|
|
Saturday, April 27, 2024
|
|
BOLLYWOOD MY NAME IS KHAN
EDITOR'S PICK
Rating ***1/2
Questions of religious and national identity, of the sense of
right and wrong, of combating a certain isolation that comes with a behavioural
disorder. But what triumphs over all the complexities unfolding in a tumultuous
post 9/11 America is Rizwan Khan and his essential goodness that tells you
unwaveringly - his name is Khan and he is not a terrorist.
Director Karan Johar is in unfamiliar territory here. No candyfloss romance, no
sweet nothings, nobody breaking into song. Just the super intelligent Rizwan,
who has Asperger`s Syndrome, a form of autism, his halting voice with his
inability to communicate, and his many relationships - with his mother, his
brother, and yes, Mandira, and her son Sam.
Move over Rahul, Rizwan is here. Shah Rukh makes the transition from the eternal
romantic to the intense Rizwan who finds love and loses it some years later when
his Khan identity becomes all important in a tense, suspicious America. You sit
through three hours waiting to get a glimpse of Shah Rukh through Rizwan Khan,
but it doesn`t happen.
If Shah Rukh lives and breathes Rizwan in what is one of his finest roles, Kajol
as Mandira, the vivacious single mother, is also good - as always. The chemistry
between them if not always crackling, then heartwarming.
It`s an unlikely romance, not very easy to portray. But it`s dealt with a light
touch. There they are sitting on either side of the bed after their wedding with
Mandira telling Rizwan, who doesn`t like to be hugged, that this is something
they can`t do without touching. It`s a scene that could quite easily have gone
wrong, but it doesn`t.
All credit to Karan Johar for that.
Like a piece of music that gradually rises to grand crescendo, My Name Is
Khan begins with Rizwan as a child with his mother - so good to see Zarina
Wahab after such a long time - in a tenement in Mumbai and ends with cheers from
the US` first African American president in a crowded rally.
It`s from his mother that Rizwan learns his first lessons of humanity; as the
1983 Mumbai riots rage outside, she tells the young boy that the world is
divided into good people and bad people.
It is this essential humanism that carries Rizwan through from Mumbai to San
Francisco where his brother stays, then to the suburb of Banville where he moves
in with Mandira and Sam, and even when he is taken to be a terror suspect.
Sam, his only best friend, is subjected to a vicious race attack
because he takes on Rizwan`s surname. Mandira hits back, saying that the worst
thing she could have done was marry a Khan and Rizwan is out on the roads -
unable to articulate his feelings but backpacking his way across the US to meet
president sahib so he can tell him: My name is Khan and I am
not a terrorist.
It is a road journey through a troubled post 9/11 America towards humanism and
the essential goodness of the human spirit.
This is a US where chanting the name of Allah gets you into trouble, where the
word terrorist and Khan in conjunction can put you behind bars. Rizwan moves
from being a terror suspect to a nationwide hero who exposes a terror
mastermind. And then, the man with the mission who travels to Wilhelmina that is
literally drowning in a hurricane to supervise a heroic rescue mission.
There`s Afghanistan and Iraq, Bush and Obama too. The US` first African American
president is voted in and, in that final feel good moment Rizwan meets him in
front of thousands of people and his goodness is validated.
Plenty of great one liners. When he is refused entry into a presidential
fundraiser for the poor in Africa that is only for Christians, he leaves behind
$500 saying: This if for those who are not Christians in Africa.
The music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is superb. This is not a film without flaws, it
is at least 20 minutes too long for one and flags in the pre-interval period,
but here is one straight from the heart. It has a message, in these days of
tensions over language and religion, one which needs to be heard.
Go watch.
As Varun Dhawan turned 31 on Tuesday, Bollywood celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Anil Kapoor and Shoojit Sircar wished him success and expressed hope his innocence and humility alive.Varun, who is the son of filmmaker David Dhawan, started his career as an assistant director to filmmaker Karan Johar in "My Name Is Khan". He made his acting debut with 2012 romantic comedy "Student of the Year" and ever since he has featured in films like "Main Tera Hero", "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania", "Badlapur", "Dilwale", "Dishoom" and "Badrinath Ki Dulhania".Read More
SRK, Kajol, Rani Mukerji's selfie momentShah Rukh Khan got together with actresses Kajol and Rani Mukerji -- not for a film but for a selfie. The superstar said he was in awe of their persona, and thanked them for their graciousness and love.Read More
My name is Rizvan Khan
I might seem a little different to you. That is because I have Aspergers Syndrome. It is named after Dr Hans Asperger who first noticed the traits in children. Having Aspergers does not mean I am stupid. I am very intelligent, but I don’t understand people. I don’t know why people say things they don’t mean. For example, they say come to my house any time, and when I go to their house they say why have you come at this time? Sometimes people think I am rude. I don’t mean to be rude, being rude is not good. My mother said there are only good people and bad people in the world and I am a good person…
His Story
Rizvan Khan, a Muslim man from India, moves to San Francisco and lives with his brother and sister-in-law. Rizvan, who has Aspergers, falls in love with Mandira. Despite protests from his family they get married and start a small business together. They are happy until September 11, 2001 when attitudes towards Muslims undergo a sea-change. When tragedy strikes, Mandira is devastated and they split. Rizvan is confused and very upset that the love of his life has left him. To win her back, he embarks on a touching and inspiring journey across America.
‘My Name is Khan’ is the triumphant story of an unconventional hero overcoming obstacles to regain the love of his life.
Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol at the 60th Berlinale International Film festival in Berlin, Germany