Vancouver Blogger Sriseth

The Bollywood movie "My Name is Khan" premiers today. Why I want to write about an Indian movie? I haven't seen the movie, don't know what the story is or how good it is. But I heard that the movie is about a person with Asperger's Syndrome - a mild form of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I have a son with Autism. So, I am closely associated with Autism community. One of the major obstacles persons with ASD and their parents face is the lack of knowledge about it among general public. I didn't know anything about Autism until my son was diagnosed about a year ago. So I'm not blaming anyone. There are so many health conditions, physical/mental disorders, diseases around that we won't know much about until we come across an affected person. Movies have been one of the major means of raising awareness about various subjects. Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man is regarded by many as Autistic. It increased Autism awareness. But we know that most autistic people are not Savants (having extraordinary abilities) like the Rain Man. So, in a way Rain Man created misconception about the abilities (or the disability) of Autistic people. Hollywood has failed to produce a major movie to help increase true awareness of ASD, despite the fact that research has shown ASD is growing in epidemic proportions and affecting every 1 in 100 or more children and still remains a mysterious syndrome with no clear cause or cure established.

This is why I am so excited to hear about 'My Name is Khan'. The star of the movie is Shahrukh Khan - the most popular Bollywood actor. With his presence and having Fox on board for distribution, I hope this movie will become popular among Bollywood fans around the World. Though Asperger doesn't indicate the true hardships of having Autism, it will at least open the eyes of people and increase the general awareness of ASD. My gratitude to the writer, director, producers and everyone else who contributed to make this movie. Please go see it.

Official website: http://www.mynameiskhanthefilm.com
Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Name_Is_Khan
Vancouver Showtimes: Cinema Clock