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My Name is Khan

My Name is Khan

Indien/USA 2010 - mit Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol Devgan, Jimmy Shergill, Tanya Chheda ...

Filminfo

Originaltitel:My Name is Khan
Genre:Drama, Tragicomedy, Romance
Regie:Karan Johar
Kinostart:09.06.2010
Produktionsland:Indien/USA 2010
Laufzeit:Approx. 128 min.
FSK:Age 12+
Webseite:www.mynameiskhan.de/
When one thinks of Shah Rukh Khan, numerous colorful images of Indian dramas with lots of romance, singing and dancing come to mind. But "My Name is Khan" proves: India's superstar can also do things differently. In the Indian-American co-production, which reunites Khan with Kajol Devgan for the first time in nine years, the celebrated actor and singer presents a whole new side. The shy Rizvan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) has not really had an easy childhood as an Indian Muslim. It's not until he's a young man that the smart man with Asperger's syndrome manages to find his footing in the US. There he falls in love with single mother Mandira (Kajol Devgan) and even manages to win her heart. The fact that he lives in his very own world due to Asperger's syndrome can't affect the love between Khan and Mandira any more than their different beliefs can. But then the September 11 attacks happen and the world is no longer the way it used to be, especially for Muslims. But even when the young family happiness of the two is cruelly destroyed, Khan does not give up. He travels across the US, following a set plan, to prove his love to Mandira. "My Name is Khan" can most easily be seen as a Bollywood version of "Forrest Gump". However, only with two caveats. First, contrary to all Bollywood traditions, there is no singing or dancing in the film. The very big, indulgent sorrow and drama, however, remains. For another, the film never even comes close to matching the class of "Forrest Gump" and Shah Rukh Khan never matches that of a Tom Hanks. Granted, he embodies the romantic hero with Asperger's Syndrome quite convincingly and believably, which was even praised by an Asperger's sufferer present at the Frankfurt press screening. The problem lies more in the fact that director Karan Johar, who made his breakthrough in 1998 with his directorial debut "And All of a Sudden It's Love", has simply completely overloaded his US co-production. The stories from Khan's childhood, the romance between him and Mandira, Khan's journey through the USA, on which he encounters potential terrorists and appears as a helping hero during a hurricane (although many moments of this sequence are missing in the German theatrical version, which has been shortened by about 40 minutes) - all this would have easily provided material for three films. To squeeze everything into one movie, no matter if it is two or three hours long, is just too much. On top of that, the overdramatic nature of the film deprives it of the endearing naivety that made "Forrest Gump" a classic. No question, "My Name is Khan" has some very nice, some poignant and successful moments. But the potential that underlies what is, in itself, a very fine story is almost completely buried here under too much moral leavened kitsch and overinflated drama. Those who don't mind this are guaranteed to be well entertained for two hours. But those hoping for a little more substance with the themes dealt with here are more likely to leave the cinema disappointed

Ein Artikel von Frankfurt-Tipp