In the Name of God
Can movies truly deliver a powerful message and make an impact on society? In most cases people would disagree, as stories projected on the celluloid have been known to be gimmicky and larger than life. However, often these stories are inspired by real life.
Some filmmakers project fact in authentic ways, some offer their creative takes, while some take the middle road. The film, “Khuda Kay Liye”, takes a documenting approach -- depicting contemporary Pakistani society from the director's point of view. But the reason the film received much acclaim is because it addresses superstitions in the name of religion. This is the first Pakistani film that I've watched. Featuring a cast of Pakistani actors and Indian thespian Naseeruddin shah, the film can be considered an international project. It has already won many international awards in Egypt, Italy, Japan etc.
The film starts off with a crisis a Pakistani family faces. A Pakistani expatriate comes back to his country of origin to get his daughter -- Mariam/Mary (Iman Ali) -- married to a Pakistani Muslim. Mary has been dating a British man against her father's wishes. The father himself has a British girlfriend. Mary is a British citizen and her hypocritical father is worried that if his daughter gets married to a non-Muslim, his Muslim legacy will be over.
Sarmad (Fawad), Mary's cousin in Pakistan, belongs to a family of progressive, liberal music enthusiasts. Sarmad becomes influenced by the local Imam, Tahiri (Rasheed Naz). He begins to practice the extremist interpretation of Islam, grows a beard and goes against music, also putting pressure on his free-spirited family to comply.
Mary's father brings her to a remote village near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and forcibly gets her married to Sarmad. Sarmad eventually consummates their marriage by force.
Meanwhile, in the post 9/11 USA, Sarmad's brother Mansoor (Shaan) faces his ordeal. Mansoor goes to a music school in Chicago. After 9/11, FBI officers detain him when someone overhears an intoxicated man accusing Mansoor of being a terrorist. Subsequently, he is tortured for a year in custody just because of his Islamic background.
The film has an authentic approach. The writer-director Shoaib Mansoor must have researched on every possible aspect. This film highlights two relationships that are treated with maturity, yet certain elements get a larger than life treatment without standing out. One such example is -- Mary, despite being held in a village against her will, decides to go back once free, and educate the rural girls.
The most interesting part of the film is facing the reality with courage and breaking the prejudice through logically debunking some very common misconceptions regarding Islam -- like music and women's rights in Islam. The film makes statements with references from Hadith on these topics by a wise Maulana (Naseeruddin Shah).
The maker of the film is bold enough to highlight the connection between narrow-minded religious leaders and terrorism. The Islamophobia in post-9/11 USA has also been aptly captured.
The filmmaker has successfully combined commercially appealing elements with a powerful social message. The script and dialogues are the major attractions where philosophy mixes with the reality in a genuine way. The whole cast delivered credible performances, but the real “hero” of the film is the film itself.
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