I stepped into the theater to watch 'My name is Khan' 1 month after I had watched Avatar,so I was mentally prepared to be let down as the bar raised by AVATAR was sky high.Also I felt that this movie would be a typical KARAN JOHAR flick with love story intermingled between family ties,also in bollywood,most over-hyped movie really disappoint,but 15 minutes into the movie,I just got absorbed in it,such that the magic continued till the end.

The movie is basically comprised of adventures and misadventures of an Autistic named Rizwan Khan but beware,it is not one of those movies which cash on the sympathy of suffering from a anomaly,it does have a hero who has a heart of gold,but the movie carries a marathon message,it raises questions,like WHY ARE MUSLIMS SUFFERING POST 9/11? ARE ALL MUSLIMS TERRORISTS? WHAT EXACTLY DOES Islam TEACH AND MEAN? Being a Muslim myself and having suffered same extra security checks at airports just because of my religion,I really got connected to the movie instantly,the realistic depiction of life after 9/11 is much more effective than KHUDA KE LIYE or NEW YORK..But its not a movie for Muslims only,it asks non-muslims to judge the person and not the religion.Something any other bollywood movie hasn't ever done.

Now to the performances,MNIK was tailor made for Shahrukh Khan as Rizwan Khan and it demanded an equally towering performance.Shahrukh has always been criticized for similarity in his acting performances but this role is entirely different.To play an autistic and deliver is not easy,and Shahrukh does it so naturally and perfectly.You get in love with SK in the very first scene in airport,you cry with him,you laugh with him,you fall in love with him and as the movie ends,you feel good for him,its not an easy task at all to accomplish,this is Shahrukh's best performance to date and this really silents people who question his number one slot in bollywood.

Kajol has always been a class to see and this time its the same with her.Being a mother of 2,she doesn't look aged at all,though this time Karan Johar doesn't give her much screen time as compared to previous movies,but still when she is on screen,you just feel so fresh.Her role as Mandira who falls in love and marries Rizwan is a delight especially her scenes as mother.SK-Kajol Chemistry has always been a blockbuster (BAAZIGAR,DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAAEN GE,KARAN ARJUN,KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI,KABHI KHUSHI KABHI GHAM) this is now 6/6 for their roles together and what an achievement that is.

The rest of cast does fine especially Navneet Nishan does make you smile whenever she is on screen.The music of the movie is according to the flavor of the movie,cute,melodious and unlike other bollywood movies,doesn't slow down the progression of the movie.

Another plus of this movie is the script written perfectly by Shibani Bhatija.The teachings of Islam intercombined with Sk's character,love story,sub plots all blend well,not a single piece of dialogue is weak,not a single scene blunt,but perfectly executed.

Since he rose to stardom as director of KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI,there is always a lot of expectation from Karan Johar which rises with each of his movies,this time he changes gear to pure DRAMA,the movie has a Hollywood look to it,the scenes captured are really pleasant,be it Washington DC or Georgia,as you travel with SK,the camera angles the sky views,the scene where SK takes Kajol to top of a hill,the roads of Sans Francisco,its all a journey from A to Z and Karan's direction makes it utterly enjoyable.Well done.

A lot of people have complained about the sub plots in 2nd half in the movie but people,this movie is just not a love story,but about the problems of Muslims in USA and also about the life of RIZWAN KHAN,so sub plots were needed to carry the movie forward.Don't listen to people who are criticizing this master piece,its an Indian epic and a very very different movie.Go watch it,feel it,and come out realizing NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS.