Noor

A KVIFF screening of director duo Cagla Zencirci and Guilaume Giovanetti's latest film NOOR, which investigates the story of Noor, a Pakistan khusras (hijra, the third gender in South Asia), determines to dispose of the transgender community and becomes a man.

The film might render an appealing premise of being an exotic inspection of the highly mysterious lives of khusras in Pakistan (which at least has been successfully employed to intrigue me to it since I could not even conceive their existence before watching the film), nevertheless, it is much of a poetic prose, which entwines a stark on-the-road journey of looking for fairies.

As a foreigner, the ineffable Pakistan natural setting has its deadly draw to me (a country I have never been and have no intention to be), but their customs and mores speak for themselves, take the example of the fully-decorated trunk, a constant moving home substitute, serves as a powerful eye-opener for me.

Put all the outlandish novelty aside, the film sets a fine example of demonstrating a spiritual and sacred catharsis from a perspective regardless of any boundaries and cultures, although the film has not much praiseworthy value apart from a dedicative resolution to tackle with a less-exposed territory.

A mere 76-minutes may be felt too terse to even delve in the storyline, and a hit-and-miss narrative does have some side effect to assess the film, which generally can be considered a featherweight attempt of showcasing the enigma, I feel unsatisfied.

PS: here is a photo of the director duo (Guillaume and Cagla), leading man Noor (a real khusras, non-professional actor and whose ideal is to be a photographer) and actor Baba Hussain in a Q&A after the screening.

Guillaume Giovanetti and Cagla Zencirci's NOOR, a Pakistani-French production, tails of a Kushra(transsexual), Noor, who tires of his life and love as a dancer, steals a truck and heads off for the Swat valley. Noor wants to become a man, and in his flight from civilization meets a female dancer who may inspire him in classical dance and in love. The views of Swat are breathtaking; the ruggedness of the landscape gives an almost primeval feel to the story of uncontrollable emotions and love that can blossom out of almost nothing. NOOR has been to at least five festivals outside India, and at Bangalore and Pune.