What does this movie convey?
I chose a Bollywood (India) movie ‘My Name is Khan’ for the assignment. This movie gives a good representation and an effective exercise to capture facts about the contemporary individual differences present in the world. The movie is about a journey of the Indian Muslim man (Rizwan Khan) who suffers from Asperger syndrome through the United States of America.
During the journey, certain things arise in Rizwan’s path where he found himself struggling. He meets a Hindu single mother Mandira, who has a son (Sameer or Sam). Rizwan and Mandira got married and settle down. Rizwan’s life begins to get waned due to September attacks (9-11 attacks). Due to September eleven prejudice, Khan’s family begins to feel the impact of results of the post-attack effects of a terrorist attack on the Muslim community. In a racially motivated schoolyard fight, Sameer (Sam) dies due to ruptured spleen even though one of his friends tries to stop the fight. Mandira makes Khan responsible for such disaster. She ignores Khan and tells him to go to the president to state him that ‘his name is Khan and he is not a terrorist.’ He went to meet the president.
The movie conveys a lot of humble messages to its audience. Terrorism cannot be confined to a specific community. Of course, there are good people and bad people in every community but there cannot be only good people or only bad people in a single community. The system of accountability needs to be re-organised and re-addressed. Stereotypic images can lead to false impression. The movie, evidently, portray an image of a specific community whose members suffered and whose presentation also reveal some accountable intentions towards the national security and humanity.
One important aspect of the movie is the deliberate intention of Rizwan to help the Katrina hit people and proves that he is also like a common man who cares for other people and he is not a terrorist. The movie (like ‘New York,’ ‘Kurbaan’) is a good attempt to present the people of India or Muslim community through an unprejudiced approach. The movie expedites Khan Family’s need of space and authentic approach. It conveys that the racial discrimination threatens the peace and accountability of the nation. The movie makes me think about the relevant issues in the world that need to be addressed authentically. We must come together and fight for ‘the Humanity.’ The movie echoes a very broad message -Indians or Muslims are not terrorists. They are also as common people who have their own day-to-day family issues to deal with and who also care for other people and the nation where they work and live.
References
Conte W (2001). British media portrayals of Muslims in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Retrieved April 01, 2009, from http://mit.edu/cms/reconstructions/communications/ukmuslims.html
Hussain W (2007). “Media and Minorities: A Love-Hate Bond” in M.A. Jawaid, K.N. Jehanger and Shankar Bose (eds), Minorities of India: Problems and Prospects, ICCSR and Manak, New Delhi. p. 388.
My Name is Khan 2010. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1188996/
