We’ve never really been huge fans of Karan Johar films – Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was good, K3G was okay, KANK was terrible. Hence we were slightly cynical about My Name Is Khan.
But the film is special for several reasons; it has one of the biggest stars in the country playing a not-so-perfect character and two, SRK and Kajol return for what could be their last outing together. Do they recreate on-screen magic with MNIK? Read on to find out.
Rizwan Khan (Shahrukh Khan) suffering from Asperger’s syndrome, moves to San Francisco after spending most of his life in Mumbai. Here he comes across Mandira (Kajol), a charming lady who steals his heart away. They get married and start a business together. Everything that’s happy and perfect suddenly turns upside down and turmoil starts creeping into his life after the 9/11 attacks. Muslims, now seen as idols of evil, devastates the life of Rizwan. Confused and upset of loosing his dignity and love, he embarks on a touching journey to win back his love.
What works for My Name Is Khan
- MNIK is inarguably Karan Johar’s best work to date. Its the simplicity of his narration that works for the film. There are times when certain scenes get over-dramatic, but Karan can be forgiven, simply because he gets it right more often than not.
- The Asperger’s disorder that Karan’s protagonist suffers from, works big time in favour of the film as you cheer for Rizwan Khan all through. Its the character’s innocence, charm and niceness that you willingly let your heart go out to him.
- Aided by the magical chemistry that SRK-Kajol share, the love story works like a dream.
- The music is good, Tere Naina and Noor-e-Khuda are the best tracks in the album. Karan has sensibly avoided lip synced song and dance routines.
- The dialogues (Shibani Bathija and Niranjan Iyengar) are effective and funny when its meant to be.
- Cinematography is excellent. Ravi K Chandran has captured San Fransisco very well.
Scenes to watch out for
- Almost all scenes involving Rizwan Khan – him selling products, first meets Mandira (Kajol), hospital scene, after the wedding – to name a few, all exceptionally well executed and equally well performed.
- Scenes following the tragedy.
- SRK – Kajol romantic portions in the first half are cute.
Some negatives
- While Karan in MNIK has tried his best to break away from the so-called filmi formula, he does succumb to the temptation on more than one occasion. (More on this later)
- The climax doesn’t work.
- The character actors don’t get much scope.
Performances
- Khan is King and he proves just why with a performance comparable to some of his best – Chak De and Swades. In MNIK, SRK the star is hardly visible, its Rizwan Khan all through. We think, its the greatest compliment you could ever give to an actor.
- Kajol is fantastic. She effortlessly slips into Mandira, her character and stays there through the film. The chemistry she shares with SRK is electrifying, not that we expected anything less anyway.
- Child Artistes : Both Tanay Chheda (young Rizwan Khan) and Yuvaan Makaar (Sameer) do well.
- The rest – Jimmy Shergill, Vinay Pathak, Sonya Jehan, Zarina Wahab – don’t get enough scope.
Overall, My Name Is Khan is an entertaining film that makes you laugh and shed a couple of tears. Its a journey that’s worth the price of your ticket and a bit more.
Rating: 
3 for the film, 1 for SRK and Kajol, they were brilliant!
@akash to akki….why fool people…MNIK is smashing records…seems like u fan of aamir khan or that brainless akshay kumar….why spread wrong newz..as if u surveyed all indore to collect this news…forget indore…in kolkata wherre SRK dz not garner much audience…cinema’s are booked till tuesday….houseful both multiplex and single screens….so plzzz keep ur economics to urself!
THE BEST MOVIE MADE TILL DATE IN HINDI CINEMA….STARTS AS A MOVIE…ENDS AS AN XPERIENCE!AWESUM…DNT GET FOOLED BY STUPID AAMIR FANS….ITS ROCKING EVERYWERE….MEDIA IF PROMOTED 3 IDIOTYS…NO ONE MADE A HUE AND CRY BUT MEDIS PROMOTING MNIK…WHY ARE AAMIR/AKSHAY FANS DISTURBED…CHILL GUYS…MNIK IS 100 TIMES BETTER THAN 3 IDIOTS AND WILL BE A BENCHMARK FOR INDIAN CINEMA!
bt if u say did u like mnik..my answer wl b a big no.i didnt like da movie.ofcourse there is sme few scenes which is very touchy n emotional.specialy da mosque scene n da scene btn rizwan n jenny n if u r an imotional prsn u wl cry during da song of noor e khuda.otherwise it’s a one time watch movie.3/5
Biggest Flop for SRK….
Trade publicists may be declaring 100% openings for MNIK but if it’s opened 100%, it’s certainly not in the country of India where it is more noise than actual box office weight at this point.
The typical response in single screen/smaller centers for My Name is Khan is more like 8% not 80%. For example, Tarun cinema in Durg (Chattisgarh) has no more than 8% bookings for MNIK coming up. And this can be verified immediately by calling 09329108274 or visiting. In Cinemagic in Bikaner (Rajasthan), the Friday evening collections are around 10% which is also extremely poor.
It is true the film has opened to good collections of 80%+ in Bangalore and Hyderabad multiplexes and Delhi , but it is also true that in other extreme parts many multiplexes don’t have bookings of even 30% despite not having any shiv sena there. For example Fame Highlandpark in Calcutta has no more than 30% bookings right now (Friday evening 6PM IST). And this too can be verified directly at the theater.
Overall all the publicity apart, MNIK is having an average Friday outside of 3-4 metros where it has opened well. The film can still pick up or it can crash tomorrow even further. But its decisive indicator will be Monday. As where the bookings are good, they were similar for Kurbaan (the flop on similar theme) last November also, and Kurbaan released on massive prints before sinking away. So monday will be first major indicator as to whether the movie is a similar loser, earner or a disastrous sunk reject commercially.
@ Zakir
Read the rest of IBOS, and youll discover the immense hatred they have for SRK, going as far as to call him anti-hindu. At least use neutral sources for information on its box offic collections. They may be partially correct, I too am finding hard to believe that there have been 100% openings in all the parts MNIK has opened, but there information is biased against SRK.
it is really a great movie, powerfull performance by SRK and Kajol.
excellent direction and a fresh story.
the most important thing in movie was performances, SRK proves that why he is king, i think this role is only for SRK he was outstanding in every scene in the movie he was so perfect and it is the most powerfull acting by Kajol also she was really good. rest of the cast was also good.
we cannt compare 3 idiots and MNIK,both are totally different .
****/5 .
i am sure it will be a blockbuster.
mnik can turn a average movie not more then that, sure abt it in india……………….
i want 2 ask one question who believe dat it wl break da record of 3 idiots..what do u think abt da repeat value of mnik?i thnk it dnt hav da repeat value lyk 3 idiots.even it dnt hav da quality 2 appeal da mass.so there is no chance 2 brk da record of 3 idiots.bt it wl do huge busi bcoz of huge buzz creating by news chanels.
Though I hate SRK big time, But must say the only good thing about MNIK is SRK only.
He got his Best role till date and justified it fully. This is SRK’s Best Performance till date.
Now, coming to Movie. I have mixed feelings, but more of my feelings are on positive side.
The movie is good, but it does not have any entertainment value. Plus, the movie will go well with Muslims only and those who enjoy serious but sensible films.
Story is good, so is direction. The song Noor-e-Khuda is the highlight of the movie.
Most of them might have liked first half but for
me, it was very boaring. The movie picks up when SRK goes on to his Inspirational Journey.
Kajol looks very old and fat. She should now peacefully retire.
Overall good movie, but only coz of SRK. Though i dont like him, but
u will surely love RIZWAN KHAN.
My ratings are always audience based. So, as an Audience I rate it
***(3/5)
@Indicine- gr8 review……… agree wid u completely….. only felt dat d muvi could hav been shorter…… bt SRK’s brilliant performance covered it!!!!!! Though being a salman fan, i loved d muvi…… i’ll give it 4/5!!!
@Nauman- querida su crítica!!!! hope u’ll get it……….. odrwise i’ll tell u!!!!!!!
@Hina- Rajiv gave 3.5/5……. watched it 2day……. n frankly speaking liked it…… it’s a really gud movie……
Now coming to Boxoffice. The Controversy has helped film big big big time. MNIK promos were dull and boaring. Neither any songs are chartbusters.
But, with Shiv Sena Controversy MNIK became the talk of the Nation, or should I say issue of the nation?
Dont know how Box office are reporting 100% collection in NCR region.
I watched it in MOVIE TIME, NEW DELHI 6.15pm show and it was just
15-20% occupancy. If u dont believe call dem and ask occupancy for 6.15 show.
Media & critics always support SRK and his films. How Nikhat Kazmi
rated it *****(5 stars)? Its shocking.
I over heard 2 guys talking at KFC.
One says “Chal yar MNIK dekhte hain”
Other says “Mere friends bata rahe
the ki faaltu movie hai”
So, 1st guys said “How come 5 stars then?”
2nd guy replied back “Paise khilaye honge. SRK to humesha paise khilata hai aur Controversy bhi mujhe ek publicity stunt lag rahi hai”
See, by this u can Judge wat people about SRK and MNIK. I also
believe that Critics and Media People always supports SRK. When
shitty films like OSO & RNBDJ was rated 3 and half stars, then 5 stars was not an exception from Nikhat Kazmi.
Regarding audience reaction, it was mixed. The film does not have a repeat value. In India it will do
max 100 cr. nett. Could be less also.
Lets wait and watch. Now the Box
Office collections will also be exaggerated for sure ;-)
seems d movie is going to do really grt business in abroad..it may even attract many more main stream audience from those countries…d controversy surrounding the movie already a big news among news channel like all zajeera….
in india situation is still volatile nw bt aftr d weekend i guess there will be nt a big drop at collection
btw veer collection now aprox 47 cr nett and 107 cr gross(for those who r interested)
VICKY,
u r right.
promos r very boring n impactless.
bt shivsena controversy creat big hype.
all news channels regularly frm 10 days,24 hours
promote mnik.
they left giving news n promote MNIK regular.
i sure they promote it till 2 weeks.
@prity i think so…source is Veer movie wikipedia
Mnik is rocking throuhout the world. It has smashed all the records overseas.
Mystic River: Look what Veer’s page on Wikipedia says now. Anyone can edit it, I think you probably edited it and just made it seem like the movie is an above average fare. Cmon we all know veer is a below average fare dude.
Please everyone.. don’t believe what these “jealous” ppl say here.. what some haters say here.. that Shahrukh created all this or it’s a publicity stunt.. whatever stupid thing they say and they “believe” what they say!!!
Now if we’ve a brain to think.. how come someone would harm himself.. would do anything to stop (his movie) releasing?!!!!!!! If Shahrukh became mad with Karan Johar so this could be right!! and Shahrukh or Karan Johar don’t need this cheap way to promote their movie.. right?
I think some guys who say this are mad and don’t know how to think or what to say just to defeat Shahrukh and his movies.. and yeah.. now the movie is doing well, everyone liked it, everyone is praising it and there’s a craze for the movie everywhere.. and the “haters” r so angry for the success and they just don’t know how to react!! don’t know what to say!!
People came out in Mumbai and went to watch the movie.. they’ve defeated Shiv Senha.. those ppl could never stop the movie or stop ppl from watching it.
movie is good but only for 1 time..mnik doesn’t have repeat material..it cld be shorter.
in some scenes u’ll find sharukh overreacting.
@Anonymous dont be soo pathetic …those kind of cheap thing may cross ur mind bt nt mine…i do live my life with dignity….i found it in veer page so posted it …. said anything just post it for those who need it…if u dnt believe dn u dnt hv to pocking my nose….
nd its nt dt simple to edit nd post…they do hv some credential…as far i knw dis things also varified by them…check d collection of other previous movie…u will get it straight…..anyways sorry for being rude…bt its really hard to tolerate if someone use false allegations.
blv me guys..i dun hate sharukhh..bt i must say truth..MNIK is maximum 3 star movie..its not for masses..fun living ppl ‘ll simply hate it. you can say it is just a time pass flick.
@ Fathiya
I totally agree with u. some srk haters are so jelous of the success of movie and they can’t control their emotions. Srk is the pride of bollywood and he has proved this again.
I think its time for Salman fans to shut the F up.
You are trying to prove that Salman is for masses but ask yourselves why multiplex audience stay away from his movies?>?? Thats becos the quality of his films has been soooo poor! 1 hit in 15 films… so many disasters which noone watched… not even his fans. mnik has done well on single screens too its 80% opening.
and you all are struggling to prove that Veer did 45 crores…My name is khan will beat the entire lifetime net of Veer in 3 days… beat that!!!!
Dear bloggers,
I have just watched MNIK in Sydney. Its nice movie showing the heroism of protoganist ‘Rizvan Khan” to bring back his love “Mandira’ and the good will he lost being “Khan” post 9/11. Karan Johar movies are always feel good type, I enjoyed all his movies, what I don’t like is he always made movies for NRI but still have to admit about his versatality as every people back home do get connectedwith his movies. When it comes to performance Kajol is relegated to back seat this time, though she is wouderful but this one is clearly SRK’s show and he is simply outstanding. 1st half is better and second is good with minor flaws. Now comparing with Kurbaan, the last outing from the stable of KJO, I would say the earlier one has bit serious theme with disturbing ending while this one bit light hearted. I would say despite of media bashing “Kurbaan” a better movie than MNIK. I know you would hate me for this but thats my personal opinion. The way Saif underplay his character and still manages to show his anger, love, delimma and pain was immensly wounderful. Compliment for SRK is he managed to match the winning performance of Saif. Let’s compare with 3 idiots as well, please don’t mind but I personally enjoyed 3 idiots more than MNIK though performance wise SRK gets more scope to show his histornincs in MINK comparitively hence his performance will draw more attention during awards ceremony next year. Movie got fantastic paid previews. Fridays saws the one of the biggest opening which was well supported by hype it draws due to SRK-Shiva Sena conflicts. Well it will be interestiing to see if manages to surpass GAJINI but its almost certain it will be the third movie to gross 100 crore net in bollywood history though its almost impossible for this one to match the revenue collected by 3 IDIOTS. Best of luck to KJO and SRK as well as Kajol. You guys made good movie with good intention, we hope to see more like this from you guys, keep it up. Cheers.
@Fathiya ..It is the cheapest publicity stunt I have seen in my life.N really I thought u were thoughtful person but SRK has fooled all of u.He is not worthy of even being called a humanbeing.If he really wanted to support Pakistani Players he would have selected them in the auction.I will watch MNIK tomorrow just 4 kajol.N truth will come out dun worry ALLAH knows hearts better.N mark my word no Pakistani Player will be allowed to play IPL.I really feel sorry dat u like such a person…
@ Suneil
I am a Salman fan, but I completely agree with u!! 1 hit in 15 movies is ridiculous. It is just a combination of poor choice of script and part of it is his popularity is a little overrated. For example, as far as I know LD got good reviews. Salman’s performance got good reviews for LD too but it still ended up being below average. What happened to his popularity and fan following then?
@suniel b ready to hear music 4rm salman fans..just remembr u r d initiator…whre most of us r promoting mnik nd srk ..u simply dragd salman khn into dis…tell srk to gve 15 flop nd stil cary dt super star status..beat that?
@
Mystic River..Well I agree SRK can never beat that.. because he is too good, popular and smart an actor to do something like that and by like that I mean give 15 flops!!
Acha @suniel…lets c…MNIK is jus ok flick…only thng nice abou it is sharuk’s acting….Veer ws more masala. nd i dnt care about ne actor or box office,i just wnt 2 clear dat MNIK is overhyped nd shud dissapear in a weeks time definitely….people in d theatre in bangalore were sleeping nd some of them just went out nd nevr cam bck.. It is nt for evryone…documentary.ISHQIYA is far bettr
@ Deepak
I think you are just a SRK hater. I am not the biggest SRk fan, but I gotta give him his due credit. he is probabl one of the most, if not the most popular stars in india and not only that he has given some knockout performances in his career, with MNIK arguably being his best!
I say we should put a bet, Deepak. MNIK will not dissappear in a week. Infact I say that during the second weeks, the collections will fall only about 30-35% unlike Veer which fell like 80% in week 2
If you are wrong, just admit you were and I don’t want to hear your biased reviews and comments again on Indicine. If I am wrong, I will admit so and never comment on here again!
What do you say? Are you man enough? lolz