My Name Is Khan has opened to a bumper response in India. Multiplexes across the country are recording phenomenal collections with major multiplexes being 100% for the first two shows. Wave Ludhiana, Fun Chandigarh, Wave Noida, Inox Kolkata, PVR Bangalore and Fun Bangalore amongst others have seen full houses in the morning for the first two shows.

Mumbai which is having a limited release is also extraordinary. Fun had their first show in the city at 12.00 and recorded 100% collections. The business at single screens is lower than multiplexes but still very good. Delhi and Kolkata single screens are super strong. Despite the problems in Mumbai the film will record very high collections on day one.

MY NAME IS KHAN makes two strong statements…

* The first: B.C. and A.D. are designations used to label years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. There’s a third designation now – 9/11. Post September 11, the world stands divided. Terrorist outfits continue to strike in the name of religion and the common man, not even remotely associated with these groups, is bearing the brunt. The world is not a safe place anymore.

* The second statement: There’re two sets of people in this world – the good and the bad. No matter how strong the evil forces are, good always triumphs.

MY NAME IS KHAN mirrors the era we live in. Not a day goes by when you haven’t heard/read/watched news of terror attacks and innocents being killed. We live in turbulent times. Also, the movie states – and states very strongly, without mincing words – Not all Muslims are terrorists.

Karan Johar’s cinema got more real from KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA onwards. In MY NAME IS KHAN, the storyteller attempts to make a social statement and succeeds completely. At the same time, it takes no sides. If the protagonist says ‘My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist’, it also exposes those who misadvise the youth with inflammatory and rabble-rousing speeches.

Karan’s take on the issue deserves the highest praise, since a subject like this is difficult to attempt. Final word? MY NAME IS KHAN is Karan, SRK and Kajol’s best outing to date. Do I need to add anything more?

Rizvan Khan [Shah Rukh Khan moves to San Francisco and lives with his brother [Jimmy Shergill] and sister-in-law [Sonya Jehan]. Rizvan, who has Asperger’s syndrome, falls in love with Mandira [Kajol]. Despite protests from his brother, they get married and start a small business together. They are happy until September 11, when attitudes towards Muslims undergo a sea-change.

When tragedy strikes, Mandira is devastated and they split. Rizvan is confused and upset that the love of his life has left him. To win her back, he embarks on a touching and inspiring journey across America.

Let me alert you. The story unfolds feverishly from the very start itself. So if you miss a scene or two, chances are you would’ve missed some vital links in the story. The fact is, there’s too much happening in the first half. Although the narrative tends to get leisurely-paced at times, the wheels continue to move from one episode to another.

A number of sequences are endearing. For instance, the romance between SRK and Kajol is subtle, yet charming. But it’s SRK’s relationship with Kajol and their kid that’s one of the best parts of the movie. Your heart bleeds when an accident occurs and their lives are torn apart. Kajol’s outburst – first, when her son meets with a catastrophe and second, when she confronts SRK – are truly shattering.

MY NAME IS KHAN’s strength lies in the fact that you root for Khan all through. At the same time, you are weighed down when he’s in a vulnerable situation, especially when he’s labelled a terrorist and thrown behind bars. You don’t realize it, but the fact is that you, as a spectator, have already got entwined in Rizvan and Mandira’s lives.

There’s a slight hitch in the second hour, when SRK returns to Georgia to save a hurricane-ravaged hamlet. Also, the media exercise tends to add to the length of the film. Nonetheless, it’s a minor hiccup that doesn’t rob the film of its punch.

There’s just one word to illustrate Karan’s direction – exemplary. One of the finest storytellers of our generation, he deserves brownie points for deviating from ‘Karan Johar brand of cinema’ and attempting a film that knocks on your heart and stimulates your mind. With MY NAME IS KHAN, Karan takes rapid strides as a storyteller.

Shibani Bathija’s screenplay is truly arresting. Shibani and Niranjan Iyengar’s dialogues are noteworthy and many a times, applaud-worthy. Ravi K. Chandran’s cinematography is awe-inspiring. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music gels well with the nature of the film.

When a film stars two of the finest talents of the country, you expect nothing but the best. SRK, well, how does one describe his performance? To state that this is his best work so far would be cutting short the praise he truly deserves. In fact, no amount of praise can do sufficient justice to his portrayal of Rizvan Khan, who has Asperger’s syndrome. His latest work is several notches above anything he has done before. The only compliment that I can think of is, SRK has a new screen-name now. Raj is passe, Rizvan it is.

Kajol is pure dynamite and casting her for this character was the most appropriate decision. No other actress could’ve matched SRK in histrionics the way Kajol has. In fact, SRK and Kajol compliment each other wonderfully well and this film only proves it yet again. It’s a powerhouse performance from this supremely talented actress.

The film boasts of a number of capable actors, but the ones who leave a rock-solid impact are – in this order – Zarina Wahab, Sonya Jehan, Jimmy Shergill, Arjun Mathur, Parvin Dabas and Arif Zakaria. Sugandha Garg is confident. Navneet Nishan supports well. Vinay Pathak leaves a mark in a brief role. Tanay Chheda [young SRK] and Yuvaan Makaar [SRK and Kajol's son Sameer] are excellent. The American actors, especially the kid who plays Sameer’s friend, deserves mention.

On the whole, MY NAME IS KHAN is a fascinating love story, has an angle of religion and a world-shaking incident as a backdrop. It not only entertains, but also mesmerises, enthrals and captivates the viewer in those 2.40 hours. At the same time, a film like MY NAME IS KHAN is sure to have a far-reaching influence due to its noble theme. I strongly advocate, don’t miss this one!

Advance bookings for “My Name Is Khan” may have been halted in Mumbai following violent protests by the Shiv Sena, but the cash registers are ringing in the capital for the Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol starrer.

Most cinema halls and multiplex chains had opened their ticket windows for the film Monday and have been receiving a positive response ever since despite the brouhaha in Mumbai over the film’s release.

His film My Name is Khan has been in the line of fire for various reasons, with the title creating ripples, but filmmaker Karan Johar says that there could have been no name better suited to his “ground breaking” pet project.

The much hyped film which marks the re-union of Bollywood’s most beloved onscreen couple, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, has been dogged by controversy since the beginning, be it the actor’s U.S. airport detention or the Shiv Sena threat closer home.

“I don’t over calculate any strategy. While deciding upon the title, I just went by my gut and decided on something which brings to fore the spirit of the film and the story that I wanted to tell. Everything was decided in true earnest. The right

After jet-setting around New York and London, Shah Rukh Khan left Mumbai once again last night. This time, he was heading for Abu Dhabi, for the premiere of his film My Name Is Khan.

The fate of the film in Mumbai, however, continues to be grim as the Shiv Sena threatened to disrupt screenings of the film if Shah Rukh did not apologise for backing the participation of Pakistani cricketers in the Indian Premier League.

Over 1,000 Sena activists have been detained in Mumbai ahead of the release of the movie, after the party stepped up its protest against the film. Advance bookings of the film in the city

In a major crackdown, city police have arrested over 1,200 Shiv Sainiks ahead of the release of Shah Rukh-Kajol starer ‘My Name Is Khan‘ after the party stepped up its protest against the film over the actor’s IPL remarks. The 63 theatres across the city that would screen Karan Johan directed ‘My Name…’ have turned into fortresses with heavy deployment of police.

“In the last 24 hours, over 1,200 Shiv Sainiks have been arrested. While 955 were arrested under the preventive action, the rest were put behind bars for different cases, including for protesting outside the theatres, vandalizing screens among others”, said Ramesh Bagwe, Minister of State for Home said. The sena activists, including office bearers, were charged with rioting, damaging property, unlawful assembly and trespassing, police said. Some people roaming near Broadway cinema at suburban Borivali today were picked up on suspicion that they might cause trouble.

Single-screen cinemas will be manned by a police sub-inspector, one constable, two women police constables and 5 plainclothes policemen. In the wake of the Sena intensifying protests against Khan, leaves of the city policemen have been cancelled. Yesterday, screens of Metro theatre in south Mumbai and Huma Cinema at Kanjurmarg were ripped off with sharp instruments like blade by the Sena workers who entered the halls as regular viewers by buying tickets, police said.

To further strengthen security, personnel from State Reserve Police Force and Home Guards will be deployed at thetheatres across the city where the movie is scheduled to be released on February 12, they said. Karan Johar, director and co-producer of ‘My Name is Khan’ yesterday met Police Commissioner D Sivanandhan to discuss security issues ahead of the movie’s release.

Meanwhile, a very tight security cordon had been thrown around actors Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and director Karan Johar as they left together from Mumbai airport for Abu Dhabi to be present at the special premiere of the film being held there.

The headline seems too hard to believe but this might just turn out to be true. Shahrukh Khan who attended the premiere of Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots might attend the premiere of the movie Veer which stars his sworn enemy Salman Khan. Although Salman had also attend the premiere of 3 Idiots the two warring Khans had avoided each other at the event.

A lot has changed in the last few days and the Shahrukh and Salman seem to be inching towards a dignified truce. Salman had extended the olive branch by calling up My Name Is Khan director and giving his feedback on the trailer of the movie staring Shahrukh. King Khan returned the gesture by saying that Veer was one movie he was eagerly waiting for.

Now as Salman Khan does the final bit of promotion for his period movie it would be a great idea to invite Shahrukh Khan for the premiere. A generous Shahrukh will definitely not like to miss a golden change to patch up with his old friends
Salman again. Both the stars know how odd it becomes when the come face to face.

Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan who is also co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), a team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) twenty20 cricket tournament visited his team practicing at the nets in Kolkata.

He interacted candidly with the players as well as the skipper Sourav Ganguly and coaches Wasim Akram of Pakistan and Dave Whatmore, conducting the training sessions.

He also watched the practice session of the team and met the young players.

He is twitting along superbly and now after a gap of two years Bollywood’s most romantic hero will put the stage on fire at the Chevrolet Apsara Producers’ Guild Awards.

The Chevrolet Apsara Film and Television Producers Guild Awards is the Guild’s endeavour to honour excellence in cinema and television by the stalwarts of the industry itself.

In Bollywoods saga, an award not fetched by Shah Rukh Khan will be something unusual and why not he deserves that! He bagged the best actor award for ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ at the fifth Apsara Film and Television Producers Guild Awards which was hosted in the Chitrakoot Grounds at Andheri. The hot and talented Priyanka won for herself best actress award for her dynamic role in the movie ‘Kaminey’.

While ‘Ghajini’ by A.R. Murugadoss won three accolades for best direction, best film and best screenplay. Abhishek Bachchan, acknowledged with special Guinness World Record for the Most Public Appearances to Promote ‘Delhi-6′ in seven cities in 12 hours.

Last year’s hit ‘Wake up Sid’ by Ayan Mukherjee bagged the outstanding debutant director award.

Shreya Ghoshal won the best female singer award for ‘Tujh mein rab dikhta hai’ from ‘Rab Ne Bana De Jodi’. ‘Love Aaj Kal’ won in two categories, best male singer for ‘Yeh dooriyan’ by Mohit Chauhan and the best story award by Imtiaz Ali.

Ajay Devgan won for comic role in ‘All The Best’ and the best negative role award fetched by Amol Gupte for ‘Kaminey.

The Guild jury was presented to Ravi Chopra, Ketan Desai, and Sajid Nadiadwala.
The special moment of this award function was when Amitabh Bachchan was facilitated with the Best Lifetime Achievement award.

Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena blazed the stage with their sizzling performance, from some of their hit songs, which send the crowd in hysteria.