My Intercultural Communications professor had our class watch MNIK this week. I am so glad I was able to see it! This is one of the best and most powerful films I have ever had the pleasure of seeing.

I am not an expert in Bollywood film, but I daresay MNIK has made me a fan. For those of us who are mostly exposed to the American mainstream, the best example I can give of similarity to this film is Slumdog Millionaire, which also had very Bollywood-esque overtones.

But enough about that...onto this amazing movie. There are few films I have seen which I could call "flawless," and MNIK is one of them. The characters are portrayed with undeniable strength, and you feel a closeness and empathy for each of them. The storyline gracefully balances out a love story while also tackling issues of culture clashes, religion, disabilities, politics, natural disasters, and morality. Everything is so successfully interwoven, you don't notice until after you are done watching that you essentially just watched six or seven different movies rolled into one.

But where MNIK is most powerful is in its statements about world issues that are very recent and very relevant. Through the eyes of Rizwan Khan, all that matters is whether you are a good person who does good deeds or a bad person who does bad deeds. It is an incredible lens to look through, and it can teach you a lot about how you perceive and treat people who are different than you.

Please take the time to watch this movie. It is beautiful, honest, and powerful in every way.