"My Name is Khan" is a film you simply must watch with a box of Kleenex nearby. You will shed quite a few tears and it's an emotional roller-coaster watching it. But, it is worth it.

The film is about a man named Rizvan Khan, a Muslim Indian man who would be diagnosed has having an Autism Spectrum Disorder. While he's much more functional than many Autistic folks, saying he has Asperger's Syndrome isn't quite right either. Like someone with Asperger's, he is highly intelligent and very functional in many ways...but lacks the ability to understand social graces and nuances. But he also acts a bit odd...avoiding eye contact and behaving, in some ways, like someone classically Autistic. The fact is that there is no one way folks with the disorder act or think...and it is an excellent portrait due to good writing as well as acting by Shahrukh Khan.

After Rizvan leaves India for America, the film focuses much on his life and love life...which is very sweet and much like a traditional Bollywood romance...though set in the States. But this is only the first portion. The final half is like a completely different film...a bit like "Forest Gump" in that Rizvan goes on a trek across America...meeting some amazing and famous folks along the way. Why does he go off on this journey? See the film.

It's pretty obvious that this film was a personal project of love by Shahrukh Khan. He is a Muslim married to a Hindu..just like the characters in the film. And, like the characters in the film, there were a lot of haters who inexplicably attacked Khan for marrying 'an infidel'. This movie is a plea to everyone to stop this hate...and emphasizes the universal goodness (as well as wickedness). The film shows hate in India as well as America...as well as goodness. And, the film shows Muslims being oppressed...and behaving awfully...much like so many others in the film. All in all, it's a modern morality tale...one intended to both entertain and educate the audience.

While I loved the film, as did my wife, it is not perfect. A few of the characters (particularly the wife in the story) are inconsistent and some of their actions are confusing and make little sense...and a few seem a bit like caricatures. But even then, there is so much compelling material and the overall story so good, I can easily overlook the flaws.