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The names of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi are synonymous with India's struggle for independence from British colonial rule, but how many know of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan? The question points to the signal achievement of "Jinnah," which illuminates the character and times of this important but little-known world leader in an absorbing fashion.
Working in English, director Jamil Dehlavi and his co-writer Akbar Ahmed, renowned Cambridge University Islamic scholar, create a sweeping historical epic. The story of Jinnah, a patrician Muslim barrister, connects with any minority leader whose people are locked in a struggle for equality. It's an epic tale of a man confronted with many hard choices ultimately leading to decisions that would exact an enormous toll in the name of freedom and independence.
The irony that Jinnah is played by a British star, Christopher Lee, cannot go unnoticed. If you can get past that, then it can be said that it affords Lee--who actually resembles Jinnah--the role of a lifetime. The tall, swarthy Lee will always be cherished as one of the icons of horror pictures. "Jinnah" gives him a long overdue major departure from his Dracula image.
The picture opens not long after...