Author: Sheherzade Noor Peerzada
Abstract
This paper explores the tumultuous relationship between women and nationalism in the film Zerqa (1969) directed by the late Riaz Shahid, an acclaimed Pakistani director. Drawing upon the cinematic narrative that Zerqa offers, this paper will relocate the issues that the film raises within wider discussions of the role that women occupy within the paradigm of nationalism. Zerqa is concerned with the Israel-Palestine conflict. This paper argues that despite the fact that this is a Pakistani film, the hue of nationalism that it espouses is not particularly Pakistani; rather, the film is positioned within the larger cause of Islamic nationalism, as well as referencing the martial law regime that was in power in Pakistan at the time. Adding to this landscape, the paper pays particular attention to the manner in which the two female characters in Zerqa are depicted; these are Zerqa, who stands for Palestine, and Angela, who is an Israeli freedom fighter. Three dimensions of the film are analyzed: the narrative of the film, the way the female’s body occupies the screen, as well as an analysis of the mise-en-scène.
Keywords
Nationalism, Gender, Palestine in Cinema, Pakistani Cinema, Pan-Islamism
