It’s been a stressful night for Majeed (Faran Tahir, “Scandal”) in SXSW pic “I’ll Meet You There.” His estranged father has made a surprise visit from Pakistan and his daughter has come home drunk. It doesn’t help that Majeed’s dad, Baba (Muhammad Qavi Khan, “Na Band Na Baraati”), is a traditional, devout Muslim, while Majeed and Dua (Nikita Tewani, “Divorce”) live a more secular lifestyle — not to mention the fact that Dua is a committed dancer.
In Women and Hollywood’s exclusive clip of Iram Parveen Bilal’s latest, Majeed takes his daughter aside before introducing her to her grandfather. Confronting her outside their house, Majeed informs Dua that Baba will “be staying in your studio.” He adds, “I want you to clear anything that screams ‘dance.'”
Dua agrees, and does just that after meeting Baba. “I’ve longed to see you with my own eyes,” her grandfather tells her, gifting her with a scarf.
As Dua packs up her dance trophies and paraphernalia, Majeed and Baba make chit chat. “All grown up now,” Baba says of his granddaughter. “Looks just like her mother.” “Please don’t say anything about her mother,” Majeed requests.
Written and directed by Bilal, “I’ll Meet You There” explores the roles culture, tradition, and religion play in the family. As Dua grows closer to Baba, she becomes less and less interested in dance. Meanwhile, Majeed a police officer, gets a career opportunity that could mean betraying his father.
“[With this film,] I’d love to provoke, and yet heal and empower, anyone who feels that they are a misfit in their family, where family can [define] religion, culture, nation state, or whatever identifier one associates with,” Bilal told us in an upcoming interview. “I want them to learn to express their honest self and be able to reintegrate into a sense of family that nourishes them in their true self-expression.”
Bilal previously directed features “Josh” and “Piled Higher and Deeper: Still in Grad School.” Her TV script “Detained,” a thriller drama about ICE detentions, recently made WeForShe’s WriteHer List.
“I’ll Meet You There” will premiere at SXSW March 16. It will screen in the fest’s Narrative Feature Competition. You can find screening info on SXSW’s website. Overall, women directed or co-directed 70 percent of the 2020 Competition titles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvqg0NQo9WY
