Archive for July 1st, 2008
Khuda kay liay
Nadeem F. Pracha has a pretty hilarious review on Chowk of Shoaib Mansoor’s debut movie ‘Khuda kay liay’ about religious fanaticism in Pakistan these days. I think he sums up nicely whats wrong with the movie and the fanatics in general. Entertaining stuff. Used to read his columns in the Friday Times back when I read newspapers.
In fact, the film actually never takes a firm stand against the fanatics on issues other than the question of what is the correct “Islamic attire.” As a matter of fact, subjects like sex, girlfriends, alcohol, etc., are treated and dismissed by the moderates in the film almost as mindlessly and myopically as they are by the fanatics.
For example, after Fawad comes to his senses, he says he was a good Muslim even before he became a fanatic. And he justifies this by saying “main sharaab, larki, jhoot mein nahi involve tha …” (I wasn’t involved in alcohol, girls, lies).
What does that mean? Is he saying he was a better human being than those who do drink and have girlfriends? And how can he be a better Muslim when instead of a womanizing and alcoholic Muslim, it was him who had the tendency to join fanatics in the blackening of billboards, kidnapping women and killing fellow Muslims? How can he be a better Muslim when he was the one with some serious psychological issues and violent urges enough to get brainwashed by an irrational and sadistic band of fanatics?
I mean it wasn’t booze or the women that made him do all this, did it?
Really, apart from the difference in attire, there’s really very little to separate between the moderates and the fanatics in the film.
