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My Name Is Khan
File:Mynameiskhan.jpg
Theatrical Poster
Directed byKaran Johar
Written byStory and Screenplay:
Shibani Bathija
Dialogues:
Shibani Bathija
Niranjan Iyengar
Produced byHiroo Yash Johar
Gauri Khan
StarringShahrukh Khan
Kajol
CinematographyRavi K. Chandran
Edited byDeepa Bhatia
Music byShankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Production
companies
Distributed byFOX Star Entertainment
Fox Searchlight Pictures (USA)
20th Century Fox (worldwide sales)
Release dates
February - March, 2010
Running time
161 minutes [1]
CountryIndia
LanguagesHindi/Urdu
English
BudgetRs. 380 million[2]
US$ 8.18 million
Buyover:
Rs. 1 billion
US$ 21.53 million

My Name Is Khan (Template:Lang-hi);[3] commonly referred to as MNIK[4] is a 2010 Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar, with a screenplay by Shibani Bathija, produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Gauri Khan, and starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol.[5][6] It is overseen by both Dharma Productions and Red Chillies Entertainment and will be distributed by FOX Star Entertainment, which bought the rights for the film for the sum of INR 1 billion, thus becoming the second most expensive Bollywood film, behind Blue.[7] It is also the highest buyover for any Indian film, breaking Ghajini's record of INR 900 million.

My Name Is Khan is Karan Johar's fourth directorial venture. Cinematography is by Ravi K. Chandran, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy composed the film's score, choreography is by Farah Khan, and lyrics were written by Niranjan Iyengar.[8] Visual Effects are by Red Chillies VFX.

My Name is Khan debuted in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 10 February 2010.[9] It released globally in theaters on 12 February 2010.[1] It will also be screened as part of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival's Official Selection that same month.[10] In the months leading up to its release, the film has also been involved in some controversy related to international airport security and Indian politics.

Upon release, the film nearly broke box office records overseas for an Indian film all and is second to the highest grosser 3 Idiots overseas. It is the highest grosser in its opening weekend overseas and a highest opening day overseas for a Bollywood film. It is also the second-highest worldwide grosser in its opening weekend, behind 3 Idiots and the third-highest net collections in the first week for a Bollywood film. Within four weeks, the film crossed the INR 700 million mark in India and became the first film of 2010 to do so. The film also created a new box office record for a release in the first quarter of a year (January to March), breaking the previous record set by Race.

Plot

Rizwan Khan (Tanay Chheda) is a Muslim child who grew up with his brother Zakir and his mother (Zarina Wahab) in a middle class family in the Borivali section of Mumbai. Rizwan is different from the other children and no one, including his mother, can understand why. However, he has certain gifts, particularly a special ability to repair any machine that is broken. His difference leads to special tutoring from a reclusive scholar and extra attention from his mother. This attention, however, leads to a heightened level of jealousy from his brother Zakir, who eventually leaves his family for a life in the United States.

Despite this resentment, as an adult Zakir (Jimmy Shergill) sponsors Rizwan (Shahrukh Khan) to come and live with him in San Francisco. It is at this time that Zakir's psychologist wife, Haseena (Sonya Jehan) diagnoses Rizwan as having Asperger's syndrome, a disorder which makes it difficult for people to interact socially. Rizwan also begins to work for Zakir as an herbal salesman and in the process he meets a Hindu woman, Mandira and her young son, Sameer or Sam (Yuvaan Makaar), from a previous marriage. Despite Zakir's hostility to the match, they marry and settle down in the fictional town of Banville, where both Mandira and Samir take Rizwan's last name as their own. They also live next door to the Garrick family. Sam is close with their young son, Reese (Kenton Duty and Michael Arnold) while Mark (Dominic Renda) is a journalist and Sarah (Katie A. Keane) is a friend of Mandira.

The Khans' perfect existence gets disrupted, however, after the September 11 attacks on the twin towers in New York City. Mark goes to cover the war in Afghanistan and dies there. At the same time, the Khan family begins to experience post 9-11 prejudice in their community and Reese begins to turn against Sam as well. One afternoon, an argument between them turns into a racially motivated schoolyard fight between Sam and a number of older students. Reese tries to stop the fight but is held back and Sam is injured so badly that he dies. A shattered Mandira blames Rizvan for his death stating that Sam "died only because his name was Khan." She then tells Rizwan that she no longer wants him in her life. When he asks her what he has to do to be a part of her life, she tells him that he has to tell the people of the United States, and the President that his name is Khan and that he is not a terrorist.

Rizvan thus sets out on a journey that takes him from one US state to another (including Georgia, where he is befriended by Mama Jenny) in order to first meet President George W. Bush and later Barack Obama. During this quest, he is detained and later freed from the San Francisco Airport. Later, in Los Angeles, he prays in a Mosque and overhears violent rhetoric from Faisal Rahman (Arif Zakaria). He reports this to the FBI but there is no response at that moment. Later, while waiting in a crowd to meet President Bush and repeating again and again, "my name is Khan and I am not a terrorist," Rizwan is arrested and placed in a prison by police who misinterpret his statement.

While in the prison he is tortured as a terrorist suspect and meets the psychiatrist Radha (Sheetal Menon) who believes he is innocent. He is later released after a media campaign by two Indian student reporters Raj (Arjun Mathur) and Komal (Sugandha Garg) and Bobby Ahuja (Parvin Dabas) prove his innocence by unearthing his attempts to inform the FBI about Faisal Rahman. After his release, he returns to hurricane-hit Georgia to help Mama Jenny and her son. His efforts attract media attention and numerous Muslims come to help as well. At the same time, Reese confesses to Mandira and reveals the identity of the boys who beat up Sam. She informs Detective Garcia (Benny Nieves) who has been assisting her on the case.

After they are brought to justice, she joins Rizwan in Georgia. At the moment she arrives, Rizwan is stabbed by a follower of Faisal Rahman and is rushed to the hospital. With Mandira's help, he survives and meets President-elect Barack Obama (Christopher B. Duncan) who tells him: "Your name is Khan and you are not a terrorist."

Cast

Actor/Actress Role
Shahrukh Khan Rizwan Khan
Kajol Mandira
Yuvaan Makaar Sameer (Sam)
Zarina Wahab Rizwan's mother
Tanay Chheda Rizwan Khan (as a young child)
Jimmy Shergill Zakir Khan
Sonya Jehan Haseena Khan
Parvin Dabas Bobby Ahuja
Arjun Mathur Raj
Sugandha Garg Komal
Sheetal Menon Radha
Christopher B. Duncan Barack Obama
Kenton Duty Reese Garick
Michael Arnold Reese Garick (as a child)
Dominic Renda Mark Garrick
Katie A. Keane Sarah Garrick
Arif Zakaria Faisal Rahman
Vinay Pathak Jitesh
Jennifer Echols Mama Jenny
Benny Nieves Detective Garcia
Kavin Dave Hacker

Themes

In an August 2009 interview, Shahrukh Khan stated that My Name Is Khan is "not about terrorism, or 9/11. It’s about a relationship between two people, between an individual and the State, and between an individual and the country. In short, there the three important components: love story, Islam and a mild form of autism."[11]

In an earlier July 2009 interview, Khan also noted that the film focuses on themes concerning "the relationship between the Western world and Islam and how that has changed over the past few years." He describes the film as about "the journey of one family and how it changes because of 9/11" and suggests "we touch upon that in a very unbiased and educated way."[12] In another early interview, he also stated that, "it’s not about a disabled man’s fight against disability. It’s a disabled man’s fight against the disability that exists in the world — terrorism, hatred, fighting ... My Name is Khan is also about Islam and the way the world looks at Islam but we are not taking any sides. We are only trying to say that there are only good people and bad people. There are no good Hindus, bad Hindus, good Christians, bad Christians. Either you are a good person or a bad person. Religion is not the criterion, humanity is."[13]

In late 2008, journalist Madhureeta Mukherjee (referring to the post - 2008 Mumbai attacks atmosphere in India) suggested in an interview with Karan Johar that, "My Name Is Khan starts at a time when Hindus and Muslims in India have united like never before." In response, Johar stated: "I think it’s an exceptionally relevant time, as the unity of our nation is of paramount importance, and I am very happy to witness such a movement in front of my eyes. We are all coming together to fight for a common cause – called humanity. Everyone knows that terrorism has no religion and it will never have a religion. As a filmmaker, I believe that I have a social responsibility and I promise to fulfill that."[14]

Production and publicity

Pre-production and casting

Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol were cast in the lead roles, reuniting them after many years.[15] Kareena Kapoor was also considered for Kajol's role, but Kajol was Johar's first choice.[16] The film faced a temporary setback during late December when actor Aamir Bashir was denied a visa to the United States.[17] He was eventually replaced by Jimmy Shergill as Shahrukh Khan's younger brother.[18] Although Shabana Azmi was originally cast as Shah Rukh Khan's mother[19] she left the production after Shahrukh Khan's shoulder injury delayed the filming schedule.[13][20] She was replaced in the role by Zarina Wahab.[21] Tanay Chheda portrayed Shah Rukh Khan's character as a child living in the Borivali section of Mumbai.[22] Chheda was chosen because he resembles Shah Rukh Khan and because he is recognizable to an international audience after portraying "middle Jamal" in Slumdog Millionaire.[23] American actor Christopher B. Duncan was chosen to portray President Barack Obama.[24][25] Duncan is known for his interpretation of Obama on the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[26]

Johar also asked Khan to co-produce the film, as "we were both passionate about the subject, we said why not co-produce the film? We’ve known each other so long ... that this new initiative is just an extension of our emotions. Besides, I can never make a film without Shah Rukh. He is a big part of me and my family. He’s like the older brother I never had. I love SRK as a unit — that includes his wife, children, sister and his in-laws."[27]

Filming and post-production

Production of the film is taking place in India and the United States. Filming began in Los Angeles during December 2008[13][28] and one of the locations used was UCLA.[29] Johar next continued production in Mumbai during April 2009.[23] During June 2009, production moved to San Francisco[30] and the Bay Area, where they filmed a key scene at the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose.[31]

Johar had difficulties finding a mosque to film in. According to actor Arif Zakaria, "I don't know if Karan tried to get permission in Mumbai. But we were to shoot in a mosque in Los Angeles and hard as Karan tried to convince the authorities that his film would not propagate anti-social values, he was denied permission [...] We finally shot the two-day scene with Shah Rukh Khan on the set of a mosque constructed at The Club in Andheri."[32]

After filming in Los Angeles was completed, Johar stated that, "in all my 11 years as a filmmaker I’ve never felt the experience to be so different. The content of My Name Is Khan is diametrically opposite to whatever I’ve done in the past."[18] He described working with both Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol again as "magic. They build an inexplicable energy on screen." Johar also stated that he was "blown away by Shah Rukh who had done monumental research on his autistic character in the film. I was zapped by how much he knew about the subject."[18]

Pre-release publicity and distribution

On 7 August 2009, Karan Johar signed a deal for 1 billion INR with Fox Searchlight Pictures, who will market and distribute it in India (FOXSTAR) and worldwide (Fox Searchlight).[7][33] Shahrukh Khan was later asked in a December 2009 interview if he feels that My Name Is Khan is "a more international film which should be seen by all and will have a far reaching influence." Khan responded that:

I have never been a strong advocate for global cinema because I don't think our films turn the tide around though my directors and distributors feel otherwise. Having said that, I will add that MNIK is a very special topic about humanity in the garb of a Muslim character [...] The film is made on a large canvas and made larger with Fox coming on board. The subject material is adapted in terms of humanity in a very entertaining way. And with Karan, the best filmmaker in India today directing the film and Fox distributing it -- the message of love, the way it has been shot internationally and the way of releasing it, might have all the possibilities of an international release. It's going to be released in a way no Hindi film has been released internationally before with mega prints and the trailer releasing with Avatar in a first of its kind.[34]

On 1 February 2010, Khan and Kajol "became the first Indian movie stars to ring the opening bell of the New York stock exchange NASDAQ." They were invited by Fox Searchlight Pictures to do so as part of their promotion for My Name Is Khan.[35]

Box office

The film broke box office records during its opening weekend. It ranked #1 in the overseas box office with Avatar, Valentine's Day, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and The Wolfman, in the first, second, third, and fourth spots.[36] In addition, on a global scale, "almost every record for Bollywood films was broken globally. Internationally, it is the biggest International opening day by almost 30% of its closest competitor, 3 Idiots." [37].

India

In India, despite having a limited release in Maharashtra, Gujarat and parts of Madhya Pradesh on Friday, MNIK’s weekend collections were very good, with the film earning INR 295 million (US$ 6.4 million).[38] The film had the third highest first-weekend collections in India, behind 3 Idiots and Ghajini. After its first weekend, the film started showing noticeable falls in some areas of India. However, it managed to hold steady in its first week. The film netted INR 460.8 million (US$ 10 million) in its first week.[39] Most people reasoned that the film's decline in the Indian box office was due to "lack of entertainment and repeat value", as its subject was "serious", unlike 3 Idiots which is considered to have a very high entertainment value. Within four weeks, the film crossed the INR 700 million mark in net collections, but was declared a hit as the film did not live up to it's expectations. Till date, MNIK is Karan Johar's biggest hit unadjusted for inflation.

Overseas

My Name is Khan grossed the biggest opening day overseas, taking an estimated INR 170 million, beating the overseas opening day collections of 3 Idiots. The film also grossed the biggest opening weekend overseas, taking an estimated INR 255 million, again beating the overseas opening weekend collections of 3 Idiots which grossed INR 185 million. In its first week, it grossed a "whopping" INR 393 million (US$ 8.5 million).[40]

UK

In the UK, it made £123,000 on its opening day,[41] which was more than the combined total of 3 Idiots in its first two days (£121,000). By the end of the second week, MNIK became only the third Bollywood film to cross the £2 million mark in the UK, after Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Veer-Zaara, according to the exchange rates prevailing at their respective times of release.[42] It is being predicted that MNIK can earn £2.62 million by the end of its run, and may thus become the highest-grossing Bollywood film in the UK.

Oceania

In Australia, the film earned an impressive AUS$ 39,000 (INR 16.1 lakhs) on its opening day, and was ranked #11 in the market. By the first weekend, the film earned US$ 437,687, defeating the previous record set by 3 Idiots (US$ 350,000).[43][44] In New Zealand and Fiji, the film earned NZ$ 13,627 on its opening day, and earned NZ$ 144,831 (US$ 100,698) in its first week. By the second weekend, the film earned NZ$ 268,838 (US$ 184,933).

Middle East

In the Middle East and Pakistan,[45][46] the response to the film has been described as "huge" and it earned approximately US$ 300,000 on its opening day.[37] This revenue is expected to go up, with the introduction of more prints into non-traditional markets. By its first weekend, the film grossed US$ 890,000, breaking the previous record set by Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (US$ 830,000). It broke all previous box office records by the end of the first week, earning US$ 1.75 million.[47] By its third week, MNIK has become the highest-grossing Bollywood film in the Middle East, earning US$ 3.3 million.[48]

USA & Canada

My Name Is Khan has broken all previous opening weekend box office records for North America (Canada and U.S.) with $1.94 million in returns.[49] By the end of the first week, the film grossed US$ 2,552,283 (INR 11.77 crores), second only to 3 Idiots which had a Christmas holiday week. By the fourth week, the film earned US$ 3,868,891 (INR 193,820,016), breaking SRK's previous record set by Om Shanti Om.

Other non-traditional Areas

My Name is Khan also opened well in Sri Lanka, Singapore, South Africa and Malaysia. In South Africa, the film earned US$ 85,214 (Rs. 39.28 lakhs) in its opening weekend.[50] In Malaysia, it earned MYR 105,527 (US$ 31,106) in its opening weekend, and by the second weekend, the film had earned MYR 410,864 (US$ 120,452).[50] In Nigeria, the film earned an "impressive" NGN 2,310,137 (US$ 15,362) in its opening weekend.[50] In Ghana, the film earned GHS 10,599 (US$ 7,443) by the second weekend. In Indonesia, the film has grown from six to 14 screens and has seen a jump of 300 percent in week three.[51]

Critical reception

India

My Name Is Khan was well received by top critics in India. It received 6.5/10 at ReviewGang [52] and the website AllBollywood.com has a consensus rating of 74%, which is graded as A-

Subhash K. Jha (film critic and author of The Essential Guide to Bollywood) gave My Name Is Khan a rave review arguing that Rizwan Khan "repairs almost anything, including irreparably damaged relationships. But this film about damaged lives needs no repairing. My Name Is Khan is a flawless work, as perfect in content, tone and treatment as any film can get [...] My Name Is Khan is no ordinary film. Long after the wary-of-physical-touch Rizwan has finally shaken hands with President Obama, long after the heat and dust of racial and communal hatred has settled down the core of humanism that the film secretes stays with you. Yes, we finally know what they mean by a feelgood film." [53] Nikhat Kazmi of the The Times of India also gave it five stars, describing My Name Is Khan as, "indubitably one of the most meaningful and moving films to be rolled out from the Bollywood mills in recent times."[54] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave My Name Is Khan four and a half out of five stars and argues, "When a film stars two of the finest talents of the country, you expect nothing but the best. SRK, well, how does one describe his performance? To state that this is his best work so far would be cutting short the praise he truly deserves [...] Kajol is pure dynamite and casting her for this character was the most appropriate decision. No other actress could've matched SRK in histrionics the way Kajol has. In fact, SRK and Kajol complement each other wonderfully well and this film only proves it yet again. It's a powerhouse performance from this supremely talented actress." [55] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave My Name Is Khan three and a half out of five stars, arguing that "the film shamelessly tugs at your heartstrings and on more than one occasion wallops you to weep. Aided by solid camerawork, tight editing and a layered story, Johar crafts an engaging, stirring saga that is earnest and noble. With this message movie in the mainstream format, the director takes a step in the right direction."[56]

USA

9 The film received mixed reviews from U.S. critics and media outlets. As of 21 February 2010, the film has a score of 50 out of a scale of 100 on the review aggregate website Metacritic, based on seven reviews. According to user ratings, the film has 87% positive response.[57] The IMDb website has given the film a user rating of 70%.[58] Rotten Tomatoes has not given the film a consensus rating yet, but it has 3 positive and 1 negative review.[59]

Rachel Saltz of The New York Times states, "Khan is one of a handful of Hindi films (New York, Kurbaan) about Indians living in a paranoid, post-9/11 America, and there’s something fascinating about looking at this country through a Bollywood lens, even when the story is a kind of fairy tale. (Most interesting here is the link made between black Americans and Indians, especially Muslims.) Skillfully directed by Karan Johar and with an evocative score by Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy, Khan jerks tears with ease, while teaching lessons about Islam and tolerance." [60] According to Kirk Honeycutt of the Hollywood Reporter, My Name Is Khan is, "a film that delves compellingly into Americans' anti-Muslim hysteria" as it tackles "a subject American movies have mostly avoided -- that of racial profiling and the plight of Muslim-Americans. It also allows Shah Rukh Khan to display his talent to an even wider audience. It's well worth the 162-minute journey."[61] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times argues that My Name Is Khan is "a potent, energetic heart-tugger and Khan and Kajol, major Bollywood stars, are highly appealing and equal to the demand of their emotion-charged roles."[62] Jay Wesissberg of Variety describes My Name Is Khan as a "riotously overstuffed and enormously enjoyable drama" with "confident camerawork [which] is matched by exceptional production design" He also states that Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol are a "delight together and her natural warmth makes the relationship even more believable." [3]

High profile screenings

My Name Is Khan will be screened as part of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival's Official Selection in February 2010.[10] The website eBay auctioned the tickets for the film's screening at the Berlin Film Festival for a record price of EUR 1,000 (INR 60,000) each. All the tickets were sold out in five seconds.[63]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack is composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The lyrics are penned by Niranjan Iyengar.[8] The music was released on 7 January 2010 [64].

Untitled
Track Song Singer(s) Composer Duration
1 Sajda Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shankar Mahadevan, Richa Sharma Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy 6:05
2 Noor E Khuda Adnan Sami, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy 6:37
3 Tere Naina Shafqat Amanat Ali Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy 4:38
4 Allah Hi Rahem Rashid Khan Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy 4:01
5 Khan Theme Strings Indrajit Sharma 2:43
6 Rang De Shankar Mahadevan, Suraj Jagan Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy 3:45

Reception

The soundtrack met with generally positive reviews from critics. Gianysh Toolsee of Planet Bollywood states that the soundtrack is "very much about transcending the boundaries set by Bollywood by venturing into an emotional state through Sufism and spirituality."[65] Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama gives the album a three out of five stars, suggests that director Karan Johar along with musicians Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and lyricist Niranjan Iyengar "have brought not a partial but a substantial difference to the way music in [Johar's] films is being looked at."[66]

The songs such as Noor-e-Khuda, blend western bar blues and techno sounds with Indian classical styles such as Sufi and Hindustani. The soundtrack is thus representative of the indie fusion genre.

Controversies

Airport security

Khan has stated that due to his last name and religion, he (like Rizwan Khan) is frequently subject to excess security checks at airports. On 14 August 2009, Khan arrived in the United States in order to both promote My Name Is Khan and to participate in various South Asian-related events around the country (including Indian Independence Day). Upon arriving at Newark Airport in New Jersey, he was pulled aside by Immigration officers after his name popped up on their computers,[67] questioned for over an hour (Khan claims it was at least two hours) about the nature of his visit, and was later released. According to the Times Online, "In Delhi, Timothy J. Roemer, the American Ambassador to India, said that the embassy was trying to 'ascertain the facts of the case.' He added: 'Shah Rukh Khan, the actor and global icon, is a welcome guest in the United States.'"[68][69]

Khan said he was told that it was because "they said my name was common to some name that popped up on the computer."[70][71] The officials asked if he could provide names of people to vouch for him. Khan noted that he "had all the documents; they were asking me where I was going to be staying. I gave the name of FOX people with whom I had finalised a deal a few days ago as contacts." However because they wanted to check his luggage which the airline had lost, Khan said that he "was taken to a room where many people were awaiting a secondary check on visa, most were Asians. In fact many officers were reluctantly vouching for me, some people were asking for autographs and a Pakistani fan even said he knew who I was. But the officers said it was procedure and kept taking numbers from me."[70][72]

While he was not allowed to use his own phone, Khan was permitted one phone call.[68] He was thus released after officials from the Indian Consulate intervened. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel stated that the event will be further explored with U.S. officials.[71] According to the BBC, "Elmer Camacho, a spokesman for the US Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, said the questioning was part of the agency's routine process to screen foreign travellers."[73] When later asked during an interview whether he was angry, Khan responded that,

"I did feel bad for a lot of people in that room, I know because I had an escort and someone would recognise me, I will get out. Others may face more trouble [...] I have extra security because of my name. I can handle this but when you have someone as respectable as an ex-president getting frisked, I am nobody" (in reference to the frisking of President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam earlier in the summer).[70]

Khan also stated that, "I think it is a procedure that needs to be followed. But it is an unfortunate procedure." When asked if he would demand an apology, Khan replied that he would not.[74]

The director of My Name Is Khan, Karan Johar, was asked during an August, 2009 interview with MiD DAY if the event was a publicity stunt for the film. Johar denied that it was and responded: "It's upsetting because I got a text message this morning asking me if it was publicity plug for my movie. (Sarcastically) I mean, if I had that much power over the Homeland Security, why would I allow Shah Rukh to go through something like this? [...] What's really shocking is the fact that when I was writing the film, I never thought that what happened to the protagonist of the film would happen to Shah Rukh."[75] During a January 2010 interview, Khan referred to the implication that the event was a publicity stunt for the film as, "lowdown and cheap." [76] American actor, Christopher B. Duncan who portrays President Obama in My Name Is Khan, also commented on the incident stating: "I was very disappointed with what SRK experienced at the airport. We’re living in times where the levels of fear can sometimes spill over into paranoia. Here’s a man who is an international superstar, being detained for an excessive amount of time at an airport in the United States. It had to be very upsetting for him. Imagine Oprah (Winfrey) being detained at an airport in India for a long time, during a kind of interrogation." [25]

In addition, the incident sparked debate and commentary among Indian politicians, actors, and others.[77][78][79][80][81] It also led to demonstrations in India.[82] California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger later invited Khan to have dinner with him "in a bid to diffuse what has become a slight diplomatic row."[83]

In another event, on 5 February 2010, while promoting My Name Is Khan on the British talk show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Khan claimed that female security staff at Heathrow Airport in London had printed a naked image of him taken using the newly-installed body scanner that he was asked to go through. He said that he autographed it for them, though it is not clear if his comments were intended as a joke. A BAA spokeswoman for Heathrow Airport, however, has denied his claim. She claimed that it was“completely factually incorrect”, stressing that images captured using the equipment could not be stored or distributed in any form and that his claims "simply could not be true."[84]

The American radio host Alex Jones, however, disputed Heathrow Airport's claim, while pointing to an earlier statement by UK Transport Secretary Lord Adonis the week before stating that scans are deleted "immediately"and staff carrying out the procedure are fully trained and supervised. The incident has become an issue tying in to current concerns over whether the body scanners violate rights to privacy and whether it can be abused by staff in order to distribute child pornography or naked pictures of famous people.[85] In relation to Khan's comments, The Economic Times has also raised concerns over the new body scanners and the possibilities of it being abused to distribute naked pictures of celebrities and famous people.[86] His comments have restarted the debate in Britain over whether the newly-introduced body scanners violate individual privacy.[87]

Shiv Sena controversy

After Shah Rukh Khan (who owns the Kolkata Knight Riders Cricket team) criticized the fact that members of the Pakistani Cricket Team were not bought by the clubs competing in the 2010 Indian Premier League (IPL), he was condemned by Shiv Sena (a Hindu nationalist political party). There were consequent protests and demonstrations against him and demands that cinemas in India refuse to screen My Name Is Khan. Khan responded by stating, "What did I say that was wrong? All I said was that I wanted people to come to my country."[88] Khan continued by stating that: "I have no idea what I am supposed to apologise for [...] If I am in wrong I would like to apologise but someone needs to explain to me what is wrong."[89] He also stated that he does "not want any confrontation. I am trying to explain myself on every platform [...] I have not said anything that is anti-national." Khan also said that he was willing to meet with Bal Thackeray to discuss the issue.[90][91]

Initially, Shiv Sena rescinded its demand to block release of My Name Is Khan after it was announced that Khan would be allowed to release it "in as many theatres" as he would like to.[92] However, on Tuesday 10 January 2010 when theatres opened for advanced bookings, individuals disguised as "cinegoers" began to attack theatres and booking centres. Director Karan Johar and distributors met with police to ask for additional security.[93] In response, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan threatened to withdraw security cover for party leader Uddhav Thackeray.[94] Later, some security was withdrawn and the Maharashtra government has also "called in five battalions of the State Reserve Police Force to protect 63 cinemas in the city that will screen the film directed by Karan Johar from this Friday." There have been multiple arrests and leave of all police officials has been cancelled.[95] The distributor, Fox Star, stated that the film will still be released on its scheduled opening date, 12 February.[96] It opened to full cinema houses in a number of places across India.[97][98][99][100][101]


Hate Crimes

The scene where Khan's adopted son is beaten to death is entirely fictional. There is no case of a Muslim getting killed in the USA solely for being a Muslim. Any kind of Hate Crime is given special investigative emphasis by US Law Enforcement and such crimes are prosecuted more harshly than similar crimes of a different motivation. According to FBI statistics there are remarkably few hate crimes in the USA against Muslims. [102]

The Indian made movie fails to note the large level of ethnic and religious violence in India with Hindu's killing both Muslims and Christians and of Muslims killing Hindus in mass riots. The movie does not note the murders committed by Muslims against Christians and Jews in even relatively secular Muslim countries such as Turkey. See Persecution_of_Christians#Muslim_world

See also

References

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  97. ^ Delhi gives thumbs up to 'My Name is Khan'
  98. ^ My Name is Khan off to a flying start
  99. ^ Gujarat multiplex owners start screening of 'My Name Is Khan'
  100. ^ 'MNIK' opens to huge response in Bangalore
  101. ^ We'll watch 'MNIK', Mumbai fans promise SRK
  102. ^ [2]
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