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‘My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist’: disability and asexuality in My Name is Khan

2014; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 5; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/19472498.2014.936209

1947-2501

Jana Fedtke,

Gender, Feminism, and Media

This article examines representations of men in political crises in the post-9/11 diasporic context. It argues that Karan Johar’s 2010 blockbuster movie My Name is Khan represents disability and asexuality in the protagonist Rizwan Khan as challenges to dominant trans/national discourses on masculinity. The main character is portrayed as a Muslim South Asian in the United States who turns into a heroic figure that transgresses national, racial, religious, cultural and sexual boundaries. While physical disability is often represented as asexual, My Name is Khan breaks with this taboo. This article argues, however, that it does so not to promote disability rights, but to make the character of Rizwan appear ‘normal’ in his heteronormative interpretation of masculinity. The movie shows that Khan has to get rid of his possible asexuality in order to be considered a ‘real’ man, that is a sexually active person. This proves that, while disability is legible in our contemporary world, asexuality needs to be ‘overcome’ and is thus not (yet) legible. The movie presents a case of politicized masculinity that calls for individual action to bring about the unity of minorities in the United States, advocating alliances between the South Asian community and the (stereotypically represented) African American community.