A commercial love story movie based on Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi's teachings about love will be aired this summer.
The Pakistani producer of the movie said it will be dubbed in many languages, including Turkish, Arabic, Persian and Russian.
“The film is based on Maulana Rumi's teachings, and its central theme is love," Speaking to daily Yeni Şafak director Khalid Khan, who was in Turkey for the film shoot.
Khalid said that this will be the first international movie on the love of Maulana, “Basically, this is the first commercial film on Maulana Rumi's teachings."
Khalid said that there are many producers in Pakistan and Bollywood who wanted to shoot a movie on Maulana Rumi, but he is the lucky one who is making the movie.
There are many documentary and TV serials on Maulana Rumi, he said and added, but there was no commercial love story movie, which extracted from the “teaching of love by this great person."
He said that Pakistanis love Rumi and his teaching about Sufism as Pakistan is a country dominated by Sufism. “People in Pakistan burst into tears when you talk to them about Rumi and his teaching," he added.
Kalid is known to TV buffs for his dramas Sookhay Pattay, Anokha Bandhan and Bhar Day Jholi.
The cast includes Pakistani and Turkish actors; shooting began in mid-December and will end in March, according to Khalid.
The movie is being shot in Urdu but will be dubbed into Turkish, Arabic and Persian as most of Rumi's work was written in Persian.
He further added that Zeher-e-Ishq would be dubbed into Russian, as there are many followers of Maulana Rumi in Russia.
The film's soundtrack was written by prominent Pakistani composer Waqar Ali Khan, known for many a soundtrack for television serials.
The film's soundtrack will feature seven songs, six of which were originally produced for the movie while one of the tracks is a Persian song by the legendary Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
In the Turkish version of the movie, all songs will be sung by famous Turkish singers, he added.
Inspired by Sufism and teachings of Rumi yet based in a contemporary setting, the film boasts a stellar cast, owing to its mix of veteran actors and rising stars from Turkey. Khalid said the leading character of the movie will be role by a Turkish actress, but he declined to name her.
The director said the movie will be a bridge between two brother countries - Pakistan and Turkey - and bring Turks and Pakistanis closer through the teachings of Maulana.
