Pinky Memsaab is a love letter to Dubai’s diversity
We talk to the director and star cast of the Pakistani film Pinky Memsaab, releasing this weekend, which delves into South Asian expat lives in Dubai
Dubai is often portrayed in Bollywood and Hollywood films either as a fancy city with an added emphasis on its glitz and glamour, high rise buildings and the subsequent high life, or just the Bedouin life of the desert but Pakistani expat director Shazia Ali Khan was clear that she wanted to break from the stereotype when it came to framing Dubai in her passion project Pinky Memsaab: A Dubai Story. This film which releases in the UAE tomorrow is a love letter to the diversity of Dubai. “In Pinky Memsaab, we insisted on featuring locations that are equally beautiful but deeply rooted in nostalgia, such as the Bastakia region by the Dubai Creek, the real backbone of Dubai - which is funny because we were surprised at how people who have lived here for years have never experienced it. “
Director Shazia alongside the lead stars, Kiran Malik, Hajra Yamin, Sunny Hinduja, Adnan Jaffar, and co-producer Fahad Sheikh were present for the premiere of the multilingual feature at Vox, Burjuman on Monday evening.
The city of Dubai was an inspiration for the movie for Shazia, an MBA holder, who worked in the corporate world until she found her true calling behind the camera. “I then decided to re-invent myself and pursued a film degree at the London Film Academy. Pinky Memsaab will be my first feature film. This is reflective of stories from countless men and women, from all parts of the world, that come here for a different life, sometimes far removed from the world they left behind,” she says. The film talks about the intersecting lives of two women, a
maid Pinky and a socialite, Mehr and how they both fight against preconceived notions and unspoken class barriers to discover who they truly are. Mehr helps Pinky become more ‘modern’ with western clothing but something triggers during that process which torns Mehr’s world apart.
Pakistani expat Kiran who works as a full-time HR employee for a corporate firm in Dubai is making her debut with this film. “I travel between London, Dubai, and Pakistan. I go wherever my work takes me. I did another film which is not released yet with Pakistani star Shaan. Shazia learned that there is an actress based in Dubai and invited me for an audition. She took a week to gather her thoughts and confirm me. I liked the role because everyone in Pakistan has a different idea about expats who work in Dubai.
“I work full time in Dubai in HR hence it was convenient for me. I told Shazia to free me in a month’s time. I work three days a week at my company currently but I love my job.”
When we told Kiran that she resembles Bollywood star Anushka Sharma, she said she gets that a lot from people. “And now I tell everyone that I am a Pakistani Anushka Sharma and also that I want to do a film with Shah Rukh Khan! In fact when I met Kareena Kapoor Khan, she took my picture and said that she will send it to her husband Saif Ali Khan and Anushka as well.”
Hajra who is a theatre artist in Pakistan is playing the character of a maid called Pinky in this film. She said that the director gave this film a theatrical treatment during its making. “One month before the shoot, she called us for the rehearsal, explained the scenario for the scene and asked us to react instantly. It was all very natural. I have lived as ‘Pinky’ in Dubai. While I was shooting for 3-4 months in Dubai, I was wearing the clothes that my character Pinky wears in the movie. I hardly touched my personal luggage.” She bagged this role after Shazia saw her critically aclaimed play Siachen. For Indian actor Sunny, this was a unique opportunity to spend time with actors from the neighboring country. When asked if he was a bit hesitant to sign the film considering the fact that there are political tensions between India and Pakistan, he said. “Not at all. This divide is created by politicians. We were working together with the combined passion to create a good film. In fact, I wish that I had the chance to shoot in Pakistan as well. I had a great time working with the talent from Pakistan.
The makers shot about 80% of the film in the UAE but they also shot few portions in Pakistan where the characters hail from. “For the sake of the story and the characters’ backgrounds I wanted to show a stark contrast of livelihood. Therefore, some of the scenes are shot in Islamabad, as well as a tiny rural village in the North of Pakistan. Which is also why the film isn’t necessarily for the South Asian Market but for any expat as it shines a light on Pakistan’s indigenous topography as well,” said Shazia.
The biggest challenge for the production was to manage a team from different cultures and countries with varied work ethics. “Another challenge was the high cost of production and a lot of paperwork. And the weather of course (laughs)! It can get quite hot and humid shooting at the peak of summer. On the whole, though, it was a fantastic experience,” explained Shazia.