Khuda ke Liye: For God’s Sake Be Subtle!
Bikas Mishra reviews Pakistani film Khuda ke Liye
Khuda Ke Liye (2007)
Khuda Ke Liye is a remarkable story of two brothers who share a passion for music. The elder brother pursues it as a career and goes to US to study while the younger brothers falls prey to a jihad-preaching cleric and deserts his musical career for religion. However, what luck has in store for both of them is equally painful and disturbing. Younger brother completely brainwashed by the vicious cleric goes through thick and thin of militant Islam, while the elder brother falls victim to the American prejudices against Muslims and Pakistanis.
The film attempts to initiate a dialogue on the perception of Islam both within and outside Pakistan. Questions such as how Islam is misinterpreted by clerics to support the cause of Jihad, how westerners look at Islam as a violence preaching monolithic religion and looks at every follower with suspicion, are addressed in the movie.
The film tells its story through two families. A Pakistani Muslim, married outside faith and living with a white woman, is perturbed by the thought of his daughter planning to marry a white Christian Briton. On the other side of the world, in Pakistan, a progressive (could be read as westernized) Pakistani family gets worried when their younger son stops singing and starts to grow his beard.
The story covers many significant territories important from the perspective of any discussion around Islam and western perception of it. The two brothers who are the main protagonists provide a glaring contrast-one who travels to USA to study music and younger one who goes hiding in Afghanistan to support the cause of intolerant Islam.
This divide runs through generation in the family. The British dad who wants to stop his daughter from marring a white Christian Brit happens to be the younger brother of the “progressive” Pakistani father of two musician brothers.
Cinematically, the film attempts to stick to the multi-location multi-plot drama, as seen in Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s or the Turkish director Fatih Akin’s films. Story progress through Pakistan, Britain, USA and Afghanistan and covers lives of characters such as two brothers, the British Pakistani girl who’s married forcibly in Afghanistan, her boyfriend and the American girlfriend of the other Pakistani boy.
However, the similarities end before the film grips you in its narrative. I feel, Khuda ke liye has a relevant story, however, it could have been told better. The filmmaker lays his entire effort on spoken words. He makes it a point to make words and arguments heard and characters often shout to ensure that you listen.
People used to western cinematic sensibilities, where subtly and the “evolved cinematic language” rule could feel uneasy to see such a loud and verbose film. You would notice that the director quite often sets the stage just like it’s done in theatre and makes his characters sit and stand within it and talk. Especially, the first conversation between the British Pakistani dad and his white “wife” is quite stagy, so is the showdown between Mansoor and his American girlfriend over her marriage proposal. The director doesn’t sometimes even naturalizes actions within these discussions and lets people talk and listen as if the sole purpose of their gathering is to talk and talk.
Except one cinematic moment where Mary tries to run away from an Afghani village where she’s held hostage, I couldn’t remember any other remarkable one. Even the air strike scene in Afghanistan is marred by an uncomfortable staginess.
The high point of Khuda Ke Liye’s failure was the liberal cleric’s speech in a courtroom. Ironically, the character was played by Naseeruddin Shah, an actor acclaimed for his subtle acting and understanding of the medium. A badly staged scene ends up as a theological discourse on Islamic practices.
The portrayal of American bias towards Muslims and Pakistanis lacks credibility. I’m not making an argument for America’s exposed xenophobia for Muslims and South east Asians. However, I think over-dramatization of the scene makes it less credible. American secret agents (or FBI or police or whatever that is) are treated like extra-legal goons who operate beyond law and even civilized behavior. The torture and confession scenes remind us of newspaper reports about Iraqi prisoners of war. Maybe director wanted to draw parallels or simply wanted to make us laugh at silly American logic.
With deepest regard for debutant filmmaker Shoaib Mansoor’s endeavors and relevance of the issue, I think Khuda Ke Liye falls prey to the clamor of cause based cinema that overwhelms the sub continent. I would call it unintentional “cine Imperfecto”. It’s a generalized, rundown, plot-oriented, loud and issue-based drama, till the time this cinematic incompetence is theorized as a sub continental style. Up until then, we two great nations could celebrate our cinematic ineptitudes and build bridges.
My Rating: 
(5 votes, average: 3.2 out of 5)
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Khuda ke Liye is an important film for socio-political reasons, but as a cinematic work it is half-baked, loud and incompetent. Most of the characters here are not “real” but caricatures and/or symbols, like the American secret agent who repetedly barks at Mansoor “Whats your relationship with Osama”, or his younger brother’s fanatical cleric. Situations are not well thought out at all. Why should the the father marry off his daughter in Afghanistan and leave her there. There are surely more human ways to convince the daughter not to marry a white man!. And Naseeruddin Shah…I waited for more than two hours for the actor to make his entry hoping that at least he would restore some sanity to the proceedings. No such luck. Shah only elevates the decibel levels beyond theatre and melodrama, to the realm of near parody. Its as if all the actors were trying to outdo each other in shouting from the rooftops. A typically subcontinental trait I should think.
I can go on and on about the film’s inadequacies but Bikas Mishra’s brilliant review sums it all up well anyway.
Technically or performance-wise Pakistani cinema is generally not very good, but Khuda Ke Liye is a strong film. It has a realistic, thoughprovoking story to tell, No bollywoodiya melodrama, un-believables. Should watch.
Girijesh
Bikas, I completely second your opinion about the movie. Although in the first half I was quite impressed by it and it kept me on the edge, the second half was quite ridiculous. Not only did it drag on and on, the situations themselves were unbelievable, overdone and ‘VERY’ loud. The director really did not take time to build its various characters becoz of which I really couldn’t relate to them. It was indeed a film on a awesome issue but the film itself was quite lacking.
Hi Bikas and Aniruddha,
great review Bikas!! I agree to the points you have mentioned… that the film is unbearably loud and caricature-ish at times. the multi-plot and multi-location storyline and the theme of the film is good, but the execution lacks the punch, especially for the film-buffs used to the Eurpean films. Aniruddha, you are very convincing when you mention that, characters were trying to outdo each other in shouting and making there presence felt. I especially remember the Maulana and his peculiar way of preaching the younger brother.
Its a good review but I thought I should add a few words as a Pakistani
Khuda Ke Liye is just a start. I hope better films will come out. Pakistani films were pretty good (in the subcontinent sense) till early 80s. After that educated people started abandoning the sinking ship and were restricted to TV. Now these people are making their journey back to film industry.
As far noisy Mullahs, I think you have not seen them. They are ‘all talk’ and even that very loud one. It is only their rhetoric (most are harmless/jobless bearded people) that is admired by ordinary/uneducated people. People in villages specially like ‘fiery’ speeches and a cleric who doesn’t shout is not really admired. You must have seen Evangelic priests on God channel? For me, loud clerics are quite believable in the film.
I have seen many Bollywood films and I am glad that people of India are watching (probably) their first ever Pakistani film. I hope this is not the last one. Personally I have ‘forced’ many Indian friends (in London) to watch some Pakistani films as a ‘revenge’ and they pretend to like them to make me feel better
One more thing: What is happening to Indian art films? I have been a great fan of late Smeeta Patel (and Shabana Azmi). Indian art films from the 70s and 80s were the best: Bazar, Ijazat, Masoom, Mandi and many others ……
Dear Bikas,
I really liked your review but then like Fayyaz said, it was probably the intention of the director to make a film which shouted about religious intolerance whether by muslims, christains or hindus that is why the agent shouts, that is why the sardar accuses and that is precisely why the mullah also is loud. Somewhere perhaps there is deep anguish in their hearts and it could perhaps come out only in this way.
Dear Fayyaz, Smriti,
I understand your concerns, however, when I say “loud” I don’t exactly mean the decibel levels. I understand that shouting maulavis could well be a realistic portrayal but my problem is that the filmmaker depends too much on spoken words, the film is talky. Every issue, every state of being of the characters is spoken. I only wish the director made us feel what’s going inside characters’ head instead of making them say it loud and clear.
KKL is an ambitious film, it has a huge canvas probably this is why the minute details got lost. Mansoor is talented, he understands the world around him, he knows what story needs to be told, only he needs to master the art of storytelling.
Wish the director and Pakistani cinema my very best!!!
Maybe you should try these movies to change your taste
Hell’s ground (horror zombie) trailer
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_TJKfOT0j1Q
Action film Salakhain , trailer
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=iHYqLwOvH3Q
Or just an Art film: Ramchand Pakistani (Nandita Das)
http://bandbaji.wordpress.com/2007/11/25/minority-report-ramchand-pakistani/
Or if you wanna see how ADNAN SAMI’s looked like (his only film as a hero/musician/singer. female singer: Asha Bhosle)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0fcNqoVXH9A
We all can talk about the quality and production of the film however what is important to note is that the movie at the end leave several questions. Particuarly it checks on knowledge and positions of muslim as where they stand, what are their believes and how they would react to different situations.
The major success of this movie is not whether it has received a great business in India or not or even in Pakistan but it sets highlights issues of Muslim world which no one wants to talk about. Muslim with such a large population in all over the world cannot be isolated and therefore such issues are important to address through such forums where debate can be generated.
I was among the audience and had seen movie twice. I had seen people discussing religious poisitions which i doubt if people are comfortable doing in our society.
Completely agree with you Qindeel Shujaat , Khuda ke liye is an extremely important film for the subject it deals with. My problem is only with the storytelling, not the story or the issue.
Hey Bikas
I appreciate your point of view but i still feel that its emerging from your professional cinematic knowledge and acumen. The audience for whom the film has been made are primarily pakistani masses who are used to watch loud and verbose films…its the language they understand. So Khuda ke liye decides to give an important message in their language only.And the success of Khuda ke liye proves a point. You are absolutely right when you say that there is more emphasis on spoken words…but try to understand its a ‘mainstream’ film and not a documentary for intellectuals. i personally feel commercial cinema needs to be ‘entertaining’ and if in that process it is also successful in tackling important issues…it needs to be praised. Wat say?
Hi Bikas and Aniruddha
Bikas you written a wonderful review but Aniruddha has done more justice to this film. Im not saying one must be harsh towards ‘Khuda kay liye’ but a bad film can be tolerated, a story that could have been great and fails to be so is quite disheartening.