''Khuda Kay Liye'' (also released as ''In the Name of God'' in international markets) is a 2007 Pakistani

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Shoaib Mansoor Shoaib Mansoor (Full name, Shoaib Mansoor), ( ur, ; born 4 February 1951 Karachi) is a Pakistani television and film director, writer, producer, lyricist and musician of Muhajir origin. Active in the television industry since 1980, he first f ...

, produced by Brigadier Syed Mujtaba Tirmizi from ISPR and stars

Shaan Shahid Armaghan Shahid PP ( ur, ; born 27 April 1971), better known by his stage names Shaan Shahid ( ur, ) or Shaan, is a Pakistani actor, producer, model, writer and director. Shaan has established himself as one of the most popular leading acto ...

Fawad Khan Fawad Afzal Khan ( ur, ) (born 29 November 1981) is a Pakistani actor, producer, screenwriter, model and singer having received several awards including a Filmfare Award, two Lux Style Awards and six Hum Awards. Khan began his acting caree ...

and

Iman Ali Iman Ali ( ur, ; born 19 December 1980) is a Pakistani actress, model, and singer who appears in Urdu films. Ali made her film debut with a leading role in the 2007 thriller film ''Khuda Kay Liye'', for which she won a Lux Style Award for B ...

in pivotal roles, with a cameo appearance by

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare A ...

. The film follows Mansoor and Sarmad (played by Shaan and Khan), two singers whose lives change after the events of 9/11 attacks in America and misinterpreted teachings of

Jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...

. ''Khuda Kay Liye'' was released on 20 July 2007 in Pakistan and on 4 April 2008 in India, as well as the screenings at various international film festivals. The film subsequently won a number of awards for its acting, notably three

Lux Style Awards The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and it is the oldest event dedicated to cinema, television, fashion, music and film industry ...

, one Silver Pyramid Award at

Cairo International Film Festival The Cairo International Film Festival ( ar, مهرجان القاهرة السينمائي الدولي) is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year sin ...

. 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, and secondly it was the first ever Pakistani film to be included in the official selection of the

International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common pla ...

(IFFI).

Plot

Brothers Mansoor and Sarmad are two successful singers from

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

. Sarmad eventually is influenced by an Islamic activist Maulana Tahiri, as he begins to practice a more conservative Islamic way of living and gives up his music career as it is considered "''

haram ''Haram'' (; ar, حَرَام, , ) is an Arabic term meaning 'Forbidden'. This may refer to either something sacred to which access is not allowed to the people who are not in a state of purity or who are not initiated into the sacred knowle ...

''" by the Islamic activist. Maryam (Mary), a westernised

British Pakistani British Pakistanis ( ur, (Bratānia men maqīm pākstānī); also known as Pakistani British people or Pakistani Britons) are British people, citizens or residents of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in Pakistan. This includes ...

girl, falls in love with Dave from the British community. However this displeases her father, who is

hypocritical Hypocrisy is the practice of engaging in the same behavior or activity for which one criticizes another or the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform. In moral psychology, it is th ...

, despite himself being in a live-in relationship with a British woman. Meanwhile, Mary's father plans to take her for a trip 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 eventually

rapes Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, Abusive power and control, ...

her, as advised by the maulana, as a sort of punishment so that Mary would not escape again. Mary becomes pregnant and has a baby, thus lowering her chances to escape. Simultaneously, Mansoor goes to a musical school in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, where he meets fellow music student Janie. They fall in love with each other and Janie stops drinking alcohol for him. They eventually marry. However, shortly after the events of

9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

, Mansoor gets arrested by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

due to his Islamic background and is detained and tortured for a year in

Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp ( es, Centro de detención de la bahía de Guantánamo) is a United States military prison located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also referred to as Guantánamo, GTMO, and Gitmo (), on the coast of Guant ...

. Mary is rescued by Sarmad's father under the protection of the

British government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

. A devastated Mary takes her father and cousin to court in Pakistan for justice. Wali (

), a Maulana, then explains to the court how Islam is being misused in the name of war and hatred, bringing the religion forward in a believable and peaceful manner. Traumatised by all the suffering he has seen and caused, Sarmad withdraws the case. He also realizes the damage that he was made to inflict 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 FBI custody after a year of torment; the last torture session having inflicted permanent

brain damage Neurotrauma, brain damage or brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating t ...

. After a failed rehab attempt, he is deported and reunited with his family in Pakistan where he begins to recover.

Cast

* Shaan - Mansoor *

- Sarmad *

- Maryam (Mary) *

- Maulana Wali (Special Appearance) *

Naeem Tahir Naeem Tahir (born 26 February 1937) is Pakistani theatre, film and television actor, scholar, public speaker, columnist, teacher and dramatist. His works are extensively published. Career His research work on the Pre-History of the People of I ...

- Mansoor's & Sarmad's Father *

Rasheed Naz Rasheed Naz (9 September 1948 – 17 January 2022) was a Pakistani film and television actor. He started his television career in 1971 in a ''Pashto'' television play and worked in several Pashto, Hindko and Urdu-language plays. Life and career ...

- Maulana Tahirih *

Hameed Sheikh Hameed Sheikh ( ur, حمید شیخ) is an actor and producer from Pakistan who is known for roles in ''Khuda Kay Liye'', '' Operation O21'' and ''Moor''. Personal life Residing in Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan, Pakistan, Sheikh is fl ...

- Sher Shah *

Sonia Rehman Sonia Rehman is a Pakistani actress, host and director. She is known for her roles in dramas '' Coke Kahani'', ''Aks'', ''Band Khirkyon Kay Peechay'' and '' Doraha''. Early life Sonia was born in 1985 on 29th January in Lahore, Pakistan. She com ...

as Khala * Humayun Kazmi - Mary's Father * Austin Marie Sayre - Janie *

Seemi Raheel Seemi Raheel is a Pakistani senior actress working in Urdu television and films since decades. She is the mother of actors Mehreen Raheel and Daniyal Raheel Daniyal Raheal (in Punjabi and ur, ) is a Pakistani television actor, director a ...

- Mansoor's & Sarmad's Mother

Production

Development

Shoaib Mansoor, the director of the film, developed the idea after the misconceptions about Pakistan in

Pakistani diaspora Overseas Pakistanis ( ur, ), or the Pakistani diaspora, refers to Pakistani people who live outside of Pakistan. These include citizens that have migrated to another country as well as people born abroad of Pakistani descent. According to th ...

and India. Mansoor stated that the film will clear the irrelevant thinking of Indians towards the Pakistani community.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

of the film took place in Lahore, where most of the parts were filmed. Besides, the film was also shot at

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

Box office

''Khuda Kay Liye'' is one of Pakistan's highest-grossing films, with a domestic gross of PKR 11.1 million and a worldwide gross of PKR 210million.

Music

The music of the film was released on July 7, 2007. The soundtrack album of the film was composed and produced by

Rohail Hyatt Rohail Hyatt (Urdu: روحیل حیات) is a Pakistani record producer, Synthesizer, keyboardist, and Music composer, composer. As record producer, Hyatt is largely credited with pioneering Pakistani pop rock music by incorporating western Ro ...

. All songs were written by Shoaib Mansoor with an exception of "Mahi Way" and "Bandeya".

Accolades

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khuda Kay Liye Pakistani drama films Films based on the September 11 attacks 2000s Urdu-language films 2007 films English-language Pakistani films Films shot in Chicago Films directed by Shoaib Mansoor Films set in London Films set in Lahore Films shot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2007 drama films Lollywood films Films directed by Bilal Lashari Geo Films films Films about Islam