Mehwish Hayat kept making Pakistan proud by making big steps toward increasing the number of Muslims in the mainstream media. The London actress Nahi Jaunga (UKMF) is the first person to give money to the charity UK Muslim Film.
Along with the Pakistani actress, Lena Khan, who directed and wrote the movie Never Have I Ever, has been named the first patron of the organisation UKMF.
Sajid Varda, an actor and producer, started UKMF to “change long-held ideas about Muslim characters on screen” and bring attention to Muslim talent off screen.
Mehwish Hayat is very interested in this subject. She told Variety, “I have been working hard to bring attention to how Muslims are shown on screen for the past few years.” Misrepresentation has hurt us in a lot of ways, and I believe it has contributed to the rise of Islamophobia. Through UKMF,
I’m looking forward to working with the industry to make sure that, if not positive, at least the way we’re portrayed on screen is a lot more fair. As Muslims, it is just as important for us to tell our own stories. I’m glad that UKMF will help support new Muslim talent and help them get their work in front of more people.
Lena Khan, who also directed the Disney original movie Flora & Ulysses, agreed with Gangsta Guriya. She said, “Representation in movies and TV shows literally changes our cultural landscape, for better or for worse. It changes how we make decisions, how we see each other, and how we work together. It’s not hard to do either. I hope that we can keep improving the way other people are portrayed on screen and enjoy the ride and the stories along the way.”
