Zoya Akhtar's EPIC REACTION On Instagram User's Plea For A 'Normal' Muslim Character Is A MUST READ! (Details Inside)

Zoya Akhtar's response addresses portrayal of Muslim characters in her works, highlighting diversity and complexity amid recent Made In Heaven season premiere.
By BollywoodMDB Team - Aug 19, 2023 11:03 PM IST
Zoya Akhtar's EPIC REACTION On  Instagram User's Plea For A 'Normal' Muslim Character Is A MUST READ! (Details Inside)
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Zoya Akhtar has recently been in the news because the second season of 'Made in Heaven,' the show she made with Reema Kagti, has finally come out. Before last week, people had been waiting for the show for four years. In the middle of all this talk, an Instagram user asked the talented director, who made her first movie, 'Luck By Chance,' in 2009, a question that made her think. The question was about how Zoya shows Muslim people in her shows and films.

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The netizen asked, "Can Zoya not have 'normal' Muslim characters in her shows? Can we have at least one happy story that doesn't involve oppression?" This question made a clear reference to Shehnaz, a character played by Dia Mirza in 'Made in Heaven.' In a Prime Video show, Shehnaz is devastated when her husband decides to remarry after a long time apart.

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Even though Islam allows for more than one wife, Shehnaz struggles with the idea of being taken away from her children and having her hand cut off. When Arjun Mehra's character Karan Mehra comes to Shehnaz's aid, she changes her mind and chooses to go to court to fight polygamy.

In response to the Instagram user, Zoya Akhtar went on to list the positive Muslim roles she has written for films. In 'Luck by Chance,' Zaffar Khan and Tanveer become real people. 'ZNMD' brings Imran and Laila into the group. 'Dil Dhadakne Do' is about a dancer named Farah Ali, who is played by Anushka Sharma, and who lives her life on her own terms. Most of the characters in the popular movie 'Gully Boy' are Muslim. For example, Sarfaraz Khan and Leila Shirazi play Kabir, Faiza, and Nawab.

The story of Zoya is also in her other works. Katrina Kaif plays the carefree diving teacher Laila in 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara,' and Farhan Akhtar plays the ad copywriter Imran. In 'Luck By Chance,' Hrithik Roshan and Ashish Sawhny play the famous Zaffar Khan and the well-known writer Tanveer. This is a very interesting twist.

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(Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan Receives HARSH CRITICISM For HARMING India's Cinematic Ventures From ‘THIS’ Bollywood Director (Details Inside))

Zoya's body of work is full of different Muslim figures with different stories that break away from stereotypes. They have a wide range of jobs, characters, and life choices, which shows that the director is committed to telling stories with many different sides. Zoya's characters show how diverse the human experience is, from artists who want to be on their own to people who have to make hard decisions.

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