How Pakistan's 'Dame Edna' Has Upset Musharraf
Telegraph, U.K
April 22, 2006
By Isambard Wilkinson in Karachi
Pakistan's military ruler, President Pervez Musharraf, has tussled with Islamist terrorists, fundamentalist mullahs and liberal intellectuals in the struggle to shape Pakistan's identity.
But he is now facing an altogether different foe: the cross-dressing son of a retired colonel.
Ali Saleem, 27, has shot to fame as the most famous television personality in the predominan
tly Muslim, male-dominated country by donning a silk sari and adopting the alter ego of a flirtatious widow hosting a chat show.
Such is the popularity of Late Night Show With Begum Nawazish Ali, that Pakistan's military leadership has threatened to take the programme off air.
The Begum [the honorific in Urdu for Mrs] has ruffled feathers in a country where, despite the existence of a marginalised group of transsexuals that performs at weddings and birth blessings, cross-dressing is generally frowned upon.
"We decided to create a larger-than-life character to host a talk show where the host would be flirtatious and look good so she would be on a strong footing with her guests," said Mr Saleem.
Posing controversial questions that journalists routinely steer clear of, Pakistan's Dame Edna Everage tackles taboos as a routine.
He questions prominent Islamic religious figures, celebrities and politicians on issues such as Pakistan's support for the US-led war on terror, Gen Musharraf's dictatorship and discrimination against women.
"Ever since I was a child I used to fantasise about growing up to be a woman," he said over lunch yesterday in Karachi, where the programme is recorded. "My friends all said that I am like a 60-year old woman. I am a woman in a man's body."
Articulate and theatrical, Mr Saleem's earrings, waxed forearms and plucked eyebrows were offset by a day's growth of stubble on his chin. In private he eschews his character's low-necked chiffon robes, preferring a T-shirt and jeans.
A rarity in Pakistan for his openness, Mr Saleem describes himself as a bisexual.
He first earned a name impersonating former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and then added Margaret Thatcher, the late Diana, Princess of Wales and Noor Jehan, the actress who inspired the Begum's 1970s sartorial style.
His mother, a former government official and his father, a polo-playing army officer, both applaud his success.
April 22, 2006
By Isambard Wilkinson in Karachi
Pakistan's military ruler, President Pervez Musharraf, has tussled with Islamist terrorists, fundamentalist mullahs and liberal intellectuals in the struggle to shape Pakistan's identity.
But he is now facing an altogether different foe: the cross-dressing son of a retired colonel.
Ali Saleem, 27, has shot to fame as the most famous television personality in the predominan
tly Muslim, male-dominated country by donning a silk sari and adopting the alter ego of a flirtatious widow hosting a chat show.Such is the popularity of Late Night Show With Begum Nawazish Ali, that Pakistan's military leadership has threatened to take the programme off air.
The Begum [the honorific in Urdu for Mrs] has ruffled feathers in a country where, despite the existence of a marginalised group of transsexuals that performs at weddings and birth blessings, cross-dressing is generally frowned upon.
"We decided to create a larger-than-life character to host a talk show where the host would be flirtatious and look good so she would be on a strong footing with her guests," said Mr Saleem.
Posing controversial questions that journalists routinely steer clear of, Pakistan's Dame Edna Everage tackles taboos as a routine.
He questions prominent Islamic religious figures, celebrities and politicians on issues such as Pakistan's support for the US-led war on terror, Gen Musharraf's dictatorship and discrimination against women.
"Ever since I was a child I used to fantasise about growing up to be a woman," he said over lunch yesterday in Karachi, where the programme is recorded. "My friends all said that I am like a 60-year old woman. I am a woman in a man's body."
Articulate and theatrical, Mr Saleem's earrings, waxed forearms and plucked eyebrows were offset by a day's growth of stubble on his chin. In private he eschews his character's low-necked chiffon robes, preferring a T-shirt and jeans.
A rarity in Pakistan for his openness, Mr Saleem describes himself as a bisexual.
He first earned a name impersonating former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and then added Margaret Thatcher, the late Diana, Princess of Wales and Noor Jehan, the actress who inspired the Begum's 1970s sartorial style.
His mother, a former government official and his father, a polo-playing army officer, both applaud his success.
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