Pardesi (L'étranger)

A 1991 documentary about the roots of the Asian Underground

Directed by Martina Catella

A rare and reflective music documentary that follows musician Aki Nawaz on a personal journey through the roots of the Asian Underground. Part travelogue, part musical ethnography, the film charts Nawaz’s search for meaning in the hybrid sound of South Asian traditions and British underground culture. Shot across England and Pakistan, Pardesi immerses you in deep conversations with artists and elders, blending pulsing rhythms with questions of identity, diaspora, and what it means to be a “foreigner” in a world of converging cultures.