Voices of Dissent

The film takes viewers on a journey through the gates of a Sufi shrine into the world of "temple" dancing. It explores the passion of the dance within a number of contemporary Pakistani contexts and the personalities that pursue it: a classically trained kathak dancer who, as a woman, has been forbidden by the Pakistani government to perform her craft on stage; a male kathak dancer ridiculed for pursuing a traditionally female dance form; a popular film actress who embodies the commercialization of what was once a sacred, devotional act and whose performances place training and skill secondary to glamour; a mullah speaking for the fundamentalist position who views women's dance as a corrupting activity.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

NoorKhan S. Bawa is a graduate in International Development Studies from the University of Toronto. He is also a graduate in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson Polytechnic University. He has worked in "development" in Costa Rica, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.