Nahnatchka Khan Quotes

There's a difference between 'political films' and 'films about Iraq.'

It is mind-blowing to pause and think that a film as forward-facing and potent as 'Do the Right Thing' was released the same year as 'Driving Ms. Daisy.'

I think each book has its own way of accommodating my concerns, whether it's about race, America, technology, the city.

It's interesting how thrillers reflect the times we live in.

Sexism isn't a one-size-fits-all phenomenon. It doesn't happen to black and white women the same way.

I will never shy away from social issues in my books - or in my everyday life.

Glee' is a great show in terms of tackling social issues.

The only serious function films can serve is to act as a record of their times.

In daily life, there are times when people are happy to talk about problems, but when the society is troubled by something, there is never a larger platform for discussion. Bollywood is religion in our country and that is the best place where you can place those questions on the table.

When I was a graduate student at the Iowa Writers' Workshop for fiction writing, I felt both coveted and hated. My white classmates never failed to remind me that I was more fortunate than they were at this particular juncture in American literature.

I think as the largest democracy in the world, we have self-conscious filmmakers who can handle sensitive themes.

Homophobia hurts our league. Racism hurts it. Sexism hurts it.

As an ethnic female in wrestling, there will be people reading my words and I want to set an example. I did experience racism.

Casting directors will often say that they are open to any ethnicity, but they're not.

If 'Crazywala' is about the state of politics in our country, 'Nawab Basha' is about how money controls most of our lives.

'Narcos' was a very strong experience, not only artistically and politically, but as a human being.

My parents and I always look at movies and just think, 'What's missing?' from the plot to the people of color or diversity in general.

I've seen Don Rickles up at the Montreal Comedy Festival. Don Rickles was doing jokes in a wheelchair, and he was headlining a show. Do you think they would let a woman do that?

I don't know that there is a, quote, 'hip-hop lifestyle.' I think the music responds to complex social issues and injustices; I think it also raises complex social questions.

I enjoy films like 'American Beauty' and want to do similar films that reflect our culture.

While white women and men of color also experience discrimination, all too often their experiences are taken as the only point of departure for all conversations about discrimination. Being front and center in conversations about racism or sexism is a complicated privilege that is often hard to see.

I don't want to protect my characters. I don't do it with Muslims, either. My job is not to make us look perfect. My job is to make us look messy.

In my shows, I always try to incorporate music because it's the most natural way to set a tone. So if I want to do a show about depression, I use the opera. If I want to do a show about greed, I use spoken word. If I want to do a show about the injustice that's taking place in the world, I might play Sam Cooke.

I don't write political stuff. I'm sure I've made attempts, but I don't tend to write very topical things, either. I admire those people who do because it's a talent I don't have.

Sports - especially the NBA - function as a place where American society pretends to discuss and pretends to solve questions and historical agonies that can't possibly be solved within the realm of sports.