Mawara Tahir
Marvel is famous for its innovative and inspiring superheroes to startle the world with their magic. Marvel has again attempted to be distinctive by officially introducing first ever hijab wearing iconic character in the recently-released Spider-Man: Far from Home’.
The British-Pakistani actress Zoha Rahman is the first head covered woman character to step into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She took her role in the film to highlight the fact that millions of women wearing hijab are ordinary people like those who don’t cover their heads, conveying a powerful message. Being Peter Parker’s Muslim friend character will help to break barriers in Hollywood.
This is in fact a very good initiative to correct the misconception about Muslims being labeled as ‘terrorists’. The Pakistan born actor spoke about her much-talked about role in Spider-Man: Far from Home that her original role was not about wearing hijab but later on she was asked if she would like the role of a girl wearing a hijab and she instantly agreed to do the role.
“I don’t wear hijab in real life but I wore it for my character. It meant so much to me. For me to have the opportunity to play a character and represent so many girls who wear hijab that I know personally and that I love and admire,” said Rahman.
“Traditionally, there have been limiting roles for Muslims in the movies and those too in very limited capacity e.g. of a taxi driver, techie, or a terrorist. If it was a female character she would always be shown as oppressed so it was a big opportunity for me to represent all those women who cover their heads but are the strongest, funniest and most intelligent women in my life, I know so many of them and I wanted to give them representation in a positive way,” Rahman added.
Rahman had been entirely oblivious of what the future held for her two years earlier as she sat in a theater overjoyed to discover Muslim portrayal in an additional who played a hijab-clad student sitting at the back of Peter Parker’s class in ‘Spider Man: Homecoming’.
“I didn’t actually know what I was auditioning for until I was in the audition room.”
She included that after she got the script ensuing to a non-disclosure agreement getting signed did she fathomed she will be in a Marvel motion picture. The budding starlet plays Peter Parker aka Spider-Man’s Muslim classmate joining him on a field trip across Europe. They were filmed in London, Prague and Venice over the course of a few months.
“We are with the hero when he sees monsters and then decided to save the world. It was a lovely experience of filming,” she commented.
“In all my years of dreaming about working on a Hollywood set, I never thought it would become a reality. It’s a sad by-product of the lack of representation on screen that actors like myself never truly believe in themselves” she said.
Rahman was born in Pakistan and moved to the UK with her family in 2012. Her father was a retired military officer, originally from Jhelum. She studied all over Pakistan, moving schools every time her father was posted at a new place. Seven years ago, she came to London to study and started modeling for commercials besides studying. She recently finished her law degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and plans to do Masters in Law as well but for now, her full concentration is on her acting career. She has modeled for Qatar Airways, FIFA World Cup, Acuvue, Wagamama and Asian immigration law firms before being chosen to play the role of Peter Parker’s friend in the latest film from the Marvel-Sony Spider-Man franchise.
Her conventional Pakistani family didn’t want her to work in the film business and wanted her to have a secure job as a lawyer however the free-energetic young lady had her own arrangements and she has effectively cut her own particular way out up until this point.
“I started with the modeling project in London and that was followed by acting roles in various projects. Then my agent sent my portfolio to the casting directors at Marvel. I was invited to audition for Spiderman because they liked my portfolio, I was shocked when I received the call from my agency that I had been offered the role,” she shared.
“No doubt Pakistanis are hugely talented, off and on camera. Getting roles in international films is a validation of Pakistani talent”. She said that she has received lots of positive response.
“I have received messages from girls who have appreciated my role as a hijab-clad girl”.
Rahman is currently working on a Netflix project and has a few other roles finalized for her. “I cannot say more about the roles I am doing due to privacy contract but these are different roles and the kind of work I am interested in. I am focusing on acting full time and who knows one day I may also work as a lawyer,” the actor said.
