Pakistani film ‘Dunya’ featuring eunuchs hits theatres

The long awaited Punjabi feature film ‘Dunya’ has been released all over Pakistan. The film’s star cast includes Maumar Rana, Saima Khan, Rambo, Nargis and Shafqat Cheema. In spite of all the super stars presence in the film, it is expected that the limelight will be the real life eunuch who have performed in the movie for the very first time. The director of film is Shahid Rana who has high hopes from his film.

The media’s portrayal of khwaja siras (transgender individuals) is often negative. In the film industry, such a character is either the subject of a joke or frowned upon and given limited roles, says the distinguished director, who is making a comeback after five years.

Seventy members of the transgender community are acting alongside the film industry’s prominent stars.

With this film, for the first time, Pakistan’s favourite villain Shafqat Cheema will be playing a positive role in a Punjabi film — the role of a guru Khwaja Sira. In the movie, Moammar Rana works as a doctor in a village where he meets Saima. Rambo, who plays Saima’s brother, is the sole-breadwinner for their family. When his sister is ready for marriage, he leaves the village for the city to earn money for her dowry. His struggle begins when he arrives in the city and his horse is stolen outside of Data Sahib’s durbar.

“In the film, Rambo dances to make money for Saima’s dowry, but the result is that no one is willing to marry his sister,” says veteran screenwriter and lyricist Abdullah Chilli, who has penned the script for Dunya.

A series of mishaps lands Rambo behind bars, where Shafqat Cheema introduces him to the world of dancing in Heera Mandi and also plays the role of a mentor who gets Rambo on his feet.

Although it seems that Dunya is going to be a film that touches upon some serious themes, Rana clarifies that it will still be entertaining.