I'm not particularly fond of Bollywood movies, but I think 
I have to make an exception to this one. This movie, starred by a top-Indian actor Sharukh Khan, centers in the life of a Moslem-Indian Rizvan Khan, who in a way is a modern "Forrest Gump". Both see the world in black and white and share similar virtue of perseverance and honesty because of the nature of their disease. Gullible by nature, Khan struggles hard to fit himself in the American society, facing injustice after injustice, not only because of his Asperger's Syndrome, but also due to the people's accusation and discrimination post 9/11. Khan becomes a symbol of hope in the American society's diminishing sincerity and innocence, especially towards Moslem people, whose positions in the society are in jeopardy after the 9/11 terrorist attack. He wears his disease as an emblem of blessing in disguise, moreover his strength, to see what's right and wrong - not based on one's religion or race, but on one's action. "There are two kinds of people in this world, the people doing bad things and the ones doing good things," Khan points out, and though I honestly don't know to what extent this perspective infallible, but Khan's inability to feel and show emotion and so seeing the world in black and white has got its essence. His strong grip of principals, supported with his impeccable determination and earnest intention to help others get him through the ups and downs of life and reach his goal to meet the president, and is finally able to announce: “Mr. President, my name is Khan and I’m not a terrorist.”
Now, as people of all society and the Moslems believe to have been unfairly treated by each other, we build a wall of defense to protect our ideology, religion and ultimately, ourselves. In this way we destruct our society from within, don't you think? But who’s put to blame? Everybody, I’d say, for letting ourselves become the victim of our own emotion. Many of my friends are devoted Moslems, and I've got to say they share my opinion concerning this matter.
If emotion was the trigger that led Al-Qaeda to the 9/11 massacre in New York, and the same word 'emotion' led other people to defend their society or race and do something offensive or violent (like beating up a kid with a Moslem surname to death), and the very same word 'emotion' triggered one Moslem group's blood to boil and plan an attack on other religion, then could I say 'emotion' is a really a curse? For in this sense, it's the very word that has decimated the human beings.
But then, what would we become were we all like Forrest Gump or Rizvan Khan - neither expresses his feeling well? Would we embrace emotion as a blessing, for we have the prerogative to appreciate all the beauty this world has to offer?
The ideal would be having the privileges in this blessed-life of ours to express emotion wisely and responsibly and not letting ourselves be conquered by fury. But then again, the world is not ideal, is it?
Recently in Metro TV, a former jihad general claimed that there is a fatwa in Islam, pointing that "terrorism is kufur". Later I need to find out what the word "kufur" means, but it must be something bad. According to him the terrorists are worst than prostitutes and he even said that people who claim to do jihad by doing terrors are like the dogs from hell. So guys, if the Moslems oppose the terrorists' perspective of seeing what's right and wrong, why are many of us still biased about Moslems?
First of all I only watch Bollywood when they pair-up Kajol and Sharukh Khan (SRK). I love their chemisty and I think SRK delivered his acting well as a person who's got Asperger syndrom. I can see his awkwardness,weirdness,strong belief, and real expressions whenever he delivered his lines. I'd say it's the most fav film I've watched in 2010! Despite the asperger and love theme, I do agree the importance of Moslem Portrayal in US, as a second citizen and now the portrayal also shifted into "the enemy" since 9/11 incident.
ReplyDeleteI would say that the way the media portrays "Moslem" religion might cause this biased view among countries that have Moslem minority as their citizens. I mean, what the media portray are mostly the violent, never ending war between Iraq and Iran and all the terrorist attack that bombarded not just US but also Moslem based countries, such as Indonesia. It's like news coverage just brought up the news on the negativity of "moslem" which is always related with terrorist, since the terrorists are Moslem. Moreover the terrorists are the extreme version of moslem and not a true Moslem, because Islam always teaches kindness not violence, the same with every religion teaches their people. from what I know the number of Terrorist are only small, a very tiny small from all the Moslem poeple in the world. I, as a moslem would like the media to protray more of a true moslem perception and points of view on how they want to fit in the world or in the country they want to live in, with harmony among the other religion and a sense of togetherness when the terrorists attack the non moslem country,which not also hurting the country itself and the opinion of the world towards Islam, but it also hurts True Moslem that the terrorist attacks means a disgrace towards all Moslem people.
The media has the power to influence people though the pictures or the news delivered to the audiences. Hence, it is important to have this kind of movie (My Name is Khan) to portray the Moslem in a very human angle, that we, Moslem do help people no matter what the religion is.
And that we are part of the society, eventhough we are living with different religions, so when our humanity is challenged by natural disaster struck Georgia (just like in the movie Khan was very much attached with the family in Georgia, which is Mama jenny), we Moslem do will take action. I love the scene where Rizvan Khan prayed together in a church! I think that was the point also in the film, I mean, we pray together as a moslem and as a Catholic..no matter where the place and what incident happen, as long as they help each other. It really touched me, and I think it's a great message to be conveyed to the world.