(4)The Political and Typological Analysis of the film “My Name Is Khan” PDF

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this essay analyzes the film my name is khan and the political typologies such as the racial discrimination that is in the film....

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The Political and Typological Analysis of the film “My Name Is Khan”

Name: Wardah Saqib Student ID: 501032590 Course: CPOL128 BC0 - Politics and Film Instructor: Sandra Lim Date: May 18, 2021

My Name is Khan, directed by Karan Johar is a 2010 thought-provoking, melodramatic Bollywood film that follows the story of Rizwan Khan, played by Shah Rukh Khan who is a Indian Muslim man suffering from Aspergers Syndrome in a post 9/11 world. Soon after the death of his mother, his brother Zakir Khan and his wife sponsored him to come live with them in San Francisco. Rizwan Khan begins to work for Zakir and in the process, meets his Hindu wife, Mandira and her son Sameer. After the September 11 attacks on the twin towers in New York, the Khan family experiences prejudice in the community which leads to a racially motivated attack on Sameer causing him to die in the schoolyard. The death of Sameer takes a toll on the relationship between Mandira and Rizwan where Mandira blames him for her son’s death due to his Muslim sounding last name and tells Rizwan out of anger to leave. She yells that the only way he can come back to her is to tell the President of the United States that “My Name is Khan and I am not a terrorist”. He embarks on a suspensful journey to meet the President, coming across multiple challenges that test his loyalty to Islam, facing islamophobia, and ultimately touching the hearts of many in his quest to win back Mandira. According to Christensen and Haas “Projecting Politics: Political Messages in American Film”, My Name is Khan would be categorized as a politically reflective film because it “often mirrors popular ideas about political phenomena” (Haas et al 13). The film had underlying messages about the terrorism in America that created fear in people but installed sympathy, shown when the Khan family attended the memorial of the victims of 9/11 to show their support for the families’ loss. However, as Rizwan Khan tries to make prayer for the victims, people back away in fear that he would attack. Furthermore, Rizwan is shown to have gone through unnecessary security measures in the airport when leaving for his flight to Washington. According to Haas et al, the political messages in these films are “sublimated” (Lim) or under

the surface of the story to be analyzed. At first glance, the film does not seem political; however, through further analysis, it shows the discrimination and unjust treatment towards Muslims. These characteristics make a politically reflective film because they are known to be “unpolitical” (Lim). They are also known to be “inexplicitly political films” (Haas et al 14). The film is centered on the love story between Mandira and Rizwan as well as using themes of prejudice towards Muslims, and historical tension between Hinduism and Islam. As outlined by Haas, romantic comedies like My Name is Khan “use political institutions as convenient backdrops to other sorts of themes” (Haas et al 13). Another aspect demonstrated in this type of film is the recurring concept of morality. Rizwan is told as a kid that there are only two types of people in this world: good people and the bad people, not Hindus versus Muslims. He carries this ideology as an adult and is shown in his decisions making. Politically reflective films tend to focus on strong political themes like good versus evil which is shown in the film when his good deeds cause people to vouch for his innocence when wrongfully incarcerated by the American government. With the definition of politically reflective films from Haas et al, My Name is Khan would fall under this category. Unlike Hollywood films, My Name is Khan is Bollywood film that tackles issues like the challenges of being Muslim and American. By discussing political themes not shown in Western cinema, the film has more impact to the audiences as Nikhat Kazmi from The Times of India wrote that “My Name is Khan is indubitably one of the most meaningful and moving films to be rolled out of Bollywood mills in recent times” (Kazmi). Although some critics have said that the film has implausible drama attached to the plotline, people applaud this film for its divergence. Unlike the typical Bollywood film, My Name is Khan takes an unconventional Bollywood route where Corrine Goldenberg from The Mantle states that the film “exchanges the usual song and

dance numbers, as well as recurrent ‘finding-ones- lost-Indian-authenticity-through-marriage’ trope for more serious themes of racism” (Goldenberg). Nevertheless, the film rightfully captures the struggle of being Muslim in the post 9/11 world through the eyes of Rizwan Khan. The film gradually shows the seriousness of the discriminatory behaviour that is deeply embedded and disguised through the love story between Mandira and Rizwan. This essay demonstrates that through the theme of drama of reassurance, political conventions like personalization, and the theme of morality; My Name is Khan shows the three-dimensional portrayal of Muslims in the 9/11 era. Hereafter, showing that My Name is Khan is inspiring and a classic in accurately representing Muslims for their true character in a non-stereotypical way. The film’s use of drama of reassurance restores balance when the audience is provided insight into the protagonist’s experience of anti-Muslim behaviour. The 1989 riots where Hindus were invading his Muslim majority hometown exposes him to early accounts of hatred and religious discrimination. However, the film ends with him conversing with the President about how he is not a threatening Muslim, hoping to shift into a more progressive viewpoint of religion and race in America. While the film shows Rizwan Khan struggling with people respecting his religion, the end of the film marks new conversations that need to be taken as well as the start for a better future. Ultimately, Rizwan reunites with his lover and the film gets its happy ending. My Name is Khan demonstrates the theme of drama of reassurance defined by “the idea of overcoming obstacles that results in happy endings or endings that restore balance” (Lim). Rizwan Khan is shown in the film to overcome issues when he was freed from the FBI for the misconception that he was a terrorist when he actually said “I am not a terrorist” (My Name is Khan 2:34:48-2:34:53). After his innocence was proven, he gained a huge amount of support where many criticized the government for not letting him meet the leader of the free world.

According to Christensen and Haas, films containing a drama of reassurance help “simplify the complex problems of a complex society, solving them quickly and easily so we can have a happy ending” (Haas et al 18). The outrage from the public allows him to meet the President and tell him the words he has been trying to say for a long time. My Name is Khan clearly uses the characteristics of drama of reassurance to illustrate the struggle Rizwan Khan faces and the film executes a lighthearted atmosphere with their happy ending. Another reason why My Name is Khan is an excellent film in displaying the challenges of being Muslim is through the political convention personalization. According to Haas et al, personalization in films “focus on the individual drama of politically active roles, which tends to make them more palatable to mass audiences” (Haas et al 33). My Name is Khan follows the journey from childhood to adulthood of an autistic Indian Muslim man that is trying to make sense of the world. With Asperger’s syndrome, Rizwan Khan is limited in his social and physical interactions with people. Not only is autism an obstacle he faces, Khan undergoes severe treatment from others. His religious role affects the politics in the film and allows mass audiences to sympathize with him. Using the story of an individual, islamophobia is shown at a interpersonal level, allowing people to grasp the true impact of discrimination. While the film juggles themes of discrimination and islamophobia, the film is wrapped around a love story between a Hindu single mother and the protagonist. Even Shah Rukh Khan, playing Rizwan Khan has stated that “it is a love story that deals with the Western world’s outlook on Islam” (Khan 1:33-1:41). This puts emphasis on the fact that the My Name is Khan is an individual story with external conflict of U.S terrorism and prejudice towards Muslims. My Name is Khan uses morality to show the true character of Rizwan Khan and debunks the stereotypes of Muslims being threatening and are menaces to society. The concept of good

versus evil is a common trope in Hollywood films (Lim). Morality is often used because Haas et al have stated that the audience “like to make things work and we do not like conflict” (Haas et al 19). In the beginning of the film, Rizwan Khan is exposed to Hindus attacking Muslim and states that Hindus are vicious. However, his mom tells him “there are only two kinds of people in this world. Good people who do good deeds. And bad people who do bad. That’s the only difference in human beings” (My Name is Khan 13:20-13:39). After learning his mother’s wise words, he carries this ideology into manhood. It is important to realize that Rizwan is autistic which means he often takes words and phrases to their literal meaning (Weissburg). He represents the good in the film as he is shown multiple times to be helping people unselfishly. For instance, he takes the next flight back to Wilhelmina to rescue Mama Jenny and her community after they had been struck by “Hurricane Katrina-like storm” (Dhume). Comparing Rizwan Khan’s compassion and goodness, the American government represents evil in the film. Although many people had prejudice against the Muslims and saw them as evil, the government reinforced those dangerous stereotypes onto the general public. This notion of Muslims being naturally villainous people that want to bomb and destroy buildings created havoc as well as violence in the communities, hence the death of Sameer. In many political films, the theory of good and evil uplift the storytelling with suspense. My Name is Khan accurately represents Muslims in a positive light while exposing the evils of stereotypes and discrimination through the theme of morality. At first glance, My Name is Khan shows a dramatic love story; however, through further analysis, the film illustrates dark themes of mistreatment of Muslim Americans due to the destruction of the World Trade Center. My Name is Khan does an excellent job at humanizing Muslims in the lens of a Indian Muslim man, suffering from Apsergers. The film is exceptionally

wonderful at tying awful political themes with a love story through the use of a happy ending, creating a cheerful outlook on the progress needed in the future. The film’s choice of narrating the individual story of a autistic Muslim man, allows the audience to sympathize with him and efficiently educates the public on bigotry towards Muslims. Additionally, the film shows that Muslims are not inherently violent and are good through the deeds of Rizwan Khan. Not only does My Name is Khan show a heartfelt story about two lovers, the film successfully show the hardships of being Muslim and is the reason why Nikhat Kazmi has judged the film to be “inspirational” (Kazmi).

Works Cited Dhume, Sadanand. “The Accidental Terrorist.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 15 Feb. 2010, www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704613204575066153915717896. Goldenberg, Corinne. “My Name Is Khan.” The Mantle, 16 Mar. 2016, www.themantle.com/arts-and-culture/my-name-khan. Haas, Elizabeth, et al. Projecting Politics : Political Messages in American Films, Taylor & Francis Group, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquestcom.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/lib/ryerson/detail.action?docID=2011203. Kazmi, Nikhat. “My Name Is Khan Movie Review: Critic Review of My Name Is Khan .” The Times of India, 11 Feb. 2010, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/moviereviews/my-name-is-khan/movie-review/5555396.cms. Khan, Shah Rukh. “Exclusive Shah Rukh Khan Interview on My Name is Khan.” Youtube, uploaded by JagDeCat Channel, 1 Mar. 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=BGZyRdw45oQ Lim, Sandra. “Political Film Convention Transcript.” Ryerson University, 2021. Online Lecture. Lim, Sandra. “Political Film Typologies Transcript.” Ryerson University, 2021. Online Lecture. Lim, Sandra. “Types of Political Messages in Hollywood Films - Clichés and common tropes or

themes.” Ryerson University, 2021. Online Lecture. Lim, Sandra. “Week 1 Typologies - Politically Reflective Films.” Ryerson University, 2021. Online Lecture. My Name is Khan. Directed by Karan Johar, performance by Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol Devgan, Dharma Productions, 2010. Weissberg, Jay. “My Name is Khan.” Variety, Gale Business Insights: Global, 22 Feb. 2010, https://bi-gale-com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/global/article/GALE%7CA220057558? u=rpu_main&sid=summon...