This film is part of Free
Lahore - Badshahi Mosque
Extraordinary home movie footage of prayers in the Punjabi capital
Overview
T. Burtt's home movies offer a vivid picture of Simla, Ajmer, Pushkar and, particularly, Lahore in the 1930s. It's easy to assume that tactless members of the Raj filmed exactly what they wanted without requesting permission. Yet Burtt achieved this extraordinary footage of prayers at the Badshahi Mosque - featuring what appear to be hundreds of thousands of men - with the help and full approval of the Mosque authorities. Despite the wobbly camera and dodgy angles, this is epic cinema. Then part of India, the Punjabi capital Lahore has been part of Pakistan since 1947.
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