FILM INTERVIEW: SHAH RUKH KHAN
'My Name Is Khan' Is First And Foremost A Love Story
Almost a full decade has passed since the unfortunate events of 9/11, yet the core issue of terrorism surrounding that fateful day in 2001 is still finding its way into film.
As the world prepares to embark into a new decade in the coming days, one upcoming Bollywood release features themes of terrorism in the United States and the lives affected by tragic attacks on American soil almost nine years ago.
Yet, to call My Name is Khan a terrorist film would be a grave mistake, according to the film’s star, Shah Rukh Khan.
While there are definitely themes of lives affected in the post-9/11 Western World, the leading Bollywood actor said My Name is Khan is ultimately a love story.
“This film is, first and foremost, a love story,” Khan said after a film preview event on December 16th. “In fact, this is one of the nicest love stories I have ever participated in, and I have participated in some of the best love stories that have been made here.”
Not only is the film primarily a love story, My Name is Khan also presents another interesting angle – the personal impact of dealing with Asperger’s syndrome, a rare form of autism.
Starring Kajol and directed by Karan Johar, My Name is Khan was mostly filmed on location in Los Angeles earlier this year. The plot centers around Shah Rukh Khan’s character, Rizwan Khan, who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome and falls in love with a single mother (Kajol) who lives in San Francisco.
While at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities mistake Rizwan’s social disorder as suspicious activity, and they detain him.
“It is about overcoming a phase,” Khan said about his character. “It is about triumph of the human spirit.”
My Name is Khan is the second blockbuster Bollywood film to use 9/11 as a backdrop for a plot, with Yash Chopra’a New York, which starred John Abraham and Katrina Kaif, confronting similar issues just a few months ago.
Yet Khan believes this film will usher a new era of Indian cinema being taken seriously in the west, mostly because the film not only addresses major American themes through the eyes of an Islamic South Asian, but it is also being jointly distributed by Hollywood’s Fox Searchlight and India’s Fox Star Studios.
Indeed, several news reports have roughly estimated $21 million was fronted by Fox Star Studios to distribute the film internationally. If the figure is accurate, it would be the most expensive Bollywood film ever, though Johar and Fox have not confirmed the amount.
Still, Khan said My Name is Khan will have global impact for movies originating in South Asia.
“This film will be a step toward Indian cinema reaching worldwide,” Khan said.
Fox and other American studios, such as Disney, Sony and Warner Brothers, have all attempted to capitalize on the apparent growing popularity of Indian cinema with limited success.
Of course, it may take one of India’s most recognizable stars in Khan to actually succeed in establishing Bollywood as a respectable form of film-making in the west, as opposed to just some fad or phenomenon that is temporarily tickling the fancy of film executives today.
It also helps that Khan is paired with Kajol. Their on-screen chemistry is like no other film couple, and it has shown at the box office; the duo are among the most successful pairing of film stars in Bollywood history, with both names attached to some of the biggest movies in Indian cinema, such as Dil Dulwaniya le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.
However, it has been eight years since both have starred together in a film.
Khan has also worked with Johar in the past. Coincidentally, Johar’s first film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, also starred Khan and Kajol. Most recently, Khan and Johar worked on the 2006 production of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.
In observing his career develop, Khan believes Johar has come full circle with My Name is Khan.
“I have worked with Karan in his first film and have been with him all through his journey,” he said during his post-film preview interview. “I think My Name Is Khan is his ultimate evolution. In this film, the way Karan has touched upon the scenes and sequences, it is very different from all his previous films.”
Of course, Johar, Khan and Kajol hope My Name is Khan is the most successful film the trio has ever worked on, with the potential to impress more than just eastern audiences on the line when it releases in the second decade of the 21st century.
Speaking of release dates, consistent with Khan’s take on this film being a love story, My Name is Khan opens worldwide on
February 12th, which happens to be Valentine’s Day weekend.
