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With the quality of movie making escalating recently it has become rather likely that you come across a movie which leaves you gasping in wonder or split with laughter or thrilled with heart thumping action. Movies that you enjoy but get over soon after you leave the hall. Karan Johar is known for making slick tear jerkers and I had really not expected anything different this time round either. But ‘My Name Is Khan’ blew me away. It’s a rare classic and would be rated so in the annals of Hindi cinema.
Religion is always a tricky subject to deal with and Hindi movies have usually been either way too clichéd or unnecessarily melodramatic, often losing sight of the core issue. In today’s times the scourge of terrorism has affected ordinary lives the world over and yet most of us have sensitised ourselves into reading and watching news reports on rampant killing, shaking our heads and making meaningless noises. Remember Mumbai? Well this movie is a chronicle of the domino effect that unrelated events cause in the personal lives of ordinary people. Oh, did I say ordinary? Well almost! It’s a tale of love between an autistic man and a divorcee hairdresser played out by Kajol and Shahrukh Khan. While Kajol’s craft is expected it’s Shahrukh’s show all the way. He has played the role of an autistic man to near perfection. He marries Kajol after pursuing her with relentless determination and single minded honesty. To me those are the key factors which cement any lasting relationship. Post 9/11, uncontrolled events lead to the beating and eventual demise of Kajol’s son from her first marriage. The grieving mother loses control and blames the killing on the surname Khan and orders him to leave. He immediately accepts the diktat of his love and innocently asks when he can come back? Enraged she gives him the near impossible task of declaring and convincing the whole world that although he is a Muslim he is not a terrorist. So real! How quick we all are to brand an entire community because of the acts of a few. Sikhs in 1984, Muslims in 1993 and well the world changed after the Twin Towers were brought down by a few fanatics. The rape of Iraq is still on and coffins of ordinary men continue to roll. What happened to the love for your fellow man, the respect of human life? The mindset of the autistic Khan knows only one thing. Fulfil his mission by meeting the President of USA and making his declaration of innocence. Thus starts his epic journey across America. Shades of Forrest Gump? Yes, but for once I am not complaining. Along the way he is mistaken for a terrorist and thrown into a prison a la Guantanamo and tortured for information. The media takes up his case (Star News breaking news again!!) and the man is released but he returns to help friends in a hurricane hit village. He eventually does complete his mission and is reunited with his lady love. That’s the story but the narrative conveys a compelling message. The essential goodness and determination of man ultimately prevails over terror and fanaticism. And even in these impersonal times there is recognition of human values which are and will remain timeless. It’s this message of universal brotherhood that to my mind is the appropriate reply to the lumpen goons of Shiv Sena. Reading today’s paper about the movie goers’ response in Mumbai has only reaffirmed my belief. Go and watch the movie. It brings a lump to your throat which refuses to go away long after it’s over.
