DVD Review: Al Risalah 
By Joginder Tuteja, April 8, 2008 - 15:15 IST
MOVIE DETAILS
Cast: Abdallah Gheith, Michael Ansara, Mouna Wasef, Ali Achmed Taram.
Director: Moustapha Akkad
Producers (of dubbed version): Yamshi Ahmed, Saad Ahmed
Urdu Adaptation: Hasan Kamaal
Voiceover: Tarique Shah
Music: Maurice Jarre, A.R. Rahman (for the track 'Marhaba Mustapha' which plays in opening and end credit rolls)
THE FILM
Exponential escalation in DVD sales has brought world cinema to home. One such film coming all the way from the Middle East is Al Risalah, which hardly saw a theatrical release in India a few weeks back but is now available on home video. Originally made in Arabic, the film has been dubbed in Urdu and comes with English subtitles to make the proceedings more decipherable.
Al Risalah is primarily a religious film, which talks about the message of Islam. It is mainly for a select segment of audience which aspires to learn and know more about how Islam originated and how the message was spread across globe. Though the proceedings may have turned out to be too theoretical in nature, it is to the credit of director Moustapha Akkad (of Syrian origin) that he adds on numerous dramatic elements to make the film cinematically viable.
Al Risalah is set around 600 AD in Mecca with Prophet Mohammed and his followers were working together to make the world believe in one God - Allah! The film projects how vested interest was one of the many reasons which made people follow various Gods. Also slavery was prevalent while women were mistreated. Since Mohammed spoke about equality, love and respect for all, his views were shunned by those on power. As a result, there was wide spread resentment, split amongst followers and battles which lasted for years. Eventually even cynics and opposition fell in line with the message of Islam and there was peace with the religion being embraced in various parts of the world.
What is notable about the film is the fact that the main character in the movie, Prophet Mohammed, hasn't been shown on the screen due to religious reasons. Even his voice isn't heard and in a few scenes where his presence is required, it is all indicative. The film is a multi starrer and is set on a grand scale. Shot mainly in Libya, the film has some great wide-angle shots of deserts. Battle sequences form a major part of the second half of the film and they lend a good visual appeal. Thousands of men fill up the frame, which give an authentic feel to the film. Also, since the film tells a tale which is centuries old, much thought has been given on sets, costumes and other artifacts which go with the era. However, at places, one does get a feeling of visuals coming close to what one saw years back in TV serial 'Bible Ki Kahaniyaan'!
Now let's talk about the surprise element of the film. Believe it or not but the film was made more than three decades back! Released originally in 1976, the film had it's own share of controversies when it aimed at a global audience. It was made simultaneously in English and released as 'The Message' with a different set of actors. This only makes one more in awe of the film since never once does one realize while watching the dubbed version that Al Risalah was shot decades back. Hats off to the film's technical crew for the finesse they were able to manage even then!
PACKAGING
The film comes in an ordinary paper packing which is only marginally better than the way pirated DVDs are packaged.
DURATION
The film comes in a single DVD pack with the film's duration being 160 minutes.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The DVD doesn't come with any special features.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen format
- Subtitles In English (Subtitled are a must for Al-Risalah since chaste Urdu dialogues
make it hard for viewers to grasp the nuances of what happens on screen)
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo
PRICE
Rs. 99/-
CONCLUSION
The film requires immense patience to be watched in entirety. Close to three hours in duration, Al Risalah needs one to concentrate hard. Also, don't search for an out and out entertaining saga in Al Risalah. Though there are dramatic elements to tie the film together, there are long drawn messages and philosophical talk, which have an audience mainly in intelligentsia or those who are genuinely interested in knowing more about Islam.
Rating: **
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