TIME speaks with director Saim Sadiq about Pakistan banning—then un-banning—his award-winning movie
remains banned in Punjab, the country’s most populous region.What feels most unprecedented aboutSadiq: The most unprecedented thing is that there was a banned film that got unbanned. This year alone, Pakistan has banned at least three films—so in that sense it’s a moment of victory for Pakistani filmmakers at home, which is just as important to celebrate as winning international awards. It’s half a battle won but not fully since audiences in Punjab still cannot view the movie.
Most of the film’s characters are conservative and they are portrayed as decent people. If anything, I’m doing a lot to foster empathy for conservative Pakistanis. How often do you see that—especially in films about gender? They’re often seen as an affront to people fulfilling their true identities. But I didn’t want to do that because it doesn’t feel truthful to me.
I don’t care if people walk out of the film holding the same conservative views as when they first walked in—as long as there’s an empathy that’s built for the characters who may not be like them. It’s rare to see films that take into account a yearning to be individualistic but being unable to because of how interconnected family members are. As Pakistanis, our experiences are never individual. Many of us live in joint family systems and we understand what it means for every member of your family to be involved in decision making—how private space is so elusive.Courtesy of Saim Sadiq
What was the importance of casting trans actress Alina Khan as Biba? Was it a deliberate choice on your part?, which includes a key trans girl character. I wanted to cast a trans girl for that film but the few we liked didn’t get permission from home, so I ended up going for a young male theater actor at first.. She was not auditioning for us but I was charmed by her. I realized that our initial choice just could not do what she’s doing. So I learned my lesson.
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