Khuda Kay Liye

Khuda Kay Liye (, also released as In the Name of God in international markets) is a 2007 Pakistani drama film directed by Shoaib Mansoor, produced by Brigadier Syed Mujtaba Tirmizi from ISPR and stars Shaan Shahid, Fawad Khan and Iman Ali in pivotal roles, with a cameo appearance by Naseeruddin Shah. The film follows Mansoor and Sarmad (played by Shaan and Khan), two singers whose lives changed after the 9/11 attacks in America and the misinterpretation of Jihad.

Khuda Kay Liye was released on 20 July 2007 in Pakistan and on 4 April 2008 in India, as well as screenings at various international film festivals. The film subsequently won several awards for its acting, notably three Lux Style Awards and one Silver Pyramid Award at Cairo International Film Festival. 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 included in the official selection of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

Plot
Brothers Mansoor and Sarmad are two successful singers from Lahore. Sarmad is eventually 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" by the Islamic activist. Maryam (Mary), a Westernised British Pakistani girl, falls in love with Dave from the British community. However, this displeases her hypocritical father despite himself being in a live-in relationship with a British woman.

Meanwhile, Mary's father plans to take her 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 her, as advised by the maulana, as a sort of punishment so that Mary would not escape again. As a result, Mary becomes pregnant and has Sarmad's baby, thus lowering her chances of escape.

Simultaneously, Mansoor goes to a musical school in Chicago, where he meets fellow music student Janie. They fall in love, and Janie stops drinking alcohol for him. They eventually marry. However, shortly after 9/11, Mansoor gets arrested by the FBI due to his Islamic background and is detained and tortured for a year in Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

Sarmad's father rescues Mary under the protection of the British government. A devastated Mary takes her father and husband to court in Pakistan for justice. Wali (Naseeruddin Shah), a Maulana, then explains to the court how Islam is being misused in the name of war and hatred, bringing the religion forward believably and peacefully. Traumatised by all the suffering he has seen and caused, Sarmad withdraws the case. He also realises the damage he inflicted in the name of religion. Mary is now free and returns to the village where she was a prisoner to educate the girls. Meanwhile, Mansoor is still in FBI custody after a year of torment; the last torture session having inflicted permanent brain damage. After a failed rehab attempt, he is deported and reunited with his family in Pakistan, where he begins to recover.

Cast

 * Shaan as Mansoor
 * Fawad Khan as Sarmad
 * Iman Ali as Maryam (Mary)
 * Naseeruddin Shah as Maulana Wali (Special Appearance)
 * Naeem Tahir as Mansoor's & Sarmad's Father
 * Rasheed Naz as Maulana Tahirih
 * Hameed Sheikh as Sher Shah
 * Sonia Rehman as Khala
 * Humayun Kazmi as Mary's Father
 * Austin Marie Sayre as Janie
 * Najiba Faiz as Gul Bano
 * Seemi Raheel as Mansoor's & Sarmad's Mother

Development
Shoaib Mansoor, the film's director, developed the idea after the misconceptions about Pakistan in the Pakistani diaspora and India. Mansoor stated that the film would clear the irrelevant thinking of Indians towards the Pakistani community.

Filming
Principal photography of the film took place in Lahore, where most of the parts were filmed. Besides, the film was also shot at Chicago, London and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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 210 million.

Other media
Sony bought the film's distribution, satellite, music, and media rights. The film was distributed by Geo Films and Percept Picture Company in Asia and the Middle East. Sony Distribution distributed the film in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The television premiere of the film occurred on Geo TV. Later, SET India premiered the film in other regions. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the DVD of the movie worldwide.

Streaming
The film has been available on Lionsgate since 2020.

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