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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nBy Zoha Fareed Chishti ’23<\/b><\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The GPS tells me I have arrived at the destination– a house, in a closed-off street in Gulberg, where Dr. Mohammad Moiz (aka Unrellently Yours, Phuddina Chutney, and Shumaila Bhatti) was getting ready for their drag-comedy show happening later that evening. I call Moiz to confirm whether I am at the right destination. \u201cBrown gate, colorful tyres on the wall?\u201d they ask me. It is the right house. I, along with a friend, am escorted into the house, and up the stairs, to a room.<\/p>\n
Moiz, already in a bright orange lehenga-choli, is getting their make-up done as we enter the room. They apologise for the state they are greeting us in: the room is scattered with makeup products, and there is a certain sense of hustle all around. Even within the hustle though, there is no sense of urgency. My friend and I take a seat, as Moiz continues to have foundation coated on their face. <\/p>\n
My friend, an avid fan of Moiz\u2019s work, asks them how they came up with the idea of Phuddina Chutney– and what prompted them to pioneer drag comedy in Pakistan. \u201cActually, I do not believe I pioneered it\u2026\u201d Moiz tells us. Instead, they believe that dirty comedy, and drag comedy alike, have always been present in Pakistan, especially in the rural landscapes. I follow this up with an example of the women in Punjabi villages– the tappay, gidday, <\/i>even the folk songs are filled with profanities and innuendos that could easily be given an R rating, but, are very funny, and very much part of the culture. Moiz says this is also true for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where they hail from. \u201cThere is of course an appetite for drag comedy in Pakistan– it’s part of our culture, people want it, my shows get sold out. That says something,\u201d they finish. <\/p>\n
I ask Moiz about the audience their drag show receives. \u201cEveryone! Students, old people, young people, men, women, queer people\u2026 everyone comes to see me,\u201d they answer. I follow this up with questioning whether the audiences differ from city to city. \u201cYes, I get more older aunties in Karachi. Older Lahori women are rare. Clifton\/Defence crowds in Karachi are too bougie. Lahori girls always laugh with a hand to their faces,\u201d they tell me. Their audience wants to have fun, but sometimes it takes its time opening up. <\/p>\n
Steering the conversation away from their comedy, I ask Moiz why they argue against the secular model of feminism that is popular amongst students, and also certain movements like Aurat March adopt. \u201cReligion plays a role in everyday lives, not just in South Asia, but the entire world. It’s unsustainable to remove your politics [from something that shapes your everyday life],\u201d they explain. They also argue that the Global Right informs the Pakistani Right too– Orya Maqbool Jan taking inspiration from Trump\u2019s bathroom ban is only one example, but that gets lost in translation, and the Left then blames Islam. They further explain that this is perhaps not the fault of the young people, because there is no room for critique. \u201cThe first time you actually get to explore; yourself, religion, everything, is when you are at university. So, it is natural to feel that distance from religion and build an identity [that is separated] from Islam,\u201d they tell me. The fear of blasphemy, they argue, is so real, because of how defined the correct version of Islam has become in Pakistan. \u201cThere is no space for Khuda ki talaash <\/i>[or what we call spirituality], then, in this codified version of Islam,\u201d Moiz argues, \u201ckisi k liye Islam ka <\/i>expression hai paanch waqt ki namaz, kisi ke liye muharamm ka maatam, kisi ke liye sehwan sharif jaana, <\/i>there is no <\/i>single definition\u2026<\/i>\u201d <\/p>\n
I then ask them about the sudden increase in their Instagram audience after the Beela incident– especially because in one of the earlier episodes of their podcast, Stoned Alive, Moiz had maintained that they like having a smaller, niche, audience. I ask them how they navigate through this. \u201cJab main chota tha<\/i>, I wanted to be a celebrity, now that I am, I don\u2019t want to be,\u201d they laugh. They tell me that they did not mind the increase in audience as such– the sudden influx was only after they had first posted about taking action against Beelas, but it has steadied since then. \u201cOnly the interested people are staying, and I like that,\u201d they finish with a smile, \u201cbesides, I don\u2019t get stuck on numbers, that’s how I navigate all this.\u201d <\/p>\n
Commenting on their popularity, my friend tells Moiz that she used their example in her class on gender and media. \u201cLo, ab mujhe <\/i>LUMS ki classon main bhi parhatay hain<\/i>,\u201d Moiz winks at their friend sitting on the floor opposite to us. I also ask them what they think of performative activism, and woke culture. \u201cOf course, support is substantial, even if it is performative,\u201d they reply, \u201cBut main kitna<\/i> depend kersakta hoon baaqi sab per<\/i>?\u201d They tell me that virtual, or otherwise, support helps, but only so much. At the end of the day, you have to fight your own battles. \u201cThaanay<\/i> aor <\/i>court tau khudi jaana hai<\/i>, no one else can go for me,\u201d they say slowly, trying their best not to smudge the pink stain that has just been added to their lips. <\/p>\n
Once Moiz is ready, my friend and I drive them to the location for their show. We are chatting about the weather, Lahore, the traffic, when, as an afterthought, I ask them why they chose an MBBS degree. With a laugh, they very simply retort, \u201cWell, what else are you going to do?\u201d For the rest of the drive, I can hear a hum coming from the backseat. I identify it as the tune to Kajra Re<\/i>, the hindi song. When we get to the destination, we bid Moiz goodbye as they get out of the car into the empty, dark, and slightly barricaded street. As we back the car, I hear Moiz tell the guard to let them in. \u201cMera he show hai!\u201d echoes in the street we leave them in. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dr. Mohammad Moiz talks to The LUMS Post about Khwaja Sira activism in Pakistan and how that the fight for justice is deeply rooted in their faith. They also talk about other things, like performing Drag, and fighting the normative every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,5,12,17],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailystudent.lums.edu.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1044"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailystudent.lums.edu.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailystudent.lums.edu.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailystudent.lums.edu.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailystudent.lums.edu.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1044"}],"version-history":[{"count":42,"href":"https:\/\/dailystudent.lums.edu.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1089,"href":"https:\/\/dailystudent.lums.edu.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1044\/revisions\/1089"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailystudent.lums.edu.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailystudent.lums.edu.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailystudent.lums.edu.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailystudent.lums.edu.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}