Pakistan’s new cartoon superhero who fights bad guys disguised in a flowing black burqa is set to go global, her creator told AFP, with plans afoot to broadcast the show in 60 countries.
The Urdu-language animation “Burka Avenger”, showing the adventures of a mild-mannered teacher who uses her superpowers to fight local gangsters trying to close down the girls’ school where she works, hit Pakistani TV screens last month.
The kids’ action-comedy struck a chord in a country where Taliban militants have prevented thousands of girls from going to school in the northwest and attacked activists campaigning for their education.
The man behind “Burka Avenger”, pop star Haroon Rashid, said he had been overwhelmed by the response.
“The reception has been absolutely phenomenal, beyond our expectations,” he said.
“We were making this little animated TV series for Pakistan but it seems like the whole world wants to know about the Burka Avenger.”