Motorway rape case inspires film

Pakistani stunt biker Marina Syed is set to make her acting debut in the upcoming Sheenogai. The film’s title is the Pashto word for the ‘girl with the green eyes.’

The film has been written and directed by Abu Aleeha. It has been produced by playwright Abida Ahmed of Zammy’s Productions in collaboration with Metro Life Movies. 

According to Aleeha, the project has been inspired by a debate on social media following the Lahore-Sialkot motorway rape case in which some people blamed the victim.

The story revolves around incidents faced by a biker-vlogger and how she dealt with them, he told SAMAA Life&Style.

“It conveys that bold people can be victims and poor, downtrodden individuals can be the oppressors too,” the director said.

The project has been titled Sheenogai because of Syed, who happens to be an Afghan-Pashtun and has toured many countries on bike, according to the director. Other actors involved in the project include Aisha Faraz Rind, Kunwar Mudassir Shehzad, Ayaz Ali and Bilawal Hussain.

It has been shot in Balochistan and is in the post-production stage right now. The film is scheduled for release on December 18.

Asked if he anticipates any difficulties regarding screening the movie, Aleeha said, “Currently there are 22 cinemas open for the public nationwide and we will release the film even if just one of them is open [by the release date].”

He said, however, that they would be forced to postpone the release if none of the movie theatres are open.

Aleeha made his directorial debut with the 2017 movie Tever. He has made Kataksha, the yet to be released Once Upon a Time in Karachi and Lockdown.

Syed is a member of Karachi’s all-girls biker club called Rowdy Riders. The club is a training institute for women who want to learn how to ride motorcycles.