Ben Kingsley to appear in quake-related documentary

Feb 22, 2006, 19:33 GMT

Islamabad - The academy award winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley, currently touring Pakistan, is to appear in a documentary production focusing on the devastation caused by last year's earthquake and the needs of thousands of survivors.

'Wounds run very deep [in the aftermath of the quake]...This is the crux of our message to be conveyed through the documentary production, which we plan to air all over the world on leading television channels,' Kingsley told a press conference in Islamabad Wednesday.

A production of Duncan entertainment, the documentary features the international relief efforts to date and the need for continued international reconstruction assistance. Kingsley and film director Chip Duncan plan to raise more funds and create awareness, particularly in the West, about the magnitude of the tragedy.

In a massive response to the quake in Pakistan, the international community pledged over six billion dollars at last November's donors' conference for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the areas ravaged by the magnitude 7.6 killer quake which killed an estimated 75,000 people.

In making the documentary, the production crew met President General Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, officials in the federal relief commission and victims in some of the most remote villages.

'All I have witnessed during my visits tells me that in the face of unimaginable catastrophe, the people's faith and confidence runs deep,' Kingsley said. He added the last slogan he heard from the people in the quake-hit regions before his helicopter took off was 'Pakistan zindabad' (long live Pakistan).

Kingsley is acclaimed for his performance in the lead role in Gandhi, a movie about Mohandas Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation, in 1982.