Life back home was nothing out of the ordinary except the few occasions I was out with my family or friends on an adventure trip. It however took a turn when I landed in America and my identity was no longer a sibling, friend or a kid. I was looked upon only as a Muslim. My personal identity as a student or as an individual did not matter. Even though I dressed like a normal American, I was still shouted at and verbally abused owing to my name and my habit of going to the mosque. When I was approached to make a movie on my life, I decided it would be a comedy based on my experiences as a muslim in America. I choose the comedy genre as I believe humor more than drama helps in taking across a message more efficiently and reaches more people. Although Islamophobia and racism are serious issues, I strongly believe that a comedy would do more to help people think about it and deal with it and not belittle it.
There are many problems when it comes to making an autobiographical movie. How much of my life can I talk about and how much can I let people inside. Do people really want to see my life as a normal kid and a teenager before I reached here? There are other problems too as a filmmaker. Do I want to play myself or would it be better to cast a known face? Would my film be better off if a big production house or a huge movie studio made it? For my movie, I would prefer to go with an independent studio. I decided on an independent studio because I think I will have more freedom as a creator and as a filmmaker in this setup. Big studios have their own constraints such as pleasing their audience, going with tried and tested formula of film making and making enough changes in the movie to make a profit. A low budget movie with good production values is how I would prefer my movie to be. Instead of casting known faces and actors I would like the cast to be made of myself and my friends. Since we had lived through it and know how it feels to be the subject of hatred and Islamophobia, casting my friends would be a good idea. I also want my movie to be a comedy, preferably a slapstick comedy as it would help bring the inanity of the situation. Hating a whole group of people for something a few have done does not make sense and I hope that through comedy I can show how baseless and ignorant some of this hatred and fear can be. My movie is inspired by ‘The Muslims are coming’, a comedy and documentary of a tour of Muslim comics that deals with Islamophobia. The movie makes clear that the tour was inspired in part as an attempt to counter the negative view of Muslims that is often seen in the media (O’Brien, 2013). Through my comedy movie I would like to tell people that not all of us are bad and that those who judge us aren't saints either.
The main problem that this movie focuses on is the question of identity. The personal identity as a person and as a Muslim. Growing up in a rather affluent family, I led quite a privileged life. I had freedom, money and the space to do anything without having to worry about how my actions can be misconstrued. Racism was also something that was unheard of in my life. I had never before in my life (before coming here) heard a racial epithet directed at me. Being seen as a foreigner, a Muslim and a person of a different race are my biggest obstacles. It has become so bad that I see myself as a Muslim first and other things later. Although I am religious I have never let religion rule me and have seen myself as a student, a son, an uncle and more and not as a Muslim alone. I also realized coming here that my privileged life back home means nothing next to the white privilege. I can never take for granted certain things which are normal for a while male. This obstacle in my life of coming to terms with being treated differently and being treated as an outsider is not something I can overcome anytime soon. I am not the only person involved in this identity crisis that I am facing. There could be a possible sequel, It could maybe be set in a workplace and not in a campus. The movie does not have a plot per se. It does not follow my life from my birth to my life here in the United States. Rather it is a sort of commentary that would take instances from the many experiences that I have faced as a Muslim in this country. Every instance that I had been treated different, such as the TSA officials in the airport, to the suspicious clerk at the train station, to the stranger hurling racial abuse or a cop looking at me funny would be a part of the movie. I would probably add a few more scenes in between to make the movie coherent. I plan to put together all these experiences into one movie and maybe phase it to show my life in the course of a day. Flash back scenes would be added to see how the privilege I had experienced by the virtue of being male and of coming from money does not mean much in a foreign country. Juxtaposing the two lives I lead would show how confused I really am at times. I would also like to show how racism is not just the result of hatred for anything different but is also a product of ignorance. That explains my decision to choose the comedy genre. Differences exist and people should not take them too seriously but be more accepting of everyone. I am privileged in a certain way because of my gender and have taken many things for granted. Having gone through such experiences of being looked at and treated differently I am now in a space where I can relate to some of the problems that women face.
I would like to add some sufi music as well as rock n roll as the soundtrack for the movie as these two musical traditions are close to my heart and also define the person that I am. As much as I am religious and believe in some traditions, I also am open to new beliefs and tastes. I would include music by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and some songs from the Beatles, Nirvana, Megadeth and more. The score in the movie would be a reflection of the person I am and the fact that I too am a normal student with similar tastes in music. Although the cast would be dressed in western attire most of the time, I might also bring in traditional Islamic clothes just to make a point of how people immediately react different to clothes and such. Accent would also be more on bright colors. I do not want to be my movie to be dark and forbidding. It also is not a dark comedy. It is rather a feel good, slap stick comedy that uses satire to explain issues like racism, Islamophobia, personal identity and gender issues. Since there wouldn’t be much dialogue in the movie, the camera would play an important role in capturing the scene as well as the emotions of the actors. It will pan not only the actors’ faces but also the situation where everyone is placed. The camera here would tell the story more than the actors themselves.
This exercise has helped me understand a lot about the life I am currently leading. Having been born to privilege owing to both my gender and my class, I was quite spoilt. Coming out of my privileged experienced and facing reality in another country made me question a lot about my life and my thoughts. Making a film helped me realize that it is a process that helps you deal with a lot of unresolved issues in life. Although I prided myself in being open, I realized that I had a lot of hangups and if the tables were turned I would be racist as hell too as I am too ignorant about the lives and cultures of other people. I would like to change my identity, I don't want to see myself or show myself as just a male student, a son or a filmmaker but was to be seen as a good person who would be accepting of differences in people. Privilege, I have realized should be earned and not be the result of being born into a certain space.
Works Cited
O’Brien, William. The Muslims Are Coming: Challenging Islamophobia Through Comedy. Cairoklahoma.com. 24 June 2013. Web. 26 July 2016.
