Shame (2006)

In modern Pakistan, Ghulam Fareed lives a poor lifestyle in Meerwala along with his daughter, Mukhtaran Mai and son, Shaqoor. Meerwala is a village without any roads, schools, a Police ... See full summary »

Director:

Mohammed Naqvi

Stars:

Mukhtaran Mai, Faiz Buy Mastoi, Shaqoor G. Fareed

5 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mukhtaran Mai	...	Herself
Faiz Buy Mastoi	...	Himself
Shaqoor G. Fareed	...	Himself - Mukhtaran's brother
Hazoor Bux Fareed	...	Himself - Mukhtaran's brother
Allah Bechai	...	Herself - Mukhtaran's mother
Ghulam Fareed	...	Himself - Mukhtaran's dad
Mureed Abbas	...	Himself
Salma Mastoi	...	Herself
Yacob Khan	...	Himself - defender of accused
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Naseem Akhtar	...	Herself
Shaukat Aziz	...	Himself - Pakistani Prime Minister
Nicholas Kristof	...	Himself (as Kristof D. Nicholas)
Taj Mastoi	...	Herself - Mother of accused
Mohammed Naqvi	...	Himself

Storyline

In modern Pakistan, Ghulam Fareed lives a poor lifestyle in Meerwala along with his daughter, Mukhtaran Mai and son, Shaqoor. Meerwala is a village without any roads, schools, a Police Station, or even electricity. Girls' marriages are arranged when they are barely 12 years old. During March, 2002, Shaqoor allegedly molests a girl from the Mashtoi family, who live next door. The local Panchayat meets and decides that Mukhtaran must also be molested by males of the Mashtoi family, accordingly she is raped by about 14 men. Shunned, hurt, confused, devastated, she makes her way to the Police Station to file a report against this rape. This is where she will find out that it is not easy to find justice in a country that has been ruled by men and the military for eons, where the woman is still considered a possession - when she does well, she lives up to the family's reputation, but when she does bad, she brings shame to the entire clan. Her persistence pays off, and with the intervention ...

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Plot Keywords:

pakistan | rape | women's rights | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

Pakistan USA

Language:

Urdu English

Release Date:

2 May 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dropi

Filming Locations:

Islamabad, Pakistan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mu-nan Pictures, Showtime Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Important civil rights case, beautifully portrayed

"Shame" is about Mukhtaran Mai and her shocking story that ends with much promise. In 2002, the 30-year-old woman from Meerwala, a remote Pakistani village, was sentenced by the tribal council to be raped by a group of men in retaliation for an alleged crime that her brother had committed. With no police presence in the village and with the feudal precedent of self-victimization or suicide, she musters the courage to travel to town to file a police case, in spite of death threats.

Her case attracts governmental and then international press and human rights attention, and results in her being praised with awards for bravery and travel abroad to speak, as well as being given a handsome amount of money with which she builds the village's first school. I recommend this film not just for its sensitive treatment of the matter and the inspiring story of Mukhtaran Mai, but also because of the beautiful cinematography that paints, at times, a welcome and almost surrealistically dreamy veneer on a chilling episode.