Dukhtar

I went to watch Afia Nathaniel's Dukhtar, a Pakistani movie centred around child marriage or forced marriage, and women's courage against it.

The film starts with a beautiful scenery of the serene river of northern Pakistan, on which a boat is afloat. The main character Allah Rakhi in a white and red attire is on the boat and the BGM in mishra jati(seven against a beat) goes with the scene. 

The core message of the film is on child marriage, conflicts among tribes and woman's courage against them, however, the movie was not too thrilling nor miserable but balanced with various descriptions―different locations and songs in between, the actress Samia's beauty and her costumes, lovely presence of Saleha, and finally the crowded evening of the beautiful old city, Lahore. So much so that, when I think of the film a day after I watched it, I remember the beautiful images more than the tensed moments and serious message of the film.

Nevertheless, dialogues between Allah Rakhi and the truck driver, Sohail, imply and indirectly suggest some important messages on some social issues. One is when Sohail talks about his past and the other is when he tells a story of a river. Both are in romantic settings, yet still keep our attention to something else that is more related with the film's prime voice.

The director, Afia, according to the Japanese movie boolket, is originally from Quetta, Pakistan, studied in a university in Lahore, worked with an international organisation, and graduated from the film division of Colombia University, to be a film director from a computer scientist. Now she is based in New York and teaches at Columbia University and New York University.

The main actors of the film are: Samia Mumtaz, who initially was an Indian classical dance and now is an acclaimed actress for stage dramas and TV programmes; Mohib Mirza, who is also originally a stage actor; and Saleha Aref, who debut with Sim Sim Hamara, a Pakistani version of Sesame Street, and has appeared on many TV commercials.

If you are in Japan and interested in the films, it is on screen around Japan over this summer. 

#dukhtar #娘よ #パキスタン #映画 #パキスタン映画 #アフィア・ナサニエル #サミアムムターズ #モヒブミルザー #サーレハ・アーレフ #pakistan #movie #pakistanimovie #AfiaNathaniel #SamiaMumutaz #MohibMirza #SalehaAref