HYDERABAD: A music documentary Closer to God with Ustad Naseeruddin Saami and sons was screened at Khanabadosh writers’ cafe on Thursday night.

The movie focussed on two persons, a music master of classical ragas Ustad Saami and mystic Ghoga Saeen. Though the film was made for Western audience by director Annet Berger, it managed to mesmerise local audience close to culture of Sufi saints and spiritual saga of music.

Amar Sindhu, driving force behind the café, said their land had suffered many scars of intolerance and terror but it had sustained them because of its rich culture of mystic and Sufi thought and screening of the movie was aimed at glorifying cultural tolerance and spiritual land.

The movie’s cameraman attended the event while the director sent a message which said “it is really a challenging film and very thought-provoking because it comes from a world that is largely alien to us and yet contains thoughts we should be asking ourselves”.

The documentary follows footsteps of Islamic mystics and immerses itself in spiritual everyday life of mystic Ghoga Saeen and master singer Ustad Saami.

The singer devotes his entire life to music whereas Ghoga Saeen places his work entirely at the service of God and his fellow human beings.

As different as their path is, they have one thing in common: only those who can know themselves can respect their fellow human beings.

Far away from usual headlines about terror and crises in Pakistan, the movie was a fascinating reflection on another world of culture but also the transcendental dim­en­sion of humankind.

Through careful staging, the director concentrates on making beauty of lived spirituality more visible thus making space for universality of being human.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2019