Review of My Name Is Khan (2010) by Swathy R — 08 Apr 2012

This is a brilliant film, tackling moral issues of racism, tolerance, prejudice and at times bigotry towards other cultures other than white christianity after 9/11. It is told from Khan's perspective, a man who is autistic and married to a Hindu (in itself is a culture clash and looked down upon by many Muslim/Indian families) who both lose their son in a school hate fight.

Whilst these issues raise a distinct moral and ethical issue that, sadly, we must still question within ourselves (is it really a whole race's fault for the act of one of them? No), this story is above all a hearfelt, at times sentimental, and very moving love story. It will definitely make you cry in some places and make you smile in others, rooting for the unlikely hero in the end.

The saddest thing for me was that not one person who treated the muslims, or in particular Khan, the way they did, took into consideration whether they were good or bad people....or the fact that Khan is autistic (if you know anyone autistic you would understand they have limited perceptions of social situations, so it really teaches you something that if someone like that can differentiate right and wrong, then we should be able to as well). Not to mention the sad reality, especially in america, how people overreact to the colour of one's skin, not even able to distinguish a Hindu from a Muslim, thinking its all their faults for the war on terror when it is not. Does this give US officials the right to hold them in captivity and torture them for an answer they do not even know? No it does not. Every step of this film is kept refreshing and new, not filled with Hollywood crass sentimentality.

Brilliant performances from Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan, and some lovely soundtracks...overall surprisingly enjoyable indie film (although I warn that some scenes show it was clearly a low budget film, which doesn't matter as the story is so powerfully moving).