The best I can say is that he was a very talented and ambitious journalist who was a good friend of the president of his former company during the lawsuit. After Daoud Sediqi decided to air the footage of the show, there was an outrage in the conservative muslim community. The results are sadly lackluster, even if the concept and the intent are admirable. Boston.com article page player in wide format. Does it include "American Idol"? Afghan Star premiered in 2005, four years after the fall of the Taliban, which had outlawed singing in 1996; it is one of the most-watched shows in Afghanistan. Religious leaders soon step into the debate, putting pressure on the government to ban dancing and offer "only Islamic broadcasting.". What's remarkable about Marking's film is not just the stories of these four contestants but the way it captures everyday life in Afghanistan - its street kids, the show's fans, people talking at street stalls. These comic reversals move at the speed of tectonic plates. Were All in for Arena Reel Star. HM: There were no personal threats, but a general protocol had to be followed. At the same time, Hussainzada remains an underground celebrity of real power. Man in the street: [after Setara adds dance moves to her song] She should be killed. In early July, on the heels of the film's New York premiere, director Havana Marking discussed her experience with Documentary via e-mail. However, I think the film falls down in its emotional impact mostly due to Markings heavy reliancewhich may have been inevitableon the technically crude footage of the actual show. D: Would you have done anything differently given another opportunity? In Havana Marking's "Afghan Star," "Pop Idol" comes to Kabul. Every so often, the neighbors call the police; at one point, 40 armed soldiers turn up at her door. Perhaps I should cover my face.. The governing irony is that one cultures pop junk is anothers salvation. Refusing to contain her emotions, she moves her body in anticipation of her voice, briefly improvising a modest dance step. . Rock the Kasbah carries a dedication to Setara Hussainzada, who did come out from under her hijab in her final performance on. As the nation attempts to find peace after decades of conflict, 'Afghan Star' follows the screening of a 'Pop Idol' style television program, apparently gripping the nation. The Taliban outlawed music for five years. Setaras parents' house in Herat was daubed with words like whore on the door. It's so slight, and yet it causes a storm of protest, even among her fellow contestants. Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star, a documentary by Havana Marking released in January 2011 revisiting Setara as she deals with continuous death threats. He is Hazara, from the centre of the country, where the Bamiyan Buddhas were blown up by the Taliban, and has an interest in traditional music. Where to Watch Afghan Star Afghan Star is available to watch free on Kanopy. Im so happy! His family thought he was dead because they didnt see him for two days, but his evil plan backfired when he woke up to see his wife, son, and daughter lying dead on the floor. Thats simply a case of cultural difference and is beside the point of the film, which is to examine the possibility of a show like this cutting through the regional and tribal differences of the contestants and the people voting for them. Choon Darakhte Farwardin (Rafi Naabzada) Get this album or track at: 3:14: 6. His family thought he was dead because they didn't see him for two days, but his evil plan backfired when he woke up to see his wife, son, and daughter lying dead on the floor. The film is based, as they say, on a true story, and the real-life Afghan woman who appeared on this television show, Setara Hussainzada, confronted tremendous opposition from religious and. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Setara: An Afghan Fallen Star. "I am open-minded. Episode 02 - Mazar Auditions. The selection of these people gives the film an interesting dynamic because all four hail from different parts of Afghanistan and two of them are women. On this audition, the Ghazal fans from all over the country participated to show their talents in order to satisfy the judges for getting a success card which advances them to the next steps of auditions and finally to the top 12. I think I know why, but lets look at what works about the film first. Unrated. Afghan Star Year: 2009: Director: Havana Marking: Stars: Daoud Sediqi, Rafi Naabzada, Setara Hussainzada, Hameed Sakhizada, Lima Sahar, various: Genre: Documentary, Music: Rating: 8 (from 2 votes) Review: Afghanistan has had more than its share of troubles over the years, but perhaps there could be a way of uniting a country which has been split apart by conflicts from the Mujahadeen and the . As it turns out, the set alarm clock has helped setara hussainzada kill himself in his sleep without waking the whole house. State Rep. Contestants Rafi Naabzada (lef) and Lima Sahar (center) performing on stage in Havana Marking's Afghan Star, a Zeitgeist Films release. Hussainzada, not so much. The contestants are kept safe inside the show compound for the duration of the show. Coiffed, painted and bedecked in festive but traditional dress, Setara is nervous but defiant in a televised performance. Author of books "Ken Russell's Films," "Charlie Chan at the Movies," "A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series," "Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker. If we didn't care about Setara--and of course, if I hadn't cared about her in the first place--the film would not be so intense or important. Feel free to contribute! SEE RANK. What we get is troubling enough even before Hussainzadas child is born and further hardships are endured. Contestants risk their lives to appear on the television show that is a raging success with the public and also monitored closely by the government. Now I have a set alarm clock (more accurately, it keeps me up late) and dont have a problem getting up because I know exactly when it is. Though Taliban was swept from power in 2001, Islamic militants still regard music as sinful and have targeted Afghan musicians in assassination plots. The Taliban fled Kabul in November 2001, when America and her allies invaded. Backstage, horrified, her fellow contestants' voices are thin when they ask, "Why is she dancing?" Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. A look at how contestants on the a musical contest program "Pop Idol" in Afghanistan risk their lives to appear on the show. Afghan Star premieres at the Ritzy, London SW2 (0871 704 2065), on Friday. Her story, my concern and in turn the audience's concern are what make the film so gripping; the film becomes a political thriller rather than just a quirky look at modern life in today's Afghanistan. Ms. Even more explicitly, the producers used the contest to promote a national, inter-ethnic unity. After decades of civil war, oppression and the crushing weight of underdevelopment and poverty, people in Afghanistan are clearly hungry for expression and transformation. The security situation meant that, for fear of kidnap, Marking couldn't set anything up in advance. Quantico, where Marines train before Afghan tours. Take your "American Idol"-besotted children to see this movie. When the Taliban were taken out of power in 2001, it was no longer a punishable crime in Afghanistan to watch TV, dance, or listen to popular music. United Kingdom's official submission to 82nd Academy Award's Foreign Language in 2010. 1 of 1 copy available at Berklee College of Music. As a woman, she is taking a risk even entering the show. Dont misunderstand. Afghan Star, reality TV show, searches for most-talented singers across Afghanistan, a war-torn nation. Her life in danger, the young singer is forced into hiding, with the rest of the country still reeling from her performance. Connect your Spotify account to your Last.fm account and scrobble everything you listen to, from any Spotify app on any device or platform. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Subscribe to Indiatimes and get handpicked updates based on your interests! Is Netflix, Amazon, Fandor, iTunes, etc. Death threats, bomb scares, battling extremists in a conservative society like Afghanistan is a daily affair. Most of us are familiar with the images of Afghanistan at war, or under the Taliban; but until the rebellion against the Soviet invasion, the country was a relatively modern state, at least in the capital. I am 100 percent happy with the film, so, no, I wouldn't do anything differently. Your comment is To see a woman make such wonderful, beautiful and heart-filled films, be successful and still be a nice person is very inspiring. Afghan Star. "This was when the series became really big, and everything fell into place. When "Silencing the Song'' picks up a year later, Hussainzada has married one of her fans and is eight months pregnant, but her life is in disarray. Lima accepts her new freedoms gingerly, in contrast to the more impetuous Setara, who causes a national scandal when she dances and lets her head-covering slip during a televised performance. Regia: Havana Marking. The show premiered in September 2005 on Tolo TV, four years after the fall of Taliban. Introducing Ahmad Sham Sufi Qawwali Group, Rococo: Travel, Pleasure & Madness (Original Soundtrack), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Taking the inflammatory convergence of democracy, modernity and pop culture in a fragile "post-war" Afghanistan as its point of departure, Afghan Star is a powerful and evocative documentary, grounded in astute observation and led by compelling human narratives. Two are women, which in itself is remarkable: Setara Hussainzada from Herat and Lima Sahar from Kandahar. To the home audience, its the equivalent of Sinead OConnor ripping up a picture of the Pope. For all intents and purposes, theyre both Kris Allen, yet each of them has an awareness of what they mean to a society struggling to its feet. Even the audience members must go through multiple security checks. Here are some of the ways that logic really matters in our work. Start the wiki, Javascript is required to view shouts on this page. Throughout this time, Afghans' love of music has never wavered. Afghan Star. Although there is nothing in the Koran prohibiting music, many Islamists disapprove of music and dance as incitements to licentious behaviour. The second part, titled "Silencing the Fallen Afghan Star," follows the story of one of the two final female contestants, Setara, who becomes notorious for her "dance moves" and "liberal . Floral Dresses To Chic Bags - Heres How I Refreshed My Summer Closet From Flipkart On A Budget! Starring: Setara Hussainzada, Lima Sahar, Hameed Sakhizada, Rafi Naabzada, Daoud Sediqi, In English, Dari, and Pashtun, with subtitles. In this follow-up to 'Afghan Star,' filmmaker Havana Marking returns to Afghanistan to check in on infamous contestant Setara from the popular Afghan talent show of the same name. Easier said than done. Setara Hussainzada - YouTube 0:00 / 3:16 Setara Hussainzada 200,872 views Dec 22, 2007 301 Dislike Share Save TOLO TV 1.15M subscribers Setara Hussainzada, a finalist in the Top 12 of. Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. Edit this wiki. After Daoud Sediqi decides to air the footage, there is outrage in the conservative Muslim community and Setara receives death threats and is evicted from her apartment. Our actions can have a profound impact on other people, and its actually quite possible to make friends and even change the lives of others. Afghan singer who appeared on the third season of "Afghan Star. AFGHAN STAR. initFadeSlider(); Yet when the popular enthusiasm for voting for a favourite star seems in part driven by the sense of futility in voting in elections, one fears that the dark days may not yet be over. All user-contributed . Afghan Star yearns for a divided country to be brought together by the most primal joy of all, yet by the final scenes Setara has been forced into hiding, and since the films release Lima has fled to Pakistan as well. D: Were there overt threats to your safety? I think that this is the most important fact about Setara Hussainzada, because it shows us how much the government thought about him when they killed him. Starring: Setara Hussainzada, Lima Sahar, Hameed Sakhizada, Rafi Naabzada, Daoud Sediqi. The most cocksure of the contestants, he is filmed going to the shrine of Hazrat Ali in his home city of Mazar-e-Sharif, where an imam prays for his victory. Afghan Star has a great deal of fun with the national mania for the show, watching makeshift aerials pop up across Kabul, marveling at the wealthy entrepreneur who buys 10,000 SIM cards to vote for Lima, sitting quietly by as a little girl plays Afghan Star with her (veiled) Barbie dolls. Fearing for her life, Setara goes into hiding. Maybe theyll come away with a knowledge of how much can really ride on a song. The program broadcasts on the TOLO channel. Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star. There would be nothing.". In my own country, I tend to decry this kind of cheap entertainment, and there's a sense in which the reactionaries have a point when they lament the invasion of foreign culture; but they offer only regression and ignorance as an alternative. Afghan Star's popularity is a bona fide phenomenon, and filmmaker Havana Marking explores . Id like to be more enthusiastic about Havana Markings Afghan Star than I am, but the fact is that its simply not as compelling as it ought to be. Women, men, children, elders, Pashtuns and Hazaras: Everyone with a cell phone is allowed their say in determining the outcome of a contest that, in its own limited scope, appears to soften the lines of difference and collapse traditional hierarchies. We then went to More4 True Stories; Sandra Whipham commissioned it instantly. Production: Zeitgeist Films. HM: Afghanistan is very volatile and problems can flare up in odd areas at any time. [CDATA[// >