Growing up in rural Nova Scotia in the 鈥�90s, Fawzia Mirza says she connected with her Pakistani heritage by watching Bollywood movies.
But with few Hindi films exploring romance between LGBTQ+ characters, she couldn鈥檛 fully identify with the love she saw on screen.
鈥淚 was really struggling with whether I could be queer and Muslim and still love Bollywood romance,鈥� Mirza said in a virtual call from Chicago, where she was directing an episode of Disney Plus' upcoming comedy 鈥淒eli Boys.鈥�
鈥淲atching these films, I wanted that kind of all-consuming love. I wanted to be swept off my feet. And if those stories aren't being made in a way that is inclusive of you, then you have to reimagine them.鈥�
Mirza says that was the impetus for her first short film, 鈥淭he Queen of My Dreams,鈥� released in 2012, which reimagined 1969 Bollywood classic 鈥淎radhana鈥� in a queer light.聽
鈥淭hrough making that film, I really found that yes, I can be all of those identities. But also, making art really saved my life.鈥�
She says the film also played a role in her publicly acknowledging her queer identity.
鈥淪howing the film at festivals really helped me come out and really helped me see the power of art and the impact, not only that it could have on me, but on other people.鈥�
Twelve years later, the writer-director has expanded 鈥淭he Queen of My Dreams鈥� from a short film to a theatrical play to her debut feature, hitting theatres across Canada on Friday.聽
Markham, Ont.'s Amrit Kaur of Crave鈥檚 鈥淪ex Lives of College Girls鈥� stars as Azra, a queer Muslim grad student who flies to Pakistan after the sudden death of her father Hassan, played by Ottawa-bred Hamza Haq of CTV鈥檚 鈥淭ransplant.鈥澛�
Once there, she and her religiously conservative mother Mariam, played by Nimra Bucha of Disney Plus鈥� 鈥淢s. Marvel,鈥� are forced to face their strained relationship head-on.聽
The film鈥檚 mother-daughter dynamic closely mirrors Mirza鈥檚 own.
鈥淚 do come from a conservative family, and it was a challenge,鈥� she says.
Her 2015 play 鈥淢e, My Mom and Sharmila,鈥� which 鈥淭he Queen of My Dreams鈥� is adapted from, tells the story of how she came out to her mother.
鈥淚 was really trying to reconcile, at that point, my own understanding of who I am, and my relationship with my family and mother. I think at the heart of all my work is the question, 鈥楬ow do we become who we are?鈥欌��
Mirza structures 鈥淭he Queen of My Dreams鈥� as two coming-of-age tales unfolding across three decades.聽
The story begins in 1999, when Azra and Mariam grapple with their differences. Interspersed are glimpses into Azra's upbringing in Nova Scotia, starting from her family's arrival in 1989. The narrative also delves into 22-year-old Mariam's life in Karachi in 1969, when she contends with her own domineering mother.
"It's a mother-daughter story but it's also a love letter to mothers," says Mirza.
"It's a story about love and compassion, and that to understand yourself, you have to look to the past."
Taking cues from 鈥淎radhana,鈥� which uses one actor to portray a father and son during specific ages, Kaur doubles up as Azra in 1999 and the younger version of her mother.聽
Several daydream passages see both Azra and Miriam imagine themselves as protagonists in Bollywood films.聽
鈥淚 would argue the genre of Bollywood is quite queer, just in the fact that its form is so big and so dreamy and so not just one thing,鈥� says Mirza.
She adds that by recontextualizing Hindi films with LGBTQ heroes, 鈥渨e see that we can have that magical Bollywood fairy tale romance no matter who we are, no matter who we love.鈥�
Mirza says all of her projects come from a deeply personal place.聽
鈥淢y process of finding myself and finding self-love was the process of making movies over the years. People go to therapy. I think making movies has been a form of that for me.鈥�
She鈥檚 planning a feature called 鈥淗eirloom,鈥� about a woman who enlists her queer friends to help her steal a cherished family jewelry piece from her mother, who adamantly refuses to pass it down for her wedding.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 a heist film-meets-鈥楤ridesmaids鈥� kind of vibe.鈥澛�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2024.
Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press
