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#challenging #stereotypes #Instep
Ali Salim likes to shake things up. “I love challenging stereotypes,” says the man himself. From emulating Benazir Bhutto to avatar Begum Nawaz Ali, she has done it all. So, we were not surprised to see him playing the role of Shola Jaan in the upcoming TV serial More Mahal. And Shula Jaan is a bold step for Pakistani television because when was the last time we saw transgender women getting respectable representation on our TV screens?
“I play a royal eunuch who is everyone’s favorite.” Since the TV serial is based in an ancient, pre-industrial age, Shula Jaan is a eunuch who lives inside the palace and takes care of the king’s concubines. One wonders how much sensitivity the TV serial will give to her character. “It’s an empowering role to play because Shola Jaan is liked by everyone and she’s quite influential. She’s not discriminated against or hated, because transgender people were loved and respected a lot at that time.” Although he is not hierarchically a decision-maker, Shula John has the power to influence major decisions, and as Salim teases us with a small glimpse of the future, he helps the young lovers. It plays an important role in
Ali Salim added that this is the first time he has seen actors put in so much work to help prepare for their roles, with mandatory workshops and dialect training, but he highlighted one very important thing: Mor Mahal is joining them. A character like Shola John.
“What was most heartbreaking for us is that there were around 40 to 50 transgender cast members who were part of the cast and were working as junior artists.” Unfortunately, the transgender community of Pakistan is subjected to a lot of discrimination and ridicule. However, employment opportunities were created for eunuchs in the Moor Palace. “It’s amazing to see them involved in this mega project.”
Salem also describes the atmosphere on the set: “There were a lot of transgenders, young girls and boys and everyone respected each other equally! Everyone was comfortable mixing with each other. It was just such a positive atmosphere. ” While many other TV productions can’t claim to encourage and support minorities, some TV channels actively mock and mock this marginalized segment of our population, says Saleem. That’s their business, but they hope one day they realize they don’t. Make fun of them. “They were great people to work with. Call anyone on set and they’ll tell you the same thing.”
It is not the media but our society that cannot tolerate the thought of transgenders or anything similar in Pakistan. “When I imitated Ms. Benazir Bhutto, there were protests outside the studio, people were angry that I was imitating her. Benazir herself was very encouraging and loved my performance. But his party workers would be very angry with what he was doing.”
But Salim enjoys such an impact on society. He is quick to point out that our society has become one where killers like Mumtaz Qadri are treated as heroes and where many social evils are celebrated. “Working at Mor Mahal has made me realize that we were much more civilized about 100 years ago. We were better people. A eunuch was a respected member of society then. Today, he is marginalized.”
Salim is hopeful that things can change and is happy that Moor Mahal is working to change perceptions as the upcoming TV series is reviving old values and traditions, portraying a society that Going which was far more tolerant and respectful than the society we live in today.
