The message of “My Name Is Khan” is that there are two kinds of people in the world, good people and bad people, and that that distinction is far more important than any other differences, like those between Hindus and Muslims.
All is not well when the film begins, with the Muslim hero with Aspberger's syndrome, Rizvan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan)getting shaken down at the airport, but like most Hindi movies, it ends well.
The film is propelled by a love story and a quest. Rizvan falls for and weds a divorced single mother, Mandira (Kajol Devgan, a frequent co-star of Mr. Khan), a Hindu who accepts his oddities. Rizvan may have trouble expressing emotions, but he has them, and he researches how to get through his wedding night rather than letting nature take it's course. He doesn't get the romance but he does get the physical pleasure and the safety of a relationship. All is well until Mandira's son is killed in an anti-Muslim attack (guilty by association, because only Khan is Muslim). Mandira throws Rizvan out, and he takes her command literally: go tell the president that your name is Khan and you’re not a terrorist.
For the rest of the movie he is trailing the president on his speaking engagements across the country. He is befriended by people, and he finally captures the attention of journalists, which is the key to bringing his message to a larger audience. It is a wonderful way to look at our country through the periscope of Bollywood--which is harsher than we would be but so much gentler than anyone else would be, with a lot of song thrown in and a happy ending guarenteed.
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