Cross-dressing diva is making a splash after the repeal of the nation’s strict broadcasting laws
SONYA FATAH
Special to The Globe and Mail
KARACHI — In the well-appointed drawing room of a stately mansion, a lonely widow holds court in a satiny sequined sari with her perfectly coiffed hair, heavy makeup, high heels and lots of jewellery. The ultimate diva, she’s the host of The Late Night Show with Begum Nawazish Ali, a talk show that is all the rage with viewers across Pakistan.
The Begum, as she’s known — the Urdu equivalent of Lady — has hosted a long list of Pakistan’s most prominent politicians, artists, performers and activists in a dizzying interview style that jumps between hard talk and a chatty tête-à-tête. In less than two years, the show has become a smash success.
But The Begum isn’t a lady at all. Rather, she’s the alter ego of Ali Saleem, the son of a former Pakistani army officer — a cross-dressing Pakistani Dame Edna character whose growing popularity highlights the country’s deep conflict between moderates and conservatives.
And The Begum isn’t shy. She daringly brings together guests who would rarely be seen together. In one episode, she hosted the then-mayor of Karachi, Naimatullah Khan, then a member of Pakistan’s leading Islamist party, alongside one of Pakistan’s sexy Westernized top models. (Mr. Khan insists he did not know that “she was a he.”)
She also flirts outrageously with her male quests. This summer she hosted Shaikh Rasheed, Pakistan’s railways minister, who proudly flaunts his middle-aged bachelorhood. “You know, it’s a terrible tragedy,” she told him. “I’ve always wanted to travel on a Pakistani train . . . some day I will sit in your buggy and go on a long, long journey. . . . You’ll take me, won’t you?”
When Mr. Rasheed responded that he only travels coach, she shot back: “For you, I’ll travel economy class.”
Three years ago, The Begum wouldn’t have been strutting her stuff and entering living rooms across the country. The unimaginable happened after draconian broadcast laws, which permitted only state-run television and radio, were repealed in 2003, leading to an explosion of television channels.
“We thought we’d create a character that could address all aspects of society, politics, showbiz, social issues,” says Nadeem Baig, director of entertainment at Aaj TV, which produces the show. “We wanted a character, a woman, who knows who is who in the country.”
And so Begum Nawazish Ali, the bored, lonely widow of a retired Pakistani army officer, was born. “I knew that only Ali could do that,” Mr. Baig says. “He is very daring. He has no inhibitions.”
But not everyone is in love with the cross-dressing Mr. Ali and his alter ego. On blogs and chat sites, some write that they’re disgusted by The Begum and hurl abuses. But the bold actor hasn’t received any personal threats or abuses.
For Mr. Ali, The Begum is more than a fictional character. Before she came into his life, he says, he had struggled with his femininity and suffered from bouts of depression. “I knew I had a diva in me. I knew that as a child I had enjoyed wearing my mother’s makeup and admiring myself in the mirror.” The Begum, he says, let the woman in him come out.
As a teenager, Mr. Ali first drew attention for his daring stage and television imitations of the sitting prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, complete with costume.
“Since I was a child I chose to call myself a feminist,” says the 27-year old Mr. Ali. “I’ve always called myself a feminist, and I truly admired and found truly inspiring, beautiful women — divas.”
He became known for his Bhutto routine, but friends advised him to broaden his repertoire.
Aaj TV is now taking The Late Night Show across the border to India to shoot more than a dozen episodes with major Indian politicians and entertainers. One episode will feature Aishwarya Rai, the former Miss Universe and current international face of L’Oreal, and Lalu Prasad Yadav, India’s railways minister.
And Mr. Ali has a few ideas about taking his character to a higher level. “Now I want Begum Nawazish Ali to start taking up real issues. She needs to have a cause. She needs to be a voice of Pakistan. . . . I want Begum Nawazish Ali to run for PM, sweetie.”
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