A backup dancer's job pulls a quiet family man out of the life he was always expected to lead.
What is Joyland about?
Set within a large, traditional household in Lahore, the story follows the youngest son as he takes work as a backup dancer inside a flashy, Bollywood-inflected stage show -- a job he keeps hidden from relatives who assume he is doing something far more conventional. His attention shifts toward the show's commanding trans performer, and that pull begins to unravel assumptions he has carried his whole life about duty, desire, and who gets to choose for themselves inside a household built on obligation. Saim Sadiq directs, working with a cast led by Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, and Alina Khan.
About the cast
The ensemble is anchored by Ali Junejo in the central role, alongside Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gilani, Salmaan Peerzada, Sohail Sameer, Sania Saeed, and Ramiz Law, under Saim Sadiq's direction. Between them the cast carries a story that moves between a cramped joint household and the brighter, riskier world of the stage show, without the film needing to spell out every tension for the viewer.
Context & significance
Joyland arrived in 2022 as part of a wave of South Asian cinema pushing past festival-circuit politeness into more direct territory -- it's a Pakistan and United States co-production, made in Urdu, and it built a reputation well beyond its home market before landing in wider release. Family, gender, and desire sit at the center of the drama, handled with a patience that lets the household itself feel as fully drawn as any single character.
Watching Joyland on Ktime
Joyland is available on K-Time with Persian dubbing and Persian subtitles, so the drama plays comfortably for Farsi-speaking households without leaning on a second language to follow the story. Access requires only a free account login -- the film's page itself is open to read before signing in -- and sits inside a Farsi-first library built for the Iranian diaspora watching from wherever they live.