My Name is Khan

Rizwan Khan (Tanay Chheda) is a Muslimchild who lived with his brother Zakir (Arnav Chhapwale) and his mother (Zarina Wahab) in a middle-class family in the Borivali section of Mumbai. Rizwan has Asperger's syndrome, but he has certain gifts, particularly a special ability to repair things. His difference leads to special tutoring from a reclusive scholar and extra attention from his mother, all which leads to a heightened level of jealousy from his brother, who eventually leaves his family for a life in the United States.

Despite this initial resentment, as an adult Zakir (Jimmy Shergill) requests Rizwan (Shah Rukh Khan) to come and live with him in San Francisco after the death of their mother. It is at this time that Zakir's wife, Haseena diagnoses Rizwan as having Asperger's syndrome. Rizwan begins to work as a product seller in Zakir's company and in the process he meets a Hindu woman, Mandira (Kajol) and her young son, Sameer, from a previous marriage. Despite Zakir's hostility to the match, they marry and settle down in the town of Banville, where both Mandira and Sameer take Rizwan's last name as their own. They also live next door to the Garrick family, consisting of Mark, who is a reporter, his wife Sarah and son Reese.

The couples perfect existence is disrupted after the September 11 attacks in New York City. Mark goes to cover the war in Afghanistan and dies there. At the same time, the Khan family begins to experience post 9-11 prejudice in their community and Reese begins to turn against Sameer as well. An argument between them turns into a racially motivated schoolyard fight between Sameer and a number of older students. Reese tries to stop the fight but is held back and Sameer gets punched and kicked multiple times by the group of older students. Sameer, angry, calls the leader of the gang an asshole, resulting in the leader kicking a soccer ball at Sameer's stomach, knocking him out. The gang threatens to hurt Reese if he tells anyone what happened. Sameer is then taken to the hospital, but dies due to internal bleeding and spleen rupture. Shattered, Mandira blames Rizwan for his death stating that Sameer "died only because his name was Khan", telling Rizwan that she no longer wants to be with him. When he asks her what he has to do in order for them to be together, she tells him sarcastically that he has to tell the people of the United States and the President that "my name is Khan and that I am not a terrorist".

Rizwan, being naive, thus sets out on a journey that takes him from one US state to another, in order to meet the president and get his wife's love back. During this quest, he travels to Wilhemina,a small town in Georgiaand befriends Mama Jenny and her son Joel. Later, in Los Angeles, he prays in a Mosque and overhears violent rhetoric from a Muslim doctor Faisal Rahman. He reports this to the FBI but there is no response at that moment. Later, while waiting in a crowd to meet President George W. Bush and repeating again and again, "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist," Rizwan is arrested and placed in prison by police who misinterpret his statement as,"My name is Khan and I am a terrorist".

While in the prison, he is brutally interrogated as a terrorist suspect, but meets the psychiatrist, Radha, who believes he is innocent. He is later released after a media campaign by a group of Indian student reporters, who prove his innocence by unearthing his attempts to inform the FBI about Faisal Rahman. After his release, he returns to hurricane-hit Wilhemina to help Mama Jenny and her son. His efforts attract media attention and numerous Muslims come to help as well. At the same time, Reese confesses to Mandira and reveals the identity of the boys who killed Sameer. She informs Detective Garcia who has been assisting her in the case, and the boys are arrested.

After the killers are brought to justice, she joins Rizwan in Georgia. At the moment she arrives to meet him, Rizwan is stabbed by one of Faisal Rahman's followers, who accuses him of being a traitor to Islam. He is then rushed to the hospital. With Mandira's help, Rizwan survives and meets President-elect Barack Obama, who reveals that despite being President-elect himself, Rizwan has been stealing his spotlight and that he knows his name and the fact that he is not a terrorist

Like stars on earth

Ishaan Awasthi is an eight-year-old boy who dislikes school, as he finds all the subjects difficult and is frequently belittled and berated by both his teachers and his classmates. His imagination, creativity and talent for art are often disregarded or unnoticed. His father, Nandkishore Awasthi, is a successful executive who expects his children to excel, and his mother, Maya Awasthi, is a housewife frustrated by her inability to educate Ishaan. Ishaan's elder brother, Yoshi, is an exemplary student and athlete whose merits Ishaan is often reminded of.

After receiving a particularly poor academic report, Ishaan's parents send him to a boarding school. There he sinks into a state of fear, isolation and depression, despite being befriended by Rajan Damodharan, a physically disabled boy who is one of the top students in the class. He even contemplates suicide by climbing up the fence in a terrace, which Rajan manages to save him from.

Ishaan's condition changes when a new art teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh, a cheerful and optimistic instructor at the Tulips School for young children with developmental disabilities, joins the school. Nikumbh's teaching style is markedly different from that of his strict predecessor, and he quickly observes Ishaan's unhappiness and impassive participation in-class activities. He reviews Ishaan's work and concludes that his academic shortcomings are indicative of dyslexia, a condition suppressing his artistic capabilities. One day he sets off to Mumbai to visit Ishaan's parents where he is surprised to discover Ishaan's hidden interest in art after finding some of his drawings. Upset, he asks Mr Awasthi why he sent the child to a boarding school in the first place and shows Mrs Awasthi her son's notebooks giving an analysis of his struggles. He explains how Ishaan has severe difficulty in understanding letters and words due to dyslexia even though Mr Awasthi, labelling it as mental retardation, dismisses it as a mere excuse for laziness. Frustrated by his crude and inaccurate explanation of Ishaan's condition, Nikumbh leaves and Mr Awasthi feels guilty for his mistreatment towards Ishaan.

Nikumbh returns and subsequently brings up the topic of dyslexia in a class by offering a list of famous people who were dyslexic. Afterwards, he comforts Ishaan by telling him how he struggled as a child as well by facing similar problems. Nikumbh then visits the school's principal and obtains his permission to become Ishaan's tutor. With gradual care, he attempts to improve Ishaan's reading and writing by using remedial techniquesdeveloped by dyslexia specialists. Ishaan soon develops an interest in his studies and eventually his grades improve.

Towards the end of the school year, Nikumbh organises an art fair for the staff and students. The competition is judged by artist Lalita Lajmi. Ishaan, with his strikingly creative style, is declared the winner and Nikumbh, who paints Ishaan's portrait, is declared the runner-up. The principal announces that Nikumbh has been hired as the school's permanent art teacher. When Ishaan's parents meet his teachers on the last day of school they are left speechless by the transformation they see in him. Overcome with emotion, Mr. Awasthi thanks Nikumbh. As Ishaan gets into the car to leave with his parents for summer vacations, he turns around and runs toward Nikumbh, who gives him a hug and tells him to return next year.