Jinnah

I thoroughly enjoyed Jinnah and it told the truth unlike Ghandi. The film never got the distribution it deserved in the USA nor surprisingly in England. Why is it that Christopher Lee, the most underrated actor of all time, was never nominated for an award for his superb portrayal of Jinnah? Why was it that this excellent film was passed over? I found it compulsive and once I got used to the strange beginning (angel debating whether Jinnah goes to Heaven or Hell)I was hooked. I would have given it 10 but for the silly scene (location in between Heaven and Hell) with Nehru and Ghandi looking at computer screens..... The trial of Mountbatten. however, was very interesting and clever. If you haven't seen this movie you need to and it is now available on DVD in UK and USA.

As a Westerner, I was only exhibited to one person in recent South Asian history, and that was Gandhi. Call it a media bias but M.A. Jinnah was never mentioned, let alone portrayed in a good or bad light. This film, beautifully pictured as well acted by the honorable Christopher Lee, embellishes historical facts that the West and India ignores. The scenery is excellent, as well as certain key points in the film exclaiming award worthy. A great scene is when Jinnah is talking to a little girl near the end. The humanity is simply awe inspiring. This is a factual portrayal of M.A. Jinnah. You will see others on this site praise or malign M.A. Jinnah, which is obvious of the hatred between some Indians and Pakistanis. Watch this film and read history and be the judge of it yourself.

Best work under wraps - Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee may be starring in the forth-coming Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Star Wars: Episode II, but the lack of distribution for his 1998 film Jinnah continues to be a source of frustration for the actor.

Lee who plays the title role of Mohammed Ali Jinnah – who founded the nation of Pakistan in 1947 – shot the film on location there over a ten-week period in 1997 amid significant controversy (including attempts to have him arrested and deported). Since then, however, the film has never had a proper theatrical release and the ongoing potential for controversy could well be the reason.

At a special screening of Jinnah at the Barbican, Lee told Empire Online that he has been informed that distributors are afraid to show the film, fearing the possibility of terrorist repercussions from Muslim Fundamentalists. He was keen to point out, though, that this would be an unlikely reaction:

"[Jinnah] is the antithesis of that. It is the story of a remarkable man: a husband, a father and a brother who founded a nation. It has absolutely nothing to do with Fundamentalism," said Lee, adding that the film was not a political movie and had"played in Pakistan for a couple of months to packed houses and there was not one dissenting voice."

Lee did hit out at the portrayal of Jinnah in Richard Attenborough's Oscar-winning movie Gandhi, however, telling Empire Online: "The presentation of him in the film Gandhi was on the level of distortion. It was wildly inaccurate." Despite his long career, which includes over 200 screen credits, Lee considers Jinnah to be his best work to date.

"I'm very proud of this picture, and it should be shown," he said. "It must be shown. But what can we do about people who, I'm told, are afraid to show it?"

Source : Empire Online UK

well, when the movie was in process, even the general public in Pakistan was having certain reservations about it. however, it looks a fine product once it comes out. i think apart from certain aspects which can be presented more efficiently, the film is a good presentation of the life of Jinnah.

the movie has portrayed the life of a politician who never went to jail during a whole revolution. it shows that with statesmanship and with logic of your opinion, you need not to be violent to prove your point and thats what exactly done by Mr Jinnah. he never called for civil dis obedience or violent aggression against the rulers, he never called for bloodshed or violence and still managed to create a country on the map of the world. a good learning for all the current dispute holders in the world.

lee was superb, his gestures, his moves and his style shows his research on Jinnah. he shows his skill and his grip on the characters. other actors were OK but the screen play can be more strong. over all a good film, some people may disagree with the creation of two nation theory but no body can object the personality of Jinnah as a law abiding and man of principal politician.

This is a high-quality biopic on the life of Jinnah, and an excellent film in general. It is a great character portrayal of a key figure in the history of the Indian subcontinent, and it peels away layers of Jinnah's life in the context of the events that shaped the independence struggle and the partition into India and Pakistan. The pace of the movie is unhurried and yet engaging; all the key actors have done a superb job of portraying their characters well and lent them credibility and depth. Lee, Fox, Kapoor, and Lintern were especially notable.

Being from India, I especially appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the life and persona of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who no doubt was among the most important historic figures of the time that shaped the history of the two countries. I liked the form of the film where Jinnah is challenged and questioned on many of the events in his personal life and on his political ideology. I feel that the film does an honest job of addressing and delving into those issues from his perspective and taking the viewer on an intimate journey into his motivations.

The partition is a sensitive, politically charged, and often divisive issue for the people of India and Pakistan; the scars on either side are deep and not too distant. However, films like Jinnah and also Gandhi to some extent offer a critical glimpse into the human aspects of the leaders of those times and what made them Quaid-e-Azam or Mahatma for the people then and also for the generations that followed.