Mogul Mowgli

Bassam Tariq's identity drama is co-scripted by actor and musician Riz Ahmed (The Night of, Four Lions). Ahmed delivers a tour-de-force performance as Zaheer, a British-Pakistani rapper succumbing to an auto-immune illness at the very moment his career seems destined to take off. As Zaheer's condition flares up and his relationship with his relatives deteriorates, he begins to be haunted by fervent apparitions of a masked figure from a traumatic past. Through stunning, visceral storytelling, the film explores memories, hallucinations and the subconscious to arrive at its central conundrum: is the timing of the illness chance or is it indicative of past traumatic experiences?

Mogul Mowgli is an investigation into our conscious and subconscious selves in a globalized world of mixed cultural heritage.  The global fusion is exemplified in the London-set drama by the eclectic and thumping soundtrack that mixes musical styles from Qawwali to hip-hop, as well as songs from Ahmed's band Swet Shop Boys.

This film was chosen by guest curator Kaleem Aftab.