My Name Is Khan Review

If you were looking for something in the league of ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ (love story), ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham’ (family drama) or even ‘Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna’ (another love story, but with a twist), ‘My Name Is Khan’ is sure to bring across a surprise for you. Though you would find a love angle herein as well, it does not form the focus of the story. Rather, the flick grapples with one of the main issues that are facing the human society today - the typecasting of all Muslims as terrorists and the humiliation and ridicule that the innocent of them have to face, because of being classified thus.

With the backdrop of 9/11, ‘My Name Is Khan’ tries to bring forth the plight of the Muslim community as a whole. It seeks to send across a message that “most of the global terrorists may be Muslims, but all the Muslims in the world are certainly not terrorists’. And the person who tries to communicate all this is Rizwan Khan (played by none other than Shahrukh), a devoted believer who suffers from Aperger’s Syndrome. How he manages to do this is what forms the crust of ‘My Name Is Khan’. And the best thing about the movie is ‘Rizwan’, in the other words, Shahrukh Khan.

‘My Name Is Khan’ is one of the few movies where you get to see King Khan as a character, not a brand! He completely loses himself in the role and gives a splendid performance. Though he does not exactly manage a ‘Forrest Gump’, he is not far behind either. Another aspect that works in the favor of the flick is the excellent screenplay, compelling enough to make you sit back and take notice. The cinematography is simple superb and even the editing is crisp. However, ‘My Name Is Khan’ is not without its fair share of loopholes. For instance, the love track between Shahrukh and Kajol is too mushy.

The creative liberties taken in the second half are a tad difficult to digest. In fact, the second half seems to have packed in too much, with too little time at hand. So, the effect is a somewhat chaotic. Coming down to performances, as already mentioned, Shahrukh Khan takes the center stage. He is restrained, endearing and touches your heart. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Kajol, mainly due to her thin, sketchy character. One more name that is worth mentioning is Zarina Wahab, who plays Rizwan’s mother and gives a lovely performance. All in all, ‘My Name Is Khan’ is not exceptional, but not easy to dismiss either.

Genre: Drama, Romance, Social
Director: Karan Johar
Producer: Gauri Khan, Hiroo Johar
Banner: Dharma Productions
Music Director: Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa
Lyricist: Niranjan Iyengar
Star Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Jimmy Shergill, Zarina Wahab, Parveen Dabbas, Arif Zakaria, Navneet Nishan, Sheetal Menon, Tanay Cheda, Arjun Mathur, Sonya Jehan
Release Date: February 12, 2010

Movie Rating: 4.5/5