Jinnah

An inspiring epic of a people that have not been represented positively by the film industry to date. The movie follows Muhammad Ali Jinnah through his life, bringing out his sincerity, his suave educated personality, and his passion. The man who was poorly represented in "Gandhi" at last has a bit of justice. While one may agree or disagree with either "Gandhi" or "Jinnah", it would be a pity to be only exposed to one or the other. It's not a big budget movie, probably, but then Hollywood doesn't like a Muslim leader --- even when he was in favor of the separation of religion from the state, and unlike Gandhi, disapproved of mixing religion with politics. I loved the movie.

Jinnah the movie has some artistic beauty in it, even the blowing of sand in desert at the end of the movie leaves a deep impact over the viewer. Actors have acted superbly but Talat Hussain has been wasted. He could have unleased his talent in the small role he had, like Om puri did in Gandhi. Its no match for Gandhi,the story telling is different the personalities are different and the camera work is different. There are no negative characters in the film. Very neutral film, without making Jinnah an angel and Hindu's or British the scapegoat. I only feel sorry for my country men , majority of whom will not be able to understand the story telling technique.

When the film began, I noticed right away something that surely must have upset many Pakistanis when the film debuted...the man playing Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the Father of their country, was played by the very English Christopher Lee! While Ben Kingsly was part Indian by heritage (and he played the lead in "Gandhi"), Lee was too tall and English...in a movie that is essentially anti-English! Now as far as the film goes, it is VERY unusual in style as it bounces about sequentially. Using a very strange plot device, the dead Jinnah is asked to do a post-mortem on his life by a guy who you must assume is some sort of heavenly messenger. As such, Jinnah's life is discussed and highlights of his career are mentioned. But, given how important he was and what a long life he had, it all felt very episodic to me and easily could have been a mini-series. So, despite nice production values and a nice film, it seems superficial and incomplete. Good but just too much for one movie to encapsulate.

The film is very good and brings out the best about Jinnah- a leader who sacrificed his home, family and love for his people. A must watch for every person who believes in freedom, equality and justice for mankind. I would recommend this film to every person, Pakistani or not. Also show this to your children, to make them understand the true virtues of a gentleman, an honest, brave and selfless leader. As Stanley Wolpert wrote in his book ' Jinnah of Pakistan', "Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three." When ever you feel low and doubt your capabilities, sit down and watch this great movie. It will make you believe that honesty, integrity of character and determination can work wonders.

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.

The movie tells the story of the leader of PAKISTAN, the great QUAID E AZAM MOHAMMAD ALI JINNAH, and the creation of PAKISTAN. A cinematic masterpiece, it brought tears to my eyes and effected me deeply. This movie sets the record straight about THE GREAT JINNAH, after the biased potrayal of him in the movie "gandhi".