Tag: queer

  • Riz Ahmed’s ‘Nimona’ hailed by critics as a unique queer fantasy

    Riz Ahmed’s ‘Nimona’ hailed by critics as a unique queer fantasy

    On Friday, Netflix dropped the highly anticipated animated fantasy film ‘Nimona’ which stars Pakistani-British actor Riz Ahmed, Chloe Grace Montez, Eugene Lee Yang as the main leads, and is adapted from the comics of the same name by ‘She-Ra’ creator ND Stevenson.

    Since its release, critics have hailed the film as a gorgeous queer fantasy that calls for acceptance and equality for the LGBTQ+ community, but mostly critics have hailed Ahmed’s and Mortez’s performances, as Entertainment Weekly praised it for the casual queer representation as the main lead Nimona is a gender non-conforming being, and the romantic relationship between two male knights.

    Speaking on the queer representation, Ahmed had said:

    “I understand this is a big win and a big moment representation-wise, and we’re all so proud of that. But I think those moments only feel like real wins when they’re not tokenized, when they are actually there because of the emotional truth of the character. When we are honoring these characters as human, that’s when it feels real, you know?”  

    Writing on the powerful vocal performance by Mortez as Nimona, Polygon hailed her for creating the duality between the rebellious side of the vibrant shape shifter, but also exploring her vulnerable side as an outcast who doesn’t feel like she can belong anywhere.

    Coming on the themes of queer representation, Mashable praised Nimona for being speaking on empowering the queer community:

    “Along with its unique animation and rollicking action sequences, Nimona digs into themes of individuality, identity, and acceptance that aim to speak directly and warmly to the queer community. At a time when LGBTQ rights and spaces continue to come under attack from bigoted legislation(opens in a new tab), Nimona cements itself not just as a great fantasy film, but as an important one as well.”

    Calling it a film that takes aim at the post 9/11 surveillance state, IGN praised Nimona for being “a tender and bold tale about challenging institutions, being a good ally, and the need to live as your true self.”

    Nimona takes place in a science fantasy world where Ballister Boldheart (played by Riz) is the first commoner to be enlisted in the presitigous Institute of Elite Knights, when an accident takes place during the knighting ceremony after which he is forced to flee for his life. Partnered with the rebellious Nimona (voiced by Chloe Grace Montez) a shape-shifter who has a desire to do something evil, they team up to clear his name and investigate the perpetuators behind the accident.

  • ‘Speaks of being two-spirited and queer’, netizens praise ‘Parizaad’s’ latest episode

    ‘Speaks of being two-spirited and queer’, netizens praise ‘Parizaad’s’ latest episode

    Social media users are praising a scene from the latest episode of Parizaad, for sensitively portraying a queer character.

    In the latest episode of the show, the police are searching for Parizaad (Ahmed Ali Akbar) and they finally capture him from Behroze Karim’s house.

    Parizaad in the middle of the night, risks his life to go and meet Bubbly’s (Saboor Aly) parents. Bubbly is his friend who wants to be treated like a man and has run away from home. He luckily dodges the police and goes to Bubbly’s parent’s house to convince them to accept Bubbly who is now Dilawar. The scene where both the parents come to meet Bubbly and end up accepting Bubbly as Dilawar is quite emotional. Some Netizens who relate themselves to the character, praised the drama for showing it so sensitively.

    Here are the reactions:

    https://twitter.com/_TheHijabiGirl/status/1453115395280445443?s=20

    https://twitter.com/AyeshaA31301152/status/1453327490638884874?s=20

    The drama is based on Hashim Nadeem’s novel of the same name and follows the story of a neglected man with low self-esteem who sets out to prove himself.

  • Pakistani artist Salman Toor listed among TIME magazine’s list of 100 emerging leaders

    Pakistani Artist Salman Toor has been listed among “2021 TIME100 NEXT”, a list revealed by Time Magazine that includes 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future.

    Salman’s profile in the TIME feature says, “In his painting The Star, Salman Toor uses classical techniques—deploying brushstrokes and lighting reminiscent of the 1800s—to render a thoroughly modern scene: a young South Asian man sits backstage in front of a mirror, wearing a furry pink jacket, as a makeup artist and a hairstylist fuss over him. That these contrasts might seem unexpected is exactly the point.

    “Toor, who was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and lives in New York City, has made his career subverting the styles of old paintings by centring openly queer men of South Asian descent in an attempt to, as he says in the audio guide for The Star, ‘play with the idea’ of societal norms. Now more people than ever are paying attention: the artist recently secured his first solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, which will be on display through April 2021.”

    Priincipal subjects of Toor’s paintings are often South Asian Queer Man.

    Dan Macsai, the editorial director of the TIME100, said: “Everyone on this list is poised to make history. And in fact, many already have.”

    TIME editor-in-chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal writes in his letter to readers: “Amid a global pandemic, deepening inequality, systemic injustice and existential questions about truth, democracy and the planet itself, the individuals on this year’s list provide ‘clear-eyed hope’.”

    TIME100 Next list consists of Artists, Phenoms, Leaders, Advocates, and Innovators.

  • Tan France opens up on being a queer Muslim South Asian

    Tan France opens up on being a queer Muslim South Asian

    British-Pakistani-American fashion designer famed for Netflix’s makeover series Queer Eye, Tan France in a recent interview with a local media publication opened up about being a queer Pakistani-Muslim and shed light on his love for his home country.

    Talking about taking the burden of representation, France said: “I think the pressure on me is a little different – I am the only member of the LGBTQ community, who is also South Asian and very open about the fact that I am Muslim also. And so, I’m a few things in America – I’m an immigrant, I’m Muslim, I’m South Asian and I’m gay – and there hasn’t been anybody like that on TV in the US before, or entertainment in general, so the pressure is really really great. It’s the hardest part of this job without a doubt.”

    He continued: “I’m sure you can imagine when you are somebody who is a little different, a lot of Pakistanis don’t appreciate that. There still are a lot of small-minded Pakistani people in and outside of Pakistan, who say ‘we don’t have gay people in our community’, and that’s the most difficult part when there’s nobody else to help you balance it out. When there’s only one person to focus your anger on, you are responsible to make sure you are the ‘perfect’ version of that. That pressure is a lot.”

    “The first year of Queer Eye was very difficult, though I’m very grateful for its success. Being on such a massive international show may be lovely for my white castmates because they just get to enjoy the joy of being famous and successful and wealthy and all those things,” said the reality show star further.

    “Whereas for me the bigger the show got, the more pressure I got from my own community, to be perfect, to not bring shame onto the community. To not embarrass Pakistan. And that’s not easy, and it doesn’t get any easier,” said Tan, adding that the pressure on his has become less now “because I’ve stopped giving a sh*t, quite honestly, what ‘Uncle Bilal’ thinks of me – but – the bigger my star gets, the more pressure is put on me.”

    Later, responding to another question, France said: “The amount of DMs I get through the likes of Instagram, both good and bad where the Pakistani community is saying we don’t have gay people here. Well, that is ridiculous. The other community, the gay community, and the ally community say we need people that show that we exist, that we are not alone, we are not monsters and we deserve love and kindness. The fact that I get those DMs so regularly, makes it clear that things aren’t where they need to be in Pakistan.”

    “That’s why people like me are so important in entertainment. If I had people like me on TV, I wouldn’t have felt like a freak, I wouldn’t have felt alone as a child. I think it comes from the top, so laws need to be changed from the top”, said France.

    Meanwhile, recalling memories from the last time he visited Pakistan, Tan said: “My favourite memory is my last trip, about 14 years ago when I went to Rawalpindi to design my sister-in-law’s wedding lehenga. My brother was getting married, and our family was to provide the clothes so I was a designer, and I said I want to design it, but I want to go to Pakistan to make it.”

    “So, I went with my mom, and we stayed in Rawalpindi with my brother’s wife’s family who also came with us (I’m really close with my sister-in-law) and I had probably one of the best vacations of my life. I helped cook every day and my sister-in-law’s mom, who has never been to England–found it so strange that this boy from England wanted to make gobhi and bhindi every morning with her -and I would teach her to make it my way! She was just so confused that this boy was cooking!”

    “It was one of my favourite trips, I loved it so much! The rest of the time I would do whatever I wanted. I could go and explore, I went to a zoo, a theme park in Islamabad, it felt like the most fun trip there,” he shared.