My Name is Khan : Was it a worthy endeavour to bag a National Award ?

Rizwan Khan : I want to see the President of the United States
Security Incharge : Why ? Is he a friend of yours ?
Rizwan : No No. He is not a friend of mine. I have something to say to him.

That is Karan Johar's My Name is Khan, his most flawless & perfect film till date. The MNIK trailer which released in the 2009 year end attracted the attention of most of the public as well as the critics. " Oh ! Damn ! another film based on 9/11 tragedy after Kurbaan. "  was one such comment displaying negation about the film since Kurbaan starring Saif Ali Khan & Kareena Kapoor proved to be a box-office debacle. Although people mistook MNIK to be a film on terrorism judging from the famous one liner from the movie where Shah Rukh says " My Name is Khan And I am Not a terrorist ", it wasn't one.

So the question is was that film worthy enough to receive a National Award ?

Yes, MNIK was different & innovative. Firstly, it being a Karan Johar film, itself promises a emotionally-powerful experience. Secondly, it brought the much coveted offscreen couple SRK & Kajol together after a long span of 9 years. And Thirdly, SRK had shed off his usual superstar persona & essayed the role of an autistic for the first time in his career.

Yeah, it must have required a sheer amount of hard work & dedication. Bearing a strong resemblance to Russell Crowe's role as schizophrenic in Ron Howard's ' A Beautiful Mind ', Shah Rukh Khan managed to pull it off quite well & enacted the role of an Asperger's Syndrome victim with subtlety. Sources say that he used to live as the character of the film even at his own residence only to perfect himself more & more.

As far as the sensitive & riveting storyline, outstanding direction & lead actor's extraordinary brilliance put into the film was concerned, the films had all its points up as the contender for a National Award. As far as the story of the film is taken into view, if you listen to it verbally it sounds too naive since story of an autistic who goes on a journey to win back his love sounds a little boring but it wasn't. Instead it was powerful & poignant.

Overall, on the celluloid , the movie is a love story; a genre where Johar has expressed his mastery before in collaboration with Shah Rukh in films like Kuch Kuch Hota Hain, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham & Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. However main focus of his previously directed ventures was on human relationships; may it be a father-son relationship or may it be showing an extra-martial affair .

However, MNIK was bigger & dealt with some real-life issues, adding a religious flavour to it. The plotline is engaging as it progresses. Rizwan Khan suffering from Asperger's Syndrome stays with his mother & brother in Mumbai. " There are only two types of people in this world. The good & the evil. There exists no other difference " Zarina Wahab who plays Rizwan's ammi gives him the most important lesson of his life thus setting up the tone of the film. This message is the only platform where the whole movie stands firmly on as you see numerous occasions where Rizwan applies various other values, which his ammi has successfully inculcated in him.

But soon after her death, Rizwan migrates to San Fransisco, USA to stay with his brother Zakir (Jimmy Shergill ). But soon a void is created in the relationship between the brothers as Rizwan decides to marry a Hindu girl, Mandira (Kajol). The film shows some of the really enchanting scenes as Rizwan desperately tries all possible ways to win the heart of his lady love & finally succeeding in his attempts. Gradually after few years of marriage, 9/11 tragedy creeps in & all thanks to the evil prejudices of the extremists, every Muslim in US gets frowned upon as a downright terrorist by the inhabitants and in such atmosphere even an autistic Muslim was not an exception.

Further, Rizwan's step son & his only best friend Sameer gets beaten up by the college bullies & dies eventually due to internal bleeding. The cause of his unintentional beating up was the fact that he was a son of a Muslim and this enrages Mandira who thinks it was her fault that she married a Muslim & out of fury, she tells Rizwan to leave the house. Out of pain & agony, Rizwan embarks upon a long journey to win back his love. His repeated failed attempts to tell the President of the United States that " His name is Khan & he is not a terrorist " showcases Khan's wish to broadcast it globally that even if he is a Muslim, it doesn't imply in any sense that he is a terror causing entity.

MNIK is a story of this man's journey who inspires humanity in every way possible. A clear display of tolerance, perseverance, religion & the strong power of love is dis

played in MNIK. It captivates you for the entire duration & keeps you totally mesmerized with some strong performances by the lead cast.

The most emotional & lump-in-the-throat causing scene was the one where after being revived of the charges of being a terrorist, Rizwan goes to rescue one of the best acquaintances he had; Mama Jenny & her son Funny Hair Joel from floods in Wilhelmina, Georgia.  The media covers the scenes of his rescue attempts & broadcasts it on TV claiming that very person who was suspected to be a terrorist is rescuing the flood-stricken victims in Georgia. Rizwan not only does good but also inspires it in every way possible.


 An artistic direction, excellent cinematography, an engaging & a new concept & award-winning performances by the lead pair itself make MNIK a worthy endeavour to bag the National Award for the best film.


But unfortunately, it didnt !

Why Kamal Hassan's Hey Ram happens to be one among the most creative Indian cinemas ?

The Outstanding Experiment with the truth

Kamal Hassan, one of the most popular & talented actors from South started his directorial debut with the funny & entertaining ‘Chachi 420’ where Hassan mastered the role of an old woman with ease. After a rib-tickling endeavour, Kamal Hassan grabbed the reigns to direct a powerful film of a completely new genre, ‘Hey Ram’ a film which displayed the communal instability in India post Independence in 1947. The words breathed last by the great leader of our country, Mahatma Gandhi itself reveals the fact that the film is based on a semi-fictional plot involved in the assassination of Gandhi.

Gathering an ensemble cast from Bollywood, Hassan made it a point to make a very commercial approach to the film. The film starred Kamal Hassan as the protagonist while Bollywood actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Hema Malini, Naseeruddin Shah & Om Puri handled small but significant roles.

The film commences on 6^th December 1999 which marked the 7^th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition which invited communal riots between Hindus & Muslims. On this date, in a dark dingy room lay 89-year old Saket Ram on his death bed with his grandson by his side. The film time-travels to the era of 1940’s where Pakistan & India where being partitioned and that was the reason why two best friends Saket Ram (Kamal) & Amjad Ali Khan (Shah Rukh), who were archaeologists working for a British named Wheeler were told to stop their work & return back to their respective homes.

Saket Ram returns back to Calcutta to his Bengali wife, Aparna (Rani) but tragedy follows after him as Aparna gets sexually assaulted & killed by Muslim extremists in the locality. A distraught & enraged Saket Ram meets Abhyankar, a revolutionary who convinces Ram that Mahatma Gandhi is solely responsible for this bloodbath. Succumbed to family pressure, Saket Ram marries a teenager Maithili (Vasundhara Das).  The film displays some intimate scenes between Saket & Maithili. The scenes are so detailed that you find yourself astonished as why Censor Board  did not intervene with their snipping tool.

The film revolves entirely around Saket Ram’s life as he collaborates with Abhyankar and Maharaja and offers to help them in the plot to assassinate Gandhi. Shah Rukh Khan as Amjad Ali Khan is entirely used as a commercial weapon by Kamal Hassan as inspite of having just 30 minutes in the film; SRK has successfully managed to uplift the standard of the film. He plays a Muslim Pathan who rescues Saket Ram who gets trapped in the communal riots in curfew-struck Muslim community in Delhi.

The film indeed deserved more of Shah Rukh Khan’s exquisite display of acting skills as his inclusion in Hey Ram poster must have promised the viewers a parallel role alongside Kamal. The film has some really advanced & subtle effects, the film although shot in 2000 makes you feel as if the film is shot in the early 60’s. The 1999 India scenario is showcased in black & white to distinguish it well with the cinematic representation of happenings in past.

Hey Ram is powerful as it deals efficiently with universal & contemporary themes set in the post-Independence India.  Thanks to Kamal’s creative mind & brilliance put into the film, film was chosen as India’s official entry to Oscars to be considered as nomination in Best Foreign Film of the year.  Hey Ram is story of fictional character whose life gets turned up-side down because of some real life incidents in 1940’s that have changed the course of history. The film concludes admirably in a poignant manner

People having a fine taste for art films, Hey Ram will give you one of the best cinematic experiences of your life.