Bollywood sends new message of tolerance in era of terror (Feature)

By Andrew McCathie Feb 12, 2010, 19:22 GMT

Berlin - Bollywood megastar Shahrukh Kkan admitted Friday that he often found it hard to switch off from his role in a new film set against the fraught post-September 11 world in the US.

'It's a character that gets on to you and I hope it gets on to the audience,' said the 44-year-old actor at a press conference marking the screening of the movie My Name is Khan at the Berlin Film Festival.

One of the most anticipated Indian films for sometime it also brings together after an eight-year break Bollywood's dream couple - Shahrukh Khan and actress Kajol, who comes from one of India's great cinema families.

My Name is Khan's inclusion in the Berlinale's main 26-movie lineup comes amid signs of Bollywood's growing acceptance around the world, with Shahrukh Khan's legions of fans gathering across Berlin in snow and sub-zero temperatures hoping to catch a glimpse of the star.

'It's high time that Indian cinema came out on the world stage,' said Khan, who has been dubbed King Khan because of his leading role in the modern Indian motion picture business. 'We have been making films since movies began,' he said.

Indeed, My Name is Khan has been given the most prominent position that a Bollywood film has held at the Berlinale, which is one of the world's top three film festivals.

But then in a sense My Name is Khan also points to the new direction that Bollywood has been recently taking, as a new generation of Indian filmmakers emerge and independent films gain commercial acceptance.

'I felt the need to go beyond love stories told with a certain kind of song and dance but basically to stick with what we believe is the heart and soul of Indian cinema,' said the movie's director Karan Johar, who is one of nation's most successful young filmmakers.

The 37-year-old Johar made his name through a string of blockbusters starring Shahrukh and Kajol and is known for his candy-floss films set in exotic locations.

But Bollywood has also moved away from the 'masala' (assorted spices) films comprising the formula of family drama, villains, action and a happy ending.

The launch of My Name is Khan in Berlin in a sense forms part of a major campaign to promote the movie ahead of its worldwide release this month across 65 countries. Kajol and Shahrukh even rang the opening bell of New York's NASDAQ high-tech bourse.

My Name is Khan is essentially a movie about tolerance, with Shahrukh playing an unlikely hero - Rizvan Khan, an Indian Muslim, living in the US and who suffers from the autistic disorder Asperger's syndrome.

Rizvan's life undergoes a major transformation in the aftermath of the dramatic terrorist attacks on the US, as he embarks on an inspiring journey across America to win back the love of his life, played by Kajol.

Khan said Rizvan approaches his journey and the events surrounding September 11 with the simpleness that he learnt as a child.

'He is untouched by the complexities of the world,' said Khan Shahrukh Kkan, who returns to the Berlinale two years after he presented Om Shanti Om, a celebration of the Bollywood musical.

But unlike Johar's trademark feel-good song-and-dance sequences, there's no slick picture-making techniques or lip-syncing bubbly numbers in My Name is Khan. Instead, the soundtrack is imbued with soulful Sufi influences.

Moreover, with its tagline, 'My name is Khan ... and I'm not a terrorist', the film also clearly has a broader message.

'This is the world that we have to created; we all are paranoid of each other,' said Khan.

'It's time that we tried to change it. Just let everyone be judged not by the religion or the region where they come from,' he said.

However, the run-up to the release of My Name is Khan has also been marked by controversy.

In particular, Khan has been the target of activists from the Hindu right-wing Shiv Sena party who have been ripping up the film's posters.

This came after the party's supremo Bal Thackeray lashed out at Shahrukh Khan for advocating inclusion of Pakistani cricketers in the Indian Premier League.