Visual (Mis)Representation: Pashtoon Culture in Pashto Film Cover Pictures

This paper will analyze how the cover images in the Pashto films represent and misrepresent the Pashtoon culture using the Triadic Model of Signs as given by Peirce. Based on six Pashto movie cover images published in 2024 and 2025, the research adopts the qualitative visual semiotic approach. The analysis focused on the relationship between the representamen (visual elements), the object (cultural concepts) and the interpretant (meanings created to viewers). The results show that the portrayal of the Pashtoon culture has the tendency to repeat, specifically the focus on hyper-masculinity, weapons and conflicts, rural themes, and traditional gender roles. Although some of the cover images depict cultural values while others tend to simplify or stereotype Pashtoon culture, thus partially misrepresenting it. The paper highlights the need for more subtle and well-balanced visual representations of the Pashtoon culture in Pashto cinema.