Kiya Kahe Ga Kazi

Shahrukh Waheed is a documentary filmmaker who has worked extensively with Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and her company. We spoke about the sibilance between documentary filmmaking work and journalism, about telling healing stories of valor and powerful protagonists, about dealing with the victim mentality in Pakistan, about the sanctity of free speech, and about the problem with the monopolization of religiosity. 

Ali Abbas Naqvi and Basit Naqvi are writers that have worked on projects like 'Laal Kabootar,' multiple videos for Teeli, and the upcoming web series based in and on Liyari. We speak about a writer's plight, about the legitimacy afforded to the craft of writing, about the lack of appreciation afforded to the process in Pakistan, and about the way forward for writers in particular and artists more generally. 

Shahjehan Saleem is a fashion writer featured regularly in Diva magazine, he is a teacher of media sciences at Szabist, a university in Karachi, he is also a creative associate with 'talking point.' We spoke about the pornification of the societal gaze, about the taboos around conversations concerning mental health, about the beautifully terrifying world of Pakistani fashion, about the 'casting couch' culture in the entertainment industry, about our societal inclination towards personalities instead of art, and about the primacy of cultural norms about beauty in the context of who is allowed to be our hero. 

Murtaza Alizai is a director and producer for Teeli. We get to speaking about unconventional modes of education, cyberbullying, imposter syndrome and the fundamental differences between filmmaking proper and creating content for social media. 

Ahmer Naqvi is a journalist, writer, and storyteller. We speak about the disparity between religious sects in Pakistan, about the slur meant for Shia Muslims in Pakistan that he has reclaimed as his social media handle and moniker, about his opinions on cricket, and how he believes the end is near for the game on the international stage, about his opinion on pop music in Pakistan and how he proposes that it is elitist inherently, and about his opinion on food and how he has concluded that Karachi has the best Briyani in the world. 

Akbar Chaudry is a stalwart of the budding comedy scene in Karachi. He is also an aeronautical engineer. We speak about the science of laughter, the parameters of communication, the methodology of comedy, 'benign violation,' and the power of an apparatus that one can interpret reality through. 

Mustafa is a filmaker. We speak about the dimensions of love, the chasm between millennial and gen z creators, the irreverence surrounding conversations about woman empowerment, and the power of dreams. 

Taha G is a musician and a music producer. We speak about the democratizing power of the digital content creation technology available to musicians, about the move away from 'classical' renditions of genres in Pakistan, about the existential anchoring found in art, about what powers his music in particular, and about the taboos and stigmas still surrounding mental health in the Pakistani context.  

Arsalan is a filmmaker and the proprietor of a content creation agency. We spoke about the romanticism associated with filmmaking in Pakistan, about the rugged flavor of filmmaking that Arsalan prefers, about his yet-to-be-released feature film 'beyond the wetlands,' about the emancipatory power of dreams, and about creating art that one can be proud of. 

Irfan Junejo is a content creator well known for his cinematic, stylized videography and photography, he is also touted by some as the face of YouTube in Pakistan. We speak about the irreverence with which the women's movement is treated in Pakistan, about battling imposter syndrome, about anchoring oneself in the creative process, about the insidious effects of fame, about the primacy of storytelling, and about the difference between championing a cause and recreational outrage.