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Magazine
FACE TO FACE
Independent vision
ZIYA US SALAM
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Shoaib Mansoor talks about his first directorial venture “Khuda ke liye” and what the film means to him.
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The issues discussed in it are not confined to a single territory.
Universal appeal: Fresh insight in the post-9/11 world.
Shoaib Mansoor would not ring a bell with ardent fans of commercial cinema. However, those cinemagoers who value a dash of reality, whose canvas is not limited by any stereotypes, who care for cinema with social responsibility hold the Pakistani director in high esteem.
Having been involved with television serials like “Sunehre Din”, “Alpha Bravo Charlie” for long, the intrepid but patient man made his big screen directorial debut recently with “Khuda Ke Liye” (In the Name of God), that throws a fresh insight into the lives of Muslims post 9/11. Relating the story of two brothers from Lahore — one of whom is a fundamentalist and the other a liberal man who goes to the U.S. only to be arrested for his skin colour and beliefs in post-9/11 US — the film was shown at the just-concluded International Film Festival of India in Goa.
It is likely to be the rare Pakistani film to have an all-India box office release shortly. Starring our own Naseeruddin Shah in a pivotal role, with a slew of talented actors from across the border, the film has got rave reviews across the world.
Even as he looks forward to the film’s India release, Mansoor wants the audience to see the film that he calls “universal in its appeal”. On his way to Cairo, he shared a few thoughts about the film.
It is a rare Pakistani film that goes beyond the stereotyped sub-continental films. How difficult or easy was it to put it together according to your own independent vision? Any pressure to doctrinate it in a particular way?
I had been offered films for writing and direction at various points during the last 25 years but I never said yes because they were all typically stereotyped. I waited just to be able to make a film on a theme absolutely out of the ordinary. I was able to attempt such a bold subject and give it an unorthodox treatment only because I came up with the funds (which I got as a personal loan). There was no financier; hence no pressure from any quarter.
Muslims in India will identify with the subject. They are often at the receiving end from both fellow radical Muslims and right-wing elements who believe there is no space for Muslims in Indian polity. Was Naseeruddin Shah’s inclusion in the cast influenced by the reality he could bring to the film?
Muslims all around the world can identify with it. The issues discussed in it are not confined to a single territory.
Naseer’s inclusion in the film was basically for two reasons: one he is a great actor and I needed his heavy voice; two (more important from the Pakistanis’ perspective) I knew that, through him, I would be able to give the character the tremendous weight so necessary to refute the absolutely wrong interpretations of Islam spread over centuries by orthodox clerics. As compared to Pakistani actors (though some of them are brilliant in their own right) Naseer would have a definite psychological edge in the eyes of Pakistani cinemagoers. How can I end without mentioning that he did not take any money for acting in my film… breaking my belief that no one else, apart from me, believed that the subject was suitable for a film and that too in the subcontinent. He did not know me personally nor professionally. He had no idea what he was getting into except that he asked for the script before making a commitment.
Have you had to face allegations of having sold out to the West or being driven by the mullahs?
No. Neither of the two.
Finally, what ails Pakistani film industry: rank amateurism or indifference of a society that gets its gratification from the high-quality serials on offer?
Both. This is my first film and one main reason why I have entered the film world (after having made several not-so-bad serials for television) is to contribute towards the revival of cinema in Pakistan. The success of this film has lifted my morale. Not only have I been able to prove the film pundits’ beliefs of formula filmmaking wrong but have also invoked some healthy discussions in the society about the overall approach towards life in these changed times.
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