My Name is Khan Film Review

Historical Background:

One of the main themes in My Name Is Khan is exploring the aftermath of the events of 9/11 on Muslims living in America. At one point in the film Khan says, “There were two distinctions between time, BC and AD; now there is a third, 9/11.” Khan and his family experience much racial discrimination as a result of the terrorist attacks. Americans seemed to think that purely because someone was of Muslim religion, they were to blame for the terrorist attacks or that they played some part in it, which is a completely irrational idea but Muslims endure a lot of suffering because of this one event.

In the early 1980’s there was a lot of tension between Hindus and Muslims in India, before they decided to divide with resulted in the majority of Hindus staying in present-day India and the majority of Muslims going to present-day Pakistan. Basically the Hindus believed it was the Muslim's fault and the Muslims believed it was the Hindus fault but it was actually both of theirs. The cause of their conflict is quite complicated so if you wish to know more information about it then see this website: http://www.conflict-prevention.net/page.php id=45&formid=72&action=show&articleid=23

Due to this tension, Muslims discouraged marrying Hindus (which is what Khan and Mandira did) therefore Khan’s brother didn’t what see him anymore, for he had betrayed him and what he believed in. This was also another problem during this time, some Muslims and Hindus still did not like each other.

Description of the Film's Plot:

The film begins with, Rizvan Khan who is a Muslim boy with Asperger’s syndrome who grows up in India with his mother and younger brother. Although he has difficulty interacting socially, he has very high IQ and special abilities. As an adult now, after his mother’s passing, he goes to live in the USA with his brother as a herbal salesman where he meets Mandira - the woman which he eventually marries – and her young son, Sameer (Sam).
However, after the events of 9/11, their world comes crashing down. There is a stigma on the Khan family and after a racially motivated fight at school, 13 year old Sam is bashed and beaten and later dies of the wounds. Devastated, Mandira blames Khan, and his last name for the reason Sam was killed and demands him to go away and only come back after all of America and the President knows that his name is Khan and he is not a terrorist.
Khan takes this literally and goes on a long journey across the US states to find the President and deliver his message. 

Exploring the Theme of Good and Evil:

The film explores the theme of good and evil by showing how certain events can lead us to change. In this film, the main thing that causes evil is the events of 9/11. My Name is Khan shows us how, after 9/11, the public targets all Muslims for the act and stereotypes them to all be terrorists; causing many fights to whoever someone might think to be a Muslim. It also shows us how evil can overtake us and cause us to do things out of anger – which is what happens to Mandira when Sam dies.

As Khan is trying to win back Mandira, he goes on a journey to meet the President; though he is doing this out of goodness and love he gets arrested for doing what he though was right. Here the film shows how, even though you may be doing something good, evil will always find a way to weave it’s self in between you and you goal.

As Khan’s mother says, “there are only two types of people in the world: good people and bad people, there is no other difference.”

Individuals Responding to Evil:

My Name is Khan shows us how individuals respond to evil by focusing on the actions of Mandira after Sam died and Reece after his dad died. After Sam dies, Mandira is overtaken by a wave of anger and doesn’t really think properly before she does things. She sent Khan away, for she believed that it was his fault that Sam died and doesn’t really think properly of what she is asking him to do. Mandira states that, “she has no space for love in her life right now. Love will weaken her. Hate will make her fight this battle.”

Another example of a bad response to evil is when Reece stops hanging out with Sam because he thinks he is Muslim and is a terrorist just like the people who killed his father in Iraq. Reece ignores Sam and begins hanging out with a different group of friends with bad intentions. They beat Sam to his death with Reece looking on and he doesn’t tell Mandira this untill months later when he pays the price.

The films shows us that, when responding to evil, we shouldn’t always let anger drive us. Khan is a good example of this because when Mandira tells him to leave, he goes to meet the president for her, because he loves her and won’t let anything stop him; he is doing it out of love. 
My Name is Khan also shows us that redemption is possible. Many may question whether you can actually be redeemed but this film shows us that you can redeem yourself, by showing us how Mandira breaks away from the hate and anger that is controlling her, and is able to go back to loving and caring for the people she loves. It is also shown through Reece when he finally realises the full impact of what he has done in which he apologises to Mandira and tells her everything that happened the day Sam died.

Where God and Religion Fit in the Struggle of Good and Evil in this Film:

Through all the racism occurring at this time, with the Hindu-Muslim tensions and the attack on Muslims after the events of 9/11, Khan is very wise and understands what God (or Allah) would really want. Through his peaceful attempts to repair his marriage, he remains ‘a good person who does good deeds’ and loyal to God continually praying 5 times each day as is his custom. He is kind and respectful to all those around him despite temptations or motivations from others.

Examples from Movie:
1) When Zakir’s wife’s hijab is ripped from her head and she is very upset, Zarik says, “Do not wear this now, Allah will understand, these people will not.” The Muslims believe that God will forgive them for removing their hijabs and shaving their beards to protect themselves from harm.

2) In the scene where Rizvan overhears Faisal Rahman’s plan to ‘sacrifice themselves and let their blood flow for the cause of Islam’, the Doctor refers to the story in the Qur’an/Bible where Abraham is required to sacrifice his son because God asked him to. He believes we have to sacrifice ourselves for Islam. But Khan says, ‘No, no, you are lying,’ and rejects his ideas of violence. Khan explains that in the story Abraham does not doubt the Lord’s compassion and that the story is actually about immense faith and belief. He says, “The story shows that the path of Allah is that of love, not hatred and war.”

Our Rating: **** (4/5)