|
Night of Henna is just
another immigrant story but what sets it apart is that it is the first
Pakistani-American feature film. The film provides an interesting
perspective on the American-Muslim culture. This film also gives the
audience an idea that no matter who the film maker is – be it a
Pakistani, Indian or any immigrant director – the social cause and
theme of immigrants always remains the same. Film making does not
identify the religious background of the person that is behind the
camera.
The story begins with the night of henna (‘Mehendi ki raat’) a very
traditional, celebration that happens the night before the wedding and then
leads us to a flashback which begins with Hawa learning how to be a
good Pakistani daughter from the grandparents who raised her. After
nine years, Hawa is excited to come to San Francisco, United States
where she is reunited with her mother, her cab-driving father and her
Americanized brother. Thrilled to bits about the magnitude of
possibilities for a traditional Pakistani girl in this new found free
land, Hawa hopes to take advantage of opportunities and establish a
balance of being a dutiful daughter and a woman who can live life on
her own terms by justifying her decisions. Her true romance with
Justin- an American as opposed to her parents arranging her wedding to
Salman, Hawa begins to wrestle with the predeterminations of society
and her own heart that are pitted against one another to decide her
destiny. Will Hawa stand up for her true love or will she prove to be
a responsible daughter? Shot entirely on locations in San Francisco,
the film explores Islam’s ideology to promote the independence of
women. Writer-Director Hassan Zee and actress Pooja Kumar made special
appearances at the premiere of the first Pakistani-American film
“Night of Henna”, on Saturday April 16, 2005 at Emagine Novi. |
