Director: Karan Johar

Star Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol

 

Bollywood seems to be no longer interested in trying the conventional masala movies but in fact has taken on to much challenging experimental projects. Speak of Shah Rukh, you instantly remember the chocolate boy Rahul in ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ or Raj in ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’. But in an era when becoming an actor is considered a better deal than being a super star, Shah Rukh seems to understand the need of the time. Especially, when the stiff competitor like Aamir bring in a revolution in Indian cinema with his flicks like ‘Lagaan’, ‘Taare Zameen Par’ and the most recent one ‘3 Idots’ then how can our King Khan be lagging in the race?

 

Luckily, Karan Johar walks in with the right movie for Shah Rukh at a time when he desperately needs one to revive his magic on his audience. After ‘Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham’ one may find it extremely tedious to name an extraordinary movie of Shah Rukh. Based on 9/11 terror attack, Karan Johar for the first time tries something beyond his normal stuff of melodramas and song sequences. The theme is a noble one and is being weaved in the most intricate and delicate manner; strong enough to melt any hard heart. The movie is an eye-opener to the society that has been forced to believe to some degree or other that most of the global terrorists are Muslims. The movie propagates that Islam like any other religion stands for peace and harmony and strongly condemns violence.

 

‘My Name Is Khan’ is the story of Rizwan (Shah Rukh) and his sincere effort to uphold the dignity of Muslims. Growing with the mental challenge of Asperger’s syndrome, Rizwan learns the lessons of humanity from his mom as he spends his childhood amid 1983 Bombay riots. He is taken up by his brother (Jimmy Shergill) and sister-in-law (Sonya Jehan) to US after the death of his mother. It is here that he meets his love, Mandira (Kajol) who happens to be a Hindu widow with a child. Despite having some problems in dealing in crowded places, intimate hugs and expressing and reacting as per the outside environment, Rizwan secures a place in the heart of Mandira and they live together as a happy couple until that tragic day of 9/11 dawns.

 

Rizwan’s peaceful life is shattered as Mandira alleges him to be the worst mistake in her life. This makes the innocent Rizwan to undertake a journey to meet US President and to say that “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist”. The depiction of each scene is so subtle and touchy that you cannot afford to miss even a single one. Innocence and honesty form the core of the story. The story is a hard-core revelation that no matter how educated and cultured one is, there is always a general misconception regarding Muslims. Rizwan in his simple and innocent manner tries to uphold humanity and teach people lessons of unity.

 

The movie abounds in powerful one liners. One such one liner which deserves mentioning is when Rizwan is refused entry at the presidential fundraiser that is aimed to help the Christian poor in Africa. He leaves behind $500 and says, “This is for those who are not Christians in Africa”. Shibani Bhatija deserves applauds for the splendid screenplay. Ravi K Chandran’s cinematography is excellent and Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s music is very pleasing to the ears and in no ways seems extra in the movie.

 

Coming to the actors, Shah Rukh needs no words officially. Though at times the personality of Shah Rukh peeps from Rizwan, he still proves himself capable in accepting challenges. Though initially you may feel as if he is rehearsing, but soon you get into the role. After ‘Swades’ and ‘Chak De’ this movie is indeed a remarkable stone in his career. Kajol, as always, shows herself the queen of Bollywood with her incomparable charm and non-challengeable act. Love sequences between the evergreen pair Shah Rukh and Kajol is simply superb though it does not get much time to be shown fully. Other actors Jimmy Shergill, Sonya Jehan, Zarina Wahav and others have very well justified their roles no matter how small space they shared on the screen. The captain of the ship, Karan Johar surely deserves all praises for taking up such a theme and handling it in such a deft manner.

 

So, the verdict is: ‘My Name is Khan’ is definitely a movie of substance and is a must watch for both Shah Rukh’s fans and the ones wanting to see a logical nice movie!