A transgender star of an award-winning Pakistan film that depicts a love affair between a man and a trans women has said she is very sad at the government’s decision to ban the film and hopes it will be reversed.
Alina Khan, who stars in Joyland, the first major Pakistani film to feature a trans actor in a lead role, said: “I’ve been very sad. There’s nothing against Islam [in the film] and I don’t understand how Islam can get endangered by mere films.”
The 24-year-old added: “The Pakistani trans community was also very upset.”
Joyland, which is Pakistan’s contender at the Oscars, was to go on national release on Friday, but was banned over the weekend following pressure from hardline Islamic groups who called the film “repugnant”.
Set in Lahore, the film tells the story of Haider, a married man who joins a dance troupe and falls in love with the lead transgender…
