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My Name Is Khan

A likable and slickly constructed Bollywood tale of understanding and tolerance has unwittingly provoked a storm in Mumbai

Indian superstar Shahrukh Khan (often lovingly intialised to SRK) has found this film to be a lot more controversial than expected, even allowing for its plotlines involving US homeland security and terrorism. SRK plays an Indian man with Asperger's syndrome who, for reasons revealed as the film unfolds, is on a quest to personally deliver a message to the US president.

  1. My Name Is Khan
  2. Production year: 2010
  3. Countries: India, Rest of the world
  4. Cert (UK): 12A
  5. Runtime: 161 mins
  6. Directors: Karan Johar
  7. Cast: Benny Nieves, Christopher B Duncan, Jimmy Shergill, Kajol, Katie Keane, Kenton Duty, Shah Rukh Khan
  8. More on this film

Fox paid a lot to secure the international rights to this film and while the ultimate message it delivers, of understanding, community and tolerance, is one that deserves to be heard, it seems unlikely that it will have far-reaching crossover appeal – to say nothing of its problems in Mumbai, where the large and very vocal Shiv Sena movement have been attacking Khan via the film that bears his name.

Western screenwriting guru Syd Field gets a credit for story consultancy, but the film is still very much structured according to Indian traditions. For instance, the interval is still used as the point where the film changes gear. As usual, the first half is more soap opera, spending plenty of getting-to-know-you time with the appealing characters before putting them through the wringer in the more politicised second section.

Khan's quest lands him in government detention and sees him helping out a hurricane-ravaged Georgia town, while the post 9-11 climate sees anyone even vaguely resembling a Muslim under verbal and often physical attack. It's stunningly shot, on mostly US locations, and tackles plenty of hard topics – its deceptively light touch gets heavier as things progress. It's a shame that much of the intended audience will not see this well-intentioned, slickly constructed and just plain likable film, for reasons that are very little to do with the film itself.


Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/feb/12/india

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