Knowledge is true power and Miss Jiya, a teacher for a local school in Pakistan wields her knowledge with the ferocity of the superheroine “The Burka Avenger.” In a world where heroines are sexualized, it’s interesting to see that the Burka Avenger primarily clothes herself from head to toe in a burka, which allows her a stealth and grace that make her a deadly opponent; but definitely not deadly in the violent sense, but deadly in implementing non-violence and her intellect to defeat her foes.
“The Burka Avenger” is rough around the edges with sometimes stilted animation, but its purpose is bold in that it not only influences education, but education in women. Jiya is a beloved Pakistani teacher who crusades to inspire knowledge within her students, all of whom are being segregated and oppressed in some form. Jiya was given the skills of “Takht Kabaddi” at a young age, trained by her father and master. Now she uses her ability to wield pens and books as weapons that stun her enemies rather than hurt them, and she doesn’t need cleavage or body parts to display her power over bad guys.
“The Burka Avenger” appears for the noble purposes of helping her students, and it becomes clear in the pilot where the show is headed. We focus mainly on a trio of kids twins Ashu and Immu, and their friend Mooli, as they travail the hardships of life and try to get an education. But the evil magician Baba Bandook, along with corrupt local politician Vadero Pajero wants to put a stop to learning and shut down the school, allowing them to keep the kids uneducated. Most of all, they want to keep the young girls from learning and picking up valuable skills, thus “The Burka Avenger” becomes a symbol of hope for young girls in the audience.
“The Burka Avenger” is definitely an amalgam of comedy, coming of age tropes, and good old fashioned super heroics, while the series sets out to encourage young viewers (especially girls) to seek education, as it can be the most effective weapon against evil. Haroon’s animated series should be seen even by folks not native to the region of Pakistan, as it’s a positive action adventure that influences the use intellect and enlightenment to defeat ignorance and evil. It’s a positive show in a world filled with gloomy superhero fare.