| Khuda Kay Liye | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Shoaib Mansoor |
| Written by | Shoaib Mansoor |
| Produced by | Athar Abbas Syed Mujtaba Tirmizi |
| Starring | Shaan Shahid Iman Ali Rasheed Naz Naseeruddin Shah Fawad Khan Naeem Tahir Hameed Sheikh |
| Cinematography | David Lemay Ali Mohammad Neil Lisk Ken Seng |
| Edited by | Ali Javed Aamir Khan ET |
| Music by | Rohail Hyatt |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Geo Films Percept Picture Company Sony Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 171 minutes |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Languages | English Urdu |
| Budget | Rs. 6crore (US$210,000)[1] |
| Box office | Rs. 15.06crore (US$520,000) (Worldwide)[2]Rs. 5.50crore (US$190,000) (Pakistan)[3] |
Khuda Kay Liye (Urdu:خدا کے لیے, also released asIn the Name of God in international markets)[4] is a 2007 Pakistanidrama film[5] directed byShoaib Mansoor, produced byBrigadier Syed Mujtaba Tirmizi fromISPR and starsShaan Shahid,Fawad Khan andIman Ali in pivotal roles, with a cameo appearance byNaseeruddin Shah. The film follows Mansoor and Sarmad (played by Shaan and Khan), two singers whose lives changed after the9/11 attacks in America and the misinterpretation ofJihad.
Khuda Kay Liye was released on 20 July 2007 in Pakistan and on 4 April 2008 in India, as well as screenings at various international film festivals. The film subsequently won several awards for its acting, notably threeLux Style Awards and one Silver Pyramid Award atCairo International Film Festival. The release of the film was historic for two reasons: due to distribution by Shailendra Singh and Percept Pictures, it was the first Pakistani film to be released in India in almost half a century,[6] and secondly, it was the first ever Pakistani film included in the official selection of theInternational Film Festival of India (IFFI).[7]
Brothers Mansoor and Sarmad are two successful singers fromLahore. Sarmad is eventually influenced by an Islamic activist Maulana Tahiri, as he begins to practice a more conservativeIslamic way of living and gives up his music career as it is considered "haram" by the Islamic activist. InLondon, Maryam (Mary), a WesternisedBritish Pakistani girl, falls in love with Dave from the British community. However, this displeases her hypocritical father despite himself being in a live-in relationship with a British woman.
Meanwhile, Mary's father plans to take her to Pakistan to meet Sarmad and Mansoor. During the visit, she is deceived by her father and taken across the border to Afghanistan under the guise of attending a relative's wedding. In Afghanistan, she is forcefully married off to her cousin Sarmad and abandoned in their household. In an escape attempt, Mary tries to run from the village but gets caught by Sarmad. He eventuallyrapes her, as advised by the maulana, as a sort of punishment so that Mary would not escape again. As a result, Mary becomes pregnant and has Sarmad's baby, thus lowering her chances of escape.
Simultaneously, Mansoor goes to a musical school inChicago, where he meets fellow music student Janie. They fall in love, and Janie stops drinking alcohol for him. They eventually marry. However, shortly after9/11, Mansoor gets arrested by theFBI due to his Islamic background and is detained and tortured for a year inGuantanamo Bay detention camp.
Sarmad's father rescues Mary under the protection of theBritish government. A devastated Mary takes her father and husband to court in Pakistan for justice. Wali (Naseeruddin Shah), aMaulana, then explains to the court how Islam is being misused in the name of war and hatred, bringing the religion forward believably and peacefully. Traumatised by all the suffering he has seen and caused, Sarmad withdraws the case. He also realises the damage he inflicted in the name of religion. Mary is now free and returns to the village where she was a prisoner to educate the girls. Meanwhile, Mansoor is still in FBI custody after a year of torment; the last torture session having inflicted permanentbrain damage. After a failed rehab attempt, he is deported and reunited with his family in Pakistan, where he begins to recover.
The way America and the West are dealing with the problem is very wrong — they are just trying to kill and suppress those Muslims who are being labeled as terrorists. And it will not solve the problem because if you kill 10, a hundred more will emerge.
Shoaib Mansoor, the film's director, developed the idea after the misconceptions about Pakistan in thePakistani diaspora and India.[5] Mansoor stated that the film would clear the irrelevant thinking of Indians towards the Pakistani community.[8][9]
Principal photography of the film took place in Lahore, where most of the parts were filmed. Besides, the film was also shot atChicago,London andKhyber Pakhtunkhwa.[10]
Khuda Kay Liye is one ofPakistan's highest-grossing films, with a domestic gross of PKR 11.1 million and a worldwide gross of PKR 210 million.[11]
Sony bought the film's distribution, satellite, music, and media rights. The film was distributed byGeo Films andPercept Picture Company in Asia and the Middle East.Sony Distribution distributed the film inthe United Kingdom andthe United States of America. The television premiere of the film occurred onGeo TV. Later,SET India premiered the film in other regions.Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the DVD of the movie worldwide.
The film has been available onLionsgate since 2020.
| Khuda Kay Liye | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
| Released | July 7, 2007 |
| Recorded | 2006–2007 |
| Genre | Film soundtrack |
| Label | Republic Music Group, Huqa Entertainment Corp,Sony BMG |
| Producer | Rohail Hyatt |
The music of the film was released on July 7, 2007. The soundtrack album of the film was composed and produced byRohail Hyatt.[12][13] All songs were written by Shoaib Mansoor with an exception of "Mahi Way" and "Bandeya".
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Duniya Ho" | Shoaib Mansoor | Ahmed Jahanzeb; Shuja Haider | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Hamaray Hain" | Shoaib Mansoor | Ahmed Jahanzeb; Shuja Haider | 3:49 |
| 3. | "Bandeya Ho" | Bulleh Shah | Khawar Jawad; Farah Zalah | 3:38 |
| 4. | "Tiluk Kamod" | Ahmed Jahanzeb | 4:37 | |
| 5. | "Janie Janie" | Shoaib Mansoor | Ahmed Jahanzeb; Lagan the Band | 6:01 |
| 6. | "Allah Hoo" | Saeen Zahoor; Zara Madani | ||
| 7. | "Mahi Way" | Faiza Mujahid | Khawar Jawad; Faiza Mujahid | 3:10 |
| 8. | "Khuda Ke Liye" | Shoaib Mansoor | Ammar Hassan | 3:33 |
| 9. | "Bandeya Ho (DJ Suketu and DJ Aks Remix)[14]" | Bulleh Shah | Khawar Jawad; Faiza Mujahid | 3:34 |
| Ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7th Lux Style Awards | Best Film | Shoaib Mansoor | Won | [15] |
| Best Film Actor | Shaan Shahid | Won | ||
| Best Film Actress | Iman Ali | Won | ||
| Best Original Soundtrack | Rohail Hayat | Won |
