Khuda Ke Liye
Encyclopedia
Khuda Kay Liye is a 2007
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...

 Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

i Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

-language drama film written, directed and produced by Shoaib Mansoor
Shoaib Mansoor
Shoaib Mansoor , PP, SI, is an acclaimed Pakistani film and television producer, director, writer, lyricist and composer.-Career:...

, starring Shaan, Iman Ali
Iman Ali
Iman Ali is a Pakistani actress and model.She is the second daughter of television/film actor Abid Ali with his first wife, Humaira Ali. She has two sisters, Maryam and Rahma Ali and both are actresses....

, Fawad Afzal Khan
Fawad Afzal Khan
Fawad Afzal Khan is a Pakistani actor, singer and model. He is most widely recognized for his performance in the 2007 movie Khuda Kay Liye by Shoaib Mansoor. Khan is also widely known for being the lead singer of Pakistani rock band Entity Paradigm....

 and Hameed Sheikh
Hameed Sheikh
Hameed Sheikh Actor,and producer Hameed Sheikh is one of Pakistan’s best known television stars.Born in Quetta, Balochistan in 1969,Sheikh began his career in local theatre and school productions,...

. Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...

, an Indian actor known for his performances in Indian parallel cinema and theater also appears in the film.

Most of the film was shot on location in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

 and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Produced by Geo TV
Geo TV
Geo TV or Geo Television is a Pakistani television network, founded by Mr. Mir Shakil ur Rehman in May 2002 and owned by Independent Media Corporation. The channel began test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning 1 October 2002...

, Khuda Kay Liye was theatrically released in Pakistan on July 20, 2007 and grossed over $10 million worldwide. Critical response was generally positive, with some religious conservatives criticizing the film and called for a ban in Pakistan. Overall, there was a tremendous curiosity around the film due to the presence of big names. It resulted in a grand opening, and the film turned out to be a huge commercial as well as a critical success in Pakistan and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

Plot

Three different people from different continents have problems that relate to South Asian culture and the subsequent misinterpretations of Islam in Pakistan's society.

Two brothers who are singers, Mansoor (Shaan) and Sarmad (Fawad), become two of the best singers in Lahore. Sarmad becomes influenced by an Islamic activist. He begins to practice the extremist interpretation of Islam, grows a beard and goes against music, putting pressure on his free-spirited family to comply. Those parties interpret certain verses of the Quran and Hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....

 (Islamic religious texts) to call for a ban on music and pictures.

In England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, Mary/Mariam (played by actor-model Iman Ali
Iman Ali
Iman Ali is a Pakistani actress and model.She is the second daughter of television/film actor Abid Ali with his first wife, Humaira Ali. She has two sisters, Maryam and Rahma Ali and both are actresses....

) is a westernized British Pakistani girl in love with a British boy named Dave. Her hypocritical father disapproves, despite the fact that he is living with a British woman to whom he is not married. He tells Mary that they are going to Pakistan for a trip and that once they return she can marry Dave. This, however, is a trap. While touring FATA
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semi-autonomous tribal region in the northwest of Pakistan, lying between the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the neighboring country of Afghanistan. The FATA comprise seven Agencies and six FRs...

, he has her forcibly married to Sarmad, who is her cousin. Mary is then abandoned in FATA at her new household.

Meanwhile, Mansoor goes to a music school in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

. There, he meets a girl called Janie and instantly falls in love with her. She quits alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

 for him, and they eventually get married. After 9/11, FBI officers capture him when someone overhears a drunk man accusing Mansoor of being a terrorist. Subsequently, he is tortured for a year in custody just because of his Islamic background.

Mary manages to run away but is caught by Sarmad in the process. She is kept under strict supervision and, due to this incident, Sarmad eventually consummates their marriage by force. She doesn't lose hope, managing to sneak a letter to Dave under the guise of writing to her father. Mansoor and Sarmad's parents finally come to her rescue under the protection of the British government, but Mary, driven by vengeance, then takes her father and cousin to court in Pakistan. There, a Maulana (Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...

) explains to the court how Islam is being butchered in the name of war and hatred, bringing the religion forward in a believable and peaceful manner.

Traumatized by all the suffering he has seen and caused, Sarmad withdraws from the case. He also realizes the damage that he was made to do in the name of religion. Mary is now free and returns to the village where she was kept prisoner so she can educate the girls there. Meanwhile, Mansoor is still in U.S. custody after a year of torment; the last torture session having inflicted permanent brain damage. After a failed rehab attempt, he is deported and reunited with his family in Pakistan where, thanks to the hope of his family, he begins to slowly recover.

Cast

  • Shaan as Mansoor
  • Fawad Afzal Khan as Sarmad
  • Iman Ali
    Iman Ali
    Iman Ali is a Pakistani actress and model.She is the second daughter of television/film actor Abid Ali with his first wife, Humaira Ali. She has two sisters, Maryam and Rahma Ali and both are actresses....

     as Maryam/Mary
  • Naseeruddin Shah
    Naseeruddin Shah
    Naseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...

     as Maulana Wali
  • Austin Marie Sayre as Janie
  • Rasheed Naz
    Rasheed Naz
    Rasheed Naz is a Pakistani film and television actor. He was born in Peshawar, N W F P.In 1971, he started his television career as an actor in Pushto television play. Rasheed Naz work in several Pashtu and Urdu language plays. His first Urdu play was Aik Tha Gaoon . His first popular play was...

     as Maulana Tahiri
  • Simi Raheal as Mother of Mansoor and Sarmad
  • Hameed Sheikh
    Hameed Sheikh
    Hameed Sheikh Actor,and producer Hameed Sheikh is one of Pakistan’s best known television stars.Born in Quetta, Balochistan in 1969,Sheikh began his career in local theatre and school productions,...

     as Sher Shah

Release and reception

Khuda Kay Liye was released on July 20, 2007.

Khuda Kay Liye is one of very few, if any, independent motion pictures to be released to a cinema-going Pakistani market. The general trend in local cinema revolves around formulaic song and dance numbers, reminiscent of Lollywood
Lollywood
Lollywood refers to the Pakistani film industry based in the city of Lahore. The word "Lollywood" was first coined in the summer of 1989 in the now defunct magazine "Glamour" published from Karachi by a gossip columnist Saleem Nasir. The film industry in Lahore started in 1929 with the opening of...

 musicals. Independent films or films that break this formula are rare if not entirely absent.

The film was produced in conjunction with the film division of the popular TV network, Geo TV
Geo TV
Geo TV or Geo Television is a Pakistani television network, founded by Mr. Mir Shakil ur Rehman in May 2002 and owned by Independent Media Corporation. The channel began test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning 1 October 2002...

 of Pakistan. The film is a joint venture of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

The film opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews. There was tremendous curiosity around the film. The presence of big names and Naseeruddin Shah resulted in a grand opening and the film turned out to be a huge commercial as well as critical success in Pakistan. In India the film was critically lauded as people flocked to see the source of the criticism.

Some religious conservatives in Pakistan have criticized the film and called for its ban.

Four years after its release, on 9 September 2011 (the eve of the 10th anniversary of 9/11), Zee News
Zee News
Zee News, the news and current affairs channel, is the oldest channel of Zee News Ltd, founded in 1992. It was the first 24-hour Hindi current affairs and news channel in India. In spite of being the only pay channel in its genre, it maintains its position among the top three Hindi news channels in...

 described Khuda Kay Liye as best cinematic work along with Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...

's Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...

which seem to have earned maximum appreciation from amongst 40 films and documentaries that were made in relation to WTC terrorist attacks.

Music

Khuday Kay Liye OST is a soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...

 to Sohaib Mansoor's
Shoaib Mansoor
Shoaib Mansoor , PP, SI, is an acclaimed Pakistani film and television producer, director, writer, lyricist and composer.-Career:...

 film Khuday Kay Liye. It was released on July 7, 2007. The soundtrack is also available on the film's official website. The soundtrack album of the film was composed and produced by Rohail Hyatt
Rohail Hyatt
Rohail Hyatt is a Pakistani musician, producer, and a rock music artist known for his work with the popular 1990s pop band Vital Signs. He is one of the finest music producers in Pakistan. He is the man behind Coke Studio, from Pakistan.-Vital Signs:...

. All songs were written by Shoaib Mansoor with an exception of "Mahi Way" and "Bandeya". The OST
OST
- Music :* Original Soundtrack, the soundtrack of a movie, TV series, or video game.* Open Source Track, a licensing and distribution model for music initiative* The alias of electronic musician Chris Douglas- Science and technology :...

 was recorded at Gravity Studios in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 by Kamijee.

The soundtrack album was a huge success in Pakistan and received positive reviews from the critics. "Bandeya-II" by Khawar Jawad and Faiza Mujahid was a major success in Pakistan, charting at top on almost every local music channel. Other successful hits from the soundtrack included "Janie Janie" by Lagan, "Allah Hoo" by Saeen Zahoor
Sain Zahoor
Saieen Zahoor or Saeen Zahur Ahmad is a leading Sufi musician from Pakistan. He has spent most of his life singing in Sufi shrines, and didn't produce a record until 2006, when he was nominated for the BBC World Music awards based on word of mouth.He emerged as the "best BBC voice of the year...

 and "Hamaray Hain" by Ahmed Jahanzeb
Ahmed Jahanzeb
Ahmed Jahanzeb Usmani is a Pakistani pop singer and composer. Famously known as AJ, he was born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Jahanzeb is one of the few singers of the country, who have been trained in classical music and that is why he mostly sings soul stirring slow songs...

 and Shuja Haider.

Track listing

The music is composed and arranged by Rohail Hyatt
Rohail Hyatt
Rohail Hyatt is a Pakistani musician, producer, and a rock music artist known for his work with the popular 1990s pop band Vital Signs. He is one of the finest music producers in Pakistan. He is the man behind Coke Studio, from Pakistan.-Vital Signs:...

 and Kamijee.

Personnel

  • Background Music: Rohail Hayat
    Rohail Hyatt
    Rohail Hyatt is a Pakistani musician, producer, and a rock music artist known for his work with the popular 1990s pop band Vital Signs. He is one of the finest music producers in Pakistan. He is the man behind Coke Studio, from Pakistan.-Vital Signs:...

  • Vocals: Ahmed Jahanzeb
    Ahmed Jahanzeb
    Ahmed Jahanzeb Usmani is a Pakistani pop singer and composer. Famously known as AJ, he was born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Jahanzeb is one of the few singers of the country, who have been trained in classical music and that is why he mostly sings soul stirring slow songs...

    , Shuja Haider, Farah Zala, Ammar Hassan
    Ammar Hassan
    Ammar Hassan is a singer who rose to popularity around the world after placing second in Super Star 2, the pan-Arabic version of Pop Idol...

    , Khawar Jawad, Faiza Mujahid, Saeen Zahoor
    Sain Zahoor
    Saieen Zahoor or Saeen Zahur Ahmad is a leading Sufi musician from Pakistan. He has spent most of his life singing in Sufi shrines, and didn't produce a record until 2006, when he was nominated for the BBC World Music awards based on word of mouth.He emerged as the "best BBC voice of the year...

    , and Zara Madani.
  • Lyrics: Shoaib Mansoor, Bulleh Shah, Faiza Mujahid
  • Compositions: Ahmad Jahanzeb, Shuja Haider, Lagan The Band, Khawar Jawad, Javed Bashir, Amar, Kamijee

Awards and Accolades

Khuda Kay Liye is the second highest grossing film of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 of all time with a gross of over $10 million. Iman Ali
Iman Ali
Iman Ali is a Pakistani actress and model.She is the second daughter of television/film actor Abid Ali with his first wife, Humaira Ali. She has two sisters, Maryam and Rahma Ali and both are actresses....

 makes her cinematic debut with this film, playing an Anglo-Pakistani. Shaan's wife is played by Austin Sayre. Ahmed Jahanzeb
Ahmed Jahanzeb
Ahmed Jahanzeb Usmani is a Pakistani pop singer and composer. Famously known as AJ, he was born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Jahanzeb is one of the few singers of the country, who have been trained in classical music and that is why he mostly sings soul stirring slow songs...

 and Shuja Haider produced the film's soundtrack. The film has won the following awards since its release:

2008 Lux Style Awards
  • Best Film
  • Best Actor - Shaan
  • Best Actress - Iman Ali
  • Best Soundtrack


31st Cairo International Film Festival
Cairo International Film Festival
The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Cairo, Egypt. It was established in 1976 and was the first international film festival held in the Arab world...

 
  • Silver Pyramid Award for Best Picture


Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Rossellini was one of the directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing films such as Roma città aperta to the movement.-Early life:Born in Rome, Roberto Rossellini lived on the Via Ludovisi, where Benito Mussolini had...

 Award (Italian film industry
Cinema of Italy
The history of Italian cinema began just a few months after the Lumière brothers had patented their Cinematographe, when Pope Leo XIII was filmed for a few seconds in the act of blessing the camera.-Early years:...

)
  • Best Film


Fukuoka Audience Award
Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize
The is an award established by Fukuoka City and the Yokatopia Foundation to honor the outstanding work of individuals or organizations in preserving or creating Asian culture...

 (Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

)
  • Best Film


Asian Festival of First Films
Asian Festival of First Films
The Asian Festival of First Films is an annual festival that celebrates first-time film- and documentary-makers and provides a platform for budding film talent....

  • Swarovski Trophy for Best Cinematography

External links

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