My Name is Khan
I have completed another of my 101 tasks, which was "Watch a Bollywood Movie"!
This is the first Bollywood movie I have watched, and it is not a typical one at all - instead of being full of Asian people dancing a lot, this movie is about a Muslim man with Asberger's Syndrome, and first of all copes with how he deals with everyday life.
The movie deals a lot with relationships between Hindus and Muslims (his brother says he will disown him if he marries a Hindu) and, inevitably, the reactions of many people against Muslims following 9/11, and a lot of the events in this movie (including a few which I will not spoil here) were very shocking and actually bought tears to my eyes (and I'm usually quite tough, and rarely cry through movies). I remember being made angry when he was told he couldn't enter a function because it was for "Christians only" (which is something my church would never do).
The movie is very good at dealing with attitudes towards others, and shows a very unflinching portrayal of life in America for Muslims following the World Trade Centre bombings, as the main character attempts to meet the President so that he can say that he is not a terrorist; there are a lot of unexpected twists in the story, and it often looks like the movie can not possibly have a happy ending, but somehow it manages it.
In addition to all the harrowing events portrayed, there is also a love story at the heart of it and surprisingly, there are a couple of very funny moments. The movie is 2 1/2 hours long, but does not seem like it because it is so enthralling.
This is the first Bollywood movie I have watched, and it is not a typical one at all - instead of being full of Asian people dancing a lot, this movie is about a Muslim man with Asberger's Syndrome, and first of all copes with how he deals with everyday life.
The movie deals a lot with relationships between Hindus and Muslims (his brother says he will disown him if he marries a Hindu) and, inevitably, the reactions of many people against Muslims following 9/11, and a lot of the events in this movie (including a few which I will not spoil here) were very shocking and actually bought tears to my eyes (and I'm usually quite tough, and rarely cry through movies). I remember being made angry when he was told he couldn't enter a function because it was for "Christians only" (which is something my church would never do).
The movie is very good at dealing with attitudes towards others, and shows a very unflinching portrayal of life in America for Muslims following the World Trade Centre bombings, as the main character attempts to meet the President so that he can say that he is not a terrorist; there are a lot of unexpected twists in the story, and it often looks like the movie can not possibly have a happy ending, but somehow it manages it.
In addition to all the harrowing events portrayed, there is also a love story at the heart of it and surprisingly, there are a couple of very funny moments. The movie is 2 1/2 hours long, but does not seem like it because it is so enthralling.