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!
What superstar status are you talking about?
Yuvraaj – bad opening.. disaster
Main Aurr Mrs Khanna – less than 8 crores opening week.. disaster
London Dreams – flop
God Tussi Great Ho – disaster
Wanted and Veer saved him. But just think.. put any actor SRK / Aamir / Hrithik / Akshay in the same movie and it would have done 50 crores more….
I like salman too but his choice of scripts is really poor. Akshays is worse but he atleast has the backing of multiplex audience… salman has lost that too…
mystic river – srk will never beat that pathetic record of sallu… noone cares about a salman flop but hrithik or srk or aamir flop would be huge news. thats why they are the biggest and best
Hi there everyone
i have just seen the much talked(by media)film mnik and let me tell you srk has done good job compare to his all career!the film is ok and it deserves maximum 2.5 stars!dont think it was that brilliant film!was an ok film!
Poor Salman! Here we are talking about MNIK and u guys drag Salman Khan into it? Jeez talk about mega biffs for the guy who does not know we even exist! The issue here is MNIK so ppl talk bout it. I actually wanted to go and watch it but five of my friends came back from the cinema hissing about it being boring so I for one am not going to spen £7.50 to watch it unless I get a free ticket which is unlikely. Hit or no hit bottom line is that Salman still remains one of the top actors in India so ppl…talk about MNIK and the fact that SRK may have run his course. I like SRK but I am so disappointed at all the media nonsense. If he had selected PAKI players and made that comment, I would have respected him as it it is I feel it was just a way of creating hype and believe me I do not think MNIK will be a hit but an average movie. Its funny how the movie is getting good reviews from critics and most Indians here in the UK who have seen the movie, majority of my friends here are calling it a pathetic movie! I like his films but based on what I have heard, I am not going to see it! No way am I wasting that money. So why don’t we wait and see what the film has to offer? I wish SRK luck cause I think he is a fab actor but one thing I know is that a having a number of hits does not make u a star (Salman, whom u all r dissing here has proven that), funny how Salman is the most searched Indian celebrity on the internet…for a “supposed washed out star” thats a tremendous achievement lol!!!!
So SRK fans, relax no sweat, no need to defend urselves if u all are so sure….MNIK is going to rock:)
Its only a couple of days and we will know!
Meanwhile did I mention I am a die hard fan of Salman and Amir Khan…they totally rock! Beat Salman Khan’s record….SRK should, but beat Amir Khan? In ur dreams people!
So lets wait and C……MNIK: Hit or no Hit? Matter of time…till then I definetly am not going to see it cause..people here who have seen it have been calling it boring….! Really Sad cause I looked forward to it and was waiting eagerly to see Kajol and SRK. And since u all decided to bring Sallu and Amir into it, let me tell u all that as far as I am concerned Veer and 3 idiots rocked totally….!
MNIK – My Review
Every life is a journey…pain; joy; love; hate, all are like milestones along the road. Starting points are different, destinations are different and even rout maps a re different as well, but irrespective of these differences, the four milestones are there in each and every journey. MNIK is nothing but such a journey, and what a journey it is !!! A journey of Smiles & Tears, Realism & Exaggeration, Love & Hate. This journey is not only physical, but has a beautiful soul in it as well.
First thing First, As a Muslim, I can confidently say that this is the most Pro-Muslim movie ever from bollywood. The references of Quran and Hadith are 100% relevant and correct. There are only few things which are not properly propagated…
A. Zakat is not applicable to non-muslims. But charity is very much allowed. A little bit more research in this aspect could’ve made the makers use the word charity or help instead of Zakat. Anyways this is just lack of accuracy and not at all a negative portrayal of Muslims.
B. The marriage between Muslim and Non-Muslim issue. Not allowed in Islam. But what can we say? majority of Muslims in Bollywood are married to non-muslims.
Mind it…Both of these issues are not at all portraying negative image of Muslims in anyway. Its just a lack of understanding. Otherwise Muslims have never been projected in a more positive way than MNIK. Even the Pakistani film “Khuda Key Liye” had more negativity about Muslims than MNIK.
Honestly speaking, when I saw the trailers of the movie, i thought that SRK is going to be way over-the-top in this role (as he has a tendency to do so). But I must admit that this is the very first time when I feel that he really deserves awards for this performance. I rate this performance by SRK above Chak De or Swades or a=for that matter any of his earlier performances. In a role that could easily made him go over-the-top, he restrains himself beautifully and literally makes you fall in love with his character. One of the rare characters for whom you really feel. In my humble opinion, this is his best work ever and this should work big-time in further strengthening his position.
Frankly speaking, I didn’t like Kajol’s performace that much. Well its not bad at all, but she has been doing much better than this. The scene where she tells Rizwan Khan to leave…well the scene was well written and well executed, but I felt that Kajol has gone a bit to loud and glimpses of over-performance. She looks elegant though.
The support cast is as good as it was allowed to be !!!
Direction wise, this is definitely Karan’s best work. No second opinion on this. Execution might seem a bit slow-paced to a few, but it is this execution which makes MNIK something special and unique. Loved it.
Dialogues are nicely written. Few of them are out-standing. (for example… “Namaz jagah aur logo’n sey nahi…Niyyat sey parhi jati hey” & “meri ammi ka dil kuch zaroorat sey zyada hi bara ho gaya tha”)
Music was in sync with the narrative and thank God there was no lip-syncing.
There are a few small aspects though which (if handled differently) could’ve enhanced the impact even further…
1. The scene at the church where Rizwan speaks in Urdu and everyone understands him is hard to swallow. If you notice there is another scene later on in the film where Sonia Jehan (Rizwan’s sister in law) started wearing Hijab again. In this scene she’s speaking in English but Urdu is over-dubbed on it. Now that makes sense. If the church scene was also handled similarly it could’ve been better.
2. I don’t know why, but the climax could’ve been better.
3. I personally feel that rizwan’s relationship with his brother should’ve been a bit more deeply defined.
4. The short episode of Rizwan gettign stabbed seems unnecessary.
Anyways…these are just minor things…which are minimal in front of the simplicity of the narrative, good story, brilliant execution and SRK’s career-best performance.
at the B.O. the curiosity factor and the wait of SRK fans will ensure a grand opening and then the movie itself has enough spunk to make it a Block Buster. Though i don’t think that it can break the records of 3 idiots at all, as the entertainment quotient and repeat value of this film is far less than 3 idiots.
For now, grab the tickets; soften up your heart and enjoy the spiritual journey of Rizwan Khan, who is not a terrorist.
My Rating: A confident 4/5
i went in ere uk to watch mnik and why mr taran darsh givin those figures i dont understand.its beyond my imagination the advance bookin is very poor and half and i get taicket when i went to cinema hall!dont knw wot the media is tryn to prove!and i have checked in birmingham london southhall manchester responds to the film its very poor compare to other srks past releases over the years!it hasnt broke any records as mr taran sayin!
@Akhlaq Bahe ..Very diplomatic review just like Shahrukh :) Anyways how was the audience reaction? N one thing u mentioned two points on top which u said are just mere misunderstandings.Just tell me if a 12 yrs old muslim kid sees this will he follow above two points or will he follow his own religion???? There is a huge question ?? N these are two basic points of Islam if basis are that weak what can I say about the other things the references n dat stuff ??? Really I am shocked by ur review.
No doubt MNIK will be a well made movie.Coz best ppl are working together.But if they don’t make the basic things correct then they need to look into their work.Many muslims-non-muslims marriages are there in Bollywood but dat is their personal issue.They have a right they are a secular country.But when dealing with Global religion u need to be correct 100%.Margin of error is zero in such cases.You know better than me Marriage is 50% faith in Islam.N Zakat is one of 5 pillars of Islam.
Much disappointed by ur Review this time..You gave Veer 2.5 but u made valid points I loved ur review at that time.I didn’t pin-point any review coz they were all indians n they dunnu the facts but u should have kept in mind.
In Khuda K liye Shan wants to marry a mon-muslim but he explains the concept n then acts upon it.Similarly,Iman Ali’s Nikah is cancelled coz she plays a non-muslim who is forcefully married to a muslim.If it is negativity then wrong mis-conceptions are positive in MNIK???????????
Hello Indicine Team,
Thanks for your rating of 4 star!! Because most of the people wont respect Raja sen review of Rediff and many more website But they like your review because yours reviews are un-Biased.
Iam the very biggest fan of Shahrukh Khan on earth. I watched My Name Is Khan 4 times in Dubai!!. (Thursday 2 shows + Friday 2 shows)!. Iam proud to be a fan of Shahrukh Khan who constantly giving Superhits in all his movies. I hope this movie has the stamina to bring OSCARS to India!!!.
Here is my speicial Review:
The whole movie concept based on below points
1) There are only two kind of people in the world – Good people who do good deeds, Bad people who do bad deeds and there is no other difference
2) It projects the importance of Charity (as mentioned in the Quran as compulsory for every one)
3) It also projects that GOD never look to the color or wealth, GOD only looks to your heart and Intentions. Which is again mentioned in Quran in several places but often people in the world overlook these verses!!!
4) If anyone kills an Innocent person then it is as if he killed the entire mankind and If anyone saves a person it is as if he saved the entire mankind as mentioned in the Quran chapter 22.
5) The power of Love is far greater than the power of hatred. With Love you can achieve anything but Hatred only multiplies your issues.
Everytime whenever a movie on Islam is made, It deals with vengence or fight or bombings. And projecting Pakistan as a definition to the Islam which is totally wrong!!!. You should understand the religion by reading books and not by seeing bad people of the community.
I cannot judge Hinduism by seeing the activities of Shivsena/VHP, In the sameway we should not judge Christianity by seeing the activities of Bush/hitler, But why dont we apply the same rule to islamic terrorists like OSAMA???. (There is nothing called ISLAMIC TERRORIST because the word doesnt exist….because ISLAM means Peace and Submission to GOD and Terrorist means who makes evil act.)
Iam going to watch again and again and again….This is like another DDLJ for me from Shahrukh Khan!!! Iam sure Shahrukh Khan will get an oscar this time which Aamir failed twice with Lagaan and Taare Zameen par.
@Hina,
Marrying non-muslim is wrong in Islam but it is not COMPULSORY that you shouldnt marry either…. For eg: Drinking Alcohol is also prohibited in Islam but there are millions of muslims drink alcohal but no one says they are not muslims!!!.. But giving Charity is one of the five pillars of Islam hence projected in MNIK promptly!!!!! And there is another verse in Quran which says there is no compulsion in Religion so if you want to satisfy this condition, you cannot force a hindu whom you have married to convert to islam or simply dont marry nonmuslim..either of 2 options…
Hope My Name Is Khan movie unites the world to one!!! InshaAllah!! Allah ki Raah Rehmath ki Rah hai!!!
@ Hina,
dear sis, before i comment on your comment, I would really like to clarify a few things over here, as i dont want my younger sis to have any misconception about me.
1. In my point regarding Zakat, I have not written that the makers have sent the right message or that people should ignore this point, neither did i ignore it. If i wanted to ignore it, why would i highlight it in my review. I have only written that “if the makers had researched a bit more, they would’ve known that Zakat and Help are two different things and by research they could’ve known to use the word help (sadqa) instead of zakat. By saying so, i am not justifying the wrong portrayal, i’m just highlighting the reason of this wrong portrayal.
2. Same in the case of non-muslim marriage. I’m not trying to justify it. What i meant by saying “what can we say, most of the muslims in bollywood are married to non-muslims” I meant that the people who are not practicing it in their real life…how can they be expected to portray it in a movie. This again, was not an attempt of justification. I pointed it out in my review only because I know its wrongly portrayed and i want others to know.
3. you have said that i have termed this wrong portryal of these two points as “mere misunderstanding”. Sorry sis, but these are not the words i have used. I have used “Lack of understanding”. There is a huge difference between “mere misunderstanding” and “lack of understanding”. If i had used “mere misunderstanding, then it would’ve meant that this wrong portrayal is just a small thing for me which doesn’t matter. But by saying that its lack of understanding … i mean the makers have not done their research properly.
4. I have not at all said that these two points are justifiable at all. I wanted to mention these two points in the “negatives” of the film. but only because of “your particular” comment yesterday where you said you would like a review from me as a muslim as well…only because of that i highlighted these points before the rest of the review.
5. I just said that unlike the other movies based on 9/11 issue, where Muslims were always shown as negative and terrorist, MNIK refrains from this.
I hope this would clarify the earlier perception you had about my review.
oh yeah … and Sis…calling someone as “Diplomatic” is quite a rude thing to do…I mean why would i be diplomatic. if SRK is being diplomatic…he might do so to get his film hit or to gain cheap publicity. Why would I be diplomatic. Will i get a reward by Indicine or anyone else for writing such a review or will i become a hero by doing so. No body here knows me in person…so there is no point of building a fake image for myself.
Whatever i wrote was what i honestly felt. and i really hope that the wrong perception u had about my review is removed now. I know why you said so…cause you might’ve felt hurt being a muslim due to the misconception you had about my review. Relax sis, Alhamd-o-Lillah I am a 5 waqt ka namazi and an actively practicing Muslim. Have read complete Tafseer and no movie can confuse my concepts about Islam.
Take care. Fajar honey wali hey. namaz parh key I’ll doze off.
Just back watching MNIK..I would say its not a movie..its well made documentary about Muslim Culture….Karan has presented it very well…and he knows how to connect audience with emotional..but its much yarr..I live in USA..an here is no racism..but they have shown muslim got hate by american in school,at work, bussiness,everywhere..and this is not true….i feel bad on this they have shown bad about american people…only praised for muslim….Im in doubt this one might get in controversy in days to come….
BLOCK BUSTER MOVIE……that’s what all the people who watched and critics are saying………..it’s gong to be the biggest hit movie in the hindi cinema history……….SRK RULES………..
is any colletion nwes about mni?
@ Suniel
u STFU, why u bringin up da past. u idiot. who cares how many flops Salman has delivered he is still a superstar. so many of dem flop films were special appearances. atleast he makes films with new directors. many of the big actors stick to a few, Amir being an exception. dont talk nonsense. Most of da superstars in Bollywood r remebered for dere films, Salman is not just remembered for his films but for me and many others we love him coz of da way he iz.
am sorry i had to post dis comment here. i know dis is a MNIK page.
btw i went to watch MNIK on thurs. good film 3.75/5
since u people have brought sallu bhai in middle then listen sallu never takes d helf of media and critics he stands on his own terms and u want taran and boi are saying whatever they want to mumbai multiplex 100% opening and single screen very strong dis was an update for yesterday 1.00 pm but fact was there was only 1 show and single screen is not screen is not screening the movie so how is it strong and u know 12+ wil be collection of today kaha se unke baap ko bhi nahin pata
@Hina- one thing i can guarantee u, dat’s khuda kay liye was better dan mnik……. n der is no doubt in dat!!!
Excellent movie. Srk is the king of world. Its everywhere srk. I have seen mnik two times and i am going to watch this again and again.
wat a bad film it ws. im realy vry much diappointed wid it.
Akhlaq
Nice review.
Indicine
can u tell me what is collection of Friday? MNIK
srk says in movie,
my name is khan n i m not a terrorist
bt i m actually a gay wid d director of mnik,karan
n also wid arjun rampal,manish malhotra,ritesh……………………………………
Hina: how could u accuse SRK this way? that shows that you’re a big hater and u just believe in whatever u read on websites or hear from others!!! What’s your proof for that? Well I don’t understand all the rules in playing crickets or any game or IPL because I’m not interested in all these stuff and know nothing about the rules.. what they should or shouldn’t do..what I could pick up from what I read in some websites and what I heard Shahrukh was saying on NDTV that he didn’t commit any crime and didn’t say anything bad to apologize for Shiv Senha! and what does that all to do with releasing his movie?!! no relevant at all.. right? IPL or any problem relates to cricket is an issue and his movie is another issue!! that proves the amount of (hate) in Shiv Senh’s heart for Shahrukh and his group too.. and he said: is it a crime to say that Pakistani players to join the IPL!! can’t remember all the sentences he said but I could understand what was going on..he said that he thought he’s living in a democratic country and now he’s scared to say any word or to express his opinion or feelings about anything.. might hurt ppl!
@anonymous, i m man enough….bt u r following sharuk whos provd tim nd again wid karan wat he is….so plss keep ur fingers intact while typing…i dnt wnt to tok about it more….its just dt i dint like d movie as mch as u guys did…its nt dat i m shruk hater….i hav loved all his films previously…nd even in MNIK i loved his acting. Its just dat d film dint enlighten me so mch…no furthr comments r required buddy…PEACE
@HINA, well said all critics proved that they can give any star to even a worst film if they r paid by producers or actors otherwise they will misguide ppls.
srk is not king.
he is gay wid karan,arjun,manish malhotra……………………(gay group)
n also wid media.
thts y media love srk.
very disappointed by the Movie.
But i was expecting 4/5 from indicine…coz media /websites is following SRK like dogs..so indicine is 1 of them…Delete my comment NO PROB..but if u dare then accept the truth Indicine Guys.
Hina:
you are very nice and talented girl , i never seen a girl from pakistan who has carze abt movies like this. you also hv good knowledge about movies. But, one thing is very bad in your nature which i felt.
that without watching a movie u start figting with those people who already watched it.
about Veer when i told u story and positive negative points you started screaming on me no u r wrong , no u r akki fan , no u cant post Veer’s review , no u r biased. yaar pahle movie to dekh le phir baat karna.
same case MNIK , i told u that i accept that muslims boys can’t get marry with hindu girl ( they can marry with Christine girl) and they cant give Zakat to non muslim as well, but in movie in very 1st scene of SRK’s childhood his mom told her .
there is no muslim no hindu in this world
there are only 2 peoples good people and bad people.
from that time SRK didnt care about any religion.
Jimmy Shergill stoped him to marry with Kajol and he mentioned that Kajol is hindu ,and this is not Legal in Islam but he said same word bad people good people.
about Zakat same case , he didnt think who is muslim who is non muslim, he thought only one thing that those 9/11 effected people were innocent .
plz watch movie then say any thing.
Fathiya ur not Indian how come u know all the conditions of india
then it simply proves that u too beleiving what in internet and others say
dont point out to anyone
Hina…have u watched the movie?Or have a plan to watch?
And muslim non muslim..marriage that’s a big issue..
But u know Hina..ur country is a muslim country..so that’s better..
But as India is a secular country..so it’s very tough to mention the communal harmony..among diiferent peoples..it’s a challenge..
so on tha respect..it’s better to promote secularism even in the film..otherwise differences ‘ll be increased among them..N there r so many religions..it’s tough for them(Dires) also to follw the aspects of each of those..
Prashant
if any critic will give MNIK less then 3.5 star he will be paid by anti srk group.
Karan mentioned and cleared every single thing in this movie. this movie is well researched ,
just he forgot to clear time period and it should be bock ground voice in whole movie by SRK.
music could be better and 1 , 2 songs more.
nothing else is negative.
Akhlaq Bhai again aap bazi maar gae review dene main.
perfect
Nauman..well said about the Mnik..ya His mom taught so he never followed..
And tha’s gd for our country..also..
Nauman u r very open minded that’s really nice..
Hina..from her point of view is right..but she does not know the problems of a secular country..