This film is part of Rentals
Majdhar
Abandoned by her husband through an arranged marriage, a young Pakistani woman decides to make a life in England
Director: Ahmed Alauddin Jamal
Overview
Cultural identity, women’s independence and the pressure to conform to British norms are the subjects of this bold and acute feature, which explores both British-Asian experience and the plight of recent immigrants. Rita Wolf (My Beautiful Laundrette), plays Majdhar, a Pakistani woman who transforms herself in London after her husband leaves her for another woman. While Majdhar feels her way towards confident self-determination, husband Afzal is torn between his heritage and his Western aspirations.
Majdhar was the first feature of Indian-born director Ahmed Jamal, who went on to make numerous television documentaries on Asian issues and the black comic feature Mad Dogs (2001). The film was produced by the Asian film collective Retake Film and Video, with support from the Greater London Council and Channel 4. Like the more famous My Beautiful Laundrette (released the following year) it benefited from the new space for previously marginalised voices created by the fledgling Channel 4. It was first shown at the London Film Festival in 1984 and screened on Channel 4 in 1985.
Related
Girls Will Be Girls Girls Will Be Girls
Drama 2024 119 mins Director: Shuchi Talati
Teenage romance simmers in a strict Himalayan boarding school in this sublime coming-of-age tale. Winner of the 2024 Sundance audience prize.
The Goldman Case The Goldman Case
Drama 2023 116 mins Director: Cédric Kahn
Gripping courtroom drama based on the explosive 1976 murder trial of French political activist, Pierre Goldman.
In Camera In Camera
Drama 2024 95 mins Director: Naqqash Khalid
A struggling actor faces relentless knockbacks in Naqqash Khalid’s sharp-witted comment on race and identity in the film industry.
Kneecap Kneecap
Drama 2024 105 mins Director: Rich Peppiatt
Fantastically outlandish biopic about the anarchic Belfast rap trio and their fight to save the Irish language.
The Post The Post
Drama 2017 116 mins Director: Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed, gripping and timely drama about the publishing of the Pentagon Papers, featuring Tom Hanks and an Oscar-nominated performance from Meryl Streep.
Denial Denial
Drama 2017 110 mins Director: Mick Jackson
Powerful, aggressively relevant courtroom drama restaging the trial that questioned the events of the Holocaust. Rachel Weisz and Timothy Spall star.
Wild West Wild West
Comedy 1993 84 mins Director: David Attwood
Defying opposition from his conservative Pakistani family, Zaf Ayub dreams of becoming Southall's greatest gift to country & western.
Oh for the Wings of a Dove Oh for the Wings of a Dove
Documentary 1972 28 mins Location: Balsall Heath
The vibrancy of rural Pakistan is transported to Balsall Heath, Birmingham in this intimate family portrait.
A Private Enterprise A Private Enterprise
Drama 1975 72 mins Director: Peter K. Smith
The trials and tribulations of Shiv, a South Asian entrepreneur trying to set up a business in industrial Birmingham
This Question of Colour This Question of Colour
Documentary 1965 29 mins Director: William Brayne
Dcumentary about race relations in Britain from a US standpoint, including a report on the 1964 election in Smethwick.
Catch Me Daddy Catch Me Daddy
Thriller 2015 112 mins Director: Daniel Wolfe and Matthew Wolfe
A young couple whose relationship has divided a community are forced on the run through the streets and moors of nocturnal Yorkshire.
My Pure Land My Pure Land
Drama 2017 98 mins Director: Sarmad Masud
Britain's 2018 submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar was this Pakistan-shot western with a feminist twist, centring on a bitter land dispute between an extended family.
South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic
Documentary 1919 81 mins Silent Director: Frank Hurley
An extraordinary story of survival in the wastes of Antarctica.
Night Courier (Mandoob) Night Courier (Mandoob)
Comedy 2023 112 mins Director: Ali Kalthami
A desperate delivery driver gets caught up in the dark underworld of Riyadh in Ali Kalthami’s gripping, pitch-black satire.
The Ballymurphy Precedent The Ballymurphy Precedent
Documentary 2018 108 mins Director: Callum Macrae
John Pilger's film on the conflict in Northern Ireland is a skilful mix of investigative journalism, documentary storytelling and reflections on contemporary history.
Utopia Utopia
Documentary 2013 111 mins Director: John Pilger and Alan Lowery
John Pilger's portrayal of the oldest continuous human culture is also an investigation into a suppressed colonial past, and rapacious present.
The Coming War on China The Coming War on China
Documentary 2016 113 mins Director: John Pilger
John Pilger’s prescient 60th film for ITV is both a warning and an inspiring story of resistance.
Girls Will Be Girls Girls Will Be Girls
Drama 2024 119 mins Director: Shuchi Talati
Teenage romance simmers in a strict Himalayan boarding school in this sublime coming-of-age tale. Winner of the 2024 Sundance audience prize.