From bedtime stories to superheroes: Haroon Rashid tells about the birth of Burka Avenger

Aaron Haroon Rashid is a musician, filmmaker and the Peabody award-winning creator of one of Pakistan’s first cartoon superheroes, Burka Avenger.

Dawn caught up with him at the recent launch of merchandise from the critically acclaimed cartoon series and asked him about his creative process.

Dawn: What inspired you to create the Burka Avenger character?

Haroon: I started directing my own music videos a few years ago and became interested in direction for film and TV. Exploring possible themes and plots, it was important to me that whatever I produced should have a deeper message and not just pure entertainment.

In 2010, I read about girls’ schools being shut down and bombed by extremists and that made me very angry. This got me thinking about a schoolteacher, who would stand up to these bad men and fight back.

Even as a musician, many of my songs touch on social issues, such as corruption and interfaith harmony. Living in Pakistan, many of these issues are staring you right in the face, and as an artist you are inspired to write about what is happening around you.

Dawn: Can you describe the process that brought that imaginary schoolteacher to life as a cartoon superhero?

Haroon: When I was young, I shared a room with my two younger brothers and I would tell them fantastical bedtime stories which I made up myself, every night before we fell asleep. I think that was the beginning. In high school, both my English teachers told me that I was a talented writer and storyteller and that I should consider writing as a profession.

But I thought to myself, “Nah I’m going to be a rockstar!” So it is funny that I have come full circle now.

Twenty years of dreaming up ideas for music videos, lyrics and themes for songs and melodies was also great training to create something like Burka Avenger.

Song writing and music video production is also like storytelling and you have to be really concise when you are working within the constraints of a four minute song.

I brought the same sensibility to this and when I sat down to write the plot for Burka Avenger, everything flowed easily.

Dawn: Why merchandise and why now?

Haroon: After the launch of the very first Burka Avenger episode, people have been asking us when they could get souvenirs or action figures.

We had a few hundred T-shirts made which we gave away for free, but after the successful launch of season two, we received dozens of emails from parents requesting Burka Avenger action figures and paraphernalia for their kids.

We wanted to give something back to the fans so that they could have a souvenir from the show. So for every Burka Avenger action figure we sell, around $1 is donated to The Citizens Foundation to help educate the children of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2015

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