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So all that was left to be covered on Keeping it Halal was a Bollywood movie, right? Although many of you may think that when you see the title, I feel that the film was definitely worthy of a review. It stirred up controversy in some countries, and broke box office records in others. A movie which falls under the ‘Kajol & SRK’ brand (for all those non-Bollywood-ers; the most loved on-screen couple) attracts enough attention as it is, but I feel that the topic the movie is based on is what pulled in the most viewers.

Living in Post-9/11 North America, the topic of terrorism is one that has been sensationalized. The movie covers issues of racial abuse and draconian homeland security laws in the United States. The protagonist is a mid-aged man who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome (a type of Autism), and he is set out to tell the U.S. President, and in turn the entire U.S. population, that he is Muslim and that he is not a terrorist. 

The theme may seem a little overdone, but I feel that the director did an excellent job in taking a heavy topic and presenting it through a very light and uplifting storyline. There are many controversies that the film stirred up in different countries; nonetheless it has been a global success. My Name is Khan was banned in India because it was said to favour Muslims and Islam too much, on the other hand, it was banned in parts of Pakistan because in the movie a Muslim man marries a woman who is not from Ahl-al Kitab (People of the Book). These are definitely points of concern and not examples that Muslim youth should adopt, but I feel that if we were to sit here and criticize every angle of the film, we would forget to take the overall message out of it. We should take the good and leave the bad.

The film teaches us that there are two types of people: good and bad, and that we should not generalize any group or hate on any sect, tribe or religion just because the majority is against them. It resurfaces the importance of the one thing that unites us all, humanity.

On a lighter note, My Name is Khan, like every Bollywood movie has an ongoing and developing love story throughout the film. It has a bit of romance, comedy and a lot of sentiment. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone because in my opinion it opens up different avenues of thought of a very complex issue in a very simple manner.

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Comments

SOA

Thu, 13 May 2010 6:06:04 am

I don't think this article is appropriate for this site... i understand that you may be interested in movies and so forth but you should keep that with yourself and not publicize on this site...
this is just my opinion...

 



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