My Name is Ganesan and I am Ranting

My Name is Khan was an anticipated movie. I am not sure what I expected from it. It was more of a ritual. I have watched every SRK-Karan Johar movie in a cinema hall within a week of its release. Somehow, I wanted to keep up with the record. And yeah one expectation was that it would at least be entertaining.

So, I decided to invest three hours of my already sleep deprived weekend’s schedule. And now I question the prudence of the whole endeavor.

We are the work product of our Indulgences. We are limited and freed by them. My Name is Khan shows how badly we can be limited by it.

The basic question is what was the path the movie trying to follow:

a) An autistic man apparently oblivious to the happenings, hence incorruptible, sleepwalking to the so called proof of concept f his goodness, the pedestal, meeting the President of US? You can blame me for being limited by my thoughts about Forrest Gump

b) A portrayal of the Prejudice which springs up on the mention of a name, using again the incorruptible autistic man as a method. But, you got the autistic man right, but how did you present the Pre-Judice?

Now what I admit is that it could be a smart move, though not novel. And it could have very well helped the portrayal of the sad reality of our times. Had it resisted the temptation of the manipulation it tried to achieve.

** Spoiler Alert Begins ***

Manipulation 1:

The whole small town in Georgia Sequence seemed to be the work product of a dissatisfied director on the editing table. It was a fuel to the dreaminess that was set out to achieve. We shall Overcome was the Jana Gana Mana of K3G. Here you see a director who cannot get out of himself.

Manipulation 2:

The football ground sequence where SRK is sent across to meet the President of US, the triggering event of the series of events, itself seemed a filler. Here you are talking about a couple 7-8 years into marriage and the wife in a post traumatic stress, finds her husband’s religion as the problem. Ok, I will give her the benefit of the trauma. But, where does the US president come into all this?

Manipulation 3:

The whole Mosque Sequence, Getting the Doctor arrested, and his associate stabbing Rizwan with a knife seemed so juvenile. And the whole suffering then used as a premise to bring back the angry wife defeats the whole purpose of the labour of love, the long journey to meet the president.

*** Spoiler Alert Ends***

My problem with the whole movie, if I consider it a medium to make us aware of the reality is, what does it tell us that we do not hear on a news, read on a newspaper and hear from people? Where is the research?

My Problem with the Love Story if it was a Love Story, is why does it necessitate the protagonist to meet the President of US, when the so called Love is Back to Meet him. There is a scene at the juncture where Kajol Says “ Ab iski kya zarurat hai, chalo ghar chalte hain”. It was a clear indication for Rizwan to go home and the director to end the movie.

When I say all this, I appreciate how Shah Rukh Khan has acted in the movie. You see the character in the movie, the lack of which you blame him in his other movies. He is an actor who communicates very well with his audience. Moreover, the Asperger’s Syndrome Act forces him to an objectivity which is refreshing to watch. He knows facts and he refutes arguments with Facts,that is when he is allowed to, which is a different act from him. Though in some scenes, he tends to slip into his wisecracks but can be forgiven, given the whole scheme of things.

But I guess, the story goes awry because of the whole thought process of the director. A direction which does not seem to find its direction. It wants to be a lot of things and ends up being a lot of half cooked things. It necessitates its protagonist to meet the President of US, save a town from flood and sing Hum Honge Kamayab, when a crowd sings We shall Over Come to prove that he is not limited by his disabilities. This is the story of another sad reality of our times, what it could have been and what it ended as? Just if someone could get out of himself.

P.S. If you want me to summarise the whole rant, look at the image at the top. My whole problem is with the US flag being there.