It’s not that cable television is not good. Au contraire, a show like Homeland will stay with you long after the season is over. It’s the most gripping show on cable television. After all, President Barack Obama is a fan for a reason. Claire Danes has put up the  performance of a lifetime as a bipolar CIA agent. As Carrie, she falls in love with a man who, is as damaged and broken as she is, while working for a spy agency with its own egoistical bosses and power players.

But, not every show is Homeland. Game of Thrones is violent (appealing as it maybe to the world). Make no mistake, Dexter is violent. Shows like Girls, Sons of Anarchy and Weeds have something in common — violating and disturbing sex scenes. Let’s go with the most recent Girls — the controversial and possibly non-consensual sex scene between Adam and Natalia in season two of Girls raised some serious questions about what passes off as entertainment and whether it was rape. Show’s creator Lena Dunham called it a “misunderstanding”.

Mad Men continues to rake in nominations even though it’s a haze of women, booze, sex and trauma. What was novel in the first season is just too convoluted to even keep up with. Throw in nudity and you have shows that will surpass beautiful performances each time. However, not every show on cable television revolves around sex and drugs and booze. But those often go unnoticed as network shows.

Things are different when it’s a network show. Excessive violence, sex scenes and nudity are just not acceptable. The themes that are running through cable network can be found on network television minus the excess. So here then, we pick some performances that deserved an Emmy nod.

Show: Parenthood

Network: NBC

Creator: Jason Katims

Since the inception of Parenthood, it’s always been underrated. Procedural shows like NCIS almost always take the audience away. In the concluded fourth season, Jason pulled all the punches. Monica Potter takes your breath away as Kristina Braverman, mother to three children (including an autistic teenager), whose life changes when she is diagnosed with cancer, and doesn’t know if she will live to see her children grow up.

Add that to a cast that includes actors like Peter Krause who plays the husband to Monica and it’s a winning combination. It was a beautiful and poignant season. Forget nominating it for best drama, the Emmys didn’t even consider Monica Potter for a supporting role nod even though the Critics’ Choice Television Awards and Television Critics Association nominated and awarded the actor.

Shows: Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal

Network: ABC

Creator: Shonda Rhimes

Shonda Rhimes is constantly pushing the envelope — casting Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope in Scandal. What we keep missing is the fact that Kerry is the first black actress to lead a show on network television, ever. For an explosive performance, Kerry Washington picked up a nomination for Best Actress. But Tony Goldwyn, who plays the brooding American President, Fitzgerald Grant, was conveniently left out.

Grey’s Anatomy, one of the most popular American shows for nearly a decade, had a monumental season finale. Actors like Sandra Oh and Ellen Pompeo and Justin Chambers have been ignored for years even though they play the complex human emotions with such will and conviction that you can’t help but watch them, year after year.

Show: The Newsroom

Cable Network: HBO

Creator: Aaron Sorkin

The Newsroom is the most criticised show by Aaron Sorkin, the genius writer behind shows like The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and films like Moneyball and Social Network. Jeff Daniels won a nomination and rightly so but the powerful script and the quick-witted dialogues that breathe life into the show didn’t earn Sorkin a writing nomination.

Show: Revenge

Creator: Mike Kelley

As the name suggest, the show is all about revenge. Emily VanCamp stars as Emily Thorne, a girl whose sole mission in life is to take down the mighty Grayson family for putting her father in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. The show is a commentary on what complexities lay behind every relationship and how every action has a consequence.

Emily VanCamp’s Emily Thorne and Madeleine Stowe’s Victoria Grayson are mesmerising. The sharp dialogues, beautiful locations, corporate greed, innocent love and familial ties make the show appealing and unique. Once again, even as People’s Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards and Television Critics Association Awards deemed them worthy of nominations, the Emmys failed to include the cast or even the show in its entirety.

Maheen Sabeeh is a freelance journalist. She blogs at maheensabeeh.wordpress.com and tweets @maheensabeeh

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2013.

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The brand was introduced three years ago in Lahore. “We literally started from scratch. However, it’s a success story, throughout. First, it was only Breakout and then came out Breakout Kids, which has specific collections for kids wear,” says Madeeha Raza, the designer for the brand.

Considering Karachi is a metropolitan city and the preferred choice for business minds to invest, it comes as a surprise that it took three long years for the brand to find a place in the designers’ hub. Raza, however, remains slightly ambiguous in her comment. “When a good opportunity came our way in the form of the Ocean Towers placement, we landed here,” she says.

Brand’s designer Madeeha Raza says that their prices are competitive with other local brands available in the market. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Western wear seems to be gaining a lot of popularity among designers even though the masses may not relate to it as much. When asked what the reason behind launching such a brand was, Raza said, “Lots of people in Pakistan love to wear Western clothes. However, often it is not within one’s reach to buy such stuff, so Breakout was launched with that idea in mind. We still cater to as many people as we can and our prices are competitive as far as the collection goes vis a vis other brands that are surfacing in the market today.”

Apparently, the brand is targeting the brave and edgy shopper with hip and bright-coloured outfits. “It’s meant for someone who is brave and bold as far as dressing up goes and someone who can toy with bright colours. Our collection is for the hip and trendy youngsters of today. We plan to remain true to our style philosophy that is loud,” emphasises Raza.

However, like many other local brands, Breakout appears to fall short of the standard of quality and appeal set by international brands, making their way into high-end malls. Nevertheless, the brand aims to reach global success. “We aim to go global, but well before that, we would like to be placed in Karachi’s Dolmen City Mall,” she asserts.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2013.

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Peri-Peri is a small-time fast food chain from greater parts of London and its menu includes, chicken tenders, chicken pieces, wings, burgers and wraps. “I have brought this chain to Lahore because it is very close to our local flavour,” says Mohammad Aqif, franchisee of Peri-Peri. “We enjoy spicy foods and the sauce comes in mild, hot and extra hot flavours, suited to the customer’s palate.”

Peri-Peri offers burgers, wraps and chicken dishes on its menu but the meat lacks moisture and flavour. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

The decor of the new restaurant is far from glamorous, and the overall experience leaves the palate wanting more — but not in a good way. The burger is missing out on the juiciness of tender meat and chicken is overcooked. While Peri-Peri sauces are known for tantalising our taste buds with the fiery flavour, their mayo is far too sweet and fails to create a good balance. The saving grace, however, is the chicken wrap because of its savoury, ranch dressing.

For those who love Nando’s distinct flavour, Peri-Peri might not satisfy in terms of its product. With an average meal priced at Rs500, Peri-Peri may not impress those who enjoy a good deal of tongue-tickling spices. We hope the glitches are teething problems and that the menu and dishes evolve with time.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2013.

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Several Bollywood stars were spotted at Sridevi’s 50th birthday bash looking like fashion disasters. While one would expect big names from showbiz to up the ante and put their most stylish foot forward, most of these celebs shocked us with their fashion choices.

Sridevi

The birthday girl herself, who mostly looks glamorous, did not maintain her usual elegance. In her silk Prabal Gurung floral printed dress, she failed to make an impression. The open hair could have been tied up for a more formal look. The dress is better suited for day events, and the fitting is not complementing her figure at all — no points for no grace.

Genelia D’souza

Genelia D’souza looked good in her red Gauri and Nainika dress. Her light make-up gives her an au-natural look that balances out that lace at the neck (which we don’t quite love), but at least it’s saving her from looking too over-the-top. Her black heels are simple and unexciting and the Alexander McQueen clutch appears out of place with this feminine look.

Bhavna Pandey

Actor Chunkey Pandey’s wife, Bhavna looked stunning in this fitted peplum, cobalt blue dress. Her bright-pink nail colour and lips add some funk to her look. The matching heels are another good choice. She keeps it simple yet classy with her loose locks, minimal accessories and a powder pink clutch. Seems as if the actors’ wives made an extra effort to look fabulous!

Esha Deol

Esha Deol is in need of a make-over. Those flamboyant stilettos and her plunging white dress are both pretty catastrophic. She seems to have lost her elegant demeanour as she exhibits ample cleavage and tries to pull off that ugly sheer trail.

Seema Sachdev Khan 

From top to bottom, actor Sohail Khan’s wife Seema looked picture perfect. With her elegant white jumpsuit and perfectly-done make-up she looked every bit as stylish as one should be for star-studded events. While that statement gold necklace gave her outfit the oomph it needed, the classy heels splashed a wave of green on her white canvas. She was undoubtedly the best dressed person at the event — a full 10 for Seema!

Shamita Shetty

Though we love her fashionable, off-shoulder shimmery dress, we would have appreciated it if she had toned it down by wearing plain black heels and a simple clutch, to avoid looking flashy. A softer lip-colour and lighter eyes would have also been preferable. Having said that, she was among the better dressed celebs of the night.

Shilpa Shetty

Shilpa is not known to be fashion-savvy, and proves us right by showing up in this school-girlish look at the party. Her Ted Baker Bow Collar dress was like something out of a high-school sitcom. Except her red luscious lips, her entire look including the accessories and shoes is a recipe for disaster

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2013.

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Widely considered the kick-off to Oscar season, the 2013 festival will feature 146 world premieres, including hyped, new films from acclaimed Canadian directors Paul Haggis and Denis Villeneuve. The full programme was released on Tuesday.

Streep and Roberts are set to walk the red carpet for the world premiere of August: Osage County, a film by John Wells. The movie is adapted from the Pulitzer prize-winning play and is already the source of much early Oscar buzz.

Firth takes on the lead role in The Railway Man, the true story of a British soldier who was captured by Japanese troops in World War Two and remained haunted by his captivity. Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky, the film also stars Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman.

TIFF previously unearthed hits such as Slumdog Millionaire and The King’s Speech, which went on to win best film at the Oscars. PHOTO: FILE

Audiences will also get the first glimpse at a dramatically thinner Matthew McConaughey, who lost nearly 40 pounds (18 kg) to play real-life AIDS activist Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club. Directed by Montreal’s Jean-Marc Vallée, McConaughey’s performance is already being tipped for an Oscar nod.

Ontario-raised director Haggis, who won two Oscars for his film Crash, will be back in Toronto with the world premiere of Third Person, which traces the hidden connections between three men played by Liam Neeson, Adrien Brody and James Franco.

Villeneuve, meanwhile, goes Hollywood with Prisoners, a vigilante thriller that stars Hugh Jackman as a man seeking vengeance after his daughter and her friend disappear, and Jake Gyllenhaal as the lead detective on the case.

Launched in 1976, the Toronto film festival ranks among the world’s top movie events and often serves as a launch pad for international films seeking North American distribution. The festival previously unearthed hits such as Slumdog Millionaire and The King’s Speech, which went on to win best film at the Oscars.

The 2013 festival will screen 366 feature and short films from 70 countries.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2013.

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Former Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram on Wednesday announced his marriage to Australian girlfriend, Shaniera Thompson, saying he has started a new life on a happy note.

“I married Shaniera in Lahore last week in a simple ceremony and this is the start of a new life for me, my wife and for my kids,” Wasim told AFP.

The 47-year-old’s first wife Huma died in 2009 after multiple organ failure.

In a romantic gesture, Wasim proposed to the 30-year-old former public relations consultant on bended knee last month.

Thompson came to Karachi earlier this month before going to Lahore to see Wasim’s ailing father, where the marriage was made official.

Wasim said Thompson had converted to Islam and is learning Urdu.

“She has embraced Islam and is learning our language. She has been close to my sons and they form a very good bond,” said Wasim of his two sons from his first marriage.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2013.

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So where does a film like Once Upon a time in Mumbai Dobara fit in the aforementioned spectrum? Its prequel, a glossy and polished rendition of an essentially dark world, could be placed somewhere in the middle of two extremes. But the latest in the franchise does not merit being measured on the same scale.

Milan Luthria’s OUATIMD is a misleading sequel to an honest film. While we have witnessed love stories develop in gangster narratives, this film does quite the opposite — it forces two gangsters into a love triangle. The result is a film that fails to satisfy in both the gangster story and love story departments.

The film is about Shoaib (Akshay Kumar), a ruthless and handsome Muslim goon who pledges to rule all of Mumbai. He has the power and connections to delay the toss of a test match, as well as decide who gets awards in showbiz.

His companions are his long-time love Mumtaz (Sonali Bendre), who he still trusts more than anyone, his partner Javed (Sarfaraz Khan), and Aslam (Imran Khan), the young foot soldier discovered by Shoaib 12 years ago who is now ready to kill or be killed for him.

After being out of Bombay for some time, Shoaib returns to the city only to be the intended victim of a car bomb, courtesy his former partner Rawal (Mahesh Manjrekar). He makes a lucky escape, but is focused on revenge. While his gang is gunning for Rawal, Shoaib meets Jasmine (Sonakshi Sinha), a Kashmiri girl who is a rookie of the film industry. Shoaib falls for her and the rest is a predictable series of events that makes this film more of a love saga and less of an intense gangster film.

As far as the script is concerned, there are some good one-liners that will leave you thinking. But the cracks show when the film relies so much on one-liners that it becomes more of a competition of words and less of dialogue. The plot is weak and unconvincing — a good example of poor storytelling. The film lingers on too long and if you think it has something more to offer, it disappoints.

Having said that, Akshay pulls off the vintage bad-guy look with style. He definitely has the presence required for such a dominating character. Sinha again plays a powerful lead role with a lot of command and bits of overacting. Imran Khan, unfortunately, is a little too clean for a gangster’s sidekick. Given his character, however, he plays the role of a boy trying to be a man with some success. In a nutshell, the characters lacked detail because they come across as high school kids fighting over a woman and occasionally dancing to some catchy music by Pritam.

Verdict 2/5: It’s neither a gangster film nor a proper love triangle. If you are looking for something in the middle, then it’s meant for you. Otherwise save yourself the time and money.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2013.

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The stay in China includes visits to various historical sites, art museums and art institutions apart from the opportunity of sketching and painting at the Great Wall of China and Bashang Prairie. Besides visiting places like Tian’anmen Square, National Museum, Houhai and the Yandaixie Lane, The Forbidden City, Olympic Stadium, Songzhuang and Silk Street, the team of five will also get the chance to meet and exchange thoughts with other artists at 798 Art District and Jinhui Art School.

Participants will be meeting with Chinese artists at different institutes and will share their thoughts on local art. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

While in China, the artists will be working on projects and their art work will be displayed at an exhibition. The formal opening of this exhibition will be on August 25. The participants will also be awarded certificates of recognition at a formal closing dinner.

The five Pakistani painters participating include, Akram Dost Baluch, Masood A Khan, Aqeel Solangi, Zaira Ahmad Zaka and Mobeen Salman Ansari. They have been selected by the visual arts division of Pakistan National Council of the Arts.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2013.

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“He was a brave man who always followed his dream despite facing opposition from the family,” says Nasir Khan, the assistant who worked with Paracha at Peshawer’s popular music store. “It was due to his bravery and love for music that I remained associated with him for over 26 years.”

Peracha breathed his last on Sunday, due to “old age”, according to Khan. “He did not really have any health problems,” he says, adding that he was buried in his ancestral village in Kohat.

When it started out, Teen Beat had only 150 music records. Today, it has the largest audio collection in the province, with 10,000 CDs, 10,000 cassettes and around 14,000 LPs. Apart from the collection, autographs from prominent singers and musicians such as Mohammad Rafi, R D Burman, Jagjit Singh, Noushad, Manna Dey, Reba McEntire, Nayyara Noor are also prominently displayed inside the shop.

Aside from the expected classic and contemporary Pashto music, Teen Beat used to be the region’s hotspot for English music. It offered a great collection of classical and semi-classical Urdu songs. Customers would come from far-fetched places and were left dumbfounded with the variety of music available in Peshawer. Paracha’s knowledge in music was immaculate. “He had profound knowledge about both Eastern and Western music,” asserts Khan. “People from far flung areas would come in search of music. Not once did anybody go back empty-handed.”

The people of the city loved him for keeping their culture and heritage alive. Records from old Pashto singers like Ghani Khan, Hamza Baba and Sabz Ali Khan, could only be found in his personal treasure.

Zeeshan Parwez of the band Sajid and Zeeshan recalls memories with the popular store owner. “I was introduced to him in 1992,” he posted on Facebook. “Since then, I have been going there to purchase countless albums and order selections. The Teen Beat card [receipt for order collection] is my most treasured thing,” he says. “I think many people would back me up when I say this — a lot of times I found that a record was available at Teen Beat only 10 days after its worldwide release. In those days, it was unheard of because new records would reach Offbeat and other shops a bit later,” he adds.

Parwez shares details of his last meeting with Paracha. “I met him last year when I went to buy some Pashto CDs. He had aged quite a bit but still had that smile on his face. Only, this time, he was asking for an autographed poster of me and Sajid so that he could put it up on his wall alongside other posters.”

In his last years, Paracha worried about the decline in his business due to the availability of free music online. The number of visitors at his shop gradually dwindled, but he continued to pursue his dream till his last day.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2013.

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Zayn Malik, arguably the best looking member of boy band One Direction, broke many teen hearts on Sunday by proposing to his girlfriend Perrie Edwards. Perrie was spotted sporting some serious bling on her ring finger at the world premiere of One Direction’s movie One Direction: This Is Us in London on Thursday, sparking engagement rumours.

Perrie’s mother Debbie confirmed the news on Real Radio, according to the Huffington Post. “They got engaged on Sunday and it was absolutely lovely. It’s wonderful because Zayn’s absolutely gorgeous and Perrie loves him to pieces. It’s just perfect,” she said. She was also delighted that Zayn took the conventional route of asking for permission for her daughter’s hand in marriage.

While they haven’t set a date, Edward’s mother estimated that the couple would probably be getting married in 2014 or 2015, as they don’t want to wait too long.

Things seem to be going perfectly for Zayn. He got the movie and the girl! But will the engagement last, or is this just a publicity stunt in light of 1D’s movie debut?

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.

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The tongue-in-cheek political satire on the absurdity that is talk shows and politics, Siasat@8pm was staged at Kuch Khaas Centre for Art, Dialogue and Culture in Islamabad on Wednesday evening.

Although the play title suggests hard talk on pressing political issues, it actually mocks the rat race in which media personnel will go to any extent to break a news story. It also hints at the money-minded politicians, social welfare workers, bureaucracy and the oft-exploited common man who is at the bottom of the food chain.

The play opens on the sets of the fictional political talk show, Siasat@8pm in which the host AD Chaudhry (Usman Butt) is discussing pressing social issues with his guests Jasmine (Rabia Pasha) and Haji NA 420 (Salman Haider). The host is the pivotal character, exuding authority and at times a bit too much of it, reminiscent of real-life talk vshow hosts known for their overbearing mannerism.

Jasmine is the brand-conscious socialite who prides herself over the “social work” that she does for everyone from Prime Minister House to her residence in Banigala. Her lust for power and wealth draws her to the bearded, Ray-Ban sporting politician Haji NA 420 who claims his grandfather offered Hajj 420 times.

In the next act, which depicts a lapse of five years, the assistants of the social worker and the politician, namely Sara (Wajiha Saqib) and Junaid (Haider Mirza) seem to have climbed the social ladder. They are now commenting on similar issues on the same talk show, where nothing else seems to have changed. When asked how to address increasing poverty, Sara quotes the historical comment, “Let them eat cake.” In the climax, when Aam Admi (Ikramullah Khan) is found guilty of eating the cake that was meant for the guests at the show, the guests along with the production crew and host all gather around to cut his stomach in hopes of airing never-seen-before footage which would amp up the show ratings; ratings higher than the popular Turkish drama Ishq-e-Mamnoon.

The exaggerated performances in relatable situations are what the audience connected with the most, oddly feasting on the eccentricities and frustrations. Moreover, the spot-on comic timing also worked wonders for the otherwise not-so-original comedy.

A production of Theatre Wallay, the play has been directed by Safeerullah Khan and Fizza Hasan and written by Salman Haider. Prominent faces at the event included the NCSW chairperson Khawar Riaz and defence analyst Ayesha Siddiqa.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.

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Crash My Party, the fourth studio album from Bryan, sold more than 527,000 copies in its first week, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan, making it his best debut so far. It is also the third biggest opening for an album this year, behind Jay Z’s Magna Carta… Holy Grail, which sold 528,000 copies in its first week in July, and Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience, which debuted with 968,000 copies in March.

Hip-hop artist K Michelle was the only other new album to enter the top 10 of the Billboard 200 this week, landing at second position with her debut album Rebellious Soul and selling 71,000 copies.

On the other hand, pop singer Perry, who released her first single, Roar, from the upcoming album Prism last week, scored her best sales week as the song sold more than 557,000 downloads and topped the Billboard Digital Songs chart.

The song also notched number two position on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, which measures radio airplay, online streaming and sales, but it was unable to knock-off Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines featuring TI and Pharrell, which clocked its 11th non-consecutive week on the number one slot on the chart.

With her single, Perry was able to beat out stiff competition from Lady Gaga, who released her new single Applause from upcoming album, Artpop, which ranked third on the digital songs chart with 218,000 downloads and finished at number six on the Hot 100 chart.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.

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While seasons and trends are ever changing, lace doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. From necklaces to shoes, clutches to dresses, lace accents are still very much en vogue.

It’s as hot on the runway and red carpet as it is at casual hangouts. Celebrities opt to wear both long and short lace numbers to movie premieres. Gradually, the trend has crept into accessories, taking it from overwhelming to versatile.

Lace is a trend that can be just as easily dressed up, as down. For a more casual look, you can pair a lace cover up with jeans and a plain top to look both relaxed and classy. To bring the oomph factor into an outfit, try coupling it with a pair of sexy lace heels, or a lace clutch to finish off your look.

Initially, lace was thought to look good only in black and white. Now, lace has combined with both colour blocking and pastel trends to produce a number of vibrant, individual pieces that can be worn both day and night.

Whether as detailing in a kameez, a slight touch in a pair of heels, or a full out dress, lace is here to stay.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.

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A testimony to this is actor Priyanka Chopra’s incredible success story from Bareilly to Boston and finally, to Bollywood as her parents let her live the life she wanted to even though she came from similar backgrounds as other suppressed girls.

“I come from a very small town and from a middle class family. I don’t come from an affluent background — I don’t come from somewhere where my life was about pubs and discotheques,” said Chopra. Despite that, my parents gave me an opportunity to be whoever I wanted to be, they educated me, they gave me values and they gave me a great life by always going out of their way. I am very fortunate. Not every girl child is as lucky as me.”

The 31-year-old, who was born in Jamshedpur, has voiced concerns for child rights and is an endorser of girl child empowerment in the country.

With her new single Exotic, the actor-cum-singer is now the face of NDTV’s Vedanta Our Girls Our Pride campaign. She recalls her parents sensitising her to these issues since she was a little girl. “My mother is a gynecologist and my father was a surgeon. So, as a kid, I remember how every few weeks we used to take an ambulance and visit villages with doctors and nurses when we were staying in Bareilly,” she said. “Children were an important part of my upbringing, so when I became Miss World, I got really involved with the Miss World Foundation and started associating with a lot of NGOs and people who would help the cause.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.

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The sombre music by Ahsan Bari and Shoaib Lari, playing alongside the backdrop of a jungle, takes you into a place oscillating between grey to dark and depressing. On stage, are actors playing white birds and black crows that transition from one emotional aspect of life to another, with impeccable and soulful dance moves.

From self-loathing to depression, to the mere pressure of survival in the world, Chaggar and her dancers depict every element of life through the flight and movement of birds. While at one point two white birds express the intricacies of a relationship going from cheerful and loving to frustrating and troublesome, at another instance, the group of dancers portrays how evil is constantly trying to seduce and overpower good is.

Each actor deserves a round of applause for toying with human emotions and executing them with gripping performances. They range from sensitive and beautiful to intense and hard-hitting. The dance moves, while definitely a lot more technical, are pulled off effortlessly. The dancers cleverly use the stage space as they fly and curve, moving their hands with ease. At some points, however, the routines appear repetitive and fall slightly short of perfection. The music is glaring and dark but at the same time, touches one’s heart, relating well to the emotions being displayed on stage. The dim lighting is appropriate for the whole set-up.

While the play in its entirety might confuse the audience due to its experimental nature, the ending isn’t as easy to digest.

According to Paras Masroor, a renowned theatre actor who was present in the audience, the play was a first of its kind with thought-provoking moments. “Being an actor myself, I loved the performance. This was something new, with music playing a vital part in it. The performance was altogether a different combination of sorts in the sense that a variety of feelings were captured and portrayed. However, sometimes they became repetitive but overall it was a very magical,” she says.

The play will continue to run till September 1 from Thursday to Sunday at 8 pm. Regular tickets are priced at Rs600 and student tickets are Rs300.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.

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The captain of Pakistani team Akbar Deen (Humayun Saaed) becomes a national disgrace when police in Dubai discover him intoxicated and in the possession of drugs in his hotel room. He is banned from the cricket arena and disowned by his lower middle-class elderly parents, wife (Mahnoor Baloch) and young son for bringing shame to the family.

Fast forward 15 years later. A small cricket club in Sialkot is in desperate need of a coach to prepare it for a local cricket competition. Enter Deen. From here on, the journey for Deen and Shahid Bhatti — the talented but raw cricket-loving youth who hopes to become the next Shahid Afridi — begins. But it is an unbalanced story between Deen and Shahid’s professional and personal life as they prepare to win the cup.

The younger lot of actors deserves special mention; individually and collectively, they take attention away from senior cast members. Noman Habib as Shahid is so immersed in his character that it often seems he is playing his natural self. Add a bit of Gohar Rasheed to his screen space and they give you one of the most immaculate chemistries on screen. Shafqat Cheema as Bhatti sahab is as impactful as always and Ismail Tara is a source of occasional humour with his animated portrayal of Chotay Malik sahab.

The biggest disappointment of the film is Humayun Saaed. Almost like the Voice of God in Hollywood movies, Saeed as Deen appears wherever he wants and however he likes — in his colourful Nike jackets and tracks or jeans (the idea of wearing jeans to training sessions is beyond us). He delivers his lines with monotony, leaving you to decipher the meaning of every spoken word. Whether it’s a serious discussion with Cheema or an intimate scene with Baloch, the mechanical consistency of his expressions is almost miraculous; just before the climax, he literally flies in an action sequence — a funny moment not to be missed. Sexy Mahnoor Baloch makes an appearance with limited scenes, whereas director Osama fails to capitalise on the potential of Javed Sheikh and Nadeem Baig.

Here’s the good news. No matter how done to death the story is, the dialogues stand out. Kudos to Vasay Chaudhry for some hilarious one-liners. One memorable moment is when the religious Pathan team-member (Hamza Ali Abbasi) refuses to play the match alongside a Christian player and someone pipes up, “Match khelna hai — milaad pae nahin jana”.

Areas that need work are choreography, which is pretty naïve, and the over-dramatised ‘party scene’ which is needlessly vulgar in places. Stylistically, the film is below average compared to other recent Pakistani releases. Most montages seem to be forced into the narrative just to try something ‘different’. Excessively bleached colour grading at places too seems without purpose. Logically, when the emotional pre-final match visit to Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi was shown, one wonders why the match itself was played at the Moin Khan Academy instead of the National Stadium. The cricket shots, the essence of any film on cricket, are executed half- heartedly and without finesse.

The film makes a conscious effort to send out a positive message. It attempts to manufacture a ‘Great Pakistani Dream’, where individuals unite and fight for something irrespective of religion and ethnicity. It is heartwarming, but the director relies on a bucket full of stereotypes and childish narratives to convey it. For this very reason, the Christian wicket keeper (Michael Magnet) is selected in a beautiful church and always carries a cross in hand. The ‘maulana’ pacer is never seen without his keffiyeh and rosary as accessories. Here, we missed the kind of research we saw in Imran Yusuf’s cricket play Stumped.

From the item song to the dance sequences at ‘parties’ that look more like a glorified version of contemporary mehendis, MHSA is following the Bollywood formula, in that it is aiming for a wider audience. While it will undoubtedly make a considerable box office return and be successful commercially, aesthetically it is nothing more than a ‘Made in China’ version of a B-grade Bollywood film.

Verdict 2.5/5
MHSA is a film that has its heart in the right place but no soul. Do watch it to support Pakistani cinema but don’t be surprised if you get fed up of its pretense to achieve something larger than life.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.

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The National Award-winning actor has been into both serious and comic roles. “I consider myself lucky as there are hardly any actors who can balance out both [genres],” said the actor, who made his acting debut in Bollywood in 1991 with Phool Aur Kaante. When it comes to choosing his projects, Devgn is very particular as he feels stardom comes with responsibility. “I have decided not to do any vulgar films after Rascals…and I believe many stars aren’t doing that,” he told IANS in an interview.

“It’s okay if a newcomer or young kids do it because they don’t have an image [yet], but stars have an image and children also identify with them. So if they do it, things go wrong,” he added. He admits that his daughter Nysa is his biggest critic. “She comes and tells me, ‘You weren’t interested in that song. So why were you dancing when you weren’t interested?’ She passes genuine comments.”

Devgn’s upcoming projects include director duo Abbas-Mustan’s film Winner where he is said to be playing a double role. According to bollywoodlife.com, Devgn will be portraying a negative role in the film. The big-budget film is a crime caper that revolves around a robber and will be shot in Dubai and South Africa. Devgn will be playing both the antagonist and the protagonist in the flick.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2013.

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A total of eight awards will be handed over tonight and the list of nominees includes:

Most Beautiful Smile

Mehwish Hayat, Humaima Malick, Mahira Khan, Mehreen Raheel and Syra Yousaf

Most Beautiful Skin

Ayyan, Ayesha Linnea, Mahnoor Baloch, Rabia Butt and Juggun Kazim

Best Posture

Nadia Ali, Amna Ilyas, Rubab, Faiza Ansari and Cybil Chowdhry

Best Elegance

Iman Ali, Aaminah Haq, Mahnoor Baloch, Sonia Jehan and Reema

Miss Photogenic

Aamina Sheikh, Ayyan, Amna Ilyas, Saima Azhar and Nooray Bhatti

Most Promising Model of the Year

Saima Azhar, Sehrish, Sana Sarfaraz, Sana Khan and Huma

Beauty of the Year

Ayyan, Ayesha Linnea, Mahira Khan, Humaima Malik and Mehwish Hayat

Miss Catwalk

Mehreen Syed, Fauzia, Amna Ilyas, Iraj Manzoor and Faiza Ansari

The winners will be decided by a jury consisting of fashion and beauty experts. However, viewers also had the chance to vote for two of the above mentioned categories, Most Beautiful Smile and Best Elegance via Veet’s official page on Facebook. The entire show has been conceptualised and styled by none other than the creative team at Nabila.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2013.

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Hollywood celebrity Ben Affleck has made a big name in the industry due to his acting, directing, writing and producing talents. He started gaining recognition after his 1995 film, Mallrats and since then he’s been seen and involved in successful movies such as Chasing Amy, Armageddon and the Academy Award winner, Argo. If that wasn’t enough, he is now all set to play the role of Batman!

This multi-talented star continues to entertain us. He is going to be replacing Christian Bale (who most recently played Batman in director Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy) as the new hero, in the yet-to-be-named Batman-Superman movie, which is expected to release on July 17, 2015. Snyder, who will direct the sequel written by Man of Steel’s screenwriter David S Goyer, said in a statement that Affleck will provide an “interesting counter-balance” to actor Henry Cavill’s Clark Kent.

“Affleck has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retains the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can’t wait to work with him,” said Snyder, according to the Huffington Post.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2013.

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Bollywood actor Narghis Fakhri went for a more casual outfit at the first look of her latest movie Madras Café. Her laid back, edgy look was a refreshing change from the staggering amount of formal wear taking over the red carpet these days. Here’s how to get her look.

Hair

A sleek, high ponytail does wonders for Nargis’ face, drawing attention to her flawless bone structure and statement accessory. Simply straighten your hair and tie it back tightly to achieve a similar effect.

Makeup

Nargis went for graceful make-up, which you can imitate by applying ample amounts of Maybelline’s Colossal Kajal (Rs500) and Colossal Volum Express mascara (Rs600) as she did. A slight hint of Rimmel’s Natural Bronzer (Rs1,000) is all you need to accentuate your cheekbones. Her lips are a delightful nude shade, which you can get by simply applying Revlon Colourburst lip butter in Pink Truffle shade (Rs600). Nargis’ dark red nails are timeless and Essie’s Really Red nail polish (Rs8,00) would do just the trick. Her beauty shines through the make-up, as it should.

Outfit

Pairing a faded chambray shirt with a printed top screams edgy, and Nargis is just that in this outfit. With her simple black pants, she manages to look good without even trying. You can buy a similar graphic tee and chambray shirt at Levis (Rs3,500) or even head to Sunday Bazar for cheaper alternatives.

Accessories and Shoes

Minimal accessories really stand out, and we think the single feather earring adds a good amount of funk, along with the bang-on-trend tan oxfords. Check out Timberland (Rs4,500) for a similar pair. The thick single bangle also goes very well with the clutch Nargis is carrying. Overall, we think pulling off an edgy and laid back look on the red carpet is close to impossible, but Nargis nailed it!

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2013.

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