Karachi audiences greet Indo-Pak film on 9/11

Karachi, July 16 (IANS) A Pakistani film starring Indian thespian Naseeruddin Shah on the plight of a Muslim student after the 9/11 terror attacks in the US opened to an enthusiastic welcome here with some seeing it as a step towards the revival of the country's cinema industry.

Pakistani director Shoaib Mansoor's "Khuda Ke Liye" premiered here Sunday night and the theatre echoed with applause after the screening, The News reported.

"The show biz people termed the film as a positive step towards the revival of the cinema industry in Pakistan," the newspaper said.

The film's release had been opposed by the clerics of the controversial Lal Masjid in Islamabad, which was the scene of military operations last week.

The deputy cleric of the mosque, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who was killed in the operation, had warned against its release. He had demanded that a Pakistani censor committee including Muslim clergy and scholars must review the film.

This is Shoaib Mansoor's first film that deals with the Sep 11, 2001 terror attacks on the World Trade Center in the US. Actors from Pakistan, India and the US have performed in the film.

Pakistani actor Shan has played the role of a Pakistani student who is arrested on the charges of complicity in 9/11. Pakistani model and television artist Iman Ali makes his film debut.

Renowned Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah has also played a unique role in the movie. Shah had himself produced "Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota", a film touching upon 9/11.

Mansoor's film pleads for a liberal approach to religion and is a landmark in Indo-Pak cooperation in the field of cinema.

Last week, Indian film "Awarapan", produced by Mahesh Bhatt, opened to an enthusiastic response in Pakistan. Bhatt is a familiar name in Pakistan, promoting better Indo-Pak relations.

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