Almost a year into his presidency and Trump goes from disaster to disaster; the latest being Senators Corker and Flake joining McCain and the growing band of Republicans against Trump. The list is endless with an inability to push through the affordable care act, his deplorable stand on immigration, his pathetic comments on the Peurto Rican crisis and the bar on transgender candidates to join the military, to name a few. In the meantime, the much beleaguered Tillerson, has promised to enhance India’s military strength on his recent visit to Delhi. Will he eventually resign or stay on, only time will tell.
Given the chaos in DC, I escape into the world of movies and books. But sometimes even these are not an escape.
The 29th Annual New York LGBT Film Festival concluded recently. I saw two movies; a short and a feature, made by an Indian and a Pakistani respectively. Karishma Dube’s Devi: Goddess is a bold statement not just on lesbianism but also class issues. Her film won the Grand Jury prize for best short film at the 2017 Indian film festival of LA. Centred around a young middle class girl who engages in a sexual relationship with her maidservant, the film shocks at many levels. It raises the issue of class divide and gender choices. Indian families avoid intimate contact between staff and employers and most families frown on same sex relationship. Given this, the movie hits a nerve. Unfortunately, Dube knows her society too well and the outcome is typical. The maid is fired and the ‘gay’ issue is swept under the rug. Life goes on.
As it did for Canadian Pakistani, Arshad Khan’s feature length film Abu, made as a tribute to his father. All through his life, he had a fractious relationship with his father. Mainly because he was different. He enjoyed creative activities, loved to dress up, dance and sing and preferred to stay away from ‘macho’ activities. His conservative Muslim parents could not accept his ‘gayness’ and kept trying to ‘cure’ him. The director is now in his 40’s but his mother still hopes to see him married one day, regardless that he is in a relationship. The movie is a documentary but employs features that make it more entertaining such as interspersing cartoons and Bollywood songs to make a point.
The movie is scattered with home videos from the Khan family archives. It plots their journey from Pakistan to Canada; it shows how difficult it is for immigrants to fit into the fabric of an alien society. Arshad missed the vibrant landscape of his home town, hated the bland food, found his peers difficult to comprehend and to top it all had to live with the stigma of being among other things, a brown Pakistani muslim faggot. The film shows how the protagonist finally found his voice and accepted who he was. Arshad reconciles with his parent’s views and simply moves out of the family home. From his death bed, his father even forgives him. It also paints a bleak portrait of sexual of kids in the sub-continent, mainly from older uncles, brothers, cousins and caregivers. Arshad faced it as did his sister, Asma.
Arshad’s use of old videos made me nostalgic for a bygone era. It’s ironic how the past relived in the present seems more fun than when we actually went through it.
“This too shall pass’ is one of my favourite mantras for this very reason.
Every little hiccup along the way, all the supposed mishaps and unsavoury incidents, eventually get erased in the journey of life. Both Devi and Abu show traditional society in the sub-continent and how it impacts children caught between modern identities and conservative views. It could be Pakistan; it could be India or Bangladesh. It could be Hindu, Muslim or Sikh families.
Muslim family reminds me of another excellent film. Aamir Khan needs no introduction. His choice of movies is legendary and with his latest one, he absolutely delivers. Secret Superstar is the story of a girl raised in a conservative Muslim home with a chauvinist Dad, abused mother and many restrictions. Her only dream is to be a well-known singer and somehow, with a little help from her mum and a friend, she surmounts circumstances, creates a you tube channel and uploads her songs. She becomes an overnight sensation but eventually life takes over. Not to be a spoiler, this tear jerker is well worth a watch and please stock up on tissues. The movie could have been set in any other community and still held true. It is possible, women being disrespected and maligned are more the norm in a Muslim setting, but the story is not about community, It’s about dignity. About taking charge and following your dreams. Aamir Khan’s casting is spot on and every character has played his or her role to perfection including Khan himself.
Taking a break from movies I also attended a dance performance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Pehlotah Soccer is a dance show based on soccer. The dancers, all black Americans, told their story using dance and soccer terminology. To give an example, the goalie’s life lessons is a message telling the NRA, National Rifle Association, about facing death. According to the goalie, defending their goals is a bit like defending life. Modern dance often makes a political comment as a part of its message and this performance did that time and time again. There were subtle and not so subtle barbs at the present government. There were many references made to ‘Black lives matter’ and all of the messages were spot on. So much so that I counted at least five older, white Americans walk out of the theatre. The messages were obviously discomforting. Though the troupe did get a standing ovation from the rest of the audience, those walk-outs disturbed me. Getting this country back on track is going to be an uphill task if this happened in ultra-liberal and democratic Brooklyn.
Yes, it’s a divided country and on a broader level, world too. The world of books, movies, theatre, shows, also reflect the sad state of society today. Where does one escape?
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#All views expressed in this column are those of the authors
- Your Legacy Will Live Forever, Wendell My Friend - February 18, 2020
- What I Enjoyed Reading In 2017 – Part Two - January 13, 2018
- What I Enjoyed Reading In 2017 – Part One - January 11, 2018
