Burka Avenger’ Set to Go Global

Pakistan’s new cartoon superhero who fights bad guys disguised in a flowing black burka is set to go global, her creator told AFP, with plans afoot to broadcast the show in 60 countries.

The Urdu-language animation “Burka Avenger”, showing the adventures of a mild-mannered teacher who uses her superpowers to fight local gangsters trying to close down the girls’ school where she works, hit Pakistani TV screens last month.

The man behind “Burka Avenger”, pop star Haroon Rashid, said he had been overwhelmed by the response.

“The reception has been absolutely phenomenal, beyond our expectations,” he said.

“We were making this little animated TV series for Pakistan but it seems like the whole world wants to know about the Burka Avenger.”

A TV distribution company in Europe has been in touch with a view to translating the show into 18 languages, including English and French, and screening it in 60 countries, Rashid said.

The issue of girls’ education in northwest Pakistan hit world headlines last October when Taliban gunmen shot teenage activist Malala Yousafzai.

Malala, who campaigns for the right of girls to go to school, survived the attack and last month delivered a powerful speech at the UN in New York.

Rashid said Malala was a “real life superhero” for her courage and said the attack on her had come as they prepared an early episode of “Burka Avenger”.

“We were all stunned because we were working on the exact same story about a little girl who stands up to the bad guy who tried to shut down her school,” he said.

“I had never heard of Malala before then — it was like life was imitating what was on our screen while we were developing.”

Nearly half of all children in Pakistan and almost three quarters of young girls are not enrolled in primary school, according to UN and government statistics published late last year.

Jiya, the teacher and cartoon’s protagonist, transforms into a burka-clad all-action heroine skilled in martial arts to fight against “ignorance and tyranny” in the fictional village of Halwapur.

Armed only with books and pens, she takes on the wicked Baba Bandook and his henchmen, who include Vadero Pajero, a corrupt politician — something adult Pakistanis are all too familiar with. (AFP)

Angry Afridi Demands ‘Obscene’ Parts Cut from Movie that Uses His Name

Pakistani cricket star Shahid Afridi demanded on Wednesday that the producers of a film about a boy emulating his rise to stardom cut an “obscene” scene which he fears could damage his image.

The big-hitting all-rounder had given his blessing to “Main Hoon Shahid Afridi” (“I am Shahid Afridi”) but is now worried that some aspects may lead young viewers astray.

The $1 million Pakistan-made movie tells the story of a young man who dreams of becoming as great a player as Afridi, and the trials he faces as he tries to follow in his hero’s footsteps.

Afridi, who hails from Pakistan’s deeply conservative tribal district of Khyber on the Afghan border, was furious at a scene in which the hero hugs and kisses a girl in a nightclub.

The scene was shown in trailers for the film on various TV channels.

“I had given permission for the film with an aim to give kids some positive healthy entertainment, to divert their minds towards cricket and it should not have obscene things,” said Afridi, 33.

“I want to tell the people that the film is not related to my life.”

Afridi, who shot to stardom in 1996 aged 16 when he hit a world record one-day international hundred off 37 balls, said he wanted the producer to cut the scene.

“A lot of kids and families would go to watch the movie because of me and if they see things like that they will feel bad, so I hope they remove those scenes and run the film,” he said.

The movie had already suffered technical glitches which pushed its release forward from the slated Eid holiday weekend, which is a popular time for producers to release their films.

Producer Humayun Saeed, a top actor in Pakistan, initially wanted Afridi to take the lead role, but the cricketer said it would not be in keeping with the traditions of his tribe.

Afridi said he was also concerned because the film’s promotional material wrongly suggested he had acted in the film.

“I had declined the offer to act because my elders are against acting, nor did I charge a single penny from them,” he said.

The movie is a big budget production and was highly anticipated ahead of other rivals being released around Eid.