Mee Raqsam Trailer: An Empowering Tale About A Father Who Stands By His Daughter

The trailer of Mee Raqsam, a film starring Naseeruddin Shah, is out. The film is directed by Baba Azmi and produced by Shabana Azmi. An homage to their father, the famous Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi, the film tells the story of a young Muslim girl who wants to learn Bharatnatyam, but constantly faces obstacles from religious communities. It also stars Danish Hussain and Aditi Subedi in key roles. Mee Raqsam is a ZEE5 original film and is all set to release on its OTT platform on August 21.

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The Trailer

Mee Raqsam trailer opens with an old Islamic leader(Naseeruddin Shah) getting the news that a girl (Aditi Subedi) in their community has started taking lessons in Bharatnatyam. Hearing the news, he then says, “what this child is doing is not right.” From there we see a number of people coming up and telling the girl and her father that learning the classical dance form is not honourable for people following Islam. One woman even goes to the extent of asking, “Do you want the child to become a courtesan?”, referring to the origins of Bharatanatyam in the devadasi culture.

But in quite a refreshing move, we see a father (Danish Hussain) encouraging his daughter to follow her passion, single-handedly bearing the anger of his community. When labelled as anti-religious by his neighbours and family members, he tells them off by saying, “Islam is not so weak that a girl will be ridiculed for dancing.”

The film promises us a story that celebrates feminist fathers who stand by their daughters, braving resistance of all kinds, so that their young girls can live on their terms and not that of society.

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About The Film

Mee Raqsam marks the directorial debut of Baba Azmi. It was shot in Mijwan, the birthplace of his late father Kaifi Azmi, near Azamgarh and its surrounding areas. “Many years ago, my father Kaifi Azmi had asked me, ‘Baba is it possible for you to shoot a film in Mijwan?’ My father was born in Mijwan, a village in eastern UP. We both smiled at each other, because we both knew what a formidable task that would be. A village with no roads, no amenities, no infrastructure. But his question stuck with me. Now, many years later I was able to do that,” Baba Azmi said in an interview.

Producer, and daughter of Kaifi Azmi, actress Shabana Azmi said that Mee Raqsam will offer hope in these unprecedented times. “It is the first film I am presenting and is a homage to our father Kaifi Azmi who was one of the torchbearers of India’s composite culture which the film celebrates,” the actor said in a statement. “It is an inspiring tale about a father standing resolutely behind his young daughter’s desire to dance. In these dark times, Mee Raqsam offers hope and elevates the soul,” she added.

Picture Credit: YouTube Screenshot

Dyuti Gupta is an intern with SheThePeople.TV. The views expressed are the author’s own.