'My Name is Khan' , a full length movie directed by Karan Johar and written by Shibani Bathija, is a Bollywood movie shot in both America and India which centres on an Indian Muslim man with Asperger's syndrome who migrated to America after the death of his mother to live with his brother. He then fell in love with a Hindu single mother whom he later married and after their marriage both she and her son started using his last name. This film covers the journey of their love but most importantly the journey of the man's Muslim faith and how it strengthens even during the most challenging situations and his inspiring dream to meet the President and say "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist". As 'Khan' is a muslim surname, his speech connotes that he is a muslim and not a terrorist.
THE MESSAGE
After the 9/11 event in America, Muslims were forced to abandon and denounce their faith in public out of fear of being hurt or violated. America believed that the bombing of the twin towers was an act of terrorism my an Islamic terrorist group hence all Muslims were then labelled as terrorists. This film follows a man who amidst all the chaos and hate towards Muslims after the 9/11, never denounced his faith or belief and how he single handedly motivated people to help the stranded. In the left picture below, the protagonist is seen praying in public which was a risky act during the period of 9/11 as he could have been tortured or killed but nonetheless he showed that his faith as a Muslim was stronger than his fears and any situation. In the image on the right, he is seen helping people through a flood in Georgia, this act shows that even though the American people condemned Muslims, their is still that one good Muslim who believes in helping people and not killing them. From these scenes, the main message of the film can be decoded to be an inspiration to Muslims all around the world by showing them that no matter how dire your situation might be, you must not forsake your belief. It also tackles the dominant Islamic misconception in the world that all Muslims are terrorists by presenting the protagonist as a Muslim who helps others, even those who had condemned his belief.
THE MESSAGE
After the 9/11 event in America, Muslims were forced to abandon and denounce their faith in public out of fear of being hurt or violated. America believed that the bombing of the twin towers was an act of terrorism my an Islamic terrorist group hence all Muslims were then labelled as terrorists. This film follows a man who amidst all the chaos and hate towards Muslims after the 9/11, never denounced his faith or belief and how he single handedly motivated people to help the stranded. In the left picture below, the protagonist is seen praying in public which was a risky act during the period of 9/11 as he could have been tortured or killed but nonetheless he showed that his faith as a Muslim was stronger than his fears and any situation. In the image on the right, he is seen helping people through a flood in Georgia, this act shows that even though the American people condemned Muslims, their is still that one good Muslim who believes in helping people and not killing them. From these scenes, the main message of the film can be decoded to be an inspiration to Muslims all around the world by showing them that no matter how dire your situation might be, you must not forsake your belief. It also tackles the dominant Islamic misconception in the world that all Muslims are terrorists by presenting the protagonist as a Muslim who helps others, even those who had condemned his belief.
TARGET AUDIENCE
The primary target audience of this film can be said to be Muslims who are facing tough decisions concerning their faith. After losing his step-son when he was killed because he had a Muslim surname, the protagonist unlike most Muslims would had, did not forsake his religion or his belief instead he used this tragic situation as a motivation to show the world that muslims are not terrorists. This representation helps Muslims identify with their faith and gain the inspiration to stand up for their religion despite the amount of backlash they recieve.
It can also be said to appeal to Americans with the misconception that all Muslims are terrorists as it addresses this topic by presenting a Muslim man as a helper, a hero and a role model.
HOW IS THE MESSAGE CONVEYED?
The Director of this film uses narrative techniques such as flashback and sound effects like sad instrumental soundtracks combined with great actors to convey the message of the film. The flashback to when he was a kid who lived with his mum and had her as his teacher helps us understand the foundation of his strength in his faith as in one scene we see his mum teaching him that in the world there are only two kinds of people:- the good and the bad. Using sad instrumental sound effects in conjunction with emotional scenes, helps the audience connect with the actors by sharing their emotions thereby having a passive effect on them.
REPRESENTATION OF RELIGION
Using a narrative style which can be explained by Claude Levi-Strauss's Binary Opposition Narrative theory, the director presents Muslims as both weak and strong. Throughout the film after the 9/11 event, we see some Muslims forsaking their religion and conforming to social pressure and on the other hand we see the protagonist who refuses to follow the crowd or conform to the social pressure. This connotes that there are Muslims who can stand up to challenges and those who prefer to take the easy way out.
Challenging the common stereotype and representation of Muslims in the media after the 9/11 event, the film presents Muslims as heroes by making the protagonist a helper and a role model. This condemns the common ideology that Muslims are only good at terrorising states and killing innocent people but not helping make the world a better place.
REPRESENTATION OF DISABILITY
The protagonist of the film is a man who suffers from Asperger's syndrome. Society normally presents disabled people as vulnerable and weak people who depend on others for support. In this film, this stereotype is challenged by presenting a hero who despite his health condition goes to extreme lengths to help people and to have his voice heard. He persisted until he met the president and delivered his message. This represents disabled people as determined, strong willed, compassionate and caring people contrary to the negative stereotypes that they are usually associated to.
WAYS IN WHICH THIS FILM HAS INSPIRED MY SHORT FILM'S IDEA
After watching this film, I was inspired by the director's encoded message. He was conveying the message that not all Muslims are terrorists as the world thinks so therefore people should get to know each Muslim more personally before passing any judgement. This inspired me to produce a film which reveals that there are good Muslims who do not support terrorism or Islamic extremism and that there are radical Muslims who share the idea that violence is the key to success.
No comments:
Post a Comment