06-12-2010, 11:43 AM
LAHORE: All leaders carry a spell around them. The spell which makes people gather in millions just to catch a glimpse of them, to listen to them and to get the feeling of being associated with them. But, amidst the charm, only a few from amongst the people realise that the orator behind the rostrum, the political prisoner behind the bars, the elected leader on their TV screens is also made up of flesh and blood and is human. The documentary ‘Bhutto—you can’t murder a legacy’ brings a similar realisation to the audience after the two-and-a-half hour show. It intertwines her personal life with the political drama she centred around for more than 20 years. From the earlier training in politics with her father in the 70’s to her violent and abrupt death in 2007, it shows the making of not just a political leader, but a legacy. It portrays the bravery with which the young Benazir fought the country’s entire establishment during the Zia era, the resilience she showed during her two terms on the face of intrigues and conspiracies and her final return to the country marred with terrorism, in the clutches of a dictator. It shows the loving mother rearing children; an exiled politician delivering lectures across international academic circles and keeping her party intact and a wife whose husband spent more than half of their married life in jail. At the end of the show, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said only those personalities having a history of “struggle and sacrifice” are subjects of documentaries and films. He said it was not a government-sponsored project, as it also criticised the policies of the Pakistan People’s Party. “No family other than the Bhutto family has sacrificed so much for the betterment of the people in the entire sub-continent,” he added. The sparkle in people’s eyes at the end spoke volumes that the spell has not worn off and her legacy still goes on.