In a time of conflicting clamor, it is hard for those serving quietly to make their voices heard. Noor Naghmi, a Pakistani-American actor and producer, has attempted to give voice to medical doctors from his country of origin in his film “Angels Within.”
The film will be premiered in Fairfax, Virginia on Sunday, December 3 and has excited South Asian art followers in the Washington metro area.
The angels in Naghmi’s film are at the heart of American healthcare – spread across the American states. They may not have found much coverage in recent years due to the media’s focus on the sensational but they continue to do their work.
And because of their dedicated and highly professional work they “ live in the hearts and soul of the ones who call them “angels.” The people who call them angels are mostly in remote states, villages and rural towns.
The stories of success achieved by Pakistani-Americans doctors are well known but have not been told in the form of a production like Angels Within, which has also been accepted into Oscar competition in the documentary film category.
As immigrants from a Muslim majority country, the collective and individual stories of brilliance of these doctors form a perfect subject matter for a movie under the current divisive political climate and the society’s struggle to understand “the other.”
But Naghmi does not believe in having a commercial objective only.
“I live in the society. I am affected by its currents. So I feel that I should produce something that may project the great things that immigrants and people from Pakistan do. It is about all of us,” Naghmi says.
Apart from the topical importance of the subject, Naghmi’s own standing as an actor as well as appearance of artists from the mainstream and diverse communities has generated a lot of interest among people of Washington metro area.
Among the celebrities attending the premier will be Reema Khan, a famous Pakistani actress, who now lives in Virginia with her husband, Dr. Tariq Shahab, a known cardiologist.
Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Aizaz Chaudhry will also witness the premiere on Sunday, reflecting the importance the country attaches to the role the Pakistani-Americans play in building bridges between the two countries.
“We have tried to engage a lot of people in the film, and I am really happy that a lot of people from diverse communities have shown an encouraging response to our endeavor,” says Naghmi, anticipating an enthusiastic reception on Sunday.
