15 years of My Name is Khan: Why did this Karan Johar-SRK flick failed in India but was a hit in US?

Karan Johar produced and directed film My Name is Khan completed 15 years of its release recently. It was expected to be a big hit as the trio of Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan, and Kajol had already delivered two big hits – Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. However, the movie failed to achieve the expected commercial success in India. Surprisingly it did very well in the US.

The story made all the difference

My Name is Khan is a fictional story of Rizvan Khan (SRK) who is an autistic Muslim who decides to meet the US President after his wife Mandira Rathod Khan, a Hindu faces Islam-phobic discrimination. Those were the times after the September 11 attacks and racism had increased in the United States as a result of fear as well as certain terrorist groups getting active.

The struggle of Rizvan and Mandira, the killing of their son Sameer, and the trouble through which the couple goes through in the movie were more relatable to NRI’s and Indians who were living in the United States at that time. The situation in the United States resonated with the storyline of My Name is Khan for the American Indians. That is why they flocked to the theaters to watch the film and even tried to make their fellow Americans understand what they were doing due to the discrimination.

My Name Is Khan completes 15 years today. Shah Rukh Khan's MNIK is just as relevant now as it was in 2010. pic.twitter.com/Vh3soglroQ

— SRK's Library (@SRKsLibrary) February 12, 2025

The Indian Americans were going through tough immigration experiences and this movie sort of showcased their feelings.

It was a sad movie that had lots of emotional ups and downs and continues to be one of the biggest hits of Shah Rukh Khan overseas. It grossed 200 crore plus worldwide but most of the amount came from the overseas market.

Long and exaggerated ending

While My Name is Khan appealed to Indians living in the US and Canada, for Indians it was quite long and exaggerated with floods hitting a particular area and Rizvan trying to help people. The entire sequence seemed exaggerated solely dedicated to making the character of Rizvan earn sympathy and credibility which audiences in India could not relate to.

Shiv Sena was against its release

There was a lot of political uproar in Maharashtra over its release with Shiv Sena accusing Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan , and Kajol of promoting Love Jihad as the movie showed a Muslim man marrying a Hindu woman.

15 year's of this masterpiece My Name Is Khan 🎥 pic.twitter.com/RfPAp5h9mT

— A S H I F (@ISRKsASHIF) February 12, 2025

Shah Rukh Khan’s statement had upset Indians

It was around the same time that Shah Rukh Khan had said that the Pakistani players should be allowed to play in the IPL which did not go down well with the Indians. That is also one of the reasons why My Name is Khan got a low response in India. The Bollywood superstar was also arrested at an international airport during the same time and he tried to use it for his movie relating the incident to racism.

Action and comedy were making a comeback

Incidentally, around the same time action and comedy were making a comeback in Bollywood with movies like Dabangg and Golmaal 3 earning big in the domestic market.