My Name Is Khan – So What?

After having watched the movie, I can only say Shah Rukh should change his line to My Name Is Khan And I “Khan” Act.

Let’s start from the beginning. The movie represented a mixed bag of themes. So many themes, so little time. There’s racialism, Asperger’s Syndrome, America’s Big Brother attitude, communalism and what not! Had the writer stuck to a single message, it would have made sense.

To narrate the story briefly Rizwan Khan (Shah Rukh KKKhan) who is suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome leaves India and settles down in San Francisco with his younger brother (Jimmy Shergill) and sister-in-law (Sonya Jehan) Here he meets Mandira (Kajol) while selling herbal creams and instantly falls in love with her. They get married and everything is pinks and peacocks till the towers crash down. Their son, rather “her” son, gets killed for being a “muslim” and there’s trouble in paradise. Rizwan sets on a journey to meet the President of the USA just to tell him “My name is Khan and Iam not a terrorist”. All this in a span of 2 hours and 40 minutes.

The only person worth the applause for this movie is , your guess is as good as mine, Shah Rukh Khan. With his performance as a person with autism spectrum disorder, he did full justice to the role. Of course, comparing him to Dustin Hoffman (in Rainman) is an exaggeration.
None the less, he has delivered a decent job. Kajol, a refined actor herself, was a waste in this movie. Not only did she go over-the- top but also failed to evoke any emotions in the audience. Even the Shah Rukh-Kajol chemistry was a total fizz out. The rest of the characters were equally mediocre.

The only saving grace of this much-hyped movie is its soothing music. Shanker-Ehsaan-Loy have indeed proved their mettle. The Sufi touch is surely a refreshing change from the usual fast tracks.

I was amused to see that it’s the same Karan Johar who gave us Kabhi Alvida Na Kehana. A very serious issue like extra marital relationship was dealt with great maturity. Whereas in MNIK, KJo has made a mockery of the whole situation. Like the scene of the Hurricane-hit Georgia was ridiculous to say the least. Or the hand shake with the “fake” President Obama leaves you in splits.

I am not saying that the movie doesn’t have its golden moments. It’s just that those moments are so few that you lose touch with them. If you really want to watch a serious movie on racialism go for Khuda Ke Liye. As for MNIK I would say Rizwan Khan could “repair almost anything” too bad he couldn’t repair his own movie script.