Feline Musings

I regularly follow Rajeev Masand’s movie reviews but I don’t always approve of his criticism. Sometimes he comes down too harshly in his critical review and choice of words, though his reviews are mostly precise. However, I could not but appreciate him for his words, when he said, “Khuda Kay Liye is still an immensely engaging film because it’s made from the heart.” This is an apt summary of the cosmopolitan intent of the movie.

In spite of the theatrical facial expressions, dialogue delivery and performances by many actors, the movie is hard-hitting and it lingers in your mind for days. The entire pathos of the movie is very moving, but the most moving is the end, where a small family scene depicts the triumph of hope over life-turning traumatic experiences. This is the biggest success of the script writer, who managed to weave the threads of hope and peace in a movie that is primarily about fear, desperation, dejection, mental and physical trauma, and also the sad plight of women.

The script is bright and intelligent. It manages to find victory even in the most dire of circumstances. The victory of truth, love, upbringing, education, art, and of self-discovery. The characters believe that they have found the purpose of their lives, only to be driven by fate into directions absolutely opposed to their aims in life, and also unimagined in their wildest of dreams. Be it the fundamentalist who provokes rebellion, or the artist who faces severe life crisis, or the woman who finds herself and her soul virtually imprisoned, or even the cosmopolitan saint who thinks prayer is his only duty towards being a good human-being, the wheel of destiny turns a full-circle to shake the firm foundations of each one’s belief.

This movie is not about winning, or getting back to an idealistic pre-defined way of life. It is about breaking barriers and yet accepting the massive cycle of change that engulfs one and all. It is about accepting change and moving into another phase of one’s life, bravely accepting the pain, but most importantly reliving hope. And hidden amidst all this is one message that warns us against mass-categorization and misinterpretation of beliefs, ideals, words, actions, and the mysteries of our human existence. We are all unique, and this movie is unique in its attempt to find order in chaos.

The background score of this movie is also fresh and the mix of western and eastern symphony is quite impactful. In fact the violence and the somber aspects of the movie have been beautifully subdued by the sound of music. Where the actors sometimes fail to emote, the music fills the gap, for example, the song Allaha Ho is placed at the precise moment, where a host of emotions are supposed to have engulfed the prime players in the scene. You expect an uproar, intense melodrama, even violence, but there is none, because the music starts at the precise moment and guides the story line into the next frame.

Watch this movie not because its an eye-opener, or a new creative dimension of Pakistani cinema; watch it because it is fresh and different. For once don’t watch a movie with a critical eye, or as an entertainer. Watch it because in a time when big-budget movies with skimpy clothes, cacophony in the name of music and weak lyrics and scripts are failing to make their mark at the box office, here is one movie with a script, music and a soul … and this makes it a living reflection of our life and times.

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