My Name is Khan has a mind blowing first half. The introduction of the protagonist and his subsequent life until the turning point of the movie will keep you glued to the seats. Character development is done while keeping amazing restraint. Everything is spelt out for the audience but it isn't exactly spoon-feeding. You instantly connect with the characters and feel set for a strong emotional journey with the KHAN which the second half promises to bring. And thats when the movie falters. The by now world famous journey itself isn't the problem, it is the attempt to coat every incident within and along the way with the line of the year "My Name is Khan and I am not a terrorist". And it does get so repetitive that u feel that the scriptwriter believed the audience have short term memory loss just the way another Khan had 15 months back. And whats more, while many a sequences in the first half have genius written on them (eg: SRK's reaction to the proposal, god!), the movie post intermission, suffers from irritating clichés (suddenly we are on stereotype planet). If proper care was taken, the movie could have had audience leaving the theater with tears in their eyes and a smile on their faces, but alas, it's an opportunity missed.

Performances wise, the movie is brilliant. Everyone from the extras (including a presidential lookalike and a heart of gold American mom) to the supporting cast (Zarina Wahab is great as the smart ammi) are excellent. It feels nice to see Kajol back with a strong performance. The sparkle in her eyes are so captivating, and her chemistry with SRK so explosive, that the good old romance of bollywood feels as if it was never lost. Yes, there are certain places where her performance feels stretched, but it is mostly the director's fault.

As for the man himself, one cannot help but admit that this is KHAN at his very best (yes, i have seen darr, swades, baazigar and chak de). He plays Rizwan Khan earnestly and with such conviction that he manages to tug at your heart strings. Even SRK haters can rejoice,because you just cannot find Shah Rukh Khan in Rizwan Khan. It is a stunning portrayal and a glorious display of the actor's range. No Rahul-Raj stuff this is. U wish you can give him a hug, although Rizwan hates it. What a performance!

Technically the film maintains high standards, the songs are good, the cinematography, brilliant. A mature film from KJo? yes indeed. A welcome change from the director.

Watch it, because whether your name is Khan or not, u really don't want to miss this Khan playing the role of a lifetime.