A Fantastic Documentary on Abdus Salam

by Salman Hameed

Today would have been Abdus Salam's 87th birthday. I was going to lament the way his name has been shunned in Pakistan - all because he was an Ahmadi Muslim. But instead, I want to highlight the efforts of some dogged, stubborn, and insane Pakistani filmmakers, who against all odds, have been pursuing their dream of making a documentary about Abdus Salam. In fact, I would love to see a documentary about the making of this documentary (where is Werner Herzog?). I first mentioned this project here in 2008 and then provided another update in 2010. I know one of the Executive Producers, Zakir Thaver, quite well - and it has been an absolute delight to see the project move along.

So two things: First, please see a seven minute clip of the film below. It will not only give you an idea of Salam's life, but also of the efforts of the filmmakers. The film has been shot on multiple locations in Pakistan (including the village where Salam was born) as well as in Italy (picture right, at the Salam-founded International Centre for Theoretical Physics), England, and the US.

Second, if you can, please make a contribution for the completion of this project (mostly post-production). Their target is to raise $150,000 - which is quite small for a project of this scale. But every dollar counts. Even if you contribute $10 - that will be of great help. You can make donations here.

In the mean time, congratulations to Zakir, Omar and others involved in the project. This is a superb effort!