, producer Aditya Chopra wanted to cast Aishwarya Rai as Zooni, but he and director Kunal Kohli approached Kajol on Khan's suggestion.

Despite simultaneously being offered Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) with frequent collaborators and friends Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol chose to do Fanaa, thus marking the first film in which she was romantically paired opposite Aamir Khan, after having starred together in Ishq (1997).

Sushmita Sen was also considered for the extended cameo of Malini Tyagi, who was eventually essayed by Tabu.

[5] Fanaa was originally planned to be shot in Kashmir before Kajol backed out due to the continuing insurgency in that region.

[6] It was filmed at historical locations in Delhi including the Red Fort, Jantar Mantar, Qutub Minar, Purana Qila, Rashtrapati Bhavan and Lodhi Gardens.

[3][4] Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama rated Fanaa 4 stars out of 5 stating the film was "a beautifully written, effectively acted and meticulously crafted effort that is likely to remind many viewers of a simple axiom: A movie doesn't have to be groundbreaking to be compelling."

"[9] Subhash K. Jha, reviewing for The Times of India, was appreciative of Khan, writing that he "displays a normalcy that is chilling," and "scales the ladder some more and almost creates an actor's manual for impeccable acting," further concluding that Fanaa "showcases Aamir as never before.

"[3] Sukanya Verma of Rediff stated, "Considering it spans almost a decade and gets predictable with its melodramatic content that runs a lengthy 18 reels, Fanaa, despite its palpable flaws, is engaging and entertaining," and was positive of Khan and Kajol's chemistry, commenting that they "share a dynamic equation, which makes their inability to let go of each other, believable and heart-felt.

"[11] A review from the Hindustan Times wrote that the movie "falters because of its storyline and script," though it was positive of the leads' performances, noting that Kajol "is as good as she ever was, maybe better because she emotes with more maturity and looks trimmer.

[17] Aamir Khan and Kajol recite lines of poetry in "Mere Haath Mein" and "Chanda Chamke".

[30] Producer Aditya Chopra moved a petition to the Supreme Court of India asking them to direct the Gujarat government to provide protection to all cinema halls that wanted to screen the film, but was rejected.

Aditya's father Yash Chopra in the meantime also sought protection from then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi as well as open discussions to release the film in Gujarat without any disruption.

Addressing the media, director Kunal Kohli said, "All theatre owners or exhibitors who wish to release this film can request for protection and the government should extend support.

"[32] A single privately owned cinema in Jamnagar, Gujarat, screened the movie with police protection despite the threats.