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[Rating: 4/5]
My Name is Karan Johar and I dont make bad movies.
Maybe its high time Karan Johar went out on National Television and said that.
There is a moment in the movie where Rizwan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) is narrating about the moment when he was first told that he suffered from Asperger Syndrome. He casually says:
I didnt know that my entire life could have been summed up in two words “Asperger Syndrome”
That moment is so quick and the narration is so subtly simple that the pain of Rizwan echoed thru the mind. There is another moment in the movie where young Rizwan(immaculately portrayed by Tanay Chheda) looks at his brother crying in the arms of his mother and says “At-least he can cry”.
Its moments like those that are the heart and soul of My Name is Khan.
Most folks I know who watch Bollywood movies always complain about the why Indian filmmakers dont make tight scripted, exciting and convincingly storytelling movies like those Hollywood folk. Well, My Name is Khan is the most honestly inspired version of Forrest Gump I can conceive ever being made in Bollywood.
My Name is Khan is the story of Rizwan Khan, a man born with Asperger Syndrome and his journey across the United States. The story of a man who could fix everything but was clueless when he found his wife with a broken heart. The story of a man who believed above all else that goodness was the paramount trait of all.
The movie has its fair share of loopholes and assumptions but what has to be noted is that almost every film that deals with situations and stories like these (Forrest Gump & Benjamin Button come to mind) are dependent on “unexpected things” happening to their lead characters. To appreciate a movie like this, you must be prepared to take few assumptions with a pinch of salt.
The movie makes its aim very clear, it talks about the post 911 treatment of Muslims and Sikhs in America and repeatedly echoes the message that not every Muslim is a terrorist. There are clear attempts to highlight the teachings of Islam which are truly beautiful, this is necessary at the time when the only association ignorant people make with the religion is that of hate and terrorism.
What doesn’t work for the movie is the length, I think if the movie was cut short by 20 minutes it could have got a much more positive response but its hard to say which part was insignificant in the movie.
About the actors, its hard to be critical of Shah Rukh Khan whose performance in this movie is nothing short of Oscar Worthy. As a matter of fact I believe the only other performance by an actor(in the hindi film industry) that was as brilliant was by Amitabh Bachchan in Black.
Tanay Chheda’s performance as the young Rizwan stands out surrounded by the magic of Shah Rukh. Yuvaan Makaar who plays the role of Sameer also leaves his mark with a consistent and touching performance. Its simply amazing to watch young actors showing spectacular maturity and integrity in thier performances on screen. Kajol’s performance is clearly not one of her finest but there are moments where it seems impossible to comprehend a scene without her playing the role of Mandira.
The music is not Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy‘s finest but is exciting, Sajda and Tere Naina are the popular hits but Noor-E-Kudha is an impressive song too.
Going back to the first line of this review, Karan Johar as a director was once again impressive. I have enjoyed his last few movies (Kabhie Alvida Naa Kehna and Kal Ho Na Ho) and MNIK fits in well on the list. I was partially thrilled that he didnt stick to his movies starting only with the alphabet ‘K’.
There is the common Karan Johar touch that inclines the narration to family values and love but the fact that he kept the main idea and didnt drift during the narration shows his masterclass.
My Name is Khan might not fit the bill for everyone as a good/great film but the performances of its stars (most notably Shah Rukh) makes it unignorable. MNIK is a perfect milestone in the direction that Bollywood seems to be heading, Watch it for Shah Rukh, Kajol and Karan Johar.