It’s not everyday (or every friday, in this case) that a movie is released that has the ability to touch you and provoke you into thinking, reacting or discussing it’s underlying issues. With the possible exception of Taare Zameen Par, no other bolywood movie has been able to forge an emotional bond with the Indian audience.
When Khuda Ke Liye, the first Pakistani movie released in Indian theaters, received rave reviews, I naturally decided to check it out. Its not everyday that you get a chance to see the creative side of your nation’s archrival. I went in expecting to see something similar to a traditional Bolywood movie on fanaticism, but came out marvelling at its ingenuity and cinematic brilliance. 3 hours and 200 bucks well spent.
Khuda ke Liye shows a Pakistan in transition. On one hand the forward looking Muslim upper middle class and elite who are tolerant and progressive while on the other hand the orthodox or as the movie puts it –‘dakiyanusi mullah‘ , impeding society’s progress by taking retrogressive steps in the name of Islam. I won’t be describing the plot of the movie because its a must-see, reading the description won’t suffice.
The movie manages to highlight some important issues. The one that struck me distinctly was the vicious circle created by terrorism. 9/11 sparks panic and insecurity in USA. The police are under pressure to capture the culprits and thousands of innocent Muslims become vulnerable to police toture. When ‘Mansoor’ having professed his love for America by writing ‘I Love USA’ all over his prison walls, is subjected to sub-human conditions, the writings change to ‘I Love USAMA’ clearly showing the love and respect turning into hate and malice. Naseerduin Shah as ‘Maualana Wali’ explains the nuances of Islam with proper reference to the Koran, his arguments or should I say valid arguments conflicting with the more popular beliefs about the religion. He explains how women have been given rights to chose their husbands and divorce them in case of marital discord as opposed to standard notion that Islam commands its followers to keep their women subjugated. He explains that music is an integral part of the religion and not ‘haraam’ as stated by some Islamic clerics and that there is no such thing as a Muslim attire, with reference to salwaar kameez, arguing that the weather decides the garments not the religion. A beautiful line ,‘Deen mein daadi hai, Daadi mein Deen nahi’ serves as his argument to counter the popular belief that Islam requires all men to have a beard. All arguments based on Shariat, Koran and other Islamic holy texts.
Another aspect of Islam that caught my attention was when ‘Mansoor’ pointed out that ‘many people in Pakistan know how to read Arabic but don’t understand it’. Islam requires its followerd to know how to read in Arabic since the Koran is written in that language but the fact that the masses don’t understand it serves as the root cause of the many problems being faced by Islam. Twisted minds, fluent in Arabic, but filled with malice , translate the koran in their own manipulative ways and present a garbled version of the holy book. Such people then target young and fragile minds, brainwashing them, turning them into fanatics, terrorists and fidayeens.
The movie shows the dilemma faced by the more liberal and progressive muslims caught up in this transition where a prgressive force is being countered by a stiff unchanging one. On the whole, a masterpeice by Shoaib Mansoor and very convinving acting by Shaan and Iman Ali (I think I’m in love….*sigh*). A visual treat for those into serious and meaningful cinema.
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