From Khan With Love - My Thoughts on My Name is Khan (2010)

My Name Is Khan is indeed a movie that speaks from far beyond it's scope, a movie that attempts maybe more than it can chew; that tries to deliver a message which may be beyond it’s limited scope but let’s face it, there is indeed, without doubt a sense of history that pervades each and every frame of the film, the earnestness of the makers shines through each and every angle, every scene oozes of sentimentality and humane concerns, in short it is a perfect example of the ‘desi’ effect ......... now on the flip side, the story is not told subtly, more often it's loud and crass, the humour jars at times, the director oversimplifies the context of the movie to an extent that at times you feel spoon fed but I would still go ahead with the movies for it dares to take a stand and for that one moment of conscientitious bravado, I say it makes history in it's self. Even if all the controversy that was generated had not been there, even if the film would have been shorn of all the paraphernalia that occurred, the film would have still stood on it's own as a story that needs to be told ...... In a world that has lost patience with a contrarian opinion, it dares to make a statement that goes against the grain of modern thought today and for this, my friend, I say, the film has it's own space in History.

The history of the 20th century is a history of change and of conflict fought through proxy; …. the accelerated growth of science and technology, the fall of the imperial models that ruled the world for the last 3 centuries through two devastating world wars, the insidious blood-stained battle of supremacy between democracy and communism, the sex revolution and the resultant chaos due to these factors put severe strains on questions of religion and morality, as was laid down in the bygone era and was consequently destined to put the two world orders, one emergent, the other renegade, in direct conflict with each other ....

The Clash of Civilizations was just waiting to happen and in 1979 it did happen ..... Soviet Russia's ill-fated invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and America's short-sighted support of the Islamic feudal order to break down Russia was bound to backfire - you do not bring home a wolf to take care of the cobra – it was a new lease to the shrinking power of the past and the obstructionist and conservative Mullahs, who had been pushed to the fringe by the march of humanity towards democracy and liberalism grabbed the straw offered by the Americans to resuscitate their career, to provide it with a life of it's own, and they added to Afghanistan, emotive issues such as Palestine, Kashmir, South Philippines etc – fuel to an engine that fed on death .... Little did the States realize that it was creating a Frankenstein monster and that one day the monster would return to feed on it as monsters inevitably do ..... and that happened on 9/11 .........

9/11 changed the way we look at the world and suddenly being Muslim became automatically a crime, nay a 'sin' in the eyes of the world. Adages such as 'All Muslims are not terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims' became increasingly used universally as if the IRA, the LTTE, the NSCN, the ULFA, the LRA and many other such organizations were overnight transformed to Islamic, in nature, temperament and retrospect .... Liberals spoke against this demonisation of Islam but as Adolph Hitler once remarked, 'the greater the lie, the louder it is spoken and the more it's repeated, the more people will accept it as truth' . it invariably, became accepted as truth ....... Not one voice of reason spoke against it, victimisation of Muslims became common; no one, not even Hollywood dared to speak against it and therein lies the reason My Name is Khan needs to be lauded for they dared to speak what none dared to speak ...

My Name Is Khan can be aptly defined by one statement that the protagonist makes early in the film and then repeats throughout the film, "My Name is Khan and I am Not a Terrorist." This is the message of the movie and to be frank the message goes out loud and clear, sometimes a little too loud and clear for comfort but all the same, it achieves it's target!

Shahrukh for a change decides to let go of the megastar that we see too frequently and brings out the actor, something we are pleased to see, he has been doing more frequently in the recent past ; the mannerisms of Raj and Rahul are still there but they subside in deference to Rizwan Khan, the role he plays and he succeeds in making them a part of the elaborate characterization of the part. The charishma and charm of the actor is a given and is bought to great effect in both the early scenes as well as in the dramatic second half …. Renditions of people with special medical conditions is sadly not given the respect it deserves but SRK gives us a refreshing performance, one that does not make a caricature of either the actor or Asperger’s syndrome, which the character is supposed to be suffering from.

One of the best scenes in the movie happens when SRK, while trying to meet the President of the US, gatecrashes into a Charity dinner organized by a Christian trust and though ready to pay the necessary amount is told that only Christians can be a part of the fund-raising, he donates the money and withdraws, tellingly making a comment on the haplessness of religion when he says ,”For those in Africa who are not Christians…..”

Kajol is as vivacious as vivacity can be and serious as seriousness can be. Many critics have derided her performance in the first half as flighty while showering praise on her for her performance in the second half. I wish to disagree. Kajol as Mandira in the first half is a perfect and at times a logical counterfoil to the enigmatic Khan. She is equally restrained and powerful in her controlled performance as the grieving mother in the second half, however I thought that her outburst in the second half was hamming of a high degree. (SRK meanwhile was very strong in that scene). But the scene that’s bound to remain in the mind of a discerning critic is the one in which she coolly tells Reese ,”She will …. She is a mom.”

However, The most beautiful and powerful performances in the film comes from two child actors, Yuvaan Makaar and Kenton Duty. Both of them are young, impressionable and brilliant and show to considerable effect, the gulf that formed between Muslim / Non-Muslim relationships in the wake of 9 / 11. The cemetery scene where Resse (played by Kenton) walks away from Sam (played by Yuvaan) with cold hatred showing on the face of the former and bewilderment showing on the face of the later is one of the most powerful and evocative scenes in the movie.

The film is also helped to a great extent by a brilliant set of character-actors who perform ably and well; special mention must be made of Zarina Wahab who performs the role of a sensible but hapless mother torn between a challenged and a normal son effectively; Pravin Dabbas as a conscientitious Sikh (Bobby) is very effective.

I liked the guy who played Raj (Arjun Mathur); not an actor with a lot of records under his belt but the fire in his belly can be felt …….. he has 2 of the best dialogues in the movie and delivers it to the hilt, who can forget dialogues like these …. To Bobby:

“Ek Sardar Ko Musalmaan Samjha Gaya To Aapne Apni Zindagi Badal Di; Yahaan Ek Musalman Ko Insaan Nahin Samjha Jaa Raha Hai Aur Aap Waqt Nahin Nikaal Saktey”

And to Komal (well performed by Sugandha Garg)

“Agar Ye Khan Naa Hokar Khanna Hota To Tumhein Problem Nahin Tha?”

Jimmy Shergill, the ever-forgotten actor who appears to be in his elements, only in a Vidhu Vinod Chopra film, is given an opportunity to portray an estranged brother and does it with élan. He portrays the anguish of a neglected brother to the hilt. Sonya Jehan is very strong in her portrayal and has some of the best scenes in the film. Her monologue towards the end is an excellent piece of writing although I am not sure I agree with ‘hijab’ being a part of anyone’s ‘wajood’ ……. Equally impressive is the trauma that she depicts on being de-hijab-ed, the tears seem to rise from someplace deep and even Jimmy is in his elements while trying to convince her to give up hijaab

Katie A Keene and Dominic Renda are also good. Sheetal Menon looks good and is adequate in the acting department. Vinay Pathak shows a strong sense of humour and a flair for comedy. Benny Nieves as a detective and Christopher B Duncan as Barak Obama are adequate. Jennifer Echols as Mama Jenny is an actor-par-excellence and I wish someone could tell me who was that actor who did Funny Hair Joel as that guy was really good. I am sure I have missed out on a lot of actors but that does not take away from their brilliance, it only points out my incompetence rather than take away from their performance.

Music in the movie is different from the normal fare – easy on the ears and sweet too ….. all the songs have a Sufi touch and hence have a somewhat transcendent feel …. Sajda by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shankar Mahadevan and Richa Sharma is exceptional …… Noor-E-Khuda is also beautifully rendered but I liked Tere Naina by Shafqat Amanat Khan the best. I think Shankar Ehsaan Loy are among the best we have in the industry today

And that brings us to the Director – Karan Johar is nowhere among my favourite directors but his last 2 films, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and My Name is Khan have made me sit up and take notice of the man ….. I am still not enamoured of him but I guess I will grudgingly accept that he has talent. The one scene which convinced me of his talent is when SRK throws pebbles at a terrorist recruiter (well played by Arif Zakaria) in a mosque in an analogous scene that reminds one of the Islamic tradition of Stoning the Devil. Then there is the opening sequence shot in the airport which delivers the message in a very impressive style. Karan has been uncompromising and almost gallantly lachrymal in shooting the film, making the emotions not subtle but loud but still unlike many other directors, the film does not become vulgar or cheap.

And that brings me to the finale …… My Name is Khan is what is prescribed by the doctor ..... it's important that we all accept that there is no religion to terrorism and that being A Muslim is neither a Crime nor a Sin ...... and I conclude by saying ......

“My Name is Iquebal And I am Not a Terrorist"