Fairy lights and tinsel; paisleys and jhandis festooning jharokas; kulfa and meetha paan — such are the minutiae that spelled Lahore at the packed premiere of The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Pakistan’s romance with Hollywood a la Mohsin Hamid and Mira Nair had arrived and people were clearly excited.
HSY
Amongst the buzzing crowd stood fashion’s beloved HSY in an abs-tastic Marc Jacobs T-shirt and silver converse sneakers by John Varvatos. A long-time fan and friend of Hamid, HSY stood a proud Pakistani at this crossover with Hollywood. “I think it is so amazing that our perspective is being shown by the world in which ours was not considered an interesting perspective.” He continued, “And our girl Meesha, no matter how big or small her role is, has done us proud.”
Zara Peerzada — Top by H&M; shoes by Insignia.
Mohsin Hamid
Mohsin Hamid himself, contained in his excitement, clearly looked every inch the success story he is for Pakistan. A literary celebrity any way you turn it, he was rather endearing in his effort to answer the very hard question of who he was wearing (Levi’s, with a Boggi shirt and blazer, Bally shoes and socks from Marks and Spencer).
Hamid was clear about the demarcation between writer and director in the filming of his story. “I was happy to be hands-off and let the film look like the director’s vision. Had I not, it would have been akin to me watching cricket and telling [Shahid] Afridi how to bat, when clearly I’m no Afridi at the wicket. So I picked the right batsman in Mira Nair and hoped for the best.”
Ayesha Noon — Dress by Mahgul for Nasreen Shaikh; earrings by Amber Sami.
He believes, and I wholeheartedly agree, that Nair has delivered. And as far as costuming goes, the film is a visual success. Hamid explains that it was a team of four, comprising his own sister, Ali Sethi and Meesha Shafi who oversaw the costumes for the Lahore scenes. They especially ensured that the wedding, in which Shafi delivers her robust performance of Bijli Aaye Ya Na Aaye, looked like one in Lahore and not one in Delhi. Arjun Bhasin, the costume designer for TRF scores an A for authenticity on this front.
Trending on the red carpet were practical sandals and flats; churidaars galore; 20-somethings in long hemlines, and 40-somethings favouring shorter ones.
Meesha Shafi — Blouse by Mahgul for Nasreen Shaikh; Cotton sari from her personal collection; archive clutch by Mahgul for Nasreen Shaikh.
Amber Sami remained a popular choice for jewels, while Mahgul for Nasreen Shaikh spotted on three superlatively dressed guests was the designer for the evening — the jewel in Mahgul’s crown being starlet Shafi, who elegantly fused a gorgeous cotton sari (her own) with a top and an archive clutch from Mahgul Rashid’s SS13 collection.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 25th, 2013.
Like Life & Style on Facebook for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.