In the world of Bollywood, few films have tackled the intersection of identity, Islamophobia, and media stereotypes as boldly as My Name is Khan. This 2010 film tells the story of Rizwan Khan, a Muslim man with Asperger’s syndrome, as he journeys across America in a post-9/11 world to proclaim his simple yet profound message: “My name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist.” Using My Name is Khan as a lens, we can explore themes highlighted by Diane Watt in her article, The Urgency of Visual Media Literacy in our Post-9/11 World: Reading Images of Muslim Women in the Print News Media. Watt’s research underscores the importance of critically examining media images to understand the subtle ways they shape public perceptions of Muslim identity.
Media portrayals often simplify or distort Muslim identity, especially by associating it with threat or danger. Post-9/11 visual media has frequently cast Muslim characters in stereotypical roles that align with narratives of oppression, victimhood, or extremism. These images reduce Muslim identity to a single story, one that often reinforces the notion of “otherness” and aligns with Western biases. For audiences, these portrayals can subtly but powerfully shape their understanding of Muslim communities and perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
In My Name is Khan, Bollywood challenges these stereotypes, presenting Rizwan’s character as nuanced and compassionate, offering a counter-narrative to the Western media’s portrayal of Muslims as potential threats. Rizwan’s journey across the United States to clear his name represents an individual quest to challenge these reductive assumptions. He confronts everyday discrimination and the stereotypes he faces as a Muslim, illuminating the lived realities of Muslims in a world that often associates their identity with violence or extremism.
The movie also shows how these stereotypes impact the Muslim characters' lives. When a tragedy strikes, Rizwan's wife, Mandira, experiences hostility and prejudice despite her secular identity. The film poignantly shows that media narratives can impact how individuals are perceived and treated in society. This directly aligns with Watt’s observations on visual media literacy; without the tools to critically examine how Muslims are depicted, audiences are more likely to accept these biases as truth.
Watt’s concept of visual media literacy becomes essential here. By understanding the ways in which media narratives frame Muslim identity, viewers can develop a more informed perspective. For instance, the film contrasts scenes where Rizwan’s peaceful identity is misconstrued by those around him, highlighting how, as Watt points out, visual representations are rarely neutral. In these moments, the movie calls for the audience to question the biases they may bring to the screen and reflect on the role that visual media plays in shaping these preconceptions. This is similar to watts strategy of auto-media reflection, critical process where viewers consciously reflect on their own reactions, biases, and assumptions when engaging with media portrayals, particularly around marginalized groups. Watt argues that by practicing auto-media reflection, viewers can become more aware of how visual representations affect their perceptions and challenge ingrained stereotypes, leading to a deeper, more critical media literacy.
The movie shows us that without the tools to decode stereotypes and understand the complexities of Muslim identity, media consumers may inadvertently reinforce these stereotypes. Watt emphasizes that media literacy isn’t just about consuming content passively but involves questioning what we see: Who is crafting these narratives? Whose voices are missing? And are we shown the full humanity of the characters on screen?
Like we discussed in class, if we recognize how stereotypes are embedded within visual narratives, as Watt suggests, we can resist the oversimplification of identity and gain a more complex, compassionate understanding of diverse communities. As the movie My Name is Khan poignantly reminds us, there is no “one” Muslim identity—and it’s through the lens of media literacy that we can begin to appreciate this diversity.
Your blog provides a compelling critique of how Muslims are represented in Bollywood, and media at large. Your connection between the movie and Watt’s research is particularly interesting. It highlights the dangers of stereotyping, which we often do not see when analyzing stereotypes.
You have accurately pointed out how post 9/11, Muslims are reduced to stereotypes. I like how you have also pointed out that Rizwan’s character development is a direct counter-narrative to the usual representations of Muslims in media. This acknowledgement could compel audiences to confront their preconceived notions. We’ve studied in class how self reflection through autoethnography can be a powerful tool for us to unveil our own biases and understanding. In today’s Pakistan, this could be an…
My Name is Khan, as you have pointed out in your blog, one of the few films in Bollywood that don't stereotype Muslims. In most films, Muslims are shown to be wearing kajol, having a long beard, and speaking in a very formal accent. though that still remains a stereotype in Bollywood for Muslim representation, knowing that works like My Name Is Khan used to be made in that very same industry that now portrays Muslims in a very negative stereotypical light is a bittersweet sensation because films like that are not made in Bollywood today. The beautiful way in which this movie looks at a Muslim man and the total 180 his life takes after the events of 9/11…
The analysis on this film represents the insights and the concept of Watt's reading: stereotyping and after reading this blog it is sad to see how muslims face racial and gendered profiling and how men and women have a very different yet challenging experience through prejudice.
The film can be analyzed through the lens of traditional gender expectations within Muslim identity. Rizwan’s character, as a man with Asperger's syndrome who expresses emotions openly and shows vulnerability, contrasts with stereotypes of Muslim masculinity, which are often portrayed in media as rigid, aggressive, or controlling.
Similarly, the concept of auto-reflection is really essential as a means to question how both male and female Muslim characters are often framed within restrictive gender norms…
I truly appreciate that you selected this movie, especially as a subject for critical media literacy. In Bollywood cinema, there is a very obvious and consistent way in which Muslims are portrayed – black kohl in the eyes, always traditional clothing, oppressing the women, tone-deaf, blindly faith-following individuals, involved in crime etc. This also reminds me of the southern feminists’ attempt to “de universalize categories” that Mohanty analyzes. They specifically talk about the west developing concepts like that of the “Third-World Woman” or “Girl-child”. This reduces and trivializes the experiences of these women. Academically, they are not only essentializing this complex experience, but this also depicts an understanding that is so much farther than the truth.
Although, with the example…
It provides a thoughtful critique of the film My Name is Khan, an examination of Muslim identity in the context of Western media’s often stereotypical portrayals of Muslims. You integrate Diane Watt’s ideas about visual media literacy to highlight the need to critically examine the media portrayals of marginalized groups like Muslims in a post 9/11 context.
I like the way you focus on the character of Rizwan Khan, an intricately nuanced and layered character, the opposite of what you would see in most Western media Muslim characters. Rizwan's personal journey is also mirrored by Watt's call for visual media literacy as a way of recognizing and resisting reductive depictions, the blog notes. This is backed up by examples from…