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Jinnah fails to impress Pakistanis

Haris Darvesh in Karachi

Pakistan's ambitious effort to honour its founder, M A Jinnah, does not seem to have gone down well with the people. While the premiere of the movie Jinnah was jam-packed, with officials and foreign dignitaries in attendance, the general public has stayed away from theatres.

There is no frenzy outside cinema halls, tickets are not being sold in black and there is no applause when the statesman of the century makes his speeches, as expected.

Being the first such effort since Pakistan's formation, some had predicted that theatres would be packed for months at a stretch. Nothing of that sort happened. Perhaps, the spirit of patriotism has gone out of the average Pakistani, with successive governments, military and civilian, having burdened him with never-ending economic problems.

It appears as if the people behind the project were merely trying to finish the task, a fitting reply to India's Gandhi. However, the cast, especially Christopher Lee as Jinnah, deserves accolades.

Kaneez-e-Ali, who saw the movie, felt that India had done full justice to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, despite projecting him as something of a god. In Jinnah's case too, reality is not aptly highlighted, but neither have the filmmakers done full justice to the Quaid. The movie leaves a lot to be desired, she said.

The movie presents Pakistan's founder as a thoroughbred gentleman first and a politician later. In fact, most Pakistanis secretly aspire that their Quaid should have been more Pakistani than English.

Yet, the general disinterest is quite alarming, said Mohammad Aslam, who watched the movie with friends. Perhaps, with most filmgoers in Pakistan coming from rural areas, there were expectations of masala, naach-gaana and fights, he said.

The movie will soon be available on video cassettes and VCDs, giving another blow to its already flagging fortunes.

The movie will definitely broaden horizons of the younger generation as it offers an opportunity to know more about their Quaid and understand principles he stood for. When the sub-continent was split and borders marked, many hearts wept. Even five decades later, it was heart-breaking for many to watch scenes of hatred and destruction.

The premiere, on June 2, was attended by Pakistan's Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf, officials and foreign dignitaries. It had some special guests, like United States Congressman David Boneri, specially flown in for the occasion. Anybody who was somebody attended the curtain-raiser.

The film was made by two Pakistanis, as against Gandhi being the brainchild of a foreigner. Jamil Dehlavi produced the movie while Mandviwalla Entertainment, in collaboration with Quaid Project Limited, financed the project that cost $5 million.

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