It’s been a decade since the attack on New York’s World Trade Centre took the world by storm, and filmmakers and documentary-drama makers have since then churned out about 40 works. Of them, Pakistani filmmaker Shoaib Mansoor’s ‘Khuda Kay Liye’ and the documentary ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ seem to have earned maximum appreciation. A multi-layered film, Mansoor’s ‘Khuda Kay Liye’ highlighted the clash between moderate Muslims and the fundamentalists in Pakistan. It also showed how Muslims are viewed with increasing suspicion in the West after 9/11. The well-made film, with a superb performance by Shaan was released in 2007 and critics appreciated it by describing it as a thought-provoking movie.
Hollywood, too, kept drawing references from the tragedy and showcased it in various documentaries including ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ (2004) and ‘Inside 9/11’ (2005) as well as movies like ‘World Trade Center’ (2006), ‘United 93’ (2006) and ‘Reign Over Me’ (2007). While ‘World Trade Center’ and ‘United 93’ failed to attract audiences at the box-office, American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore’s ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ became the highest grossing documentary of all time. Moore’s work takes a critical look at the presidency of George Bush, the war on terror and how it was covered by the media.
The Hindi film industry, one of the most prolific in the world, wasn’t far behind in tapping the subject. In 2007, one of the most talented and respected actors, Naseeruddin Shah, made his directorial debut with ‘Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota’ that focused on the terrorist attacks on the US. Two years later, Kabir Khan dwelt on the post-9/11 consequences through his film ‘New York’, which starred John Abraham, Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh. Saif Ali Khan-Kareena Kapoor-starrer ‘Kurbaan’ of 2009 had the consequences of 9/11 as the main plot. Even Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘My Name Is Khan’ (2010) touched upon the aftermath of 9/11 and it did splendid business in the overseas market.
