Do you have any images for this title?
Credited cast: | |||
Christopher Lee | ... | ||
James Fox | ... | ||
Maria Aitken | ... | ||
|
Shashi Kapoor | ... |
Narrator
|
Richard Lintern | ... | ||
|
Shireen Shah | ... |
Fatima Jinnah
|
|
Robert Ashby | ... | |
Indira Varma | ... |
Ruttie Jinnah
|
|
|
Sam Dastor | ... | |
|
Yousuf Kamal | ... |
Liaquat Ali Khan
(as Shakeel)
|
Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
|
Vaneeza Ahmad | ... |
Dina (Older)
|
|
Nafees Ahmed | ... |
Younger Dina
|
|
Roger Brierley | ... |
Judge
|
|
Rowena Cooper | ... |
Lady Willingdon
|
|
James Curran | ... |
Colonel Knowles
|
Biography of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of modern Pakistan is told through flashbacks as his soul tries to find eternal rest. The flashbacks start in 1947 as Jinnah pleads for a separate nation from the Muslim regime, infuriating Lord Mountbatten. Mountbatten then tries to enlist Gandhi & Nehru to persuade Jinnah to stop his efforts. Gandhi sides with Jinnah, which upsets Nehru. However, Jinnah turns down the offer to become prime minister and the film takes another slide back to 1916, which reveals all of the political implications that have occurred. Written by John Sacksteder <jsackste@bellsouth.net>
While I can't comment on the absolute historical accuracy, this film certainly taught me a lot more about the founding of Pakistan and explained many things I had wondered about in the conflict. Christopher Lee's excellent performance goes a long way towards making Jinnah a sympathetic character despite the controversial decisions he takes; I would say that this is some of his finest acting and I found the final scenes very moving indeed.
The flashback technique works well most of the time, although it's not always clear where some scenes are set (England, India, Pakistan or the imagination). This device packs a lot more information into scenes between the characters than a more realistic timeline would and sets the questions of the founding of Pakistan in the context of ongoing conflicts rather than leaving it as historical curiosity. The cinematography is excellent and you wouldn't know this wasn't a Hollywood film except for the thought-provoking treatment and lack of easy answers. One to look out for.