My Name Is Khan - SPOILERS
My Name Is Khan
So here it is, I still can't believe I've actually watched it! I'll go into filmi mode now and say how throughout the time before seeing it I kept having flashbacks of all the time I and other fans have been waiting for this film, and it still didn't feel real that the time had actually come! Anyway..I feel really emo after seeing it, and I'm not really sure why! Well maybe it has to do with the fact that I've never ever cried as much in anything than I have for MNIK.
Obviously my expectations were generally quite high for this film, and I'm happy to say that they were mostly met, more-so in certain areas than others.
Okay so cribs out of the way first...the more I think about the film, the more I realise how much was cut out! I mean there were so many bits and pieces that Karan used as bait for the audience (mainly SRK-Kajol cuteness) that didn't apparently even make it to the final cut *eyeroll*
Many people have complained about the second half of the film, I also thought it could have been made a little tighter and included some more light moments. The intense scenes are handled incredibley well, so well in fact that I actually felt drained after seeing the film..I think some more light-hearted moments would have balanced that out nicely. I was also really interested in Mandira's fight for justice and wish we could have seen more of that!
Onto the rest:
So Karan Johar decided to be brave, was nervous as hell before the film...but I think it did pay off, he definitely succeeded in stepping into a completely different space with Khan. Saying that, there were a few Kjo-ish flourishes at times, (case in point: hum honge kamyab) but those, rather than bothering me, were comforting. So in that way he's managed to be “different” and break out from his comfort zone (which he so desperately wanted to do), while maintaining some of the old charm. I really bow down to both him and Shibani Bhatija for thinking of this issue and putting in their heart and soul into translating it a medium where it'll reach a large audience. It definitely needed to be said. The sincerity and beauty of what they were trying to put across is one of the things which eclipses the flaws in the film.
Also, the cinematography in the film was brilliant! It was one of the things that made it stand out from other KJo films, for example in the interrogations scene which was fantastically shot!
Onto performances: on the whole , all of the supporting cast were very competent, special mentions go to the people who played,Riz's mum(Zarina), Sara,Hasina,Sameer(the first one especially), Vinay Pathak was adorable... the less impressive ones would include Reese, the African-American boy, bless him though he was very sweet and sang well haha, Sumeet Raghavan annoyed me. But on the whole, a film needs a strong supporting cast to work and MNIK had one!
But to the real stars of the show in every which way:
Shah Rukh Khan: It feels strange even typing that name in this review, because no where did I see a fragment of this man, his persona - he shed it all and HOW :thud: but it has to be said that it is the SRK charm that makes his awkward mannerisms into the details that you fall in love with. The way he managed to convey this character's inherent goodness and love with a blank expression, without shedding a tear, without holding his arms out perpertually for his lover to run into them... simultaneously managing to somehow portray perhaps the most loving hero a Hindi film has ever seen! At this moment, I think this is probably his best performance yet.Period.
Kajol: only after seeing her performance here do I fully understand what Karan has been saying all along, about why he needed Kajol to do this role and no one else. Her warmth and compassion on screen is just unmatchable, and as Karan has said, she plays a mother like no one else. I loved her character, free-spirited and passionate...she wasn't two dimensional, reacted in a real way to situations, ways in which some may not generally approve of, but she makes the audience have an affinity with her so much so that you understand her. I really felt her every moment of joy, every minute of devastation. Some of her scenes in the second half still haunt me right now, but more on that later.
SRK-Kajol: now this, being totally honest, was my reason for my total obsession with this film. If all else failed, I just wanted to see these two together again! I truly believe that with any other pair of actors, this unconventional, awkward romance could have failed epically, but it's them who make the audience really believe that two people like this could really have a love as strong as that which is shown. Ofcourse I wish there was more of them, in fact I was wishing that every single frame in the film was just with the two of them, but yes I know that's unreasonable * sigh * . I can't really put into words how amazing it was seeing them together, but I will say that every single one of their scenes would count as the best scenes in the film for me. Yes we didn't get another gazebo scene/Suraj Hua … but I am SO glad that they did this film as it truly proves that they're capable of handling any love story shape, size of form and making it iconic. Rizwan and Mandira, welcome to the world of Raj & Simran/Rahul & Anjali!
Favourite Scenes:
[MAJOR SPOILERS]
As I said before, I would really mention every single Riz/Mandira scene, but I'll include a few here
Young Rizwan and his mother scenes, their relationship was so lovely!
Mandira's introduction/ their first meeting … I LOVED how this was done, with him first only hearing her voice, and her lines... gave me butterflies!
Rizwan's sales pitches to people - hilarious! Especially the one with the divorcee LOL
Mandira dropping Sameer to school “mere aankhon ka taara..”, funny and sweet! They made such a beautiful mother/son.
Rizwan dissing Mandira's ex husband … then when he gets to “motherf..motherf...” oh man :lol:
Mandira proposes to Rizwan, what a beautiful scene … the most adorable reaction from SRK and see THAT is the chemistry that everyone talks about :D
The sex implication scenes ... LOL... still managed to be so hilariously innocent!
Basketball/sneakers scene between Riz and Sam, their relationship was so touching.
Sam's murder- this really hit me hard, in fact I don't know if I could watch it again
Mandira's breakdown with Sam's body, Kajol's acting just ripped my heart out from inside, in the way she portrayed the worst situation that could ever befall a mother. A scene which was physically painful for me to watch.
Mandira telling Rizwan that Sam is dead - this really gave me the chills, the way he kept on reciting facts and Mandira repeating the “time of death” both with an unnvervingly blank tone… brilliantly excuted scene.
Football pitch argument - right from Mandira touching the ground where her son died, to when Rizwan's heartbreaking “kab lautengee?” just devastating.
Rizwan's speech in the Church, the first time we get a glimpse of his pain of losing Sam, and he did it without a single tear escaping his eye! I on the other hand should have thought about taking a bucket along with me by this scene, by this time I was actually sobbing non-stop :P
When Rizwan prays outside in full view, such a powerful image and scene!
The hurricane scene, as filmi and unrealistic as it was, I fell for the part when everyone arrived wading through water with Allah Hi Rahem in the background :D
Rizwan smells Mandira's perfume and realises that she was there (how cute is that!) and then he sees her going into her taxi and you're screaming out “GO GET HER!!!” but he doesn't has he still hasn't fulfilled his word :( :hug:
Mandira and Rizwan in the hospital, where he asks her for a hug (first time he asks anyone :deg: ) and then they finally say “ILY” to each other! Which is btw...a FIRST for a SRKajol film, so that got me quite excited! Hehe...but just a lovely scene over all.
Meeting the president, oh I was all ready to cringe at this, and I did a little bit … but Rizwan's conversation with “Obama” salvaged it all...when he asks for his number... priceless! Kudos to whoever wrote some of Rizwan's dialogues, they were genius!
[END OF SPOILERS]
So overall a film that will win many people's hearts with it's noble intentions coupled with a performance of a lifetime from SRK, Kajol matching him every step of the way and ofcourse the SRK-Kajol magic that now more than ever I really really REALLY don't want to wait another 9 years to see!