Why 'My Name Is Khan' depicted Autism the right way: A Thread by an Autistic person.

Before getting into why MNIK is as wonderful as it is, we have to understand the different types of wrong autistic representation in mainstream movies, I've separated them into four categories:
1. The Burden
2. The Inspiration
3. The Fantasy
4. The Denial

Type 1: The Burden.
A movie in which an autistic character is shown as something and not someone. Their autism is depicted as an inconvenience that others have to "overcome" and their entire story revolves around the fact that they're autistic (and "useless").

Type 2: The Inspiration
The one where autism is also shown as a burden, but this time, in the life of the autistic person. In order for the AP to be happy, they have to be less autistic. They're often marketed as inspirational stories. Beware of these.

Type 3: The Fantasy
The one where a character's condition was "inspired" by autism or took a lot of creative liberties. Which means the writers just wrote whatever they wanted without doing or caring about any research and then called it autism for whatever reason.

Type 4: The Denial
A movie where a character is mentioned or hinted to not be neurotypical but where the condition itself is never addressed. The best example of this one is Forrest Gump.

A thing all of these types have in common is that all of them are a product of ignorance and ableism. The creators often excuse themselves saying addressing it wasn't essential for the plot or wasn't an easy thing to do.

Now, let's begin.
MNIK starts by throwing Type 4 out of the window by just explaining Rizwan's is autistic. It's a very simple, yet powerful thing. The only mistake this disclaimer makes is saying he "suffers" the disorder (which is wrong).

There's a lot of terminology here that I will be explaining with my own words, through my own experience because I think it will be more helpful to understand this movies impact than just using the scientific concept.

Here's some of the things it normalizes and introduces to allistic (non-autistic) audiences:

Stimming. (Sensorial stimulation.) Autistic people often use it to calm and concentrate, but there's also other reasons like expressing emotions.
Rizwan stims using rocks. I like that stimming is shown as one of Rizwan's needs, like eating and praying. And not as habit or a tic.

Autism Alert Cards.
It's a card autistic people may need to carry in case of an emergency. It includes basic info, specifications on how to approach the user and who to contact (family, therapist) in case of an emergency.

Rizwan's card includes his own specifications and needs. It has a picture of him too (which isn't very common, but I think it's cool and helpful). In this scene, we can clearly scene the policemen made the mistake of not following the card's instructions and he was uncomfortable.

Sensory overload.
Rizwan doesn't like touch, noise or the color yellow.
Many autistic people don't like loud noises, bright lights or any type of physical contact because our senses are heightened. An excess of these might cause a meltdown or a shutdown.

During a moment like this. Touching the person is a big NO. Make sure the source of the meltdown is gone and then try to calm the person being clear and patient. Just like Mandira in these scenes.

Echolalia and organization.
We repeat patterns, habits and sounds a lot. It's safe to have "scripted" reactions to things (sometimes they are not the correct ones, but we assume they are) and to have certain routines and habits. Sometimes this repetition is impulsive.

Memorization and Hyperfixation.
It's easy for most of us to memorize a lot of stuff, specially when it's something we are very interested in. Every AP lives these differently but the way Rizwan experiences it is the most common one.

We can easily focus on one thing, so it's easy to sense patterns and do certain activities. Rizwan has the ability of sensing patterns and fixing things.

"Strange" social skills.
Rizwan doesn't really understand social cues or sarcasm, he takes things very literally and sometimes does or says things without realising how other people might perceive them. The way he expresses his emotions are also "odd" compared to others.

MNIK doesn't turn into a movie about autism (I'll call it "concept 1"), it's a story about a man who happens to be autistic ("concept 2"). There's a fine line between the both concepts which is difficult not to cross for many allistic actors, writers and directors.

A "movie about autism" is a film where the condition itself is the main character and not the person, perpetuating the idea that the life of an autistic person should only be discussed if the main topic is their autism and it makes audiences think we all experience it the same.

A movie about an autistic character is a film where the life of an AP is depicted the same way a movie about someone who is not autistic would present it's non-autistic protagonist: naturally.

Concept 1 sometimes have the tendency to not give their characters an actual life. What do they like? What is their life like? What happens to them? We don't know. It feels like watching a medical documentary rather than a film with a plot.

Concept 2 doesn't make this mistake. What does Rizwan like? He likes his wife's laughter, videogames, basketball. What is his life like? He has a job, a family, a nice house, he makes friends. What happens in his life? He feels pain, he experiences racism. He has an identity.

Rizwan's iconic phrase isn't "I'm Rizwan, I have autism", it's "my name is Khan and I'm not a terrorist". The people around him are aware he is autistic and respect this. He's a man who's fighting for a cause and they treat him like a normal person regardless of his condition.

SRK's performance is brilliant in this movie. He perfectly portrays the common autistic struggle of not always being expressive while showing deep and strong emotions. He laughs, loves, cries and feels anger. Without ignoring Rizwan's identity.

I agree with many people on the fact that allistic actors playing autistic characters is not okay. Most of the actors who have played disabled and neurodivergent characters in major movies commit the mistake of taking these characters as another role to put on their repertoire.

They don't understand the importance of their work. The representation we get is very limited and not often popular in media. Which is why we raise an eyebrow to these casting choices. That said, SRK is one of my few exceptions.

As a Muslim man, SRK understood not only the importance of this story, but also the seriousness of the film. It's goal was to break race, language and religious barriers, but also introduce other minorities into the story and educate audiences properly about these matters.

This is why Rizwan living in the USA as a Muslim man of color was an important plot point. Because of the conflict such situation discussed. It said "Look, people of colour aren't dangerous, Muslims aren't dangerous. Hate is what is dangerous."

Before (and after) this movie, these kind of situations weren't exposed to audiences. And many movies and TV shows perpetuated the idea that POC and Muslims could only appear in mainstream media as terrorists.

In the same way, for the media and the general public, autistic people could only exist as an inspiration. We could only be extraordinary. We either existed as examples of struggle or we didn't exist. We were not seen as humans who love and have an identity. Only problems.

Because thanks to the media, the public had (and still has) the idea that being autistic is something terrible and we can't be normal citizens or any other thing we want to be. It portrays our struggles as something originated by our autism, not by their intolerance and prejudice

It was important to show a story about an autistic man living both a regular life and an extraordinary one. Because it sends the message that we are capable and worthy of being independent and happy and if we choose to, we can also be inspiring and successful if we choose to.

And it clearly states that many of the problems we face as Autistic people are caused by the ignorance of others and not our condition.

Zakir didn't like him for being Autistic, but it wasn't because Rizwan's autism was bad, it was because his ignorance was bad, once he was educated on the matter, he supported Rizwan wholeheartedly.

As a child, Rizwan's mother taught him about the difference between good and bad in terms he can understand. When he struggled to walk around places he didn't knew, Hasina looked for a way to help him and explained him what to do.

Rizwan is loved by a woman who isn't autistic, not "despite of" his condition, but rather "regardless of". Mandira understands he's an adult and he should be treated as such. He's not a kid, or an immature man. He's just different.

The film motivates audiences to educate themselves and be respectful, specially to be patient and understanding. It shows them how to do it. It shows them why. It breaks barriers. It's wonderful and brilliant.

SRK had a big responsibility on his shoulders he could've just shrugged of. He could've played Rizwan in a less realistic way, but he studied and understood this condition. He knew Rizwan was more than just a character, because there were people like him all over the world.

His performance was wonderful. It's impossible for me to imagine any other actor in the entire world playing this character instead of him. The effort he put into his portrayal is admirable.

This movie means a lot to me and to other autistic people. And this thread showing that the artists involved in this cared about it's impact is my way to thank them for what they've done. Specially @iamsrk @itsKajolD and @karanjohar, because they made it possible. Thank you.

Just in case Kajol, Karan, SRK or anybody else comes across this thread. Remember to support Autistic organizations, specially those created and managed by experts and autistic people.
Avoid the color blue and puzzle pieces as simbols of ASD, and don't support 'Autism Speaks'.

(Autism Speaks is the most famous 'autistic org' and they're known for being abusive and trying to "cure" autism).
Instead, use the rainbow infinity symbol to represent acceptance and support organizations like the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).