A PERFECT MOVIE
By K. N. Gupta
Cast: Shreyas Talpade, Om Puri, Gulshan Grover
Critic's I-view
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If you want to watch Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Karan Johar at their best, then don’t miss ‘My Name Is Khan’, which hit theaters worldwide this Friday, February 12, 2010. Sorry for Mumbaikars though; they would miss it because of Shiv Sena’s threat to theater owners to exhibit the movie only at their peril. The movie is based on a real incident post 9/11 in the US. Reportedly, Karan Johar took his actor friend Shah Rukh Khan to the real victim of post 9/11. Shah Rukh presumably identified himself with the person, readied to play it himself, however, he asked Karan to jointly produce it.
‘My Name Is Khan’ is the most apt title in as much as SRK wishes to tell the whole world that he is a Khan but not a terrorist; all Muslims aren’t terrorists. Isn’t the message topical in view of the worldwide condemnation of the entire Muslim community for the fault of few belonging to it? Is the US and Europe listening to ‘MNIK’ protagonist Shah Rukh playing as Rizwan in the movie against post-9/11 prejudices widely spread over there? In the movie, Rizwan grows up in the shadow of the infamous riots of the city of Bombay. Later, he moves to San Francisco to be with his brother (Jimmy Shergill) and sister-in-law (Sonya Jehan). As is the fashion today in Bollywood to show the hero suffering from a mental challenge, Rizwan too has Asperger’s syndrome. Hence, he is allergic to crowded spaces, loud colors, intimate hugs, though he benefits from his more than normal human grasp of knowledge!
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This helps him in marketing his brother’s beauty products in salons. Incidentally, he meets Kajol playing Mandira Rathod, a Hindu widow with a 13-year old child. She falls for SRK’s quaint mannerisms and child-like straightforwardness. It’s another matter that SRK proposes marriage almost immediately though Kajol takes her own time. Despite protests from his brother, they get married. Then, they live happily together as family with Kajol’s child winning his stepfather’s heart and also do business until 9/11 when the couple splits in the wake of racial attacks.
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Rizwan is too perturbed to Mandira and to win her back,treks to the US President to explain him that he is Khan but not terrorist! The story unfolds from the very start itself and one cannot miss a single scene as they are interlinked. In the second half, this kind of link is missing, especially when SRK returns to Georgia to save a hurricane-ravaged hamlet! Critically analyzing the movie, we find that the movie is perfect in all respects. Though the chemistry between Shah Rukh and Kajol has always rocked the audience, this onscreen pair in ‘MNIK’ proves that the years gone by have only increased it; both perform so well that it could be termed as the most popular Bollywood onscreen couple till date. If Shah Rukh is the heart then Kajol is the soul of the movie. Wonder if SRK could have paired in this movie with any other lady.
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Tanay Chheda for playing Rizwan as a child deserves kudos and so also Yuvaan Makaar as Kajol's son. Soniya Jehan’s cameo is stunning. Shibani Bathija’s screenplay is perfect in conveying the story through Rizwan. Niranjan Iyengar's dialogues are too good, indeed. Most of all, kudos to Karan Johar for his innovative way of storytelling and dealing with such a complicated subject. Ravi K. Chandran's cinematography is overwhelming. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music gels very well with the nature of the film.
‘MNIK’ is most topical and relevant movie for the present times as is evident from the controversy it has raised in a minuscule section of society. A movie not to miss!
[Public Opinion]
