The Journey of a Khan
Courage is not always a roar that should be heard by the world. Sometimes it’s a quiet whisper to yourself that says, “I will try again tomorrow.”
In a world which is ever so busy looking for a hero, or creating one when it doesn't find it, My name is Khan is a quiet inner voice that whispers, “To walk the right path, to find the answers, to save yourself and the world with it, you don't need to wear an exterior armor and fly.” All you need is a gentle conscience telling you that the simple truths of life matter the most. The right and wrong is not a complex equation. It’s just as simple as the coming of day after night, the sunrise after nightfall. So simple, that one might see Khan as abnormal in today’s world of overbearing and neurotic search for sanity.
It might seem odd to say that we created a superhero film. A hero who has Asperger’s syndrome is a simpleton and all he has for a superpower is his humanity. That's what I truly believe my experience was in doing this film. That to be a hero all you need is the basic goodness of human beings, something so rare; we might believe that the protagonist of this film is from another world.
The journey through the eyes of this character that I so closely lived made me realize that you can be very special by being ordinary. The shooting of the film took us all around America (which was pleasant except for the cold in L.A.) and I saw that the mainstay of the film - Islam and the Western World - has a surprisingly honest and balanced outlook amongst the Americans, especially all the crew that worked with us. They understood that in a war that was not started by either side, the lives being lost on both sides deserve equal empathy respect and regard. They understand too, as Plato wrote, “It is only the dead that have seen the end of war.” The sooner we can stop this meaningless strife the happier our lives will be.
On a personal note, as an actor I am not very well honed in the art of subtlety and restraint but my friend and director Karan Johar has shown an immense amount of maturity not only in handling me, but this tricky subject as a whole. He is truly the hero of this film because he has been able to keep this complexity of Asperger’s syndrome; the western world and Islamic strife. A love story is also woven between all this, so wonderfully simple and relatable, that really it seems of a different world. Through the making of the flood sequence to capturing this neuro-atypical character to spending beyond his means to make a film with a heart that is as big as his, I can only be thankful for being a small part of this journey.
Also a word for our distributors, Fox – we all could have lost heart halfway through this film if not for your encouragement by coming on board to make this film truly for every audience in the world. Thanks a ton, guys!
I pray to Allah that what we say through this narrative makes emotional sense to all. And, in our own way, makes us feel we helped in the steps towards sanity, normalcy, and simplicity that this world needs so much today. As Rizvan Khan would say:
“It’s fixed and working now.”
--
My Name is Khan releases in New Zealand on February 11.
Courage is not always a roar that should be heard by the world. Sometimes it’s a quiet whisper to yourself that says, “I will try again tomorrow.”
In a world which is ever so busy looking for a hero, or creating one when it doesn't find it, My name is Khan is a quiet inner voice that whispers,...
Courage is not always a roar that should be heard by the world. Sometimes it’s a quiet whisper to yourself that says, “I will try again tomorrow.”
In a world which is ever so busy looking for a hero, or creating one when it doesn't find it, My name is Khan is a quiet inner voice that whispers, “To walk the right path, to find the answers, to save yourself and the world with it, you don't need to wear an exterior armor and fly.” All you need is a gentle conscience telling you that the simple truths of life matter the most. The right and wrong is not a complex equation. It’s just as simple as the coming of day after night, the sunrise after nightfall. So simple, that one might see Khan as abnormal in today’s world of overbearing and neurotic search for sanity.
It might seem odd to say that we created a superhero film. A hero who has Asperger’s syndrome is a simpleton and all he has for a superpower is his humanity. That's what I truly believe my experience was in doing this film. That to be a hero all you need is the basic goodness of human beings, something so rare; we might believe that the protagonist of this film is from another world.
The journey through the eyes of this character that I so closely lived made me realize that you can be very special by being ordinary. The shooting of the film took us all around America (which was pleasant except for the cold in L.A.) and I saw that the mainstay of the film - Islam and the Western World - has a surprisingly honest and balanced outlook amongst the Americans, especially all the crew that worked with us. They understood that in a war that was not started by either side, the lives being lost on both sides deserve equal empathy respect and regard. They understand too, as Plato wrote, “It is only the dead that have seen the end of war.” The sooner we can stop this meaningless strife the happier our lives will be.
On a personal note, as an actor I am not very well honed in the art of subtlety and restraint but my friend and director Karan Johar has shown an immense amount of maturity not only in handling me, but this tricky subject as a whole. He is truly the hero of this film because he has been able to keep this complexity of Asperger’s syndrome; the western world and Islamic strife. A love story is also woven between all this, so wonderfully simple and relatable, that really it seems of a different world. Through the making of the flood sequence to capturing this neuro-atypical character to spending beyond his means to make a film with a heart that is as big as his, I can only be thankful for being a small part of this journey.
Also a word for our distributors, Fox – we all could have lost heart halfway through this film if not for your encouragement by coming on board to make this film truly for every audience in the world. Thanks a ton, guys!
I pray to Allah that what we say through this narrative makes emotional sense to all. And, in our own way, makes us feel we helped in the steps towards sanity, normalcy, and simplicity that this world needs so much today. As Rizvan Khan would say:
“It’s fixed and working now.”
--
My Name is Khan releases in New Zealand on February 11.
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