Why Pakistani Actors In Hollywood Can Usher In A New Era And Why Hollywood might be the best thing that happened to Pakistan, Much More Than Bollywood!
When news of Fawad Khan in Ms Marvel broke, we rejoiced with glee. We couldn’t really wrap our heads around the fact we’d reached across the Pacific to claim our space! And when Pakistani fans hadn’t even stopped anticipating the Disney Plus reveal, news of Humayun Saeed as a prospective Dr. Hasnat in Netflix Show The Crown took over our feeds, and then, the very latest news – Mehwish Hayat tipped to play in Ms Marvel – It’s a busy month in Pakistani Hollywood, yeah!
Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan with Iman Vellani is adding on more Pakistanis to the cast. But this is not just about Mehwish Hayat, FawadKhan and Nimra Bucha – the possibilities are endless – more recognition, future colabs & opportunities for Pakistani artists in overseas ventures, contributing our footprint to global platforms that extend our reach & hopefully, turn heads.
This news is not just about watching our favourite stars perform on global platforms. It’s important to claim this space specifically for Pakistanis, not just South Asians (which is a larger diaspora, and many, admittedly, have done that already), because though we feel we are similar, we also have our own stories to tell.
This is about why and how Hollywood is central to changing our narrative? Why Bollywood can never achieve for us, what Hollywood can, and there are 8 reasons why.
1. A Chance To Portray Our Identity
Pakistan is known globally as the nation that resides right next to India, and Afghanistan. That is the sum total of our identity (often). You can argue with me and come up with many other reasons, Cricket being one of them. But no matter how grand we make cricket, it is still played in a handful of countries. Our cricket ambassadors are doing a great job, no doubt, but, Netflix is taking over the world! So has Hollywood.
Hence, our narrative, that goes beyond Indian & Afghan neighbours, can only be depicted when our actors play out Pakistani stories on the big screen, in Hollywood, where audiences have not seen them play out yet and where, they will be portrayed independent of any ‘other’ narrative.
2. Give Back Role Models To Pakistani Youth
The youth in Pakistan is heavily exposed to western content, which is not a bad thing, if the western content contained a mix of Pakistani too. The Pakistanis we see on screen are often too westernized, too extremist or too few and far between to relate to a larger Pakistani diaspora that resides within Pakistan – the awam. In a world where people are curious to know about the ordinary Pakistani psyche, where references to them appear daily in the news, sometimes positive, but often negative, it is imperative that our youth watch and relate to characters they have been or known.
Where we are told we are very similar to India, yes, we are, in ways … we speak the same language, hum the same tunes, watch the same movies and dramas, but we are also different. Our religion is a way of life, our sense of style and fashion is very atypical Pakistani, our foods are not vegetarian – often.
A young Pakistani girl or boy has her or his own identity, which might be very different and unrelatable to what they see onscreen today.
3. Tell Our Stories To An International Audience
Could we, would we tell Edhi Sahab’s story to the world? Could we, would we tell stories of the girls who made it to power positions, our men who supported them, our child prodigies who surprised us and our silent, social workers who went above and beyond to serve humanity. It is another thing to tell the stories in Pakistan, which we must as a given, but an entirely different mood when we can tell the world about our victories. These victories will tell stories of a Pakistan many do not know exist!
India has its own stories to tell, they don’t need ours, unless they overlap in anyway, and can be told together. But who’s going to talk about the young girl who scales mountains because her brother helped her, or the young woman on the Pakistan women’s cricket team who had to sneak out for net practice? These are the stories the west doesn’t know about and stories our writers can pen beautifully, and our actors can bring to a global stage.
4. Stimulate Global Curiosity, Not Global Blame
People all over the world are curious about Pakistan. They want to know what makes them elect women leaders yet, not fight harder over domestic violence bills.
Why mosques appear at every nook and corner and why growing up with a convent education and singing Christmas carols is also okay. People want to see how we dress in our country. Is it different to how we dress abroad? How our men behave with our women and vice versa. People want to know what they have not been told so far. People want to know how Pakistanis live in Pakistan.
Instagrammers, YouTubers and bloggers are trying to do their bit, but the big screen is, after all, the big screen – bigger stories to tell!
5. Our Talent can Be Our Signature Export Commodity
We have immense talent in our country, and I’m not just talking cricket. Our actors, story tellers (dramas, barring some exceptions) writers, film makers are extraordinarily gifted. We have found a market in India (but not without the political tension, banned artists etc etc make a pretty story, yeah!), and now, we might just find a market abroad. This will not only give us a lift but also ensure that more and better talent is allowed to come up through proper auditions and training.
Just like Sajal Aly & Shabana Azmi involved in “What’s Love Got To Do With It” is a first step, we can move closer to home and tell our stories, one story at a time. We can tell stories along with Bollywood actors, but on an international platform, which might help boost relations on an independent footing. for both industries. With more stories will come more need for Pakistani actors to play parts that were often done away with, or not played at at all?
6. Upholding A Pakistani Cultural Ethos
Pakistani actors have often shied away from accepting Hollywood roles as the scripts might contain too much intimacy, or the storylines might be too bold.
While there is a market in India, where our actors are happy to host Zee5 which they find hugely liberating (creatively), there are also stories that need to be told keeping our cultural ethos in mind. Stories that can be watched by families, children and appreciate that featuring Pakistani content might mean scaling back on exposing too much skin, but it’s okay, because it will still be watched for the gripping narrative and performances.
Imagine if Umera Ahmed‘s writing could be transcribed into English, imagine the dynamics that could play out with an international audience. Challenging much? But then, entertainment is undergoing a revolution of sorts. If Pakistanis can watch “Crash Landing On You”, who knows which of our stories would appeal to international audiences?
7. Quality Parameters In Local Industry
Local industry will receive a boost in production, direction, in fact all departments. Film making on a large scale is a costly venture, but if the audiences grow, then it might reap returns.
Looking towards the west does not mean we change our narratives, it means we tell them to, and perhaps tweak them for, a different audience, one that hasn’t heard them before. And open up the world to stories they might just enjoy.
Of course, only the best will filter through, it’s a tough world, but isn’t that what we want? To showcase our best to the world?
8. Hollywood Might Be The Key More Than Bollywood
Hollywood might help propel us into a world of entertainment where we work with and collaborate on projects that create a market and sell themselves. If Muslim Superheroes are the call of the day (who would have thought so, 20 years ago) we need to look ahead and shape our image, put our best face on, and welcome the change.
Hollywood might be the best thing that happened to Pakistan, much more than Bollywood!
