My Name is Khan Review

Director Karan Johar is known for making good and commercial films. He is also known for making films starting with the alphabet 'K'. Some of his earlier successful films, starting with 'K' are 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum', 'Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai', 'Kal Ho Na Ho' etc. This time he has come up with different title 'My Name Is Khan' which has surprised everyone. The alphabet 'M' is lucky for Karan Johar or not; time will tell. But 'M' brought a lot of controversy and trouble for Karan Johar because before getting released this film got shrouded into controversy. Due to some misunderstanding, one political party opposed the release of this film. Not because they were against the film but because they were against Shah Rukh Khan due to some other reasons. And since Shah Rukh Khan was the main cast of this film and that political party was angry and didn't want this film to be released.

The film was set to be released on Friday 12th Feburary 2010 so it was very suspenseful whether the political party will allow its release or not. There was a huge protest by the political party to ban this film but when the police and the government took the matter in their hands, the film could be released and became very successful on the very first day. Before that the distributors and theatre owners were scared about the fate of the film.

Now coming to the film; it is a nice film; a message oriented film. Karan Johar has done excellent job as a director. We should salute him for taking such a brave step to make film on such serious subject which might not fetch much money for him. Perhaps he has not made this film for the sake of money but for the sake of giving some good message to the world.

Rizvan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) moves to San Francisco where his brother Jimmy Shergil and sister-in-law Sonya Jehan live. Shah Rukh lives with them. There he falls in love with a Hindu girl Mandira(Kajol) and wants to marry each other but their families oppose. At this stage the film looks like any love story where lovers' families create obstacle for them. However, this film doesn't run on this plot in totality. The film has something else to convey.

After some opposition from their families, they get married to each other. Thereafter they begin a small business together. They live happily with their son thereafter but they never knew what misfortune lies in their future. They are Muslims, so after September 11, they get into trouble because people of that country look upon Muslims in different way. Rizwan Khan and his family feels that others attitude towards their communities had changed in a very negative manner.

Mandira feels helpless because her husband Rizwan Khan is also suffering from a unique disease called Asperger's syndrome. She also realizes that child like husband do not possess the power to guard or protect his family in adverse circumstances. She doesn't feel happy to see that her husband wasn't a matured person and didn't behave like grown up adult. She decides not to live with such person and eventually she leaves him and goes away from his life; but she also takes the child with herself.

This makes Rizwan very depressed, confused and dejected. He doesn't know what to do. Audience will give him sympathy for what he faces and how his wife leaves him. He gets desperate to bring back his wife & child. He thinks that he would get help from the president. He has the belief that the president could solve his problem. He takes a brave and impossible decision to meet the President.

With the disease he is facing, it becomes very difficult for him to meet the President. But finally he meets the President and tells him his pain that all Muslims are not terrorist. Even Muslims are the victims of terrorism.

Though this film may remind you of films like Khuda Ke Liye and New York but Karan Johar style of narrating the story is different which makes the film different from others.

The casts of this film are Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Soniya Jehan, Jimmy Shergil, Zarina Wahab etc. Its producers are both Gauri Khan and Hiroo Johar who are wife of Shah Rukh Khan and Mother of Karan Johar respectively.

Its cinematography is done by Ravi Chandran which is very good. According to the requirement of the film, Farah Khan has choreographed its songs well but Music by Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy are not so pleasing. Writers Shibani Bhatija and Niranjan Iyengar too have done their job very well.

What is excellent is Karan Johar's direction and Shah Rukh Khan's performance. Shah Rukh's performance in this film is far better than what he had done earlier in Om Shanti Om, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi etc.

Kajol too is very good in some emotional scenes. After a long time she is seen together with Shah Rukh Khan. Jimmy Shergil and Joya too have justified their roles. Karan Johar has shot some emotional scenes which can be called excellent.

Karan has made this film on current affairs. After 9/11 attacks on Twin Towers, what happened with Muslims all over the world is known to all, but this film is for them who don't know this. Though this film is not made for commercial purpose, therefore family and children might not enjoy it but it should be watched by ever citizen for the betterment of mankind.