POV

Beeping

Helicopter blades whirring

Gunfire

Explosion

Indistinct talking

-In Pakistan, where I come from, the tribal areas, girls are not allowed to play sports.

Man shouting in native language

Indistinct talking in native language

Dog barks in distance

Horn honks

-Women cannot walk without a shawl, cannot walk without a man beside her. She shouldn't go to school. She shouldn't be allowed TV, radio, newspaper, music. There are so many honor killings, so many acid attacks, so many rape happens. Women are so scared to say anything or show their emotions because they know they're going to get killed. Playing sports is an extreme act. I broke all the laws, and God help me in that. -And Pakistan's number-one- ranked women's squash player, Maria comes from South Waziristan in Pakistan's tribal region along the Afghan border. This is the home of the Taliban. Traveling and competing against girls from more liberal parts of the country, she dominated instantly.

Crowd cheering

-My name and pictures were everywhere. -

Speaking native language

-There's so many people that were so excited and happy. And then I got the threats, and everything went down. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan came after me.

Man speaking native language

-Terrorist attacks were everywhere. Waziristan is known for terrorism or a place that is like a hell or a place on fire. But it's my home. I can bring change to these people, but if something happens to me, it will take years for someone else to come out from that region. If Taliban catch me while playing squash, what will happen? We'll see what happens.

Ball bouncing

Indistinct talking in distance

P.A. beeps

-Attention, passengers. Due to construction, there's no subway service between Union and St. Andrew Subway Station. Continue further north towards Downsview Subway Station.

Ball bouncing

-Good. Put pressure on me. Good. If you get an easy shot, that's when you play when the ball is too tight to the wall, and you just lift it like this, but when the ball is here... get it!

Chuckles

Here we go. That's okay. Keep trying. Good. Since I moved to Canada, my squash improved a lot. Ah, yes! Yes! Yes! You're getting quick confidence, eh? That's the one. Playing squash, I'm happy. You know, everything is good. Let's do another one. -Second bounce in the neck. There. -After Taliban threatened me, I was so disturbed. I couldn't train at all in Pakistan. All I'm doing, hitting by the wall in my bedroom, and I started sending e-mails, lot of e-mails every day. Finally, I got an e-mail from Jonathon Power, was a former world champion. He completely changed the world of squash because he had such a deceptive style. -Drag and skip, so drag the back foot. Keep low. Here we go. Ready? Go. Go, go, go. Four! Good get. -When I met Maria, it was incredibly random. I got this random e-mail from this girl from Waziristan, which I was kind of like, "Wow, the hell is a girl from Waziristan even playing squash for? How is that possible?"

Laughter, shouting

-I wanted to play outside with boys, running around freely. I didn't want to sit at one place for hours and hours and playing with dolls at home.

Indistinct talking

-So I took all my clothes outside -- my frocks, my girly dresses. I took them all outside and burned them. When I was 4, I chose and I decided, and I burned my clothes and everything, and then my dad says, "Okay." He supported me. I was always found, like, bruised and bleeding -- my knees, my arms. I was not like girls, like, who are beauty-conscious, you know? And my dad says, "Oh, this is my son, and I want him to play some sports." He called me Genghis Khan. With that name, I started walking around, and I could stay longer outside.

All shouting

-I always thought, from inside, "I'm a boy like them," right? So maybe that's why I was more... I never thought, "I'm a girl," that way. Yeah, and it became, like, very natural to me. When I was 12, all of a sudden, people started shouting that, "There's a girl, a girl, a girl," you know, staring at me very differently. They push you. They want to touch you. You know, they think of you like a girl, right? And it was so... disrespectful. So my dad thought, "Poor girl. What's gonna happen with her?" I thought, "I'm perfect."

Chuckles

I always thought like that. -Maria Toorpakay.

Applause

-I found it unbelievable that Maria has gotten this far and actually was a legitimately good squash player. She came third in the World Juniors. But she was not able to realize her dreams in Pakistan. Maria's goal of becoming World Champion is something that you can't take away from her. No matter what she was going through, there was no way that she was going to, you know, pack it all up and go home and sit in her room in Pakistan and wait. This is what Maria was born to do, and she knows that. That's much better. You've found the rhythm now. -I'm so far away. But, you know, I live in peace here. Summers are beautiful, but winter... I wanted to experience snow, but it's a lot of snow.

Laughs

It's very cold. Here, I have few friends. I miss my family. Zika, please move. Here I am with all my medals. This is President Musharraf after we won silver medal and bronze medal in South Asian games. Oh, here, you see? This is the first trophy that I got. It was such a beautiful trophy. It was so beautiful. Yeah. And I had a buzz cut. They didn't know that I'm a girl -- like, not at all. And I had that confidence, too. You can still hear -- You can see here, right? My face was always, like, very serious. I would always walk with angry face, you know, and being like... And then I would sit like this, right? And I would like, "Yeah. Okay. Why not?" Like, you know?

Chuckles

When I was 16, I grow my hair. I start looking more, like, feminine, more girly, and then I got the threats from Taliban. I couldn't see them, that, you know -- How are they going to come? Where are they going to come from? What are they going to do to us? And that depression actually took me to think, like, "Should I have a gun, or should I have a cyanide pill?" Like, I don't care. Well, I do care. Like, I don't want my --

Inhales deeply

Oh, God.

Sighs deeply

Yeah, I didn't want it to bring any kind of... create any trouble for my family because I love them so much and for my dad. Like, I love them so much, and he has done so much for us, and... So I had to stop playing squash then. That was the time only.

Sniffles

Ringing

-I am going to go back, as I always said, that, you know, there was a time, and I was young, and I was... When people came to know that I'm a girl, and nobody was respecting me, but I had to snatch my respect from them. That's what I'm going to do. Now I'm an athlete. And now if they're not giving any respect to athletes, I'm going to snatch that respect now. I want to feel free while playing in Pakistan. -

Speaking native language

Indistinct talking

-

Singing in native language

Both laugh

-My dad is just like a friend to us.

Laughs

We can share anything with him. -I decided to organize a squash tournament for the Bannu area, which is very close town to Waziristan. Everyone knows it's dangerous. But dad is about adventures like that. I'm just like my dad in that sense. -There will be different people, right? -Sometimes, you meet a beggar, sometimes, a good-looking person, Sometimes, completely insane or drug addict, but they're not sometimes. They're all informers. They call, and then they say, "Oh, this is the car number. It's coming this way, and these are the people in it." -The more you go towards the tribal regions, the more conservative it's going to be. The tribal areas need a lot of attention. These Taliban groups or militants or rebels, all they want, money. All they want, power. Nothing else. They don't care about religion. They do not care about humanity.

Indistinct talking

-When these kids will grow up without education, without any hope of life, they will become militants. They will become Taliban... the Taliban who do not... who cannot differentiate between the real Islam and the Islam that they follow. You would see bombing every day everywhere. It does happen, but still, there are people living here. The life is going on there. The people are doing business. People live here. Every day, kids try to go to schools. Life goes on.

Music plays indistinctly

-Huh? -Boys of North Waziristan -- They have a lot of potential, and they're strong. We should show them the right path, and we should introduce more and more sports to them, and that's why it's my vision to introduce a squash clinic with them in Bannu.

Music continues indistinctly

-Around 50 kids are able to come to Bannu but no girls.

Song plays in native language

-In the cities, women can go to schools. There's even girls playing sports. But in tribal areas, it's considered vulgarity. Women are taught to obey. And if they don't, they're taught the consequences.

Indistinct talking

-We were instructed by the Inspector General of Police that, "You should be careful. Watch your movement. Don't go to tribal areas." But for the last 26, 27 years, my dad has been teaching kids in the schools, in the villages, even the people who were in the tribal areas. -He always preached nonviolence. He never stopped his mission. We just keep working hard and trying to find ways how we can help people, how we can reach them and how we can talk to them.

Indistinct talking in distance

Laughter

Horns blare

Ball bouncing

Indistinct talking in distance

-When the British people came to Pakistan, the officers, they brought cricket, and they brought squash with them. Squash -- It's the second-biggest sport in Pakistan. So many champions came out, you know? There was Hashim Khan. He's considered as the Father of Squash. Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, like, 10-times World Champion, and Jahangir Khan is, like, one of the greatest, greatest athlete. He won 500 matches in a row. It's impossible. Squash players are loved in Pakistan.

Indistinct talking

When you win a tournament, Pakistani squash players still get a lot of attention. Pakistani squash teams going to Korea for Asian Games, and everyone is praying for us. Everyone is expecting a win from us. This is a way that I think that I can reach more and more girls. You see this is the beauty of sport, that it connects the whole world in a very positive way.

Little Mix's "Salute" plays

- Ladies all across the world Listen up, we're looking for recruits If you with me, let me see your hands Stand up and salute Get your killer heels, sneakers, pumps Or lace up your boots Representing all the women, salute, salute Ladies all across the world Listen up, we're looking for recruits If you with me, le t me see your hands Stand up and salute Get your killer heels, sneakers, pumps Or lace up your boots Representing all the women, sa lute, salute Attention Salute Attention, huh! Representing all the women, salute, salute

Applause

-Pakistan versus China -- best of five games -Come on, Maria! Fight! Go, Maria!

Applause

1. Pakistan

0. -Come on, Maria, Maria!

Applause

1. Pakistan

-13, 11, one ball. -Come on, Maria!

Applause

1. Pakistan

-Match ball.

Crowd cheers

1. Pakistan

-Pakistan. -I love squash. It's a psychological game. When you come nervous, you bring fear to the court, you lose. -Pakistan versus Hong Kong. -Come on, Maria! Come on! -The movement should be rhythmic. You should be calm. You should be in flow. Sometimes, you know, I get a lot of pressure in a way because I'm performing for my country. -Eight, loss. -When something goes wrong, it's indirectly affecting the rest of the women in Pakistan.

Screams

1. Pakistan

Applause

1. Pakistan

Winner

Hong Kong.

Applause

Winner

Squash is my love, right? Like, I love squash, and I will never lose the hope. The only way to not feel weaker is to work harder. I will become champion. I have no doubt in that.

Cattle moo

Children shout indistinctly

Winner

I'm lucky that I have a very supportive family. I live for them. That's my whole universe. Pakistan has an attached borders with China, with India, with Afghanistan, with Iran, and further towards the Afghanistan side, it's a huge tribal belt. The army's doing operation against the militants, and there are also drone attacks by U.S. Because of this War Against Terror, more than a million people of North Waziristan, of my homeland, have become displaced and are living in camps.

Indistinct talking

Winner

My sister is in politics. Recently, she's doing a lot for the internally displaced people of Waziristan.

Indistinct talking

Winner

She is a wonderful sister. She taught me a lot. -I pray that this military operation brings lasting peace to Pakistan, but, obviously, you have to find a long-lasting solution to the problem. It's not always about military solution. -She's a huge example for the women of Waziristan, the tribal women, or especially Pashtun women, and she's the youngest politician in Pakistan.

Indistinct cheering

Winner

-Today, in our villages and in Pashtuns, many people are naming their children, their daughters, after me and Maria. And sometimes, it's Ayesha Gulalai. Sometimes is Ayesha Toorpakay. It's a mixture of both names, so I guess they want both a politician and both a sportswoman in their daughters. And Maria -- It's her passion to become World Champion, and she has won international tournaments, so this, itself, is a very big change, and Maria -- she's very committed. -

Speaking in native language

Laughter

Winner

-

Singing in native language

Winner

-Now you see there are lots of girls coming up from Pashtun society who wants to play sports and especially squash. They kill them, right, who are trying to get education or trying to do sports like Bushra is very upcoming, like, star squash player. She wants to become World Champion. She wants to go on that side, too.

Conversing in native language

Winner

-Okay, she is saying that, "I follow Maria Toorpakay when I saw her pictures, especially in newspapers, her winning pictures, winning games. She selected Maria Toorpakay because 'I will achieve that position also. I will follow her,'" and she is saying that, "I will, like, continue that game. It's my dream, especially on behalf of Maria Toorpakay." -

Singing in native language

Winner

Indistinct talking

Winner

-We grew up very unique. There's no gender discrimination. We get positions with our behavior, with our hard work. Ayesha is number one. Yohan is the smartest, so he has become favorite to my dad, so Aya and Adham are second. I have these two amazing twin brothers, my younger brothers. They are the happiness of the family. Older brother is... He looks after everyone. He is the strength of the family. So Sangreen, Babrak and Taimur are at the third position. And my mom is... She's definitely very worried about all of us, you know? That's why she has a little bit of blood pressure. -

Chuckles

Winner

-Finished. -My mom -- She was a teacher, and now she's a principal.

Indistinct talking

Winner

My mom, her school is in tribal region. You can see that it has been bombed three times.

Indistinct talking

Winner

It's an extreme risk for her, especially because she's not just a teacher, but she's the mother of two well-known daughters, you know?

Talking continues

Both laugh

Chuckles

Winner

-

Laughs

Winner

Mm!

Both laugh

Winner

Bye, bye, bluebird Bye, bye, bluebird You should have to I'm happy just to sing along Toot, toot, toot, toot, toot, toot, toot - Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo, Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo, Bye, bye, bluebird Bye, bye, bluebird Bye, bye, bluebird Bye, bye, bluebird -My dad wanted to become an actor. He wanted to become a model. He was in jeans with hippies, and he would start watching English movies. He was the rebel in the family. My parents -- They were different, totally different. My dad, after marriage, he educated my mom, and he was telling people about human rights, women rights. So he says, "Yes, I come from very well-known family in Waziristan. But the thing was that it was all about males. When I was passing new ideas to them and I tried to educate my wife and then my daughter, and they thought that I'm crazy, insane." Actually... So he escaped the jail, and he jumped off the huge, tall wall, and he broke his jaw, and he broke his leg, and he was limping, and he came to his house, and he was able to escape my mom from there. For the sake of our rights, he kept moving us from area to area in South Waziristan, North Waziristan, different towns, hiding us. People discouraged him, threatened him, but he never stopped his mission. He educated my sister. My dad worked really, really hard with her. My dad felt that she has this ability. She can be a good debater. It's in all of us. We want to excel. That's how we were taught.

Crowd cheering

Indistinct announcements

Winner

I'm very nervous about my sister because when you become famous, Taliban definitely target those people. Our ex Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated.

All screaming

Police sirens wailing

Winner

My older brother is her protection. We cannot hire a driver, or we cannot rely on security guards, because sometimes your own security guard will take money and will kill you. -

Groans

Winner

Laughter

Winner

Car doors open, close

Indistinct talking in distance

Indistinct talking

Telephone ringing

Winner

-Hello?

Thunder rumbles

Dogs bark in distance

Cellphone rings

Police siren chirps

Police siren wails

Siren continues

Winner

-

Speaking in native language

Winner

-

Singing in native language

Winner

-My parents, they worry, but they don't want to live with fear, with worry too much. We just still celebrate our family time, live just like normal people. Once in awhile, it comes in our brain that when we got the threats, you know, and part of my soul, I would say, becomes paralyzed. Because my dad -- he is a very strong man, and he doesn't like someone threatening him -- when he got these threats, he told this guy, the Taliban guy, that, "I'm from the same tribe. I'm Wazir tribe. And if you people think that I will be scared of you, I'll follow you, and I will do the same thing if you harm my family." He's not going to escape from them. That's all I know. -

Singing in native language

Winner

-Thank you, sir. Thank you.

Conversing in native language

TV plays indistinctly

Winner

-When we first got these threats, we told the IGP police to trace this number and confirm who are these people, and they called us, and they told us that this is a genuine threat, and we have to be very careful. There's no guarantee of life, and whatever happens, you know, they said that, "We will try our best, what we can do, but you guys should be very careful and stay inside Islamabad and control your movement."

Police siren chirps

Horn honks

Indistinct talking

Camera shutters click

Winner

-I like to welcome all the players from all over the world. We wish you best of luck.

Applause

Winner

-I know, the higher we go, the higher we achieve, the more the risk is going to be. I am in the spotlight, and that is scary for me. -Thank you. -I want to win. I want to play good. I am just praying that God help us, and inshallah will be fine. -My dad is like, "Don't be scared. Come on. You are the number one. Do it. You're the best. Do it. Go for it. Just keep taking risks." I want to tell girls fear is taught, that you are born free, and you are born brave. I want to show them that this is what you are worthy of.

Indistinct talking

Applause

Winner

-Pakistan versus Hong Kong. -Come on, Maria. -Best of five games. Lob one. -Come on, Maria.

Crowd shouting

Winner

-Point to Hong Kong. -Come on, Maria! -Come on, Maria! Pakistan. -Come on! -Pakistan versus Egypt. Best of five games. Lob one. -Come on, Maria!

Crowd cheers

Winner

-Go, Maria.

Crowd cheering

Winner

Pakistan.

Crowd cheering

Winner

Pakistan versus Malaysia. Best of five games. Lob one.

Crowd cheers

Winner

-

Speaking native language

Crowd cheering

Winner

-Match ball.

Crowd cheers

Winner

Pakistan.

Indistinct P.A. announcement

Winner

--Pakistan versus South Africa. Best of five games. Lob one.

Applause

Winner

-Go, Maria!

Applause

Winner

-Oh, Maria! Yes, Maria! Come on! Come on, Maria! -Ah! Come on! -Maria! -Eleven, nine.

Pakistan

one game.

South Africa

love.

Crowd cheers

South Africa

-Eleven, seven. -Come on!

Pakistan

two game.

South Africa

love. -Eleven, six.

Pakistan

two games.

South Africa

one game. -Go, Maria! Come on!

Crowd cheers

South Africa

-12, 10.

Pakistan

two games.

South Africa

two games.

Crowd cheering

South Africa

-Yeah! -Come on, Maria! Last point here! Come on! Woo! -Come on, Maria! Come on.

Indistinct shouting

South Africa

-Come on, Maria! -

Shouts

Point

South Africa. -Come on, Maria. Relax! Get it back, Maria. Get it back.

Crowd cheers

Point

-Come on! -Match ball. -Woo! Come on, Maria! -Yes!

Crowd cheers

Point

-Champion!

Chuckles

Point

Ms. Maria Toorpakay.

Cheers and applause

Point

From Pakistan.

Crowd cheers

Point

-

Speaking native language

Point

-

Speaking native language

Crowd cheers

Point

-Congratulations. You just won a fabulous tournament. Is it true that you used to be disguised as a boy when younger? -Yeah. I grew up like a tomboy. -Okay. -And, you know, I used to dress up like my brother, and I come from South Waziristan. -You know, I come home from Wazir tribe, so winning this tournament in Pakistan, for me, is a... I feel like I gave a beautiful gift to my country, Pakistan, and... -Absolutely. -...I feel like I have to win this for Pakistan.

Crowd cheers

Indistinct talking in distance

Point

For me, you know, I'm a strong and more, like, a masculine personality, and... Yeah, I don't feel very... I don't know how to say it. I'm not a guy, but I'm not a girl mentally, like psychologically. It's a very... I don't know where to go at the moment, like, you know? Where do I fit in? And I have no idea. I have no idea, you know? I asked Ayesha, too, And she was like, "You will be fine. Take your time." And I said, "Okay," And she said, "Pray," and I'll find a spiritual side and, you know, "Fine. You'll be fine. Take your time," and it's... Lots of people are like that. Don't worry." And so I feel so lucky, and I feel so happy that I have experienced a life that is... experienced being like a boy and now like a girl. It's beautiful. Whatever I am to them, squash player, I've traveled. I'm very confident, and I feel, like, a strength. I can become whatever I want. If I can be an international squash player, so they can be. Squash gave me a whole different life because I had no other way out.

Crowd cheering

Point

Yes, I can bring change to the mind-set, to the existing mentality and show them that we are living in a world. They have to come out of their region. They have to explore the world. They have to look beyond imagination. We are very strong. We are very intelligent. If you think big, you do bigger, and you have to work hard for that. Life comes once, and people die even on bed or even in accident. If it's written that way, so let it be. Once you cross that line that you are not afraid of death and you're so close, you feel so close to Allah, to God, all you want to keep doing good after good, good after good. Our bravery is in educating women, respecting women, empowering women. No one is a slave of anyone on this Earth. Everyone is free. You're born free, and you have to live free.

Santigold's "Disparate Youth" plays

Point