Masochistic Performance of Scheherazade: A Multimodal Analysis of Prince Charming

This study attempts to highlight the embedded masochist aesthetics supporting the masochistic patterns in a Pakistani short film Prince Charming (2021), directed by Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui, a Pakistani actor, film producer, director and television host. The focus remains on female protagonist, S...

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Main Authors: Attiya Zafar, Nadia Anwar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Pittsburgh 2024-12-01
Series:CINEJ Cinema Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://cinej.pitt.edu/ojs/cinej/article/view/646
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author Attiya Zafar
Nadia Anwar
author_facet Attiya Zafar
Nadia Anwar
author_sort Attiya Zafar
collection DOAJ
description This study attempts to highlight the embedded masochist aesthetics supporting the masochistic patterns in a Pakistani short film Prince Charming (2021), directed by Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui, a Pakistani actor, film producer, director and television host. The focus remains on female protagonist, Scheherazade’s performative masochistic proclivities in an unsatisfactory marital relationship. This research takes Freud’s notion of repetitive compulsion as its referential point that triggers masochism and identifies Scheherazade’s urges and desires. Though masochism is about gaining the pleasure while bearing the pain, in the case of the film the pain is self-inflicted in the form of silence, inexpressibility, self-talks and romantic void between Scheherazade and her husband Akbar. This research offers a stand point to comprehend the subliminal threads of visual masochism which are apparently hidden in the film but are the prospective hooks to elaborate the psychological suffering of the character. The research propagates the idea that masochist aesthetics are nevertheless the stepping stone for pointing out the masochist self of Scheherazade, well exhibited through her performance.
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spelling doaj-art-291f267c826a4ddfa0c61ff00ea9d1db2024-12-03T21:39:03ZengUniversity of PittsburghCINEJ Cinema Journal2158-87242024-12-0112210.5195/cinej.2024.646Masochistic Performance of Scheherazade: A Multimodal Analysis of Prince Charming Attiya Zafar0Nadia Anwar1University of Management and Technology, Lahore, PakistanUniversity of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan This study attempts to highlight the embedded masochist aesthetics supporting the masochistic patterns in a Pakistani short film Prince Charming (2021), directed by Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui, a Pakistani actor, film producer, director and television host. The focus remains on female protagonist, Scheherazade’s performative masochistic proclivities in an unsatisfactory marital relationship. This research takes Freud’s notion of repetitive compulsion as its referential point that triggers masochism and identifies Scheherazade’s urges and desires. Though masochism is about gaining the pleasure while bearing the pain, in the case of the film the pain is self-inflicted in the form of silence, inexpressibility, self-talks and romantic void between Scheherazade and her husband Akbar. This research offers a stand point to comprehend the subliminal threads of visual masochism which are apparently hidden in the film but are the prospective hooks to elaborate the psychological suffering of the character. The research propagates the idea that masochist aesthetics are nevertheless the stepping stone for pointing out the masochist self of Scheherazade, well exhibited through her performance. http://cinej.pitt.edu/ojs/cinej/article/view/646aestheticsdelusionmasochismpleasurerepetitive compulsionScheherazade
spellingShingle Attiya Zafar
Nadia Anwar
Masochistic Performance of Scheherazade: A Multimodal Analysis of Prince Charming
CINEJ Cinema Journal
aesthetics
delusion
masochism
pleasure
repetitive compulsion
Scheherazade
title Masochistic Performance of Scheherazade: A Multimodal Analysis of Prince Charming
title_full Masochistic Performance of Scheherazade: A Multimodal Analysis of Prince Charming
title_fullStr Masochistic Performance of Scheherazade: A Multimodal Analysis of Prince Charming
title_full_unstemmed Masochistic Performance of Scheherazade: A Multimodal Analysis of Prince Charming
title_short Masochistic Performance of Scheherazade: A Multimodal Analysis of Prince Charming
title_sort masochistic performance of scheherazade a multimodal analysis of prince charming
topic aesthetics
delusion
masochism
pleasure
repetitive compulsion
Scheherazade
url http://cinej.pitt.edu/ojs/cinej/article/view/646
work_keys_str_mv AT attiyazafar masochisticperformanceofscheherazadeamultimodalanalysisofprincecharming
AT nadiaanwar masochisticperformanceofscheherazadeamultimodalanalysisofprincecharming