Comfort-Ability
12/10/2018 | 6m 6sVideo has Closed Captions
COMFORT-ABILITY, a film by Primi Akhtar.
What does success mean? What is happiness? These are the questions that Kamal Ahmed reflects upon after a lifetime of hard work with his hands. For many years, he was a janitor at a large public housing complex. But now pain from arthritis keeps him from working. In this loving portrait of her father, Primi Akhtar shares his wisdom and her hopes for him.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Muslim Youth Voices is a production of the Center for Asian American Media. Funding provided by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art's Building Bridges Program and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Comfort-Ability
12/10/2018 | 6m 6sVideo has Closed Captions
What does success mean? What is happiness? These are the questions that Kamal Ahmed reflects upon after a lifetime of hard work with his hands. For many years, he was a janitor at a large public housing complex. But now pain from arthritis keeps him from working. In this loving portrait of her father, Primi Akhtar shares his wisdom and her hopes for him.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship♪ PRIMI AKHTAR: My name is Primi Akhtar.
I've lived in Queensbridge, which is the largest public housing in the United States, for eight years now.
My father worked there as a caretaker for at least 15 years.
KAMAL AHMED: AHMED (whistles): Come on, come on, come on, birdy.
Come on.
(bird tweeting) Come, come, come, come.
(makes clucking noises) Hey, birdy!
(Akhtar laughs) Oh, my car.
Yeah, this-- the, this car is, I call it sometimes my baby.
You push "gas," you go.
But you have to control it yourself.
Then it listens to you.
That's your baby.
Haram money is, like, you're stealing, or a robber.
Or you lie-talk somebody, any business and policy, and then you're stealing.
You pull up all and you run.
AKHTAR: Mmm.
AHMED: AHMED: I made it.
AKHTAR: You made it?
AHMED: Yeah, come on.
(audio fades) AHMED: Bengali call it agassa.
AKHTAR: Agassa.
AHMED: And I don't know English this plant here.
They have to take it out, and this what happen to them.
AHKTAR: Okay.
(speaking Bengali) Let's go there and do it.
AHMED: This squirrel is... AKHTAR: I know, a squirrel.
AHMED: He ate it, but he don't eat everything.
AHKTAR: There's a bud on it.
AHMED: Bud on it at the end.
(inaudible) AKHTAR: It's pretty.
AHMED: (singing in Bengali) Right?
AKHTAR: Are you ready to ride the bike?
AHMED: Maybe I try out first, let me see.
(Akhtar speaking Bengali) AHMED: If you, if you could bike, you know, you never forgot.
Anything you do it, you never forgot.
(both laugh) (whistling) Come on, birdy, come on, come on.
Come, come, come, come.
There you go.
AKHTAR: Hey.
AHMED: AKHTAR: Are you ever going to stop gardening?
AHMED: Why I stop?
I die, then I stop.
AKHTAR: Okay.
He's a man that never stopped working.
I hope he heals, and finds peace with not being able to work and give in the conventional way.
I hope we have more time for each other.
AHMED: ♪
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Muslim Youth Voices is a production of the Center for Asian American Media. Funding provided by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art's Building Bridges Program and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.