Daijiworld Media Network - Goa (MB)
from special correspondent
Panaji, Nov 16: Khuda Ke Liye (For God's Sake), a megahit Pakistani film that has incurred the wrath of some fundamentalist groups in that country for being critical of hardliner Islamic elements, will be the first-ever entry from the neighbouring nation in the competition section of the 38th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) starting here on November 23.
Starring popular Pakistani actor Shaan, and with Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah in the pivotal special appearance as a Maulavi who drives sense into the protagonists' mind, the film will compete with 15 other films for the top honours in the Asian-African-Latin American Competition, sources within festival organizers said here.
The Indian representation in the competition will be "Ratri Mazha (Night Rain)", a Malayalam movie directed by Lenin Rajendran and "Ekti Nadir Galpa (Tale of a River)" directed by noted production designer Samir Chanda.
Directed by Shoaib Mansoor, the Urdu-language "Khuda Ke Liye", with its theme that looks into the problems which Muslims in general and Pakistanis in particular are facing post 9/11 and the tension between fundamentalists and liberal Muslims, takes a look into these core issues through the story of a young music prodigy who joins a telelvision talent hunt show.
The film is about two brothers who are pop musicians in Lahore, one of whom gets radicalized under the influence of extremists, while the other goes to America and gets unlawfully detained after 9/11.
Released on July 20, it is one of the very few independent motion pictures to be released in Pakistan till now, far removed in its style from the typical local commercial cinema that often imitates Bollywood.
The other films in the competition are from Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, Iran, Israel, Maxico, Morocco, Russia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand, sources confirmed.
Iran which took away Golden Peacock for IFFI 2006 has its entry in the form of 'The Poet Child' (Amir Qasem Razi) while Bangladesh, which had the award for promising director last year, has "On the Wings of Dreams" by Golam Rabanny Biplab.
Argentina's Olga, Victoria Olga Time (director: Mercedes Farriols), Brazil's Alice's House (Chico Teixeiro), China's The Postmodern Life of my Aunt (Ann Hui), Colombia's A Ton of Luck (Rodrigo Triana), Israel's The Debt (Assaf Bernstein), Mexico's More than Anything in the World (Andres Leon Becker and Javier Solar), Moroco's The Satanic Angels (Ahmed Boulane), Russia's Leningrad (Alexander Buravsky), Sri Lanka's Cruel Embrace (Anuruddha Jayasinghe), Taiwan's The Wall (Lin Chih Ju) and Thailand's Me Myself (Pongpat Wachirabunjong) are the films in the competition.