Rizwan Khan walking with Mandira Khan amidst crowd while credits rolled and i asked myself. Will i be able to review this experience i just witnessed? Words can do justice? Let me try. Story: My Name is Khan, a journey of Rizwan Khan[Sir Shah Rukh Khan] to win his love [Kajol Devgan] back in an unconventional but an inspiring way. It's story of a human being who on his way inspired a nation which apparently looks unrealistic but underneath it's real on term 'Hope'. A Phrase we usually say 'Chah Ko Rah' proves it. He touch you with humanity, with love and with his rawness. It's a journey of Mandira Khan who live an old song 'Hum Honge Kamyab', it's a journey of her fights and her iron conviction. In the end it's a journey of everyman who believe in goodness. Its a journey of a lesson Rizwan carried and spread unknowingly. Screenplay: Shibhani Bhatija is one who deserve accolades for her Brilliance in writing and sheer conviction in it. She doesn't sacrifice her write-up anywhere. If first half went in a blink of an eye, second half doesn't even give you that liberty. Shibhani, write more and more.
Direction: I always loved Karan Johar's direction, whether if was Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. He is known for his Candy-floss Cinema, but he proved everyone today he is not limited. He is in fact sharing Top Spot in Bollywood among the geniuses. The angles, the layers, perfect. Karan Aced this one.
Cinematography: Ravi K Chandran excels here with his top-notch work with camera. He surely is one of best Bollywood has today.
Music: Shankar Ehsan Loy each score is a gem in it's genre and it's perfect use in movie without disturbing the flow makes it even more enjoyable. Noor-e-Khuda leads and heals listener in a magical way. Background score is enduring as well as intriguing.
Dialogues & Lyrics: Niranjan Iyengar with his lyrics and Dialogues by him and Shibhani Bhatija are powerful.
Performances: I always hold an opinion about Sir Shah Rukh Khan that he is best Bollywood ever produced but from this he openly entered a new Era of Global Contender. Sum-Up his career and put it one. That's Rizwan for you. He aced it. I read, i saw a lot about 'Asperger Syndrome' and i can say he nailed it. He proved his talent, this one surely should shut mouths of critics. And if they still argue, they deserve to live on Mars. Kajol, after a big gap came and won it all over again. She excels in her portrayal of Mandira Khan, a mother and a fighter. She gives her best performance till date. Evergreen chemistry between Shah Rukh and Kajol is visible on a different scale altogether. Supporting Cast as well is Good to Magnificent, Jimmy Shergill as Rizwan brother was good, Soneya Jehan was superb and Zareena Wahab was excellent in her brief role. Special Appearance by Vinay Pathak and Tarun Mansukhani were good too.
Best Scenes: I still can't pick one here are few of gems.
1-Church Scene. 2-Mosque Scene 3-Sam's death 4-Rizwan and Mandira Separation 5-Motel Leaving Scene.
On the whole, My Name is Khan is an exceptional experience. In Rizwan and Mandira's Journey you will laugh, you will cry and in the end it will shake you within demanding some questions. Are we good enough? If audience can take 25% of movie home with them, world will be a better place. This venture of Karan Johar has Top Notch Story, Hard Hitting Dialogues, Stellar Perofmrances and one of best Directions in near or far times. Don't Miss It.
5/5 Exceptional 'My Name is Mansoor and I Hope I'll be a Better Human'
The movie of the year that stars Shah Rukh and Kajol in a Karan Johar direction, first hits you like a movie and then becomes a moving experience for you!
Story A simple journey of a Muslim autistic man Rizwan Khan who wants to prove to the world and to the President of the United States of America that he is not a terrorist. His wife Mandira, a Hindu single mother falls in love with the innocence of Rizwan's love. As the movie unfolds their love story, you feel the happiness and you feel the pain.
The story is realistic and praise must go to Shibani Bhatija for scripting an amazing screenplay and to Karan Johar for sticking to realism, when it could have been easy for him to divert.
Shibani and Karan please do make the screenplay available for the public, this will be great for those who want to aspire to make great movies, it will be the perfect template.
Characters Rizwan Khan is the character you remember when you walk out the cinema hall. The goodness of this character is like a mirror to your own soul. He makes you wonder about how good your life is and how good we are as human beings. Rizwan is very happy about his religion and very proud. However, he never sees the differences that we judge others against, whether that is race, colour, nationality, religion and caste. He only knows that if you are bad...that bad things are going to happen to you. If you are good then good things will happen to you. Even when bad things happen to him, he never blames anyone. He goes beyond the blame game and sets on correcting his ways. The great thing about Rizwan is that no matter what event or person comes in his way, he is adamant to go and meet the President of the United States just to say 'My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist!'
Mandira is the character that moves the story and is the true motivator behind Rizwan Khan. She is the perfect wife but as she struggles to understand what has happened in her life, she blames Rizwan. She allows her feelings to surrender to hatred. A direct opposite to Khan, yet Khan never sees fault in it. Mandira is no doubt a good person but she shows us how vulnerable we are as human beings.
Ammi is Rizwan's mother. She is the life force and soul of Rizwan. Her very sacred and precious teachings give him the essence of how to live a life. Ammi installs only goodness in the young child and she understands her son without questioning why he is the way he is. She shows him pure love and Rizwan lives and breathes by that pure love.
Sam is Rizwan and Mandira's son. Sam is the metaphor for how relationships are beyond blood. Rizwan sees Sam as his own son while it is Mandira's child from a previous marriage. Sam suffers due to ignorant youths, who only know how to brand and judge people. Sam is the reason why Rizwan goes on his journey and it is Sam who guides Rizwan's footsteps to achieve his goal.
Direction One needs to celebrate Karan Johar for choosing such a difficult topic and sticking to it. Most directors would have failed to create this perfect film. There may be scenes where most critics will not understand but life is like that and that is what Johar does, he shows realism. He shows life as it is on screen. He makes you become one with the journey that Khan takes. The way he tackles the 'storm and church re-construction' scene are amazing! The whole aspect of the media, he handles with such passion and respect. He allows us to see the negative and the positive of how the media operates. All scenes are handled brilliantly. When you look back at Johar's library of work, it is hard to believe that you are watching a movie of the same director. He keeps the movie light and allows it to flow with you.
One needs to also praise the Director of Photography Ravi Chandran as he captures the landscapes of America beautifully and without such great camerawork, this movie would not have been so great.
Editing by Deepa Bhatia is excellent. I wonder that if the edit was more sharper than it was, would the messages still have the same significance? I am glad that the movie is the way it is. You are meant to take the messages inside your mind and heart and Bhatia gives us the pace to do that effectively.
The music is awesome, seriously it weaves with the plot peacefully and elegantly. The background music is out of this world. If Karan Johar is listening, I will buy the background music if you release it on CD or allow us to buy it via Itunes! Tere Naina lasts with you, Sajda makes you celebrate, Noor-E-Khuda grabs your heart and Allah Hi Rahem makes you appreciate the Lord!
Well done to everyone, especially Karan Johar! Seriously, those who thought he wasn't capable of completing such a task, you are going to eat your words. He is one of the brightest directors that India have!
Actors I am only going to talk about the main two actors. However, every person who acted in this were perfect and gave stellar performances. One must say to look out for Arjun Mathur and Sonya Jehan.
Shah Rukh Khan gives his finest performance to date. One wonders where was Shah Rukh Khan here because all I saw was Rizwan Khan! SRK plays a man with Asperger's syndrome to perfection. The little nuances, the expressions all make you feel for the character. This performance proves to the world why he is the most popular actor in the world. He proves to the world that he is one of the best actor's to come out of Hindi Cinema. Those who doubted his performance will now regret those words because no actor in the Hindi Film Industry can match up to the acting that SRK has done. The way he remains expressionless when a normal person would feel something...that is a very hard thing to do, but SRK makes it look easy. SRK makes you cry for Rizwan and makes you happy for Rizwan. He has set a new milestone and has proven yet again that he is the best and is going to stay for a long time. A true gem!
Kajol gives yet again, surprise surprise an amazing performance. Only Kajol could do justice to the role and she proves that when it comes to tugging your emotions, she can do it with ease. Watch out for her breakdown, it is one of the finest moments not only for this movie but for the history of Hindi Cinema. She plays her character with ease and perfection. She matches up to SRK in every scene and that is difficult. She is one powerhouse of a performer. Kajol's eyes are beyond beautiful. I fell in love with her. She made Mandira so likeable and the audience could relate to Mandira's reaction to certain things. This is only due to her powerful performance. I know this is too early to say but best actors awards are going to these two. There will be no performance that will be able to top these two.
The romantic scenes that are brought to us can only be done by Shah Rukh and Kajol. Their chemistry is top notch and you feel so happy to see them together and you break apart when you see them depart.
Personal opinion and audience reaction First of all, this may contain spoilers and it is my opinion. Audience reaction was amazing. Everyone loved it and people laughed at the right times, i heard gasps at the right time and there was even clapping at the end!
My personal opinion and this is where I divulge what this movie meant for me. This movie has made me appreciate Islam even more. I always knew that it only propagated peace for humanity and love. The difference is with this movie is that it proves that. Watch out for the scene when Rizwan is in the Mosque...it touches your heart. The subject has been dealt with respect and the sensitivity has been realised earlier on hence such a powerful movie.
The movie shows how the only difference in human beings is whether we are good or bad. Religion is the path we choose on our own accord to guide us to become a good person. The film doesn't get preachy but when you come home and you are on your own, you do think about the message of the film. People may claim that the movie is slow...but think about it...the film is a journey of the protagonist. When we are on life's journey, is it very fast for us? Or do events in our life slowly unravel infront of us? I am sure anyone with the right mind will see it as the latter.
When you leave the theatre and if you are with friends, take my advice...don't discuss the movie until you have had 10 minutes to recall the movie and its messages. The film first hits you like any other movie but when you absorb the messages, you just realise that you went through an experience alongside Rizwan Khan. Also, Rizwan Khan shakes Obama's hand and I feel this happens due to Sam. Rizwan overcomes his fear of shaking hands to prove justice to the message that gave birth to his journey.
I felt that love should be like Rizwan's. It should be unconditional and full of pure innocence. I feel so inspired by the message that the movie gives. Truly I do feel that I need to become more like Rizwan.
The movie is NOT about terrorism, it is a love story at the core! The movie shows how great the message of Islam is and how humanity is the core of its teachings. The film confirms my pride and joy in having muslim friends!
Hollywood will accept this movie with open arms. This is the true crossover movie and it will be easy for anyone to understand. I believe the film is done in 40% english but I do believe that even if the dialogues are not heard, the film can still be understood. The acting is immensely powerful that the dialogues feel like a bonus treat for us.
Good people will accept this movie and will welcome the message into their lives. Bad people will not understand this movie. That is the judgement the movie gives too when we introspect into our own lives. A movie that contains so many little but effective messages needs to be watched more than once. It is a layered film if watched with the heart and one cannot capture it all in one viewing!
So here comes the crucial part. What is the rating for this movie? The movie does not meet the expectations...it goes beyond the expectations. Since it's positive in all areas, I am giving it a 5/5! Watch it to believe it!
Rahul N. Singh - My name is Singh and Humanity is my mission!
Please note: This is a review on what the movie meant to me. I am not a professional critic and I am only stating how I felt
So, what happens when you go and watch a life story you are living? When you could possibly relate each and every instance of it? Yes! 'Wake Up Sid' is story of Me, You and many roaming around here and there with just no aim.Now one could think is it 'Lakshya' again? Well not really, if 'Laskhya' was a cover page of book, 'Wake Up Sid' is inside story. I liked 'Lakshya' but i seriously loved 'Wake Up Sid'.
Wake Up Sid is a story of two contrast figures of today's world, Sidharth Mehra aka SID[Ranbir Kapoor] & Aisha[Konkana Sen Sharma]. Sid with no aim and Aisha with lots of dreams, but strange as life is, they became friends.The story developed with failures and realizations of both characters about themselves, life and others. First half was 'Fun' that went through in a blink of an eye.Second half is what i call an 'Inside Story' of a young guy of today, may be of cities in particular.
Well i was so much into the movie that i may have overlooked technicalities.But i'd appreciate the man Ayan Mukherjee, the man wrote movie, directed it and he deserve all accolades for it. Screenplay had no valleys, it was simple and simply executed. That's the beauty of it.Niranjan Iyengar dialogues were good too. Anil Mehta's cinematography was top notch. Shan Mohammad as an editor was impressive though he could have shortened it a bit.
Now performances, Ranbir Kapoor stands tall among his contemporaries and Wake Up Sid proves how. He was just amazing, i could feel him in me the moment he started doing those accounts entries. Konkana Sen is truly a remarkable actor in her realm, one can argue about same role stuff but can not take the credit away from her. Anupam Kher as Sid father was powerful while Supriya Pathak as mother was supportive. Rest of supporting cast was impressive too.
Shankar Ehsan Loy music was fresh, classic and youthful. 'Iktara' holds top spot while title track follow. Background score was related and soothe your ears now and then. I'd like to appreciate Dharma Production to take a stand and make a movie like this which people may relate with 'Lakshya' somehow and still manage to make it different.
On the whole, 'Wake Up Sid' brings a spark in life, it teaches you 'Aim is not important but the realization of oneself', it Wake Me Up, i hope it does same to you.I would go for 4.5/5 for this movie and would say 'Wake Up' and 'Watch It'.
Make no mistake about it. Kaminey is a ‘Once in a Blue Moon’ type of Movie. It is without a doubt one of the most Hyped Films of this year, only eclipsed in Hype by Love Aaj Kal. Everybody expected this to be something hatke. It sure is one roller-coaster of a ride. Vishal Bharadwaj is known to make serious, realistic films. But most of his films haven’t been Commercial Successes. Therefore, he gives it his Best and most twisted shot at Box Office Glory. And succeed he does. Shahid Kapoor also has done this film to come out of his “Next Door Boy” image, and to come out of that monotonous feeling an actor develops which an actor develops after doing the same kind of role in each and every film. Here in this Film, He shows he is the son of Pankaj Kapoor. Vishal’s previous Film’s like Maqbool and Blue Umbrella had Pankaj in important roles. Maybe Shahid took tips from Dad on how to deal with Bharadwaj’s Direction.
Coming to the storyline, Kaminey is the story of two brothers Charlie and Guddu with speech impidents, but leading extremely normal lives. No, much more than normal really. Charlie is an aspiring Bookie at the Mumbai race Course, and he lisps, while Guddu works in a NGO, and he stutters. He is in love with a Marathi Mulgi Sweetie. Guddu is not aware that she is the sister of Bhope Bhau, who is Maharashtiran Loyalist ala Raj Thackery but on a much smaller scale. Charlie has many dreams in his life and he wants to fulfill them at any cost. So when he is pawned at his work, he will do anything to get his money back. And, Bhope Bhau will do anything to get his sister out of Guddu’s clasps to get her married to a Bulider’s son for Money. Thus begins the film, and has their lives intermingling with each other in a spate of one day. Along the way many characters are introduced who are more often than not integral to the screenplay. Don’t worry if you don’t understand the first 30-24 minutes of the film, because many of us did not get the plot. This is what Vishal wanted to achieve. He wanted to revolutionize the non-linear way of telling a story. And the master story-teller that he is, he achieves this with ease.
Coming to the performances, Shahid Kappor in his two roles, is as different as Chalk and Cheese. It felt as if two different actors were playing the role of the Brothers. Yes, he was so good. In Guddu and Charlie, Shahid plays the Dream character(s) of any actor out there. The fact that Vishal offered him the film at the first place was surprising enough, when you see Shahid on Screen. Specially as Charlie, he is this macho character who we have never seen on screen. Not because he lisps, but because he is so dam Good.
riyanka comes up with her Career Best Performance as well. As this simple Marathi girl she is so natural that it is hard to believe that she is actually a Punjabi. Amol Gupte makes his Hindi Feature Debut and gets a lot of Screen time, and he does not disappoint at all. As like all of the other characters, he is too completely believable as Bhope Bhau.
Chandan Roy Sanyal as Charlie’s Best friend, whom he loves more than even his brother is undoubtedly one of the finds of the year. I hope that he gets signed on by the Best directors, because a talent like his cannot go untapped. Tenzing Nima as Tashi is another type of character which has hardly been seen in Indian Celluloid. He is an Indian Smuggler of Japanese origin. The corrupt police officers Lobo and Lele played by Shiv Shubramanyam and Hrishikesh Joshi are good. Dev Mukherjee and Rajatava Dutta, the other two brothers of the three ‘Mental’ Bengali Brothers are not used properly. They deserved more screen space.
The Music of the film is undoubtedly one of the other High points of the film. Vishal himself scores the Music and his mentor Gulzar writes the Lyrics for Kaminey. What can I say about ‘Dhan te Nan’ that has already not been said. It can be easily classified as the Song of the Year. ‘Fatak’ gives Shahid some opportunity to use his dancing skills. It is picturised in a fresh new way. Vishal himself holds the microphone for ‘Kaminey’ and sings the song which provides soul to the Soundtrack. The other songs are apt as well.
Vishal Bharadwaj, I am happy to say has finally broken the Box-Office Barrier, and can now be considered as a ‘Blockbuster’ director after Kaminey. He delivers a film which will live on for ages and is nothing less than a masterpiece. Tassaduq Hussain is another talent to look forward to. His cinematography work in Kaminey is innovative in a non-boisterous way. Yet, he captures the tone of the film perfectly. The editing of Kaminey is the Best you may have seen in a Bollywood film, in a long long time. Meghna Manchanda Sen must be credited with this. She does deserve accolades. The Production design of the film is also of the highest quality, but this is expected as Kaminey is a UTV production.
Kaminey came with so much of hype which might have proven to be a big burden. But I am too happy and not at all surprised to say, that Kaminey will turn out to be a Cult Film. Even if it does not become a Blockbuster, it will be remembered for years to come. All this because Kaminey revolutionizes Bollywood. Way to Go!
For the first time ever, the collections of a film in Mumbai territory will be less than other territories of the country. The reason is obvious-the film wasn’t allowed to be released during weekends in the most profitable territory of the country due to the swine flu scare. But then came Monday and one of the most awaited films of the year, Kaminey, finally hit the screens in the city. Expectations were huge and it’s pleasurable to know that the film hits the bullseye and gives complete entertainment. After New York and Love Aaj Kal, Kamineyis surely the third biggie of the year which rocks!
The story of the movie: Charlie and Guddu (both played by Shahid Kapur) are twins. Both have speech defects and live separately and can’t stand the sight of each other. One rainy night, both commit a ‘sin’ which leads to corrupt cops, wicked politician and dangerous smugglers after them. And this was the night when they also run into each other. Will they be able to get out of the mess? And what such crime did they commit that so many villains were after them? Watch Kaminey and find out for yourself.
The beginning of the film is very unconventional…actually the entire film is! The film holds you right from the beginning (more after the song Fatak) and grips you till the last scene. The situation, the set up, characters and their background…everything here is raw and rowdy.
First and foremost, what really is damn impressive about the film are its characters. Each one of them is unique, weird but very interesting. Whether it is Charlie or the good guy Guddu, his girlfriend Sweety (Priyanka Chopra) and especially the villains-all of them special and director Vishal Bharadwaj deserve special mention for treating each of them wonderfully and rightfully. Not a single character in the film is unnecessary and each one of them has a purpose in the narrative.
The situation in Kaminey somehow reminded me of Priyadarshan’s films, although both directors and their films are as different as chalk and cheese. But like Priyan’s madcap comedies, here too, the characters are many; there’s a case of mistaken identity and the climax also felt somewhat similar (I won’t reveal why). But unlike Priyan’s films, everything in Kaminey looks real and doesn’t seem illogical or nonsense.
There are several scenes which are really out of this world. The drama in the 5-star hotel was well executed and the Go Charlie Go theme played during this sequence sets your heart pumping and enhances the impact manifold! The marriage, the intermission point, Charlie, MikhailBhope Bhau’s confrontation were rocking scenes. The best scene of the film was without a doubt was the one shot in the local train. And such a climax was unexpected and unpredictable but it was justified and its execution is exemplary. and the evil
The only thing that fails here is the flashback of Charlie and Guddu. It just doesn’t work at all. However, it was well-shot, without a shred of doubt.
When someone like Vishal Bharadwaj is at the helm, it is obvious that we’ll get to see someone of the finest performances. And as expected, each performer in the film came up with a marvelous performance. Kaminey would surely be remembered as Shahid Kapoor’s best performance ever. Words are not enough to describe his praiseworthy act. It is evident that Shahid has worked very hard for this film and it shows, especially for the character Charlie. He plays both the part convincingly and this time, he is surely going to win the Best Actor award. The year has not yet ended and many more films are yet to come where we may get outstanding performances. But I am sure no would would manage what Shahid did in Kaminey!
Priyanka Chopra also gives a brilliant performance and manages to maintain a respectable position in the film amongst so many talented actors. She was at her best in the song Raat Ke Dhai Baje and she looked and sounded wonderful in the Maharashtrian attire and accent! After Dostana and Fashion, Priyanka’s tryst of coming up with excellent performances continue!
Amole Gupte (as Bhope Bhau) is the star of the film! He was just outstanding and played his part effectively. Watch out for the scene with Charlie in the latter’s house…his amused expressions are a treat! Another scene where he rocks was his conversation with Sweety on the phone. The way he says, “Kon aahe to mulga? Tyaacha naav kaay aahe?” (Who’s that guy? What’s his name?) rock as it was typically Maharashtrian accent and didn’t sound fake at all!
Besdies the aforementioned actors, there are many others who are unheard but they manage to impress a lot. Chandan Roy Sanyal as Mikhail was brilliant. Tenzing Nima as Tashi was outstanding. His character was cool and sexy and he played his part convincingly. Shiv Subrahmanyam and Hrishikesh Joshi as inspectors Lobo and LeleThomson and Thompson of Tintin series! Others were also great. were perfect. The cop brothers in many scenes remind of
Vishal Bharadwaj also composed the music which is as exciting as the film. Dhan Te Nan is already a rage while the rest of the songs (Fatak, Raat Ke Dhai Baje, Kaminey) rock too. The theme music (Go Charlie Go) was outstanding! Gulzar as usual comes up with some of the best lines.
Tassaduq Hussain’s cinematography was highly superior and worked wonders in some of the scenes, esp in the climax. The production design was unique and top notch. The sets in the film looked cool and straight out of the real life. Take for instance, Guddu and Sweety’s residence and the surroundings. Then the scene where Sweety and Guddu are in a conversation and a stray dog enters the scene suddenly! And finally, Bhope Bhau’s haven seemed raw and in sync with the mood of the film.
Special mention should be made of Cajetan Boy, the African screenwriter, who gave Vishal the idea of Kaminey. Screenplay written by Vishal, Abhishek Chaubey, Supartik Sen and Sabrina Dhawan was highly effective. The four of them do a wonderful job and come up with one of the finest scripts in recent times.
Finally, Vishal Bharadwaj, the director, is a winner! He proves that he is a versatile genius! Making Kaminey was difficult but he comes out with flying colours. With this film, he also pays homage to the cultures and its people residing in Mumbai. Vishal also proves that one doesn’t need to go overseas to make a racy thriller. One can utilize the various moods, cultures and setups of the city to come up with an interesting film! Vishal, you rock!
Some of the best scenes of the film: 1. The first scene 2. The songs Fatak, Dhan Te Nan, Raat Ke Dhai Baje 3. The scene inside the 5-star Hotel 4. Sweety revealing the ‘secret’ to Guddu 5. Charlie with the Guitar 6. The marriage 7. The intermission point 8. Bhope Bhau and Mikhail at Charlie’s place 9. The scene inside the local train (best scene!) 10. The last 30 minutes and the final scene
On the whole, Kaminey is one of the finest films of the year, undoubtedly! The film takes you into a raw, gripping world and grips from the start till the end. Do watch this film. One doesn’t get such novel films every Friday! Go Charlie Go!!
My rating-**** out of 5!
P.S.: Do hear the song ‘Dhan Te Nan’ carefully when you go for the film. The line ‘Teli Ka Tel’ is edited as ‘Dilli Ka Tel’ all thanks to the controversy surrounding the word ‘Teli’! Crazy!!
Best Scenes:
