A Mighty Heart Is a Mighty
Sad Movie
By Ras H. Siddiqui
Archie
Panjabi, Irfan Khan and Angelina Jolie |
The Paramount Pictures
film “A Mighty Heart” is all set to hit the US
cinema going audiences on June 22nd. This Michael Winterbottom
(“Road To Guantanamo”) directed effort will attract
a great deal of curiosity amongst those interested in the
life of Wall Street Journal Reporter Daniel Pearl, who was
killed in a grizzly fashion (beheaded) in Karachi, Pakistan
in the year 2002. And since this movie had two key elements
associated with it, namely journalism and Pakistan, attending
its press screening at the Tower Theatre in Sacramento, California
on June 13th became a must. So we headed there knowing that
this was not going to be a pleasant experience, and on that
note there were no surprises.
The mass market appeal of this movie lies in the “Brangelina”
factor which has a number of adherents. Angelina Jolie (who
plays Mariane Pearl) is usually a sufficient attraction by
herself. Here she teams up with hubby Brad Pitt (one of this
film’s producers) giving this Brad-Angelina factor its
partial completeness, which could have become whole only if
Mr. Pitt had played the role of Daniel Pearl (played here
by Dan Futterman). But one is deviating from the movie here
by dwelling too much on the duo, because on numerous occasions
the story actually overpowers the actors and actresses in
this film.
“A Mighty Heart” appears to be about the futile
search for Daniel Pearl, terrorism, torture, graphic violence,
Al Qaeda, Taliban, the American CIA/FBI, Israel’s MOSSAD,
Pakistan’s ISI and India’s RAW (not mentioned
by name) but in actuality it is the story of Mariane Pearl,
one vulnerable, pregnant and devoted wife who is caught up
in the search for her loving husband Daniel, a man who had
many friends and admirers but whose search for the journalistic
truth leads him into the fatal lair of a group of merciless
killers.
The movie starts with 9/11/2001 in narrative and its subsequent
fallout in the region. Journalist Daniel Pearl is in Pakistan
investigating a possible connection between ‘shoe bomber’
Richard Reid and an Islamic cleric by the name of Gilani.
Told that he should only meet his contacts in public places,
Daniel travels to the Village Restaurant (a spot that we Karachi
origin people are quite familiar with) from where he embarks
on a road to his disappearance. Karachi ’s famous Agha’s
Supermarket also makes an appearance as a place where Mariane
shops (food appears to be plentiful in this film).
The search for Daniel Pearl involves both high-tech cyber
address searches and low-tech methods of information extraction.
It is the rapid paced investigation to locate Daniel and the
kidnappers that is a powerful part of this film. The level
of cooperation between the Americans and the Pakistanis during
this search is very positive in parts but then again the focus
on Daniel Pearl’s Jewish faith, and the possible local
reaction to it is more than a tad overdone.
In the cast of characters, Archie Panjabi’s (Bend It
Like Beckham) role as Asra Nomani did not reach significance
from the acting perspective especially with her weak Urdu-speaking
skills. Angelina herself made Mariane Pearl come alive in
parts, while Dan Futterman’s role as Daniel was difficult
to keep up with. Randall Bennet played a strong role as Will
Patton and Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiqui made a number of
appearances, but if one were to point out the most striking
role in this film beyond Angelina’s, it would be that
of Irrfan Khan (with either one or two r’s) as Captain.
Indian actor Irrfan continues to make an impact here in America
as he has recently moved us with his role in “The Namesake,”
a movie which received great reviews from American critics
but was grilled by many South Asian writers. Irrfan Khan certainly
captures the essence of his role in A Mighty Heart. In mannerisms,
facial expressions and dialog delivery, his acting certainly
stood out here.
There are a few touching moments in this film. Mariane’s
text message of affection to Danny in the hope that he will
receive it is one. Keeping up with the false claims of Daniel
Pearl’s demise and then finally encountering the real
one is taxing, but since most of the world already knows the
tragic ending to this story, it remained difficult to create
a sense of suspense.
From the Pakistani perspective, there is no relief in A Mighty
Heart from portraying the country as a huge problem to western
secular interests. Filmed mainly in Pune (Poona) India, the
Karachi that many of us know is almost completely absent from
this movie.
The image of a lawless country, consumed by violence and chaos,
is once again being promoted in this film. The compassionate
heart of Karachi is missing here. There is a great deal of
emphasis on religious zeal and poverty, but the level of understanding
of the people of this city remains shallow. It is hoped that
Jamil Dehlavi’s “Infinite Justice”, a movie
made last year, will someday reach American audiences. It
too is based on a similar story line and might add more depth
to the understanding of the Pakistani perspective.
In conclusion, one is glad that with all that is wrong with
the world today, there are still people like Mariane Pearl
who look to a future and have not joined the ranks of those
who only want to see the entire Muslim world (and Pakistan)
through the singular lens of Al Qaeda. It is also heartening
to note that she made this movie for her son Adam. As we all
know, in the Judeo-Christian-Muslim tradition the name Adam
not only focuses on the beginnings of the human race but is
a common name for boys in all the three faiths. With our common
origins of beliefs, let us highlight our commonality and not
our differences. Daniel Pearl’s murder should bring
all decent people together in condemnation irrespective of
faith.
A Mighty Heart is a mighty sad movie. It has some flaws, but
one can chalk this one down as a learning experience. And
one thing is certain: it will not boost popcorn sales at any
theatre.
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