Alina Khan finally found happiness in life The Express Tribune
Actress Aleena Khan, who ran away from home at the age of 11, has finally found happiness in life – thanks to the incredible success of Joyland. She left home at such a young age to escape the emotional and physical abuse she faced for being a trans child.
In an interview with Mary Claire, The actor opened up about her childhood and how people were constantly questioning her identity while she was searching for it herself. “People were constantly asking me why I was the way I was. At the time, I couldn’t find a way to express that it wasn’t something I was doing on purpose and it wasn’t. There was something I was making up. “It was just me. There were no words to express it or an understanding of who I was or my identity.”
More than a decade later, it was of Joyland Director Saeem Sadiq’s belief in his acting ability and his filmsDarlings And Joyland) that gave him the tools to reveal his truth and fill the gap. “If I had seen something as big as Joyland, it would have answered a lot of questions for me about who I am, about my identity,” he said.
“more than that [my acting] What it means to other people is more important than what being a Pakistani transwoman actor means to me. Because it is only I who can look at my life and see the difficulties and hardships I have gone through. I place a lot of importance on where I’ve gotten in life and how I’ve, in a sense, made it.”
Khan revealed that the film also changed the mindset of his family. While the theater ban in Lahore prevented his relatives from watching. Joylandthey have followed his newfound success, even reaching out to congratulate and reconnect with him.
“All those years ago, I ran away from home wanting to make an identity for myself and find some place in the world and achieve great things in life,” she said. “Joyland is the reason I can now, again, resume some healthy relationships with my siblings, my family.”
As for his future, the actor has many big and small goals to achieve. From teaching dance to becoming a choreographer to continuing acting, Khan is still exploring her options but mainly, she wants to be able to buy a house in Pakistan.
She’s aware that she can’t make a living from acting alone because there aren’t many roles for transgender people in mainstream Pakistani media, but she feels it’s still worth giving it a shot.
Khan, who worked as a dancer after running away from home, was performing at an NGO event where she met Joyland co-producer Sana Jaffrey, who was then casting director for Sadiq’s short film. She was working. Darling.
On her being featured in the Cannes-winning film, she said it was related to Sadiq’s vision of Beba and her character’s screen arc. “It was very attractive to see a trans character being portrayed as a strong, independent character who can fight for herself and who can stand up to her morals and principles,” she said. “The most important thing for Beba was to show her talent in a dignified way, and that honor was to work in the theater. So that society would appreciate her.
JoylandFor Khan, it was about her subtle but brave way of holding up a mirror to patriarchal society and exposing its toxic gender stereotypes. “It was all very real, and it came out of the world we live in. All the stories [in the movie] Individuals reflect the truth of the world or character or moment in which they exist.
But mainly, she is proud to be a face that has “honestly portrayed the trans community” on screen, which dominates not only Pakistani media but also Western narratives.
Khan shared that Sadiq was very wary of misrepresentation. “He would ask about how I would respond in situations like the scene where Beba is discriminated against on public transport, or when a romantic encounter between Beba and Haider turns sour. – to ensure the storytelling feels true to life.”
Khan hopes to tell more raw and honest stories from Pakistani directors after Joyland. “It’s opened up a lot of opportunities for some very good directors in Pakistan who are confident enough to write roles for trans people. It’s also going to change the mindset of a lot of commercial brands within the country. will start to be seen as people who can represent their brands, represent some commercial value in the market,” he concluded.