Generally, I don’t review movies coz a) we have the best reviewers who write so well I dare’nt dare and b)coz I’m too lazy;-p.
Well this movie has moved me enough to want to change all that just this once.
A short summary-the movie begins with a sequence that is heart breaking in that it gets more and more poignant as the plot unfolds.
Two brothers, Mansoor( hunky Shaan) and Sarmad (Fawad Khan) belong to an affluent Lahore family that is liberal enough to encourage its sons’ musical attempts.
But eventually Sarmad ’s path leads him to a Mullah Tahiri( that’s Rasheed Naaz) who’s a fanatic fundamentalist and denounces music as’haraam’. This man is so powerful he almost brainwashes you the audience along with the susceptible young man.This naturally leads to clashes with his brother, albeit not too harsh.
Back in London, Mary/Marium( Iman Ali) is in love with a’gora’, and that upsets her daddy’s applecart, never mind that he’s living in with a’gori’-Twosetof rules-and makes him do what generations of his people have been doing all along, fly the daughter back to Pakistan and get her married within her’qaum’.
She incidentally is the boys’ cousin, her dad and theirs being brothers. From here we go to rural Pakistan and her story unfolds, dramatic and upsetting in that its the truth for a number of women who have actually lived this through.British born, yet rooted in the confines of their culture, death is the only way out. But this a brave young woman who’s a fighter all the way.
Shaan is now in Chicago to study music, where he meets Janie( Austin Marie Sayre). Then comes 9/11, and his world turns upside down.
These stories are beautifully interwoven and lead us through the maze of the characters lives flawlessly. Don’t for a moment be fooled that this is a boring set up to preach, its not.
Some haunting scenes:
AUTUMN WOODS
The scene between Shaan and Austin Marie where they set up their musical instruments in a wood and practice singing.
The back drop of the leafless autumn woods is one of the most romantic a mind can imagine, and when they play their song you can ride the melody like a surfer rides a wave. The music for this one is exceptional.
Also the scene in the music class when Shaan plays the piano in his introductory routine .but I’ll say no more. Suffice to say that you won’t forget it soon.
RURAL PAKISTAN -The village of Nangarhar (or is it Kandarhar.one of them anyway) where Mary is living with an adopted family of sorts is depicted beautifully. It lies on the border between Afghanistan & Pakistan. The starkness of the landscape is like a painting in every frame. Even the jehaadis attack has echoes of some old master painting, but its brutal, make no mistake.
THE COURTROOM SCENE-Excellent, a number of the audience were clapping.
TORTURE SCENE-BRILLIANT
As far as actors go, I bow down to RASHEED NAAZ.- He has excelled beyond words.
His voice hypnotises, at least it hypnotised me. He speaks with a conviction only fanaticism can bring.
NASEERUDDINSHAH-I am so, so proud of you. As Maulana Wali, Islamic writer of great repute, he is called upon by Mary to set right some wrongs. He comes in for a short span of a few minutes, and changes the tone of the movie.
I believe he took no payment for this role.
IMAN ALI -is lovely to look at, I liked her character, she’s a fighter all the way.
SHAAN-what can I say, I am a fan.
FAWAD KHAN-great throughout, brilliant in the courtroom scene.
In a nutshell, this is not a movie to be missed.The jehadi angle is well explored, we can almost get into a young jehadi’s mind and observe his thinking process.
Saving the best for last, director SHOAIB MANSOOR-this is one gifted man, after 40 years we get to see a Pakistani movie in India, thankx to him. And the awards the movie has been winning internationally speak for themselves.
Roberto Rossellini Award in Italy.
Silver Pyramid Award in 31st Cairo’s International Film Festival, 2007.
Best Foreign Film Award at Muscat Film Festival.
It deserves every one of them.*