Khuda Kay Liye(2008)

Comments [ 26 ] By Indra D. | 10 April 2008 | 12:14pm

Khuda Kay Liye Paki entertainer aimed at the thinking viewer.

Cast- Shan, Fawad Afzal Khan, Iman Ali, Naseeruddin Shah, Hameed Sheikh

Director-Shoaib Mansoor

Rating- **1/2

Reviewed by : Sampurn Anand

The Paki film industry has only been a poor cousin of Bollywood. That's the feeling we get looking at the quality of films (read poor copies of Bollywood), that Lollywood has churned out year after year for so many years...........Poor technique and lack of originality has done them in, time and again..

But this one that got Indian release months after the Pakistani release, and had some pleasant surprises in store. After the all glam med up 'Race' which lacked the basic - a good screenplay and the very poor '123', the viewers finally got the opportunity to spot a good story here. Wish the production values and the technical aspects were as good too…

This one's not a formula flick with silly song and dance routines. It's based around an issue.

The story did have a tale to tell and a message to convey. About the Muslim viewpoint- how the world looks at them post 9/11 and the pull they feel at home from fundamentalists! So the stuff talked about here is all real!

It's the story of two brothers (Shan and Fawad Khan) running together. While the younger brother falls in to the trap set by fundamentalists and leaves his music career to serve Islam, the elder brother leaves for US to pursue a career in music. And there is their uncle in London who is okay with having relationships with white women but Khuda Kay Liye

isn't okay with his daughter choosing a white husband. Height of hypocrisy, quite true to real life! The lead actress trying to escape from Afghanistan had glimpses of the Sally Field starrer 'Not without my daughter.'

This movie though should appeal to the intellectual class more, needs attention to grasp a few important things.

The chaste Urdu used in several portions is hard to comprehend. Guess subtitles would have helped the commoners a great deal.

The hero Shan does a pretty good job and you get to know why he is considered the Shah Rukh of Pakistan.

Even though at many times looks far too chubby to pass off as a youngster, he does well. So does the foreign actress Austin Marie Sayre cast opposite him! But then the track where people get carried away by the music of Pakistan in Chicago look a bit too far fetched! Didn't know Paki music was so very popular!

Paki model Iman Ali looks nice but could've done with better expressions. Fawad Khan the singer- actor plays second fiddle. He sleepwalks through the role at times, just like his character.

Hameed Sheikh plays the irritating and political Maulvi, and actually that proves that he is actually a good actor!

Our very own Naseeruddin Shah shines in a guest appearance. A very convincing Maulvi act! He is a powerhouse performer, no doubt about that!

If only the film had been provided with better production values and cinematography, 'Khuda Key Liye' would sure have been better on the whole! If you are looking at pure popcorn entertainment, then this one's not your cup of tea. If not, you can give it a try! (SAMPURN)

Copyright Sampurn

User Rating (8 Votes)

Views 6720

Go to top

A Guinness Record in sight for Director Ashok Mehta

Shah Rukh, Hrithik and I are above rumours: Rakesh Roshan

User Comments

If You are a member of India-forums, Then You can also log in here.

RELATED CELEBRITIES

Naseeruddin Shah

(8)

(10)

(1)

(29)

Page 1 of 3
previous
next
1
2
3

Date: 7/25/2008 3:04:17 PMcandy_lover_347
wow, whoever wrote this article must be a complete
idiot.

thanks for making it sound so racial.

you obviously want to start something.

and yeah. if lollywood is a poor cousin of bollywood. then what about tollywood and kollywood and wouldn't that make bollywood a poor cousin of hollywood .

work on writing your articles correctly first. and then post them.
Date: 5/31/2008 2:26:56 PMswordfishh
Talking about involuntary racism... Sorry... Thats no excuse... Harbhajan wouldnt get away calling Symonds a monkey and saying he was unaware monkey was a racist term... (He had to finally prove that he didnt say it at all...)

Similarly... However unintentional it might have been... Paki is an offensive and racist term... I have seen members getting banned from Pakistani forums for using the word Paki and here we have this word being used on an IF Publication... Thats a shame...

Calling Lollywood a poor cousin of Bollywood... I hope the author meant poor in economic terms... Cuz it is true that there is less money in Lollywood than in Bollywood...

Coming to Pakistani Music... For heavens sake there is no difference between Indian and Pakistani Music when it comes to Genre or type...!!! Indians do sing Ghazals and Pakistanis do sing Hindustani classical (The movie has quite a bit of Hindustani classical) .... There is no difference between Pakistani and Indian music other than the fact that the singers and musicians are either Pakistani or Indian by nationality... I find the whole classification of Type of Music into Indian or Pakistani very foolish...

So... If Indian Music can be popular... why can't Pakistani Music?? Considering both are the same!!

Since Lollywood is admittedly a poor cousin of Bollywood atleast in terms of money flowing into the industry...I think the technical inferiority (screenplay and cinematography) of this movie when opposed to its Indian counterparts is forgivable... For once it was a welcome break from the Jazzed up over the top Indian style of making movies... This one had a realistic touch to it...

To the person who said Indian Movies copy from old Pakistani movies... It is a vicious cycle... Indian movies copy from older Indian movies which also have Pakistani copies it...Further both copy from Hollywood......
Date: 5/31/2008 2:18:46 PMswordfishh
To the author of this post....
Talking about involuntary racism... Sorry... Thats no excuse... Harbhajan wouldnt get away calling Symonds a monkey and saying he was unaware monkey was a racist term... (He had to finally prove that he didnt say it at all...)

Similarly... However unintentional it might have been... Paki is an offensive and racist term... I have seen members getting banned from Pakistani forums for using the word Paki and here we have this word being used on an IF Publication... Thats a shame...

Calling Lollywood a poor cousin of Bollywood... I hope the author meant poor in economic terms... Cuz it is true that there is less money in Lollywood than in Bollywood...

Coming to Pakistani Music... For heavens sake there is no difference between Indian and Pakistani Music when it comes to Genre or type...!!! Indians do sing Ghazals and Pakistanis do sing Hindustani classical (The movie has quite a bit of Hindustani classical) .... There is no difference between Pakistani and Indian music other than the fact that the singers and musicians are either Pakistani or Indian by nationality... I find the whole classification of Type of Music into Indian or Pakistani very foolish...

So... If Indian Music can be popular... why can't Pakistani Music?? Considering both are the same!!

Yes screenplay and cinematography could have been better... But then as the author bluntly put, Lollywood is a poor cousin of Bollywood and the Pakistani film industry doesnt have that kind of money flowing in it... While Indian filmmakers pay their actors in crores, a Pakistani movie might be budgeted at a crore... Hence, technical inferiority of a Pakistani movie when opposed to over the top jazzed up Indian movies is totally forgivable... In fact the so-called poor cinematography made this movie look real...

Btw... Whoever said Indian movies copy from Pakistani movies... Please note... Its a vicious cy...
Date: 5/24/2008 12:24:47 PMkahish-rox
Wateva: its the best movie ever!!!
How very convenient to say OUR VERY OWN NASEERDIN SHAH was great but others from Pakistan weren't that good. the film lacked this, the actor was chubby....whatever!!! Almost all the Indian movies have been using paki music for a long time... so open your eyes and try to appreciate....The muvie is excellent, songs and background score are awesome, acting and script needs a standing ovation. Whoever wrote this article seriously needs to recheck their stances. Haha, Bollywood is considered as the low-class version of Hollywood. You aint that great, you know. So stop naming them PAKI actresses...Pakistani would look better. The most stupid and retarded article ever.
Date: 5/11/2008 4:33:53 AMMai4eva
who the hell wrote this artiale anyway???
1/2 rating?? khuda kay liye def deserves way more than tht...n this person's talking about pakistani music?? doesnt he know tht hits like tera mera rishta, tera yaqeen kyu, and the latest hits from the movie jannat are also from pakistan
hello??? worst article i ever read!
Date: 4/16/2008 8:53:46 AMsouljaboy12
darn got exam
well i read this rewiew but he needs to refer it as pakistan so no one gets offended it seems like a good movie the review it self made it interesting if only i didnt have exams i would run to the cinema to watch it i usually dont like these kind of flims but this one seems really good
Date: 4/15/2008 4:14:00 PMzeenie
WHT THE HELL
CAN I ASK WHO WROTE THIS ARTICLE??? IS THIS PERSON GOING TO START CONFRICTION IN THIS FORUM!!

WHY DOES THE ARTICLE SAY PAKI ACTOR/ACTRESS, WHY NOT PAKISTANI OR PAK FOR SHORT- I NEVER SEEM TO HEAR INDIANS BEING REFERED AS INIDIES-? I CLASSIFY THAT AS RACIST AND WISH IT TO BE SORTED IMMEDIATELY!
Date: 4/12/2008 5:16:37 PMshuki
ye.. i agree.. y cdnt d term PAKISTANI B USED INSTED...d oda term is offensive....
Date: 4/12/2008 9:45:10 AMXxkizzxX
Khuda Key Liye
AMAZING MOVIE!!!!! a must watch and i totally agree wiv sam_brat i cudnt ave put it betta myself dis is a gr8 movie n it wudnt have got all doze gr8 things sed about it as it did n i'd recomend all of u guys to watch it its amazing. wen i watched it i nearly had tears in my eyez at sum point coz i know dat dis is a real issue!! its a n gr8 movie u shud all go and spend some money on it n watch it!!!!
Date: 4/12/2008 6:25:09 AMuntamedvampire
KKL
I quite liked the movie, though it did get a few things wrong... especially the maulvi at the end... he made it sound as if music is totally allowed in Islam, but it isn't.

Review could have been better though, and I would prefer it if it used the word 'Pakistani' instead of 'Paki' :P