Dinesh Kamath's review of My Name Is Khan

My Name Is Khan is the film directed by Karan Johar and produced by Hiroo Yash Johar. It's a film based on reality and it has romance too. The film has Shahrukh Khan playing Rizwan Khan, the protagonist who has Asperger syndrome. Kajol plays Mandira, a divorcee with a son. She is supposed to be Rizwan's ladylove first and later becomes his wife. Tanay Chheda plays Rizwan as a child. Zarina Wahab plays Rizwan's mother while Jimmy Shergill is shown as Rizwan's brother, Zakir Khan, whose wife's role is played by Sonya Jehan. Christopher B Duncan is depicted as President Barack Obama and Yuwaan Makaar as Mandira's son, Sameer.
Rizwan Khan is suffering from Asperger syndrome which is a kind of autism. He is allergic to yellow colour and noise. He is different from normal people since he behaves in an entirely different manner. He is shown as staying in San Francisco. He comes across Mandira with whom he falls in love to such an extent that he marries her. Everything goes smooth after the marriage until the 9/11 terror attack takes place. The US cops have a suspicion that Rizwan is a terrorist. Rizwan wishes to meet President Obama to let him know that he is a Khan but not a terrorist. Rizwan's mother had once told him that there are two types of people in the world – good and bad - and that good people need not worry since nothing bad can happen to them. After the incident Rizwan has a tough time trying to win back the trust and love of his wife. The movie next depicts whether Rizwan succeeds in appeasing his wife and whether he is able to convince the world that all Muslims are not terrorists.
In the film, stress has been put more on religion bias and less on romance. The film has no masala, no cheap song and dance, and no comic relief. The film concentrates on passing a message to the audiences.
The character Rizwan is depicted in an interesting manner. He is shown as a gullible and lovable character. Shah Rukh has projected this character so brilliantly that the audiences automatically start empathizing with him. Although he is an Asperger Syndrome patient he doesn't like to be pitied. Rizwan is shown as an expert in handling and repairing any machine. He loves pebbles. Although he is loving and caring, he cannot express his emotions. He doesn't like to hug and many a time he feels the sexual urge. He feels passionate but is not able to express his feelings. He is like a computer who is terrific with facts and figures. He hates yellow colour and noise. His one wish is to meet President Obama and just tell him, “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist.” He is shown as making his way to White House in the beginning itself but before he can reach there he becomes a terror suspect. He resided in Mumbai when he was a child. He loses his father when he is very small and after that he is brought up by his mother. It is she and Parsi teacher Wadia who spot the special talent that he possessed. There comes a time when his brother Zakir takes Rizwan to the US to stay with him and his wife, and Rizwan starts working as a salesman for his company. Although he would have loved to work with machines, he is forced to be a salesman. It is while trying to sell beauty products that he comes across his future wife Mandira and her six-year-old son Sameer. They have great time together after marriage until 9/11 occurs. Rizwan is then picked up to be treated shabbily the way other Muslims in the US were dealt with. But he happens to save people from a calamity. He happens to rescue citizens of a small town when floods hit New Orleans. Rizwan gets converted from a terror suspect to a hero with the help of media.
Kajol has made another successful comeback. She is shown as very mischievous. She appears hyper and cute. The chemistry between Shah Rukh and Kajol is simply excellent. They appeared like the best on-screen couple. Zarina Wahab has given a lovely performance although she has appeared on Big Screen after many years. Arif Zakaria plays Muslim fundamentalist in a convincing manner. Jimmy Shergill and Sonya Jehan too have played their respective characters convincingly.
Cinematography is done by renowned Ravi K Chandran and he has done an excellent job. Karan Johar has handled the sensitive subject very diplomatically. Through his film he has shown the animosity that many Americans possess not only towards Muslims and Sikhs, but also African-Americans. He opens the film with the scene depicting airport security as searching Rizwan and then moves into flashback. He has made the film to please both national and global audiences. Shibani Bhatija who wrote the story and dialogues has done a great job too. The movie has some touching scenes and it conveys many messages and does not dwell just on autism and terrorism. Editor Deepa Bhatia too has done her job like a thorough professional. Sharimishta Roy has proved that she is a good art director.
Music directors of the film are Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonca. Lyricist is Niranjan Iyengar. The film has six songs and their compositions are soul-stirring. The first song is Sajda sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shankar Mahadevan and Richa Sharma. The song tugs at one's heartstrings. It is a must hear. Next is Noor-e-khuda sung by Adnan Sani, Shreya Ghosal and Shanker. It is a soft, pleasing love ballad. Shreya's voice is as sweet as honey. The next number Tere Naina is brilliantly rendered by Shafqat Amanat Ali. After that we have Rashid Ali crooning the number Allah hi rahem which has simple yet profound lyrics. It is one of the best songs of the film. Nest number is Rang de sung by Shankar and Suraj Jagan. It talks about peace, triumph and joy. The film also has a number My Name Is Khan which is a theme song by Pakistani band Strings. It is intriguing. Thus the songs and music of the film are undoubtedly above average.
Thus My Name Is Khan is another film that talks about the aftermath of 9/11 and the victimized Muslim. You must watch the film just to see how Karan Johar has made Shah Rukh Khan underplay his character like never before. The film depicts a human drama which ends in such a way that you feel good. Hence the film is really worth watching. So don't miss it.