A Pakistani movie that would be treated with much respect worldwide, Khuda Kay Liya doesn’t only stand for Muslims but for the rights of every individual, no matter where one is born and brought up. It fights against, hypocrisy, not only deep-rooted in the hearts of fundamentalist but also in the loose ends of any religion. A strictly directorial Shoaib Mansoor deserves all the praise. This movie not only has grossed the maximum at the box of in Pakistan but has already received worldwide acceptance by marking its presence known at the 31st Cairo International Film Festival and even winning the Award for Best Picture.
Rating: 3.5/5
Shoaib Mansoor is not only a director of highest caliber but also is a producer, composer and writer. His talent is in the ability to deal with unconventional themes and making a higher appeal among the audience. He doesn’t speak about only one issue in Khuda Kay Liye, but multitude of issues that keep hovering around the Muslim religion. It is only obvious to say that the certain religious extremism led tragedies in the past has always brought about suspicion on a whole race. Whenever there have been attacks by muslim fundamental Organization anywhere in the world, the outcomes are to be faced by innocent people who have nothing to do with it. This is the story that is made enduring by Shoaib Mansoor.
Yet, another movie to deal with the aftermaths of 9/11 dual attacks at the WTO, but what makes this one more appealing is the fact that it is not the only plot to the movie and if one goes to the theatre with this in mind would be in for a greater surprise. When at one hand a young man is waylaid to fundamentalism, a woman is fighting for her rights and a man is paying the price of being born Muslim. We have three different countries pulled in the rope to speak about a single underlying theme hypocrisy and double standard. The modernity of the theme is not only its strong points but when a Pakistani director speaks about it, it becomes even more alluring. Don’t we all know that whenever there has been any creation with the dark sides of a region spilled out, there is either a fatwa issued or a banishment ordered? But the courage that is only latent in the creative heads will never redeem to the harsh society.
Khuda Kay Liye tells the story of two young brothers, from an affluent family in Pakistan, Mansoor, played by ably Shaan, and Sarmad, played by debutante Fuwad Khan. Living in the lap of a stringent Muslim society, that bans even the sight of jeans and scorns music, these two wish to pursue a career in music. Soon, Sarmad is brainwashed by a Muslim fundamentalist Maulana Taheri played by Rasheed Naz, and start sporting a beard and wears salwar kameez and abandons music forever. Their uncle, played by Humayun Kazmi, the very patriarchal Pakistani Muslim, who lives in London, brings in his daughter Maria, played accurately by Iman Ali, to be married off to a Muslim guy. Maria who has lived in UK all her life is in love with a British man and this seems to instigate the religious bone in her father who takes it to be a shame for his daughter to marry a non-Muslim, where as he doesn’t have any qualms about having a live-in relation with a British woman. When Mansoor denies playing a part in cheating an innocent girl, Sharmad becomes the next heir apparent to his uncle’s game plan. They take Maria to a deserted village in the border of Pak-Afghan border and forcefully get her married to Sharmad. Mansoor sets out to the US in pursuits of learning music and falls in love and marries the beautiful Jenny, played by Austin Sayre. Their bliss however is soon marred off by the US police knocking at their door at the dead of the night. The movie then trails of with the fight for justice by Mansoor and Maria.
The movie has some very touching moments and dialogues have been uttered to perfection. Naseeruddin Shah, as a liberal Muslim scholar, comes in for a brief screen time seems to steal the show. The music is yet another positive point of the movie. The numbers are very apt to the situation in the movie, specifically Allah Ho and ‘Bandeya are amazing. If taken as slices of the movie, it will be really hard to decide which piece to pick first. There are the most applauding scenes in the courtroom with heavy dialogues performed by Naseeruddin Shah and then the manhandling of Mansoor by the police. If you have loved dialogues in Gaddar and such movies then you would certainly like the ones in this movie. Certain dialogues to remember are ‘deen main darhi hai,darhi main deen nahin’ (there is beard in religion, but no religion in beard) and ‘haraam ki kamai jeb me rakhkar, halal ghosht ki dukaan dhoondhte hain‘ (people with black money look for Halal meat shops). The acting is also equally to be praised, all the characters seem to do jusitice to what they have been given.
The movie is not only a good watch in the theater, but it will prove a good one for your home collection as well. For God’s sake without vouching for piracy, let’s buy an original DVD, the movie is worth it.
Rating: 3.5/5
— Mahua Ray for Hamara Photos
