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Out of the 15 entries submitted to the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) as part of the institute’s first playwriting competition aimed at staging original Pakistani plays and discovering talented playwrights, the cricket-based play titled Stumped!!! was given the coveted first prize.

Apart from the prize money of Rs100,000, the play will be performed from May 28 till the June 9 everyday from 8pm onwards at the Napa auditorium. The winning playwright, Imran Yusuf, who was born in London, studied tragicomedy, both the easy way — while studying the works of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov — and the hard way — while living in Karachi.

Yusuf, who is currently working as a content writer for an engineering website, was formerly sports editor at The Express Tribune.

At a press conference held at the premises of Napa on Friday, play director Zain Ahmed and Napa’s Director Programmes Arshad Mehmud shed light on the storyline and cast.

“We got around 15 entries as part of the competition and out of all of them Stumped!!! was the most engaging play, tailor-made according to the dynamics of the stage,” expressed Ahmed.

The play is about our collective obsession as a nation with politics, cricket and conspiracy theories. The comedy is set in a fictional place called ‘Kabristan’, where the national cricket team is set to play the world cup final. Chicu, the captain of the Kabristan cricket team, entrapped Sam, a young fast bowler of the team, to bowl in favour of the rival team, India.

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The story, which revolves around Sam’s journey into the politically-charged world of high-stakes gambling and mafia, ends with his death. Subsequently, a lot of lies are spread against Sam at a press conference called by the culprits.

The play was originally written in English and later translated in Urdu by Fawad Khan, a Napa graduate. The cast of the play includes Sunil Shankar, Rauf Afridi, Bakhtawar Mazhar and Hammad Khan.

When asked why this title was chosen for the play, Mehmud elaborated, “Getting stumped is by far the most upsetting dismissal in the game of cricket. The batsman gets beaten by the height [length] of the delivery and also by the spin [line] of the ball to get dismissed in the most clueless fashion — something that will be depicted in a lot of things in this play.”

Artistic Director of Napa’s Repertory Theatre Company, said at the press conference that apart from the play, other happenings — ranging from very experimental to very orthodox performances — are lined up in next year’s schedule.

In June, Napa will collaborate with DadaDali Productions for an original play called The Portrait of Rumi. “We will be pushing our boundaries with this one [play] because firstly, it is a very unconventional and experimental play and secondly it is in English,” said Ahmed.

Napa will also collaborate with well-known dancer and choreographer Joshinder Chaggar for a contemporary dance drama called Conversations 2. In the month of Ramazan, the academy is planning to arrange two qawwali nights on two Saturdays in which the qawwali session will begin after taraweeh and continue till Sehri next morning.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2013.

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Bollywood actor Preity Zinta was spotted in this pink cotton candy disaster very recently at a promotional event for her upcoming film Ishkq in Paris. Preity probably would’ve bagged the best dressed award if she were attending an all pink themed six-year-old’s birthday party.

The charge sheet

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Hair

Seems like Preity forgot to brush her hair when she woke up in the morning because it’s all over the place! The frizzy look is just not working. The least she could’ve done is to get a decent blow dry or tie it up to prevent this disaster.

Make up

What make-up? We get that Preity’s probably trying to go with the minimal natural look with barely any make-up. But it’s not flattering. The least she could’ve done here was to put on a little bit of lip gloss and some blush on.

Accessories

We’re loving the Hermes Kelly on its own, but it still isn’t saving her look. Perhaps you should invest as much in your clothes as you did with the bag? And what are those earrings? Did she get them out of a goody bag at a six-year-old’s birthday party?

Outfit

Preity looks like she just came back from Pink Fairy Land. Those hot pink faded skinny jeans are just fashion suicide when paired with that awful top. It’s acceptable if you’re 13 — not if you’re Preity Zinta!

Shoes

We will give credit to Preity for the nude wedges only because they are not PINK! But we don’t love them. The whole outfit is just such a disaster that nothing seems to blend in and make it right.

Bail out!

Cameron Diaz

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Preity could’ve taken some fashion tips from Hollywood actor Cameron Diaz. Diaz is also wearing a pair of coloured jeans here ,but looks exceptionally gorgeous! Unlike Preity, she doesn’t just go with one colour but mixes it up. We love her skinny baby pink jeans and crème coloured sandals! Her combination of a simple white top and a grey jacket goes perfectly with the jeans. Not to forget her gorgeous natural make up and that simple black bag.

Rihanna

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We love this rock chic look on singer Rihanna. She looks stunning in those bright yellow jeans. The dalmatian patterned top is our favourite! With a combination of that golden and turquoise necklace and big earrings, Rihanna is one of our favourite celebs in terms of accessorising! Too bad Preity couldn’t do the same.

Jessica Alba

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Hollywood actor Jessica looks stunning in these tomato red jeans and closed leather boots. The white top and black coat go perfectly with her sultry aura, along with those big shades. We really wish that Preity could’ve done the same as these starlets and mixed the colour combinations up a bit and accessorised tastefully. But, oh well, better luck next time!

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2013.                    

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Singer, dancer and actor Beyonce Knowles seems to have a lot of time on her hands. She has recently created her own fashion range named Beyonce Boutique for a fashion rental website.

With being a busy mom and a public figure, we wonder how she finds time to brainstorm for all her creative ideas. Beyonce has come up with designs for Rent the Runway — a concept in which people get designer wear at an affordable price.

“Making women feel confident and beautiful is something I’ve always been passionate about. That’s why joining forces with Rent the Runway was so organic,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Beyonce as saying.

“It’s more than just access to beautiful clothes; it’s about making women look and feel their best,’ she added.

With this new venture, Beyonce and Rent the Runway are giving fashion lovers a whole range to choose from. Whether they are sequined dresses, patterned mini-skirts, sleek lace pieces and jumpsuits, the designer wear is priced between $200 and $4,000. The website also includes dozens of jewellery options.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2013.                    

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KOLKATA: Who could have thought that Saawariya’s chocolate hero, despite his dull debut, would wow the audiences with impeccable performances one after the other? Wake up Sid, Rockstar, Barfi! — he nailed them all.

Actor Ranbir Kapoor, son of yesteryear’s famous Bolly couple Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, is grateful for having worked with “interesting film-makers” since his 2007 debut. Ranbir confessed that playing himself in forthcoming film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani has been “harder” than enacting characters in his previous films.

“I am grateful that I got to work with such good directors. I was at the right place at the right time … I got these opportunities and I was intelligent enough to grab them. I think these [Anurag Basu, Ayan Mukerji] are really interesting film-makers. They have great things to say through their movies and I just kind of tag along on their vision,” said Ranbir.

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Describing his celluloid journey so far as amazing, Ranbir acknowledged that his passion and profession are the same. “It’s been amazing. I don’t know how these five years have passed … I don’t know how these nine films have released. I am really happy that I get to do what I love and I think what is important is that you should do what you love,” he said.

His next film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani has been directed by Ayan Mukerji and it also stars Deepika Padukone.

“Rockstar and Barfi! are far more easier for me because I am playing a character. In films like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, I have to play myself, which is way harder because you have to reflect your own personality,” he explained.

Produced by Dharma Productions, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, which releases on May 31, also stars Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapoor.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2013.                    

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Mira Nair left India at the age of 19 and has homes abroad in USA as well as in Uganda. Though, she herself has spent most of her youth abroad, she refuses to wish the same for her son Zohran, according to the Hindustan Times.

“He is a total desi. Completely. We are not firangs at all. He is very much us. He was born in Uganda and raised between India and America. He is at home in many places. He thinks of himself as a Ugandan and as an Indian,” said Nair.

A junior in college with one more year to go, her 21-year-old son is studying Arabic and politics. Nair said he is a very ‘chaalu’ (clever) fellow and at home they prefer to only speak Hindi. Zohran is involved in popular culture and is highly updated with current events. However, unlike his mother, he is not into making films.

When asked about if she deliberately kept Zohran away from the spotlight, Nair said that they are not ‘filmy’ people and added that her son likes to visit India often. Career wise, Nair wouldn’t want him to follow in her footsteps. She feels that her son should be given the liberty to pursue whatever he wishes to do so. Zohran is very much updated with current affairs and takes a particular interest in politics. Nair feels that her son should feel free to study what he wishes as she thinks that he is in to study all of this in order to bring  about some sort of difference.

Despite that, Nair consults him on the films she makes to gather a young audience’s perspective. For example it was Zohran who brought Kal Penn to Nair’s interest while she was casting for her movie The Namesake. Though Penn is famous for his roles in movies like Harold and Kumar, Nair had not heard of him and was glad that her son brought him to her attention.

Nair also reveals that Zohran was equally involved in the casting for The Reluctant Fundamentalist. He is also trying to get Nair active on social media. “He is the one who put me on Twitter. I knew about it but I didn’t use it,” adds the filmmaker.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist, one of the most anticipated movies of this year released in Pakistan on May 24.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2013.                    

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MUMBAI: If some are heartbroken, others are angry about the sport getting tainted — Bollywood celebrities are candidly expressing their discontent over spot-fixing that has cast a shadow over the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

Three Rajasthan Royal players, including India pacer S Sreesanth, have been arrested by Delhi Police in connection with spot-fixing. Later Bollywood actor Vindu Dara Singh Randhawa was arrested by the Mumbai police in connection with the scam busted on May 16.

“I am heartbroken because I have watched the IPL and I am a very big Mumbai Indians fan. I am heartbroken and I don’t think I am in a position to comment. I just feel sport should not get tainted by such things. It’s very sad,” film director Nikhil Advani told reporters on Thursday when asked about the spot-fixing scandal.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the first-look launch of his directorial venture D-Day which stars Arjun Rampal and Irrfan Khan.

“It’s disgusting…cricket is like a religion in our country and when corruption comes out so openly, you feel so disappointed — cricket has to go through that for money. It’s a sad time for cricket,” said Rampal.

Irrfan, who was with Rampal and Advani at the event, said, “It was not a surprise as you can make out things are corrupt.” The IPL final is on May 26.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2013.                    

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Royal Mogul ‘shah sawar’ elephants, yesteryear’s Lollywood stars and a cityscape that traverses all the way from ‘Bandar Road to Kemari’, among others — this is a creative, artistic collection that pops in a myriad of different colours and catches your eye as you mall-hop for the latest ready-to-wear. It certainly caught mine.

For one, the W-11 collection stands out from the usual Ego designs — the zippered necklines and embroidered gulls that have been part of the brand for the longest time and look somewhat run-of-the-mill now. Although, as Ego’s owner, Adil Moosajee, explains to me, “When you produce 30 designs monthly, there are bound to be some that you repeat. Also, these designs are extremely popular with some of our regular customers.” Point taken — the tried and tested tunics help in boosting profits while a line like W-11 pushes the envelope design-wise.

Also, while art on apparel is a trend that’s been taken up recently by quite a few designers, the Ego Duet W-11 can be credited for bringing it to the high street at extremely affordable prices. The simplest tunics cost about Rs3,500 with prices rising no further than Rs6,500 for the more complicated.

“Some of the tunics are still more expensive than your usual Ego kameez,” says the line’s sole designer Sara Rizvi, who is also a senior designer for all of Ego’s apparel. “This is because of the exclusivity of the art on it and the complicated process that’s involved in translating it from paper onto fabric.”

There’s a lot of detail in some of these tunics — my favourite is ‘Bandar Road to Kemari’, which happened to be the very first line of kurtas to be introduced under the Duet W-11 label. Rising from the shirt’s hemline is a rickshaw winding down Karachi’s lanes, with a tangle of electric wires, a vegetable cart, a woman hanging her shopping basket down her balcony and Empress Market’s tall Clock Tower looming in the background. It’s a hustling-bustling sketch of Karachi that you can easily get lost in.

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“It sometimes takes weeks for me to create a single design,” explains Sara. “We pitch different ideas at Ego and I research into them. Then I create a pen sketch which is scanned and put on to the fabric. It’s a technical process because I have to keep in mind the dimensions of the garment on which the sketch will be printed.”

Sara’s latest designs in the series feature sketches of different women — hijab-clad, open-haired, the modern and the traditional — riding motorbikes down the road with ‘It’s about time’ written across the shirt. “I photographed women at their workplaces and juxtaposed them onto motorbikes,” says Sara. “I just wanted to show that while women have now become accepted at workplaces, they’re still not allowed to be who they want to be out on the road.”

It took Sara some time to convince her co-workers that message-oriented art could work well on apparel. “I have been a designer at Ego for the past three-and-a-half years and also own the W-11 art studio, which is a creative enterprise focused on developing commercial and non-commercial art,” she says. “My artistic sensibilities are often reflected in my designs, but Adil wasn’t sure that a separate collaboration with W-11 would work out well. He was convinced when the first collection sold out completely!”

Ego’s other Duet line, created in association with the movie, Chambaili, also reflects Sara’s handiwork. “Most of it has sold out,” says Adil, who now owns 30 Ego outlets across the country with more local and international expansion plans charted out for the year ahead. “We have a very loyal clientele and update our Facebook page constantly in order to assess their preferences.”

This is great but perhaps it is now time for Ego to move on from just maintaining a Facebook page. It’s a brand that Adil and his team have built through sheer hard work. Regular advertising and a presence at fashion weeks could help elevate its popularity and profits all the more — something that a brand like Khaadi has long understood but which Adil, unfortunately, doesn’t agree with.

“I’d much rather let my business grow the way it is now and create more employment opportunities for my workers in the process,” he says rather altruistically.

Placed and televised through a fashion week catwalk, the Duet W-11 line — and some of Ego’s other designs — could easily create a small furore. Instead, the clothes continue to sell out quietly amongst Ego loyalists. It’s one of the anomalies of Pakistani fashion: designers who can’t translate their designs into retail keep gracing the catwalk while promising brands like Ego and Daaman refrain.

On the upside, there’s an Ego store in almost every major mall in the country, for those of us who like affordable avant-garde artwork on apparel.

Maliha Rehman is a fashion and lifestyle journalist with an obsessive, compulsive need to write. Log on for more fashion updates on Twitter @maliharehman.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2013.                    

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For Alamgir’s old fans, the song brought back memories of his early years in the music world, but for new listeners, it became a brilliant new song.  While we may feel nostalgic when watching the young and unrefined Alamgir lip-synching in the original video, it is even more surprising to see Aamir Zaki in his teens in a yellow sweater playing the guitar as if it were a live performance.

After almost three decades, the incredible duo shares the stage once again on the fourth episode of Cornetto Music Icons (CMI), which marks a new chapter in the history of Pakistani music. While Zaki carries a reputation of being self-indulgent and anti-social, and Alamgir’s health issues have also seemed to surface, the fact remains that both of them are golden assets of Pakistan’s music industry.

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Amir Zaki and Alamgir are the music industry’s golden assets. PHOTO: FILE

Along with collaborating with a contestant Kanza Munir in CMI’s episode, Alamgir also performed a solo track and so did Zaki. While Munir’s solo track Naadani seemed magical, sadly the collaboration for Keh Dena seemed unbearable due to the number of times it has been redone.

Naadani

Munir performed the original soulful song with brilliance. The upbeat and melodious track is very easy on the ears and seems to be tailored for Munir’s soft and untrained voice. She added magic to it with her own spin and suitable improvisations within her vocal range. The master of strings Zaki adds his fine tunes in the song by infusing his trademark guitar solos and taking the song beyond its pop-song status. The lyrics are well written with an easy arrangement of sounds, and with its chorus line “Apni nadaniyon mae thora waqt hai abhi gawana”, the song seems to be youth-centric.

Production failure

Blame it on Coke Studio for raising the bar so high with regards to quality that anything less is a big disappointment. While CMI has music maestros and the audience’s full support in searching for new talent, the show seems miles behind in their audio and video production.

When iconic musicians like Khalid Khan and Zaki perform, the quality of music should be perfect, not below standards which is what happened with CMI. In the show, it’s unfortunate that seasoned and talented musicians are giving their best tunes and compositions, but energy still lacks which is crucial for any live music show to work.

The whole concept of mimicking a pre-recorded song on screen with only a few parts being played live doesn’t serve any purpose. Shahi Hasan and the team should realise that the quality of audio production is just not clean. Pre-recorded shows can’t beat standards of Coke Studio even though a lot of auto-tuning and post-production tweaking takes place in it. The show still retains its soul because everything is played and recorded live.

The budget limitations could be an excuse for CMI, but that should have been resolved in the pre-production phase.  With ventures like Pepsi Smash, CMI shouldn’t fall short on production quality. From Hasan and his team, expectations are for something equally good if not better; after all there are the only two Vital Signs members still vital for the music industry.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2013.                    

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LONDON: When you’re twirling the mascara wand on your lashes, have you ever rolled it over to see its expiry date? And what about that hand cream you bought from your trip last year? If you have been slacking off about cosmetics and skincare products lying on your dresser with layers of dust settled on it, you might be landing yourself a dermo dilemma.

A poll carried out by retail brand Debenhams suggests that women who use make-up products beyond its expiry date are putting their health at risk. The poll discovered that 57.7% of women make-up bags consist of expired cosmetics and they don’t throw it away as they think it to be a waste.

But what they don’t know is that it causes health risks that can lead to problems like breakouts, eye infections and skin rashes. “It’s worrying to find that so many women are putting their health at risk by keeping hold of make-up for too long,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Lisa Brett, spokesperson for Debenhams.

“It’s important to check the recommended ‘use by’ date on a product, and don’t be tempted to hang onto it even if it’s been discontinued! An out-of-date product will not give you the results it once could, and it may leave you with problems,” she added.

The poll revealed that 73% of women are not even aware of the expiry date of their make-up products.

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One-third were found to use eyeliner that is over an year old, which could lead to serious eye infections, 22% were said to keep foundation well over a year — leading to a bad skin complexion and breakouts — and 7% of women admitted to keeping eye shadows for over six years, which is way over its one-year recommendation.

Brett said, “If your make-up is past its best, it’s a false economy to keep using it until it’s all gone — it’s not worth the issues it could cause. Now spring’s here, what better opportunity to change cosmetics in your make-up bag?”

“Aside from health benefits of replacing your old cosmetics with new, the work of make-up will have moved on leaps and bounds if it’s been a few years since you explored it,” she added. “With new formulations and colours hitting the shelves all the time, there’s really no need to hang on to old make-up.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2013.                    

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Last week, Bollywood celebrities Sonam Kapoor and Veena Malik were both seen wearing all white at two different events. While both were dressed-to-impress, we can’t seem to decide which one is our favourite.

Sonam Kapoor

B-town’s beauty Sonam maintained her mark as a style icon and looked dreamy at the promotion of her film Raanjhanaa Ka Lallan. She glowed from head-to-toe in her princess-cut dress, as she posed for the cameras.

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Hair & Make-up

Sonam was bang on trend with her hair. Her up-do, somewhat side-ways, was perfect — with folds all around to give her a Greek-goddess look. We can’t emphasise enough on the fashionable hair-dos that are trendy this year. We love the nude lipstick and pink blush with her white outfit. Sonam brought out her eyes by fully outlining them.

Clothes

Showing off her ankle length designer-wear, Sonam looked fresh and fabulous. While Sailex’s creation is perfect for the hot season, it is also formal enough for an evening out. The simple dress, with a unique design coming from the back and going over her left shoulder, was eye-catching. The design also complimented Sonam’s figure.

Accessories & Shoes

Sonam’s fashion sense is always commendable. She knew not to go overboard and only wore tiny pearl earrings. The actor also chose to be comfortable and wore fancy white pumps. While we love her whole look, we can’t understand why she carried a long, bling-less, baby-pink purse.

Veena Malik

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Actor Veena, notorious for her outrageous stunts, sizzled in a white-and-gold gown at the premiere of her upcoming movie Zindagi 50-50.  She posed with grace, ready to beat her competition at the box office.

Hair & Make-up

We love Veena’s slicked back, side-parted low bun. The drama queen had on the perfect amount of make-up with great emphasis on her eyes. The peachy tinge in her lip shade sticks out and brings out her lips.

Clothes

The strapless, long gown had a dull gold design, which slipped Veena into the ‘elegant’ category. While the dress only had work on the belt-like portion on the front, the rest of the dress shimmered lightly. We love the perfect fitting of her dress, which covers most of her body for a change.

Accessories & Shoes

Like Sonam, Veena also only chose to wear pearl earrings. She carried a metallic purse in her other hand which is not shown in this picture. While we can’t see her shoes, we’re confident Veena wore a pretty pair of heels to complete her look. Kudos to the stylist who has changed Veena’s look completely!

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2013.                    

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While most celebs prefer to stay silent, Russell Brand has made an effort to stand up against the negative, preconceived notions regarding the Muslim community.

Actor-comedian and author Russell, Katy Perry’s ex-husband, wrote a piece for The Sun on the recent Woolwich murder case. Below is an excerpt from his article:

I caught up with the sad malice in Woolwich and felt compelled to tweet in casual defense of the Muslim community who were being haphazardly condemned by a few people on my time line.

Perhaps a bit glibly (but what isn’t glib in 140 characters) I posted: “That bloke is a nut. A nut who happens to be Muslim. Blaming Muslims for this is like blaming Hitler’s moustache for the Holocaust.”

As an analogy it is imperfect but I was frightened by how negative and incendiary the mood felt and I rushed…

… After my Hitler tweet I got involved in a bit of back and forth with a few people who said stuff like: “The murderer  said himself he did it for Islam.”

Although I wouldn’t dismiss what he’s saying entirely, I think he forfeited the right to have his views received unthinkingly when he murdered a stranger in the street. Someone else regarding my tweet said: “Hitler’s moustache didn’t invent an ideology that sanctions murder.”

That is thankfully true but Islam, when practised by normal people, is not an advocacy for violence.

“People all over the world are killing in the name of Islam,” someone added. But this is the trickiest bit to understand.

What I think is that all over our country, all over our planet, there are huge numbers of people who feel alienated and sometimes victimised by the privileged and the powerful, whether that’s rich people, powerful corporations or occupying nations.

They feel their interests are not being represented and, in many cases, know their friends and families are being murdered by foreign soldiers. I suppose people like that may look to their indigenous theology for validation and to sanctify their — to some degree understandable — feelings of rage.

Comparable, I suppose, to the way that homophobes feel a prejudicial pang in their tummies then look to the Bible to see if there is anything in there to justify it. There is — a piddling little bit in Leviticus.

The main narrative thrust of The Bible though, like most spiritual texts including the (Holy) Quran is: Be nice to each other because we’re all the same.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2013.                    

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We all are familiar with the concept of ‘do it yourself’ prevalent in various retail stores around the world. Stores worldwide offer activities like ‘making your own soap’, making pottery, ‘building a bear’, and ah, of course making your own perfume!

Pakistani singer and Bollywood actor Ali Zafar was in France this month to celebrate the Cannes Film Festival. During the festivities, the star took some time off to celebrate his birthday on May 18. Now most of us, if given a chance to celebrate our birthday in a beautiful city like Monte Carlo, would normally spend the day with family or perhaps just experience the city as it is.

But for Ali Zafar, who made his movie debut with Tere Bin Laden, followed by Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, celebrating birthdays mean spending time creating a personalised scent!  Ali visited Grasse, the perfume capital of France which has perfume factories all over.

After SRK and Lady Gaga perfume, who knows, we may see Ali launch his own fragrance?

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2013.                    

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LOS ANGELES: The speed demons of Fast & Furious 6 raced ahead of the hard-partying Hangover gang in a battle between two male-oriented movie franchises, setting up the car chase sequel for a big holiday weekend win at US and Canadian box offices.

Fast & Furious 6 rang up an estimated $98.5 million in domestic ticket sales from Friday through Sunday and was speeding toward $122.5 million by the end of Monday’s US Memorial Day holiday, distributor Universal Pictures projected.

Comedy sequel The Hangover Part III brought in $42.4 million from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates, and was likely to finish with $64 million through Monday, after a Thursday opening.

Last weekend’s box office leader, sci-fi sequel Star Trek Into Darkness, fell to third place with $38 million through Sunday and was headed toward $48 million through Monday.

The movies charged up the North American box office, putting ticket sales on pace for a Memorial Day weekend record. Receipts for all films could reach $323 million through Monday, according to Hollywood.com, shattering the 2011 record of $276.3 million.

“A perfect storm of hits led to this incredible weekend with going out to the movies proving itself to be the first choice for outside-of-the-home entertainment,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com’s box office division.

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The sixth installment of Fast & Furious blew past pre-weekend forecasts for $80 million in domestic sales over four days by nearly 50%. The previous five films grossed $1.6 billion combined.

Set in London, the new film stars Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, a now-retired professional criminal who reunites his crew with US Diplomatic Security Service agent Luke Hobbs, played by Dwayne Johnson. The group works to take down a criminal outfit of mercenary drivers scattered across 12 countries.

The new movie built a massive online fan base with more than 34 million “likes” on Facebook. It cost $160 million to produce.

“And it’s really extraordinary that 49% of the audience is female. Older females really love the film,” said Nikki Rocco, president for domestic distribution at Universal Studios, a unit of Comcast Corp. “Its appeal is very broad and very diverse.”

With the franchise showing no signs of slowing, Universal has already announced the Fast & Furious 7 release for July 2014.

The Hangover Part III, meanwhile, brings the hard-partying saga to a close. The third movie takes friends played by Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis back to Las Vegas for a new round of escapades as they hunt for the elusive and eccentric Mr Chow, played by Ken Jeong.

The weekend’s other new nationwide release, animated family film Epic, landed in fourth place with $34.2 million. In fifth place, blockbuster superhero movie Iron Man 3 from Walt Disney Co’s Marvel Studios earned $19.4 million. Its cumulative global sales topped $1.1 billion, Disney said, the fifth-highest total of all time.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2013.                    

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Is it horrifying? Not really. Is it funny? You bet!  The movie is hands-down hilarious in the first half, with a dwindling plot in the second.

The film revolves around two characters Hardik (Kunal Khemu) and Luv (Vir Das). Both of them are stoners living with their friend Bunny (Anand Tiwari) in his apartment, who is quite the opposite.  They are even employed by Bunny in his own office where they spend most of the time smoking weed and checking out random “foreign” girls on Facebook instead of working. The movie moves on to show how Luv gets rid of his doping habit for his girlfriend only to find out that she has ditched him, whereas Hardik’s about to be fired from work just when Bunny gets an offer to go to Goa for a presentation.

Till this point, the film runs smoothly with back-to-back, cleverly penned one-liners that force you into spells of laughter. After a long time, Bollywood has treated us to a genuinely entertaining screenplay that is well-written and perfectly timed by Nimodoru. The chemistry between the characters, Hardik and Luv, is what drives the narrative and keeps the audience amused. This is also by far actor Kunal Khemu’s best performed film.

Moving on, Bunny decides to take a road trip instead of his business class ticket, for the sake of his beloved friends, only to find out that he will be stuck with two people who are merely taking the trip for drugs and women. It is only a matter of time until they find out about a party happening on a nearby Island, organised by members of a Russian mafia. What follows are drugs, zombies and Boris –The Zombie Killer, played by Saif Ali Khan.

A blonde-haired character that has a fake Russian accent and often curses in a desi manner makes Saif’s performance even more hilarious. However, as soon as Boris becomes the macho man saving a bunch of Indian kids following his introduction, the film takes an awkward turn and all you are left with are, weird sounds and fury that signify nothing.

The cleverly-written, hilarious one-liners and the amusing story-telling soon fall prey to a very uninteresting and hollow climax that certainly did not match up to the brilliant build-up of the film. However, keeping the flaws aside, Go Goa Gone will keep you glued to your seats. The credit for it goes to the crazy soundtrack that offers an ideal combination that you can expect from a zombie-related comedy and also to the witty one-liners.

Had the film-makers paid just a tad bit more attention to the plot and structure of the narrative, this could have been by far the most entertaining film of 2013. Nonetheless, it is definitely a must-watch. 

Verdict: Expect pure entertainment instead of horror. Friends will not be able to control their laughter though families will surely ease out of the theatre. All in all, the movie is a joy ride palatable only for the young and adventurous.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2013.                    

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LAHORE: Extremism and a soundtrack of classic love songs make for the Pakistan’s taboo-breaking answer to the hugely successful US television series Glee.

Like its smash hit forerunner, Taan follows the lives and loves of a group of young people who regularly burst into song. But this time they attend a music academy in Lahore, instead of an American high school.

Taan - which is a musical note in Urdu – tackles subjects considered off limits in Pakistani society, with plotlines including love affairs between an extremist and a beautiful Christian girl.

The plan is for the 26-episode series to air in September or October, and while producer Nabeel Sarwar insisted the programme was not a “political pulpit”, he is determined to take on the tough issues.

“Nobody wants to have controversy for the sake of controversy, nobody wants to have an assignment to violence, nobody wants to push a button that would result in a disaster for anyone,” he told AFP.

“But the truth has to come out somewhere. Where are we going to put a line in the sand and say, ‘Look, this is what we are’?”

Taking a public stand to defend liberal values like this is rare in Pakistan, where forces of conservatism have risen steadily in recent years.

Risque scenes in foreign films are routinely cut by the authorities and the team behind Taan are acutely aware that they must tread carefully with their challenging material.

It is not only the sensibilities of the censors the producers must navigate.

While 70 percent of the population is under 35, a huge and potentially lucrative audience for advertisers, it is the head of the household who decides what families watch on TV, explains Sarwar.

“The head of the household during the day is the matriarch and the head of the household at night is the patriarch – they control access to TV,” he told AFP.

“You have to find programming that allows the matriarch and the patriarch to join in and participate, but there has to be room for the younger audience.”

In a bid to appeal to older viewers the makers of Taan have licensed around 100 classic Pakistani songs, some by legendary artists such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and have reworked them to suit modern tastes, as Glee does.

“We try to find music that resonates with the older generation which control the access to the TV but we contemporise that music so that the younger audience does not feel left out,” Sarwar said.

The show hopes that by taking on difficult issues in a light-hearted way it will both reflect the changing nature of the society and attract a young audience currently hooked on imported Turkish soap operas.

Local dramas struggle to compete with the likes of Manahil and Khalil and Ishq-e-Mamnu - Turkish serials starring Westernised characters with fair skin and dubbed into Urdu.

Turkish soaps are widely watched across the Muslim world, but the popularity of Ishq-e-Mamnu has prompted a lively debate about the “Turkish invasion” of the small screen in Pakistan, with local production companies complaining that they do not have the resources to rival them.

Yasmin Huq, one of the stars of Taan, told AFP a homegrown show could speak more clearly to Pakistanis than foreign imports.

“Today’s generation is watching Turkish and Indian dramas,” she said. “But no one can make a musical story like Pakistanis. Even if you watch the Turkish and Indian dramas, you will see that nobody can talk about Pakistan like Pakistanis.”

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From being just a hairstylist back in the 1980s to being the creator of images, Nabila has worked her magic on people from all walks of life in her more than 25 years of career. “Although I started my journey as a stylist focusing on hair, which still remains to be my core business, I quickly progressed into make-up, chemical treatment, styling and image consultancy,” she said.

Nabila was bold enough to train herself from Vidal Sassoon at a time when the mindset in our country towards beauticians was rather conservative. Not only did she learn women’s styling but also mastered grooming the alpha male, despite the fact that the profession was frowned upon. A woman venturing out to style men was indeed challenging, and still is in some ways, but she continues to strive. “To be a good barber, it is very important to be technically sound as there isn’t any room for error. Although barbers earn less respect and money, I think their job is commendable.”

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While many of us have heard brides say that they’ve had their make-up done by Nabila, few know of her contribution towards creating former Pakistani cricketer and commentator Wasim Akram’s image.  It was because of her unparalleled work and close involvement in Akram’s styling that she was recently invited to our bowlers’ training camp for a session on personal grooming. “It was a great experience overall. It was Wasim’s idea to hold the training session and it was good to see that all of them were very receptive,” said Nabila.

Talking about her experience, she added, “All 18 bowlers were super fit and I had a great canvas to begin with.  Knowing that they are more or less like celebrities and will be prominent in the public eye, it was an interesting opportunity to create an image for them. In fact, all of them showed up at the salon after the session which showed their eagerness to change.”

Nabila believes that it is crucial for celebrities to shape their image in the right way. She said, “Our talented young cricketers are our country’s ambassadors, hence, they need a world-class image that can groom them to the level where they can confidently represent themselves, their team and the nation.”

Nabila seems to understand the male psyche, approach and expectations. She emphasises on the significance of having a public image and stresses that the media industry is such that everyone from a corporate official to a politician should work on grooming and maintaining themselves.

The owner of N-Pro and the writer of Nabila Changes, it seems that Nabila will never give up in the race against time as she is now working on her new venture N-Gents; a salon that caters to the more aware men of our generation, which is being conceptualised by her elder son, Zair. We hope to see this constantly evolving artist bring more to the table with her undying energy and innovation.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2013.                    

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Designer Maheen Kardar Ali was recently spotted at the launch of a womenswear retail store COCO in Lahore looking like a trendy social activist in her MK Nation kurta! She scores a 10 on 10 for her sophisticated and sassy yet very down-to-earth look on our style-o-meter. Here is how you can get a similar look.

HAIR

Maheen has wrapped her beautiful long hair in a neat side-parted bun that gives her a smart, classy appeal and is bang on trend! To pull off a similar hairdo, just spray some untangling serum onto your hair, straighten them neatly and wrap them in a knot. Make sure you add some gel to smoothen the side-part at the front.

OUTFIT

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Maheen wore the popular MK Nation Kurta by her very own label Karma. We love the bright purple shade and can’t help but notice how shorter hemlines are slowly treading their way into the fashion scene. You can easily grab these kurtas off the racks of Karma outlets both in Karachi and Lahore in a variety of shades (Rs4,000). She paired it up with plain and simple white Capri tights readily available in stores like Splash (Rs1,500)and Khaadi (Rs1,200). For cheaper alternatives try heading to Sunday Bazaar or Zainab Market.

ACCESSORIES

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The stylish and elegant designer Maheen made a perfect style statement by adding the right amount of accessories to her outfit. She looked innocent yet uber chic in the long pearl and beads necklace, pearl studs and the oh-so-stylish dangling bracelet/watch. Luckily for you guys, these are easily accessible at Accessorize, Mango and some local corner stands at popular malls. For a similar tote bag, try out Nine West (Rs8,000) or Hub Leather (Rs6,000).

MAKE-UP

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That pop of dark berry red lips and that million dollar smile on Maheen’s face has just stolen our hearts. For a similar shade try out MAC’s Hang-up Cremesheen lipstick (Rs1,800). Although we are drooling over Maheen’s clear glowing skin, we would have appreciated a touch of some pale pink blush and lightly lined eyes. To get a clear, flawless skin, apply Body Shop’s Vitamin E tinted moisturiser (Rs1,500) topping it with a little concealer that matches your skin tone. Add a tinge of Body Shop’s golden pink blush (Rs1,800) to get a look that speaks purity.

SHOES

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Maheen kept it casual and comfy in a pair of black glittery chappals that coordinate well with her accessories. To grab a similar pair, head to your nearest outlet of Walk Eaze (Rs2,000) or if you like spending some big bucks on shoes then try out Charles and Keith (Rs4,000).

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2013.

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CAT FIGHT! This month, Bollywood stars Mallika Sherawat, Vidya Balan and Sonam Kapoor attended the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. At the closing ceremony, bombshell Mallika Sherawat made a statement that has caused quite a stir and has managed to offend various personalities, including the likes of Priyanka Chopra.

The Murder-starrer called India a “regressive nation for women” on an international platform, to which Priyanka responded: “I think we are a progressive nation. I disagree that we are a regressive nation. We are all sitting here and talking about educating the girl child, taking our country forward. I think it’s a misrepresentation of what our great nation is on the world platform.”

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“It was something which I felt extremely offended by,” she added.

Calling Mallika’s statement an “extreme misrepresentation” of India and “unfair”, Priyanka said: “When it comes to Mallika’s statements, I think they were very callous and I don’t agree with her. It was upsetting for me as a woman. It was upsetting for me as a girl who comes from India. I think it was extreme misrepresentation of our nation. I don’t think it’s fair.”

Seems to us that Priyanka is extremely offended by Mallika’s silly actions, however we do get the feeling that Pinky Chops just doesn’t like her! Take it easy Pinky, at the end of the day you’re still our favourite.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2013.

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Tandon, who was earlier associated with reality show Chak De Bachche and has even hosted chat show Isi Ka Naam Zindagi, is keen to do a non-fiction show on TV. But she says she cannot devote as much time as such shows demand.

In fact, she says she has already rejected two offers due to this. “Many offers have come. Recently I rejected two because they wanted many days [for the shoot]. I am the kind of person who wants to work with speed,” Raveena said. “They [producers] wanted 22 days in a month which I am not ready to give. I can’t give that kind of time.”

Currently, the actor is happy with the pace of her career and said, “Interesting things are happening and I am enjoying them.” The 39-year-old said she has finished shooting for her forthcoming film, Gin Liya Aasman.

Gin Liya Aasman is a bilingual children’s film. She plays mother to a six-year-old in it.

“I have completed Gin Liya Aasman, which will release soon. Now I am working on a Telugu film, which I just shot in Italy,” added Raveena. Her other projects include an untitled Tamil film by Srivas and Shobhana 7 Nights.

The reason why Raveena cannot devote so much time to shooting is because of her children. Managing between her hectic schedules, she also needs to take care of her kids especially because they are young and need most attention at this stage in their life.

We are excited that Raveena is starring in a few upcoming films. We only hope that they prove to be successful or else she will retire back to those reality TV shows, which we have to be honest about, we are not too fond of!

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2013.

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The 36-year-old made her Bollywood debut in 2009 with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi 6 in a supporting role, but graduated to lead roles with films such as London Paris New York.

“Akshay Kumar is an incredible actor,” she said. “He is disciplined behind the scenes as well as on the screen and in front of the camera. He is full on masti and a lot of fun.”

“I think that’s a great quality to have for an actor. I am very inspired by the way he works. I am very privileged to be a part of his production house and his film,” Aditi added.

Last seen in Murder 3, Aditi is in the process of signing her next film.

“Right now, I am reading a lot of scripts and I am seeing what I can do next as this is the time where one decides which way your career is going. I want to be very sure that I make the right choice,” said the actor.

Directed by Anthony D’Souza, Boss, also featuring Mithun Chakraborty, Danny Denzongpa, Ronit Roy and Johnny Lever, is slated to release in October this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2013.

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