There is only one comedy series that could successfully combine punk rock rebellion with Pakistani education activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and come out on top. “We Are Lady Parts,” the irreverent British comedy about an all-girl Muslim punk rock band, continues to pit the sacred against the profane with a new season and songs like “Malala Made Me Do It.” “Nobel Prize at 17/The baddest bitch you've ever seen,” Lady Parts sings in her first cowpunk-themed song, proving once again that hijabs and rough sex are not mutually exclusive.
Created, written and directed by Nida Manzoor, the second season of the half-hour comedy (now available on Peacock) follows the journey of five Muslim women from very different backgrounds who unite under the banner of strident rebellion. They are unassuming microbiologist and lead guitarist Amina (Anjana Vasan), tattooed halal butcher and towering singer Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey), aspiring graphic novelist and bassist Bisma (Faith Omole), and perpetually angry Iraqi drummer Ayesha (Juliette Motamed). . Vaping niqabi Momtaz (Lucie Shorthouse) leads the gang.
It's hard to compete with the wildly unique hilarity of Season 1, when the fledgling band spoke their truth in original songs like “Bashir With the Good Beard,” “Voldemort Under My Headscarf,” and “Ain't No One Gonna Honor Kill My Sister.” But.” Me.” But Lady Parts does just that with its second series. Viewers catch up with the band after a rewarding UK tour in which they amassed a respectable following of “human bots, not Russians.” Now are set to record their first full-length album with legendary rock producer Dirty Mahmood But nothing comes easy for the band that plays and prays together In this edited conversation, Manzoor talks about the show, the band's struggle, catharsis and. the power of positive villainy.
Writer-director Nida Manzoor says it was fun to challenge Lady Parts, the show's central band, this season.
(Saima Khalid / WTTV Limited / Peacock / C4)
Season 1 of “We Are Lady Parts” was unlike anything else when it was released in 2021. It addressed Muslim taboos and poked fun at cColonial tropes about Islam within a series inspired by “Spinal Tap.” Since then it has racked up critical acclaim, multiple awards, and an avid fan base. How do you deliver a second act?
How can I top what we've already done? With season 1, we did the hard work of setting the tone, setting up the characters and their world, so [with Season 2] I have to delve deeper into these different characters. When I really started thinking about their stories, I got excited and the pressure was gone. I trusted myself more, I trusted my instincts. I also trusted my team and knew what my cast could do, so I could write for them. I wondered if doing a second season might feel like I was going backwards in my career, but it actually allowed me to level up because I was more confident.
The real Malala Yousafzai appears in Yesseason 2, in the Lady Parts video for “Malala Made Me Do It.” She sits on top of a horse and looks at the hero in a white cowboy hat. She is perfection. How did you get her to do the show?
I had heard Malala talk about her love of comedy and she had a very dark sense of humor. She is so resourceful. I thought, “This woman loves comedy, so maybe she has a chance.” I basically wrote her this letter asking her if she would be on the show. I was afraid to approach her because if she says no, I have to live with the fact that Malala said no. But she loves “Lady Parts.” She said something like, “It's epic and I could watch 100 more episodes of the show.” I asked him, “Do you want to sit on a horse?” She said yes, she would do it. she was so calm [on set] and so full of calm, that it makes everyone feel relaxed. It's like this woman is a queen.
Malala Yousafzai in a scene from “We Are Lady Parts.” “I was afraid to approach her because if she says no, I have to live with the fact that Malala said no. But she loves 'Lady Parts,'” says Nida Manzoor.
(Peacock / Parisa Taghizadeh / WTTV Limited / Peacock / C4)
This season there's a new female-driven Muslim group hot on the band's heels. Lady Parts doesn't feel all that threatened until they see the young trio's name: Second Wife. “Oh F-“They're good!” exclaims Ayesha. It's tremendously fun and, like so many moments in “lady pieces,” he uses biting humor to reveal an uncomfortable truth.
If you come from a minority, the industry can make you feel like there is only a place for one of you. In film and television, I don't go into the writers' room if the other South Asian writer [is hired]. I felt very lucky in my writers room. We were breaking away from that mentality and realizing that we can educate each other. We are a group of different origins, different points of view, different sexuality. Traditionally, we would apply for the same types of positions, but here we are together. we were exploring [that traditional dynamic] because it is real, it resonates. But it was also a lot of fun to challenge Lady Parts, to shake them up with this younger, more competent group. She wanted season 2 to seem mature. These are women who are between 20 and 30 years old. It's not a twenty-something, coming-of-age thing. She's a different kind of coming of age. I wanted to bring it to that.
Amina, Don McLean's lover people The most accommodating of the group, she is now in what she calls her “villain era.” She now does things on her own terms, her way. No more bending to the will of others.
I think I'm in my villain era. [laughs]. I did the program I want to do. With season 1, he was so plagued with self-doubt and anxiety about coming out to the world and its reaction. Now I'm freed and I'm not so worried about how people are going to respond.
Still Yesseason 1 of “We Are Lady Parts” still felt really bold and brave.
When I came up with the idea, I was really rejecting all the Muslim stereotypes that had been imposed on me, like “Can you write something about honor killings?” So I created something that was incorporated into my skills, which is comedy and music. And then I got into the different complexities and nuances of what it means to be a Muslim woman.
“With season 1, I was so plagued with self-doubt and anxiety about coming out to the world and its reaction. Now I have freed myself,” says Nida Manzoor.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
“Polite society,” The 2023 film you wrote and directed explores a similar theme of women fighting against cultural and social expectations. It's a comedy about a South Asian teenager who rebels against her sister's arranged marriage with some of the baddest martial arts moves ever performed in a sari.
It's part of my catharsis. [In a] In South Asian homes, we sometimes felt like there was a way…being in this “Do’s and Don’ts” box. How should I behave? There is a way of being emboldened that both punk music and the action of “Polite Society” gives me, which is [somehow] tied to our expectations about how we should look, how we should behave, how we should behave. There is a physicality, a kind of rage. It was really exciting to portray him.
You co-write the original songs. on the show with your brothers. Did you all perform together in the band at some point?
No but My dad is very musical. He bought me a guitar when he was 8 years old. Both of my brothers play music and write songs. My dad would organize these musical evenings at our house and we would play together. He played classical music, but he also loved American folk music from the '60s and '70s. My sister was much more grunge and punk. She was a true melting pot of music and styles. There was so much love for music. My brother is a composer and composed the score for “Polite Society.”
The show has now won a Peabody and a BAFTA for best comedy writing. givenGiven the popularity and subject matter, it's surprising that there hasn't been more reaction other than a small ripple surrounding the pilot episode.
When we say pushback, it was probably like 20 people. But when you're online, things are amplified. It was the first time I experienced that. He made me realize that I was still struggling with not wanting to upset the apple cart. I felt like I was being a bad girl. But she made me think: “Wait a second, who am I trying to please here?” The experience freed me because I realized I couldn't please everyone. There are so many different ways of being. We need more voices and points of view that show different ways of being Muslim. I can only speak my specific truth. We are not a monolith. I can't win with everyone, so I might as well win with myself.
