• Hand-painted poster with three women in traditional outfits, one charming a snake, titled 'Show Girls of Pakistan'.
  • Colorful painted poster featuring Pakistani showgirls, dancers, a performer with a snake, and audience silhouettes, highlighting Khajistan's archival art.
  • Two performers on a theater stage in Pakistan with an applauding audience, KHAJISTAN™ archival scene
  • Woman with lip piercing in a salon, pink-themed decor, Khajistan archiving project
  • Woman in traditional attire sitting on a patterned rug, tying ghungroo ankle bells in a room, Khajistan archive
  • Pakistani showgirl in traditional maroon costume performing a flexible dance on red carpet

    Showgirls of Pakistan (2021)

    Enter the universe of three Mujra dancers in Pakistan as they dodge state censors and violence in their pursuit of stardom. Intimate verité, phone calls, social media streams and home videos offer a never-before-seen look into the underbelly of the Punjabi theater industry and the women who fight to play by their own rules.

    Genre: Documentary
    Original language: Urdu and Punjabi with English subtitles
    Director: Saad Khan
    Producers: Saad Khan for SAVTA, Anam Abbas for Other Memory Media
    Writer: Saad Khan
    Art Director: Joey Chriqui
    Release date: January 31, 2021
    Runtime: 1 hour 46 minutes
    Streamer: Vice Media (2021–2026)
    Distributor: Khajistan Releasing


    Showgirls of Pakistan follows three mujra dancers as they navigate censorship, predatory management, and social stigma in their pursuit of survival and stardom. Blending the performers’ own social-media footage with intimate vérité and archival material, the film traces their personal journeys alongside the broader history of Pakistan’s performing-arts culture.The film premiered at IDFA,where it was praised for its vibrant, character-driven storytelling and its unfiltered look at the pressures faced by women working in Pakistan’s mujra industry. It was released online as the headline film for The Shortlist by Suroosh Alvi on VICE.

    The New York Review of Books writes, “Showgirls of Pakistan embodies this idea, rendering its subjects on their own terms rather than through the state’s gaze or society’s moral anxieties.”Film Inquiry calls it “a fascinating exposé of a subculture between two worlds,” capturing lives “neither fully hidden nor fully accepted.”

    Khajistan presents Showgirls of Pakistan as part of its mission to preserve marginalized and endangered cultural histories from the region.

     

    Themes: Mujra performance culture, Gendered labor and survival, Censorship and policing of sexuality, Class and underground economies, Visibility vs. erasure, Women’s autonomy and performance traditions

     

    Content Advisory: Contains real accounts of harassment, exploitation, and gender-based stigma within a hostile environment. Includes discussions of sexuality, violence, and survival that may be challenging for some viewers.

    Note: Email info@khajistan.com for acquisitions and licensing.

    MANIFESTO——

    Our Publications

    • American War Propaganda Leaflets (1990 - 2022)
      American War Propaganda Leaflets (1990 - 2022)
    • Smut of The Middle World Vol. 1: Pakistan
      Smut of The Middle World Vol. 1: Pakistan
      $95.00
    • Kharabat Vol. 1
      Kharabat Vol. 1
      $95.00
    • There Are No Homosexuals in Iran
      There Are No Homosexuals in Iran
      $10.00
    • Lollywood Lobby Cards Vol. 1
      Lollywood Lobby Cards Vol. 1
    • Lollywood Lobby Cards Vol. 2
      Lollywood Lobby Cards Vol. 2

    Exhibition Catalog

    View all

    Madrassa

    1. Read more: Archive Forensics: Eastern Film (October 1971)
      Archive Forensics: Eastern Film (October 1971)

      Archive Forensics: Eastern Film (October 1971)

      A close reading of Eastern Film’s October 1971 issue, showing Pakistan’s film industry before Bangladesh through studio reports, censorship, star profiles, advertisements, reader letters, and release blockages.

      Read more
    2. Read more: Khajistan’s Office of War Information in The Guardian
      Khajistan’s Office of War Information in The Guardian

      Khajistan’s Office of War Information in The Guardian

      The Guardian recently published a piece on Khajistan’s exhibition Office of War Information (O.W.I.), now on view at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn. The...
      Read more
    3. Read more: Khajistan Office of War Information (O.W.I.) Exhibition Guide
      Khajistan Office of War Information (O.W.I.) Exhibition Guide

      Khajistan Office of War Information (O.W.I.) Exhibition Guide

      Exhibition Guide  Exhibition Catalog   When: May 8 – August 9, 2026 Wed–Sun, 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM159 Pioneer Street, Brooklyn, NY...
      Read more
    MANIFESTO—