Last year, Pakistan’s first film ‘Joyland’ was screened at Cannes. Written and directed by Saim Sadiq, the film follows a young man who falls in love with a trans woman and captures the liberating and heart-breaking navigation of one's gender identity and sexual orientation in an environment eclipsed by oppressive patriarchal norms and conformity. It received a lengthy standing ovation at the film festival and has received several accolades including the Jury Prize and the Queer Palm award. 

The film marks a significant moment in Pakistan’s cinematic history but has also ruffled feathers amongst the public and Pakistan’s provincial censorship boards. Just days before its release on the 18th of November, the Ministry of Information said that the film contained ‘highly objectionable material’ and reversed Joyland’s certification from the censor boards. Following a huge outcry in response to its ban, the censorship authorities overturned this decision but it still remains banned in the most populous province, Punjab. For a country that has legally extended the protection of fundamental rights for gender minorities*, it makes you wonder why the film is still banned in Punjab. 

Set in Lahore, Joyland explores the impacts of the cultural patriarchy on men, women, and members of the trans community which is subtly explored through the lives of a close-knit family in central Lahore. It follows a young couple, Haider, (Ali Junejo) the young, impressionable protagonist, and his spirited wife, Mumtaz (Rasti Farooq who live with Haider’s older brother, Salem (Sohail Sameer), an alpha male who is married to Nucchi (Sarwat Gilani). They all live with Haider and Saleem’s father, (Salmaan Peerzada) the patriarch of the family. Haider is jobless and plays homemaker, much to his father's dismay and it is Mumtaz who is the breadwinner of the couple. At the forefront of the family’s dysfunction is Haider and Kaleem’s father: the handicapped elder who influences the family with his omnipresent and invasive authority, affecting each of the family members’ lives in different ways. Sadiq’s storytelling reveals the patriarch’s own struggle: to find a companion at his elderly age. His close relationship with widowed neighbour, Ms. Fayyaz (Sania Saeed), is shamed after she innocently stays overnight to take care of him and is ordered to stay away from the family. 

Haider and Mumtaz’s relationship begins to crack the day Haider gets a job. Unbeknownst to the family, Haider has started working as a backup dancer for Biba (Alina Khan), a trans woman who dances at an erotic theatre. He lies about the details of his new job, probably out of shame - an emotion we sadly become familiar with through each character’s storylines. After rehearsals with his fellow backup dancers, Haider is absolutely captivated by Biba. We watch him fall in love with her commandeering personality, confidence, and snappy attitude in an environment dominated by the male gaze. Her determination to become a star and climb the ranks does not falter as she encounters violent, misogynistic men who she submits to. In other scenes we see her emasculate men and embarrass them in front of their peers as Haider looks on with passivity and his puppy-dog eyes. Their friendship blossoms into an affair and eventually an unfulfilling relationship and serves as an exploration of Haider’s sexuality and his repressed desires. 

To focus solely on the relationship between Haider and Biba is a disservice to the film’s holistic portrayal of the cultural patriarchy and its effects on all genders regardless of one’s age or sexual orientation. Right-wing political groups have declared that the film normalises queer relationships and that it is a “call to arms” against Islam. Those who agree with this view are simply using religion as a justification to avoid confronting the issues the film explores about Pakistan’s cultural patriarchy and avoid any meaningful discussions on those issues. In an interview with The Guardian, Sadiq brought up the use of religion to condemn the film and said: “The minute the film was linked to religion – as in this film is going to destroy Islam – nobody is going to fact-check that … Religion is the one topic you don’t discuss: you defend your religion, you don’t discuss it.”

“What happens to people when they can’t find answers within themselves, and when they’re also not allowed to express those queries and find those answers outside.” - Rasti Farooq on Joyland

This brilliant film conveys a number of subtle messages through each character’s storyline and the dynamics of their relationships. More than a love story, it shows us how we can be complicit in upholding the social pressures that impact us and how we sometimes have to force ourselves to feel uncomfortable to break free of the expectations that compel us to decide between doing what we want to do versus what we are supposed to do. 

*To read more about The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act and the history of hijras in South Asia click here

Written by Lina Idrees