I had read Mario Puzo’s ‘Godfather’ long before its silverscreen version was made. When the film was made, it became an overnight sensation. Two actors became the symbols of the Mafia power— Marlon Brand and Al Pacino.
Visual images have an overwhelming advantage over the written words. Precisely why the Godfather is remembered more for the performances of Brando and Pacino in the roles of Don Corleone and Michael Corleone, than for the mastery of Mario Puzo’s power of imagination and command on the words.
In our country The Godfather came alive in the aftermath of Justice Asif Saeed Khosa’s memorable judgment in the Panama Papers case. The honourable judge quoted Lord Acton’s famous statement used as an allegory in the novel: “Behind Every Great Fortune There Is A Great Crime.”
Mian Nawaz Sharif instantly earned the title of the Godfather as he couldn’t produce any explanation of the great ‘Fortune’ that had been attributed to him in the Panama Leaks and that his son Hussain Nawaz had graciously acknowledged to belong to the family.
The word ‘Family’ has a great metaphorical and allegorical importance in this context. Mario Puzo’s Godfather was all about the wars between five powerful MAFIA FAMILIES in New York. These families were vying for the control of the New York underworld.
My purpose behind mentioning all this is simple. I have a feeling that in the Media world of our country too, some powerful FAMILIES have appeared that have all the Mafia characteristics.
Can Pakistan’s fortunes change in the presence of these MAFIA FAMILIES whose growing power is a challenge even our ISI is afraid of?