HIS NAME IS Khan and he is not a terrorist. In fact, last week he proved he is a winner all the way when he walked away with the prestigious Filmfare award for the eighth time in his career, for a stellar performance in one of last year’s biggest hits, My Name is Khan. Based on the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the horrifying plight of Muslims who find themselves the target of hate attacks in many parts of the world, Khan plays the role of a autistic young Muslim man who goes to the President of the United States with the message that every Muslim is not a terrorist. The movie is till date the most successful Hindi movie in that country and touched a chord in the hearts of everyone who watched it.
The movie was a milestone for Khan himself who has been typecast and is mostly sleep-walking through roles which demand nothing from him but close-ups of his incredibly intense brown eyes and dimpled, slightly crooked but infinitely charming smile. He was the romantic hero at his best before My Name is Khan made him an actor with his sensitive and charming portrayal of the hero of the movie. It is ironic in many ways that the man who tried to extend an olive branch to the Americans himself became a victim of the hugely controversial security measures that were put in place following the terror attacks. Returning from New York where he was on a promotional tour of the movie, Khan was singled out and grilled for hours, possible because of his name, by officers who refused to believe that he was an Indian actor.
For Bollywood’s undisputed badshaah this particular award is special in many ways. He might make women across all age groups go weak in the knees but he is on the wrong side of forty, is getting to be a bit of an ego maniac who is fast losing his friends and is beginning to look a tad bit tired and washed out, thanks to his frenetic life style. 2011 is set to change all that. King Khan began the year by kissing and making up with a host of his close friends with who he had fallen apart last year, including buddy and film maker Farah Khan and light-eyed co-star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with who he had famously sworn off working with. He followed this up by announcing on national television that he was probably at fault for messing up a lot of his relationships. That earned him truckloads of goodwill too.
Last week’s award is also special because he took the coveted statue of the Black Lady away right from under the nose of arch rival and one-time friend, super star Salman Khan whose latest movie, Dabaang has been the biggest hit of the year, earning more money and awards for his brother who produced the film, than he has ever made in his career. Dabaang has won every award in every single award ceremony this year but trust Khan to walk away with the most lusted after of them all — the Filmfare award. He did it with his usual trademark aplomb and some intense conversation, telling the audience this was special because he wanted to dedicate it to his daughter who was in hospital, unwell. Trust the Khan to do things in style — every heart in the auditorium melted for him at that moment. But then, we told you didn’t we, that he knows best how to melt the heart of the toughest cookies. – Daily Times
