My Name is Khan

I didn't plan to watch this movie in the theatre. Was hoping to get a DVD as soon as they released it. Shahrukh in the trailer annoyed me. I thought the Asperger syndrome will give him more reasons to over act. Now, I have been through the Shahrukh phase in my life, saw DDLJ about 10 times (and still love it...), Dil to pagal hai 3or 4 times and Kuch kuch hota hai another couple of times and cried hopelessly watching all the three. But lets face it... Aamir is cooler now!! But finally thanks to a good friend, I find myself at a matinee show right on the first day.


Ok, in one word the movie is alright. Better than what I thought it could be. There are no song and dance routines or multi coloured layers of chiffons and silk one would expect from a Karan Johar movie. I guess he just wants us to know he's matured and can make movies on international crisis... ok Karan, we believe you. In fact that seems to be the point of the whole movie. But catch a bollywood da puttar turning out a realistic, gritty post 9/11 story. Its just not in his blood. (or in Johar's case, it's something else in his blood...). A story about a small family that could've been heart warming comes in the form for of an exaggerated drama with an illness, 9/11, a cyclone and the US Presidents thrown in. Any warmth created by the performances fades away in the enormous spectacle created behind.


Shahrukh underplays the illness and is actally likeable as Rizwan Khan who is affected by Asperger Syndrome. Kajol looking her best in a while, though a bit too chirpy at the begining is convincing in the second half. The audience travel with Rizwan Khan who is on his way to meet the president of Unites States to tell him, 'My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist'. The movie makes a sufficient case for the audience to empathise with the victims of muslim alienation post 9/11. But as we begin to cheer for the brave and loveable Khan, he is suddenly transformed into a saviour of the masses kind of role that instantly remind us that we are seeing nothing close to reality. Mama jane and her son, Funny hair Joel did add an interesting element. But Khan bringing help to the cyclone hit area was stretching it a bit.

In all its fairness, the movie is different, both for Shahrukh and Johar. It all depends on your tolerance for Bollywood exaggeration. To me, it was a story of an ordinary man lost in the synthetics of the drama and spectacle in the background. The film does have it's moments though; the scene at the mosque and Khan's relationship with his son does strike a chord.