A very intriguing look into the world of Pakistan’s theatre dancers – once worshipped and respected, now hunted and lusted after. Composed of mostly smart phone and social media footage, the film takes you right into the very heart and soul of this obscure part of society, in the province of Punjab.
Showgirls of Pakistan is divided into three chapters, each telling the turbulent tales of three particular dancers, all of whom performing the art of mujra, which emerged five hundred years ago, in the Mughal Empire. ‘Once a dance for emperors, mujra was criminalised under British colonial rule in the 19th century,’ we learn. Now, the dancers live in the fringes of a Muslim-dominated, patriarchal society, far from ideal circumstances for any woman, let alone for these artists.
The fashion in which the stories are told is frantic, fast and loud, combining videos that are recorded – sometimes secretly – with smart phones, live vlogs, fragments of news bulletins and television interviews, and footage where the camera follows the dancers, mostly on their way to or preparing for a performance – either in a theatre, at a private party or out on the street. The design and editing is manic, bordering on the camp, very much like the performances of the mujra dancers, which are anything but subtle and great fun to watch.
We get to know three of these broad-minded and brave dancers, living and working in Lahore and Multan: veteran Afreen, rising star Uzma and Reema, who’s in the autumn of her career. They share their fearlessness, energy, wittiness, independence and determination, all of which seems mandatory to make it in this business.
Reema is a bit more extraordinary as she’s a khawaja sira, a she-male, belonging to the third gender in Pakistan, who earn a living by blessing people at celebrations.
The three stories are all marked by shocking events, which seem completely normal to the protagonists. Afreen is an established dancer with a large fan base (ditto bosom), which she’s not afraid to put to good use. She casually deals with censorship restrictions on her outfits and movements, but can’t prevent sometimes being banned occasionally for ‘vulgar dance moves’. She responds stoically to news of colleague dancers being killed, abducted, harassed and disfigured – it’s a reality she’s got to live with.
Her drive, and that of the other stars in this film, is to make a living for herself and the people around her, and to not be dependent on anyone, or more specifically, on any man, the cause of basically all the problems they encounter. As Afreen thought-provokingly states: ‘If I would rule the government, I would have all men castrated. All problems will be solved.’
Unfortunately, men unavoidably play a huge role in their professional and personal lives. It’s the men who decide the rules, manage the businesses, come to the shows, threaten and adore them online. Uzma can’t get rid of her boyfriend/manager Imran, who cheats on her, but also gets her a high paying job in Dubai. A thrilling soap unfolds through phone calls – accompanied by complementary fragments from old movies – as Uzma finds hash in her suitcase which was obviously planted there to be found by airport security. It is clear she won’t take any bullshit lying down: ‘I won’t rest until I get you sorted’, she shouts at Imran. ‘I will teach you a lesson!’
The story of Reema is also gripping. Firstly her long-time partner Nasir leaves her, and then her guru (the Khawaja siras live and work under the protection and guidance of these leaders) disowns her for working in a territory without permission. You’d think it would be impossible to recover from such blows, but one the things this documentary makes crystal clear (other than the blatant hypocrisy ruling Pakistan society) is the incredible resourcefulness and resilience of the women. That is the overall feeling you’re left with, and maybe a slight feeling of despondency about the state of the world.
Showgirls of Pakistan is an impressive achievement for Brooklyn-based filmmaker Saad Khan, who wrote, directed, co-produced and co-edited this both entertaining and disheartening documentary. He managed to get deep inside the lives and minds of his protagonists and portrays them as the powerful, and at the same time vulnerable and deeply human, people that they are.
Pakistan/US 106 min
Director: Saad Khan
Executive producer: Anam Abbas for Other Memory Media, Saad Khan for Savta Media LLC, Joey Chriqui for Savta Media LLC
Cinematography: Anam Abbas
Editing: Joey Chriqui, Saad Khan
Screenplay: Saad Khan
