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    Short Film Review: May I Have This Seat

    Written by: Ayesha Amir
    Posted on: September 06, 2023 | | 中文

    Aqeel Nasir Khan as Masood and Rasti Farooq as Sonia in 'May I Have This Seat'

    May I Have This Seat is a short film written and directed by Tabish Habib, a talented filmmaker hailing from Lahore, Pakistan. One may know him from the crew of Pakistan’s highly celebrated film, Joyland, where he was one of the Associate Producers and the Script Supervisor.

    Habib’s road to filmmaking success begins from a short film he made for his graduate thesis, May I Have This Seat, starring Rasti Farooq as Sonia and Aqeel Nasir Khan as Masood. This short film was acclaimed in various prestigious film festivals, such as the Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival, Chicago South Asian Film Festival, Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Chicago South Asian Film Festival and many more.

    Tabish Habib, the director and writer of the film

    Despite being 10-minutes long, the narrative of this short film is laced with enough symbolism to leave the audience with numerous interpretations. It is colour graded to look as if smog haunts not only Lahore, but the characters and the story as well, for it serves as a somber backdrop to a similarly sad story.

    The film opens to show a young pregnant woman eyeing the road for potential commute. A rikshaw stops for her, but the driver’s depraved gaze causes Sonia to ignore him, after which, she boards a Speed-O bus, and the story begins. As is the dilemma of women in public spaces, Sonia too is not saved from the scrutiny of prying male eyes as she struggles to stand shoulder to shoulder with people in the bus. The camera deliberately shows all men inside the bus, standing or sitting, looking at Sonia with curious expressions and cheeky intentions. As Sonia’s attention lands on a man sitting with a young boy, she seizes on the opportunity to ask to be seated next to that child, saving her the embarrassment of having to stand uncomfortably with men.

    Rasti Farooq as Sonia and Aqeel Nasir Khan as Masood in the film

    Sonia walks up to Masood, where her simple question, “kya mai ye seat le sakti hun?” (may I have this seat?), triggers a series of heated exchanges in the film. This is because the man refuses his seat, and a momentary turbulence of the bus causes Sonia to tumble on to Masood, who instinctively “saves” her. Sonia lashes out against Masood and accuses him of groping her. While everyone else in the bus finds the exchange entertaining and proceed to record the commotion, Sonia too pulls out her phone to shame Masood for his alleged groping, implying the power of social media in this scene.

    Aqeel Nasir as Masood

    A shift in the tone of the story occurs when Sonia is suddenly escorted by her college acquaintance Ameera to the ladies’ section, and is momentarily saved. A significant point to note here is why Ameera is referred to as an acquaintance and not a friend, because her quips and remarks to Sonia make the audience aware that Ameera regards Sonia as “bold” and “attention-seeking”.

    Sonia and Ameera in the film

    Habib’s choice to set the film in a bus can be deemed as a clever one, because it encapsulates in its tiny space the milieu of Pakistan’s general societal norms. The predicament of women travelling alone, the perverse male gazes, or the supposed modesty claims of “sharif” men not wanting to do anything with “troublesome” women like Sonia, the obsession of youth to record everything on their phones, as well as people’s perception of gender and sexuality.

    The latter part is most visible when Ameera asks where Sonia’s husband is. Upon finding out that she doesn’t have one, Ameera’s apparent discomfort further shows her hidden dislike for Sonia. In addition to that, one could simply not ignore the fact that Ameera finds it better that Sonia was having a baby boy, a long running conundrum in our society of preferring boys are girls. The news of a baby boy is one for rejoicing while the birth of a baby girl remains a sore point in families.

    Habib’s subtle insinuation at having made his female lead a single unmarried mother was a brave move, but an important one to show how such women are perceived in our society. He further uses the phone and social media as a backdrop of the narrative, a source of conflict and resolution, both at the same time. This is shown when Masood decides to politely ask Sonia to delete his video, but does not apologize, furthering the tensions between the two characters.

    At many instances in the film, the hostile exchange between Sonia and Masood becomes a debating point for the audience, leaving them to ask: which of the two protagonists is in the wrong, Sonia or Masood? The nuanced portrayal of the two leads makes the film realistic. Both the characters seem to realize this about each other at many instances too, for when Masood fights off the men who keep recording Sonia, we see Sonia calm down somewhat. The best part of the story, however, remains when Sonia’s water breaks and Masood, terrified and shocked, moves to cover Sonia’s view of the people with a green cloth.

    Aqeel Nasir as Masood and his son, Shani, in the film

    Habib’s storytelling skills are most visible in this powerful scene, where it goes into slow motion. We only realize that something has gone wrong through Masood’s lens. The sad reality of all the men in the bus jumping to record Sonia in her vulnerable state, the women scurrying to help her, are a bittersweet reminder of what it is like being a woman in a public place in Pakistan. May I Have This Seat is an outstanding short film that delivers a strong message in just ten minutes!


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021









    Video message by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Black Day of Indian Occupation of Kashmir



    Video message by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Black Day of Indian Occupation of Kashmir, 27 October 1947, when Indian military troops forcibly occupied Kashmir illegally, claiming a fraudulent ‘Instrument of Accession’ which never existed as documented by eminent British historian Alastair Lamb! Kashmir & Palestine are examples of illegal occupation & continued Resistance to Repression! There are so many commonalities in Kashmir & Palestine: both under brutal military occupation of foreign powers, both are facing an indigenous, popular, spontaneous & widespread Resistance & Uprising, both are in violation of UN Resolutions which haven’t been implemented, both are witnessing an attempted change in the demographic balance, both are facing the use of rape as a weapon of war, both are testimony to double-standards & hypocrisy of Western powers on human rights & fundamental rights, and both conflicts have an element of racism and Islamophobia, while enduring peace, security and stability will remain elusive in both regions, South Asia & Middle East, until these issues are resolved in accordance with popular aspirations.