My Name Is Khan
File:My Name Is Khan.jpg Theatrical poster
Directed by	Karan Johar
Produced by	Hiroo Johar Gauri Khan
Screenplay by	Shibani Bathija
Story by	Karan Johar Shibani Bathija
Narrated by	Shahrukh Khan
Starring	Shahrukh Khan Kajol Jimmy Shergill
Music by	Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Cinematography	Ravi K. Chandran
Editing by	Deepa Bhatia
Studio	Dharma Productions Fox Star Studios Red Chillies Entertainment
Distributed by	Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release date(s)	12 February 2010 (2010-02-12)
Running time	165 minutes[1]
Country	‹See Tfd› India
Language	Hindi English
Budget	38 crore (US$7.58 million)[2]
Box office	200 crore (US$39.9 million)[3]

My Name Is Khan, commonly referred to as MNIK,^[4] is a 2010 Indian drama film directed by Karan Johar, written by Shibani Bathija and starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol in the lead roles. Produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Gauri Khan, the film was jointly produced by Dharma Productions and Red Chillies Entertainment at a budget of 38 crore (US$7.58 million) My Name Is Khan's distribution rights were bought by Fox Star Entertainment for a sum of 100 crore (US$19.95 million), making it the most expensive Bollywood film of 2010^[5] and also the highest-value buy over for any Indian film, surpassing the previous record of 90 crore (US$17.96 million) set by Ghajini.^[6]

Before its release, the film generated a great deal of publicity for itself due to three main reasons: first, the multiple political controversies surrounding the film and its lead actor; second, Khan's presence in the film (he was last seen in a leading actor role in December 2008, when Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was released); and third, the reunion of the "golden pair" of Khan and Kajol, who last appeared together in the film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in 2001.

My Name is Khan debuted in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on 10 February 2010.^[7] It premiered globally in cinemas on 12 February 2010.^[1] It was also screened as part of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival's official selection the same month.^[8]

Upon its release, the film broke many box office records.^[9] My Name is Khan was the highest-grossing Bollywood film overseas at the time. Within four weeks, the film crossed the 70 crore (US$13.97 million) mark in India and became the first film of 2010 to do so. In the overseas markets, the film grossed 110.34 crore (US$22.01 million).^[10] My Name is Khan is currently the sixth highest grossing Bollywood film with a worldwide gross of 200 crore (US$39.9 million).^[3] The film was released on DVD in India on 28 April 2010. Blu-ray in India, plus a DVD release worldwide followed on 10 August 2010.^[11]

Plot[link]

Rizwan Khan (Shahrukh Khan) is a Muslim child who grew up with his brother Zakir (Jimmy Shergill) and his mother Razia Khan (Zarina Wahab) in a middle class family in the Borivali section of Mumbai. Rizwan is different from other children, however. He has certain gifts, particularly a special ability to repair mechanical things. His difference leads to special tutoring from a reclusive scholar and extra attention from his mother, both of which lead to heightened jealousy from his brother Zakir, who eventually leaves his family for a life in the United States.

Despite this resentment, as an adult Zakir sponsors Rizwan to come and live with him in San Francisco after the death of their mother. It is at this time that Zakir's wife, Haseena (Sonya Jehan) diagnoses Rizwan with Asperger's syndrome. Rizwan also begins to work for Zakir, and in the process he meets a Hindu woman, Mandira (Kajol) and her young son, Sameer or Sam (Yuvaan Makaar), from a previous marriage. Mandira is a hairdresser. Despite Zakir's hostility to the match, Khan and Mandira marry and settle down in the fictional town of Banville. Both Mandira and Sameer take Rizwan's last name as their own. They also live next door to the Garrick family. Sameer is close to their young son, Reese (Kenton Duty and Michael Arnold) while Mark (Dominic Renda) is a reporter and Sarah (Katie A. Keane) is a friend of Mandira.

The Khans' perfect existence gets disrupted, however, after the 11 September attacks on New York City. Mark goes to cover the war in Afghanistan and dies there, much to both Sarah and Resse's distraught. At the same time, the Khan family begins to experience post 9–11 prejudice in their community and Reese begins to turn against Sam as well. One afternoon, an argument between them turns into a racially motivated schoolyard fight between Sameer and a gang of older students. Reese, acting on behalf of Sam, tries to stop the fight, but is held back and Sam dies from his injuries. The gang then silences Resse by threatening to beat him up if he tells the authorities about it. A shattered Mandira blames Rizwan for Sam's death, stating that Sam "died only because his name was Khan." She then tells Rizwan that she no longer wants to be with him. When he asks her what he has to do to be together with Mandira, she sarcastically tells him that he has to tell the people of the United States and the President that his name is Khan and that he is not a terrorist.

Rizwan takes Mandira's request seriously, and thus sets out on a journey that takes him from one US state to another, in order to first meet President George W. Bush and later the new President-elect. During this quest, he travels to Wilhemina, Georgia and befriends Mama Jenny and her son Joel. Later, in Los Angeles, he prays in a Mosque and overhears violent rhetoric from Faisal Rahman (Arif Zakaria). He reports this to the FBI but there is no response at that moment. Later, while waiting in a crowd to meet President Bush and repeating again and again, "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist," Rizwan is arrested and placed in a prison by police who misinterpret his statement thinking he said he was a terrorist.

While in the prison he is interrogated as a terrorist suspect and meets the psychiatrist Radha (Sheetal Menon) who believes he is innocent. He is later released after a media campaign by some Indian student reporters Raj (Arjun Mathur) and Komal (Sugandha Garg) and Bobby Ahuja (Parvin Dabas), who prove his innocence by unearthing his attempts to inform the FBI about Faisal Rahman. After his release, he returns to hurricane-hit Wilhemina to help Mama Jenny and her son. His efforts attract media attention and numerous Muslims come to help as well.

At the same time, a remorseful Reese confesses to Mandira and reveals the identities of the gang who killed Sam. She informs Detective Garcia (Benny Nieves) who has been assisting her on the case, and he arrests the gang. Mandira later gets a call from Sarah to forgive Rizwan, "I've lost my husband; don't lose him."

Mandira realises her error, she joins Rizwan in Georgia, and their love rekindles. However, at the moment she arrives, Rizwan is stabbed by one of Faisal Rahman's followers (Sumeet Raghavan), who accuses him of being a traitor to Islam, and Rizwan is rushed to the hospital. With Mandira's help, Rizwan survives and meets President-elect Barack Obama (Christopher B. Duncan) who tells him, "Your name is Khan and you are not a terrorist." The film concludes with Rizwan and Mandira going back home.

Cast[link]

Production[link]

Themes[link]

According to Karan Johar, writer, co-producer and director of My Name Is Khan, the film is about a multitude of perspectives of the various opinions, facts, and propaganda that comes with the global issue of discrimination and intolerance towards a race of people completely unassociated with the evils of terrorism.^[12] In an August 2009 interview, Shahrukh Khan stated that My Name Is Khan is "not about terrorism, or 9/11. It’s about a relationship between two people, between an individual and the State, and between an individual and the country. In short, there are the three important components: a love story, Islam, and a mild form of autism."^[13]

In an earlier July 2009 interview, Khan also noted that the film focuses on themes concerning "the relationship between the Western world and Islam and how that has changed over the past few years." He describes the film as about "the journey of one family and how it changes because of 9/11" and suggests "we touch upon that in a very unbiased and educated way."^[15] In another early interview, he also stated that, "it’s not about a disabled man’s fight against disability. It’s a disabled man’s fight against the disability that exists in the world—terrorism, hatred, fighting ... My Name is Khan is also about Islam and the way the world looks at Islam but we are not taking any sides. We are only trying to say that there are only good people and bad people. There are no good Hindus, bad Hindus, good Christians, bad Christians. Either you are a good person or a bad person. Religion is not the criterion, humanity is."^[16]

Karan Johar said in an interview with Bollywood Hungama:"MNIK is an unusual Bollywood film, if at all, and doesn't have those quintessential pre-requisite elements that any Bollywood film has. It's telling a story with a strong message, professing humanity and goodness and putting it out on a big cinematic scale. So all put together it is definitely a different experience for main stream India (...) All I can say is that MNIK is going to open windows and doors to many people who have stories to tell and are shy to put their story on the celluloid" When asked about comparisons between the film and the 2009 release Kurbaan, noting that both have dealt with similar topics, he added: "I'd say that Kurbaan didn't have 'hope', whereas MNIK had 'hope'. Kurbaan was more darker, grittier and a grey look at a situation, whereas MNIK is a hopeful, far more positive and a lot more positivity in its finishing reels with a triumph to the human spirit. Kurbaan was very cinematic and interesting in its approach but it didn't offer a solution. Rather it just tells the problem. MNIK offers you that solution."^[17]

Casting and filming[link]

Production of the film took place in India and the United States. Filming began in Los Angeles during December 2008^[16][18] and one of the locations used was UCLA.^[19] Johar next continued production in Mumbai during April 2009.^[20] During June 2009, production moved to San Francisco^[21] and the Bay Area, where they filmed a key scene at the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose.^[22]

Shahrukh Khan and Kajol were cast in the lead roles, reuniting them after many years.^[23][24] The film faced a temporary setback in late December when actor Aamir Bashir was denied a visa to the United States.^[25] He was eventually replaced by Jimmy Shergill as Khan's younger brother.^[26] Although Shabana Azmi was originally cast as Shahrukh Khan's mother^[27] she left the production after his shoulder injury delayed the filming schedule.^[16][28] She was replaced in the role by Zarina Wahab.^[29] Tanay Chheda portrayed Shahrukh Khan's character as a child living in the Borivali section of Mumbai.^[30] Chheda was chosen because he resembles Khan and because he is recognisable to an international audience after portraying "middle Jamal" in Slumdog Millionaire.^[20] He had earlier worked with Khan in the remake of the 1970s superhit Don: The Chase Begins Again. American actor Christopher B. Duncan was chosen to portray President Barack Obama.^[31][32] Duncan is known for his interpretation of Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.^[33]

Johar had difficulties finding a mosque to film in. According to actor Arif Zakaria, "I don't know if Karan tried to get permission in Mumbai. But we were to shoot in a mosque in Los Angeles and hard as Karan tried to convince the authorities that his film would not propagate anti-social values, he was denied permission [...] We finally shot the two-day scene with Shahrukh Khan on the set of a mosque constructed at The Club in Andheri."^[34] Johar also shot for an important scene inside of the studio of CBS 5 . San Francisco's Film Commission Director Stephanie Coyote was responsible for giving permission to the crew to shoot in the film studio.^[35] While shooting for the film, Khan suffered from severe pain in the neck and headaches which were caused by the expressions and posture of Rizwan Khan. His character in the film who has Asperger's Syndrome, has a way of jutting his neck out at a particular angle and wears an expression which has his eyebrows raised in every scene. As he would shoot for hours, he'd get severe migraines. Director Karan Johar admitted that "Shahrukh's character Rizwan had to arch his eyebrows and focus his eyes on a certain place before every take. Halfway through the shooting of the film, Shah Rukh developed severe headaches as result of all the pressure it would put on his head so he had to see a neurosurgeon for that."^[36]

After filming in Los Angeles was completed, Johar stated that, "in all my 11 years as a filmmaker I’ve never felt the experience to be so different. The content of My Name Is Khan is diametrically opposite to whatever I’ve done in the past."^[26] He described working with both Shahrukh Khan and Kajol again as "magic. They build an inexplicable energy on screen." Johar also stated that he was "blown away by Shahrukh who had done monumental research on his autistic character in the film. I was zapped by how much he knew about the subject."^[26]

Johar also asked Khan to co-produce the film under his production company Red Chillies Entertainment, Talking about the initiative, the director said:"we were both passionate about the subject, we said why not co-produce the film? We’ve known each other so long ... that this new initiative is just an extension of our emotions. Besides, I can never make a film without Shah Rukh."^[37]

Release[link]

My Name is Khan debuted in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 10 February 2010.^[7] It released globally in cinemas on 12 February 2010.^[1] MNIK had a two phase release. To begin with, it had a mainstream release in India coupled with a regular Diaspora release in UK, US, Gulf, Australia and various other countries. "After that in the months of April and May, we would be looking at a mainstream theatrical release in countries like Germany, Poland and other parts of North America," detailed Johar.^[38]

Marketing[link]

Khan, Kajol and Johar while unveiling the first look of the film

My Name Is Khan was screened as part of 60th Berlin International Film Festival's official selection in February 2010, but went out of competition.^[8] The website eBay auctioned the tickets for the film's screening at the Berlin Film Festival for a record price of £1.000 each. All the tickets were sold out in five seconds.^[39]

The first look of My Name Is Khan unveiled at a grand function at Mumbai by Johar, Khan and Kajol and was then be beamed across 70 countries worldwide on the Star TV Network. Says Karan, "This is a first in the history of Bollywood – that the promos of a film will play across such a wide platform. And, this has mainly been made possible because of our synergy with Fox Star Studios...and also the first time a Bollywood company is tying up with a mainstream Hollywood studio. So, there are many firsts to this venture."^[40][41] The trailer of the film was released at the premiere of the Hollywood film, Avatar.^[42] My Name is Khan marked the first instance of a film using the Roadblock advertising technique to market a film, in which the three-minute trailer was aired on all leading television channels simultaneously.^[43]

The makers of the film made various brand tie-ups to for the promotion of the film. Dish TV entered into a strategic marketing alliance with Fox Star and spend approximately 4 crore (US$798,000) in a month-long 360 degree integrated marketing campaign which ran across all India to co-promote the brand and the movie.^[45] Reebok created an entire MNIK footwear and apparel collection to promote the film.^[46]

On 1 February 2010, Khan and Kajol became the first Indian movie stars to ring the opening bell of the New York stock exchange NASDAQ. They were invited by Fox Searchlight Pictures to do so as part of their promotion for My Name Is Khan.^[47] Shahrukh Khan also appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross as part of its promotion in the UK, becoming only the second Indian after Shilpa Shetty to do so.

Pre-release revenues[link]

On 7 August 2009, Karan Johar signed a deal for 100 crore (US$19.95 million) with Fox Searchlight Pictures, who will market and distribute it in India (Fox Star Studios) and worldwide (Fox Searchlight).^[48] It covers all rights except music, which has been bagged by Sony Music.^[5] The satellite television rights for showcasing My Name Is Khan were sold to Star Plus for a sum of 15 crore (US$2.99 million).^[49]

Reception[link]

India[link]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Times Of India	[50]
Bollywood Hungama	[51]
NDTV	[52]
CNN-IBN	[53]
Sify	[54]
Indiatimes	[55]
Rediff	[56]

My Name Is Khan received generally positive reviews by top critics in India. It received 3.7/5 at Wogma.^[57] Yahoo! Movies has a user consensus grade of A-.^[58]

Subhash K. Jha (film critic and author of The Essential Guide to Bollywood) gave My Name Is Khan a rave review arguing that Rizwan Khan "repairs almost anything, including irreparably damaged relationships. But this film about damaged lives needs no repairing. My Name Is Khan is a flawless work, as perfect in content, tone and treatment as any film can get [...] My Name Is Khan is no ordinary film. Long after the wary-of-physical-touch Rizwan has finally shaken hands with President Obama, long after the heat and dust of racial and communal hatred has settled down the core of humanism that the film secretes stays with you. Yes, we finally know what they mean by a feelgood film."^[59] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India also gave it five stars, describing My Name Is Khan as, "indubitably one of the most meaningful and moving films to be rolled out from the Bollywood mills in recent times."^[60] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave My Name Is Khan four and a half out of five stars and argues, "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 [...] 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 complement each other wonderfully well and this film only proves it yet again. It's a powerhouse performance from this supremely talented actress."^[61] Sarita Tanwar of Mid-Day gave the film four and a half out of five stars and described it as "near-perfect", concluding that "The Karan-Shah Rukh-Kajol combo strikes once more."^[62]

Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave My Name Is Khan three and a half out of five stars, arguing that "the film shamelessly tugs at your heartstrings and on more than one occasion wallops you to weep. Aided by solid camerawork, tight editing and a layered story, Johar crafts an engaging, stirring saga that is earnest and noble. With this message movie in the mainstream format, the director takes a step in the right direction."^[63] Sudhish Kamath from The Hindu wrote, "My Name is Khan is populist, yet layered with rich political subtext. It's all about types, yet every character feels real. It's about generalisations and yet it chooses to dwell on the specifics. It's all heart and spirit that you can't help but overlook the flaws and admire it."^[64] According to BBC critic Manish Gajjar, who gave the film four out of five stars, the film is "a fiction-based film refreshingly told with realism of racial profiling on American soil. It's a rare treat for Hindi commercial cinema and a crossover audience."^[65] Pratim D. Gupta from The Telegraph in a positive review concluded, "My Name Is Khan has conscience and courage and two heartfelt performances. It can try your patience a bit but it will not leave you untouched."^[66] Namrata Joshi from Outlook, giving the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, described it as "a gentle, affecting and heart-warming film that makes you smile through your tears. It looks at contentious issues but offers overwhelming hope and renewal."^[67]

USA[link]

The film received mixed to positive reviews from U.S. critics and media outlets. As of 21 February 2010, the film has a score of 50 out of a scale of 100 on the review aggregate website Metacritic, based on seven reviews. According to user ratings, the film has 87% positive response.^[68] The IMDb website has given the film a user rating of 72%.^[69] Rotten Tomatoes lists an approval rating of 80%, with 4 positive and 1 negative review.^[70]

Rachel Saltz of The New York Times states, "Khan is one of a handful of Hindi films (New York, Kurbaan) about Indians living in a paranoid, post-9/11 America, and there’s something fascinating about looking at this country through a Bollywood lens, even when the story is a kind of fairy tale. (Most interesting here is the link made between black Americans and Indians, especially Muslims.) Skilfully directed by Karan Johar and with an evocative score by Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy, Khan jerks tears with ease, while teaching lessons about Islam and tolerance."^[71] According to Kirk Honeycutt of the Hollywood Reporter, My Name Is Khan is, "a film that delves compellingly into Americans' anti-Muslim hysteria" as it tackles "a subject American movies have mostly avoided – that of racial profiling and the plight of Muslim-Americans. It also allows Shah Rukh Khan to display his talent to an even wider audience. It's well worth the 162-minute journey."^[72] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times argues that My Name Is Khan is "a potent, energetic heart-tugger and Khan and Kajol, major Bollywood stars, are highly appealing and equal to the demand of their emotion-charged roles."^[73] Jay Wesissberg of Variety describes My Name Is Khan as a "riotously overstuffed and enormously enjoyable drama" with "confident camerawork [which] is matched by exceptional production design" He also states that Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol are a "delight together and her natural warmth makes the relationship even more believable."^[74]

My Name Is Khan was not India's official entry to the Oscars as best foreign language film, but it made it to the reminder list of films eligible for the 83rd Academy Awards.^[75] This means that it was eligible to win in any category.^[76]

Box office[link]

My Name Is Khan opened very well in most places across the world, and set many records in the process.^[77] However, the performance of the film could not sustain beyond the first or second week in some places, including India and USA. It grossed 72.75 crore (US$14.51 million) domestically,^[78] but still is generally regarded as "below expectations" due to the high price, while the overseas performance of the film has been record breaking. The film's worldwide collections reached 200 crore (US$39.9 million).^[3] Overall, My Name Is Khan was declared a 'Hit' in India and an 'All-time blockbuster' in overseas markets, where it was the highest grosser.^[79]

India[link]

In India, the film opened with a massive 29.5 crore (US$5.89 million), which was the third-highest weekend for a Bollywood film, behind 3 Idiots and Ghajini. It recorded the third-highest first day business across India, behind 3 Idiots and Ghajini at the time of release. The film broke the record of Race for the biggest opening weekend in the first quarter of the year. The film was reported to have done very well in multiplexes, but comparatively on the lower side in single screens. The film managed to collect 46 crore (US$9.18 million) in its first week^[80] and debuted at No. 1 at the Indian box office, thus attaining the third highest first-week net collections, again behind 3 Idiots and Ghajini.

After its first week, the film began experiencing large drops in collections from many parts of the country. The drops ranged from 60% – 70% for the first few weeks, and started reducing for the later weeks. The film generally did not sustain well at most places, and was therefore given a "Hit" tag,^[81] becoming only the second hit of 2010 (after Ishqiya). It was the ninth highest-grossing film according to Indian collections that time, and the fourth highest-grossing film of 2010. In rankings based on distributor share, My Name is Khan comes in fifth behind Dabangg, Rajneeti, Golmaal 3 and Housefull.;^[82][83] The film managed to retain the No. 1 spot at the Indian box office for two consecutive weeks, and remained in the top five for six consecutive weeks. At the end of its theatrical run, My Name Is Khan earned 73.4 crore (US$14.64 million) in India.

Overseas[link]

My Name Is Khan grossed $22 million in the overseas markets making it the highest grossing Bollywood film overseas at the time.^[9][84][85]The film grossed the biggest opening day overseas, taking an estimated 17 crore (US$3.39 million), beating the overseas opening day collections of 3 Idiots. The film also grossed the biggest opening weekend overseas, taking an estimated 25 crore (US$4.99 million), again beating the overseas opening weekend collections of 3 Idiots which grossed 18 crore (US$3.59 million). In its first week, it grossed 39 crore (US$7.78 million). As of August 2010, the film has grossed $4,018,771 in the United States and $37,001,087 elsewhere for a worldwide total of $41,019,858.^[86]

In the UK, it made £123,000 on its opening day,^[87] which was more than the combined total of 3 Idiots in its first two days (£121,000). By the end of the second week, My Name Is Khan became only the third Bollywood film to cross the £2 million mark in the UK, after Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Veer-Zaara, according to the exchange rates prevailing at their respective times of release.^[88]

My Name Is Khan debuted in USA in 120 theatres, breaking the record set by 3 Idiots which debuted in 119 theatres. The film broke the record for an opening weekend in the US, earning US$1,994,027. The film debuted at No. 13 at the American box office. By the end of the first week, the film grossed US$2,552,283, second only to 3 Idiots which had a Christmas holiday week. By the fourth week, the film earned US$3,868,89, breaking Shahrukh Khan's previous record set by Om Shanti Om. On the 51st day of screening in the US, My Name Is Khan broke the US$4 million barrier, and became only the second Bollywood film ever to cross this mark, after 3 Idiots.^[86][89]

In Australia, the film earned an impressive A$39,000 on its opening day, and was ranked No. 11 in the market. By the first weekend, the film earned US$437,687, defeating the previous record set by 3 Idiots (US$350,000).^[90][91] In New Zealand and Fiji, the film earned NZ$13,627 on its opening day, and earned NZ$144,831 (US$100,698) in its first week. By the second weekend, the film earned NZ$268,838 (US$184,933).

In the Middle East^[92][93] the response to the film has been described as "huge" and it earned approximately US$300,000 on its opening day.^[94] In Egypt it earned more than 2 million Egyptian pounds.^[95] By the end of its first weekend, the film grossed US$890,000, breaking the previous record set by Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (US$830,000). It broke all previous box office records by the end of the first week, earning US$1.75 million.

My Name is Khan also opened well in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Far East. The film became the highest-grossing film in Pakistan, breaking the records set by Avatar, 3 Idiots and Wanted. ^[96] By its third week, My Name Is Khan has become the highest-grossing Bollywood film in the Middle East, earning US$ 3.3 million.^[97] In South Africa, the film earned US$85,214 in its opening weekend.^[98] In Malaysia, it earned MYR105,527 (US$31,106) in its opening weekend, and by the second weekend, the film had earned MYR410,864 (US$ 120,452).^[98] In Nigeria, the film earned an "impressive" NGN2,310,137 (US$15,362) in its opening weekend.^[98] In Ghana, the film earned GHS10,599 (US$ 7,443) by the second weekend. In Indonesia, the film has grown from six to 14 screens and has seen a jump of 300 percent in week three.^[97] The film has also grossed $425,825 in 7 weeks at the Bahrain box office.^[99] The film has also grossed an impressive $55,073 in Poland in its opening weekend.^[100] The film grossed $270,698 in South Africa.^[101] The film also made $58,683 in Lebanon region.^[102] My Name Is Khan released in Hong Kong on 5 January 2012 and collected $107,197.^[103]

Box office records[link]

My Name Is Khan created several records, both in India and around the world. In India, the film smashed the record for a Bollywood release in the month of February, breaking the previous two-year record held by Jodhaa Akbar. The film also broke the record for a Bollywood release in the first quarter of the year, breaking the previous two-year record held by Race. In the UK, the film broke the four-year record of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film in the UK. In the Middle East it is also the highest grossing Bollywood film. As of date My Name Is Khan is the second second highest-grossing film in overseas markets, next to 3 Idiots which was released in newer markets in China in December 2011.^[9]

Performance analysis[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2011)

Before its release, My Name Is Khan generated a great deal of publicity for itself due to three main reasons: the first being the multiple political controversies surrounding the film and its lead actor, second because of Shahrukh Khan's presence in the film (he was last seen in a leading actor role in December 2008, when Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi released), and third being the re-unision of the popular on screen pair of Khan and Kajol, who last appeared together in the film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in 2001.^[104][42] Most trade analysts were optimistic about the film. Box Office India stated that, "It would be interesting to see if the film does well as the SRK-Kajol fan base was at its prime roughly ten years ago. The question is whether that fan base is still as strong today", while others stated that the film would open very well and had the potential to become a very big success. Several media outlets predicted that My Name Is Khan would give very significant competition to 3 Idiots, both in India and especially in the overseas markets. However, there was a good amount of scepticism and criticism for the film due to its very high selling price. The film itself was made at a comparatively small budget, but was bought for a huge amount, estimated to be around 100 crore (US$19.95 million) (although this was never confirmed by Vijay Singh, CEO Fox Star India) which many thought would be difficult to recover. There was also some discussion about its content, which was "serious" and "thinking", not a satirical entertainer like 3 Idiots.

It was generally agreed that My Name Is Khan would require an excellent opening at the box office, and would also require very significant "repeat value" so as to be able to recover its costs. Early positive reports and much comparisons between this film and 3 Idiots resulted in a massive turnout for the film during its initial weekend. However, Mumbai – the prime contributor to any Bollywood film's revenue, parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat posed a major problem to the film because of severe protests against the screening of the film in these places. This resulted in a limited release in these areas, which reportedly hurt its opening weekend collections.

The film faced considerable falls in collections after its first week. The drops in collections is evident from the fact that 63% of the film's net collections came from the first week, as compared to 54% for Race, 56% for Ghajini, 49% for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and 39% for 3 Idiots. In spite of this, the film managed to retain the No. 1 position at the box office for two consecutive weeks. It was in the top 5 list of the Indian box office for six consecutive weeks. Though the mid-week collections saw a drop of 60% from the opening weekend, it held up well against other major releases and secured the highest first quarter collections, a record previously held by the 2008 film Race. Thus, the film is a financial success owing to its record-breaking overseas collections and healthy domestic collections.^[105]

Awards and nominations[link]

2011 Filmfare Awards

Won

• Filmfare Award for Best Director – Karan Johar
• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Shahrukh Khan
• Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kajol

Nominated

• Filmfare Award for Best Movie – My Name Is Khan
• Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
• Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist – Niranjan Iyengar for "Sajda"
• Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist – Niranjan Iyengar for "Noor-e-Khuda"
• Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer – Adnan Sami and Shankar Mahadevan for "Noor-e-Khuda"
• Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for "Sajda"
• Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer – Shreya Ghoshal for "Noor-e-Khuda"

2011 Zee Cine Awards

Won^[106]

• Zee Cine Award for Best Director – Karan Johar
• Zee Cine Award for Best Playback Singer – Female – Richa Sharma – "Sajda"
• Zee Cine Award for Best Story – Karan Johar & Shibani Bhatija
• Zee Cine Award for Best Sound Design – Dileep Subramaniam
• Zee Cine Award for Best Marketed Movie
• Zee Cine Award for Best Actor - Female – Kajol

Nominated^[107]

• Zee Cine Award for Best Film

• Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – Song of the Year – "Sajda"

2011 Star Screen Awards

Won^[108]

• Best Actor (Popular Choice) – Shahrukh Khan
• Star Screen Award for Best Music Director – Shankar Ehsan Loy
• Ramnath Goenka Memorial Award
• Star Screen Award for Best Actor – Female – Kajol

Nominated^[109]

• Star Screen Award for Best Male Playback – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan – "Sajda"
• Star Screen Award for Best Male Playback – Shankar Mahadevan – "Noor-e-Khuda"
• Star Screen Award for Best Male Playback – Shafqat Ali – "Tere Naina"
• Star Screen Award for Best Lyricist – Niranjan Iyengar – "Noor-e-khuda"
• Star Screen Award for Best Lyricst – Niranjan Iyengar – "Sajda"
• Star Screen Award for Best Story – Shibani Bhatija
• Star Screen Award for Best Child Artist – Tanay Cheeda

6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards

Won^[110]

• Apsara Award for Best Director – Karan Johar
• Apsara Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Female – Kajol

Nominated^[111]

• Apsara Award for Best Film – Dharma Productions
• Apsara Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Female – Kajol
• Apsara Award for Best Story – Shibani Bathija
• Apsara Award for Best Lyrics – Niranjan Iyengar for "Tere Naina "
• Apsara Award for Best Music – Shankar Ehsaan Loy
• Apsara Award for Best Male Singer – Shafqat Amaanat Ali Khan for "Tere Naina"
• Apsara Award for Best Female Singer – Richa Sharma for "Sajda"

International Indian Film Academy Awards

Won^[112]

• Best Director – Karan Johar
• Best Lyricist – Niranjan Iyengar for Sajdaa
• Best Background Score – Shankar Ehsaan Loy
• Best Story – Shibani Bhattija
• Best Actress - Kajol

Nominated

• Best Movie
• Best Music Director – Shankar Ehsaan Loy
• Best Art Direction
• Best Cinematography
• Best Editing
• Best Screenplay – Shibani Bhattija
• Best Sound Recording
• Best Sound Re-Recording

Big Star Entertainment Awards

Won

• Big Star Award For Best Film – Dharma Productions
• Big Star Award For Best Music – Shankar Ehsan Loy
• Big Star Award For Best Actress Female - Kajol

The Global Indian Film And Television Honors

Won^[112]

• Best Actor in a Lead Role – Female – Kajol

Soundtrack[link]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Bollywood Hungama	link
Indo-Asian News Service	link
Planet Bollywood	link
Rediff	link

The soundtrack is composed by the critically acclaimed Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, who previously teamed up with Karan Johar to give hit music for his movies like Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006). The lyrics are penned by Niranjan Iyengar.^[113] The music was released on 5 January 2010,^[114] by Sony Music Entertainment (India) who has also previously released the music for Karan Johar's movies Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...(2001) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, which gained global musical success.^[114] The musical soundtrack consists of 6 original songs and 4 bonus tracks that are taken from Karan Johar's previous successful films that have featured Shahrukh Khan. The soundtrack includes one instrumental called "Khan Theme", composed by Indrajit Sharma and the strings for the song are performed by the Bombay Film Orchestra. The songs such as "Noor-e-Khuda" blend western bar blues and techno sounds with Indian classical styles such as Sufi and Hindustani. The song "Allah hi Rahem" sung by Ustad Rashid Khan is another example of Sufi thematic song.^[115] The soundtrack is thus representative of the "indie fusion genre". Unlike Karan Johar's other films, this film has no lip-sync songs. All the songs are in background.^[116] The total runtime of the original soundtrack is 27 minutes.

Reception[link]

Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from most music critics. Gianysh Toolsee of Planet Bollywood states that the soundtrack is "very much about transcending the boundaries set by Bollywood by venturing into an emotional state through Sufism and spirituality."^[117] Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama gives the album a three out of five stars, suggests that director Karan Johar along with musicians Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and lyricist Niranjan Iyengar "have brought not a partial but a substantial difference to the way music in [Johar's] films is being looked at."^[118]

"Sajda" and "Tere Naina" became an instant favourite among the audience on its release, whereas "Noor-E-Khuda" was appealed by the masses after the film's release since the song was not promoted heavily.^{[citation needed]}

Lyrics[link]

Although Niranjan Iyengar is alone credited for writing the lyrics for the songs, Niranjan penned the only two sufi songs in the film, "Sajda" and "Allah Hi Rahem". The famous lyricist, Javed Akhtar was approached to write the lyrics for the remaining three songs. Earlier it was reported that he refused to write lyrics, because Javed Akhtar did not want to share the credits with another lyricist since Niranjan Iyengar has written two songs for the film.^[119] Later Karan Johar confirmed that Javed Akhtar penned the remaining songs, but Javed did not want him to be credited as the lyricist when the soundtrack released as he had to share the credits with Nirinjan Iyenger.^[116] Javed confirmed this and said, "I don’t like to share the credits. I would have got the publicity but the other person, who has done a fine job, wouldn’t have. I have read the songs penned by Niranjan and I think he has done a great job."^[119]

Controversies[link]

Airport security[link]

Khan has stated that due to his last name and religion, he (like Rizwan Khan) is frequently subject to excess security checks at airports. On 14 August 2009, Khan arrived in the United States in order to both promote My Name Is Khan and to participate in various South Asian-related events around the country (including Indian Independence Day). Upon arriving at Newark Airport in New Jersey, he was pulled aside by Immigration officers after his name popped up on their computers,^[120] questioned for over an hour (Khan claims it was at least two hours) about the nature of his visit, and was later released. According to the Times Online, "In Delhi, Timothy J. Roemer, the American Ambassador to India, said that the embassy was trying to 'ascertain the facts of the case.' He added: 'Shah Rukh Khan, the actor and global icon, is a welcome guest in the United States.'"^[121][122]

Khan said he was told that it was because "they said my name was common to some name that popped up on the computer."^[123][124] The officials asked if he could provide names of people to vouch for him. Khan noted that he "had all the documents; they were asking me where I was going to be staying. I gave the name of FOX people with whom I had finalised a deal a few days ago as contacts." However because they wanted to check his luggage which the airline had lost, Khan said that he "was taken to a room where many people were awaiting a secondary check on visa, most were South Asians. In fact many officers were reluctantly vouching for me, some people were asking for autographs and a Pakistani fan even said he knew who I was. But the officers said it was procedure and kept taking numbers from me."^[123][125]

While he was not allowed to use his own phone, Khan was permitted one phone call.^[121] He was thus released after officials from the Indian Consulate intervened. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel stated that the event will be further explored with U.S. officials.^[124] According to the BBC, "Elmer Camacho, a spokesman for the US Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, said the questioning was part of the agency's routine process to screen foreign travellers."^[126] When asked if he would demand an apology, Khan replied that he would not.^[127]

The director of My Name Is Khan, Karan Johar, was asked during an August, 2009 interview with MiD DAY if the event was a publicity stunt for the film. Johar denied that it was and responded: "It's upsetting because I got a text message this morning asking me if it was publicity plug for my movie. (Sarcastically) I mean, if I had that much power over the Homeland Security, why would I allow Shah Rukh to go through something like this? [...] What's really shocking is the fact that when I was writing the film, I never thought that what happened to the protagonist of the film would happen to Shah Rukh."^[128] During a January 2010 interview, Khan referred to the implication that the event was a publicity stunt for the film as, "lowdown and cheap."^[129] Christopher B. Duncan, who portrays President Obama in My Name Is Khan, also commented on the incident stating: "I was very disappointed with what SRK experienced at the airport. We're living in times where the levels of fear can sometimes spill over into paranoia. Here’s a man who is an international superstar, being detained for an excessive amount of time at an airport in the United States. It had to be very upsetting for him. Imagine Oprah (Winfrey) being detained at an airport in India for a long time, during a kind of interrogation."^[32]

In addition, the incident sparked debate and commentary among Indian politicians, actors, and others.^{[130][131][132][133][134]} It also led to demonstrations in India.^[135] California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger later invited Khan to have dinner with him "in a bid to diffuse what has become a slight diplomatic row."^[136]

In another event, on 5 February 2010, while promoting My Name Is Khan on the British talk show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Khan claimed that female security staff at Heathrow Airport in London had printed a naked image of him taken using the newly installed body scanner that he was asked to go through. He said that he autographed it for them, though it is not clear if his comments were intended as a joke. A BAA spokeswoman for Heathrow Airport, however, has denied his claim. She claimed that it was "completely factually incorrect", stressing that images captured using the equipment could not be stored or distributed in any form and that his claims "simply could not be true."^[137]

In relation to Khan's comments, The Economic Times has also raised concerns over the new body scanners and the possibilities of it being abused to distribute naked pictures of celebrities.^[138] His comments have restarted the debate in Britain over whether the newly introduced body scanners violate individual privacy.^[139]

Shiv Sena controversy[link]

After Shahrukh Khan (who owns the Kolkata Knight Riders cricket team) criticised the fact that members of the Pakistani Cricket Team were not bought by the clubs competing in the 2010 Indian Premier League (IPL), he was condemned by Shiv Sena, a Hindu nationalist political party. There were consequent protests and demonstrations against him and demands that cinemas in India refuse to screen My Name Is Khan. Khan responded by stating, "What did I say that was wrong? All I said was that I wanted people to come to my country."^[140] Khan continued by stating that: "I have no idea what I am supposed to apologise for [...] If I am in wrong I would like to apologise but someone needs to explain to me what is wrong."^[141] He also stated that he does "not want any confrontation. I am trying to explain myself on every platform [...] I have not said anything that is anti-national." Khan also said that he was willing to meet with Bal Thackeray to discuss the issue.^[142][143]

Initially, Shiv Sena rescinded its demand to block release of My Name Is Khan after it was announced that Khan would be allowed to release it "in as many theatres" as he would like to.^[144] However, on 10 January 2010, when cinemas opened for advanced bookings, individuals disguised as "cinegoers" began to attack cinemas and booking centres. Director Karan Johar and distributors met with police to ask for additional security.^[145] In response, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan threatened to withdraw security cover for party leader Uddhav Thackeray.^[146] Later, some security was withdrawn and the Maharashtra government has also "called in five battalions of the State Reserve Police Force to protect 63 cinemas in the city that will screen the film directed by Karan Johar from this Friday." There were multiple arrests and leaves of all police officials were cancelled.^[147] The distributor, Fox Star, stated that the film will still be released on its scheduled opening date, 12 February.^[148] It opened to full cinema houses in quite a number of places across India.^{[149][150][151][152][153]}

See also[link]

Bollywood portal

• List of cultural references to the September 11 attacks
• List of highest-grossing Bollywood films
• List of Bollywood highest-grossing films in overseas markets
• Asperger's syndrome

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official US website at Fox Searchlight
• My Name Is Khan at the Internet Movie Database
• My Name Is Khan at AllRovi
• My Name Is Khan at Rotten Tomatoes
• My Name Is Khan at Box Office Mojo
• My Name Is Khan at Bollywood Hungama

v t e Bollywood (Hindi cinema) Directors · Actors · Playback singers · Music Directors · Songs · Bibliography Hindi films A–Z—Highest-grossing Films by year: 1930s · 1940 · 1941 · 1942 · 1943 · 1944 · 1945 · 1946 · 1947 · 1948 · 1949 · 1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 · 1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · 1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012

Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan at TAG Heuer Press Conference.
Born	(1965-11-02) 2 November 1965 (age 46) New Delhi, India
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India[1]
Other names	King Khan, SRK, King of Bollywood, The Baadshah of Bollywood[2]
Occupation	Actor, producer, television presenter
Years active	1988—present
Spouse	Gauri Khan (1991—present)
Children	2

Shahrukh Khan (pronounced [‘ʃaːɦrəx ˈxaːn]; born 2 November 1965), often credited as Shah Rukh Khan and informally referred to as SRK, is an Indian film actor. Known as "The King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films.^[3][4][5] He has won fourteen Filmfare Awards from thirty nominations for his work in Indian films and shares the record for the highest number of Best Actor awards with Dilip Kumar, eight wins. In 2005, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his contributions towards Indian cinema.

After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in economics, he started his career appearing in theatre and several television serials in the late 1980s and later made his Hindi film debut in 1992 with Deewana. Early in his career he was recognised for his unconventional choice of negative roles in films such as Darr (1993), Baazigar (1993) and Anjaam (1994). Since then he has played leading roles in a wide variety of film genres, including romantic films, comedies, thrillers, action films, sport films, and historical dramas among others.

Eleven of the films he has acted in have accumulated gross earnings of over 1 billion (US$19.95 million).^[6] Khan's films such as Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Devdas (2002), Chak De! India (2007), Om Shanti Om (2007), Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), and Ra.One (2011) remain some of Bollywood's biggest hits, while films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), My Name Is Khan (2010), and Don 2 (2011) have been top-grossing Indian productions in the overseas markets thus making him one of the most successful leading actors of Hindi cinema.^[7]

In addition to movie acting, Khan is a television presenter, a regular stage performer, and a social activist. He is the founder/owner of two production companies: Dreamz Unlimited and Red Chillies Entertainment and, along with actress Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta, the owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders. Khan is considered to be one of the biggest movie stars in history, with a fan following claimed to number in the billions.^[3][8] He has an estimated net worth of over 25 billion (US$540 million).^[9][10] In 2008, Newsweek named Khan one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.^[3]

Early life and background[link]

Khan was born on 2 November 1965 to Muslim parents of Pathan descent in New Delhi, India.^[11][12] His father, Taj Mohammed Khan, was an Indian independence activist from Peshawar, British India. According to Khan, his paternal grandfather was originally from Afghanistan.^[13] His mother, Lateef Fatima, was the adopted daughter of Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the Janjua Rajput clan, who served in the Indian National Army.^[14] Khan's father came to New Delhi from Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar before the partition of India,^[15] Ethnically, he describes himself as being half-Pathan through his father and half-Hyderabadi through his mother, with his paternal grandmother being Kashmiri.^[16] His father died from cancer when Khan was 15 years old, and his mother died in 1990 after prolonged illness.^[17][18] Khan was very attached to his parents as a child and describes their early deaths as a turning point in his life and as his biggest motivation for hard work. Khan explained his ideology in life was "... to make movies so damn bloody big...that my parents somewhere sit down on a star and from there also can look at their son and say 'I can see his movies from here better than I can see the Wall of China or anything. We see his movies covering the face of this earth'."^[19] Khan has an elder sister named Shehnaz.^[20]

Growing up in Rajendra Nagar neighbourhood of Delhi,^[21] Khan attended St. Columba's School where he was accomplished in sports, drama, and academics. He won the Sword of Honour, an annual award given to the student who best represents the spirit of the school. Khan later attended the Hansraj College (1985–1988) and earned his Bachelors degree in Economics. When Hansraj College celebrated its 50th anniversary, it gave away 17 shields to its alumni who had excelled in their lives and professions. Khan was one of them. Though he pursued a Masters Degree in Mass Communications at Jamia Millia Islamia, he later opted out to pursue a career in Bollywood.^[22] He also attended the National School of Drama in Delhi.^[23]

After the death of his mother, Khan moved to Mumbai in 1991.^[24] He married Gauri Chibber, a Hindu, in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on 25 October 1991.^[17] They have two children, son Aryan (b. 1997) and daughter Suhana (b. 2000). According to Khan, while he strongly believes in Allah, he also values his wife's religion. At home, his children follow both religions, with the Qur'an being situated next to the Hindu deities.^[25]

Khan studied acting under celebrated theatre director Barry John at Delhi's "Theatre Action Group" (TAG). In 2007, John commented on his former pupil, "The credit for the phenomenally successful development and management of Shahrukh's career goes to the superstar himself."^[26] Khan started shooting for Lekh Tandon's television series Dil Dariya, but its delay meant that he made his acting debut with the 1988 television series, Fauji, playing the leading role of Commando Abhimanyu Rai.^[24][27] He went on to appear in other television serials, such as Aziz Mirza's Circus in 1989, which depicted the life of circus performers.^[28] The same year, Khan also had a minor role in the made-for-television English-language film, In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones, which was based on life at Delhi University, written by Arundhati Roy. When he appeared in those teleserials, people found in him some resemblance with actor Dilip Kumar and also compared his acting style with the latter's.^[29]

Acting career[link]

1990s[link]

Khan received his first break upon moving from New Delhi to Mumbai when Hema Malini offered him a role in her directorial debut Dil Aashna Hai.^[24] However, the delay in the release of the film meant that his first release was Deewana opposite Rishi Kapoor and Divya Bharti.^[23][30] The movie became a box office hit, and launched his career in Bollywood.^[31] His performance won him a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award. In a 2001 interview with Rediff, Khan recalled: "Actually, June 26 marks exactly 11 years since I faced the cameras for my first shot for Dil Aashna Hai, in 1990. I knew it would be a tough field, a very demanding profession."^[23] He went on to star in Maya Memsaab, which generated some controversy because of his appearance in an "explicit" sex scene in the movie.^[32]

In 1993, Khan won acclaim for his performances in villainous roles as an obsessive lover and a murderer, respectively, in the box office hits, Darr and Baazigar.^[33] In Khan's entry in Encyclopædia Britannica's "Encyclopedia of Hindi Cinema" it was stated that "he defied the image of the conventional hero in both these films and created his own version of the revisionist hero."^[34] Darr marked his first collaboration with renowned film-maker Yash Chopra and his banner Yash Raj Films, the largest production company in Bollywood. Khan's scene in the film, in which he makes obsessive phone calls to Chawla's character stammering "i love you, kkkiran," attained great popularity.^[35] Baazigar, which saw Khan portraying an ambiguous avenger who murders his girlfriend, shocked its Indian audience with an unexpected violation of the standard Bollywood formula.^[36] His performance won him his first Filmfare Best Actor Award. In that same year, Khan played the role of a young musician in Kundan Shah's Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, a performance that earned him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. In a 2004 retrospective review by Rediff, Sukanya Verma called it Khan's best performance and added:"He was spontaneous, vulnerable, boyish, mischievous and acting straight from the heart."^[37] Khan maintains that this is his all-time favourite among the movies he has acted in.^[38] In 1994, Khan once again played an obsessive lover/psycho's role in Anjaam, co-starring alongside Madhuri Dixit. Though the movie was not a box office success, Khan's performance earned him the Filmfare Best Villain Award.^[39]

In 1995, Khan starred in the two biggest hits of the year in India. His first release was Rakesh Roshan's Karan Arjun, Khan was part of an ensemble cast including Salman Khan, Kajol, Mamta Kulkarni, Raakhee and Amrish Puri. The film, which dealt with reincarnation, became the second-highest grossing film of the year in India.^[40] He followed it with Aditya Chopra's directorial debut, the romance Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. A major critical and commercial success, the movie became the year's top-grossing production in India and abroad.^[41] The film was declared an all time blockbuster and it remains the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge grossed over 1.2 billion. The film won ten Filmfare Awards, and Khan's performance as a young NRI who falls for Kajol's character while on a college vacation won him much critical acclaim and his second Best Actor Award. In 2005, Indiatimes Movies ranked the movie amongst the 25 Must See Bollywood Films, citing it as a "trendsetter of sorts".^[42] In that same year's retrospective review by Rediff, Raja Sen stated, "Khan gives a fabulous performance, redefining the Lover for the 1990s with great panache. He's cool and flippant, but sincere enough to appeal to the junta. The performance itself is, like the best in the business, played well enough to come across as effortless, as non-acting."^[43]

1996 proved a disappointing year for Khan, he appeared in two films—English Babu Desi Mem and Mahesh Bhatt' Chaahat both of which proved critically and commercially unsuccessful in India.^[44] This was, however, followed by a comeback in 1997. He saw success with Subhash Ghai's social drama Pardes opposite newcomer Mahima Chaudhry. The film brought to light the culture shock and difficulties that may be involved in the cases of young Indian women immigrating to foreign countries after their marriage to Non Resident Indian men. It was one of the biggest hits of the year and earned him a nomination for the Best Actor Award at the Filmfare ceremony. He then appeared in Aziz Mirza's comedy Yes Boss which paired him with Juhi Chawla for the fourth time. The film was a moderately successful feature.^[45] His second project with Yash Chopra as a director, Dil to Pagal Hai became that year's second highest-grossing movie, and he won his third Filmfare Best Actor Award for his role as a stage director who falls in love with one of his new actresses.^[45]

In 1998, Khan starred in Karan Johar's directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which paired him with Kajol and Rani Mukerji. The movie was declared an all time blockbuster, with a worldwide gross of over 1.03 billion.^[46] Khan played the role of Rahul Khanna, a young college student who falls in love with his best friend after the death of his wife, years after breaking contact with her. His performance won him the Best Actor award at the Filmfare Awards for the second consecutive year. He won critical praise for his performance in Mani Ratnam's critically acclaimed Dil Se.., in which he played the part of Amar Varma, an All India Radio correspondent who falls deeply in love with a mysterious woman terrorist, played by Manisha Koirala.^[47] Rediff wrote: "Khan delivers a compelling performance. He plays the part with taut restraint, and expresses exasperation superbly."^[48] The movie failed financially in India, however, it was a commercial success overseas.^[49] becoming the first Indian film to enter the top 10 in the United Kingdom box office charts.^[50][51] Khan's only release in 1999, Baadshah opposite Twinkle Khanna, was an average grosser, for which he earned a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Performance in a Comic Role.^[52]