Does My Name is Khan deserve a full 5/5 rating? Or is it because KJo and SRK are big names and the movie has all the media hype. After watching the movie twice. I think ‘Yes it does.’ Full marks – 5/5 …. Here’s why!
Characterization: Meet Rizwan Khan, a middle class Mumbaikar, mildly autistic – suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome. Rizwan is brought up by a very strong, secular, yet a very loving mother Razia (Zarina Wahab) who teaches Rizwan the most important lesson in life that not only shapes his character but also shapes the story – She teaches him that the only difference between people is of ‘Good and Bad’, rest all doesn’t matter. This theme continues as a leitmotif throughout the story against many divisions – Normal and Autistic, American and Asian, Black and White, Muslims and Non-Muslims, Terrorists and Victims, Love and Hatred!
Rizwan is simple, he speaks straight from the heart and manages to convey the most complex things in the simplest of ways. It just takes him two honest words ‘Marry Me’ to propose to Mandira, a hairstylist, and a single mom, a very regular girl, who fights her way out of a broken marriage into a happy life with her son. Later Mandira succumbs to the pressures of life and like most of us, lets hatred and bitterness motivate her and mobilize her to avenge her wrong doers. She is quite contrary to Rizwan, who personifies – unadulterated piety, optimism, hope, goodness and unfaltering focus on his goal that makes any other grief, pain, and hardship seem smaller! Nothing could crack Rizwan and embitter him, even the worst of griefs, the cruelest of tortures and harshest of injustice, bitterest of words – opposite to Mandira who is so strong yet so vulnerable.
Story, Screenplay and Dialogues: Well researched and well thought, the story of Rizwan is weaved intricately with respect to the others – be it Mandira and his son Sameer, his mom Razia, Professor Wadia – his teacher, Zakir and Haseena – his brother and sister-in-law, Sarah and Mark – his caring friends and neighbors, Mama Jenny and Joel – who shelter him on his journey or the rest of America who tests him at every step he takes. All this to meet the President just tell him few simple words – My Name is Khan, and I am not a Terrorist!
The script is a masterpiece, despite the vast scope of the story with many events and characters, the script is strong, straight-forward and precise, doing justice to every scene, situation, character, setting and the basic treatment of the film. The film absorbs you completely without being too heavy on the heart and mind. Rizwans journey through the length of the first half may seem too long and tiring but when the means meet their end, you walk back home inspired and touched.
Karan Johar and Shibani Batijha deserve accolades for their sensitive handling of the theme, their research into the basics of Autism and Aspergers Syndrome, aspects of Islam as a religion often wrongly interpreted by its own followers as much as the Westerners in the light of 9/11 in an extremely paranoid and defensive America.
And mind you, they are not taking sides here or giving an opinion on the West or Fundamentalists. Like Khuda Ke Liye, it just aims to bring out the stories of innocent Muslim people who pay the price of terrorism in the name of Islam, America’s paranoia and wrong interpretation of Islam by its own followers i.e. the fundamentalists in a divided world post 9/11.
Niranjan Iyengar and Shibani Bathija’s work on dialogues is noteworthy. They have this sparkling simplicity yet inspiring depth to them.
Direction: It is wrong for critics to condemn Karan Johar for his signature style of cinema, which was often about mushy love sequences and songs, grand and opulent palatial houses and the NRI elites who sang and danced through big fat Indian weddings. With this film, Karan Johar comes of age, he brings meaningful and moving cinema in his signature style which understands ‘entertainment’ as the bottomline of every film. He displays impressive maturity in handling sequences that demanded restraint and sensitivity. Perhaps we could count Karan Johar as not only one of the most commercially successful filmmakers but one of the most creatively insightful filmmakers India has produced.
Cinematography: Ravi K Chandran follows Rizwan Khan on his journey and portrays with elan every place in the film – be it the sparkling San Francisco, the dingy gullies of Mumbai, the poor hurrican hit village of Wilhelmina, the downtown Indianness of America, the lonely void of Rizwan’s journey at sinister and secluded places of a paranoid country, Mandira’s pain and agony – all beautifully captured and translated on screen.
Editing: Deepa Bhatia’s editing is crisp and fruitful in layering the story well – back and forth in time. Smart move to reduce the length of the movie strictly to 2 hrs 40 minutes only. Any longer than that could’ve diluted the impact of the story and screenplay.
Performances: Shahrukh Khan takes us by storm, rightly said, this is his best act so far – much above his finest (which I consider Asoka, Swades and Chak De India). He prepared for his role putting in a lot of research and hardwork which was obvious. His mannerisms, gait, body language, eye movement, laughter within a limited emotional graph of an autistic character are well enacted. He emotes brilliantly in the proposing scene, the wedding night scene, death scene of his son, detention and torture and the church speech about his son.
Kajol makes a refreshing comeback, she looks gorgeous in a well styled character, displays her signature strength in handling emotional and traumatic scenes with sincerity. Tanmay Chheda and Yuvaan who play young Rizwan are good too. Zarina Wahab remains the most impressive of remaining performances. Almost everyone right from, Mama Jenny to Reese and Sam have given great performances but Shahrukh remains the heart and soul of the film. Absolutely brilliant!
Music:
Shankar Ehsaan Loy perfectly understood the temperament of the film and impressed with soulful melodies like Noor-e-Khuda and Naina wonderfully sung by Pakistani singers Shafaqat Amanat Ali and Adnan Sami, while Sajda a romantic sufi melody with Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan displaying his vocal expertise with the soulful Richa Sharma. Very impressive indeed.
Above all, its an extremely well made historically significant movie that touches the heart and inspires the mind in today’s divided and biased world. It makes us go back and retrospect about the only bifurcation that matters – of good and bad.
I give it full marks too.
- Fareeha AK
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