Films and shows on world’s greatest terror attack

Something like 9/11 and its aftermath just screams for the attention of Hollywood, Playstation and the tv. The best and the worst of the silver and LED screens takes on the Films .

BOLLYWOOD FILMS

My Name Is Khan (2010)
Tere Bin Laden (2010)
New York (2009)
Turkey: Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota (2006)

There was a clear pattern in the films that became successful post the 9/11 terror attacks. Most revolved around protagonists from the Muslim community being discriminated against. The biggest film in that category remains My Name Is Khan. Fox Star Studios bought the rights to Karan Johar's film for an estimated one billion rupees in 2010. The highly anticipated film told the story of a Muslim protagonist's (Shah Rukh Khan) journey to meet the US President after he was discriminated against for being a 'Khan' in the US. Following a grand worldwide release, the big budget film went on to do record-breaking business.

Abhishek Sharma's Tere Bin Laden was declared the sleeper hit of 2010. The satire about a Pakistani's attempt to get an American visa received rave reviews. Kabir Khan’s New York started off as a love triangle between John Abraham, Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh, but turned into a story of racial profiling.

However, Naseeruddin Shah’s directorial debut, Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota, failed to make an impact among the lot of 9/11 themed films.

HOLLYWOOD FILMS

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? (Documentary; 2008)
United 93 (2006)
Hurt Locker (2008)
Turkey: Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center (2006)

The tragedy may have occurred 10 years ago, but Hollywood isn’t going to forget 9/11. Various films and documentaries that followed the attack attempted to present exposés. ‘Hero’ films like United 93 told stories from the point of view of the Americans, and fared well at the box office worldwide. However, some like the documentary Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden? (2008) failed to do well. The film was panned by critics for its comic treatment of stories from parts of the world affected by the Al-Qaeda. Oliver Stone's World Trade Center, also, was a damp squib.

Michael Moore’s docu-drama Fahrenheit 9/11 single-handedly resurrected the genre with its exponential success. In 2004, the film went on to become one of the highest grossing documentaries of all time, and received a standing ovation at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Best Director Kate Bigelow’s Oscar-winning Hurt Locker focus on the plight of American soldiers who’d been stationed in Iraq in the years following the terror attacks.

TV SHOWS

CSI
24
Rescue Me
Turkey: Flight 93

Within months of the 9/11 attack, international television saw a flurry of forensic-detective-heroic shows flood the airwaves. It seemed like all America wanted to watch was justice being wrought and terrorists being defeated. The massive success that CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is, continues to prove what audiences wanted to watch post the attacks. Human-interest shows like Rescue Me, which began in 2004, dealt with firefighters who were at work on 9/11. Jack Bauer’s 24, too, tried every possible combination to save the world. However, Flight 93, received mixed responses.

VIDEO GAMES

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Army of Two
Medal of Honor (2010 version)
Turkey: Delta Ops

It all started with the pre-9/11 tactical shooter Counter Strike, which first introduced computer gamers to working as a unit and thwarting terrorists’ plans. Yet war-based action games really took off only after the Twin Tower bombings.

One of the biggest game franchises directly influenced by 9/11 is Call of Duty. The sixth game in the series titled Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is set in multiple locations including Afghanistan and Russia. The new Medal Of Honor reboot, set in Afghanistan in 2002, is another good example of a single-player shooter. 2008’s Army Of Two also has a direct connection with 9/11. But there have also been misses. 2003’s Delta Ops was too rushed to be of any consequence.

First Published: Sep 10, 2011 23:19 IST