Jinnah (1998)

Jinnah (Urdu: جناح, romanised: Jinnāh) is a 1998 British–Pakistani epic biographical film directed by Jamil Dehlavi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Akbar S. Ahmed. It follows the life of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, and stars Christopher Lee in the lead role as Jinnah.

To make this film, Shashi Kapoor wanted to invest $1 million. He became the subject of controversy in India and Pakistan for acting in the film. Jinnah was shown in Mill Valley Film Festival on 15 October 1999. Sir Christopher Lee also starred as the title character in Jinnah. In his autobiography, Lee challenged Jamil Dehlavi’s credibility as a director, describing Dehlavi as “indecisive and without enough experience to communicate easily on the set,” and recalling occasions when the cameraman “effectively direct[ed] many of the scenes” while Dehlavi “stood like a rabbit in the headlights. Former Channel 4 executive Farrukh Dhondy also helped write the screenplay for the film for £12,000. Ahmed and Dehlavi later became involved in a financial dispute.