My Name Is Khan

Karan Johar directed a script he had not written, for the first time; Shibani Bathija wrote the story and screenplay, with Syd Field credited as story consultant. Bathija studied in San Francisco from 1998 to 2000 and set the film there; her invented town Banville is modelled on Danville, spotted on Google Maps from Mumbai. Shah Rukh Khan chose to keep his eyes blank even while speaking, practising in the bathroom for 10 days running; hours leaning forward with eyebrows raised brought on severe migraines. Forest Whitaker was first choice as the president and declined, partly because Obama was still in office. It is set in America but was not shot there throughout: the Borivali slum scenes, the Andheri mosque and the hurricane, filmed last, were done in Mumbai, with a dam and water tank built at Film City. It took 10 nominations into the 56th Filmfare Awards, more than any other film, and won three: director, actor, actress. The protests at release began with Shah Rukh Khan objecting to Pakistani players going unsold in the IPL, not with the film. A good fit if you accept that much of the emotional load rests on a face that barely moves. Not for anyone who finds the second half flood section excessive; many Indian and foreign critics balked there.