

Udaan (Soar)
Special | 15mVideo has Closed Captions
A Pakistani student’s life is upended when she immigrates to Arkansas to attend college.
Udaan (Soar) follows a young Pakistani woman as she immigrates from Karachi, Pakistan to a small town in Arkansas to begin her first year of college. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, she prepares to live in isolation with her family and to attend classes remotely. But when her mother is turned away by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she must learn to navigate her new life in the U.S. alone.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
Support for Reel South is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Center for Asian American Media and by SouthArts.

Udaan (Soar)
Special | 15mVideo has Closed Captions
Udaan (Soar) follows a young Pakistani woman as she immigrates from Karachi, Pakistan to a small town in Arkansas to begin her first year of college. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, she prepares to live in isolation with her family and to attend classes remotely. But when her mother is turned away by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she must learn to navigate her new life in the U.S. alone.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch REEL SOUTH
REEL SOUTH is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship[ambient music] [peaceful music] ♪ ♪ [speaking in Urdu] [continues speaking in Urdu] [birds cawing] [ambient city sounds] [speaking in Urdu] [speaking in Urdu] [continues speaking in Urdu] [phone ringing] - What are you doing?
- I'm having some water.
- Okay.
- You start packing yet?
- Actually, I haven't.
- Are you, like, nervous?
- To travel?
Or for school?
- Yeah.
- Both, I'm really nervous - Both?
- Yeah.
I'm nervous for both.
[speaking in Urdu] - [Baneen] Yeah, but I'm scared for college too, not just interacting with students.
- Oh, no don't be scared, you'll be fine.
It's just the first semester that is going to be hard and then you - Okay Raza bye, I think I'm going to go now.
Um, we need to go shopping soon.
And get stuff.
- Okay.
Make some nice memories while you're there and yeah.
[birds cawing] [soft piano music] [soft piano music continues] [ambient music] - Wow.
[ambient music continues] [Baneen reading] [plane in flight] [Baneen continues reading] [crowd noises, off-screen] [speaking in Urdu] [group all speaking in Urdu] - It's, it's really hard.
- You can carry yourself up.
- [Photographer] Here, now.
I'll take your picture on 'three'.
One, two, three.
All right, good.
You can go ahead and mask back up.
- Hi everyone, my name is Baneen Khan and I am 19 years old, I live in Paragould, Arkansas and this is my first semester here at Black River.
My hobbies include drawing, I'm into music and trying new food and traveling.
[distant noise] [family laughing] [phone ringing] - Hey, what's up guys?
- Nothing.
[indistinct] Hey guy's, its me.
Wait, Umal, let me show you something.
Look.
- What is that?
- [Baneen] That's my student ID, yeah.
- Oh!
It's your student ID!
- It looks very quality.
- I got it yesterday.
- How is your assignments and stuff going?
- Mine?
Oh my God, it's, it's a lot of stress right now to be honest, like I have, so everything is like weekly and I don't have any lectures and like daily classes or anything so that's what makes it really harder.
Like, I really want a connection with my teachers because right now I can't, like I just emailed them but that's not like a proper introduction or they don't know me properly, I don't know them.
So, it just makes you feel really alone and you're doing everything by yourself.
You know what I really miss?
I miss playing games with you guys.
- [Friends] Yeah.
- Like sequins and everything, oh my God, I miss it.
- Yeah.
- You know, I was watching my Snapchat memories with you guys, like in the car, listening to music and I was like, oh my God I miss them so much!
Going to Social Hub everyday.
Man.
- Oh, we've been to Social Hub again.
Me and Baghdad.
- Really?
- [Friend] We met up with my friend as well, yeah.
We played cards the entire time.
- [Baneen] Without me?
How dare you!
- I will help you, whatever you want.
I have to just put it behind me.
I will always be here with you.
- Thanks.
- I know.
- It's just like being twins!
You laugh, you smile, you talk.
[phone beeping] [speaking in Urdu] [soft piano music] - Love you.
[soft piano music continues] - [TV] "So help me God."
- So help me God.
[ambient music] [speaking in Urdu] [ambient music continues] ♪
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Special | 59s | See Karachi Through the Lens of A Young Woman Leaving Home (59s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipSupport for PBS provided by:
Support for Reel South is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Center for Asian American Media and by SouthArts.