Khuda Ke Liye

I had heard a lot about khuda ke liye..but i thought it would be just another serious kinda movie that gets appreciated at film festivals..But I was wrong. Its an immensely watchable and extremely impactful film. It forces you to think about many issues and the impact is sure to last for next two days after you wtach the movie. As i write this blog , i am simultaneously googling on jehad, al-Qaeda and other such stuff(no , i dont plan to be a jehadi anytime soon;), its just out of curiosity).

It’s a story of two brothers, one of whom is brainwashed by a venom spewing religious leader maulana Tahiri(brilliantly played by Rasheed Naaz), and the other ends up getting racially abused in the post 9/11 USA. Then there is a British Pakistani girl who wants to marry a white guy, but ends up in a forceful marriage in some remote village in Afghanistan.

The lead cast is superb. Naseer is first rate, and perhaps the most powerful performance in the film, though he appears for hardly ten minutes. Though the film has a few flaws- amateur acting of the supporting cast, technical aspects and jumping between scenes,and yes, it seems the director has tried to conevy so many things that it makes the movie a little scattered. but the strength of the movie lies in the fact that it makes you think on issues like religious fundamentalism, terrorism and all. And more importantly it not only questions branding of muslims as terrorists but also question those religious fanatics who misinterpret Islam.

The music is amazing and re-affirms the fact that Pakistani music has rock solid foundation. Bandeya, neer bharan kaise jaaon and Allah remain with you long after you have left the theatre.

This is a movie not to be missed!!the director Shoaib Mansoor deserves accolades for this. In the middle of crap bollywood stuff like 123, it’s such a relief to see a sensible and moving film.