Stepping up in Saudi Arabia

I met Khadija in Zumba class. As an amateur dancer myself, I could tell that she had more rhythm in her steps than the rest of us, as do all good dancers who make the steps you put every creative cell in your body to realize look like a walk in the park. We got to chatting and within five minutes of speaking to this friendly Saudi girl, I knew I wanted to know more about her. It could be because I was born in Saudi Arabia and drawn to people and stories from the land which despite all the news stories and books, remains a bit of an enigma. Khadija was returning home the next week and we decided we’d stay in touch.

Keeping in touch was slightly different than I had imagined. Turns out calling the way you and I take for granted isn’t permitted in Saudi Arabia - Whatsapp, Facetime, Skype and Viber – we tried it all! After getting past the logistics of setting up a catch up, it was time to get to know this chica a little better who by the way is an ultra-focused medicine intern when she’s not travelling the world following her passion for dance. 

Khadija told me what dance really means to her - “Dancing is a way of expressing feeling. It’s my first language. Dancing is sharing”. Reading all the stories one does about Saudi Arabia, I wondered if as a female she faced much resistance in her choice to travel the world solo. Khadija frequently joins dance festivals and dance summer camps. Fortunately, her parents are liberal and while her mother was easier to persuade, her father took a little bit of convincing. “Their main concern was me travelling alone”, she shared. I was happy to hear this, coming from a protective family myself where the biggest concern was boys, especially as Islam instills the notion in us from birth that we must dress modestly as apparently, men have no self-control and will pounce at any given opportunity.

As smooth as Khadija’s journey to the dancing world may sound, I think it's an incredible opportunity for anyone to pursue their dream regardless. I asked Khadija if she thought she could change perceptions of dance in Saudi Arabia. If a 24-year-old girl managed to do in Saudi what I wasn’t allowed to do in Holland at her age, something tells me her drive and powers of persuasion could impact an otherwise conservative culture. Her own dance classes are attended by women from the teens to the forties. She told me, “Saudis aren’t aware of the dance culture. It’s not just about moving your body, dancing is an art and a community. Women come to class and let go of their insecurities about body image. I believe everyone has a dancer in them”. There’s hope still Naveen!

While Khadija is an inspiration to many of her students, I wanted to know who inspired her in the dancing world. She said “there are hundreds of them” before giving me a great insight into the various dancers she’s met on her travels, most of whom she has already had the opportunity to meet at Fair Play Dance Camp in Krakow, Poland. She mentioned Kevin Paradox, a Dutch dancer who taught her that “dance is about connecting with other people and feeling the flow and groove”. Then there’s Shaun Evaristo based in LA. “When he dances he’s meditating at the same time. He’s simply human”, she said. Another one she met was French dancer Laure Courtellemont who Khadija describes as “real and raw and embraces her femininity”. Then there’s Spider Salah, another French-Moroccan dancer who she finds inspiring being a Muslim dancer herself. She’s drawn to his humble personality. Finally, she met Keoni and Mari, a couple from San Diego. “When they dance they’re one body and one soul”, she told me. Listening to Khadija speak about these dance gurus, I could hear her passion for dance ran deep.

I mentioned earlier that Khadija studied medicine. She’s already in her sixth year at Al Faisal University in Riyadh. Currently, she’s on placement working in emergency departments at King Saud Medical City as part of the sixteen shifts she needs to complete. She’s also teaching at Glow Fit fitness centre in the evenings. Dance helped her realize that she can help people in many different ways. Perhaps she’ll find a way to combine medicine and dancing one day.

Learning about dance is always interesting to me, but I needed to know more about life for women in Saudi, stereotypes surrounding it and what freedom means to her. Khadija told me that the biggest misconception about Saudi women is that they don’t have the freedom to do the things they want to do. “Women today are starting their own businesses. Another misconception is that women are mistreated and oppressed”, she shared. She’s right. I have to admit that I’ve always had that impression myself. Khadija said something so beautiful here that I had to go to a yoga retreat to get some clarity myself - “Freedom is a state of mind. If you’re not free on the inside, all the outer freedom couldn’t help. If you’re not comfortable with who you are and afraid to express emotions, thoughts and ideas – you’re not a free person”.

Growing up as the only female among her siblings, she felt no difference in their upbringing. In fact, her parents’ love marriage was nontraditional and a mixed race one at that. They met at a hospital where her father was a professor teaching and her mother was presenting her research. Her mother is her biggest supporter, affording her opportunities to be as independent as she is. She added that she has never felt stereotyped, though she often surprises people when she tells them where she’s from. “They don’t expect to see you there”, she said speaking of Amsterdam’s popular dance club, Paradiso. The social scene is a little different in Saudi, where similar to Pakistan, gatherings at friends and family homes is more common.

I couldn’t end the conversation without getting some travel tips from Khadija. Here’s what you absolutely have to do - Watch the sunrise and sunset at Edge of the World, eat traditional Saudi food like Kabsa, Jareesh and Markook and make sure to visit the Al Mamlaka and Al Faisaliah towers!

Bollywood Hungamming with Faridoon

My first Bollywood experience was Amitabh Bachchan's Mard. Funnily enough, a German family friend introduced me to Bollywood at the age of eight on a summer holiday in Munich. There was no turning back from here. Watching Bollywood movies is how I spent most of my weekends as a child, much to my mother's disapproval. Apparently, Bollywood doesn't count as an "extracurricular activity". I took a break from Bollywood when the pressures of hectic school curricula took over. This was the era of bad cinema with shabby dialogues and vulgar choreography. I wasn't missing out. Towards the end of my student days, I found myself in Bournemouth for a year and discovered that my local newsagent sold Bollywood VCDs (Note: these are not legit DVDs and yes, they're dodgy). Alone in cold and rainy Bournemouth with very few Asians, I ran right back into Bollywood's arms as if no time had passed, kind of like those chiffon sari clad actresses on the snowy Alps. It was just so comforting to have Bollywood in my life again. Hrithik Roshan had just exploded on the scene, dancing was awesome and movies were daring. Storytelling mattered. Bollywood had evolved.

I wanted to learn more about a journalist whose celebrity interviews I never miss. Faridoon Shahryar, Content Head of Broadband at Bollywood Hungama, is a popular name in Indian media entertainment. His 2000+ interviews of actors, directors, producers and musicians are hard to miss. With his signature cap and tee, Faridoon is well respected and loved by celebrities. You can easily see their fondness for him in interviews and press meets (note the interview with Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma below from 14:15, and on the green carpet with Ranveer Singh at IIFA 2016 in Madrid). The focus of my blog isn't on the stars Faridoon interviews but the journalist behind the interviews and the man behind the journalist. He is a celebrity in his own right, with over 60,000 Twitter followers to his credit. Read below some highlights from our conversation.

Your father wrote the lyrics for the original Umrao Jaan. What has his influence been on your creative endeavors?

We were friends and discussed anything and everything together. He was extremely frank with me and while he is no more, he left behind some great words of wisdom which have helped me along various junctures in life. His poetry is brilliant and as time passes he's becoming bigger and bigger. I have always been closer to my mom who is a great writer too and was an English professor. My interest in English Literature is credit to her.

What role has poetry played in Bollywood?

Poetry was an intrinsic part of film songs since the beginning of the talkie era. Majrooh Sultanpuri, Shailendra, Kaifi Azmi, Anand Bakshi, Sahir Ludhiyanvi, Gulzar and Javed Akhtar are all very fine poets. It was more intricate earlier. Today the emphasis is more on simple expressions.

Whose work do you appreciate in journalism? 

I am inspired by Ellen DeGeneres. From our own political journalists I admire Rajdeep Sardesai, Rana Ayyub and Barkha Dutt.

Bollywood is making great strides in Hollywood today. Where do you see Bollywood twenty years from now?

Bollywood has always made an impact in Hollywood in small measures. We still have a way to go. Irfan Khan is widely respected in Hollywood. It remains to be seen what the response to Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra's releases will be.

What's the biggest misconception about Bollywood around the world?

That it's all about gossip. I don't like the way entertainment journalism is treated frivolously. Many journalists and media houses are responsible for this perception too. I strongly believe in bringing infotainment (factual information) and entertainment through my interviews and voice on social media, but I also always try to do serious interviews on burning topics like intolerance, the recent Fawad Khan issue and when Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan were targeted last year. I want to be taken seriously as a journalist and respect is very important for me which goes hand in hand with credibility.
 

What distinguishes good content from great content?

There is too competition across news channels and the online space, so much so that it's pushing journalists to sensationalize non-facts. In the hunger to outdo each another, people are going to all extents to fabricate news breaking stories. There is too little focus on reporting facts and too much opinion. I am proud of my no holds barred interviews with directors Kabir Khan and Anuragh Kashyab. I'm fortunate to have had a free voice at Bollywood Hungama.

There is a certain innocence in your interviews which our generation lost somewhere between watching Western music videos on TV to taking Subha Hone Na De literally. Are you a bit of a closeted introvert?

You are right, I am innocent (jokes). Interviewing has helped me open up a lot. I was always outgoing but extremely shy. It all started when  my work at indiaglitz.com was noticed by Bollywood Hungama and this organically propelled me in front of the camera. When I have  a sporting celebrity who's prepared to talk, I can get a little cheeky. I don't want to be predictable at all. The surprise value is very, very important.  

Any chance we will get to read a celebrity biography from Faridoon?

I want to write a biography one day. Watch this space.

Your song covers have been appreciated by the stars. Are there any other hidden talents we haven’t discovered yet?

I enjoy swimming, meeting new people, traveling and writing poetry. 

What is a typical day in the life of Faridoon Shahryar?

I wake up early to drop my daughter to her school bus, prepare breakfast for my wife, read newspapers, go to the gym, swim, coordinate with the Bollywood Hungama team, hold interviews, spend time with my family in the evening and it's early to bed from there.

Is it challenging to have a successful marriage when every second Bollywood marriage is making headlines?

I realized I couldn't make decisions in this area without making a fool out of myself and left it to my mother.  She introduced me to my wife of fifteen years, Aarefa who was her student at Aligarh Muslim University. I knew she was the one when I met her. Within ten days of meeting each other, we were engaged and three months later, we were married. Right now, I'm a huge supporter of arranged marriages. They have a novelty value. Love marriages are mostly the filmi romance people imagine. My wife and daughter are my biggest supporters.

At this point in our interview, Faridoon quoted legendary Kumar Sanu's song, Jab Koi Baat Bigar Jaye. I listened intently. It's not every day that a girl has poetry recited to her. "Ho chandni jab tak raath deta hai har koi saath. Ho chandni jab tak raath deta hai har koi saath. Tum magar andheron me na chorna mera haath".

You can follow Faridoon on Twitter @iFaridoon or catch his latest interviews on Facebook @bollywoodhungamacom.