Source: Hindi Song.com

Movie profile: Shoaib Mansoor

After the success of his debut film, Khuda Kay Liye, which wowed both sides of the border, Pakistani director Shoaib Mansoor is almost ready for an Indo-Pakistan production - but only if he finds a disciplined cast

One would think that Shoaib Mansoor would only be too happy to do an Indo-Pakistan production after the appreciation he received for Kudha Ke Liye. Instead, he cautiously avers that yes, although he would love to work on a cross-border production, he needs a disciplined star cast. Before he expands on that, he reverts back to Khuda Kay Liye. The film portrayed the insecurities of the Muslim world post 9/11. Mansoor examined the issue with great sensitivity, refraining from blaming any one side and endeavored to point out that although religion is by itself good, it is often misused for personal gain. He proved spectacularly successful, impressing audiences on both sides of the border.

The story follows two brothers - Mansoor, an ex-EP singer (Shaan) and Sarmad, a model-actor (Fawad Khan). While preparing for a concert, the concert stage is destroyed by a group of men on motorcycles. The movie continues to explore more meaningless violence committed in the name of religion. In the meantime, Sarmad meets with a Maulana Sahab (Rasheed Naz), who starts preaching Islamic rites to him. Slowly, Sarmad becomes a staunch follower, removes pictures from the walls of his house and tries to make his mother wear the Hijab.

Meanwhile, Maryam or Mary (Iman Ali), the boys’ cousin who has grown up in London, wants to marry her white boyfriend much to the horror of her father who is appalled at the thought that his grandchildren may not be Muslim. This, although he himself is living with a British woman. Khuda Kay Liye examined the hypocrisies surrounding modern religion in a way that few films do.

For Shoaib, the possibility of working in an Indo-Pakistan production is exciting but he insists that he needs to have a disciplined cast. Although he had planned a sequel to Kuda Ke Liye, he is not too sure about whether it will happen now. He says he had cast members who behaved badly. Like Shaan, who stated in an interview that the debutant director had made a film only for himself and his close friends. And no, he did not apologize after the film’s success. Clearly, Shoaib is not keen to work with actors like Shaan again. However, he is more than willing to work with actors like Naseeruddin Shah, the veteran who said he’d act for free after hearing the script. Acting, Shoaib says, is more than just the money.

While he is grateful that Kuda Ke Liye did well in Pakistan (with President President Pervez Mushraff’s endorsement, no less), he does say that the problem of religious bigotry, which exists both in India and Pakistan, needs to be addressed through more films. In his case, handling that highly sensitive issue proved easy because he ensured that he did his research well. His next film, we hope, will be as hard-hitting as his first.

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Tags: debut film, director Shoaib Mansoor, Indo-Pakistan production, Khuda Kay Liye