From the Streets of Pakistan to the Galaxy Far, Far Away: The Impact of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Star Wars
From Karachi Streets to a Galaxy Far, Far Away, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy made history when Disney announced that she would direct an upcoming Star Wars film, it wasn’t just Hollywood news.
The two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker will be the first Pakistani and, even better, the first woman of color to direct a Star Wars movie. For a franchise so beloved that it has defined science fiction for generations, this isn’t just about lightsabers getting a new green and white glow; it’s the planets shifting and making well-deserved space for South Asian creative influence.
A Storyteller Who Never Played Safe
Sharmeen has built her career not on spectacle, but on stories that sting and inspire. From her Oscar-winning short films Saving Face (2012), which tackled acid attacks, to A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (2016), which exposed honor killings, she has consistently forced audiences to confront uncomfortable truths. Her style embodies the heart of filmmaking: authentic storytelling. Sharmeen can move you from laughter to the edge of your seat, leaving you uncomfortable, reflective and clutching a box of tissues.
More recently, her direction in Marvel’s Ms. Marvel (2022) introduced Kamala Khan to the world, seamlessly blending Karachi streets with superhero storytelling. With this track record, her entry into the galaxy far, far away is all the more thrilling.
Breaking Hollywood’s Mold
Let’s be honest: Star Wars has long been dominated by white male directors. Even its more recent attempts at inclusivity (The Mandalorian giving us Deborah Chow, Obi-Wan Kenobi adding diverse showrunners) are just the beginning.
Sharmeen’s role as director in this mammoth franchise signals that Lucasfilm is finally widening the director’s chair. For Pakistanis and South Asians in particular, it’s a celebratory moment: a Karachi-born filmmaker shaping one of the biggest pop culture universes of all time – it’s a dream come true for all the hardcore Pakistani Star Wars fans, even R2D2 and C3PO would have celebrated with us.
What This Means for Pakistan
Pakistan is home to one of the widest talent pools in the world, but sadly, the country has, in recent times, been reduced to just news tickers about politics or crises. In such instability and hope vanishing from the hearts of people, Sharmeen’s ascent to the top-of-the-top begs to differ and is ready to tell the world a different story.
She’s not just carrying Pakistan into Star Wars; she’s proving that our storytellers belong on the grandest stage of global cinema. Her journey, from shooting documentaries on Pakistani streets to calling the shots in Hollywood’s biggest franchise, is the kind of arc you’d expect to see in a movie. Except it’s real, and it shows millions of aspiring filmmakers that one day, it could be them too.
The Force of Representation
Fans are already buzzing with theories about the new “Jedi Order” storyline she’ll be helming. But beyond plot speculation, Sharmeen’s presence itself is a victory. It’s a reminder that representation isn’t tokenism when it’s backed by talent, vision, and a track record of fearless storytelling.
So yes, the galaxy far, far away just got a little closer to home. And if Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has taught us anything, it’s that empires, whether in galaxies or in our own streets, are never as invincible as they seem.
