THE ROCK STAR & THE MULLAHS
Monday 15 December 2003 9.30pm-10.20pm; rpt 12.45am-1.35am
Ruhi Hamid & Angus Macqueen, UK, 2003
The lead singer of Pakistan's biggest rock group travels to Peshawar, where the local government has banned all music, and asks, "Why can't spirituality be expressed in pop song?"
STORYVILLE
What's on this week and features on previous films
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Nick Fraser
Storyville Series Editor
Everyone has their own definition of fundamentalism these days, but it's difficult to say how it would seem to us citizens of the Western world if we had to live within the confines of a fundamentalist culture.
Ruhu Hadid and Angus Macqueen's film does explain just this - through the medium of a rock group, Junoon. Salman Ahmad is a charismatic Muslim who believes that his religion should involve music.
The mullahs don't agree. But Salman is prepared to argue the toss with them.
The scenes are alternately funny, grim and touching.
