Daily Times – Pakistan
KARACHI: One is Pakistan?s cross-dressing answer to Dame Edna Everage, the other fronts a macho car racing programme. They are the two brothers at the forefront of this Islamic republic?s television revolution.
The sons of a retired army colonel, Ali and Umar Saleem have both opted for the bright lights of the new cable channels that are avidly watched by Pakistan?s young people ? even if their styles are poles apart.
In his camp alterego Begum (Mrs) Nawazish Ali, 27-year-old Ali dons a jewelled sari and make-up for his weekly chat show and greets his guests with a cabaret song and a mix of saucy banter and hard-hitting questions.
?The purpose of the show is to break barriers and to show that there is no man or woman, no Pakistan or India, no gay and no straight,? says Ali, still in costume after recording a show in Karachi.