KHUDA KE LIYE - DEKHO!

Khuda Ke Liye starts as a story of two rock musician brothers Mansoor and Sarmad are at the prime of their careers and are based at Pakistan. The younger, Sarmad however comes in contact with a religious extremist group headed by Moulana brainwashes his mind into believing that pursuing music is against Islam. Slowly and subsequently he gives up music, starts keeping a beard and separates himself from his family to join the fundamentalists.

The story diversifies into a parallel track where Sarmad’s uncle is settled in London is worried of losing his only daughter Mary to a British guy who she is in love with and wants to get married to. Despite the fact that the father himself is in a live-in relationship with a British woman! He justifies his double-standards offering the excuse that Islam allows a man to have relationship outside their religion but not a woman. So he gets his daughter to Pakistan to by lying to her that they are going to meet his family and get her married with a prospective Pakistani groom. Funny part is we have seen such Scene in a recently released Hindi movie Namastey London, but this one fortunately doesn’t lead to exploiting patriotic sentiments but on the contrary shows how the daughter is cheated in settling in country, absolutely alien to her.

The father initially asks Mansoor to get married to Mary but when he refuses, Sarmad is approached. Sarmad agrees and Mary is forcibly married off to him at the outskirts of undeveloped Afghanistan. The father heartlessly leaves Mary behind in a region so rural that he finds difficult to use the toilets there.He does all this just because his descendants are Pakistanis!

On the other hand, the liberal Muslim, Mansoor’s story proceeds as he migrates to US to study music. Fall in love with a US girl and also gets married to her after the approval of his family. But unfortunately after the 9/11 attack he is wrongly accused of being involved with terrorist organizations since he’s a Muslim.

The Movie remarkably reveals the plight of Muslim in three different continents and connects them in a fascinating way to comprehensively capture all interconnected issues. Not only does the film exhibit a drift between the Muslims and the Western World but also internally amongst the Muslim community amid the Liberals and the Extremists.

The climax is set in a courtroom and it clears all ancient myths about Islam of men growing beard, women being behind veil and youngsters abhorring music and Western attire.

Naseeruddin Shah playing a Muslim cleric who gives a disclosing discourse on how the fanatic fundamentalists manipulate Islam for their personal gains. All in the name of God!

Language wont be an issue since there is Urdu and English spoken primarily in the movie.

Music undoubtedly is a highlight with the Sufi rock-number Bandya and the devotional track Allah Ho.. this is definitely in my playlist now!

All I can say is for God’s sake, don't miss Khuda Ke Liye!