Re: Bloody Nasreen - comic character
Shahan Zaidi is, in his own words: “a self taught artist”. Though he may be better known for his work on the much acclaimed “Burka Avenger”, Shahan’s new character “Bloody Nasreen” may be just what comic book enthusiasts in Pakistan were waiting for. But who is Shahan and what does he have to offer the fledgling comic book culture in Pakistan? Read this exclusive interview to find out more.
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](http://www.ideasevolved.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/10477909_10152651318639880_181071764949105973_n.jpg) Ideas Evolved (iE): So who exactly is Shahan Zaidi? How would you go on to describe yourself?**
** Shahan Zaidi (SZ):** I am a professional artist, working not only as a concept artist in the field, but also as a painter in my free time. My work is being displayed in galleries as well as on online forums. Moreover, I have made many characters and worked with almost all of the top post-production houses of Pakistan. I have a long work history but in short: I am a painter, art director, character designer, storyboard artist, concept artist, poet, writer, creative designer, theater activist, pencil-er, colorist and an ink-er.
** iE: How was the idea behind the trending ‘Bloody Nasreen’ conceived?**
** SZ:** Bloody Nasreen was conceived after seeing the bad law and order situation in Karachi, the major and biggest city of Pakistan. My friends and I had always discussed a ‘hero’ who would not quite be a figure of justice, but instead a cruel and ruthless ‘anti-hero’ who fights with the corrupt and all sorts of bad guys. So I thought ‘Why can’t it be a girl?’, and then ‘Why not a simple girl with the most common name?” So, there she was.
**iE: Can you tell us a bit more about her character? Who is this gun/sword wielding warrior of a woman, Nasreen? **
SZ: Nasreen is an average college going girl, who becomes what she is after a series of incidents. She is the ugliest form of justice one can face within the most beautiful package.
**iE: Your graphic novel is to be published in October, and there is talk of a feature film to be released in 2016. How did that come about? And how does it feel to have accomplished so much so early on in the process? **
SZ: I shared the story with a couple of people who were somehow related to the film industry. They found the story quite compelling and they thought the movie would be fantastic so I agreed to it. About the graphic novel, I am really trying hard to get it published till October.
](http://www.ideasevolved.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/10498287_10152651313459880_2864716302279008247_o.jpg)iE: The Burqa Avenger features a woman entirely cloaked in black, while Bloody Nasreen is quite the contrast. How well do you think this would be received by the people? Would conservatives deter you from what you have planned for Nasreen?
SZ: Burka Avenger is quite interesting. But, it is for children while Nasreen is for a mature audience. She is not cute and neither is she created to send any moral messages- she’s hardcore. I don’t understand why people even compare these two characters. Burka Avenger’s Jia is a cute children’s hero. I worked on Burka Avenger and Nasreen was born way before that. Also, there is no comparison at all between the two since they belong to different genres. Moreover, who cares about what the conservatives think?
iE: And what would you say first drove you to become a graphics artist?
SZ: I am a self-taught artist. Everything drove me to become an artist; nature movies, comics, people, surroundings, etc.
iE: Some of your artwork posted online features artwork inspired by existing comic book characters. So you must have a favorite superhero, comic, or a superhero movie?
**SZ: I don’t have any favorite superhero. Batman is not a superhero as well. I like mature content and Bloody Nasreen is not for audiences under eighteen! My favorite comic character is John Constantine from Hellblazer.
iE: Do you believe that comic books/ graphic novels are a better medium of storytelling over textbooks and novels?
SZ: There is no better medium. It’s like saying ‘I like Cappuccino while you like Mocha.’ Fine. Both are equally great.
iE: What steps do you think are necessary to promote the comic-book culture in Pakistan?
SZ: Make comics first, of course! Consider it as a field; promote it through magazines and newspapers, as well as social media, which is a great resource these days. But for all that, we have to MAKE comic books first, and comic strips of all sorts. Then we have to have the publishers willing to publish them. And for that we need producers and financiers, to finance these sorts of things. It not only takes time to make comics, but requires considerable efforts and high-level skills as well (in both writing and drawing etc.)
iE: Given the chance to press rewind and pick a different career, what do you see yourself as?
SZ: A movie maker, perhaps? But then again, I will be a movie maker in future. So yeah, I don’t regret, nor do I look back, on my decision. Moving forward is the key to be happy in life.
iE: Any message that you would wish to impart to those reading this, keeping your achievements and subsequently your favourite comic book issues in mind?
SZ: Well… I’m not sure if I am the right person to send any positive message to the world. BUT, of course, there can be no better message than this one: *“Keep the world a safe place where your generations can live together happily. Try to make ‘peace’ a reality because violence is only for fictions, like movies and comics.”
*Meet Shahan Zaidi: The Man Behind “Bloody Nasreen”
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har poster ka hal-e-dil…
