The Name Is Khan

Spoiler alert!

I have never been a fan of Hindi films but when I saw My Name Is Khan dvd sold at the shop yesterday, I grabbed it without any hesitation. Knowing that it is Karan Johar's (from Koffee with Karan fame) directorial and the film was shot almost entirely in the States, I told myself why not give it a try, ay? I thought since it's directed by a young chap, perhaps this one would bring something fresh unlike the typical Hindi films. Maybe this one would be different, with little less of running around the garden in the rain or rolling down the hills in colourful saris but with a dash more reality?

Moment of truth : half way through the film, discovered that yupp, it's pretty OK. The film is about inter-racial marriage, autism, American's anti-Muslim hysteria post Sept 11 attack etc. Well, one thing which more or less the theme of all Bollywood films, the hero woos and wins the heroine-a single mother, but alas, the problem is that she's a Hindu and he's a Muslim. The family cuts him off and he goes to stay with his newly-wed bride and son from her previous marriage. Then Sept 11 happens. A somewhat predictable tragedy takes place that tears the family apart, the wife blames the husband and from there, the film becomes a pilgrimage of the husband to fulfill his wife's demand to tell the President that he is Muslim and he is not a terrorist. Yupp, he finally meets the President at the end of the film, the couple and the hero's family reunite. Yeay! Wait! I think the guy who plays Obama is a wee-bit skinny, evident by his ill-fitting jacket. All-in-all, if you're looking for something different, go grab a copy. Eventhough some supposedly emotional moments seem gimmicky, this is worth the 160 minutes. Oh yeah, one more thing, apart from the background music, you won't find the actors running around singing, in 17 different bajus ;) Yeay!