jg2k
February 12th, 2010, 01:30 PM
Ironies are never rare. A movie that preaches tolerance suffers from one of the worst protests of recent times for no fault of its own. While the producers and everyone related to the film hope that it gets a peaceful release, maybe all that is needed is to show this film to the protestors. ‘My Name is Khan’ is a film with an inherent goodness and a strong message in itself which makes it a must-watch for everyone.
‘My Name is Khan’ is not a film to spread awareness on autism as did ‘Taare Zameen Par’ on dyslexia. Rather, the story becomes possible because the protagonist happens to be suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism. The whole premise of the film is set on the fact that the protagonist takes the word of mouth as it comes, without delving too deep into what it may mean in figurative sense. And when Rizwan Khan’s (Shah Rukh Khan) wife Mandira (Kajol) asks him to go to the President of the US to give him a message, he takes it too literally. It becomes the most important agenda in his life to tell the US President that, “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist”. The film is basically about his epic journey weaved into which is the rest of the story in flashbacks to explain the reason as to why he behaves in the way he does and why he undertook the expedition in the first place.
In an effort to make a movie with a distinct message, Karan Johar moves out of his regular tearjerker mode. He, along with his co-writer Shibani Bathija, manages to breathe life into Rizwan’s character and Shah Rukh on his part adds his magic to bring out one of the best performances we have seen from him. Right from giving a history to the character to the way it behaves, everything has been done very well. And Shah Rukh plays on with his own added nuances. So strong are these that the film could ride single-handedly on Rizwan’s shoulders and make you fall in love with him.
However, in writing the character the writers seem to have got so involved that the screenplay suffers. In the first half the movie fails to keep you interested except the scenes where Rizwan and Mandira are together. The love story in fact is one of the strongest parts of the film. The second half of the film is stronger and gets you emotionally involved. However, the excitement eases out towards the end as Rizwan’s journey draws to a conclusion, making the last 15 minutes weak. That’s when the film starts seeming long. The dialogues work beautifully though.
On the technical front the movie is as good as any movie you get to see in India or even abroad. The cinematography tells a story and editing makes it sleek. Shankar Ehsaan and Loy have come up with another winning album.
On the scale of performances, Shah Rukh has keen competition from Kajol as she plays someone who has lost her loved ones to hatred. While these two are the only major characters, the others who play smaller characters like Jimmy Shergill, Soniya Jehan and Zarina Wahab also make their presence felt.
Overall, ‘MNIK’ is not the strongest screenplay to have been made into a film. But the message and the performances make it a movie you should really not miss. It’s not a ‘Kurbaan’ or ‘New York’ where the protagonist is out to teach a lesson by fighting back. This one carries the message of peace in a Gandhi like fashion, almost turning Rizwan into a new age icon. Get inspired!
Source: http://www.aol.in/bollywood-story/my-name-is-khan-movie-review/789134
‘My Name is Khan’ is not a film to spread awareness on autism as did ‘Taare Zameen Par’ on dyslexia. Rather, the story becomes possible because the protagonist happens to be suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism. The whole premise of the film is set on the fact that the protagonist takes the word of mouth as it comes, without delving too deep into what it may mean in figurative sense. And when Rizwan Khan’s (Shah Rukh Khan) wife Mandira (Kajol) asks him to go to the President of the US to give him a message, he takes it too literally. It becomes the most important agenda in his life to tell the US President that, “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist”. The film is basically about his epic journey weaved into which is the rest of the story in flashbacks to explain the reason as to why he behaves in the way he does and why he undertook the expedition in the first place.
In an effort to make a movie with a distinct message, Karan Johar moves out of his regular tearjerker mode. He, along with his co-writer Shibani Bathija, manages to breathe life into Rizwan’s character and Shah Rukh on his part adds his magic to bring out one of the best performances we have seen from him. Right from giving a history to the character to the way it behaves, everything has been done very well. And Shah Rukh plays on with his own added nuances. So strong are these that the film could ride single-handedly on Rizwan’s shoulders and make you fall in love with him.
However, in writing the character the writers seem to have got so involved that the screenplay suffers. In the first half the movie fails to keep you interested except the scenes where Rizwan and Mandira are together. The love story in fact is one of the strongest parts of the film. The second half of the film is stronger and gets you emotionally involved. However, the excitement eases out towards the end as Rizwan’s journey draws to a conclusion, making the last 15 minutes weak. That’s when the film starts seeming long. The dialogues work beautifully though.
On the technical front the movie is as good as any movie you get to see in India or even abroad. The cinematography tells a story and editing makes it sleek. Shankar Ehsaan and Loy have come up with another winning album.
On the scale of performances, Shah Rukh has keen competition from Kajol as she plays someone who has lost her loved ones to hatred. While these two are the only major characters, the others who play smaller characters like Jimmy Shergill, Soniya Jehan and Zarina Wahab also make their presence felt.
Overall, ‘MNIK’ is not the strongest screenplay to have been made into a film. But the message and the performances make it a movie you should really not miss. It’s not a ‘Kurbaan’ or ‘New York’ where the protagonist is out to teach a lesson by fighting back. This one carries the message of peace in a Gandhi like fashion, almost turning Rizwan into a new age icon. Get inspired!
Source: http://www.aol.in/bollywood-story/my-name-is-khan-movie-review/789134