My Name is Khan
Encyclopedia
My Name Is Khan ; commonly referred to as MNIK, 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
, who reunite after nine years (their last film together was Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
in 2001). Film was jointly produced by Dharma Productions
and Red Chillies Entertainment
and was distributed by FOX Star Entertainment
, which had bought the rights for the film for a sum of , thus becoming the most expensive Bollywood film of 2010. It is also the highest buyover for any Indian film, surpassing Ghajini
's record of .
My Name is Khan debuted in Abu Dhabi
, UAE on 10 February 2010. It released globally in cinemas on 12 February 2010. It was also screened as part of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival
's official selection the same month. 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 broke many box office records, and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film overseas. Within four weeks, the film crossed the INR 700 million mark in India and became the first film of 2010
to do so. In the overseas markets, the film grossed . My Name is Khan is currently the fourth highest grossing Bollywood film according to worldwide gross collections. The film was released in India on DVD on 28 April 2010. Blu-ray in India, plus a DVD release worldwide followed on 10 August 2010.
) is a Muslim child who grew up with his brother Zakir (Jimmy Shergill
) and his mother Razia Khan (Zarina Wahab
) in a middle class family in the Borivali
section of Mumbai
. Rizwan is different from other children; However, he has certain gifts, particularly a special ability to repair mechanical things. His difference leads to special tutoring from a reclusive scholar and extra attention from his mother, all which 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 sponsors Rizwan to come and live with him in San Francisco after the death of their mother. It is at this time that Zakir's wife, Haseena (Sonya Jehan
) diagnoses Rizwan with Asperger's syndrome. Rizwan also begins to work for Zakir and in the process he meets a Hindu
woman, Mandira (Kajol
) and her young son, Sameer or Sam (Yuvaan Makaar), from a previous marriage. Mandira is a hairdresser by profession. Despite Zakir's hostility to the match, they marry and settle down in the fictional town of Banville, where both Mandira and Sameer take Rizwan's last name as their own. They also live next door to the Garrick family. Sameer is close to their young son, Reese (Kenton Duty
and Michael Arnold) while Mark (Dominic Renda) is a reporter and Sarah (Katie A. Keane) is a friend of Mandira.
The Khan's perfect existence gets disrupted, however, after the 11 September attacks on 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 Sameer and a number of older students. Reese tries to stop the fight but is held back and Sam dies from his injuries. A shattered Mandira blames Rizwan for his death stating that Sameer "died only because his name was Khan." She then tells Rizwan that she no longer wants to be with him. When he asks her what he has to do to be together with Mandira, she sarcastically 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.
Rizwan takes Mandira's request seriously, and thus sets out on a journey that takes him from one US state to another, in order to first meet President George W. Bush
and later the new President-elect. During this quest, he travels to Wilhemina, Georgia and befriends Mama Jenny and her son Joel. 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 thinking he said he was a terrorist.
While in the prison he is interrogated 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 some Indian student reporters Raj (Arjun Mathur
) and Komal (Sugandha Garg
) and Bobby Ahuja (Parvin Dabas
), who prove his innocence by unearthing his attempts to inform the FBI about Faisal Rahman. After his release, he returns to hurricane-hit Wilhemina 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 killed Sam. She informs Detective Garcia (Benny Nieves) who has been assisting her on the case, and Detective Garcia arrests them. Mandira later gets a call from Sarah to forgive Rizwan, "I've lost my husband, don't lose him."
Mandira realises her error, she joins Rizwan in Georgia and their love rekindles. However at the moment she arrives, Rizwan is stabbed by a follower of Faisal Rahman (Sumeet Raghavan
), accusing him of being a traitor of Islam, and Rizwan is rushed to the hospital. With Mandira's help, Rizwan survives and meets President-elect Barack Obama (Christopher B. Duncan
) who tells him: "Your name is Khan and you are not a terrorist". The film concludes with Rizvan and Mandira going back home.
."
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." 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."
, where they filmed a key scene at the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
.
Shahrukh Khan
and Kajol
were cast in the lead roles, reuniting them after many years. The film faced a temporary setback in late December when actor Aamir Bashir
was denied a visa to the United States. He was eventually replaced by Jimmy Shergill
as Khan's younger brother. Although Shabana Azmi
was originally cast as Shahrukh Khan
's mother she left the production after his shoulder injury delayed the filming schedule. She was replaced in the role by Zarina Wahab
. Tanay Chheda portrayed Shahrukh Khan's character as a child living in the Borivali
section of Mumbai. Chheda was chosen because he resembles Khan and because he is recognizable to an international audience after portraying "middle Jamal" in Slumdog Millionaire
. He had earlier worked with Khan in the remake of the 1970s superhit Don: The Chase Begins Again. American actor Christopher B. Duncan
was chosen to portray President Barack Obama. Duncan is known for his interpretation of Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
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 Shahrukh Khan on the set of a mosque constructed at The Club in Andheri."
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." He described working with both Shahrukh Khan and Kajol again as "magic. They build an inexplicable energy on screen." Johar also stated that he was "blown away by Shahrukh who had done monumental research on his autistic character in the film. I was zapped by how much he knew about the subject."
Johar also asked Khan to co-produce the film under his production company Red Chillies Entertainment
, Talking about the initiative, the director said:"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."
, UAE on 10 February 2010. It released globally in cinemas on 12 February 2010.The film went through phased releases, and was not released simultaneously in all countries but instead traveled in a planned manner over a period of time, MNIK had a two phase release, To begin with,it had a mainstream release in India coupled with a regular Diaspora release in UK, US, Gulf, Australia and various other countries. "After that in the months of April and May, we would be looking at a mainstream theatrical release in countries like Germany, Poland and other parts of North America," detailed Johar.
's Official Selection in February 2010, out of competition. The website eBay
auctioned the tickets for the film's screening at the Berlin Film Festival for a record price of EUR1,000 (INR
60,000) each. All the tickets were sold out in five seconds.
The first look of My Name Is Khan was released at the premiere of the Hollywood film, Avatar
. My Name is Khan marked the first instance of a film using the Roadblock
advertising technique to market a film, in which the three-minute trailer was aired on all leading television channels simultaneously.
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. Shahrukh Khan also appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
as part of its promotion in the UK, becoming only the second Indian after Shilpa Shetty
to do so.
1 billion with Fox Searchlight Pictures
, who will market and distribute it in India (FOXSTAR) and worldwide (Fox Searchlight).It covers all rights except music, which has been bagged by Sony Music.
The satellite television rights for showcasing My Name Is Khan were sold to Star Plus
for a sum of INR150 million (US$3,314,303).
has a user consensus grade of 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." Nikhat Kazmi
of 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." 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." Sarita Tanwar of Mid-Day
gave the film four and a half out of five stars and described it as "near-perfect", concluding that "The Karan-Shah Rukh-Kajol combo strikes once more."
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." Sudhish Kamath from The Hindu
wrote, "My Name is Khan is populist, yet layered with rich political subtext. It's all about types, yet every character feels real. It's about generalisations and yet it chooses to dwell on the specifics. It's all heart and spirit that you can't help but overlook the flaws and admire it."
According to BBC
critic Manish Gajjar, who gave the film four out of five stars, the film is "a fiction-based film refreshingly told with realism of racial profiling on American soil. It's a rare treat for Hindi commercial cinema and a crossover audience." Pratim D. Gupta from The Telegraph
in a positive review concluded, "My Name Is Khan has conscience and courage and two heartfelt performances. It can try your patience a bit but it will not leave you untouched." Namrata Joshi from Outlook
, giving the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, described it as "a gentle, affecting and heart-warming film that makes you smile through your tears. It looks at contentious issues but offers overwhelming hope and renewal."
, based on seven reviews. According to user ratings, the film has 87% positive response. The IMDb
website has given the film a user rating of 72%. Rotten Tomatoes
lists an approval rating of 80%, with 4 positive and 1 negative review.
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.) Skilfully 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." 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." 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." 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."
My Name Is Khan was not India's official entry to the Oscars as best foreign language film, but it made it to the reminder list of films eligible for the 83rd Academy Awards
. This means that it was eligible to win in any category.
. It recorded the third-highest first day business across India, behind 3 Idiots and Ghajini
at the time of release. The film broke the record of Race for the biggest opening weekend in the first quarter of the year. The film was reported to have done very well in multiplexes, but comparatively on the lower side in single screens. The film managed to net INR460.8 million (US$9,952,857) in its first week and debuted at No. 1 at the Indian box office, thus attaining the third highest first-week net collections, again behind 3 Idiots and Ghajini
.
After its first week, the film began experiencing large drops in collections from many parts of the country. The drops ranged from 60% – 70% for the first few weeks, and started reducing for the later weeks. The film generally did not sustain well at most places, and was therefore given a "Hit" tag, becoming only the second hit of 2010 (after Ishqiya
). It is currently the ninth highest-grossing film according to Indian collections, and the fourth highest-grossing film of 2010
. In rankings based on distributor share, My Name is Khan comes in fifth behind Dabangg
, Rajneeti, Golmaal 3
and HouseFull
; in a way bearing out Sajid Khan's boast that HouseFull
will surpass MNIK in India. The film managed to retain the No. 1 spot at the Indian box office for two consecutive weeks, and remained in the top five for six consecutive weeks. At the end of its theatrical run, My Name Is Khan earned INR 731.4 million (US$16,419,056) in India.
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 INR393 million (US$8.5 million). As of August 2010, the film has grossed $4,018,771 in the United States and $37,001,087 elsewhere for a worldwide total of $41,019,858.
In the UK, it made £123,000 on its opening day, 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.
My Name Is Khan debuted in USA in 120 theatres, breaking the record set by 3 Idiots which debuted in 119 theatres. The film broke the record for an opening weekend in the US, earning US$1,994,027. The film debuted at No. 13 at the American box office. By the end of the first week, the film grossed US$2,552,283, second only to 3 Idiots which had a Christmas holiday week. By the fourth week, the film earned US$3,868,891 (INR193,820,016), breaking Shahrukh Khan's previous record set by Om Shanti Om. On the 51st day of screening in the US, My Name Is Khan broke the US$4 million barrier, and became only the second Bollywood film ever to cross this mark, after 3 Idiots. It is currently the second highest-grossing Bollywood film in the US.
In Australia, the film earned an impressive A$39,000 (INR16.1 lakhs) on its opening day, and was ranked No. 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). 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).
In the Middle East the response to the film has been described as "huge" and it earned approximately US$300,000 on its opening day. In Egypt it earned more than two million Egyptian pounds. By the end of 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$1.75 million.
My Name is Khan also opened well in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Far East. The film is the highest-grossing film in Pakistan, breaking the records set by Avatar , 3 Idiots and Wanted.
By its third week, MNIK has become the highest-grossing Bollywood film in the Middle East, earning US$ 3.3 million. In South Africa, the film earned US$85,214 (Rs. 39.28 lakhs) in its opening weekend. In Malaysia, it earned MYR
105,527 (US$31,106) in its opening weekend, and by the second weekend, the film had earned MYR410,864 (US$ 120,452). In Nigeria, the film earned an "impressive" NGN
2,310,137 (US$15,362) in its opening weekend. In Ghana
, the film earned GHS
10,599 (US$ 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. The film has also grossed $425,825 in 7 weeks at the Bahrain box office. The film has also grossed an impressive $55,073 in Poland in its opening weekend. The film grossed $270,698 in South Africa. The film also made $58,683 in Lebanon region.
, and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film in the UK. In the Middle East it is also the highest grossing Bollywood film. As of date My Name Is Khan is the highest-grossing film in overseas markets.
in 2001. Most trade analysts were optimistic about the film. Box Office India stated that, "It would be interesting to see if the film does well as the SRK-Kajol fan base was at its prime roughly ten years ago. The question is whether that fan base is still as strong today", while others stated that the film would open very well and had the potential to become a very big success. Several media outlets predicted that My Name Is Khan would give very significant competition to 3 Idiots, both in India and especially in the overseas markets. However, there was a good amount of scepticism and criticism for the film due to its very high selling price. The film itself was made at a comparatively small budget, but was bought for a huge amount, estimated to be around INR1 billion (although this was never confirmed by Vijay Singh, CEO Fox Star India) which many thought would be difficult to recover. There was also some discussion about its content, which was "serious" and "thinking", not a satirical entertainer like 3 Idiots.
It was generally agreed that My Name Is Khan would require an excellent opening at the box office, and would also require very significant "repeat value" so as to be able to recover its costs. Early positive reports and much comparisons between this film and 3 Idiots resulted in a massive turnout for the film during its initial weekend. However, Mumbai
– the prime contributor to any Bollywood film's revenue, parts of Maharashtra
and Gujarat posed a major problem to the film because of severe protests against the screening of the film in these places. This resulted in a limited release in these areas, which reportedly hurt its opening weekend collections.
The film faced considerable falls in collections after its first week. The drops in collections is evident from the fact that 63% of the film's net collections came from the first week, as compared to 54% for Race, 56% for Ghajini
, 49% for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and 39% for 3 Idiots. In spite of this, the film managed to retain the No. 1 position at the box office for two consecutive weeks. It was in the top 5 list of the Indian box office for six consecutive weeks. Though the mid-week collections saw a drop of 60% from the opening weekend, it held up well against other major releases and secured the highest first quarter collections, a record previously held by the 2008 film Race. Thus, the film is a financial success owing to its record-breaking overseas collections and healthy domestic collections.
Won
Nominated
2011 Zee Cine Awards
Won
Nominated
2011 Star Screen Awards
Won
Nominated
6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards
Won
Nominated
International Indian Film Academy Awards
Won
Nominated
Big Star Entertainment Awards
Won
The Global Indian Film And Television Honors
Won
, who previously teamed up with Karan Johar
to give hit music for his movies like Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)
and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)
. The lyrics are penned by Niranjan Iyengar
. The music was released on 5 January 2010 , by Sony Music Entertainment (India) who has also previously released the music for Karan Johar's
movies Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...(2001) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
, which gained global musical success. The musical soundtrack consists of 6 original songs and 4 bonus tracks that are taken from Karan Johar
's previous successful films that have featured Shahrukh Khan
. The soundtrack includes one instrumental
called "Khan Theme", composed by Indrajit Sharma and the strings for the song are performed by the Bombay Film Orchestra. 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". Unlike Karan Johar
's other films, this film has no lip-sync songs. All the songs are in background. The total runtime of the original soundtrack is 27 minutes.
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."
"Sajda" and "Tere Naina" became an instant favourite among the audience on its release, whereas "Noor-E-Khuda" was appealed by the masses after the film's release since the song was not promoted heavily.
is alone credited for writing the lyrics for the songs, Niranjan penned the only two sufi songs in the film, "Sajda" and "Allah Hi Rahem". The famous lyricist, Javed Akhtar
was approached to write the lyrics for the remaining three songs. Earlier it was reported that he refused to write lyrics, because Javed Akhtar did not want to share the credits with another lyricist since Niranjan Iyengar has written two songs for the film. Later Karan Johar
confirmed that Javed Akhtar penned the remaining songs, but Javed did not want him to be credited as the lyricist when the soundtrack released as he had to share the credits with Nirinjan Iyenger. Javed confirmed this and said, "I don’t like to share the credits. I would have got the publicity but the other person, who has done a fine job, wouldn’t have. I have read the songs penned by Niranjan and I think he has done a great job."
). Upon arriving at Newark Airport
in New Jersey
, he was pulled aside by Immigration officers after his name popped up on their computers, 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.'"
Khan said he was told that it was because "they said my name was common to some name that popped up on the computer." 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 South Asians. In fact many officers were reluctantly vouching for me, some people were asking for autographs and a Pakistan
i fan even said he knew who I was. But the officers said it was procedure and kept taking numbers from me."
While he was not allowed to use his own phone, Khan was permitted one phone call. 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. 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." When asked if he would demand an apology, Khan replied that he would not.
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." During a January 2010 interview, Khan referred to the implication that the event was a publicity stunt for the film as, "lowdown and cheap." 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."
In addition, the incident sparked debate and commentary among Indian politicians, actors, and others. It also led to demonstrations in India. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
later invited Khan to have dinner with him "in a bid to diffuse what has become a slight diplomatic row."
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."
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. His comments have restarted the debate in Britain over whether the newly introduced body scanners violate individual privacy.
cricket team) criticised 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." 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." 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.
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. However, on 10 January 2010, when cinemas opened for advanced bookings, individuals disguised as "cinegoers" began to attack cinemas and booking centres. Director Karan Johar and distributors met with police to ask for additional security. In response, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan
threatened to withdraw security cover for party leader Uddhav Thackeray. 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 were multiple arrests and leaves of all police officials were cancelled. The distributor, Fox Star, stated that the film will still be released on its scheduled opening date, 12 February. It opened to full cinema houses in quite a number of places across India.
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film directed by Karan Johar
Karan Johar
Karan Johar is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and Television host. He is the son of Hiroo Johar and Yash Johar. He is one of the most successful filmmakers in Bollywood. He is most known for directing and producing some of Bollywood's highest grossing films in India and the...
, with a screenplay by Shibani Bathija
Shibani Bathija
Shibani Bathija is an Indian screenwriter.Bahija studied English at DePauw University and Communications at San Francisco State. After a period in advertising with SONY, Bathija showed a script to Karan Johar which was then accepted by Yash Raj Films...
, produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Gauri Khan
Gauri Khan
Gauri Khan is an Indian movie producer and the wife of Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan, with whom she co-founded Red Chillies Entertainment, their film production and distribution company in 2002.-Early life:Gauri Khan is a Hindu of Chib Mohyal Brahmin origin, born in New Delhi, India and...
, and starring Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
and Kajol
Kajol
Kajol Devgn , better known as Kajol, is an Indian film actress appearing in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of India's most successful and talented female actors....
, who reunite after nine years (their last film together was Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... is a Bollywood film released in India and countries with large NRI populations on 14 December 2001....
in 2001). Film was jointly produced by Dharma Productions
Dharma Productions
Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian film company founded by Yash Johar in 1976.- Other projects :Dharma Productions and NDTV recently decided to jointly launch an entertainment television channel called NDTV Imagine.- Controversy :...
and Red Chillies Entertainment
Red Chillies Entertainment
Red Chillies Entertainment is an Indian motion picture production and distribution company, based in Mumbai. The company was founded in 2002 by Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan...
and was distributed by FOX Star Entertainment
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox Searchlight Pictures, established in 1998, is a film division of Fox Filmed Entertainment alongside the larger Fox studio 20th Century Fox...
, which had bought the rights for the film for a sum of , thus becoming the most expensive Bollywood film of 2010. It is also the highest buyover for any Indian film, surpassing Ghajini
Ghajini (2008 film)
Ghajini is a 2008 Indian Hindi action film written and directed by A. R. Murugadoss and produced by Tagore Madhu and Madhu Mantena. It is a remake of Murugadoss's own 2005 Tamil film Ghajini starring Surya Sivakumar in the lead role. The film stars Aamir Khan, Asin Thottumkal and Jiah Khan in lead...
's record of .
My Name is Khan debuted in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, UAE on 10 February 2010. It released globally in cinemas on 12 February 2010. It was also screened as part of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival
60th Berlin International Film Festival
The 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 11 to February 21, 2010, with Werner Herzog as President of the Jury. The opening film of the festival was Chinese director Wang Quan'an's romantic drama Apart Together, in competition, while the closing film is Japanese...
's official selection the same month. In the months leading up to its release, the film has also been involved in some controversy related to international airport security
Airport security
Airport security refers to the techniques and methods used in protecting airports and aircraft from crime.Large numbers of people pass through airports. This presents potential targets for terrorism and other forms of crime due to the number of people located in a particular location...
and Indian politics
Politics of India
The politics of India takes place within the framework of a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of India is head of state and the Prime Minister of India is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President and is independent of the legislature...
.
Upon release, the film broke many box office records, and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film overseas. Within four weeks, the film crossed the INR 700 million mark in India and became the first film of 2010
Bollywood films of 2010
A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry in 2010. Six films made it to the top 30 list of highest grossing Hindi films at the Indian box office. The total net amount earned by the top ten films of the year was 735.07 crore , compared to 2009's 658 crores, a percentage increase of...
to do so. In the overseas markets, the film grossed . My Name is Khan is currently the fourth highest grossing Bollywood film according to worldwide gross collections. The film was released in India on DVD on 28 April 2010. Blu-ray in India, plus a DVD release worldwide followed on 10 August 2010.
Plot
Rizwan Khan (Shahrukh KhanShahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
) is a Muslim child who grew up with his brother Zakir (Jimmy Shergill
Jimmy Shergill
Jasjit Singh Gill , popularly known as Jimmy Shergill , is an Indian actor.-Early life:Shergill was born in a Jatt Sikh family in Gorakhpur, India and studied there till 5th Grade in St. Paul's School. Then, his family shifted to Patiala...
) and his mother Razia Khan (Zarina Wahab
Zarina Wahab
Zarina Wahab is an Indian actress and former model, who was critically acclaimed for starring roles, such as in Chit Chor and Gopal Krishna in the 1970s.-Early life:...
) in a middle class family in the Borivali
Borivali
Borivali or Borivli a suburban area located in the north-west section of Mumbai island. Borivali is approximately from Mumbai Airport and from Churchgate Railway Station...
section of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. Rizwan is different from other children; However, he has certain gifts, particularly a special ability to repair mechanical things. His difference leads to special tutoring from a reclusive scholar and extra attention from his mother, all which 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 sponsors Rizwan to come and live with him in San Francisco after the death of their mother. It is at this time that Zakir's wife, Haseena (Sonya Jehan
Sonya Jehan
Sonya Jehan is a French Bollywood actress of Pakistani descent. Jehan's debut film was the big-budget period epic romance Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story in 2005...
) diagnoses Rizwan with Asperger's syndrome. Rizwan also begins to work for Zakir and in the process he meets a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
woman, Mandira (Kajol
Kajol
Kajol Devgn , better known as Kajol, is an Indian film actress appearing in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of India's most successful and talented female actors....
) and her young son, Sameer or Sam (Yuvaan Makaar), from a previous marriage. Mandira is a hairdresser by profession. Despite Zakir's hostility to the match, they marry and settle down in the fictional town of Banville, where both Mandira and Sameer take Rizwan's last name as their own. They also live next door to the Garrick family. Sameer is close to their young son, Reese (Kenton Duty
Kenton Duty
Kenton Duty is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his recurring role as "Young Jacob" on the final season of the ABC primetime drama, Lost, and for his co-starring role as the flamboyant European exchange student, Gunther Hessenheffer on the Disney Channel comedy series, Shake It...
and Michael Arnold) while Mark (Dominic Renda) is a reporter and Sarah (Katie A. Keane) is a friend of Mandira.
The Khan's perfect existence gets disrupted, however, after the 11 September attacks on New York City. Mark goes to cover the war in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
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 Sameer and a number of older students. Reese tries to stop the fight but is held back and Sam dies from his injuries. A shattered Mandira blames Rizwan for his death stating that Sameer "died only because his name was Khan." She then tells Rizwan that she no longer wants to be with him. When he asks her what he has to do to be together with Mandira, she sarcastically 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.
Rizwan takes Mandira's request seriously, and thus sets out on a journey that takes him from one US state to another, in order to first meet President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and later the new President-elect. During this quest, he travels to Wilhemina, Georgia and befriends Mama Jenny and her son Joel. Later, in Los Angeles, he prays in a Mosque and overhears violent rhetoric from Faisal Rahman (Arif Zakaria
Arif Zakaria
Arif Zakaria is an Indian actor. He is best known for his role as Emmi Begum in Darmiyan ....
). 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 thinking he said he was a terrorist.
While in the prison he is interrogated as a terrorist suspect and meets the psychiatrist Radha (Sheetal Menon
Sheetal Menon
Sheetal Menon is an Indian model and actress.Menon is trained as a Bharatanatyam dancer and began her career as a model with the agency headed by Atul Kasbekar. During her final year in college she joined Anupam Kher’s course, Actor Prepares. Her first acting role came in Nari Hira's Bhram – An...
) who believes he is innocent. He is later released after a media campaign by some Indian student reporters Raj (Arjun Mathur
Arjun Mathur
Arjun Mathur is a British Indian actor who has appeared in such Bollywood films as Luck by Chance and My Name Is Khan.-Early life and education:...
) and Komal (Sugandha Garg
Sugandha Garg
-Career:She appeared as Shaleen in the Hindi-language film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na . She also played the role of best friend to Gayatri Patel in the movie Let's Dance, released on June 19, 2009. She also played a role in My Name is Khan as a student reporter...
) and Bobby Ahuja (Parvin Dabas
Parvin Dabas
Parvin Dabas , also known as Parvin Dabbas, is an Indian actor and model.-Background:Parvin Dabas was born into a Jaat family of Dabas Gotra. His family is from Kanjhawala, Delhi...
), who prove his innocence by unearthing his attempts to inform the FBI about Faisal Rahman. After his release, he returns to hurricane-hit Wilhemina 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 killed Sam. She informs Detective Garcia (Benny Nieves) who has been assisting her on the case, and Detective Garcia arrests them. Mandira later gets a call from Sarah to forgive Rizwan, "I've lost my husband, don't lose him."
Mandira realises her error, she joins Rizwan in Georgia and their love rekindles. However at the moment she arrives, Rizwan is stabbed by a follower of Faisal Rahman (Sumeet Raghavan
Sumeet Raghavan
Sumeet Raghavan is an actor in highly Marathi and Hindi TV Industry/ Hindi Movies. Born on April 22, 1971 to a Tamil Father and a Kannadiga mother-Career:...
), accusing him of being a traitor of Islam, and Rizwan is rushed to the hospital. With Mandira's help, Rizwan survives and meets President-elect Barack Obama (Christopher B. Duncan
Christopher B. Duncan
Christopher B. Duncan is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Braxton P. Hartnabrig on The Jamie Foxx Show and he is also known for playing President Barack Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He portrayed Obama in the 2010 film My Name is Khan as well.Duncan received his B.F.A....
) who tells him: "Your name is Khan and you are not a terrorist". The film concludes with Rizvan and Mandira going back home.
Cast
- Shahrukh KhanShahrukh KhanShahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
as Rizwan Khan - KajolKajolKajol Devgn , better known as Kajol, is an Indian film actress appearing in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of India's most successful and talented female actors....
as Mandira Khan - Yuvaan Makaar as Sameer (Sam)
- Zarina WahabZarina WahabZarina Wahab is an Indian actress and former model, who was critically acclaimed for starring roles, such as in Chit Chor and Gopal Krishna in the 1970s.-Early life:...
as Razia Khan (Rizwan's mother) - Tanay Chheda as Rizwan Khan (as a young child)
- Jimmy ShergillJimmy ShergillJasjit Singh Gill , popularly known as Jimmy Shergill , is an Indian actor.-Early life:Shergill was born in a Jatt Sikh family in Gorakhpur, India and studied there till 5th Grade in St. Paul's School. Then, his family shifted to Patiala...
as Zakir Khan - Sonya JehanSonya JehanSonya Jehan is a French Bollywood actress of Pakistani descent. Jehan's debut film was the big-budget period epic romance Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story in 2005...
as Haseena Khan - Parvin DabasParvin DabasParvin Dabas , also known as Parvin Dabbas, is an Indian actor and model.-Background:Parvin Dabas was born into a Jaat family of Dabas Gotra. His family is from Kanjhawala, Delhi...
as Bobby Ahuja - Arjun MathurArjun MathurArjun Mathur is a British Indian actor who has appeared in such Bollywood films as Luck by Chance and My Name Is Khan.-Early life and education:...
as Raj Burman - Sugandha GargSugandha Garg-Career:She appeared as Shaleen in the Hindi-language film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na . She also played the role of best friend to Gayatri Patel in the movie Let's Dance, released on June 19, 2009. She also played a role in My Name is Khan as a student reporter...
as Komal - Sheetal MenonSheetal MenonSheetal Menon is an Indian model and actress.Menon is trained as a Bharatanatyam dancer and began her career as a model with the agency headed by Atul Kasbekar. During her final year in college she joined Anupam Kher’s course, Actor Prepares. Her first acting role came in Nari Hira's Bhram – An...
as Radha - Christopher B. DuncanChristopher B. DuncanChristopher B. Duncan is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Braxton P. Hartnabrig on The Jamie Foxx Show and he is also known for playing President Barack Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He portrayed Obama in the 2010 film My Name is Khan as well.Duncan received his B.F.A....
as President of the United States - Kenton DutyKenton DutyKenton Duty is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his recurring role as "Young Jacob" on the final season of the ABC primetime drama, Lost, and for his co-starring role as the flamboyant European exchange student, Gunther Hessenheffer on the Disney Channel comedy series, Shake It...
as Reese Garrick - Michael Arnold as Reese Garrick (as a child)
- Umesh Tonpe as Sandip Chotala (as a friend of Rizwan in US)
- Dominic Renda as Mark Garrick
- Katie A. KeaneKatie A. KeaneKatie A. Keane is an American actress.Keane received her M.F.A. with honors from California State University, Long Beach. In addition to a number of theatrical credits , she is best known for her role as Audie Gallagher in the television series, Ruby and The Rockits...
as Sarah Garrick - Harmony Blossom as Karma Girl
- Arif ZakariaArif ZakariaArif Zakaria is an Indian actor. He is best known for his role as Emmi Begum in Darmiyan ....
as Faisal Rahman - Vinay PathakVinay PathakVinay Pathak is an Indian actor and a theatre person born and raised in Bhojpur, Bihar. He is known for his great Comic timing and as a revolution in Indian Cinema along with Ranvir Shorey, Rajat Kapur, Abhay Deol, who are tagged as actors of a new genre...
as Jitesh - Jennifer Echols as Mama Jenny
- Adrian Kali Turner as Funny Hair Joel
- Benny Nieves as Detective Garcia
- Sumeet RaghavanSumeet RaghavanSumeet Raghavan is an actor in highly Marathi and Hindi TV Industry/ Hindi Movies. Born on April 22, 1971 to a Tamil Father and a Kannadiga mother-Career:...
as Attacker
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 autismAutism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
."
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." 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."
Filming
Production of the film took place in India and the United States. Filming began in Los Angeles during December 2008 and one of the locations used was UCLA. Johar next continued production in Mumbai during April 2009. During June 2009, production moved to San Francisco and the Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, where they filmed a key scene at the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose is located on Woz Way in downtown San Jose, California. Woz Way is named after Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer, whose nickname is "Woz," and who was the single largest private donor during the original capital campaign that funded the...
.
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
and Kajol
Kajol
Kajol Devgn , better known as Kajol, is an Indian film actress appearing in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of India's most successful and talented female actors....
were cast in the lead roles, reuniting them after many years. The film faced a temporary setback in late December when actor Aamir Bashir
Aamir Bashir
-Background:Bashir was born and raised in Kashmir, the son of the retired Chief Justice of Jammu High Court. He is a graduate of St. Stephen's College University of Delhi.- Career :...
was denied a visa to the United States. He was eventually replaced by Jimmy Shergill
Jimmy Shergill
Jasjit Singh Gill , popularly known as Jimmy Shergill , is an Indian actor.-Early life:Shergill was born in a Jatt Sikh family in Gorakhpur, India and studied there till 5th Grade in St. Paul's School. Then, his family shifted to Patiala...
as Khan's younger brother. Although Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
was originally cast as Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
's mother she left the production after his shoulder injury delayed the filming schedule. She was replaced in the role by Zarina Wahab
Zarina Wahab
Zarina Wahab is an Indian actress and former model, who was critically acclaimed for starring roles, such as in Chit Chor and Gopal Krishna in the 1970s.-Early life:...
. Tanay Chheda portrayed Shahrukh Khan's character as a child living in the Borivali
Borivali
Borivali or Borivli a suburban area located in the north-west section of Mumbai island. Borivali is approximately from Mumbai Airport and from Churchgate Railway Station...
section of Mumbai. Chheda was chosen because he resembles Khan and because he is recognizable to an international audience after portraying "middle Jamal" in Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...
. He had earlier worked with Khan in the remake of the 1970s superhit Don: The Chase Begins Again. American actor Christopher B. Duncan
Christopher B. Duncan
Christopher B. Duncan is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Braxton P. Hartnabrig on The Jamie Foxx Show and he is also known for playing President Barack Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He portrayed Obama in the 2010 film My Name is Khan as well.Duncan received his B.F.A....
was chosen to portray President Barack Obama. Duncan is known for his interpretation of Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Johar had difficulties finding a mosque to film in. According to actor Arif Zakaria
Arif Zakaria
Arif Zakaria is an Indian actor. He is best known for his role as Emmi Begum in Darmiyan ....
, "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 Shahrukh Khan on the set of a mosque constructed at The Club in Andheri."
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." He described working with both Shahrukh Khan and Kajol again as "magic. They build an inexplicable energy on screen." Johar also stated that he was "blown away by Shahrukh who had done monumental research on his autistic character in the film. I was zapped by how much he knew about the subject."
Johar also asked Khan to co-produce the film under his production company Red Chillies Entertainment
Red Chillies Entertainment
Red Chillies Entertainment is an Indian motion picture production and distribution company, based in Mumbai. The company was founded in 2002 by Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan...
, Talking about the initiative, the director said:"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."
Release
My Name is Khan debuted in Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, UAE on 10 February 2010. It released globally in cinemas on 12 February 2010.The film went through phased releases, and was not released simultaneously in all countries but instead traveled in a planned manner over a period of time, MNIK had a two phase release, To begin with,it had a mainstream release in India coupled with a regular Diaspora release in UK, US, Gulf, Australia and various other countries. "After that in the months of April and May, we would be looking at a mainstream theatrical release in countries like Germany, Poland and other parts of North America," detailed Johar.
Marketing
My Name Is Khan was screened as part of 60th Berlin International Film Festival60th Berlin International Film Festival
The 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 11 to February 21, 2010, with Werner Herzog as President of the Jury. The opening film of the festival was Chinese director Wang Quan'an's romantic drama Apart Together, in competition, while the closing film is Japanese...
's Official Selection in February 2010, out of competition. The website eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
auctioned the tickets for the film's screening at the Berlin Film Festival for a record price of EUR1,000 (INR
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
60,000) each. All the tickets were sold out in five seconds.
The first look of My Name Is Khan was released at the premiere of the Hollywood film, Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
. My Name is Khan marked the first instance of a film using the Roadblock
Roadblock (disambiguation)
Roadblock may refer to:*Roadblock , a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road*Raasta roko , a commonly practiced form of protest in India...
advertising technique to market a film, in which the three-minute trailer was aired on all leading television channels simultaneously.
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
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
." They were invited by Fox Searchlight Pictures to do so as part of their promotion for My Name Is Khan. Shahrukh Khan also appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
as part of its promotion in the UK, becoming only the second Indian after Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty is an Indian film actress and model. Since making her debut in the film Baazigar , she has appeared in nearly 40 Bollywood, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films, her first leading role being in the 1994 Aag. Although she has been through years of decline during her career, Shetty has been...
to do so.
Pre-release revenues
On 7 August 2009, Karan Johar signed a deal for INRIndian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
1 billion with Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox Searchlight Pictures, established in 1998, is a film division of Fox Filmed Entertainment alongside the larger Fox studio 20th Century Fox...
, who will market and distribute it in India (FOXSTAR) and worldwide (Fox Searchlight).It covers all rights except music, which has been bagged by Sony Music.
The satellite television rights for showcasing My Name Is Khan were sold to Star Plus
STAR Plus
STAR Plus is a Hindi language general entertainment television channel based in India. The channel is part of the STAR TV network's bouquet of channels...
for a sum of INR150 million (US$3,314,303).
India
My Name Is Khan received generally positive reviews by top critics in India. It received 3.7/5 at Wogma. Yahoo! MoviesYahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Movies , provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yahoo! Movies also includes red carpet photos, actor galleries, and production...
has a user consensus grade of 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." Nikhat Kazmi
Nikhat Kazmi
Nikhat Kazmi is a senior correspondent and well-known film critic from India, who has been writing for The Times of India, since 1987.-Books:* If Shakespeare was a gun: a play. Writers Workshop, 1984....
of The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
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." Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....
of Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....
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." Sarita Tanwar of Mid-Day
Mid-day
Mid Day is an afternoon daily Indian compact newspaper. Editions in various languages are published in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Pune .-Establishment:...
gave the film four and a half out of five stars and described it as "near-perfect", concluding that "The Karan-Shah Rukh-Kajol combo strikes once more."
Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand is an Indian film critic and entertainment reporter for CNN-IBN. Masand started his career as an entertainment correspondent at the young age of 16...
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." Sudhish Kamath from The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
wrote, "My Name is Khan is populist, yet layered with rich political subtext. It's all about types, yet every character feels real. It's about generalisations and yet it chooses to dwell on the specifics. It's all heart and spirit that you can't help but overlook the flaws and admire it."
According to BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
critic Manish Gajjar, who gave the film four out of five stars, the film is "a fiction-based film refreshingly told with realism of racial profiling on American soil. It's a rare treat for Hindi commercial cinema and a crossover audience." Pratim D. Gupta from The Telegraph
The Telegraph (Kolkata)
The Telegraph is an Indian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 1982. It is published by the ABP Group and the newspaper vies with the Times of India for the position of having the widest widest circulation of any newspaper in Eastern India.According to the Audit...
in a positive review concluded, "My Name Is Khan has conscience and courage and two heartfelt performances. It can try your patience a bit but it will not leave you untouched." Namrata Joshi from Outlook
Outlook (magazine)
Outlook is one of India's four top-selling English weekly newsmagazines. Like many other Indian magazines, it is reluctant to reveal its circulation, but the 2007 National Readership Survey suggested 1.5 million copies...
, giving the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, described it as "a gentle, affecting and heart-warming film that makes you smile through your tears. It looks at contentious issues but offers overwhelming hope and renewal."
USA
The film received mixed to positive 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 MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, based on seven reviews. According to user ratings, the film has 87% positive response. The IMDb
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
website has given the film a user rating of 72%. Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
lists an approval rating of 80%, with 4 positive and 1 negative review.
Rachel Saltz of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
states, "Khan is one of a handful of Hindi films (New York
New York (film)
New York is a 2009 Bollywood thriller directed by Kabir Khan, produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films, and with a screenplay by Sandeep Srivastava. Visual effects are by Visual Computing Labs, Tata Elxsi Ltd. It stars John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh, and Irrfan Khan...
, Kurbaan
Kurbaan (2009 film)
Kurbaan is a Bollywood film directed by Rensil D'Silva and produced by Karan Johar. The film, set against the backdrop of global terrorism, features Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor in pivotal roles along with Vivek Oberoi, Dia Mirza, Rupinder Nagra, Om Puri and Kirron Kher...
) about Indians living in a paranoid, post-9/11 America, and there’s something fascinating about looking at this country through a Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
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.) Skilfully 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." 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." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
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." Jay Wesissberg of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
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."
My Name Is Khan was not India's official entry to the Oscars as best foreign language film, but it made it to the reminder list of films eligible for the 83rd Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
. This means that it was eligible to win in any category.
Box office
My Name Is Khan opened very well in most places across the world, and set many records in the process. However, the performance of the film could not sustain beyond the first or second week in some places, including India and USA. The film's performance in India was quite good but still is generally regarded as "below expectations" due to the high price, while the overseas performance of the film has been record breaking. As of 4 April, the worldwide gross revenue for My Name Is Khan from the box office is US$36,145,870. Domestically, My Name Is Khan generated INR 727 million net (equating to INR 967 million gross). Overall My Name Is Khan was declared a 'Hit' in India and an 'All-time blockbuster' in overseas markets, where it remains the highest grosser.India
In India, the film opened with a massive INR 295 million (US$ 6,356,688), which was the third-highest weekend net for a Bollywood film, behind 3 Idiots and GhajiniGhajini (2008 film)
Ghajini is a 2008 Indian Hindi action film written and directed by A. R. Murugadoss and produced by Tagore Madhu and Madhu Mantena. It is a remake of Murugadoss's own 2005 Tamil film Ghajini starring Surya Sivakumar in the lead role. The film stars Aamir Khan, Asin Thottumkal and Jiah Khan in lead...
. It recorded the third-highest first day business across India, behind 3 Idiots and Ghajini
Ghajini (2008 film)
Ghajini is a 2008 Indian Hindi action film written and directed by A. R. Murugadoss and produced by Tagore Madhu and Madhu Mantena. It is a remake of Murugadoss's own 2005 Tamil film Ghajini starring Surya Sivakumar in the lead role. The film stars Aamir Khan, Asin Thottumkal and Jiah Khan in lead...
at the time of release. The film broke the record of Race for the biggest opening weekend in the first quarter of the year. The film was reported to have done very well in multiplexes, but comparatively on the lower side in single screens. The film managed to net INR460.8 million (US$9,952,857) in its first week and debuted at No. 1 at the Indian box office, thus attaining the third highest first-week net collections, again behind 3 Idiots and Ghajini
Ghajini (2008 film)
Ghajini is a 2008 Indian Hindi action film written and directed by A. R. Murugadoss and produced by Tagore Madhu and Madhu Mantena. It is a remake of Murugadoss's own 2005 Tamil film Ghajini starring Surya Sivakumar in the lead role. The film stars Aamir Khan, Asin Thottumkal and Jiah Khan in lead...
.
After its first week, the film began experiencing large drops in collections from many parts of the country. The drops ranged from 60% – 70% for the first few weeks, and started reducing for the later weeks. The film generally did not sustain well at most places, and was therefore given a "Hit" tag, becoming only the second hit of 2010 (after Ishqiya
Ishqiya
Ishqiya is a 2010 Indian film starring Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, and Salman Shahid in the lead roles. The film is directed by Abhishek Chaubey in his directorial debut and is produced by Raman Maroo and Vishal Bharadwaj. The film was released on 29 January 2010.Upon release, the...
). It is currently the ninth highest-grossing film according to Indian collections, and the fourth highest-grossing film of 2010
Bollywood films of 2010
A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry in 2010. Six films made it to the top 30 list of highest grossing Hindi films at the Indian box office. The total net amount earned by the top ten films of the year was 735.07 crore , compared to 2009's 658 crores, a percentage increase of...
. In rankings based on distributor share, My Name is Khan comes in fifth behind Dabangg
Dabangg
Dabangg is a 2010 Hindi action film, directed by Abhinav Kashyap in his directorial debut and produced by Arbaaz Khan under the Arbaaz Khan Productions. The lead actors in the film include Arbaaz's elder brother, Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha...
, Rajneeti, Golmaal 3
Golmaal 3
Golmaal 3 is a 2010 Bollywood comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty. A sequel to the 2008 film Golmaal Returns, the project stars most of the actors from the previous film, including Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade. New additions to the cast include...
and HouseFull
Housefull
Housefull can refer to:* Housefull , a Hindi film starring Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone and Lara Dutta* Housefull , a Telugu film starring Vega Tamotia, Gowri Pandit and Vipin...
; in a way bearing out Sajid Khan's boast that HouseFull
Housefull
Housefull can refer to:* Housefull , a Hindi film starring Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone and Lara Dutta* Housefull , a Telugu film starring Vega Tamotia, Gowri Pandit and Vipin...
will surpass MNIK in India. The film managed to retain the No. 1 spot at the Indian box office for two consecutive weeks, and remained in the top five for six consecutive weeks. At the end of its theatrical run, My Name Is Khan earned INR 731.4 million (US$16,419,056) in India.
Overseas
My Name Is Khan grossed Rs. 90.34 crore ($19.25 million) in the overseas markets making it the all-time highest grossing Bollywood film overseas. The film grossed the biggest opening day overseas, taking an estimated INRIndian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
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 INR393 million (US$8.5 million). As of August 2010, the film has grossed $4,018,771 in the United States and $37,001,087 elsewhere for a worldwide total of $41,019,858.
In the UK, it made £123,000 on its opening day, 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
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna commonly known as KANK is a 2006 Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar and produced under the Dharma Productions banner...
and Veer-Zaara
Veer-Zaara
The soundtrack was released on CD and specially on Audio DVD. The music is based on old and untouched compositions by the late Madan Mohan, as revised by his son Sanjeev Kohli....
, according to the exchange rates prevailing at their respective times of release.
My Name Is Khan debuted in USA in 120 theatres, breaking the record set by 3 Idiots which debuted in 119 theatres. The film broke the record for an opening weekend in the US, earning US$1,994,027. The film debuted at No. 13 at the American box office. By the end of the first week, the film grossed US$2,552,283, second only to 3 Idiots which had a Christmas holiday week. By the fourth week, the film earned US$3,868,891 (INR193,820,016), breaking Shahrukh Khan's previous record set by Om Shanti Om. On the 51st day of screening in the US, My Name Is Khan broke the US$4 million barrier, and became only the second Bollywood film ever to cross this mark, after 3 Idiots. It is currently the second highest-grossing Bollywood film in the US.
In Australia, the film earned an impressive A$39,000 (INR16.1 lakhs) on its opening day, and was ranked No. 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). 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).
In the Middle East the response to the film has been described as "huge" and it earned approximately US$300,000 on its opening day. In Egypt it earned more than two million Egyptian pounds. By the end of 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$1.75 million.
My Name is Khan also opened well in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Far East. The film is the highest-grossing film in Pakistan, breaking the records set by Avatar , 3 Idiots and Wanted.
By its third week, MNIK has become the highest-grossing Bollywood film in the Middle East, earning US$ 3.3 million. In South Africa, the film earned US$85,214 (Rs. 39.28 lakhs) in its opening weekend. In Malaysia, it earned MYR
Malaysian ringgit
The Malaysian ringgit is the currency of Malaysia. It is divided into 100 sen...
105,527 (US$31,106) in its opening weekend, and by the second weekend, the film had earned MYR410,864 (US$ 120,452). In Nigeria, the film earned an "impressive" NGN
Nigerian naira
The naira is the currency of Nigeria. It is subdivided into 100 kobo.The Central Bank of Nigeria is the sole issuer of legal tender money throughout the Federation. It controls the volume of money supply in the economy in order to ensure monetary and price stability...
2,310,137 (US$15,362) in its opening weekend. In Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, the film earned GHS
Ghanaian cedi
The Ghana Cedi is the unit of currency of Ghana. The word "cedi" is derived from the Akan word for cowry shell. The Ghana cedi was introduced on 3 July 2007 and is equal to 10,000 old cedis...
10,599 (US$ 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. The film has also grossed $425,825 in 7 weeks at the Bahrain box office. The film has also grossed an impressive $55,073 in Poland in its opening weekend. The film grossed $270,698 in South Africa. The film also made $58,683 in Lebanon region.
Box office records
My Name Is Khan created several records, both in India and around the world. In India, the film smashed the record for a Bollywood release in the month of February, breaking the previous two-year record held by Jodhaa Akbar. The film also broke the record for a Bollywood release in the first quarter of the year, breaking the previous two-year record held by Race. In the UK, the film broke the four-year record of Kabhi Alvida Naa KehnaKabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna commonly known as KANK is a 2006 Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar and produced under the Dharma Productions banner...
, and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film in the UK. In the Middle East it is also the highest grossing Bollywood film. As of date My Name Is Khan is the highest-grossing film in overseas markets.
Performance analysis
Before its release, My Name Is Khan generated a great deal of publicity for itself due to three main reasons, the first being the multiple political controversies surrounding the film and its lead actor, second because of Shahrukh Khan's presence in the film (he was last seen in a leading actor role in December 2008, when Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi released), and third being the re-unision of the "golden pair" of SRK-Kajol, who last appeared together in the film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie GhamKabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... is a Bollywood film released in India and countries with large NRI populations on 14 December 2001....
in 2001. Most trade analysts were optimistic about the film. Box Office India stated that, "It would be interesting to see if the film does well as the SRK-Kajol fan base was at its prime roughly ten years ago. The question is whether that fan base is still as strong today", while others stated that the film would open very well and had the potential to become a very big success. Several media outlets predicted that My Name Is Khan would give very significant competition to 3 Idiots, both in India and especially in the overseas markets. However, there was a good amount of scepticism and criticism for the film due to its very high selling price. The film itself was made at a comparatively small budget, but was bought for a huge amount, estimated to be around INR1 billion (although this was never confirmed by Vijay Singh, CEO Fox Star India) which many thought would be difficult to recover. There was also some discussion about its content, which was "serious" and "thinking", not a satirical entertainer like 3 Idiots.
It was generally agreed that My Name Is Khan would require an excellent opening at the box office, and would also require very significant "repeat value" so as to be able to recover its costs. Early positive reports and much comparisons between this film and 3 Idiots resulted in a massive turnout for the film during its initial weekend. However, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
– the prime contributor to any Bollywood film's revenue, parts of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
and Gujarat posed a major problem to the film because of severe protests against the screening of the film in these places. This resulted in a limited release in these areas, which reportedly hurt its opening weekend collections.
The film faced considerable falls in collections after its first week. The drops in collections is evident from the fact that 63% of the film's net collections came from the first week, as compared to 54% for Race, 56% for Ghajini
Ghajini (2008 film)
Ghajini is a 2008 Indian Hindi action film written and directed by A. R. Murugadoss and produced by Tagore Madhu and Madhu Mantena. It is a remake of Murugadoss's own 2005 Tamil film Ghajini starring Surya Sivakumar in the lead role. The film stars Aamir Khan, Asin Thottumkal and Jiah Khan in lead...
, 49% for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and 39% for 3 Idiots. In spite of this, the film managed to retain the No. 1 position at the box office for two consecutive weeks. It was in the top 5 list of the Indian box office for six consecutive weeks. Though the mid-week collections saw a drop of 60% from the opening weekend, it held up well against other major releases and secured the highest first quarter collections, a record previously held by the 2008 film Race. Thus, the film is a financial success owing to its record-breaking overseas collections and healthy domestic collections.
Awards and nominations
2011 Filmfare Awards56th Filmfare Awards
The 56th Filmfare Awards were held on January 29, 2011 at the Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai, honouring the best in film for the year 2010. The nominations were announced on January 13. The date of the function was unusual because generally the awards are hosted on the last Saturday of February...
Won
- Filmfare Award for Best Director – Karan Johar
- Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Shahrukh Khan
- Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kajol
Nominated
- Filmfare Award for Best Movie – My Name Is Khan
- Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
- Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist – Niranjan Iyengar for "Sajda"
- Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist – Niranjan Iyengar for "Noor-e-Khuda"
- Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer – Adnan Sami and Shankar Mahadevan for "Noor-e-Khuda"
- Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for "Sajda"
- Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer – Shreya Ghoshal for "Noor-e-Khuda"
2011 Zee Cine Awards
Zee Cine Awards
The Zee Cine Awards or "ZCA" for short is an awards ceremony for the Hindi film industry. It was first held in 1998 in Mumbai. Since then, it has gained substantial popularity as a notable awards ceremony to the Indian population as well as to the viewers of Zee Network.In 2004, the ZCA went...
Won
- Zee Cine Award for Best Actor - Male – Shahrukh Khan
- Zee Cine Award for Best Director – Karan Johar
- Zee Cine Award for Best Playback Singer – Female – Richa Sharma – "Sajda"
- Zee Cine Award for Best StoryZee Cine Award for Best StoryThe Zee Cine Award Best Story is a technical award.The winners are listed below:-...
– Karan Johar & Shibani Bhatija - Zee Cine Award for Best Sound Design – Dileep Subramaniam
- Zee Cine Award for Best Marketed Movie
Nominated
- Zee Cine Award for Best Film
- Zee Cine Award for Best Actor - Female – Kajol
- Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – Song of the Year – "Sajda"
2011 Star Screen Awards
Star Screen Awards
The Star Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony in India honoring professional excellence in film. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professional from the industry itself.- History :...
Won
- Best Actor (Popular Choice)Star Screen Award for Best Actor (Popular Choice)The Star Screen Award for Best Actor - Popular Choice has been introduced in 2009 during the Star Screen Awards. Unlike the Star Screen Award for Best Actor which is chosen by the jury, this trophy is given by the viewers to the actor whose performance is judged the most popular...
– Shahrukh Khan - Star Screen Award for Best Music Director – Shankar Ehsan Loy
- Ramnath Goenka Memorial Award
Nominated
- Star Screen Award for Best Actor – Male – Shahrukh Khan
- Star Screen Award for Best Actor – Female – Kajol
- Star Screen Award for Best Male Playback – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan – "Sajda"
- Star Screen Award for Best Male Playback – Shankar Mahadevan – "Noor-e-Khuda"
- Star Screen Award for Best Male Playback – Shafqat Ali – "Tere Naina"
- Star Screen Award for Best LyricistStar Screen Award for Best LyricistThe Star Screen Award for Best Lyricist is a Star Screen Award given annually in January by a panel of distinguished judges.-Winner:...
– Niranjan Iyengar – "Noor-e-khuda" - Star Screen Award for Best Lyricst – Niranjan Iyengar – "Sajda"
- Star Screen Award for Best StoryStar Screen Award for Best StoryThe winners of the Star Screen Awards for Best Story are listed below:-1990s:*1994 Krantiveer - K.K. Singh*1995 Param Vir Chakra - Ashok Kaul*1996 Maachis - Gulzar*1997 Virasat - Kamal Haasan*1998 Zakhm - Mahesh Bhatt...
– Shibani Bhatija - Star Screen Award for Best Child ArtistStar Screen Award for Best Child ArtistThe ' is a new award conducted by the Star Screen Awards to recognise a great performance by a child actor in the previous year.-Winners:...
– Tanay Cheeda
6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards
Won
- Apsara Award for Best Director – Karan Johar
- Apsara Award for Best Actor Readers' Choice – Male – Shahrukh Khan
Nominated
- Apsara Award for Best Film – Dharma Productions
- Apsara Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Male – Shahrukh Khan
- Apsara Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Female – Kajol
- Apsara Award for Best Story – Shibani Bathija
- Apsara Award for Best Lyrics – Niranjan Iyengar for "Tere Naina "
- Apsara Award for Best Music – Shankar Ehsaan Loy
- Apsara Award for Best Male Singer – Shafqat Amaanat Ali Khan for "Tere Naina"
- Apsara Award for Best Female Singer – Richa Sharma for "Sajda"
International Indian Film Academy Awards
International Indian Film Academy Awards
The International Indian Film Academy Awards, also known as the IIFA Awards are presented annually by the International Indian Film Academy to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood, the Hindi language film industry. Instituted in 2000, the ceremony is held in...
Won
- Best Director – Karan Johar
- Best Actor – Shahrukh Khan
- Best Lyricist – Niranjan Iyengar for Sajdaa
- Best Background Score – Shankar Ehsaan Loy
- Best Story – Shibani Bhattija
Nominated
- Best Movie
- Best Music Director – Shankar Ehsaan Loy
- Best Art Direction
- Best Cinematography
- Best Editing
- Best Screenplay – Shibani Bhattija
- Best Sound Recording
- Best Sound Re-Recording
Big Star Entertainment Awards
Won
- Big Star Award For Best Film – Dharma Productions
- Big Star Award For Best Music – Shankar Ehsan Loy
The Global Indian Film And Television Honors
Won
- Best Actor in a Lead Role – Male – Shahrukh Khan
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Female – Zarina Wahab
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is composed by the critically acclaimed Shankar-Ehsaan-LoyShankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy are an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. Record producers, musicians and multi-instrumentalists, they have composed music for over fifty soundtrack across four languages...
, who previously teamed up with Karan Johar
Karan Johar
Karan Johar is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and Television host. He is the son of Hiroo Johar and Yash Johar. He is one of the most successful filmmakers in Bollywood. He is most known for directing and producing some of Bollywood's highest grossing films in India and the...
to give hit music for his movies like Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)
Kal Ho Naa Ho
Kal Ho Naa Ho is a 2003 Hindi film set in New York City. It stars Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and Jaya Bachchan. The film was directed by first-timer Nikhil Advani, it was produced by Yash Johar and co-written by Karan Johar, better known as the director of the hit films Kuch Kuch...
and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna commonly known as KANK is a 2006 Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar and produced under the Dharma Productions banner...
. The lyrics are penned by Niranjan Iyengar
Niranjan Iyengar
Niranjan Iyengar, born in Anand, India, is a screenwriter and lyricist particularly known for his work with director Karan Johar. He is also author of the book, The Making of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.-Selected filmography:...
. The music was released on 5 January 2010 , by Sony Music Entertainment (India) who has also previously released the music for Karan Johar's
Karan Johar
Karan Johar is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and Television host. He is the son of Hiroo Johar and Yash Johar. He is one of the most successful filmmakers in Bollywood. He is most known for directing and producing some of Bollywood's highest grossing films in India and the...
movies Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...(2001) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna commonly known as KANK is a 2006 Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar and produced under the Dharma Productions banner...
, which gained global musical success. The musical soundtrack consists of 6 original songs and 4 bonus tracks that are taken from Karan Johar
Karan Johar
Karan Johar is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and Television host. He is the son of Hiroo Johar and Yash Johar. He is one of the most successful filmmakers in Bollywood. He is most known for directing and producing some of Bollywood's highest grossing films in India and the...
's previous successful films that have featured Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
. The soundtrack includes one instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
called "Khan Theme", composed by Indrajit Sharma and the strings for the song are performed by the Bombay Film Orchestra. The songs such as "Noor-e-Khuda" blend western bar blues and techno sounds with Indian classical styles such as Sufi
Sufi music
Sufi music is the devotional music of the Sufis, inspired by the works of Sufi poets, like Rumi, Hafiz, Bulleh Shah and Khwaja Ghulam Farid.Qawwali is the most well known form of Sufi music, common in India and Pakistan...
and Hindustani
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
. The soundtrack is thus representative of the "indie fusion genre". Unlike Karan Johar
Karan Johar
Karan Johar is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and Television host. He is the son of Hiroo Johar and Yash Johar. He is one of the most successful filmmakers in Bollywood. He is most known for directing and producing some of Bollywood's highest grossing films in India and the...
's other films, this film has no lip-sync songs. All the songs are in background. The total runtime of the original soundtrack is 27 minutes.
| Track | Song | Singer(s) | Composer | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Sajda" | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:... , Richa Sharma |
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy | 6:05 |
| 2 | "Noor-E-Khuda" | Adnan Sami Adnan Sami Adnan Sami is a British-born Pakistani-Indian- Canadian singer, musician, pianist, actor and composer of Pakistani origin. He currently holds Canadian citizenship and works and lives in Mumbai, India... , Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:... , Shreya Ghoshal |
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy | 6:37 |
| 3 | "Tere Naina" | Shafqat Amanat Ali Shafqat Amanat Ali Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan is a Pakistani classical singer belonging to Patiala Gharana lineage. He is the youngest brother of the late Asad Amanat Ali Khan. He was the lead vocalist of the Pakistani rock band Fuzön... |
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy | 4:38 |
| 4 | "Allah Hi Rahem" | Rashid Khan Rashid Khan Ustad Rashid Khan is an Indian classical musician in the Hindustani music tradition. He belongs to the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana, and is the great grandson of Gharana founder Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan.He is married to Joyeeta Bose, from the illustrious family of Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose.In a... |
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy | 4:01 |
| 5 | "Khan Theme" | Strings Strings (band) Strings are an internationally acclaimed pop rock band comprising two members from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The band was initially formed by four college students, Bilal Maqsood , Faisal Kapadia , Rafiq Wazir Ali and Kareem Bashir Bhoy in 1988... |
Indrajit Sharma | 2:43 |
| 6 | "Rang De" | Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:... , Suraj Jagan Suraj Jagan Suraj Jagan is an Indian playback singer. He is noted for the song Give Me Some Sunshine from the award-winning movie 3 Idiots. The song received the "Best Emerging Male Performer" award in the Max Stardust Award. Jagan's singing career began in 1990, and has included both solo work and as front... |
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy | 3:45 |
Reception
Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from most music 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." Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood HungamaBollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....
gives the album a three out of five stars, suggests that director Karan Johar along with musicians Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and lyricist Niranjan Iyengar
Niranjan Iyengar
Niranjan Iyengar, born in Anand, India, is a screenwriter and lyricist particularly known for his work with director Karan Johar. He is also author of the book, The Making of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.-Selected filmography:...
"have brought not a partial but a substantial difference to the way music in [Johar's] films is being looked at."
"Sajda" and "Tere Naina" became an instant favourite among the audience on its release, whereas "Noor-E-Khuda" was appealed by the masses after the film's release since the song was not promoted heavily.
Lyrics
Although Niranjan IyengarNiranjan Iyengar
Niranjan Iyengar, born in Anand, India, is a screenwriter and lyricist particularly known for his work with director Karan Johar. He is also author of the book, The Making of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.-Selected filmography:...
is alone credited for writing the lyrics for the songs, Niranjan penned the only two sufi songs in the film, "Sajda" and "Allah Hi Rahem". The famous lyricist, Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar is a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter from India. Some of his most successful work was done in the late 1970s and 1980s with Salim Khan as half of the script-writing duo credited as Salim-Javed...
was approached to write the lyrics for the remaining three songs. Earlier it was reported that he refused to write lyrics, because Javed Akhtar did not want to share the credits with another lyricist since Niranjan Iyengar has written two songs for the film. Later Karan Johar
Karan Johar
Karan Johar is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and Television host. He is the son of Hiroo Johar and Yash Johar. He is one of the most successful filmmakers in Bollywood. He is most known for directing and producing some of Bollywood's highest grossing films in India and the...
confirmed that Javed Akhtar penned the remaining songs, but Javed did not want him to be credited as the lyricist when the soundtrack released as he had to share the credits with Nirinjan Iyenger. Javed confirmed this and said, "I don’t like to share the credits. I would have got the publicity but the other person, who has done a fine job, wouldn’t have. I have read the songs penned by Niranjan and I think he has done a great job."
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 DayIndependence Day (India)
The Independence Day of India is celebrated on the fifteenth of August to commemorate its independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation in 1947. The day is a national holiday in India. All over the country, flag-hoisting ceremonies are conducted by the local administration in...
). Upon arriving at Newark Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, he was pulled aside by Immigration officers after his name popped up on their computers, 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.'"
Khan said he was told that it was because "they said my name was common to some name that popped up on the computer." 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 South Asians. In fact many officers were reluctantly vouching for me, some people were asking for autographs and a Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i fan even said he knew who I was. But the officers said it was procedure and kept taking numbers from me."
While he was not allowed to use his own phone, Khan was permitted one phone call. 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. According to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, "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." When asked if he would demand an apology, Khan replied that he would not.
The director of My Name Is Khan, Karan Johar
Karan Johar
Karan Johar is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and Television host. He is the son of Hiroo Johar and Yash Johar. He is one of the most successful filmmakers in Bollywood. He is most known for directing and producing some of Bollywood's highest grossing films in India and the...
, 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." During a January 2010 interview, Khan referred to the implication that the event was a publicity stunt for the film as, "lowdown and cheap." Christopher B. Duncan
Christopher B. Duncan
Christopher B. Duncan is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Braxton P. Hartnabrig on The Jamie Foxx Show and he is also known for playing President Barack Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He portrayed Obama in the 2010 film My Name is Khan as well.Duncan received his B.F.A....
, who portrays President Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
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)
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
being detained at an airport in India for a long time, during a kind of interrogation."
In addition, the incident sparked debate and commentary among Indian politicians, actors, and others. It also led to demonstrations in India. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
later invited Khan to have dinner with him "in a bid to diffuse what has become a slight diplomatic row."
In another event, on 5 February 2010, while promoting My Name Is Khan on the British talk show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
, 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
Security scan
A full-body scanner is a device that creates an image of a person's nude body through their clothing to look for hidden objects without physically removing their clothes or making physical contact...
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."
In relation to Khan's comments, The Economic Times
The Economic Times
The Economic Times is an English-language Indian daily newspaper published by the Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.. The Economic Times was started in 1961. It is the most popular and widely read financial daily in India, read by more than 8 lakh people...
has also raised concerns over the new body scanners and the possibilities of it being abused to distribute naked pictures of celebrities. His comments have restarted the debate in Britain over whether the newly introduced body scanners violate individual privacy.
Shiv Sena controversy
After Shahrukh Khan (who owns the Kolkata Knight RidersKolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders is the franchise representing Kolkata in the Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 cricket tournament. Sourav Ganguly led the team in IPL1 and IPL3, Brendon McCullum in IPL2, and Gautam Gambhir in IPL4...
cricket team) criticised the fact that members of the Pakistani Cricket Team
Cricket in Pakistan
Cricket has been played in Pakistan since before the birth of the nation in 1947, going as far back as the 19th century. It was introduced by the British during their colonial rule of British India, of which Pakistan was a part. Despite Field hockey being the national sport of Pakistan, cricket is...
were not bought by the clubs competing in the 2010 Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
(IPL), he was condemned by Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...
, 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." 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." 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
Bal Thackeray
Bal Keshav Thackeray , popularly known as Balasaheb Thackeray, is an Indian politician, founder and chief of the Shiv Sena, a right-wing Hindu nationalist, and Marathi ethnocentric party active mainly in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.Born in Pune, Thackeray began his professional career...
to discuss the issue.
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. However, on 10 January 2010, when cinemas opened for advanced bookings, individuals disguised as "cinegoers" began to attack cinemas and booking centres. Director Karan Johar and distributors met with police to ask for additional security. In response, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan
Ashok Chavan
Ashok Shankarrao Chavan was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Chavan was sworn in on 8 December 2008, after his political party, the Indian National Congress and Vilasrao Deshmukh selected him to be Vilasrao Deshmukh's successor on 5 December 2008. He earlier served as Minister for Cultural...
threatened to withdraw security cover for party leader Uddhav Thackeray. Later, some security was withdrawn and the Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
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 were multiple arrests and leaves of all police officials were cancelled. The distributor, Fox Star, stated that the film will still be released on its scheduled opening date, 12 February. It opened to full cinema houses in quite a number of places across India.
See also
- List of cultural references to the September 11 attacks
- List of highest-grossing Bollywood films
- Asperger's syndrome