"My name is Khan, and I'm not a terrorist."
The elaboration on this affirmative, emotional statement captivates us for 165 minutes. Whereas usually Bollywood gives us a song-and-dance routine so expertly wrought that we can't help smiling and clapping, now we have a serious and somber depiction of a man having to say "My name is Khan" to prove to the USA that he is not a terrorist.
We still smile and applaud, although uneasily at first, before being swept away by emotion.
However, unless you look at the synopsis, you wouldn't be blamed for anticipating a typical Bollywood film. After all, the film features a trio of Bollywood hit-makers: director Karan Johar, leading man Shah Rukh Khan, arguably the world's biggest star, and leading lady Kajol.
If the names sound familiar, it's because the trio have teamed up for big box-office hits such as teen romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1999) and family drama Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham (2001).
But Khan could not be more different: Karan delves into dramatic filmmaking, directing Kajol through unfamiliar English-language territory; even Shah Rukh Khan never breaks into song and dance, or makes funny faces.
Instead, Khan goes where Dustin Hoffman (in Rain Man) and Jack Nicholson (in As Good as It Gets) went before: He plays a man with a mental illness - in this film Asperger's syndrome - that hampers his social interactions.
If that's not enough, the film tackles the following issues: 9/11, the negative portrayal of Islam in the US, US government inaction in dealing with natural disaster, India's deep-rooted racial tensions between Islam and Hindu and, of course, love.
If just reading that list leaves you breathless, worry not. Karan Johar pulls together these threads without sacrificing consistency or the importance of Shah Rukh Khan's star persona.
Often lovingly nicknamed SRK, the actor plays Rizvan Khan, a man with Asperger's syndrome who moves to the US to live with his younger brother. Naturally, his brother encourages Rizvan to achieve the American dream.
Along the way Rizvan meets Mandira (Kajol), a widow with a son, Sam. Rizvan and Mandira marry, but the honeymoon period is brief, ending with 9/11, of which Rizvan says, "Western history knows only two periods of history: BC and AD. Now comes the third: 9/11."
As Muslims, Rizvan and his family are mistreated in their paranoid environment, culminating in a life-changing event that divides the family. In a bid to fix things, Rizvan embarks on a long journey across America to meet the US president to deliver his personal message, as stated above.
As a typical road trip film, Rizvan meets interesting characters, rediscovers his skill in fixing broken machines, saves a city from being drowned, receives harsh treatment from government officials and eventually redeems himself.
In a rarity for Bollywood, the film is bittersweet; despite the satisfying ending, we all know it is hard for everyone to move on from the effects of 9/11. This is where Khan makes audiences weep.
While New York, a Bollywood drama with the same theme released last year, chooses to end with the deus ex machina concept of eliminating black-and-white characters mercilessly, Khan stays down to earth by putting matters in the hands of middle-class Americans and well-rounded characters who make human mistakes. In short, the film hits the right notes in its aim to cross over to a bigger market - and deservedly so, given its memorable approach to bridging religious differences.
This is apparent in early scenes where Rizvan's mother draws two men and asks him to say which one is Muslim and which Hindu. Or when Rizvan dwells on the idea that a family is made not only by blood but also love, as he shares a shelter with African-Americans in a ruined church in Georgia.
These emotional scenes, combined with SRK's indelible presence, make My Name is Khan essential viewing. After the comic hit 3 Idiots, we are lucky to get more good-quality Bollywood cinema.
My Name is Khan
Dharma Productions, 165 mins
Directed by Karan Johar
Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol
In Hindi and English with Indonesian and English subtitles
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/02/21/yes-we-039khan039.html
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