Before going to the movie hall, when mom told me that this is a no-makeup film, I didn’t quite understand what she meant. I wondered how could a movie be filmed with stars without make-up??!! But what she meant was one shouldn’t wear make-up when going for such films as they are prone to flow away with your tears!! Though I didn’t find even a teeny-weeny reason to give stress to my tear glands, my mom’s tear glands were overworked as she kept sniffing at every second scene. But then, she even cried when she watched Krrish (god knows why!!). Now coming to the movie "My Name is Khan", set in the US, it is about Rizvan Khan (SRK) (whose name should have been ‘Wikipedia Khan’ judging by his superior knowledge of facts and figures) who is a victim of Asperger’s syndrome. It’s about his journey to meet the President of United States to tell him, "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist."
Khan falls in love with Mandira (Kajol), a hairstylist, who is a divorcee and lives with her son Sameer (Yuvaan Makaar). They get married and live a happy married life till the fateful 9/11 attack. The family is subject to prejudice because of their surname "Khan". Sameer gets involved in a racially motivated fisticuffs with his school-mates which leads to his death. Mandira blames Khan for it as she believes that this wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t got married to him.
She asks him to go away and tells him (metaphorically) to return only when he has told the US President that he’s a Khan and not a terrorist. But he does not understand the metaphor because of his Asperger’s syndrome. Khan thus sets out on his journey to meet the President and spreads humanity and love on his way, while Mandira tries to find the perpetrators of her son’s murder.
Apart from throwing light upon the little known Asperger’s Syndrome (which incidentally had no connection with the storyline as Khan could have been perfectly normal and still could have met the President stating his intention of not being a terrorist), the movie also shows the bias that most Muslims are subject to in spite of being innocent. SRK enthrals the audience with his performance but there are certain portions where you can find glimpses of the KKKK...Kiran stereotype. Kajol performs the role of a vivacious mother without a glitch (but she looks a tad bit fat!). All other performers such as Jimmy Shergill, Zarina Waha and Yuvaan do justice to their roles. The songs have a sufi touch and are soul-stirring; my favourite track... “Tere Naina”. There are portions in the movie that are typical bollywood masala especially in the second half, making it extremely unbelievable, which give it a Karan Johar chhapp. Don’t know its fate at the box office, but definitely a one-time-watch for women in particular and the rare breed of men who are Shahrukh fans. (A typical male would find it a waste of time and money as did my husband!)