Pakistani-American Movie ‘Angels Within’ Makes Impressive Debut in Hollywood
Los Angeles, CA: A Hollywood premier of Noor Naghmi’s film, “Angels Within”, was organized by the Friends of Pakistan Link (FOPL) at the AMC Movie Theater in Hollywood.
The focus of Noor Naghmi’s film, “Angels Within”, is the large community of Pakistani-American doctors who spend their lives providing healthcare to fellow Americans with selfless dedication in the remote towns across the USA – places which do not offer lucrative returns and hence are not a major attraction for many other Americans in the medical field.
This glitzy movie premiere was well attended by Lollywood, Bollywood and Hollywood celebrities and prominent members of the Pakistani-American community.
The special guest at this event was the world-renowned actress, director, and producer who has acted in more than 200 Pakistani films - Reema Khan.
Chief guest and keynote speaker was Dr Shehla Memon who is an Oncologist. Her husband, Honorable Abdul Jabbar Memon, is the Consul General of Pakistan in Los Angeles, who was not able to attend the event due to illness. Wife of the Deputy Consul General of Pakistan, Mr Shoaib Sarwar, was also present on the occasion.
The guests were welcomed to the red-carpet event prior to the screening of the movie. Hors d'oeuvres and soft drinks were served by the wait staff throughout the event. Guests were enchanted with the celebrities present at the red-carpet and waited in long lines to get their picture taken with Reema Khan and other celebrities that included, in addition to the cast of the movie, the famous Indian actress and model Pooja Batra, famous singer Danyal Zafar, who is the younger brother of the pop icon of Indo-Pak Ali Zaffar and others.
After the red-carpet, emcee of the event Rohida Khan invited Jawaid Butt for recitation of the Holy Qur’an. Rohida Khan then welcomed the guests and talked about the purpose of the event and the organizer of the event, viz., the Friends of Pakistan Link (FOPL), which is a group of the supporters and friends of the Pakistani-American media, and more specifically, PL Publications, the publisher of Pakistan Link and Urdu Link, and the producer of the Mansuri Show on ARY Digital TV Network.
Los Angeles City Commissioner Amna Qazi, President of Dow Graduates Association of North America (DOGANA) Dr Aamir Jamal, Founder and Chairman of the Friends of Pakistan Link Arif Mansuri, Guest of Honor Reema Khan and the keynote speaker and Chief Guest Dr Shehla Memon also spoke on the occasion. Dr Aamir Jamal also presented Reema Khan and Arif Mansuri recognition awards from Dogana.
It was then followed by the showing of the film, “Angels Within”.
The film features interviews with Muslim-American physicians from across the US. The movie focuses on a generation of doctors that arrived from Pakistan in the 1990s and early 2000s and carved out careers in underserved regions.
Pakistani-American doctors receive tremendous appreciation and acceptance from the communities they work in. This film includes testimonials from patients and civic leaders in support of these doctors.
‘Angels Within’ has been directed by Noor Naghmi and its script has been written by Anjum Ara Saad. The cast includes Reema Khan, Noor Naghmi, Cynthia Ritchie, Connie Lamothe, Joseph Durbin, Sandy Belfort and Brian St. August. Umar John directed the photography and editing. Noor Naghmi plays the part of a Virginia surgeon who is victimized in a humiliating case of profiling and overreach by a local airport security officer.
The theme of the film seeks to dispel the myths that lead to stereotyping and generalization of all Muslims as extremists or terrorists. The message of tolerance and creating goodwill in the communities can help address harmful generalizations regarding diverse communities such as American Muslims, who are contributing to America’s progress in so many areas of national life.
The film was enjoyed by all and received great reviews from the viewers.
A lively panel discussion then ensued. It was moderated by Naushaba Butt, and included Noor Naghmi, Reema Khan, Umar John, and Brian St. August.
The audience greatly appreciated the work of Noor Naghmi and the message of the film which is interracial harmony and tolerance. Reema Khan won the hearts of the audience with her speech and her comments during the course of the panel discussion. She explained that her reason to support the movie and to come to Los Angeles to promote it is due to the message of this movie. She is quite well-known in the community for her philanthropic and charitable work and for supporting humanitarian causes. She has supported many causes such as the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital (founded by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan) which she joined in its infancy and has been with it since and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, etc.
Pictures by Sanober Khan, Anwar Khawaja, Eddie Fan, Getty Images
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