Review of My Name Is Khan (2010) by Beth S — 04 Dec 2017

A very heartwarming story of family, love, forgiveness and determination, in the face of ignorance, misunderstanding, hatred and terrorism. It aims to appeal to Western viewers, with the usual show-stopping Bollywood song numbers tucked away into montages that keep the story going.

However, the film still has plenty of heart-tugging Bollywood-style melodrama to fill up this admittedly overlong movie. Despite any weaknesses caused by relying on simplistic drama and stereotypes (especially in the Wilhelmina, Georgia parts), and the last-minute attack on Rizwan near the end of the film that barely serves the narrative and just seems to be there to push the drama to the Nth degree, the film still manages to hold itself together and take everything to a satisfying conclusion.

Even the overuse of 'We Shall Overcome' is not very noisome. Shahrukh Khan gives an excellent and nuanced, if exaggerated, performance [it's a hard task to portray autism on screen without dialing it up to the max, so as to make it easier for the viewer to understand what sets him apart from others, and how he experiences the world around him].

Kajol also deserves credit for giving a very believable performance, even when her character does something unbelievable (i.e. pushing Rizwan away so harshly as she does - although this is just a sped-up, exaggerated way of showing how the sudden death of a child can easily tear a marriage to shreds).

4 stars all around, a very worthy effort and a favorite to return to.