14 Years Of My Name Is Khan, The "Triumph Of Human Spirit" (image@Kajol)
My Name Is Khan is definitely an unforgettable cinematic triumph, which celebrates an unconventional hero. Today marks 14 years of My Name Is Khan. Shah Rukh Khan’s portrayal of Rizwan Khan still stays as an effulgent reminder of the star’s marvellous acting prowess. Karan Johar departed from his usual flamboyant romantic dramas, and chose to go with “unexplored emotions” with My Name Is Khan.
My Name Is Khan, which was released on 2010, received widespread critical acclaim for the message it carried, direction, music, screenplay, cinematography and performance. The movie tells the story about Rizwan Khan, who suffers from Asperger”s Syndrome. After his mother’s death, he went to America to his younger brother Zakir and from there he meets Mandira Rathod (Kajol) and her son Sameer. Riwan marry Mandira and she receive his surname. The perfect family was interrupted by the infamous September 11 attack in US. Rizwan lost his son due to his surname Khan and took it upon himself to talk to the President of America to pass on a powerful message that “My Name Is Khan and I am not a terrorist”.
My Name Is Khan is a celebrated movie for its part in “correcting” the collective notion of Islam and terrorism that was brought in by the 9/11 attack. Having worked only in romantic dramas before the movie, Johar said he wanted to experiment on something that will attract critical and commercial success. He said his decision to depict Islam as a main topic was a “conscious decision”, as he felt there is an international unawareness and negative generalization towards the religion. He called himself open-minded and educated enough to pick out that the misconception against Islam exist. Karan Johar said, as a filmmaker, he wanted to communicate with his audience about his message that is, “correcting the world’s misconceptions about Islam” in an emotional yet effective manner. Karan Johar told Times Now that the “most favourite cinematic emotion is the triumph of human spirit”.
Shah Rukh Khan as Rizwan Khan was beyond any words of applaud. The actor brought in every nuance texture of the character that touched deep and maintained to stay fresh. Johar wanted his character to be played in sensitivity. My Name Is Khan never pointed at Rizwan Khan’s disability, Asperger”s Syndrome, but at the “quality of the human beings we are”, said Johar to Times Now. He said, those who are normal, including himself are cluttered and confused in the head, but Rizwan Khan have it simple and sees the life in good and bad.
Talking about the character, Shah Rukh Khan said it was the most interesting part of his career as an actor. Khan said the challenge in playing Rizwan Khan was that he needed to portray the character as the most romantic hero who does not feel love, cry, or laugh. Though Rizwan Khan might appear to be not so loveable, in the end he is the most loved. Needless to say, Shah Rukh Khan nailed the performance. The star did extensive research on the disease by visiting and spending times with those suffering from Asperger”s Syndrome and by reading books on it. Karan Johar, who did research on the subject around two years, was astonished by the depth of knowledge Shah Rukh Khan had of the character he was supposed to play.
Talking about casting Kajol as Mandira, Karan Johar said he knew she would never say no to him on the character and only a mother could play her part. Kajol’s portrayal of Mandira has added to the sensitivity of the film that touched the souls of many. A mother who lost her child was brilliantly put to screen by Bollywood’s lustrous actress. Kajol said Mandira taught her that “it’s okay to be imperfect as a human being”, On its 14th anniversary, Kajol took to her Instagram handle to “reflect on the journey of Rizwan and Mandira, and the countless lives they’ve touched”.
View this post on Instagram
