Shahbaz Qalandar

Abstract

The film Shahbaz Qalandar explores the vital role played by the Qalandariyya Sufi Order in the spiritual life of the town of Sehwan in Sindh, Pakistan, the last remaining centre of Qalandari dervishes in the world, and a major hub of intersectional piety in the wider region. Shahbaz Qalandar is a scholarly intervention into popular discourse, deploying the audio-visual impact and accessibility of film, with the aim of highlighting the religious coherence and historical continuity of the Islamic spiritual center at Sehwan. This paper is a collaboration between Hasan Ali Khan and Aliya Iqbal Naqvi: it reflects on the film-making process as experienced by academic scholars.