Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: March 29, 2024 | 
| 中文
Affan Waheed as Dr. Rafi Mohammad Chaudhri
Film-maker Kamran Faiq, whose work has won accolades at international film festivals, and a first-time producer, Osman Chaudhri, have joined forces to produce a teaser of their upcoming film, Rafi: The Untold Story. While for Kamran, this was an opportunity to delve into his favorite genre: a historical period drama. For Osman this is the story of his grandfather, Dr. Rafi Mohammed Chaudhri, a particle physicist whom Dr. Samar Mubarakmand, his student and Pakistan's premium nuclear physicist, described as "the true father of Pakistan’s nuclear program".
Dr. Chaudhri’s contributions have been immensely consequential for Pakistan’s nuclear program. According to Osman, “This is a compelling story set against the evolving landscape of South Asia, where Dr. Rafi Chaudhri grappled with the thin line between ground-breaking discoveries and the ethical dilemmas they spawn. As he navigated the challenging terrain of a society caught between the old and the new, the film explores the nuanced debate over scientism.” Kamran Faiq says, Rafi: The Untold Story, will prompt reflection on broader implications for the pursuit of knowledge and the quest for a meaningful and morally grounded existence.”
Kamran Faiq and Affan Waheed while filming the teaser
In the teaser, Affan Waheed, who is refining his acting chops with each project, displays his natural charm, while essaying the title role. Sonya Hussyn is seen playing the role of his wife, Mrs. Noor Jahan Rafi. In a recreation of a significant incidence, we see the then Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, eager to offer any incentive to Dr. Chaudhri for dissuading him from moving to Pakistan. Tanveer Syed plays the character of Nehru, and Idress Khan is seen as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Dr. Chaudhri was offered the office of Deputy Director, Physics Laboratory of India, one of the biggest laboratories of physics in the world. Around the same time, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah sent him a letter requesting him to come to Pakistan. Despite a personal phone call from Nehru, Dr. Chaudhri migrated to Pakistan with two of his most valuable assets: his books and his family.
Mrs. Noor Jahan Chaudhri
According to Affan, “When this role was offered to me, I had no reason to say no as it had everything an actor would dream of. Besides, it would be an honor for me to pay tribute to someone like Dr. Rafi Chaudhary, as what can be a better way for an actor to pay tribute to a national hero than playing the man himself.” Affan, known for playing complex characters with the required sensitivity on the television screen is looking forward for the shooting to commence. He said, “An actor can get away with a lot on television, but the cinema does not give this license. The most challenging part while portraying Dr. Rafi was speaking in Rangri, his native language. I had to go through rigorous coaching, and as for Dr. Rafi's mannerism, I had detailed conversations with his family, but then I also had to rely on my imagination.”
Dr. Chaudhary was born in the Kahnaur village of District Rohtak, East Punjab, on the 1st of July 1903, in a middle-class Rajput family. After the completion of his initial studies, he moved to the Aligarh University on a scholarship, awarded by Viceroy Rufus Isaacs in 1923. He enrolled for chemical engineering, and later changed his subject to experimental physics. He was awarded First Class Honors in MSc. That same year, the Nawab of Bhopal, Hamidullah Khan, awarded him a scholarship for Cambridge University, where he got his PhD degree, working with Mark Oliphant at the famous Cavendish Laboratory. At Cambridge, Dr. Chaudhri studied calculus of mathematical integrals and quantum physics from the Nobel Laureate, Ernest Rutherford. On his return he was appointed Professor of Physics at the Islamia College, Lahore, where he stayed till 1938. He then moved to the Aligarh University as the Chairman of the Physics Department. In 1946, he joined Birmingham University as a Nuffield Fellow. He returned to Aligarh in 1948, and it was at that time that Professor Oliphant wrote a letter to the Quaid: “It is a matter of good fortune that Pakistan will possess one single physicist of quality. Professor Chaudhri has shown great devotion to his subject by continuing to produce world class research under circumstances where it would have been far easier for him to confine his work to teaching. I would emphasize that he is the only Muslim scientist in India who is fit to build up your resources of physical science in Pakistan”, he wrote.
Mark Oliphant
The teaser of Rafi: The Untold Story concludes, as Dr. Chaudhri is seen discussing his options with his wife. Affan asks Sonya, ‘Why can’t we can stay in India as a minority, like a little sugar sweetening the milk?’ Sonya looks Affan in the eye and says, ‘Because we are not just sugar. We were the milk.’ According to Osman, his grandmother was a dedicated homemaker but had an astute political mind. Together they had nine children, who all grew up to be physicists, including Dr. Anwar Chaudhri, currently working in Germany, and Dr. Munawar Chaudhri, working at his father's alma mater, the Cavendish Laboratory.
Affan and Sonya display a great chemistry and charm on screen
Dr. Chaudhri established Pakistan’s first physics laboratory in 1952. High Tension Laboratory had, among other facilities, a 1.2 million Volts Cockcroft-Walton particle accelerator, first of its kind in Asia. Some of his prominent students included Mustafa Yar Khan, Samar Mubarakmand, Dr. Ashfaque Ahmad and Dr. Noor Muhammad Butt. His contribution as a teacher to Pakistan’s best physicists earned him the title of ‘Ustadon-ka-Ustad’ (teacher of teachers). Many foreign scientists termed the setup of this laboratory as accurate as that of Cavendish Laboratory.
Dr. Rafi Mohammad Chaudhri
In 1960, Dr. Chaudhri joined Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. With his impeccable academic credentials and commitment, it was perhaps his fastidious and inflexible temperament that led to his forced retirement at the age of 55 in 1958 from Government College, with a paltry pension of Rs 600 per month. He was the first Director of the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, where he was instrumental in installation of nuclear particle accelerator. In 1970, he joined the Centre for Solid State Physics, University of the Punjab, and was made Professor Emeritus in 1977. Dr. Chaudhri published hundreds of research papers in journals of national and international repute. When one of his students, Munir Ahmed Khan, introduced him to President General Zia-ul-Haq in 1986, the President saluted Dr. Chaudhri for his contributions.
Dr. Rafi Mohammad Chaudhri
Dr. N. M. Butt recollects how Dr Chaudhri usually lectured for at least two hours at a stretch, and worked 12 hours a day. It was thrilling to see Dr. Chaudhri come out of the laboratory late in the evening surrounded by a bunch of students, fresh and active as if he was starting a new day. “He was very sympathetic to students and extended financial help to needy students. On the other hand, he did not accept even a minor obligation from students. He walked regularly for six miles a day and his daily food intake consisted of a small portion of boiled vegetables and frequent tea throughout the day.” Dr. Butt notes.
Today an experimental atomic nuclear physics chair in the name of Dr. Chaudhri has been crated at the Government College University, and the High-Tension Laboratory has been named after Dr. Rafi Chaudhri. He passed away on December 4, 1988 in Lahore. Here is hoping that the biopic, Rafi: The Untold Story, will do justice to his exceptional life story.
Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOnR7LJ2kVI
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