My Name is Khan : Movie Review

I have been an ardent fan of Shahrukh and Kajol because they were THE onscreen couple in my growing-up days. I saw them jumping together over benches and steps of a filmy college in 'Kuch kuch hota hai', I saw Kajol running towards Shahrukh in a mustard field in 'DDLJ'. I have seen them doing similar cheesy things which have been memorable scenes for me as an admirer of theirs.

'My Name is Khan' is a feast for a person like me. SRK and Kajol are doing 'mature' things together this time (getting married very early in the film. Fighting. Sulking, etc.) - and Karan has not made them do the 'mature' things we have seen in KANK. (Whatever K Jo sold as 'mature' in KANK made me want to strangulate myself.) After 'My name is Khan', Shahrukh and Kajol are and will be my favourite on-screen couple! :-) Shahrukh's performance is THE highlight of the film. (Considering the fact that SRK has been the rona-dhona boy for a major portion of his career, this role is like getting a fish out of water where SRK cannot emote! :-p) Sonia Jehan and Jimmy Shergill are excellent too - Jimmy Shergill is one of the actors who have not got their due yet, in my opinion.

The music is ordinary (and had put this up on my facebook too - when two of my friends thought I was only doing 'K Jo bashing'. :P ) considering that S-E-L have come up with some remarkable numbers in the past.

The message of combating racism is only the background of the film. K Jo sticks to what he does best - a love story. The dialogues are typical K Jo style. The visuals are excellent of course. Kajol's styling is chic. SRK looks good too.

The first half keeps you glued to your seat, the second half drags in parts - especially the hurricane bit. The scene where Kajol cries in the mortuary is a typical Kajol screeching scene.. which, despite the overacting, I loved.

The movie is certainly very good and I must admit that K Jo has certainly made his most mature film to date.

You know you are watching a KJo Film when..

Note: Slightly tongue-in-cheek. Exaggerated. For humour only.

And note: If you are not a white person or an Indian who has settled abroad, this post is not for you. As much as these K Jo movies.

Certain traits in a KJo/Yash Chopra film:

• Punjab is the only state in India and Punjabi the only language.
• If you are a lady, you can screech at the top of your voice, you can very well dream of being the central lady of the film. If you can't do the screeching, you better be someone's someone.
  
• In the film, you see the skyline of a foreign location, the chiffon sari of the heroine, the breeze - but you can't see her face clearly. And the expression on her face too. But who cares? (Note : She will end up winning the best actress award and thanking Yash uncle for the challenging role.)
• "Soniye", "Kudiye", "Raanjhnaa" - three words that are written on the paper a random number of times. Other words are arbitrarily spun around to form the lyrics of a song.
• Britishers ruled the country for a long time, it's our turn now. We make them dance in the background of a frame to our tunes.
• The climax always has to have - background music in loud volume, one long speech-cum-emotional dialogue by one of the central characters and storm/rain/lightening/dark night - two or more of these.
• When a Bipasha Basu wears a revealing outfit in 'Jism', it's outrageously vulgar. When a Rani Mukherji does the same in a song from 'Bunty aur babli', it's just stylish, aesthetic and of global appeal.
• Duniya mein koi bura nahi hota. Achhe logon par bura waqt aa jaata hai. I am a achha aadmi and I have this bura waqt when I watch a movie that has the heroine saying this.
  
• If the movie claims to be 'young and happening', there'll certainly be a lot of skin show. The Naked-Neil-N-Naked-Nikki will stand testimony to my statement.

That's it. I need to watch Kuch kuch hota hai the two-hundredth time. Oops!