My Name Is Khan, 2010

My Name Is Khan is a 2010 Hindi-language drama film directed by Karan Johar, written by Shibani Bathija and Niranjan Iyengar, produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Gauri Khan, and starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Set in the United States, the film centers upon Rizwan Khan, an autistic Muslim man, whose stepson Sameer is killed in an assault which his wife Mandira, Sam's mother, blames him for, leading him to set out on a journey to meet the president and absolve himself.

My Name Is Khan marks the debut film for distributor and co-producer Fox Star Studios, which had bought the rights for the film for a sum of ₹1 billion (US$13 million), making it the most expensive Bollywood film of 2010.[8]

My Name Is Khan premiered on 12 February 2010. The film was released in India on DVD on 21 April 2010, Blu-ray in India, plus a DVD release worldwide followed on 17 August 2010.

Plot

At the San Francisco International Airport, an autistic Muslim man is detained for reciting verses from the Quran. John Marshall, an officer in charge of the security, frisks him. As he asks the man, revealed to be Rizvan Khan, why he wants to meet the President, Rizvan replies, "My name is Khan, and I'm not a terrorist"; John asks him to say 'Howdy!' to the President in case he meets him. Rizvan is set free, and the story sets off in a flashback.

Rizvan is shown growing up with his younger brother Zakir and mother Razia in Borivali, Mumbai. His late father, Dilawar Amanatullah Khan, used to work at a repair shop, and the meek young Rizvan, who is despised for his autistic condition, has developed an ability to repair things in the process. Rizvan, regardless of his condition, is shown to possess great talent and determination, including a sharp memory and attention to detail, prompting Razia to take extra care of him. All this leads to a heightened level of jealousy from Zakir, who ultimately leaves his family and immigrates to United States to start a new life, when he grew up. Despite this, an adult Zakir sponsors Rizwan to come and live with him in San Francisco, after Razia's death, where his wife Haseena diagonses Rizvan with Asperger's syndrome, one symptom being his repulsion to yellow.

Rizvan begins to work as a salesman for the beauty products company Zakir is highly posted at. During one such visit, he meets Mandira Rathore, a Hindu NRI divorcee with a son, Sameer, from her previous marriage and develops a liking on her. Rizwan manages to impress her and they decided to get married. Despite Zakir's objection to the marriage on account of their religious differences, Rizwan marries her and moves in with Mandira and Sam, next door to the Garricks, comprising Mark and Sarah, whose son Reese is a close friend to Sam. Mandira and Sam changes their last name into Khan. Mandira opens her own beauty parlour and it comes out successful.

The Khans' perfect existence gets disrupted after the September 11 attacks. Mark goes to cover the war in Afghanistan and dies there. Mandira begins to suffer losses in her business, and Reese begins to turn against Sam as well, due to their surname. One afternoon an argument between Reese and Sam, wherein the latter is trying to reconcile with the former, turns into a racially motivated fight with older students which catches heat. Sam is killed in the process, and the older students threaten Reese into silence. Shocked beyond belief, Mandira blames Rizvan, stating that Sam "died only because of his surname." She sarcastically says that to be back together, he has to tell the people and President of the United States that "his name is Khan and he is not a terrorist".

Rizvan, taking her words literally, sets out on a road trip to meet President George W. Bush, even as Mandira employs the services of Detective Garcia to unearth the mystery of Sam's murderers. During the journey, which restores the story to present day, Rizvan tries to check into a motel owned by a Gujarati NRI, Jitesh, who is attacked by some thugs, causing him to leave abruptly. Later, at a bus stop in Wilhelmina, Georgia, he meets an Afro-American teen, Joel, and escorts him back to his home, where his mother, affectionately called Mama Jenny, houses Rizvan; he leaves after staying there for a few days. While at a mosque in Los Angeles, he overhears violent rhetoric from a doctor named Faisal Rahman who is quoting religious texts, angrily defying Faisal's statements before walking out to drop a message for the FBI. As he is waiting in a crowd to meet President Bush, Rizwan aggressively shouts out loud, "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist!", but his cries are misinterpreted by the cops, who detain him, while two Indian student reporters, Raj Burman and Komal Kukreti, end up recording him. Komal initially acts dismissive, but Raj convinces her that there must be a story behind him.

Rizwan is interrogated and tortured as a terrorist suspect, but a psychiatrist, Radha, believes he is innocent. Raj and Komal, meanwhile, manage to make it to acclaimed news reporter Bobby Ahuja, who is convinced by their case and decides to make support to Rizvan. Eventually, he is later released after a media campaign by Raj, Komal and Bobby, who claim his innocence by revealing his attempts to inform the FBI about Faisal Rahman. Rizvan's quest is, however, cut short by news reports of a devastating hurricane having hit Wilhelmina, and decides to go there to help Joel and Mama Jenny. Raj, Komal and Bobby track him down, and begin assisting Rizwan in order to rehabilitate everyone. As news of his relief work gains traction and support throughout the nation, Rizvan is joined by many supporters, including Zakir and Haseena, and the town is finally restored to normalcy.

Meanwhile, Reese finally meets and opens up to Mandira about the scuffle that claimed Sam's life. She informs Detective Garcia, and the boys, including Reese, are arrested, with Reese attaining a lighter sentence. She eventually reunites with Rizwan, who, during a bonfire for the locals, is stabbed by one of Rahman's followers. Even as Rizvan is hospitalized, President-elect Barack Obama is elected to victory and is slated to address a gathering. Rizvan finally recovers, and Mandira asks him to abandon his plans to meet the President, but Rizvan stands firm. Although he initially believes himself to have been a little too late, Obama returns, and invites Rizvan to the stage, telling him, "Your name is Khan and you are not a terrorist." Rizvan conveys 'Howdy!' from John, fulfilling his promise, and leaves with Mandira as the crowd applauds him.