The Queen of My Dreams
In Fawzia Mirza’s semi-autobiographical directorial debut, a Pakistani Canadian embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
Image courtesy of Peccadillo Pictures
Many people have warm memories of the Bengali actress Sharmila Tagore who is due to have her eightieth birthday later this year. Among them one would undoubtedly find Fawzia Mirza who here offers us her first feature as writer and director. The Queen of My Dreams regularly references a film made by Tagore in 1969, Aradhana, and brief shots from it are incorporated many times. It is wonderful to glimpse Tagore again but it is probably fair to say that her admirers fall into two categories. On the one hand there are those like myself who fondly recall the young Tagore in her earliest screen appearances starring in two of Satyajit Ray’s finest films, The World of Apu (1959) and Devi (1960). As against that, many will particularly love the numerous appearances that she subsequently made in Bollywood movies of which Aradhana is an example. The Queen of My Dreams is for much of the time so closely aligned to the Bollywood style that it would not be surprising if Mirza identified most strongly with that second group and those who delight in the colourful look and the use of song favoured by Bollywood may well enjoy her film more than I did.
Even so, The Queen of My Dreams plays as something of an oddity. Starting out in 1999 but then going back first to 1969 and then to 1989, it tells a tale focused on the relationship between Azra (Amrit Kaur) and her mother Mariam (Nimra Bucha). Early on, Azra, who is living in Toronto with her lover, Rachel (Kya Mosey), learns that her father, Hassan (Hamza Haq), has died in Karachi. Azra flies out there with her brother Zahid (Ali A. Kazmi) to give support to their mother. We quickly realise that Azra's relationship with her mother is a complex one. From childhood onwards she has seen Mariam as a glamorous figure to admire and it is Mariam who introduced her to the Bollywood movies of Sharmila Tagore, but it is apparent too that Mariam is either in ignorance of her daughter’s sexuality or determined to ignore it.
By the time that this has been set up Mirza has started to mix in scenes from 1969 to show how the 22-year-old Mariam was being introduced to possible suitors when she met Hassan, a doctor who, in pursuance of his studies and also to avoid being drafted and sent to Vietnam, was set on moving to Canada. In due course despite attempts to hide from Azra's parents the likelihood of their daughter going so far away if she marries Hassan, the situation becomes known. It leads to conflict between Mariam and her mother (Gul E. Rana) in particular. Thus, we are invited to see how, twenty years apart, both Azra and Mariam have had to fight to achieve the happiness they sought, a parallel that if recognised might enable them to bridge the gap between them.
To fill out Azra’s life further the film now starts to feature additional intercut scenes which show us the 12-year-old Azra (Ayana Manji) with her parents in Nova Scotia. While her mother seeks to earn by becoming involved with the promotion of Tupperware, Azra is at school making friends with another girl, Alicia (Emerson MacNeil), who shares with her removal from religious classes (while Azra is Muslim, Alicia is a Jehovah's Witness). The time switches are now between 1989 and 1999 although the inserted scenes from Aradhana remain a consistent feature throughout.
As is often the case with films that keep jumping between different periods, the narrative is hardly smooth but for me the real problem with The Queen of My Dreams lies in the fact that its echoes of Bollywood result in a film that varies its style. There are scenes here that call for a mode that is not artificial and some scenes respect that. But even the design – not least in the 1969 footage – pays direct homage to Bollywood as does the frequent use of songs on the soundtrack. There’s also a new form of stylisation when more than once a montage sequence is presented not with standard editing but with a movement that suggests a series of slides being shown. In addition (although I am not sure if we are meant to notice it or not) there is one very direct echo of Aradhana. In that film Rajesh Khanna playing opposite Sharmila Tagore appeared in dual roles as her husband and as their son. Here Amrit Saur appears first as Azra but then takes over the role of her mother for the scenes set in 1969.
The Queen of My Dreams is well enough acted, not least by Hamza Haq who retains the role of Hassan throughout. Equally Michael Pierson's production design and Matt Irwin’s colour photography never fall short, but I was unable to feel that this approach was the one best suited to telling the story. The people were never real enough in this stylised presentation for me to feel for them. However, Bollywood fans may take it all in their stride and I certainly don't regard the work as being in any way insincere. Among the many thank-yous incorporated in the final credits there is one that reads ‘Very Special Thanks to Sharmila Tagore’ and I am certain that for Fawzia Mirza that comes from the heart.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Cast: Amrit Kaur, Hamza Haq, Nimra Bucha, Ayana Manji, Gul E Rana, Ali A. Kazmi, Meher Jaffri, Kya Mosey, Emerson MacNeil, Zara Usman, Charlie Boyle, Uzma Beyg, Josh MacDonald, Trina Corkum.
Dir Fawzia Mirza, Pro Jason Levangie, Marc Tetreault, Andria Wilson Mirza and Fawzia Mirza, Screenplay Fawzia Mirza, Ph Matt Irwin, Pro Des Michael Pierson, Ed Simone Smith, Music Alysha Brilla, Costumes Fizza Ejaz, Venk Nodur and Faiz Rohani.
Baby Daal Productions/Shut Up & Colour Pictures/Spark Features/Crave/Téléfilm Canada-Peccadillo Pictures.
97 mins. Canada/Pakistan. 2023. UK Rel: 13 September 2024. Cert. 12A.
