Recently, while hosting the screen awards function in Mumbai Shahid Kapur said to Shahrukh Khan that the title of his movie should have been 'My surname is Khan' and not 'My Name Is Khan' (pun intended). However, this just goes on to show the tremendous hype and expectations from the movie which is scheduled to hit the cinemas worldwide on 12th February 2010. This Bollywood extravaganza directed by Karan Johar witnesses the reuniting of some of the big names like Shahrukh Khan and Kajol after a space of 8 long years. Even Karan Johar is directing a film after Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna which was released way back in 2006. Between this hibernation as a director he went on producing movies, some good and some dubious. So the team has united and their creation will be out on Valentine Week this year.
Karan Johar who is well versed in making love stories (an ardent follower of Yash Chopra) is certainly releasing his film on Valentine week but is also experimenting for the first time with some global and serious issues of terrorism and its aftermath on innocent civilians. To advocate his genuine intentions he has made his favorite actor Shahrukh Khan as his mouthpiece in the name of Rizwan Khan as the protagonist of the movie. Even his selection of a Muslim hero as the central character is a well thought out move as it is the Muslims who have suffered the most since the twin towers collapsed.
The film is a love story at the heart as said by its director with the undercurrent of terrorism and its aftermath, the director and actor were quoted as saying it in the media. The film features Shahrukh as Rizwan who moves to San Francisco with his mother and finds love in Mandira (Kajol). The things change after terror strikes the country and the couple separates. Rizwan thus embarks on a notable journey across the US, inspiring people and initiating a revolution to bring back Mandira. Rizwan also suffers from Asperger syndrome making matters even worse for him. So, people find it quite difficult to understand him.
The director has tried to touch the major issues of the era in this venture and stakes are definitely high with him as he has a long and noteworthy star cast who has their followers all across the globe. So, the film might be all set to register a mega opening but it will be the content and its treatment that will take it to higher levels at world cinema.
Incidentally, current sensation Kareena Kapoor was also considered for the role of Mandira which was subsequently bagged by Kajol as she was the first choice of the director. To play the role of US President, Christopher B. Duncan was chosen as he portrayed US President Barrack Obama earlier on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. To play the role of young Rizwan, Tanay Chheda was chosen as he had done it before as young Jamaal in Slumdog Millionaire and as he is also recognizable among the global audience.
Karan Johar says on the very first day of shooting his cameraman Ravi Chandran said: 'I don't think you've ever shot something like...' So this might be a different Karan Johar that we may see here. Shahrukh Khan may also hope for a national award for his performance, the award which has eluded him so far. This was evident in his words during the promotion when he said "Acting is a higher spiritual experience for me. I would like to believe Khan has been a higher spiritual experience. Whether I get any award for this or not I think I will be evolved and rewarded anyways in my heart, mind and soul. I have a space in my library for a National Award. And I promise you before I finish I'll keep one there or steal one."
Prior to its release, the film has also got into controversy for some comments made by Shahrukh Khan on cricket. But as he once said, we should not mix two things and it is better that way. His point is note worthy and people should just wait and watch for the movie.
The intentions are clear from producer, director and the cast and it is the audience and critics that will decide how successful they have been in their endeavor.
Karan Johar who is well versed in making love stories (an ardent follower of Yash Chopra) is certainly releasing his film on Valentine week but is also experimenting for the first time with some global and serious issues of terrorism and its aftermath on innocent civilians. To advocate his genuine intentions he has made his favorite actor Shahrukh Khan as his mouthpiece in the name of Rizwan Khan as the protagonist of the movie. Even his selection of a Muslim hero as the central character is a well thought out move as it is the Muslims who have suffered the most since the twin towers collapsed.
The film is a love story at the heart as said by its director with the undercurrent of terrorism and its aftermath, the director and actor were quoted as saying it in the media. The film features Shahrukh as Rizwan who moves to San Francisco with his mother and finds love in Mandira (Kajol). The things change after terror strikes the country and the couple separates. Rizwan thus embarks on a notable journey across the US, inspiring people and initiating a revolution to bring back Mandira. Rizwan also suffers from Asperger syndrome making matters even worse for him. So, people find it quite difficult to understand him.
The director has tried to touch the major issues of the era in this venture and stakes are definitely high with him as he has a long and noteworthy star cast who has their followers all across the globe. So, the film might be all set to register a mega opening but it will be the content and its treatment that will take it to higher levels at world cinema.
Incidentally, current sensation Kareena Kapoor was also considered for the role of Mandira which was subsequently bagged by Kajol as she was the first choice of the director. To play the role of US President, Christopher B. Duncan was chosen as he portrayed US President Barrack Obama earlier on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. To play the role of young Rizwan, Tanay Chheda was chosen as he had done it before as young Jamaal in Slumdog Millionaire and as he is also recognizable among the global audience.
Karan Johar says on the very first day of shooting his cameraman Ravi Chandran said: 'I don't think you've ever shot something like...' So this might be a different Karan Johar that we may see here. Shahrukh Khan may also hope for a national award for his performance, the award which has eluded him so far. This was evident in his words during the promotion when he said "Acting is a higher spiritual experience for me. I would like to believe Khan has been a higher spiritual experience. Whether I get any award for this or not I think I will be evolved and rewarded anyways in my heart, mind and soul. I have a space in my library for a National Award. And I promise you before I finish I'll keep one there or steal one."
Prior to its release, the film has also got into controversy for some comments made by Shahrukh Khan on cricket. But as he once said, we should not mix two things and it is better that way. His point is note worthy and people should just wait and watch for the movie.
The intentions are clear from producer, director and the cast and it is the audience and critics that will decide how successful they have been in their endeavor.
No comments:
Post a Comment