Thriller featuring British Asians set to release soon

A new independent movie depicting the lives of British Asians is set to hit the screen. The director and writer of the film revealed that she worked on the project with the intention to address and dismiss familiar stereotypes about the Asian community.

Titled ‘Tell Me About It’, the thriller was created by producer and writer Suman Hanif and stars Asad Shan, Ariya Larker and BBC Radio Leeds presenter Ahmed Sher Zaman. Most of the cast and crew are from the North of England, including Leeds, Birmingham and Bradford.

The story revolves around two British Pakistani teenagers, Amara and Halima, who decide to go on a fun adventure from Bradford to London, but things don’t go as planned. Amara, is mistaken for Halima, the daughter of an influential politician planning to crack down on drug crimes in the city.

Hanif, is an acclaimed and multiple award winning writer, producer and the founder of the female-led production company – Pageful Productions, which produces content in the North of England.

Speaking on the film, she said, “The story follows a ‘brown girl’ who gets kidnapped in a mistaken identity of another ‘brown girl’ who is the daughter of an MP whose plans of tackling drug crime didn’t go well with the top goon in town.

“In a time of heightened discrimination, and systematic and political exclusion of people without a ‘mainstream’ profile, it is pivotal to tell stories like this.

“There is nothing worst then feeling invisible and Tell Me About It is a film for the invisible audience, anyone experiencing an identity crisis or who would ‘prefer not to say’ when asked about themselves. We have talked about collective diversity, what we really need right now is a conversation about embracing the diversity of individuals.”

Hanif went on to add, “In this film we see a Muslim family and community, who are often misrepresented and seen as extreme characters.

“Their religion is usually what defines them. But we of course know that people are not one dimensional. We all have a lot more to our identity than our faith.

“Tell Me About It looks to humanise the British Muslim community, we want viewers to connect with the characters and to understand on a deeper level the important things they have to say.

“It’s been so long since our screens were graced with something like East is East and Bend it like Beckham that was appreciated by audiences for finding humour and hope within the serious social issues explored such of the theme’s race, immigration, and identity. “Likewise, with the love and support, TMAI has potential to reach its audiences and contribute greatly to the British Asian genre and admired for its interesting spin on prevalent social issues.”