The most anticipated, celebrated and coveted award show of cinema, the Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, became the centre of attention in Pakistan ever since Saim Sadiq’s Joyland was shortlisted as the official submission.
Although Sadiq’s directorial couldn’t make it to the final list of nominations, other Pakistanis have made the nation proud in one way or the other. The youngest recipient of Nobel Peace Prize, Malala Yousafzai, whose sartorial choice is all the buzz right now, stole the attention with her custom dress.
Now, why would Yousafzai, an education activist, be attending the biggest event of Hollywood? Because the 25-year-old has ventured into film production and had her movie nominated in the Best Documentary Short Film category. The 29-minute-long film, Stranger At The Gate, revolved around a former US Marine who goes to war and is deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Marking her Oscar debut in a dazzling silver sequined Ralph Lauren gown. Yousafzai gave a desi touch to the custom haute-couture with an attached headscarf. With long sleeves and a cinched detail on one side of the waist, Yousafzai’s dress was everything a lady could ask for. However, her accessories were the highlight.
Yousafzai opted for pendant earrings in platinum, which belonged to and were worn by Queen Soraya Tarzi in the 1930s. She was a champion of change in Afghanistan and minister of education who actively worked to educate and liberate Afghan women. She wore a 19th-century navette diamond ring and a stunning ring of antique carved emerald and diamond, expertly made in India and Green for Pakistan.
She wore minimal makeup and complemented her look with a light red lip. The activist with her striking dress on the champagne red carpet had everyone gasping in awe.
To compliment his darling wife, Yousafzai’s husband, Asser Malik, donned a dark tuxedo, white shirt, bow tie and black loafers.
Taking the best husband’s award, Malik made sure that his beautiful wife doesn’t trip and held her dress for her.
Taking to Instagram, Malala emphasized that she wanted her dress to represent the message of her short film Stranger At The Gate.
“It was all a dream. I wanted my dress to represent the message of our film @strangeratthegate and embody hope. Thank you so much to the brilliant team that helped bring my vision to life. I was proud to represent this amazing documentary with the director @jrseftel, producer Conall Jones and the film’s inspiring subjects Bibi and Mac. And, as always, I was delighted to spend the night with my husband @asser.malik, looking handsome as ever in his tux,” she wrote.
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Malala Yousafzai at the #Oscars. https://t.co/i5wEon5M8t pic.twitter.com/lj1vNX5o1r
— Variety (@Variety) March 12, 2023
Yousafzai also met Hollywood stars including “royalty” Rihanna, iconic actor Harrison Ford and Salma Hayek.
In addition to her philanthropic work, Yousafzai is now involved in film production which highlights the importance of education and social justice.
