Directed by Saim Sadiq and written by Sadiq and Maggie Briggs, ‘Joyland’ initially centers around Haider’s journey to find a job and confront his family matriarch. During this process, however, Haider begins to question his sexuality when he meets Viva, a transgender woman who runs her own erotic dance group. All but three of them have Haider’s brother Saleem and sister-in-law Nucci, who eventually conceive a boy. And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s the father of Haider and Saleem. He’s desperate to apply 18th-century logic to his 21st-century children while dealing with mixed feelings for his next-door neighbor, Fayaz. Now let’s talk about these characters and understand the importance of each arc.
Main spoilers
Hider
Hyder is a product of a patriarchal society. He inadvertently subverts gender norms by taking on roles traditionally held by women, such as caring for children and doing household chores. However, the misogyny that has been perpetuated by his family and those around Haider compels him to view Mumtaz’s ability to bring money into his family as something bad. Hyder’s attempts to become “one of the men” make him an employee of Viva. But it also opens up his horizons in terms of understanding his physical impulses and what he wants out of a romantic relationship. can be defeated, but at a high cost. Since this is all new to him, he is not concerned with Viva’s needs. to assign. Of course, it overwhelms Haider, causing him to sink under the pressure of being a good wife and mother while having his own personal and professional needs. I miss Mumtaz.
Mumtaz
Mumtaz’s character arc clearly shows the impact of having progressive aspirations in a regressive home as well as a regressive society. She has been accused of getting a job after her marriage.She has been accused of not having children.She has been accused of being a “family man” in nature, but is sexually is “wife”. Mumtaz succumbs to the patriarchy because Haider is not aggressive. And because that proverbial hole made of misogyny is essentially endless, she continues to sink until she is literally out of this world. Incorrect. Hyder is responsible for her death because he is the one who assured her that her freedom would not be affected by marriage. “I forced my wife to perform the ritual and didn’t even realize the mental strain she was under. Nucchi, despite being a woman, did not empathize with her plight and continued to inflict unhealthy doses of routinely internalized misogyny on her. So, without taking anything away from what Mumtaz faces during the course of ‘Joyland’, she is a South Korean who is trying to enter a patriarchal household with dreams of excelling at work. It serves as a cautionary tale for all women in Asia.
Viva
Viva is the quintessential rag-to-rich star. But the upward struggle is quadrupled by the fact that she is a trans woman. It’s really insane to do the same thing with a transgender woman who has to perform for a spot. Still, she doesn’t let anything get in her way. Yes, Viva falls in love with Hyder. But as soon as she realizes that maintaining a relationship with someone who doesn’t know what he wants is detrimental to her professional progress, she releases him and takes care of her job. But she doesn’t do it heartlessly right away. Despite facing criticism from transphobic people and taking on job responsibilities, she does her best to educate Haider. Viva accepts his professional idea so that they can work together on stage as well. It is only when she realizes that Haider has no choice that she decides to break off their relationship. has nothing against him.
Nucci
Nucchi personifies internalized misogyny. She’s a baby-making machine. She trained her mind to love her household chores. She knows she has no cravings of her own and she has to deal with her husband Saleem.She has a shadow of what was buried beneath her. It’s implied by the desperate look on her face when she finds out she’s given birth to yet another baby girl, and the look on her face when she talks about her desire to become an interior designer. I don’t put it forward because I want to be like myself. I think viewers remember her blowing up at the end of “Joyland,” but it’s too late. The damage has already been done. Someone she could have freed from her patriarchal shackles is dead and there is no point crying about it. Yes, we can certainly expect that explosion to quell any attempt to impose traditionalism on her four daughters. (a victim of misogyny) can be fully expected to digest and carry on. We should learn to speak up about long-term norms and never participate in internalized misogyny.
Saleem
He’s literally made of it, so it’s safe to say that Saleem embodies toxic masculinity. He doesn’t love Hyder. He has no respect for Mumtaz. Nutchi thinks he’s the one who can give him a boy. He treats his father like a forced responsibility. Because if he cares about him, he’ll actually help with everything instead of focusing on vague tasks and leaving Hyder to do all the heavy lifting. I don’t think he really cares about his children. Haider is more of a father figure to them than Saleem (which is why it’s possible he hates his Haider, too). He has a constant scowl on his face, as if he’s disappointed in his life for not having enough misogyny, but in reality he’s angry at himself for being a hateful person. It may be. He understands the growing divide between his Mumtaz and Haider, but takes the most pathetic ways to deal with it. Despite his overt display of masculinity, he utters few words when he needs to stand up for his father and Fayaz. Because Fayaz’s son is not as obedient as the other members of the family. When Nucci confronts him, we see him do the same. It emphasizes the fact that people are nothing but cowards who are afraid of people who are ugly.
Father and Fayaz
Father and Fayaz are clearly from a bygone era. But South Asian households are so slow both in embracing new social reforms and in educating the elderly that they hit a sore spot. But based on my conversations with my son, I can infer that it’s mostly ignored because it’s not very useful at this age. Her son thinks getting a Netflix subscription is enough. He doesn’t think Fayyaz needs “trifles” like companionship. Haider and Saleem’s father is a completely different story. Yes, he’s probably around the same age as Fayaz. However, because he is a sishet man, he still has the right to perpetuate misogyny throughout his family. That said, when he has no one but Fayaz to look after him, he realizes that he could have a better life if they lived together. They understand that they don’t have to wither on their own while beating someone younger than them. face the consequences of perpetuating over time.
Final Thoughts on the ‘Joyland’ Characters
“Joyland” is a tragic story, and as such the characters have their own tragic arcs. But the main difference between Haider, Mumtaz, Nucchi, Saleem, Father, Fayyaz, and Biba is that the latter story is kind of inspirational, while the rest walk around and tell cautionary tales. is that The odds are completely stacked against Viva, but she’s the one who’s finally on the right track to achieving her goals. is at your disposal, you end up in a worse situation than you started with. And it shows how influential social conditioning can be, and what it takes to learn it if you actually have the urge to move forward. It epitomizes the great work of Sadiq and Maggie Briggs. ‘Joyland’ has already been celebrated all over the world and finally lands in India. This has become one of my favorite girlfriends and I highly recommend watching it.
