Released in 1998, Jinnah was a joint Pakistan Britain production directed by Jamil Dehlavi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Dr Akbar S Ahmed. Dr Akbar S Ahmed was also the film’s producer.
Lee, who became famous for playing the lead role in the Dracula series and later played Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, had an interesting route to being cast as Jinnah.
How did Christopher Lee get the role of Jinnah?
In his memoir Lord of Misrule, Christopher Lee wrote that in 1997, during a reception in London marking the 50th anniversary of Pakistan, Dr Akbar Ahmed and Jamil Dehlavi asked him what he knew about Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Lee replied that Jinnah had founded a new state called Pakistan and that he regarded him as a man of extraordinary determination and intelligence.
He was then given an unexpected offer: they wanted him to play Jinnah. Lee later believed that his physical resemblance to Jinnah, particularly in height and build, may have been one reason he was chosen.
Preparing for the role and changes to the script
After accepting the role, Lee studied material about Jinnah’s life and personality and read several books.
Writing about changes to the script, he said that as filming progressed, scenes considered unnecessary were gradually removed.
The film was originally supposed to begin in Limbo, where Jinnah would be shown accounting for his life before an angel. But because the concept was considered inconsistent with Islamic beliefs, it was changed to a fictional heavenly library where Jinnah’s life file is sought.
Indian actor Shashi Kapoor played the guardian of the library. He takes Jinnah through key events in his life that transformed him from an ordinary political leader into Quaid-e-Azam.
Christopher Lee in Karachi
Christopher Lee stayed at a well known hotel in Karachi for around 10 weeks while the film was being shot. On one occasion, he suffered from back pain and was taken to a local hospital.
According to Lee, the hotel staff knew who he was and why he had come to Karachi from his first day there. By the following day, news of his arrival had spread across the city through newspapers.
He also received a welcome letter from then-President Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari for taking on the role of Jinnah. However, newspapers also began criticising the decision to cast him.
Lee wrote that his wife and daughter Christina accompanied him on the trip. Despite tight security, his wife managed to visit markets in Karachi, but Lee and his daughter were unable to explore the city in the way described in guidebooks.
‘How can Dracula become Jinnah?’
In his memoir, Lee wrote that some Pakistani newspapers objected to a Western Christian actor, who had previously played Dracula and other negative characters, portraying the founder of Pakistan.
Lee argued that actors are different from the characters they play. An actor can portray different personalities in different films, and therefore using previous roles as an argument against casting him as Jinnah was not justified.
He particularly mentioned the editor of the English-language newspaper The News, who had also auditioned for the role of Jinnah.
According to Lee, the editor’s height and build were not suitable for the role and he also had no acting experience. In the same newspaper, a retired major called for Lee to be deported in a letter to the editor. There was also an apparently absurd claim that the film’s screenplay had been written by Salman Rushdie.
Problems during filming
According to Lee, the difficulties facing the film were not limited to security issues. A small team of around 15 people had to work with a large number of local extras. Filming took place for long hours in intense heat, while there were also problems with production and communication.
Lee criticised director Jamil Dehlavi’s working style. He said Dehlavi sometimes appeared hesitant when making decisions. In contrast, Lee praised the work of cinematographer Nic Knowland.
Discussing the film’s financing, Lee said a change of government during filming created funding problems. After the issue was properly managed, production was completed.
Jinnah’s voice and mannerisms
Christopher Lee studied old footage and radio recordings of Jinnah to understand his mannerisms. He observed the way Jinnah walked, his hand gestures, his speaking style and even his cough.
One of Jinnah’s well-known speeches was filmed in Lahore at the same location where the original speech had historically been delivered.
Lee also visited Jinnah’s mausoleum. He wrote that it was on that day that he truly felt the responsibility of playing the role.
During the filming of the climax, which featured a refugee convoy at the time of Partition, Lee became emotional.
In the scene, a young girl had lost her mother. According to Lee, the tears that appeared on his face in front of the camera were real.
Cast and Urdu dubbing
Shireen Shah played Fatima Jinnah, Richard Lintern played the young Jinnah, Sam Dastor played Mahatma Gandhi, Robert Ashby played Jawaharlal Nehru and James Fox played Lord Mountbatten. Vaneeza Ahmad played Dina Jinnah, while Shakeel played Liaquat Ali Khan.
In his final interview, actor Shakeel described his involvement in Jinnah as a memorable experience. He said that before accepting the role of Liaquat Ali Khan, he had also sought permission from members of his family.
An Urdu version of the film was also produced, with actor Ghulam Mohiuddin providing the dubbed voice for Christopher Lee.
Ghulam Mohiuddin said he had already wanted to become part of the film in some way. After the English production was completed, he received a call from Karachi and auditioned for the dubbing.
His recording was sent to the Hollywood team, which then approved his voice.
He said his experience working with Radio Pakistan and Voice of America helped him with the task. Some scenes required several rehearsals to synchronise the voice with the actors’ lip movements.
According to Ghulam Mohiuddin, he once spent around 12 to 14 hours continuously recording the dubbing. He described the experience as a major achievement and a source of pride.
International acclaim but no major distributor
Lee was not completely satisfied with the film’s initial version. However, he said further editing and music work in London and New York resulted in a better version of the film.
Jinnah was screened at film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, London and Cairo, where it received positive critical reviews. However, the film failed to secure a major distributor outside Pakistan.
The most memorable part of the experience for Christopher Lee was the reaction of the Pakistani public.
He wrote that local shopkeepers, police officers, soldiers and the film’s extras all eventually said one word to him that he would never forget: ‘Thank you.’
