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NoorKhan S. Bawa
1999. 22min.
Pakistan.
Original Language:
ENGLISH, URDU
The
film takes viewers on a journey through the gates of a Sufi
shrine into the world of dancing. It explores the passion
of the dance within a number of contemporary Pakistani contexts
and the personalities that pursue it: a classically trained
kathak dancer who, as a woman, has been forbidden by the Pakistani
government to perform her craft on stage; a male kathak dancer
ridiculed for pursuing a traditionally female dance form;
a popular film actress who embodies the commercialization
of what was once a sacred, devotional, or courtly act and
whose performances place training and skill secondary to glamour;
a mullah speaking for the fundamentalist position that views
women's dance as a corrupting activity.
About the Director ...
NoorKhan S. Bawa
is a graduate in International Development Studies from the
University of Toronto. He is also a graduate in Radio and
Television Arts from Ryerson Polytechnic University. He has
worked in "development" in Costa Rica, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
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