Begum Nawazish Ali

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Ali Saleem . (Discuss)
There are very few or no other articles that link to this one.
Please help introduce links in articles on related topics. After links have been created, remove this message.
This article has been tagged since September 2006.

Ali Saleem (Urdu: علی سلیم) is a Pakistani television artist who has shot to fame as the most famous television personality of the country by donning a silk sari and adopting the alter ego of a flirtatious widow hosting a chat show, called The Begum Nawazish Ali Show on Aaj TV. Posing controversial questions that most journalists routinely avoid, Pakistan's answer to Dame Edna Everage tackles taboos as if they were routine matters. His mother, a former government official and his father, a polo-playing army officer, both applaud his success.

Contents

[edit] Childhood

"Even as a child he used to fantasise about growing up to be a woman," he admits. "My friends all said that I am like a 60-year old woman. I am a woman in a man's body." Born biologically male, he frequently prayed to God to make him a girl.

[edit] Popularity of the show

Saleem is called "The Begum", which is an honorific title meaning "Lady". He has ruffled feathers in a country where, despite the existence of a marginalised group of transsexuals, called hijras, who perform at weddings and birth blessings, cross-dressing is generally frowned upon. The show however, has become one of the most popular and highly rated shows in Pakistan.

[edit] Opposition

Such is the popularity of The Late Night Show With Begum Nawazish Ali, that Pakistan's military leadership has threatened to take the programme off air. In addition, an online petition urges that Aaj TV cancel the show as it "goes against the very values that this society holds dear". [1]

While there's little doubt that the character has spawned inspired adaptations within the Pakistani drama and movie industry, the society finds itself polarized with two groups having radically different perceptions about the "Begum". One would proclaim evolution within the industry with actors experimenting with characters previously reserved for short appearances into a mainstream talk-show host. The other, perhaps a minority in the country belonging to the fringe of Islamic extremism degrade the character as an "abomination" of values, accusing it to be part of many such that have taken over the media in the name of "Enlightened Moderation" since the Pervez Musharraf Regime.


[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../b/e/g/Begum_Nawazish_Ali_e953.html"