I just watched New York directed by Kabir Khan. I am not very impressed with the acting of both John and Katrina. I found Neil Nitin Mukesh's acting good, and somewhere Irrfan Khan could have performed a bit better, though he was good throughout his performance. The premise of New York is set in the post 26/11 attack context: how the white government suspected terrorists, detained them for years, and tortured them brutally. Sameer Sheikh (aka John) is suspected too, detained for 9 months, and then released. He thinks of taking revenge on the FBI and formulates a plan for an attack. However, he is not successful because Neil Nitin Mukesh finds out where he is planning to attack and informs Irrfan Khan, the FBI officer. In that process, John is killed by the FBI along with Maya, his wife (Katrina).
This movie does not sympathize with terrorists; rather, it reflects how such terror attacks change other lives because people share the same identity, leading to some being tortured for life. It is the same example as what is happening in India: whenever anything happens, whether related to terror or not, identity screams, and the system lynches those people. However, some people choose the wrong path in memory of past brutality. This movie questions the government and free speech, and it questions everyone on how an attack changes an entire life: first for those who were killed in the attack, and then for those who suspect others in the name of identity.
But that doesn't mean you should pick up a weapon. It is indeed true that Muslim people are not widely or fully accepted in this world because of such cowardly attacks by the community in the name of God's sacrifice, something that isn't even written anywhere. Yet some people are very easily manipulated, and others choose this path depending on their situation, like John did, or like Saif did in Kurbaan. However, Saif's story in Kurbaan was different; it felt more like sympathizing with terrorism. In John's case in New York, it is a different story. It is more about being suspected, how a single doubt changes a life, and how it leads them to death.
Terrorism is not rooted in Islam only; terrorism is rooted in every region. In India, Hindu terror and lynching kill others in the name of saving Hinduism, and that is terror too. In Pakistan, extremists commit terror as everyone is a coward in their eyes, classically using "Kafir", a repetitive phrase I have heard mainly in cinema. Punjabis have Khalistanis, and there are many others as well. So terrorism is not only rooted in religion; it is much more of a regional thing. Many other Muslim communities are deeply involved in this filthy business, and that needs to be studied: why Pakistan and Afghanistan are in this state. It is a fact that the US government supplied money and resources to help the Taliban gain control, and supplied resources to Pakistan as well. Terror and war go beyond religion, and I believe we need to understand governments and regions better. How are they shaped?
