I must say that My Name is Khan is perhaps one of the best films I have learned from till date. I make this vague statement because the movie lends itself very much to Bollywoodish and specifically Karan Johar's soap and shampoo treatment very much. But, underneath the soapy texture lies a very beautiful story that has been woven with such dexterity that am inclined to give a standing ovation to the story writer Shibani Bathija.
First look at the message
Most international terrorists today maybe muslims. But all muslims are not terrorists. Its a message that MUST go out to the world today. A world that has been spooked into jumping out its own body at the mere sight of a stereotype Mussalman. The story has a very very simple message. The protagonist wants to tell the U.S. president that his name is khan and he is not a terrorist.
Why the U.S. President?
The leading lady undergoning personal trauma just for bearing the surname khan beseeches the protagonist as to how they expect to live a life that makes them sinners and terrorists just for carrying that surname. He tries to tell her that he will tell anyone that he is not a terrorist. She challenges him as to how many will he go and explain this. Will he tell the president and thereby to the whole country? she cries out trying to drive into him the futility of the exercise and that it is doomed from the start.
The second portion of the message is that relegion is just a by stander in the whole thing. Relegion is not tainting people. It is the other way around. This message is conveyed so beautifully in a non-cliched manner by the protagonists mother when the protagonist himself is too young to understand the incidents happening around him. The message she conveys, there are only two types of people in the world. Good and Bad and relegion does not make them so. How true. Later in the movie, this is proven by a whole bunch of people who almost get brainwashed into jihad by a radical is swung back into their senses by the protagonist.
The most important message that this movie spreads is that 'Love begets love'. Throughout the movie, the protagonist due to his nature, goes about spreading innocent love wherever he treads. People cannot help but reciprocate his love. This am not talking about emotional ladies. Even customs officials and random police officers and normally people of brawn mellow down and give him a pat on the back and almost seem to redeem him of the social stigma attached to him name! and yet he wants the same from no less than the president of america. Boy does he get it?
Shibani again aces the whole plot by making the protagonist an 100% innocent, childlike, lovable and poker faced protagonist who occasionally guffaws like a 4 year old and makes the whole audience laugh with him. All of the above messages coming from anyone one else would have been so so so so cliched and would not have made the audience amenable to the message as Rizvan Khan does.
The movie (though not pioneering) also has set made minnows of major bollywood plots such as inter religion love, divorce and other such things that otherwise would have hijacked a whole bollywood plot! Perhaps several decades of films have revolved purely around the topics of love and inter religion marriage. Thankfully Karan and Shibani have deftly delegated this to the sidelines as though to convey a message that such topics are not going to get full movie length slots any longer.
Finally, songs have been used lightly in stark contrast with traditional Karan Johar films where music does the heavy lifting and is intense part of the back ground score. My ears still ring from Lataji's "Kabhie Kushie.. Kabhi..ghaammmmmmmm" every five minutes in the K3G backgorund score.
Coming back to My Name is Khan, This one picture has so eloquently conveyed several lovely messages of love, tolerance and good will like no other Indian movie till date has. This would not have been possible but for a brilliant execution by the team comprising of Karan Johar, Ravi.K.Chandran, Kajol and Shah Rukh.
The two lead characters pretty much carry the weight of the complete film on their shoulders with Kajol getting lesser screen time albeit. She does an amazing job nevertheless. Its difficult to not fall in love with her Mandira and not to cry with the mother in Mandira. This actress has an amazing range of emotions and she challenges Shah Rukh to raise the bar in acting! Pity that we do not get to see much of this actress on screen these days.
Ravi.K.Chandran is the man who has wielded the lens and he makes his presence felt at several places and yet he quietly slips to the background when he should not be around and yet for the discerning viewer we can feel that he has been there. Scenes involving Kajol at her emotional best uses excellent use of closeups, not too tight and yet sufficient allowing her emotions to fill the frame and reach the audience and soak them in. His shots have a very nice range and this film has allowed him to exploit his strengths very well!
Music, by Shankar Ehsaan and loy is I must say salt of this movie. It adds taste to the film though by itself is nothing to write home about.
Overall, this movie, though served in a traditional bollywood style is packs a powerful punch and is perhaps one of the best written and executed. I will even go so far as to say that I will perhaps nominate this for Indian entry to Oscars unless something else comes along.
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