Joyland
- kartikrajbhar1819
- Apr 13, 2023
- 8 min read
Image Credits : VOA NEWS
INTRODUCTION
"Highly objectional material" that does not conform with the "social values and moral standards of our society.'' This is the statement that was made by Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting when banning the nationwide release of the movie "Joyland." Corresponding to the reciprocation by the ministry, one can assume the intensity and relevance of this beautifully crafted queer drama, Joyland. Eventually when the producers of Joyland approached the Lahore High Court challenging the ban, the government allowed it to screen in theaters, but only in its censored version.
When it comes to the portrayal of trans people in movies and television series, the history is not so genial. The stereotypes and offensive jokes were a bit over the line, and it is a disheartening fact that there are only quite a few mainstream transgender-centered movies. Joyland is an exception to that, and it is hard to believe for a fact that the Queer Palm Prize-winning movie is the directorial debut of Saim Sadiq.
At the time of bagging appreciation and praise from all over the world, Joyland put forward a serious political message that is not just applicable to Pakistan but to the whole world. The subtle messages put forward by the movie against patriarchy, gender norms, forced pregnancy, society's hetero-normative view of the queer community, etc., are striking yet eye-opening to the fundamentalists.
JOYLAND : THE TANGLED LOVE STORY
To scribe the precise summary of the movie, the main lead, Haider, is an unemployed married man who lives in a patriarchal joint family. Haider is not the conventional type of fellow who is ashamed of doing housework, but his father, who is a paragon of traditionalism, notionally conceive his son as someone who is not worthy. But in the same scenario, Mumtaz is a tough, independent wife who is really skilled at her work. The family is not happy with the reversed gender norms. The tension between Haider and his father is high, and Haider is disappointed at the fact that he has to ask permission from his father for everything he does, even though he is an adult. Financial independence and conservative parenting are in question here.
After a series of unsuccessful job searches, Haider got a job at the erotic theater as the back dancer. There, he fell in love with the dancer Biba, who is a trans woman. The story turns into a new phase after that.
In this story, Mumtaz exemplifies how women fall prey to the shackles of patriarchy, and their dreams and ambitions crumble under its weight. With Haider’s new job and the family’s disappointment of not having any male child in the family, the couple were forced to have a child. Subsequently, Mumtaz felt trapped as she was forced to be at home and abandon her ‘choice’ to work with the pregnancy. As the story proceeds, Haider presumes the role of a back dancer in the erotic theater, with Biba, a trans woman as the lead dancer. Just because she is a transwoman, the theater artists and producers always treated Biba as a lesser human being by their standards which subtly depicts the societal outlook towards transgenders.
Nevertheless, Haider didn't have any problem with Biba’s sexuality. Gradually, Haider falls in love with Biba though the unconditional love between them is considered taboo by most people.
One of the things that makes Joyland pertinent is that it poignantly explores trans communities and their conditions. And it heart-wrenchingly sketches the exclusion and hostility faced by trans people and covers trans issues ranging from reassignment surgery to pronouns.
The little details mentioned in the movie, like Haider's joke about "The fate of love is death" are very impactful and carefully conveyed. Similarly, there is an important scene about gender-affirming surgery where Biba raised her voice against Haider to not ask such naive questions about transition surgery. The scene provokes us to reflect and reveals how little people know about the intense internal conflict faced by transgender individuals while deciding to undergo sexual reassignment surgery. If a transgender person is undergoing sex reassignment surgery, it is a decision that is made of one's own free will after reaching adulthood and thus, the society has no right to look at what is in one person's pants and shirts. However, with the questions and mockery thrown on a person's sexual organs ( a clear form of emotional abuse),depicts how the taboo attached to transition surgery in a conservative society is and can be traumatic and have drastic ill effects on transgenders. While trans issues are the main theme of the movie, at the same time, it also covers the socio-political issues existing in patriarchal society.
For instance, there is a scene where a woman scolds Biba for sitting in the women's seat in a metro and Haider comes and sits between them, which is one of the most delightful and captivating scenes from the movie.
Finally, what makes this movie exemplary is the stellar performance given by the transgender actress Alina Khani (Biba). As a real-life transwoman in Pakistan, her performance surely notified us about the tremendous amount of sheer pain experienced by the transgender community in Pakistan. The director chose to portray both the emotional and social sides of the trans issue. The depiction of the trans community with less prejudice was remarkable. What is more amusing is the fact that it's coming from a conservative country and theocratic state like Pakistan, where society treats transgenders as abnormal and inferior which makes it phenomenal and must-watchable.
TRANS LIVES MATTERS AND PAKISTAN
In Pakistan, the transgender community is commonly called khawaja sira. Kwaja sira, sometimes known as the "third gender," is a general phrase that refers to all gender-variant identities. From the 16th to 18th centuries, Khwaja Siras were presented in the religious functions of Mughal harems. But with the rise of conservative religious groups and British colonialism, they were pushed back into the backyards.
The 8th of May 2018 was a groundbreaking day for Pakistan's khawaja sir community. On that day, Pakistan passed the groundbreaking Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act. The act allows citizens to self-identify their gender on all official documentation and protects the rights of its transgender citizens.
It marks a significant turning point for the religiously conservative nation. The act was hailed as one of the more progressive laws on transgender rights worldwide. Prior to this act, transgender people were legally recognized as “the third gender” by a Pakistani Supreme Court ruling in 2012.
Despite the fact that these legislative changes were seen as small victories that gave the trans community a sense of normalcy and hope, they did not put an end to discrimination. "Honour" killings, rape, blackmail, and sexual harassment are still commonplace. However, the issue lies in execution. Execution is still tricky in a large portion of the provinces because of society's perception.
Contemporary reports suggest that Pakistan is trying to amend the law due to pressure from religious groups. According to the Guardian, religious conservative political parties such as Jamaat e Islami (JI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) raised concerns contemplating the bill. The main argument of the sect is that the law could lead to the "legalization of homosexual marriages" and labeling it as "un-Islamic” and “against sharia.” JUI-F, which is part of the ruling government, has challenged the bill in court. Their opinion is that the transgender rights bill will corrupt Pakistani society and culture, and these people are mainly doing it to appease the western spectrum.
Trans Bashing : Through the lens of Joyland and a larger cisgender centric stereotypical society.
Trans bashing is the act of victimizing a person emotionally, physically, sexually, or verbally because they are transgender. Pakistan is a country where Trans bashing is a usual thing. People hurl abuse and slurs at queer people just because they don't fit into the so-called description of traditional gender norms.
Transgender people in Pakistan persistently face the risk of being forced to perform sex work, begging, or dance in order to survive because they are frequently excluded from mainstream society. And in the movie Joyland, Biba is a dancer who is trying her best to survive in the transphobic community.
According to Pakistan’s Trans-Action Alliance, since 2015 to 2022, 91 trans women have been killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and there have been more than 2,000 registered cases of violence. Threats to "murder- with knives, bullets, as well as threats of acid attacks and rape" were made against many trans activists in Pakistan.
There is also mention of the murder of a Transgender dancer in the movie. One of the recent threats was faced by Pakistan's first transgender news anchor, Marvia Malik, and she survived the gun attack. These are major incidents, and unfortunately most of the cases don't even get the proper attention corresponding to the sensitivity of the issue.
The discrimination experienced by transgender people is mostly the fault of the society. Families are compelled to reject their transgender children because of social pressure. Familial acceptance of transgender individuals in Pakistan is very low and they have to scratch for unconventional means for survival.
Due to stigma and social discrimination, many transgender kids don't have access to school or higher education. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) finds that transgender children and adolescents are often victims of bullying and discrimination at school, which can contribute to serious adverse mental health outcomes. Interventions are often needed to create safe and affirming school environments.
Society considers them as people who need to be banished, and being transgender is a sin, and God's wrath will be upon them. The social stigma not only remains with common people but also lurks among medical personnel. Despite the progressive transgender act, which gives identity and legal recognition to transgender individuals, verbal and psychological abuse by medical personnel is still very much prevalent. The availability of quality healthcare is still pretty low when compared to cisgender individuals.
According to the American psychiatric Association (APA), “Transgender people suffer from high levels of stigmatization, discrimination, and victimization, contributing to negative self-image and increased rates of other mental health disorders.
It is clearly quoted that victimization and social stigmatization do have a negative impact on transgender individuals and it can lead to suicide, depression, etc. The root cause of the discrimination faced by transgender individuals in Pakistan is religious fundamentalism and patriarchal norms.
To support the transgender youth and individuals, there are some organizations and NGOs working in Pakistan such as Trans-Action Alliance and Gender Interactive Alliance. But collective actions are the only solution to bring trans individuals into the mainstream.
CONCLUSION
Transgender women have traditionally been invited to both weddings and baby showers because they are thought to bring good fortune to both newlyweds and infants. Other than that, being transgender in Pakistan is difficult, and they often face discrimination.
As Pakistan's first ever entry in the Cannes Film Festival, Joyland does set a landmark and since it's a delicate subject and it can affect people's lives, the film carefully conveyed the socio-political message that any layman ought to realize. At the core of the movie, it shows people who go against the typical societal norms.
The real question posed by Joyland against heteronormativity is, where did people get the understanding that only their sex, gender, and sexual orientation are correct and anything else is disguised?" People should be aware of the fact that being trans-homo-queer is not a choice; it is not a mental or physical illness; it is just a very natural variation of the brain; but transphobia-homophobia is a curable stigma that needs to be corrected.
Gender is our own sense of identity as to which gender we want to be identified in a society where gender differences prevail. It's the personal sense of one's own gender. Pakistan is not the only country where transgender people are stigmatized and isolated by society. It is evident everywhere. Additionally, it is true that films like Joyland can alter public perceptions of transgender people.
The grass-root level work to bring proper awareness is the only way to change society's view of transgender people. But in reality, it is very hard because the image of transgender as abnormal is deeply rooted. Working together is the one and only way that we can ensure a better world where everyone is treated equally with dignity.
SOURCES:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/20/pakistan-trans-community-steps-out-of-shadows
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria/what-is-gender-dysphoria
https://the-singapore-lgbt-encyclopaedia.fandom.com/wiki/Trans_bashing
https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/pakistans-khawaja-siras-perspectives-identity
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/world/asia/pakistan-trans-rights.html
By Niranjan Thekkedath
Niranjan is a third year Political Science student at Hindu college. He is a movie buff who loves to watch and analyse movies & series. He is also an ardent quizzer.
Wow🙌🏼❤️ I think this plot really works because of how well you've paced the story.