My name is SRK and I am a damn good actor.

Recently at an award ceremony Boman Irani said that one should never stop dreaming. He dreamt to be an actor and he started his career at 44. To this SRK replied in satire that he too was now 44 and maybe he can now learn how to act. Now I know that he wasn't kidding. Where was this 'roop' of SRK all this while? Where was this Karan Johar all the while?

For the first time in all the SRK movies that I have watched (Note that I have seen almost all perhaps other than Guddu and co.), it was Rizvan Khan the character on the screen and not the superstar SRK. For the first time in all the Karan Johar directed movies that I have seen, I felt respect for the film maker. A strong writing from Shibani Bathija only strengthens Johar's directorial effort.

The plot revolves around Rizvan Khan who suffers from a form of Autism. He walks the path of truth and follows his mother's advice that there are only good people and bad people in this world. The first half is all about Rizvan and the challenges he faces, how he falls in love with Mandira(Kajol) and how he adapts to the world around him to lead a normal happy life. The second half takes a turn and discusses the world post 9/11 for Muslims and Asians from the subcontinent. I loved one line where Rizvan compares the pre and post 9/11 eras to AD and BC timeline. Many people found comparisons with Forest Gump. I can confidently say its no where remotely close to Forest Gump and people should watch FG again if they still think so.

This movie totally belongs to Shahrukh. He stands tall as an actor. When people said this was SRK's best, I thought how good can he be? But man is he good or what. Outstanding stellar performance! Where was this Shahrukh all these years? The next best effort in the movie is the powerhouse named Kajol. She is as good as always especially with the expressions in her eyes. The pair weave magic on screen. The rest of the ensemble cast are good in their bits.

Music is apt for the movie. SEL make it work once again. My favourite tracks are Sajda and Noor e khuda. The background score is nice too.

This has to be Karan Johar's best work. I have a new found respect for the man. The climax could have been a little tighter but I will overlook it for the mere way the rest of the movie is executed. The movie delivers a wonderful message and is bound to stick in one's head. Its a pity a movie with a message of peace had to go through such violence to get released.

Rating: A MUST watch !! Highly recommended!!

Trivia: It was a pleasant surprise to see some scenes shot in USC (USC is the school i attended for my masters). When SRK was there for the shoot 2 years back, we did not know what movie it was for. Good to know now.