‘After a period of denial we’ve chosen “conscious uncoupling”’ – Colin Firth borrows a phrase from his fellow actor Gwyneth Paltrow to explain that he had parted ways with the Zoe ‘Zoella’ Sugg, the fashion blogger and internet personality whose YouTube videos are watched by millions of forthcoming film Paddington. The British star was the voice of the marmalade-obsessed bear, people every month, is branching out into writing fiction. Penguin has bought two novels from the 24-year-old. books based on the popular books by the UK author Michael Bond. The film is due out later this year The first, titled Girl Online, is a ‘modern-day Notting Hill for teens’ and will be published in November

Priti Salian talks to Shahan Zaidi, the Muslim superheroines creator of the Bloody Nasreen, whose central character is Ms Marvel – Kamala Khan A second generation Pakistani-American Pakistan’s first unveiled heroine teenager from New Jersey who has shape- shifting superpowers and decides to put Street-fighting woman them to good use. Created by the writer G Willow Wilson, Khan is ’s first Muslim character to have a comic series in her name.

Dust Much before Ms Marvel hit the stands, ­Marvel Comics had created a hijab-clad teenage superheroine from Afghanistan. Sooraya Qadir or Dust has mutant powers which help her turn into a storm of dust and vanquish her enemies.

Jia The main character of the award- winning Pakistani cartoon show Burka Avenger is a schoolteacher with an alter ego who wears an abaya to hide her identity and employs takht kabaddi, a special kind of martial art that involves fighting with pens and books. Rated as one of the most Influential Fictional Characters of 2013 by Time magazine, Burka Avenger is Pakistan’s first animated super- heroine and was created by the musician and social activist Aaron Haroon Rashid.

series, Blizzard, in a popular Paki- stani weekly. Having found his call- Qahera ing, he educated himself in graphic Egypt’s first veiled superheroine in a art by signing up for online courses, , Qahera is a Cairo-based hijabi as well as a stint with www.itchyfin- character who is the mainstay of a comic gerz.com, a leading mobile applica- series by the same name. Created by Deena tions and game company in Lahore. Mohamed, she not only fights bad guys but also deals with Islamophobia. A growing fan base Nasreen has attracted enormous at- tention on social media and gener- Iron Butterfly ated plenty of debate, especially over Kahina Eskandari is DC Comics’s Palestin- her outfit, which does not include a ian superheroine. She wears medieval-style dupatta (scarf). armour, has huge angel wings and leads But Zaidi is unperturbed. “How can the Shadow Cabinet. Her name comes from she keep a dupatta in place when her superpower, ferrokinesis – she can she’s running or jumping off high move and shape metal and metallic objects. buildings?” he asks, saying he want- ­Created by Dwayne McDuffie, Robert L Nasreen, Pakistan’s first unveiled heroine, is the creation of Shahan Zaidi, right.Courtesy Shahan Zaidi ed his heroine to be as realistic as Washington III and Denys Cowan. possible.

lazing eyes, flying hair, looks relate to,” says Zaidi. He hasn’t en- But Nasreen languished in Zaidi’s Nasreen on film Aisha al-Fadhil B that could kill. The main char- dowed Nasreen with any superpow- sketch book for four years, until Bloody Nasreen has generated a great Aisha – one of the protagonists of The acter of Shahan Zaidi’s English-­ ers, explaining that she “picked up 2009, when he shared his illustra- deal of interest among Pakistani ­Losers, a Vertigo series by DC Comics writ- language graphic novel Bloody Nas- fighting skills along the way”. tions with friends and noticed the filmmakers, and The Crew Films ten by Andy Diggle – uses her combat skills reen is 27, smokes cigarettes and Zaidi also wanted to keep the char- growing interest. company of Karachi finally landed to slay baddies. She’s a cold-blooded killer kills without pity. Pakistan’s first acter away from any religious activ- “Men fell for her looks and women the deal. The writer and producer who spent her childhood in Afghanistan and unveiled heroine wields a gun in her ity or implications. So he chose to loved her nerve,” says Zaidi, who Faisal Rafi, who is likely to produce Pakistan fighting against Soviet soldiers. right hand and a sword in her left, name her Nasreen because “it is a chose to set the story in the 2030s, the film, says: “There are hardly any but her attire – she wears a shalwar very common name in Pakistan, it where Nasreen fights issues such as stories being made into films that kameez and sneakers – is not the im- could belong to a girl from any re- human trafficking and corruption. are set in Karachi. In Nasreen, we see Rayann Lawsonia age you’d expect of a ruthless crime- gion or sect”. The 100-page novel an opportunity to express the deep- The protagonist of Drawn, the 17-year-old fighter. is likely to hit the stands late next The inspiration er truth and lies about our city. It is Middle Eastern American student receives But there was a strong reason for month or August. Zaidi grew up on a diet of Vertigo a brilliant character with a unique mystical powers through a henna design the Lahore-based Zaidi, 31, to dress and Constantine comics and says he premise.” Pre-production is under- drawn on her hands. She is created by Mai the heroine of his 100-page graphic The idea is inspired by female-focused mov- way, but the main cast and the direc- El Shoush, a Sudan-born journalist based in novel this way. Nasreen was conceptualised long ies such as Shekar Kapur’s Bandit tor of the film have not yet been an- Cleveland. “I wanted my heroine to portray a before Burka Avenger, Pakistan’s Queen (1995) and Kill Bill (2003), nounced. regular girl-next-door from Karachi, first superheroine, who appears in starring Uma Thurman. He was only Priti Salian Bloody Nasreen is a 27-year-old girl-next-door from Karachi who chases villains while tackling corruption and human trafficking.Courtesy Shahan Zaidi someone every Pakistani girl could her own animated television series. 17 when he published his first comic ĝĝ[email protected] *

06 Sunday, June 22, 2014 www.thenational.ae The National arts&life The National arts&life Sunday, June 22, 2014 www.thenational.ae 07