After the backlash to Shah Rukh Khan’s statements on Prophet Mohammad, a terrified Karan Johar intensifies research for "My Name is Khan"
Filmmakers have to be careful when making films
on subjects that might hurt people’s sentiments. And more so, if the filmmaker is Karan Johar, making a film on terrorism with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead. Given the flurry over the actor’s recent comments on Prophet Mohammad, Karan has gone back to his research books, lest his film, My Name is Khan causes any controversy.
Karan knows he’s walking on glass here with his film and is taking every precaution to see that he doesn’t cross the line. In fact, all filmmakers are putting in extra effort to make sure that they maintain religious and cultural decorum. From Rahul Dholakia, who is making Lamha on Kashmir and the issue of identity in the valley, to Kabir Khan, whose New York is about an NRI Muslim’s confinement in the US for suspected terrorism, they’re all praying that their sensitive films be taken in the right light. They’re hoping that the intolerant sections of the society do not raise an outcry for apparent slights to their religion and beliefs.
Following the unforeseen volatile reaction to Shah Rukh’s statements, Karan is re-checking the facts that form the basis of his research on the film. Reveals a source, “My Name is Khan is a new territory for Karan. He has never done such a subject before. Though Karan insists it’s humane not a political subject, the fact is My Name is Khan is about Islamic isolation and about one individual Muslim’s fight for his dignity in an increasingly hostile world. The last thing Karan wants is fundamentalist groups questioning him about the film.”
There are already murmurs of protest against the film and it can be recalled that while shooting in the US, the unit was denied permission to shoot in a local mosque and a few Muslim members of the unit were simply denied visas to go to US for the shoot.
Our source adds, “Karan is only more adamant now and won’t have his film stopped by protestors. My name is Khan and Qurbaan, his films on sensitive subjects continue to have Muslims Shah Rukh and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles.”
source: Timesofindia
