Definitely most of the Muslim folks want to say it as firmly as Rizwan Khan in the film My Name Is Khan (MNIK). Living as the member of an unwelcome religion in a country like U.S. is not a good deal and you have to prove your not being guilty is what Karan Johar is trying to say through his bold film.
Rizwan Khan, popularly known as Khan, (played by King Khan) an Asperser Syndrome patient, reaches America because of his brother (role played by Jimmi Shergil); the brother has no other option after the death of their mother. Because of his illness he can not socialize much, have eye contact or bear loud noise or yellow colour. On the other hand he is intelligent, lovable and innocent. There he meets his love in the life Mandira (Kajole) who is a divorcee and mother of a 6 year old, Samir (Yuvaan Makaar). They form a family but their miseries start by post 9/11. As Khan in the film says ‘like AD and BC, 9/11 becomes a division.’ And Khan becomes forced to prove that ‘My name is Khan and I am not a Terrorist’.
It is not a movie which depicts how a community has to pay for the deeds of a few. Rather it shows how the community has to live with that hatred. How the wise people adjust themselves; may be removing the purdha, beard or changing the looks even you are a Sikh who can easily be misinterpreted as Muslim. While some other cop up helplessly. And there is Khan who takes his five time prayer anywhere without bothering the public. It is interesting that Johar shows the miseries not through Khan but through the people around him ( May be because Khan is not much bothered about what others will say about him). Similarly, his disability has a clear meaning; only an innocent like a child can experiment like Khan and withstand the experiences.
Thematically the film is wonderful. It put forward a bold statement: stop suspecting or abusing a community only because a murderer too belongs to that community. Let them also live a decent life. Ironically, the film too has to prove that it is not by any chance supporting the few terrorists in the community. It is against them. To overcross that fire test, the director has added a minute plot where Khan helps to detain an original terrorist. (Otherwise, the director may have feared, Khan can not be proved fully innocent).
At the execution level, many times it becomes over melodramatic, especially the climax. Anyway all these can be forgiven when one sees the performance of Shah Rukh Khan. He wonderfully transforms as a disabled person. How beautifully he teaches his friends to pronounce Khan! Kajole has not given her brilliant work here. She has just done well. All other actors too have done well. The music of Shankar, Ehasaan and Loy has been the same for the last few films. But the background score is noticeable. At the end of the day the whole crew of the film has the best reasons to believe they took part in the making of a wise movie. And the viewer will feel that he saw a film with bold message.
written by E.K.S.
