I am so honoured to have written about Bandi Chhor Divas for @britishvogue and to have tapped the incredible @hark1karan to capture the Sikh community in Southall.
At a time when the Ambanis are hosting galas at the British Museum, conservative South Asian politicians are throwing Diwali parties at 10 Downing Street, and the Indian Prime Minister is marking the festival with remarks about war with Pakistan–these images serve as a reminder that cross-cultural solidarity has always existed among South Asian communities, far beyond any single festival. A reminder of the importance of resisting erasure, standing firm against Islamophobia, and raising an eyebrow at the yassified versions of South Asian culture that brands try to cash in on every Diwali.
Link in bio to read the full piece and take in these heart warming images.
@ayham_hassan_99 and the cast behind the scenes @bafcsm —having what I think were the most important conversations in the room—was a reminder of why we care about what we wear and where we come from. I still have chills from hearing about the way these textiles were brought from Palestine to London. The most meaningful social video I’ve made @britishvogue #freepalestine 🇵🇸
Left work to direct some videos for a documentary about work 🤷🏽‍♂️ and also DonatellaVERSACE💜 forever.
Thank you the THEE TEAM y’all have my heart.
Director @zeesw
DOP @olaakinlade_
Producer @heyitsrashida
IRL Fashion Team @char_rutter & @jxneill
This documentary is about us.
Interviewing the legendary @shreyaghoshal ahead of her London show was a full-circle moment I’ll never forget. As a kid I wanted to be every Bollywood heroine she lent her voice to, not to mention Paro in Devdas. Hearing her sing “Bairi Piya” right in front of me!? My inner child was healed. And I got to see her incredible sold-out performance with my mom, on the very day we lost the legend Asha Bhosle. Still have chills. It was such a beautiful experience to be in the same room with so many South Asian people from so many different backgrounds all united by a love for music and the sounds of our cultures.
directing this one is a momenttt but I can’t put the feeling in better words than @rad.seth
“I don’t know about you, but I haven’t been feeling particularly optimistic lately – what with the rise of the far right, the continued framing of immigration as some great evil to be vanquished, and Reform MP Sarah Pochin openly saying on TV: “It drives me mad seeing adverts full of Black and Asian people.”
In reality, we’ve never been given much space, and almost always relegated to the sidelines. But this feels like a rare victory. And it’s one I will be celebrating.”
Director: @ZeeSW
Director of Photography: @OlaAkinlade_
Producer: @HeyltsRashida
Stylist: @SarrJamois
Hairstylist: @SamMcknight1
Make-Up Artist: @MelArter
Manicurist: @ManicuredBySimone
One day you will look at those photos with much kinder eyes, and say, “dear God, I was a beautiful thing!” — one of the most soft and impactful lines Catherine O’Hara delivered as Moira Rose. RIP queen.
Thank you @hark1karan & @nahwandjaff for capturing me on film. 🤍
2016 was really the year. I used to post long rants about my experiences of racism as a young queer south asian person online while I was finishing my degree and reading so much about race and gender. I came out to my family, I stopped letting the white people around me get away with their microagressions, lost all my friends because of it, got banned from gay bars for calling out racist fancy dress parties and fell out with many a zionist. I was so angry at the world but also so full of love and excitement to change it. I made beautiful connections, terrible collages of myself and others in south asian jewellery and started to be critical of the diaspora love poems we all wrote to—an ironically fetishised image of—our own culture. I started to believe I belonged in the creative industry, and knew I’d carve my way in—get in front of the camera, take pictures with and of friends. I became a nightlife poster child, dealt with the consequences of getting lost in the idea of community within nightlife and came out of it alone again, but ready to rebuild. It was such a painful, beautiful important time and it will stay with me forever.
brown girl brown fit is always gonna eat.
my winter shopping checklist for @britishvogue is all brown to match my winter wardrobe. (avail on my story for 24h)
