Son of a Bug
(work-in-progress), 2022 (documentary) Director, Co-producer, Cinematographer & Editor
Son of a Bug explores the history of the Bugs, the first Pakistani rock band, and contested spaces of culture and identity, particularly what it means to be Muslim and Pakistani American, as revealed through the Bugs’ journey from rock stars in Pakistan to struggling musicians and working-class immigrants in North America.
The documentary invites the viewer to journey with drummer- turned-Texan Jimmy and his son Tabby as they search for the lost history of early Pakistani rock music. The Bugs were at the center of a raucous interfaith rock subculture in 1960s Pakistan, but rivalries and the passions of youth split the band apart while the policies of General Zia-ul-Haq forced many rock musicians into exile.
In North America, the former members of the Bugs struggled to make a living by working various odd jobs as convenience store cashiers, janitors, and waiters. They held onto their musical dreams, but found that nobody was ready for a Pakistani rock band. Reliving their youthful glory and musical trailblazing, how will the Bugs reconcile the promise of their youth and bygone rock stardom with the reality of their lives as immigrants in North America?
Son of a Bug explores the history of the Bugs, the first Pakistani rock band, and contested spaces of culture and identity, particularly what it means to be Muslim and Pakistani American, as revealed through the Bugs’ journey from rock stars in Pakistan to struggling musicians and working-class immigrants in North America.
The documentary invites the viewer to journey with drummer- turned-Texan Jimmy and his son Tabby as they search for the lost history of early Pakistani rock music. The Bugs were at the center of a raucous interfaith rock subculture in 1960s Pakistan, but rivalries and the passions of youth split the band apart while the policies of General Zia-ul-Haq forced many rock musicians into exile.
In North America, the former members of the Bugs struggled to make a living by working various odd jobs as convenience store cashiers, janitors, and waiters. They held onto their musical dreams, but found that nobody was ready for a Pakistani rock band. Reliving their youthful glory and musical trailblazing, how will the Bugs reconcile the promise of their youth and bygone rock stardom with the reality of their lives as immigrants in North America?