The initial reviews of My Name Is Khan from those who managed to watch it, is out. The film has been loved by folks from the industry, most critics weren’t invited to the premiere.
Here are some of the initial reactions
Farhan Akhtar (director): MNIK is an amazing film. Full power to Karan, Shahrukh, Kajol, Ravi K Chandran (DOP), Deepa Bhatia (editor) and the rest! Outstanding! – Shahrukh’s best performance till date. Karan’s best film. What else can you ask for? – Kajol is very good as always, reached in and plucked my heart out in some moments…. but SRK blows you away. MUST WATCH!
Preity Zinta : Jut saw My Name Is Khan and it is MINDBLOWING ! Everyone who has a heart should watch it .. Again and Again and Again ! Am so proud of SRK ! – Karan Johar has shown his superiority as a director ! I am so proud of him ! My name is Zinta and I have loved the film – Kajol is also amazing in the film ! Its SRK’s role that is really tough though and he deserves a standing ovation :-)
Sonam Kapoor : Saw mnik, loved the purity of khan and the intentions of the film. its a tear jerker with a message of love and hope. Power to kjo!
Arjun Rampal : A brave and powerful film. Proud of them (Karan, SRK and MNIK team).
*********************************
Any negatives reviews, you may ask. Yes, there is one from Sagarika Ghose- a popular CNN IBN journalist and wife of one of India’s most respected journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. Here is what she had to say about the film on twitter.
- Just came back from special screening of MINK–after all the hype, sorry the movie just didn’t work for me.
- Love shahrukh, total solidarity on ss, but his performance in MINK fell badly short, made autism look comical, as if he was sending it up.
- Why could the same film not have been set in India: muslim-as-terrorist dilemma equally potent here..MINK totally american film
- MNIK too contrived, not real, tackily made ..Three Idiots far far better
- On Kajol : she bounced around perkily and wept well, but not a big deal. am afraid..
- I love shahrukh, think he has great energy and is very good looking, but his acting in MNIK is most disappointing..
- In my view a movie entitled MNIK should be raw, gut wrenching, in your face–this was neither here nor there..
the real love story
Shahrukh’s personal story can never be complete if one were not to talk about his romance and subsequent marriage with Gauri Chhiba, the daughter of retired Major Ramesh Chhiba, who had been born a vegetarian, was a Hindu Brahmin, and even had a temple within his house. Shahrukh being a Muslim in India where religion plays a key role while deciding the destiny of marital alliances, his marrying Gauri whom he had met in 1984 and eventually married in 1991 was indeed a tough task to accomplish.
The relationship between the two had been kept under wraps, and understandably so because Gauri’s parents would not have accepted it. Or, so it seemed for quite some time even while the twosome continued to meet up for six long years. The youngest in a Punjabi joint family with around 15 members, that Gauri would marry someone from her community was a foregone conclusion.
As for Shahrukh, he was willing to do anything to get her in his life, and it is said that he had entered Gauri’s household by posing as Abhimanyu during the girl’s birthdayparty. Abhimanyu…. Who? Yes! The character that Shahrukh had just started to play in the television serial Fauji that was being directed by the retired Lieutenant Colonel Raj Kapoor. The serial based on life in the army had made Shahrukh’s character really popular, and people around even said that he looked quite a bit like Dilip Kumar when he attended the birthday party in Gauri’s house that day.
The story of Shahrukh and Gauri’s relationship continued to add a new chapter with every passing day, and not all of them were bliss-laden as is the case with all human relationships. He was tremendously, in fact uncomfortably possessive about his lady love, so much that he would pick up a quarrel with her even if she let her hair down… literally. Finally, Gauri lost her cool and realized that she wanted to get away from the emotional bedlam in 1989. Without informing Shahrukh, she came down to Mumbai with her pals just a day after the former had celebrated her birthday in his room by decorating it the best way he could have and giving her lots of presents.
It was when Gauri had left for Mumbai that Cupid shot that one decisive arrow. Shahrukh just had gone to the city of dreams where his love had gone, and he ended up telling everything to his mother who was supportive and open-minded as always. Not only did she give her son Rs 10,000, she also advised him to go to Mumbai and get his love back. Shahrukh went there with his friends, and what followed sounds like a chapter straight out of fictional romantic folklore.
In the huge city, he and his friends kept looking for Gauri, and especially around the beachees because of his awareness that she was attracted to them in a big way. On the last day of his stay in Mumbai, since he had run short of financial fuel obviously, a cab guy advised him to go to a place called the Aksa Beach. From there, they ferried across to a place called Gorai and, after searching frantically, managed to track her down when she was standing in the water! Once the duo saw each other, they embraced each other and started crying. That was the defining moment in their relationship, because it was clear to both of them that they need to be with each other all their lives.
The problem the couple apprehended was because of Gauri’s set-up that consisted of simple people who were loyal to Indian social norms and did not question the tenets of tradition: which, in this case, implied that having a son-in-law who belonged to a different religion. This was a thought that would have never crossed their minds. But the time when the twosome had to marry had to surface some day or the other, and that did happen in 1991. The couple went ahead and put up a notice for a court marriage which, according to the Indian marital laws, meant that their names were displayed in front of the court in a notice for one long month.
Shahrukh and Gauri had to hide the notice from their parents, so they did the most obvious thing. They gave a address and said it was their own. The poor fellow had to suffer the repercussions. The parochial among the Hindus made a group and shouted in front of his house, and so did their Muslim counterpart. During those 30 days, the life of his friend was absolutely miserable, but then both Shahrukh and Gauri did not have a choice because they were really concerned about the latter’s parents.
Those 30 days proved to be critical for the young couple. They worked hard towards convincing Gauri’s parents, and eventually managed to make them see their point of view. That they would have a court marriage after the notice period got over was decided upon, and it was on August 26 that this ceremony was finally solemnised in the court. They also got married in keeping with Hindu and Muslim traditions seperately. In fact, it was Gauri who insisted that they should have a Muslim wedding too, and the roots of a secular family set-up had been firmly established be them.
This was the time when Shahrukh was making his initial forays in Bollywood, and among his forthcoming films were Deewana and Raju Bangaya Gentleman while he was shooting for Dil Aashna Hai as well.
Spiderman
plz dont spread rumours hear!
Thanks hina…..i just want to say ppl like srk,aamir,akshay,salman reached a level which is untouchable for many….so indicates that they have something which we dont…so i just want to say we should show respect to them….we all have different choices…i indeed saw ppl who like dino and dislike taare zameen par…so express your view but dont put pressure to accept your views….waiting for mnik….and can anyone say me why it will release in june again…
Waah!!! Indian ppl u have by far crossed all limits ! I’m not Indian and I watched Indian cinema and still watch it just because of SRK!!! He is the best representer of ur cinema for crying out loud!!! He is the best actor the best human he has by far passed Amitab’s fame let alone Amir’s or Salman’s !!!! You should be thankful for him and appreciate what he has and is doing for Bollywood ! So now u couldn’t found anything to accuse him for or offend him by except for saying he is gay !!!!!!!! Omg omg omg i don’t know what’s wrong with u ppl for the love of god !! As for MINK I’m having doubts about how will it’ll do in the Indian box office and that’s not cuz I doubt that it’s a good movie no I know it’s a good movie cuz Karan and sharukh ve never done anything but good movies but because ur strange absurd odd unbelievably childish taste in movies u Indian ppl ! U and ur taste that prefers the cheesy action e.g Ghajini or Wanted or the animated so for children comedies e.g DDD or APKGK movies over the heart breaking e.g KHNH or the great messege delievering e.g Swades movies , it’s u Indian ppl the reason y Bollywood is still underestimated by many ppl ,it’s u the reason y Im still having difficulties convincing some ppl in my country to watch an Indian movie ! So that’s y I’m quite sure that MINK won’t do as good as 3 idiots cuz there’s nothing childish about it !! Wake u ppl u ve the best actor alive u ve the very talented movie maker Karan so don’t underestimate them and even if the movie didn’t do that well in India I’m sure it will break records overseas .so suck it already !!!
spiderman it’s a nice review.hope u didn’t copy it from imdb.he he he………:)
@ Spiderman,
Nice review bro. looking forward to the movie. one little suggestion though…this space is to discuss the movie and not the personalities of people. He might be a gay…he might not be a gay…what difference will that make in the quality of the film?
@ Hina,
Sis…i’m impressed by your maturity in answering to some questions. I know we disagreed on Veer, but thats not an issue at all. I’m glad for those who liked the film. Your inclination towards keeping veer away from this page is well respected, as it doesn;t make sense to discuss another movie over here. Lets hope that we agree on MNIK and lets hope that the film doesn’t as KANK, OSO & RNBDJ, as both of these films were extremely low on content. Hope this time SRK earns his success.
@ Kabir,
I 100% agree with you brother. All these actors (Amir, SRK, Salman, Akshey) have stayed alive and kicking in an industry where ppl come and go. The perdiod when all of these four stars entered the industry (late 80s and early 90s) was a period of transition. Alot of actors were coming in and going out of the industry (for example, one film wonders like Rahul Roy, Vivek Mishran etc.) but these four have been there for more than a decade and such a long stay can only be ensured if one has a quality which makes them special.
So i totally agree with you and i respect all these four actors for all the right reasons. a bad or good film might effect their BO positions temporarily, but it doesn’t change the fact that they are highly capable ppl who should be respected for their capability.
MNIK is looking to be boring film. Priety,Rampal and Farhan akhtar are SRK’s friends, abiviously they will say MNIK is good film. SRK and Kjohar paid for critics reviewers as usual. They will give 4 stars. Aaam Janta wount like MNIK. Second critics is good from Sagarika ghose. Sagarika is true in her reviews.
Sakrika Ghosh journalist of CNN IBN is trying to be a good critics.She has no knowledge about any film.So why is she giving any comment on MY NAME IS KHAN.Now a days every news channel tries to give rating on every film.They are just stupiD and trying to be a part of bollywood.There is no doubt MY NAME IS KHAN is best movie ever.A journalist cannot be good critics.So give a kick to these types critics.If you like it give me your view in my email id swainshaktiprasad@gmail.com.bye.
Go and watch MY NAME IS KHAN.Don’t listen any views of any critics.Its my request.Don’t compare with 3 idiots.
I agrees rating spider man’s review on my name is khan.I will give 4star out of 5.srk is brilliant.
Sagrika Ghosh wants a masla film.She has no brain.
My prediction for mnik –
India – 100 core
overseas – 100 core.
overall, blockbuster for sure.
but cant beat 3 idiots in india……:)
@Akhlaq Bahe Thnx alot.Your compliments mean alot to me coz I think u r the one guy on this site who is real kool headed n neva gets into fights like most of us :) Disagreements are always welcomed as long they are positive.Chak de India was most impressive release of SRK in last 5 yrs.I hope MNIK turns up good.N I really like ur idea dat one should always enjoy gud cinema regardless of whether his favourite actor is in it or not.
@shuhag wt to do !! if someone over rate movies like pi…nd just reverse d angel wid veer …den we bettr keep quiet!! when way bfore d movie release they start giving verdict abut d movie…and aftr release …wt to say!.. seems they were in a feast… evn though d movie ws nt a flop at all…and u fyln we overacting!!…..
.bt dont worry dis time around we will see all sort of positivity all around…aftr all srk is d darling of media…;)
tremendous promotion already been made( thanx to shib shena ) nd d dividend will be grt for sure.
Spiderman,
in what angle shahrukh look like gay, if he was gay the millions of girls will not be crazy about him,he has that charm of mannism in every action. 1000% he is not a gay.
but i think 1000% u are a gay with ur mind and body.
Spiderman,
1000 % shahrukh is not a gay, millions of girls crazy about him due to charm of mannism. in each and every angle.
but i am 1000 % sure that you are a gay with ur mind and body
Good news for AAMIR fans KARAN JOHAR agreed to work with his next project . Very sad news for srk fans .
this movie will surely work for me.
sagarika ghose didn’t like the movie but this doesn’t means movie is bad or boring. Because people have different tastes. comparing to 3idiots , i am disagree with sagarika , as 3idiots is a comedy film mostly and
mnik is dealing with another serious issue with a different treatment.
hey idiot dipen sen what bad news for us?? karan ne amirko liya to kya huwa… srk is srk the king of bollywood no one is better than him… srk roxxxxxx he is the best of the best in this world…
srk and kajol is the best jodi ever………..
my name is khan roxxxxx
look, i did not say shah rukh IS gay. iam saying shah rukh appears to have gay tendencies. from many of his actions in the past and recently , the way he carries himself at times, seems to suggest he has gay tendencies. a lot of what he does is very camp.
sumair
you say a lot of girls are crazy for shah rukh, so he cannot be gay. well, the guy he kissed on the jonathan ross show, a guy called john barrowman is openly gay. but guess what ? every girl is crazy for him. all the women find him as the ideal man and incredibly sexy. so how do you explain that ? every women is crazy for this gay man. so, just because someone is gay does not mean the opposite sex wont find him attractive.
and someone made a comment earlier about srk being DIPLOMATIC. well, kissing a man is not being diplomatic. srk could have shaken his hand or hugged him. but kissing a gay man says something about srk.
anyway, we should be talking about the film. in my opinion it is a good film but it may not cater to the taste of everyone. so dont be surprised if a lot of the audience dont like it.
@ Spider-man
It is diplomatic because he is Asian, why did Jonathon Ross not ask SRK to go on the toy, he asked Barrowman and Kelly too? Because there is a stigma attached to asians, that they are shy about openly chatting about sex and some are even openly against homosexuality. What SRK did was try and show that “no, we are not like that”, in other words Asians are not stuck up. If Jonathon Ross thought that openly about asians, why did he ask SRk to go onto that toy only after Barrowman insisted. You talked about diplomacy, what about the saying “when in rome do what the romans do”, SRK wanted to fit in and not appear as a snob. Simples.
Everything going wrong for SRK
1) Shivsena banned MNIK in maharashtra
2) SRK’s best friend Farha khan working with KING kumar .
3) SRK’s best buddy karan johar working with mr. PERFECTIONIST as aamir khan .
Very sad news srk fans .
yeh log to praise karenge hee .after all they are from the same fraternity…how can they bad mouth the film???
@ Hina
I am thankful for your compliments. Its like getting appreciated by a younger sister :)
agreed about Chak De being SRK’s best work. I also liked Dil Se alot (although it doomed at the indian BO) and RNBDJ was the worst from him in recent years.
good news for us
My Name Is Khan In Huge Demand Overseas
Tuesday 9th February 2010 09.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
My Name Is Khan may well create a stampede at the box office in International markets going by the demand for prints across all International markets.
The film is looking to release on over 550 prints. My Name Is Khan is looking at a 200 print release in North America and also a humungous 200 plus prints in Europe. Normally Europe has around 75 prints for a big release with 50 going to United Kingdom and around 25 for rest of Europe.
My Name Is Khan due to the craze of Shahrukh Khan in Europe will have 100 prints in United Kingdom alone and over 100 in the rest of Europe. The film is in huge demand in Germany and Poland.
The gulf region is expected to see a 50 print release while Australia is around 30 prints. My Name Is Khan has the potential to become the first film to cross the 100 crore mark from international markets if it lives up to the enormous hype it has created in Overseas markets.
kohi kuch nahi bigarsakta srk ko dipen jo jidhar jaye karan amir ke sath jake aur farah akshey sath.. no problems.. he is still best and will best ever………
king of bollywood shahrukh khan roxxxxxx
Dipen dont worry abt SRK if none of any director or producer will sign him he can produce and direct his own movie .
he has money more than Karan J , Aditya Ch , Farah khan and Farhan Akhtar.
yes u r right mr. nauman …
srk ko kohi hara nahi sakta..he is the best……
Dipen Sen
oh! no!! no ! no! no! keh do ye sab jhoooth hai!
mujhe vishwash hai ki srk ko koi na koi movie mil hi jayegi.”
hey! dipen! ab bas kar kuch naya dhund kar la srk ki burai ke liye.
wow adii … good answer for idiot dipen..
king ko kohi rok nahi sakta film khelne se…