Biopic on Pakistani queer anchor, former ‘Bigg Boss’ contestant Begum Nawazish Ali in works

Mumbai: A new biopic based on Pakistani queer television personality Ali Saleem is in the works. Ali is a Pakistani television host, actor, scriptwriter and impressionist who broke into the mainstream audiences through his impersonations of late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and went on to play the cross-dressing Begum Nawazish Ali on various television channels.

Ali, who was biologically born a male to a retired colonel father in Pakistan Army, has sometimes called himself gay, bisexual or at other times even a transsexual. He was also a contestant in ‘Bigg Boss 4’ back in 2010.

He said, “This is a strong story, a story of boldness and courage. The character is multifaceted and needed someone as courageous and undaunted as the Begum thyself. I am planning to approach Mallika Sherawat for this role as she would be apt for a fearless performance like this. It is important to create stories like these that can encourage more and more people to be open about their sexuality and sexual preferences. This is going to be a story of an unapologetically fearless man who’s leading a life of his own choice in spite of living in a politically warm environment”.