In the last five years, Josh is the first fiction film from Pakistan to be showcased at the 14th Mumbai Film Festival. The story of Josh is based on Fatima, a committed schoolteacher living the cosmopolitan high life in Karachi, is devastated when her nanny, Nusrat, inexplicably disappears. Though her friends and family beg her not to disturb the status quo and confront the powerful feudals in Nusrat’s village, Fatima travels there to investigate. Will the trials and tribulations deter Fatima’s resolve? Will the quest challenge an already complicated romantic relationship? What all shall Fatima have to sacrifice in the search for answers?
Josh (English Title: Against the Grain) is the story of a privileged woman whose life is shattered in a single moment. It is the story of a woman in search for a dangerous truth. It is the story of the biggest challenge to Pakistan’s still reigning feudalism: the country’s youth. The film explores the internal debates the young are struggling with, and how solutions can be attainable if and when they stand united.
Film ‘Josh’ is a completely fictional story but inspired by the truth of Khaana Ghar, an NGO based in Karachi which feeds the poor. Pakistan’s acclaimed actress Aamina Sheikh is playing the lead role of Fatima whereas the other cast members include Mohib Mirza, Navin Waqar, Khalid Malik, Ali Rizvi, Nyla Jafri, Parveen Akber, Salim Mairaj, Kaiser Khan Nizamani and Adnan Shah Tipu.
We wish Iram Parveen Bilal the best of luck for the world premiere of her feature film ‘Josh’.
Iram Parveen Bilal is a Pakistani film-maker whose debut feature film Josh is the only film from Pakistan to be screened at the 14th Mumbai Film Fest taking place from the 18th of October to the 22nd of October. This is the first feature film made by Iram