The awesome movie has been released on a 2 Disc DVD! The film is currently being promoted by Christopher Lee, who played Jinnah. According to Mr. Lee, this was by far the best role he has played in his illustrious career, and was extremely impressed with the personality and achievements of the great founder of Pakistan!
A great movie, if you have not seen it in the theaters 5-6 years ago, I suggest you buy it, and for people like me, who have seen it before in theaters, there is alot of bonus footage in the two DVD set that I cant wait to get my hands on!!! There is loads of stuff, directors commentary, urdu dubbing, stills, Junoon’s official soundtrack video for the movie, etc. The DVD is a region 0 DVD that should work on all DVD players and should be available on the 19th of this month.
Christopher Lee launches film about Jinnah in London
Thursday 8th July, 2004
If there’s one thing you can be sure of about the Asian community in general, it is that their identity and traditions still very much revolve around historical events. A generalisation of course, but one based on plenty of anecdotal evidence.
In the back-drop of this is the launch of a DVD about the life story of Jinnah - the controversial founder of Pakistan in 1947. Legendary actor Christopher Lee, most recently seen in Lord of the Rings and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, plays the starring role of Jinnah in the movie.
Jinnah has been directed and co-written by British based Jamil Dehlavi who worked on the movie with a limited budget. Lee was present at the launch of the DVD last week along with his co-star Shireen Shah who plays the role of his sister Fatima.
He said: “I was given the opportunity of playing a politician, father and brother. The vast majority of Pakistan doesn’t know about Jinnah’s life. But he is revered in his country as a saint. He was a man of iron will. I wanted to tell his story. It’s the greatest challenge I’ve faced as an actor. I had to make the people of Pakistan believe that I was Jinnah We have made a remarkable film about a unique man and I urge you to go and watch it.”
The film opens shortly after partition in 1947 with a dying Jinnah being rushed to hospital. In a twist, Jinnah awakens in a computer room where a decision on his eternal soul will be made. The ‘data file’ on his life is missing so a re-visit of his life takes place along with a narrator, played by Shashi Kapoor.
This style allows the narrator to question Jinnah’s decisions on why he did what he did at the time, allowing for a much better look at history than simply going over a series of events.
The makers say the DVD also features a behind-the-scenes documentary entitled Dare To Dream which includes revealing interviews with Christopher Lee, Shashi Kapoor, Maria Aitkin and director Jamil Dehlavi among others. It also charts the torturous process and setbacks faced by the British production team in Pakistan.
Produced and directed by Jamil Dehlavi. Written by Jamil Dehlavi and Akbar Ahmed.
A special edition two-disc DVD was released on 5th July 2004 priced £19.99. More information on the website: www.jinnahmovie.com.
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http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/501