'My Name Is Khan' soundtrack good intro to Bollywood music

My Name Is Khan may go down as the most controversial movie of the year that most Americans have never heard of. The Indian Bollywood film, about a Muslim man in San Francisco with Asperger's syndrome whose behavior is mistaken for that of a terrorist, sparked angry protests in Mumbai. Simultaneously, it has been drawing packed houses in India and cities around the world with a significant South Asian population. Fox Searchlight is distributing the film in the U.S. (The film opened in North Texas last week and continues its run at the FunAsia theaters in Richardson and Irving, and the MacArthur Marketplace in Irving.)

Generating far less outrage is the soundtrack, being released here through Sony in an elaborate package (including a 24-page booklet) and retailing for only $9.98. With music composed by the trio of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa, and featuring Pakistani qawwali vocalist Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (the nephew of the late, great Sufi and devotional singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), the My Name Is Khan soundtrack covers the Bollywood spectrum from lush symphonic music to love songs and saccharin pop-rock.

But the best material -- and what makes this set a nice introduction to Bollywood music for those who know little about it -- are the infectious up-tempo tracks such as Sajdaa, Tere Naina, and Allah Hi Reham. These slickly produced tracks are guaranteed to get the feet moving and hips shaking. And, for less than $10, you can't go wrong.