Often in life, the quest for love and freedom comes with a price and that’s what Afia Nathaniel, the director of Dukhtar (‘daughter’ in Persian), plans to explore through her film.
Nathaniel herself has a dukhtar, which is what inspired the film’s title and made rewrites of the script a more personalised experience for her. “I explored this deeply personal journey. It was only natural that the film be called Dukhtar. I love the poetic feel to this word,” she explains.
The director was born and raised in Quetta, which is a predominantly Pashtun city. This has not only helped her understand the soul of Pashtun culture, but also draw a parallel between the film’s protagonist and her grandmother; she belonged to the tribal areas, but chose to stay in Quetta after becoming a widow, making a living as a school teacher. “[My grandmother’s story] mirrors the qualities of my female protagonist. So, I felt very close to the character I had created on paper,” she elaborates.
Through Dukhtar, Nathaniel intends to revitalise the stereotypical image of Pashtun culture in films. “You will get to see a strong Pashtun woman in the lead role in a film (Dukhtar) that doesn’t require her to do an item song. How often do you get to see that depiction in Pakistani cinema?”
The film is shot in Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghizer and Kallar Kahar, all the way down to Lahore. There are chase scenes in the film, which are shot on the Karakoram Highway — the highest paved international road in the world
