I have read a number of reviews of KKL on various websites and every review has just been fantasic. The film has been released with 100 prints all over India. The film is expected to do well.
More on KKL .....
Indian cinegoers’ emotions are running high as the first Pakistani film releases here after 40 years. Two more are coming. The reception Pakistan’s big screen dreams receive in India, both critically and commercially, will go a long way in cementing cinematic ties between the countries, says Nandini Raghavendra.
When Neelam Kapur, director of film festivals got hold of the DVD of Khuda Kay Liye (KKL) for the International Film Festival (IFFI) in Goa last year—thanks to Naseeruddin Shah who has acted in the film—the last thing she expected was to have to hold three screenings! But word-of-mouth praise had moved fast and cine fans were eager to watch it.
KKL was the first Pakistani film to be screened at an Indian film festival. On April 4, 43 years after the last Pakistani film was released in India, KKL was released by Percept Picture Company (PPC) with 100 prints. “It is an important moment for both the countries and an emotional moment for me as well. I have a hidden wish that the film fares well in India and becomes a basis for the Pakistani film industry,” said the movie’s director Shoaib Mansoor, who is in Mumbai for the historic premiere.
While Shailendra Singh of PPC thinks he is being conservative with 100 prints, it is big business for Mansoor, who released KKL with just 20 prints in Pakistan.
And therein lies the million-rupee question. India means big business and big bucks for Pakistan. Veteran distributor Shyam Shroff of Shringar Films explains: “Reciprocity is important as they must have access to our market, which is bigger. There is definitely a niche market here for their Pushtu and Punjabi fare, while the Urdu fare has a big market.” But the case of Mansoor, who is on a 50:50 revenue sharing with PPC, is different.
At Rs 5 crore, the budget of KKL is by far one of the biggest (Pakistani movies usually have budgets of Rs 1-2 crore). Shot in the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the quality of production is impressive, the story touching and the music great. Even with 20 prints, Mansoor grossed Rs 7 crore in Pakistan.
His 10 prints in the UK earned Rs 80 lakh, while four prints in the UAE raked in Rs 40 lakh. He says that had the political situation in Pakistan not been as it is, the film would have been a bigger hit at home and would have grossed much more. “People who hadn’t been to theatres in years came and saw the film,” adds Mansoor, who had to go into hiding after he received death threats from some extremists.
Following in the footsteps of KKL, two more Pakistani films are being released between April and May. After two decades in the distribution business, Indrajit Singh Bhatia is gearing up to release his first Pakistani movie. After releasing dozens of Hindi movies and Oscar-winning Hollywood flicks, Bhatia, who had also pitched to distribute KKL, is releasing Salaakhein (Urdu) and Mohabattan Sachiyan (Punjabi).
Bhatia’s Innovision will distribute two of Pakistan director Shehzad Rafique’s ventures. Both are on a revenue-sharing basis with the respective producers. “There is no ban on showing Pakistani films. And these are good movies. Salaakhein ran for 75 weeks in Pakistan and being an Urdu film, it has a good market in India,” says Bhatia, who plans to release 50 prints across UP, Delhi, Hyderabad, Maharashtra and Gujarat in single-screen and multiplex theatres.
So what is the market for Pakistani films? Is this, if at all, a threat to Indian cinema? Bhatia says there is a market, albeit a niche one, for a few chosen films. The other fact, of course, is that with annual production down to 25-30 films, there are just a handful to choose from anyway.
However, Bhatia says that if the movies he is releasing do a business of Rs 1 lakh per print, he would be a happy distributor even with the revenue-sharing. On the other hand, Singh is playing a conservative card with a 100-print run as he is sure of the potential of KKL.
“It is like a fantastic bottle of wine and we are being very selective about the theatres we release the film in as well as the shows. We want the film to speak for itself as the subject matter is unique and very well-told. The music is contemporary and it has the potential to open a great market,” says Singh, who has spent Rs 1.3 crore in marketing the film. He is confident of netting Rs 10-12 crore. PPC also holds the worldwide satellite rights for the movie.
Besides the unusual subject, the presence of Pakistani superstar Shaan is an added attraction. Shaan is the highest-paid actor in Pakistan. He charges Rs 8-10 lakh for movies and up to Rs 1 crore for brand endorsements. Praise for Shaan comes from all quarters—from Yash Chopra to Shyam Shroff and Singh. “He’s on par with your Aamir Khan, but he has not got the exposure,” says Mansoor.
Speaking to ET from Lahore, Shaan said besides KKL, the Punjabi commercial movies—most of which he features in—would be a perfect hit in India. “I feel films like Om Shanti Om do not reflect India at all. Whatever happened to Salim-Javed? There is a lot of copying from Hollywood as well. Much of it is crap and India does not need to copy such movies at all. Now is the time for Indian cinema to excel as pure cinema and for filmmakers to go beyond being mere money-makers,” he said.
KKL can be seen as an exception, being a critically-acclaimed movie. Mansoor recalls the ovation in Cairo and acknowledges that the Muslim population will definitely associate with the film as it depicts the problems and dilemmas of modern Muslims. It talks about the xenophobic tendencies of the world against Muslims in general, so Mansoor raises the voice of liberal Muslims caught between the fundamentalists and the irrational cynicism of the world after the 9/11 attacks in the US.
“I wanted to project the tragedy of a liberal Muslim, who is not considered a good Muslim within the faith because of his modern outlook. Outside his religion, however, he is labelled a fundamentalist just because he has a Muslim name,” says Mansoor.
While KKL may open the doors for the Pakistani film industry, the lack of infrastructure forbids the rest of the few films from finding a market outside their home territory.
Speaking to ET from Karachi, producer Rashid Khwaja laments: “Currently, we cannot leverage even the few films that we make and explore markets outside Pakistan because of a complete lack of infrastructure. In fact, in the present scenario, it is not viable to produce films.” Just a little over a decade ago, in 1995, Khwaja’s Yeh Dil Aap Ka Hua grossed as much as Rs 12 crore. Today, Khwaja and many other passionate film-makers are turning to TV.
“The critical factor is that between our three languages, the supply of Pakistani films has to increase,” says noted Pakistani director Syed Noor.
A beginning has been made and it has given both the countries’ film industries a ray of hope. For the Pakistani film industry, a huge dose of much-needed oxygen and for India, a hope to find support for a legitimate trek beyond the final frontier.
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Khuda Kay Liye - A fantastic film from across the border SAVIO ZACHARIA, IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, April 02, 2008]
Khuda Ke Liye better known as ‘ In the name of God ‘internationally has been highly acclaimed at several film festivals and has bagged several prestigious awards. The film has been directed by Pakistan’s most renowned TV producer Shoaib Mansoor who has been the mastermind behind the success of the comedy play ‘Fifty Fifty’.
This time around Shoaib gets into a more serious note exploring certain fundamentalists false beliefs circling Islam and the state of Muslims in today’s contemporary modern society. The film also dwells into the state of Muslims living abroad post the 9/11 attacks.
The film that had a fatwa issued against it by some radical maulvi's and had the director of the movie fleeing Pakistan as soon as the movie was released fearing his life finally releases in India courtesy Percept Picture Company.
The movie revolves around two musician brothers – Mansoor(Shaan) and Sarmad (Fahwad Khan) who have their own popular music group in Pakistan. Music is considered ‘Haram’ by certain fundamentalist groups and thus one day Sarmad is lured by fanatical Maulvi Tahiri (Rasheed Naz) into joining his ranks as a fundamentalist and giving up music and all other things perceived as haram.
Meanwhile UK-based uncle of the boys, worried by the prospect of his daughter Mary(Iman Ali) having an affair with a white British, traps her into a visit to Pakistan and sends her into an Afghan village where she is forcefully married off to Sarmad under the influence of Maulvi Tahiri.
Then the disastrous 9/11 occurs and Mansoor is detained on the grounds of being Muslim by U.S. authorities who beat and torture him to elicit a confession of his role in terrorism. While Mansoor is held captive by U.S. authorities his younger brother Samrad gets involved in the battle between Taliban, US forces and Northern Alliance. Now Mary too is held captive in the frontier village and can’t break free from the chains of a forced marriage.
‘Khuda Ke Liye ‘is truly a splendid offering to the world of cinema. People may call it a Pakistani film but the film is truly international carrying a star cast which is a mix of Pakistanis, Indians and Americans. The film also addresses an international subject; the state of Muslims all over the globe. The plot surely stems from within the dynamics of Pakistan and its rigid functional laws and ethos but the film truly makes a global mark.
The director Shoaib Mansoor deserves a standing ovation to firstly dare to make such a film being a resident of Pakistan and secondly for changing our perception about Pakistani cinema being low budget, mediocre quality flicks. ‘Khuda Ke Liye’ has been very well conceived and executed by Mansoor and his team. The film brings about the resurgence of cinema in Pakistan.
Mansoor has combined with Geo TV network to produce a massive and hard hitting film such as this. Mansoor has fused in various controversial issues such as religious extremism , racial profiling , status of women in Islam , Music according to Islam and cultural contextualization of religion to provide a real hard hitting film.
The direction and screenplay is top notch as the film moves gradually from one character to another. The cinematography and editing too is good. The film captures the beautiful locales of Pakistan, Afghanistan and USA very well. The cuts are sharp and the edit fuses well with the transition in the narrative.
The dialogues of the film are hard hitting and may be objectionable by certain Muslim groups. Like Naseeruddin Shah’s delivery of ‘deen me dadhi hai, dadhi me deen nahi‘ (In religion there is beard, not religion is in beard).
The music of the film is just splendid. Unlike Hindi films, the actors don’t break into a 4 min song or so, rather the songs are played mostly in the background and yet hook onto you. The ‘Allah Hoo’, ‘Bhulla Samjaiya’ and title track are worth listening to over and over again.
On the acting front all actors are effective but it’s primarily Shaan and Rasheed Naz who steal the show. Actor Shaan is just so versatile and even the accents implemented by him as he goes to the US is just smooth. His dialogue delivery too is sleek. Just watch the scene where he is being interrogated by the US officials in the cell constantly. His expressions change from fear to anger and hatred and the way he responds to the threats from the officials is fantastic.
Rasheed Naz brings in the elegant, fundamentalistic , religious maulvi element with ease. He poisons Samrad’s mind in a very realistic manner with debatable issues. His dialogues too are very effective as he describes music to be ‘Haram’ and sends out his troop to fight the war stating it to be ‘Allah Miya’s’ call.
Pakistani model Iman Ali too does a good job at depicting the captivity and turmoil within a woman. Fahwad Khan who came into the film on Pakistani Pop icon Ali Zafar’s refusal to do the role does a good job. He expresses well as the young lad sandwiched between his elder brothers’ thoughts and the maulvi’s fundamentalist views. His delivery at the court sequence really impresses as he argues that he never used to read the Quran but wasn’t a bad Muslim either.
Naseeruddin Shah comes very late into the film as Maulana Wali but delivers some of the best dialogues of the film. He tackles various issues such as music in Islam and other cultural elements which aren’t a part of the religion. He intensifies and argues about the Muslim ‘Huliya’(looks). ‘haraam ki kamai jeb me rakhkar, halal ghosht ki dukaan dhoondhte hain‘ (People look for Halal meat shops with inappropriate earnings in their pocket) are lines that strike gold.
On the whole, ‘Khuda Ke Liye’ does have minor glitches but the storytelling and theme of the film is just so intense that one never tends to dwell on those aspects. The film is definitely a must watch and Shaan’s letter towards the end of the film leaves behind a message to all across the globe that surely helps in clearing the misconception that every terrorist is a Muslim and vice-versa.
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It wont be big box-office hit, coz not many indians know (even not Pakistanis) that KKL has been released in India and i have a lots of indian channels but there are hardly any promotion shown of KKL.
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The film has got such huge-criticla acclaim and just go to google wirte Khuda Kay Liye AND India and search in the News Section and u will be stunned!!!!!
I am soo happy that the media has appreciated the film and finnaly a Pakistani Film has been released in India and got such a good response!!!
But the publicity has been soo poor tht i havent seen an single promo of the movie of any of the indian channels.Thats such a upset.
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MR NICE its such a good news in the article that the distributor Indrajit Singh Bhatia is releasing Salakhain and Mohbbataan Sachiyaan.I think so he should also take Koi Tujh Sa Kahaan.I did heard tht KTSK will be released by distributors tht was namded Baba Films.I relli dont know wat happened after that.
Mehreen Jabbar is just waiting for to the fix the india release date of the film so she could release her film simaltaniously in both of the countries.It will also make us proud.
If Kabhi Pyar Na Karna is a good film,it should also release there.
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afridi_hasnat said:
MR NICE its such a good news in the article that the distributor Indrajit Singh Bhatia is releasing Salakhain and Mohbbataan Sachiyaan.I think so he should also take Koi Tujh Sa Kahaan.I did heard tht KTSK will be released by distributors tht was namded Baba Films.I relli dont know wat happened after that.
Mehreen Jabbar is just waiting for to the fix the india release date of the film so she could release her film simaltaniously in both of the countries.It will also make us proud.
If Kabhi Pyar Na Karna is a good film,it should also release there.
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afridi_hasnat said:
The film has got such huge-criticla acclaim and just go to google wirte Khuda Kay Liye AND India and search in the News Section and u will be stunned!!!!!
I am soo happy that the media has appreciated the film and finnaly a Pakistani Film has been released in India and got such a good response!!!
But the publicity has been soo poor tht i havent seen an single promo of the movie of any of the indian channels.Thats such a upset.
i know u must be surprised..coz u guyz had always negative thoughts
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Khuda Kay Liye
Cast: Shaan, Fawad Khan, Iman Ali, Rasheed Naaz, Naseeruddin Shah Director: Shoaib Mansoor Rating: ****
Inaccurate interpretation of religious books like the Quran, the trauma of liberal Muslims in Pakistan and Muslim-bashing post 9/11 forced Pakistani director Shoaib Mansoor to take the bold step to make 'Khuda Kay Liye', which in many ways is an eye opener.
Centred around Islam, the film from Pakistan has struck an instant chord with audiences worldwide because it touches upon issues that have given rise to biases against Muslims, thanks to Islamic fundamentalists.
'Khuda Kay Liye' also focuses on what being a modern Muslim really means in Pakistan.
While it is a tad lengthy, it works all the way thanks to Mansoor's narrative skills. And the movie drives home the point it wants to make without being overtly melodramatic.
'Khuda Kay Liye', which hit the screens here Friday, is the first Pakistani film to have a commercial release in India in more than four decades. It was released in Pakistan, the US, Britain and UAE last year.
The narrative revolves around a well-educated and affluent Pakistani family, whose members are based in three continents, and through them, the director connects incidents that take place in different places.
Mansoor (Shaan) and Sarmad (Fawad Afzal Khan) are brothers, both in love with music. They lead an ideal life with their parents in Pakistan.
But Sarmad is influenced by a fundamentalist group lead by Mullah Tahiri (Rasheed Naaz). With his conformist views, he brainwashes the young singer and forces him to take up arms and join the jihad.
Unlike his brother, Mansoor (Shaan) refuses to be taken in by the cleric's ideas and moves to the US to pursue his music career, little knowing that he would become a victim of racial abuse there.
On the other hand, their cousin Maryam, (Imaan Ali) who lives with her father in Britain, becomes the victim of her father's conservatism and orthodox nature. She is tricked into marrying Sarmad, who locks her up in an unknown place near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The film's climax sees an argument between Maulana Wali (Naseeruddin Shah) and Mullah Tahiri. Through Naseer's character, the director has tried to show how fundamentalists misinterpret the Quran and corrupt the mind of the youngsters, forcing them to turn against women and music, art and culture.
Focusing on the dilemma of young, liberal Muslims, who don't have any connection to terrorism, the film shows how the lives of these youngsters were turned upside down when terrorists struck the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York on Sep 11, 2001.
It highlights how almost all Muslims were treated as terror suspects post the attack.
Mansoor's narrative is supported by strong performances by the entire cast. Rasheed Naaz's piercing eyes send a chill down your spine, while Shaan, who represents liberal modern Muslims, wows audiences with his emoting and brings tears to the eyes when he is being tortured in prison.
Naseer's stupendous performance enhances the film storyline.
Mansoor has an innate understanding of music, which is reflected well in 'Khuda Kay Liye'.v The film is a must watch.
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shahrukh khan said:
afridi_hasnat said:
MR NICE its such a good news in the article that the distributor Indrajit Singh Bhatia is releasing Salakhain and Mohbbataan Sachiyaan.I think so he should also take Koi Tujh Sa Kahaan.I did heard tht KTSK will be released by distributors tht was namded Baba Films.I relli dont know wat happened after that.
Mehreen Jabbar is just waiting for to the fix the india release date of the film so she could release her film simaltaniously in both of the countries.It will also make us proud.
If Kabhi Pyar Na Karna is a good film,it should also release there.
KTSK release kara kar besti karwani hai kya
Its a good movie,its your choice if u didnt liked it. The media and ppl have appreciated it.
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shahrukh khan said:
afridi_hasnat said:
The film has got such huge-criticla acclaim and just go to google wirte Khuda Kay Liye AND India and search in the News Section and u will be stunned!!!!!
I am soo happy that the media has appreciated the film and finnaly a Pakistani Film has been released in India and got such a good response!!!
But the publicity has been soo poor tht i havent seen an single promo of the movie of any of the indian channels.Thats such a upset.
i know u must be surprised..coz u guyz had always negative thoughts
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Now something about the Box-Office response of KKL....
‘Khuda Kay Liye’ starts well at box-office April 7th, 2008 - 5:13 pm ICT by admin - Email This Post Email This Post
Mumbai, April 7 (IANS) “Khuda Kay Liye,” the first Pakistani film to find a theatrical release in India in a big way in over four decades, has got a decent opening here. Released Friday, director Shoaib Mansoor’s film about the predicament of Muslims has registered 40 to 50 percent collection in Mumbai till Sunday. While the collection in the city has remained at 40 percent, it has gradually been picking up in the suburbs.
Till Sunday, the collections reached 50 percent in all suburban multiplexes showing the movie.
Considering the fact that “Khuda Kay Liye” was released in 25 theatres in Mumbai with 35 prints, the 50 percent collections mean that the movie has earned more money per print than some recent Bollywood releases.
“The movie has been released in 100 screens across the main cities of India with 63 prints and it has been doing well everywhere,” said Ashok Ahuja, director, Percept Picture Company, the movie’s India distributor.
Shyam Shroff of Shringar Films, which released the movie in Mumbai for Percept, described the audience’s response to the movie as “very good”.
Shroff said the movie’s collections would pick up further as the week progressed and its merits spread by word of mouth.
Percept planned the release strategy of “Khuda Kay Liye” carefully so as not to raise expectations.
“In any case, given the movie’s sensitive theme, it was never expected to get a bumper opening. But the response it has received so far is close to our expectations,” Shroff added.
Percept and Shringar knew fully well that “Khuda Kay Liye” would gain popularity in India only through word-of-mouth publicity. Therefore, they did not try to create hype over the movie before its release.
The good opening is despite the fact that the chaste Urdu the characters speak is not easily comprehensible to the general audience.
According to trade analysts, “Khuda Kay Liye” has achieved more at the box-office than some of the commercial Hindi movies do with a lot of publicity.
Ahuja said that the movie would be released in smaller towns in the coming weeks.
Starring Shaan, Fawad Khan, Iman Ali, Rasheed Naaz and Naseeruddin Shah, the film was huge success in Pakistan.
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afridi_hasnat said:
Now something about the Box-Office response of KKL....
‘Khuda Kay Liye’ starts well at box-office April 7th, 2008 - 5:13 pm ICT by admin - Email This Post Email This Post
Mumbai, April 7 (IANS) “Khuda Kay Liye,” the first Pakistani film to find a theatrical release in India in a big way in over four decades, has got a decent opening here. Released Friday, director Shoaib Mansoor’s film about the predicament of Muslims has registered 40 to 50 percent collection in Mumbai till Sunday. While the collection in the city has remained at 40 percent, it has gradually been picking up in the suburbs.
Till Sunday, the collections reached 50 percent in all suburban multiplexes showing the movie.
Considering the fact that “Khuda Kay Liye” was released in 25 theatres in Mumbai with 35 prints, the 50 percent collections mean that the movie has earned more money per print than some recent Bollywood releases.
“The movie has been released in 100 screens across the main cities of India with 63 prints and it has been doing well everywhere,” said Ashok Ahuja, director, Percept Picture Company, the movie’s India distributor.
Shyam Shroff of Shringar Films, which released the movie in Mumbai for Percept, described the audience’s response to the movie as “very good”.
Shroff said the movie’s collections would pick up further as the week progressed and its merits spread by word of mouth.
Percept planned the release strategy of “Khuda Kay Liye” carefully so as not to raise expectations.
“In any case, given the movie’s sensitive theme, it was never expected to get a bumper opening. But the response it has received so far is close to our expectations,” Shroff added.
Percept and Shringar knew fully well that “Khuda Kay Liye” would gain popularity in India only through word-of-mouth publicity. Therefore, they did not try to create hype over the movie before its release.
The good opening is despite the fact that the chaste Urdu the characters speak is not easily comprehensible to the general audience.
According to trade analysts, “Khuda Kay Liye” has achieved more at the box-office than some of the commercial Hindi movies do with a lot of publicity.
Ahuja said that the movie would be released in smaller towns in the coming weeks.
Starring Shaan, Fawad Khan, Iman Ali, Rasheed Naaz and Naseeruddin Shah, the film was huge success in Pakistan.
Word of Mouth is also good,but that dosent mean that they should not even show a single trailor of da film on channels?
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irst ever Pak film attracts huge audience
HARMEET SINGH
Jammu, Apr 6: The first ever Pakistani film Khuda Ke Liye (In the name of God), which was released this Friday at Apsra Theater in Jammu got good response the people here. The film is also attracting audiences as it has bagged many international awards for its interpretation of the Muslim society in the post 9/11 world and the subsequent ethnic profiling. The film directed by Shoaib Mansoor, features Shaan, Iman Ali and Austin Marie Sayre in the lead roles. Naseeruddin Shah plays the prominent role of a Muslim cleric, Maulana Wali in a special appearance. The movie has won many awards including the best movie at 31st Cairo International Film Festival, best foreign film award at Muscat Film Festival and has been honoured with the Roberto Rossellini Award in Italy. Knitting the activities in three continents, the film is about the situations being faced by Muslims in the post 9/11world. The theme of movie makes a point that post 9/11 world is witnessing cracks not only with the Muslim world but also widening gulf between Islamic and the Western world. The story also raises many questions about two major issues, religious extremism and racial profiling. It also movingly touches upon the struggle between fundamentalists and liberal Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11. The movie revolves around a young Pakistani man who goes to the US for higher education, but gets caught in the whirlpool of post 9/11 events and got arrested, while back home his music lover younger brother is motivated by his extremist friend Shershah to quit music and follow the “religious struggle”. The film has importance in India especially in Jammu and Kashmir, as it is the first Pakistani film, which has been released commercially in India after a gap of 40 years. The film was released on Friday with 100 prints in 110 cinema halls across India. Vinod Koul manager of the Apsara Theatre Jammu, where the film is running, said that though there was no much rush on the first day, but viewing the emotional value of the first-ever Pakistani film for the people of Jammu, rush is expected to grow within next few days. However the viewers have both emotional and political reaction. Muhammad Imran said that the movie highlight the theme of extremism and many sensitive questions related to it. He said that it was for the first time that he watched Pakistani actors in a movie theatre. “This was amazing and different,” he said.