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Alina Khan- Breaking the Taboo.

Zeeshan Fareed-24020527

I have not watched “Joyland” yet. But I just watched the podcast of Alina Khan “The Star of the Joyland”. She had a horrifying past and went through the toughest period of her life. Her friends and family used to call her “O daikho Khusra Ja ra”. Even her family become so miserable like her brother did not open home’s gate to let her in. Hence, the point is all about our society. When we are child, we are told to respect elders, parents and teachers but when it came to the transgender society, everyone recalls the word “Khusra” just for the sake of disrespect. Everyone knows it but don’t dare to accept it. However, I can see an apparent change in people's thought process. It's nice to see our new generation openly expressing their view points and challenging taboo subjects, without feeling the need to not offend anyone religious, political or personal views. I do sincerely hope that we can all take a little something from this.


Theme of the Joyland: “As the happily patriarchal Rana family craves for the birth of a baby boy, the youngest of the Rana men secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and finds himself falling for a fiercely ambitious trans starlet. Their impossible love story slowly illuminates the entire Rana family's desire for a sexual rebellion.”

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Mujeeb.khan
Mujeeb.khan
Dec 08, 2022

Transgenders are often secluded in our communities; no one wants to associate with them. On the other hand, we regard them as divine figures, those who are directly connected to God. I believe that perspective is the only thing that prevents others from bullying and ridiculing them further. "Khusray se bad'dua mat lena" It's rather fascinating that we give them a sacred place while also seeing them as non-humans and sexual objects. Joyland thoroughly examines how transgender people are depicted as a source of entertainment in our local theatres. They are forced to work in these businesses without adequate compensation. As far as I know, Biba, the trangender in Joyland, has many social issues, and when she meets Haider, who is…

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South Asian societies have had a very volatile relationship with their trans citizens,

Their community dates back to the Mughal Empire, the 16th- to 19th-century power centered in India, and the term Khwaja Sira was derived from Urdu and Farsi — was used as a title for trans, castrated, and gender nonconforming officials in the Mughal court.

The Khawaja Sira held a unique position in the sub-continent, especially during the Mughal Dynasty. They were elevated to advisory and leadership roles in royal business and the lofty Mughal harems. However, they lost their imperial function and higher status upon the British East India company’s colonization of the Indian subcontinent. Under the colonial rule in 1871, the Criminal Tribes Act (CTC) was…

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I think it’s very very important to be respectful towards everyone and their own personal decisions. I feel the reason the movie got so much backlash was because “how can Pakistanis support the LGBTQ community”. And while I do believe that everyone is open to having their own judgements but being disrespectful and hating on others because of the way they are is unacceptable. Pakistanis have always been very disrespectful towards the transgender community. Not only bystanders but also their own families disown them because they feel as though it is a shame. The interview with Alina Khan was honestly an eye opener for me and showed me the struggles that transgenders go through. I really want to watch joyland…

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This interview with Alina Khan is heartbreaking in so many ways. To know that a person has lived through these harsh realities is so depressing. But the problem doesn't stop here. This is the reality of thousands of transgender people living in Pakistan. Alina Khan is the only one who was lucky enough to tell her tale. And although her stories were heard, the state or government made little or no effort to improve the trans community's conditions.

Another issue I recall was between Dr. Mehrub Awan and the renowned school ISL, which was reported by the media on all forums. On the one hand, the trans side was heard, and millions of people contributed their views to the issue…

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Considering the controversy that arose regarding the screening of the movie and how many people rose up to fight the screening of the movie it has gained great popularity among liberal audiences. Prominent figures like Maria B and Sanam Chaudary spoke up against the movie showing that while many of our generation do defy the conventional thinking but there are many who are influenced by the thinking of their parents or elders. Yet through generations, this thinking does propagate and while some do challenge this thinking in private spaces, it is harder to fight conventional thinking in public. However, there has been a shift where many public figures have spoken in support of the movie and laud it for being…

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