Tere Bin Laden
Encyclopedia
Tere Bin Laden is a 2010 Bollywood
satire
film produced by Walkwater Media and written and directed by Abhishek Sharma. The film stars Pakistan
i pop singer Ali Zafar
in the lead role as an ambitious young reporter, who, in his desperation to migrate to the U.S., makes a fake Osama bin Laden
video using a look-alike
, and sells it to TV channels. The film is a spoof
on Osama Bin Laden, as well as a comic satire
on America
's war against terror
and the realities of the post-9/11 world. The film was released worldwide on 16 July 2010.
) is a reporter with Danka TV, a downmarket local TV channel in Karachi
. He is keen to migrate to the US
for a better life and wants to work for an american news channel. He gets a chance to fly to USA, but ruins it on board while taking his own audition. He recites the words "Hijack" and "Bomb" too many times; thus scaring his fellow on board passengers and flight crew members. As soon as he reaches the USA, he is deported immediately. Furthermore, because of this incident his Visa application is refused six times in seven years. While covering a local event for his channel, he comes across an Osama Bin Laden
look-alike, Noora, and hits upon an idea to make a fake Osama tape. He manages to convince his assistant Gul about the merits of his plan. With help from his travel agent's assistant Zoya and a local radio jockey
Quereshi, he is able to make the tape by tricking Noora into unknowingly posing as Bin Laden. He then sells the tape to the owner of his channel, hoping to raise money for a new false identity, a new passport and a renewed attempt at getting the elusive US Visa. However, the gravity of their action strikes them when the US Government takes the tape seriously and gets involved, as do the Pakistani intelligence agencies. A series of comic situations follow as they attempt to elude the authorities on their trail.
; and have recreated the scene of Karachi
to do this. Pradhuman Singh, who plays an Osama lookalike in the film, was given a Osama Bin Laden tape to watch, and later learned Arabic for eight months to get the diction.
of The Times of India
, while giving it a rating of 4 out of 5 noted, that compared with recent laugh riots at box office, "Tere Bin Laden has both: a smart script and some smart acting." Noyon Jyoti Parasara of AOL rated the film 4 out of 5 and said, "What makes 'Tere Bin Laden' mint fresh is that despite being based on the post 9/11 scenario and the Laden scare, this one is a fun ride." Taran Adarsh
of Bollywood Hungama
gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and said, "On the whole, Tere Bin Laden is a fun-ride that makes you smile constantly and even laugh outrageously in those two hours." Pankaj Sabnani of Bollywood Trade News Network gave it 3.5/5 and stated "Tere Bin Laden is 'laden' with many humourous (sic) moments. It is by far the funniest film in recent times. A must watch."
Political analyst, Jyoti Malhotra in Arab international daily, Asharq Alawsat
, saw the film as a "message for Pak–India Talks", referring to foreign ministers of India and Pakistan, who were meeting at the same time. According to her, the film, "promises to unite film-goers...an ingredient terribly dangerous for power-hungry politicians on any side."
Nominated
2011 Zee Cine Awards
Nominated
Pakistan's film censor board banned the film on grounds that extremists could use it as a pretext to launch attacks.
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
film produced by Walkwater Media and written and directed by Abhishek Sharma. The film stars Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i pop singer Ali Zafar
Ali Zafar
Ali Zafar is a Pakistani musician, composer, song writer, singer, actor, painter and model, popular in Pakistan for his music, including his hit songs like "Channo", "Rangeen", "Chal Dil Merey", "Dekha", "Masty" and "Sajania"...
in the lead role as an ambitious young reporter, who, in his desperation to migrate to the U.S., makes a fake Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
video using a look-alike
Look-alike
A look-alike is a person who closely resembles another person. In popular Western culture, a look-alike is a person who bears a close physical resemblance to a celebrity, politician or member of royalty. Many look-alikes earn a living by making guest appearances at public events or performing on...
, and sells it to TV channels. The film is a spoof
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
on Osama Bin Laden, as well as a comic satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
on America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's war against terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
and the realities of the post-9/11 world. The film was released worldwide on 16 July 2010.
Plot
Ali Hassan (Ali ZafarAli Zafar
Ali Zafar is a Pakistani musician, composer, song writer, singer, actor, painter and model, popular in Pakistan for his music, including his hit songs like "Channo", "Rangeen", "Chal Dil Merey", "Dekha", "Masty" and "Sajania"...
) is a reporter with Danka TV, a downmarket local TV channel in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
. He is keen to migrate to the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for a better life and wants to work for an american news channel. He gets a chance to fly to USA, but ruins it on board while taking his own audition. He recites the words "Hijack" and "Bomb" too many times; thus scaring his fellow on board passengers and flight crew members. As soon as he reaches the USA, he is deported immediately. Furthermore, because of this incident his Visa application is refused six times in seven years. While covering a local event for his channel, he comes across an Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
look-alike, Noora, and hits upon an idea to make a fake Osama tape. He manages to convince his assistant Gul about the merits of his plan. With help from his travel agent's assistant Zoya and a local radio jockey
Radio jockey
A radio jockey is a person who hosts a radio talk show where the RJ selects the music to be played, or topic of discussion, by interacting with the audience; the interaction is often via telephone, but may also be online, or via email....
Quereshi, he is able to make the tape by tricking Noora into unknowingly posing as Bin Laden. He then sells the tape to the owner of his channel, hoping to raise money for a new false identity, a new passport and a renewed attempt at getting the elusive US Visa. However, the gravity of their action strikes them when the US Government takes the tape seriously and gets involved, as do the Pakistani intelligence agencies. A series of comic situations follow as they attempt to elude the authorities on their trail.
Cast
- Ali ZafarAli ZafarAli Zafar is a Pakistani musician, composer, song writer, singer, actor, painter and model, popular in Pakistan for his music, including his hit songs like "Channo", "Rangeen", "Chal Dil Merey", "Dekha", "Masty" and "Sajania"...
as Ali Hassan - Pradhuman Singh as Noora / Osama Bin LadenOsama bin LadenOsama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
- Sugandha GargSugandha Garg-Career:She appeared as Shaleen in the Hindi-language film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na . She also played the role of best friend to Gayatri Patel in the movie Let's Dance, released on June 19, 2009. She also played a role in My Name is Khan as a student reporter...
as Zoya - Nikhil Ratnaparkhi as Gul
- Piyush MishraPiyush MishraPiyush Mishra is an Indian film and theatre actor, music director, lyricist, singer, scriptwriter.-Early life and education:He spent his early life in Gwalior, where he received his education...
as Majeed - Rahul SinghRahul SinghAnurag Verma is a comic book character from the Devi comic book by Virgin Comics....
as Qureishi - Seema BhargavSeema BhargavSeema is an Indian soap opera actress. She played Maasi, or Aunt on Kasamh Se, a popular Zee TV soap opera by Ekta Kapoor. The character is very kind and loving towards her nephew and his wife Bani Walia, the protagonist.-External links:...
as Shabbo - Barry JohnBarry John (theatre director)Barry John is a British born, Indian theatre director and teacher, who was the Founder-Director of 'Theatre Action Group' , one of the early theatre group based in Delhi. In 1997, he launched Imago Media Company, along with Sanjay Sujitabh, and also started Imago Acting School in Delhi, both of...
as Ted - Chirag Vohra as Lateef
- Chinmay Mandlekar as Usmaan
- Rajendra SethiRajendra SethiRajendra Sethi is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.He is married to Sushma Sethi. They have two children, daughter Gayantika and Son Sarthak.-Filmography:* Delhi Belly ...Jeweler...
as Jamal Bhai (Travel agent) - Harry Josh as a Security guard
- Masood AkhtarMasood AkhtarMasood Akhtar is popular Pakistani singer. He has fan base stretching from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pashtun areas of Balochistan to southern parts of Afghanistan, and has achieved much recognition. Masood sings in several languages: Pashto, Urdu, Hindko- Origin :Masood was born in Mardan, Khyber...
as Rahim Yaar Khan
Production
The film crew have attempted to get the locations, costume design and language as similar as possible to that in PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
; and have recreated the scene of Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
to do this. Pradhuman Singh, who plays an Osama lookalike in the film, was given a Osama Bin Laden tape to watch, and later learned Arabic for eight months to get the diction.
Release
Tere Bin Laden was released on 16 July 2010, The release of the film was delayed in the USA because the producers first wanted to gauge the film's response in other countries and also considering the sensitivity of the topic in the US. Pakistan's censor board renamed the title of the movie as Tere Bin and Middle East countries banned the release of the film.Critical reception
Tere Bin Laden garnered generally positive reviews. Nikhat KazmiNikhat Kazmi
Nikhat Kazmi is a senior correspondent and well-known film critic from India, who has been writing for The Times of India, since 1987.-Books:* If Shakespeare was a gun: a play. Writers Workshop, 1984....
of The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
, while giving it a rating of 4 out of 5 noted, that compared with recent laugh riots at box office, "Tere Bin Laden has both: a smart script and some smart acting." Noyon Jyoti Parasara of AOL rated the film 4 out of 5 and said, "What makes 'Tere Bin Laden' mint fresh is that despite being based on the post 9/11 scenario and the Laden scare, this one is a fun ride." Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....
of Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....
gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and said, "On the whole, Tere Bin Laden is a fun-ride that makes you smile constantly and even laugh outrageously in those two hours." Pankaj Sabnani of Bollywood Trade News Network gave it 3.5/5 and stated "Tere Bin Laden is 'laden' with many humourous (sic) moments. It is by far the funniest film in recent times. A must watch."
Political analyst, Jyoti Malhotra in Arab international daily, Asharq Alawsat
Asharq Alawsat
Asharq Al-Awsat is an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London. A pioneer of the "off-shore" model in the Arabic press, the paper is often noted for its distinctive green-tinted pages....
, saw the film as a "message for Pak–India Talks", referring to foreign ministers of India and Pakistan, who were meeting at the same time. According to her, the film, "promises to unite film-goers...an ingredient terribly dangerous for power-hungry politicians on any side."
Box office
In India, the film opened on 350 screens and collected 5 crore in its opening weekend. Friday morning shows opened with 20-25% in key areas like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nasik,Bangalore and evening settled down to 35-40% with average occupancy cultivating first day gross box office of 1.11 crore, with glowing reviews ranging from 3-4 star ratings and strong word of mouth from audience Saturday showed an impressive jump of 80-85% and settle down to 1.75 crore, Sunday showed further jump of 66% compared to Saturday, and garnered further 2.15 crore cultivating to cumulative an astounding opening weekend collection of more than 5 crore gross. The film collected at the end of its theatrical run. It was declared an average grosser at the box office.Awards and nominations
6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild AwardsNominated
- Apsara Award for Best Story - Abhishek Sharma
- Apsara Award for Best Screenplay - Abhishek Sharma
2011 Zee Cine Awards
Zee Cine Awards
The Zee Cine Awards or "ZCA" for short is an awards ceremony for the Hindi film industry. It was first held in 1998 in Mumbai. Since then, it has gained substantial popularity as a notable awards ceremony to the Indian population as well as to the viewers of Zee Network.In 2004, the ZCA went...
Nominated
- Best Male Debut - Ali Zafar
- Best ComedianZee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic RoleThe Zee Cine Award Best Actor in a Comic Role is chosen by a jury organized by Zee Entertainment Enterprises, and the winner is announced at the ceremony.The winners are listed below:-...
- Pradhuman Singh Mall
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of Tere Bin Laden was released on 21 June 2010. The music directors of the film include, Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonca and Dhruv Dhalla while the lyrics have been penned by Jaideep SahniJaideep Sahni
Jaideep Sahni is an Indian screenwriter, songwriter and producer, most known for screenplays of films like, Company , Khosla Ka Ghosla and Chak De! India . He is currently on contract with Yash Raj Films...
Track list
| Track | Song | Singer(s) | Composer | Lyricists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Bas Ek Soch" | Ali Zafar Ali Zafar Ali Zafar is a Pakistani musician, composer, song writer, singer, actor, painter and model, popular in Pakistan for his music, including his hit songs like "Channo", "Rangeen", "Chal Dil Merey", "Dekha", "Masty" and "Sajania"... |
Ali Zafar and Hamza Zafar | Ali Zafar and Hamza Zafar |
| 2 | "I Love Amreeka" | Ali Zafar Ali Zafar Ali Zafar is a Pakistani musician, composer, song writer, singer, actor, painter and model, popular in Pakistan for his music, including his hit songs like "Channo", "Rangeen", "Chal Dil Merey", "Dekha", "Masty" and "Sajania"... , Akriti Kakkar |
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy are an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. Record producers, musicians and multi-instrumentalists, they have composed music for over fifty soundtrack across four languages... |
Jaideep Sahni Jaideep Sahni Jaideep Sahni is an Indian screenwriter, songwriter and producer, most known for screenplays of films like, Company , Khosla Ka Ghosla and Chak De! India . He is currently on contract with Yash Raj Films... |
| 3 | "Kukudu" | Master Saleem Master Saleem Master Saleem sometimes referred as Saleem Shahzada is an Indian singer from Punjab, known for his work as a playback singer in Bollywood films, like Heyy Babyy , Dostana and Love Aaj Kal... |
Dhruv Dhalla | Jaspreet Singh, Dhruv Dhalla |
| 4 | "Shor Sharaba" | Suraj Jagan | Abhijit Vaghani, Dhruv Dhalla | Jaideep Sahni, Dhruv Dhalla |
| 5 | "Ullu Da Pattha Ullu Da Pattha Ullu Da Pattha , is a song from the 2010 film Tere Bin Laden. The song is composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, with lyrics by Jaideep Sahni.-Overview:... " |
Ali Zafar Ali Zafar Ali Zafar is a Pakistani musician, composer, song writer, singer, actor, painter and model, popular in Pakistan for his music, including his hit songs like "Channo", "Rangeen", "Chal Dil Merey", "Dekha", "Masty" and "Sajania"... , Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:... |
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy are an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. Record producers, musicians and multi-instrumentalists, they have composed music for over fifty soundtrack across four languages... |
Jaideep Sahni |
| 6 | "Welcome To Amreeka" | Ali Zafar Ali Zafar Ali Zafar is a Pakistani musician, composer, song writer, singer, actor, painter and model, popular in Pakistan for his music, including his hit songs like "Channo", "Rangeen", "Chal Dil Merey", "Dekha", "Masty" and "Sajania"... |
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy are an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. Record producers, musicians and multi-instrumentalists, they have composed music for over fifty soundtrack across four languages... |
Jaideep Sahni |
Controversies
Walkwater Media, the film's production company reportedly received threatening letters which accused the company of supporting Osama Bin Laden and terrorism by making the comedy film.Pakistan's film censor board banned the film on grounds that extremists could use it as a pretext to launch attacks.