My Name Is Khan

I'm a huge Bollywood fan. I have been for nearly 15years now. I practically grew up on Bollywood. Kajol is my favorite SRK was to until recently I find myself really enjoying Amir Khan. Nevertheless SRK will always have my heart and he did a fantastic job as usual in this movie. There is a saying about if you don't play a person with a disability right it could tarnish your acting credentials, but SRK surpassed doing it right. He was extremely believable and very realistic. And Kajol...ahhhh she gets more beautiful with age and her acting is always top notch in my opinion. She embodies her character in this one and I can feel it coming off the screen. This movie was perfect. They handled the 9/11 storyline wonderfully. After watching it It actually made me sit and think about how drastically the world did change after that event not just for Americans but for Arabians, Pakistanis, Indians..pretty much everyone whose origin is in the Middle East. This movie made me step outside of being a Black person being born and raised in America but I got to see what its like for people with Middle Eastern ancestry who live right here in America what they go through on a day to day basis.

I think everyone should watch this movie. This movie is very close to my heart because the Main character is very similar to my son who has autism. It does a very well job in showing his innocence yet the way the world can be so cruel to them. It teaches people to be kinder and how prejudice can hurt others. I have watched it probably over 30 times.

Whatever else is in the movie, THIS IS A LOVE STORY. Anyone who doesn't realize that has missed the entire point. A man living in turbulent times and circumstances, afflicted with a difficult handicap, goes to extraordinary lengths for the woman he cannot stop loving. All the rest is background, albeit entertaining background. While I found the different point of view (that of Muslims and Hindus in America) interesting and enlightening, no one should take the political and/or social aspects of this movie seriously other than to view them as educational. It's simply part of the setting. That's why no one attempted to DO them very seriously...because they were background to the plot, they were not the plot itself. This is not a failed front for a social/political documentary. It's an extraordinarily successful, beautiful, and sensitive love story. Ironically, though the movie is about Muslims and Hindus and not a mention is made of the Christian religion in the entire film (other than to show a couple of non-religious scenes in a church), there is a powerful Christian message (probably common to most religions): that love heals and hatred destroys, and that character and moral courage (not bravado) are what make real men. It's sad that no one has thought to praise the remarkable performance of Shahrukh Khan, who portrays a man afflicted with Aspberger's Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism. Khan is at a disadvantage: Had Dustin Hoffman never done Rainman, nor Leonardo DiCaprio given us his amazing performance in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Khan's portrayal of Risvan Khan might have been given the considerable respect it deserves. As it is, in my view he still excels the others in one respect: he manages to infuse charm, high intelligence, and even sexiness into his very convincing portrayal of a disability generally not thought of as very sexy. The charm and comedy of this movie are irresistible. The chemistry between the leading actors is legendary in India (they've made at least 5 movies together). The directing is flawless, the acting top-rate, the photography excellent, the music lively and compelling. One note about the music: it's ethnic (hence Indian), which means it's not what American audiences are used to hearing. But if you can get past the culture shock, you may do as I did and end up loving it enough to buy the CD. There is enough action to keep even my husband, who loves nothing more than to see buildings blowing up, interested. When asked if there are very many subtitles to read, I told my daughter there were some, but not enough to distract from the movie. Only when I watched it a second time did I realize there are subtitles throughout most of it (I was too absorbed to even realize I was reading subtitles most of the time. Hint: use the Pause button as needed). I was riveted throughout the entire movie and never found a single moment boring. In fact, I was surprised at how fast the time had gone. And when the movie was over, even my action-loving husband said, "I'm not sure, but that may be the best movie I've ever seen." For parents: This movie does not contain nudity, sex scenes (although the word "sex" is mentioned), nor does it contain anything crude. There is some violence, but it's not pervasive, nor is it graphic. And here's a wonderfully refreshing twist: the couple actually marries before sleeping together! My husband did think he heard the F word in one scene, but I've watched the movie twice and didn't hear it; so if it's in there, it's not obvious.

I never knew of this movie before hearing of it from Netfix. It was listed there in the "Movies You Would Like" category so I put it in my Queue. My husband and I watched 'Khan' last night, and were very moved by this thought-provoking story. It caused us to laugh and cry and ponder the human condition. It is not a short film but held our attention throughout. All the actors give superb performances. There's not a 'dud' in the bunch! I seldom buy DVDs or videos, but every now and then come across one that I want to have as my own to watch over & over again. "My Name Is Khan" is one of those. P.S. I wrote the previous "review" in 2010! Now in 2013 I still watch 'Khan' every now and then & still enjoy it very much.

Best movie that everyone should own

This is a beautiful movie, worth seeing for anyone who has an open heart and believes in the power of love. It's somewhat low-budget and predictable, not like a complicated Hollywood movie, but more like a sweet, simple Lifetime movie. But definitely worth it. I have a complaint with Amazon's movie rental policy of of needing to watch the whole movie within a 24 period of starting it, or being forced to re-pay the full rental fee for another night. This movie is almost 3 hours long, and we just couldn't finish the whole thing on the first night, had to crash & go to bed. I found it appalling that we had to pay the full $4.99 the next night because it had been about 25 hours since we started it. Someone said this is due to Amazon's distribution contracts with the movie companies. Sorry but I'm not buying it...a company as powerful as Amazon can certainly negotiate a contract that allows the customer a bit longer rental period once they've paid. Won't rent from Amazon again

Due to circumstances in America this movie did not get the recognition it deserved. The acting was so good, Shah Rukh Khan should have won a Oscar just like Dustin Hoffman did years earlier but Rain Man was not a Muslim and we were not living in a time when we were so mistrustful of anything wearing a scarf. SRK plays a Indian Muslim man named Rizvan Khan with Asperger's syndrome, who falls in love with a Hindu Indian woman (Kajol) who has a son from her first marriage. They get married and then 9/11 takes place. Their son is beaten to death in racist hate and Mandira in her pain blames Razvan for her sons death. She kicks him out and tells him she will take him back if he tells the president of the United States his name is Khan and his is not a terrorist. He embarks on a cross-country journey to talk to the president and win Mandira back. I generally watch Indian movies for the romance not for a lesson in racism and culture divides but this one is so honest and heart warming/breaking that I hope people give it a try. The plot is well thought out and the chemistry between Khan and Kajol is great. This movie is one of my favorite all time movies.

Shah Rukh plays an autistic man who has come from India to USA to live with his brother. He plays this role in an understated and completely believable way. Kajol is his love interest and as usual gives a splendid performance. After 9/11 Khan (who is a Muslim) is suspected of being a terrorist and is very poorly treated by the authorities which leads him to travel across the USA to meet the President to explain that he is not a terrorist. He hears about Cyclone Katrina and goes back to help the people there who were very kind to him on his travels. At this point the film becomes a little schmaltzy and slow, however the point it makes is very valid and clear. The ending is well done and unexpected. I first watched this movie without English subtitles and followed it fairly well. I was thrilled with the blu-ray DVD and the subtitles were excellent. This is a film I will watch over and over again. 10 out of 10.