A triumph of love, faith and determination…
Pic: MNIK; Source: planetbollywood.com
“My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist” – this is what Rizwan Khan wants to tell the President of the United States of America and you join him in his journey from the moment the film starts. Gripping, heartrending and moving, My Name Is Khan (MNIK) is director, Karan Johar’s best film till date with career best performances by the lead pair, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. The film has its flaws from the cinematic point of view but who is interested in all that crap! My Name Is Khan goes straight for your heart and affects you emotionally; it makes a statement that is not new but is made in a bold manner; it is a film that will make history.
Shah Rukh Khan plays Rizwan Khan, a Muslim man suffering from Asperger Syndrome* who loves his wife, Mandira (Kajol) to death; though he does not like to talk about death. Their world is full of love and happiness but it all changes after the 9/11 attacks. Tragedy strikes and they drift apart; and Khan embarks on a seemingly impossible journey to meet the President and win back his love.
Written by Shibani Bhathija, MNIK is a brave film with an unusual plot that hopefully will encourage other film makers to try something new and relevant. Overall, the film has an arresting screenplay that falters a bit in the second half but in the end it all comes together. Hats off to Karan Johar for handling the script so well that could have become quite preachy; with this film he moves away from his usual candy-floss style (though not entirely) but remembers that it has to be entertaining as well.
Shah Rukh and Kajol once again prove that they truly are the best on-screen pair, which makes their love story extremely convincing and endearing. Kajol is simply outstanding as a strong woman of substance who goes through a lot of ups and downs in her life. Shah Rukh Khan disappears from the film after the opening credits as you do not notice the star but only Rizwan Khan. The film also boasts of a fine supporting cast with Sonya Jehan (as Hasina, Khan’s sister-in-law), Zarina Wahab (as Khan’s mother) and child actors, Tanay Chheda (as young Khan), Yuvaan Makar (as Sameer, Mandira and Khan’s son) and Kenton Duty (as Reese, Sameer’s best friend) delivering good performances.
Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy’s music goes extremely well with the mood of the film. Not the usual chart-busters, the Sufi style songs are soulful and grow on you as you watch the film. While ‘Sajda…’ became an instant hit during the promotions of the film, ‘Tere Naina…’ is the song you take with you after leaving the theatre (Lyrics: Niranjan Iyenger). Ravi K Chandran’s cinematography is brilliant and so is the editing by Deepa Bhatia. Manish Malhotra (styling) and Mickey Contractor (make-up) make Kajol look fabulous.
My Name Is Khan is about love, tolerance and peace; it is easily one of the most significant films in the recent times. Go watch it and you would find yourself rooting for Khan, laughing with him and crying for him.
My rating of MNIK as a film: * * * * Four stars on five
My rating of MNIK as a fan: * * * * * Five stars on five
– Shrey Khetarpal
*An autism spectrum disorder, people with it show significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests – Source: Wikipedia
The Movie Review Blog 
5 on 5!!! 🙂
what made you change your mind? 🙂
The film continues to grow on me… How does it matter if certain scenes didn’t come out that well, overall the impact was great 🙂
What you say is interesting maybe your more interesting than the film.
This by far is the worst movie of this year.!
hmm… and I think this by far is the best movie of this year 🙂
To each his own but I only got positive reactions from all till now for the film. The audience in the theatre was completely involved.
Hmm mixed reactions.. I liked it.. Loved srk.. Definitely involved but cringed a bit with high dose of cheese in the last 40 mins!!
Yes, the second half has flaws but I loved the film as a package 🙂
Planning to watch it again…
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nice review shrey 🙂
i loved the film, though the second part loses steam a bit especially around the hurricane rehab part. Still a great film and kajol looks awesome. Thankfully Karan didnt make her starve to death and she looks healthy and natural and gorgeous.
won’t say anything about SRK because i’m a huge fan and he can do no wrong in my eyes 🙂
cheers.
Thank you Diya!
I agree, Kajol is absolutely fab in the film and SRK has proved the critics wrong – he is not just a star, he CAN act!
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Shrey,
This is a film which started right and then just got so tedious,Karan Johar needed to call Raju Hirani to chop and edit at least 40 minutes off a loose narrative especially in the second half.
Loved the songs but found the background score heavy and sonorous…what’s new about the film that has’nt been explored before? Rainman meets Forrest Gump meets New York meets a lot of movies with a secular message.
Kajol’s luminous presence lights up the screen,for sheer talent and effortlessnes in performance she proves once again that’s she is one of the most talented actors in mainstream Bollywood.
Shrey I know you love SRK but watch Al Paccino in Scent of a Woman,Hoffman in Rainman and Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump to see what sheer talent is in essaying a disability on screen.SRK’s is a very contrived performance ,he tries very hard but it does’nt work…closer home just look at Bacchan’s virtuoso performance in Paa.
Karan Johar tries hard too,but the tone is preachy (dont agree with you on that too),the message is hammered home repeatedly ,and his love for melodrama gets the better of him especially in the typhoon and Obama sequence.
Come on Shrey ….surely not a 5 star…maybe 3 and that too for the message ,and intention …surely not for the film.
Hi Ma’am,
I have seen some of the other performances you’ve mentioned and all good. I agree that the second half sags and the Georgia sequence could have been done without. The film works for me(and many many others) in its entirety, it is moving and at the same time inspiring. I have ranked it from that point of view and not a critics’… There are two very different views about the film – people who absolutely loved it and people who did not find it that good. Guess, both are right 🙂
i loved your ranking Shrey….was eagerly waiting for your ranking and review…loved it…
SRK proved himself once again after Chak De 🙂
Thank you 🙂
Words fall short for such a film. My Name Is Khan- a must watch.
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