This is like "Singh Is King" for muslims!. Review on My Name is Khan

There are movies like the munna bhai series which are sheer entertainment, there are movies like 3 idiots which make you laugh and then there is MY NAME IS KHAN which will drill and enter in your skull and will make you carry it all the way back home.

My Experience:-

The entertainment started from the very moment I bought the ticket here in Central London. One of my friends went to the ticket counter, handed the money and said MY NAME IS KHAN...and the counter guy responded back with a smile saying "Nice meeting you!". The theatre was jam packed unlike the but natural not-so-packed situation back home in Mumbai. The very first scene was being played and I remember Kajol's words in her BBC Radio interview few weeks ago where she said that when she came to the set she was surprised to see Rizwan Khan instead of Shahrukh khan who used to be "always" shahrukh khan in every role of his.

Your Experience:-

The actor wins your sympathy from the very first moment and even if you are SS supporter you are bound to like him. The mannerism, the way he walks, the way he talks, his I-wont-look-into-your-eyes attitude doesnt beg for sympathy but forces you to say "I am on your side Rizvan(supposed to be Rizwan though)"

Then starts his journey and soon you'll find "Hey if you put the background as BEHTI HAWA SA THA WOH it will surely match here too."

The reason is the movie is based on the central character which is same treatment you have seen in PAA & 3 Idiots. Lucky you! its not the MAIN HOON NAA shahrukh your gonna be tortured by but its Rizvan Khan. He has a kind heart and a message. A message to all the humankind, a message to fellow muslims.

The message is "There are only 2 types of people. Good or Bad. The people who do good deeds are good people and the people who do bad are bad people". The movie every now and then touches Rizvan's life in flashback whilst he carries out his journey to meet the President of USA to tell something which his wife once told him in anger(obviously she didn't mean it) and that's the reason Rizvan is shown as disabled else the foundation of the movie will fall apart coz normally you wont believe if someone tells you to go and meet the President.

The religious message:-

If you are, say "a muslim", don't think the bad guy standing next is a good guy if he belongs to your religion as he is still a bad guy (which goes without saying for every religion actually). Nothing comes above humanity. There is a nice example of how a line(an aayat) from the holy Quraan is differently interpreted for terrorism by an extremist (played by Arif Zakaria) and the way Shahrukh explains the same holy incident of Ebrahim-Ismail is praise-worthy. Its the "Singh is King" for muslims as it boldly conveys that "Dont just say your a muslim follow it properly" which every religion teaches. Karan Johar very smartly involves Christian/Parsi/Muslim/Hindu in one movie, that's mostly seen in Raju Hirani movies as it then caters everyone in India.

The movie has been made keeping international audience in mind keeping Oscar in mind? Only time will say.

Performances:-

Shahrukh is at his best. He in fact answers his arch rival Aamir khan very well with what he is capable of after the later smashes all the box office records of lately. Kajol, oh this lady surprises me in every movie. I don't think anyone else can do the long crying scene in one take from the movie that efficiently and then I think good that KJo gave it to Kajol instead of Kareena who was being considered. Jimmy shergill is good as usual and so the actress who played his wife. The kids are very talented. Zarina Wahab perfectly replaces Shabana Azmi who was supposed to play SRK's mom.

The best part of the movie is its cinematography. Watch out for a scene when Rizvan khan starts his journey and he is walking on a freeway, that camera work is new to bollywood. Music is anyways in the background but you'll feel it could have been better. Every movie based on muslims should not compulsarily have sufi as the base for music. The sequence of hurricane aftermath in a Georgia town(actually shot in Mumbai), as heard, was a very difficult 10 day shoot with 20 tankers of water and the result shows.

Overall a very very touchy movie. A must watch for families coz you dont get many DRAMA movies which you can watch with the whole family. Don't expect a "3 Idiot" here or even a "Kal ho na ho" and you wont be disappointed and I bet the movie will remain in your thoughts for few days. In one line its a THOUGHT PROVOKING film.