No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.

Creativity VS Effectiveness?

2007-10-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

Creativity VS Effectiveness?
Printed at http://www.ihaveanidea.org
October 2007

By Fariha Rashed
The distinction between "effectiveness" and "creativity" is structural, reflecting different goals and needs of different departments (Ibarra, 1992).

Within the local Pakistani and global advertising industry, there seems to be an inexhaustible struggle between those who create the advertising ("creatives") and those advertising managers who are adamant that it be "effective." Advertising agencies exist, sometimes unsteadily, in unsound environments. Therefore, stability in both organization and output generally are favored whenever possible by agency management. Management's goal is to have stable output which is predictable and "effective." Effectiveness, however, has many different dimensions by which it can be measured; the key element is some reliable measurement on which agency management and clients can agree. Usually, that measurement is an aspect of persuasion or (ideally) marketplace sales.

Creatives, on the other hand, typically sneer at the criteria used by management and clients and allege they have little to do with the way advertising really works. Within a typical agency structure, the advertising product is formed by people in the "creative department." Creative people (copywriters and art directors) believe that creativity is necessary for effectiveness, that the creative factor pushes the message into viewers' minds. In fact, some even feel that creativity IS effectiveness (Kover, 1995). This belief seems general despite a few creative people who believe that creativity is merely a front for self-indulgent "artistic" attempts (Bensman and Gerver, 1958; Ordahl, 1993). Therefore, as might be expected, many agency managers mistrust creative advertising. Creativity as defined by "the creatives" can be bothersome, costly, and time-consuming. Creative advertising may win awards but may have little to do with advertising effectiveness (Gaylord, 1994). Creativity, after all, is unpredictable and can upset the appearance of stability and predictability that smoothes the lives of bureaucracies (Martin, 1994).

The fact is that the ads that are generally loved are not necessarily the ads that sell stuff. Even if consumers love them too it doesn't always follow that they'll remember what's being advertised. Or want to buy it if they can. Furthermore, the ads that shift products off shelves or build long-lasting brands are not necessarily the ones that ‘tickle the jurors at the big creative love-in awards’. Effectiveness doesn't always come with creative fireworks attached, and vice-versa.

The relationship between creativity and advertising is long, rich and textured.
Creativity is considered to be an important determinant of advertising effectiveness and advertising textbooks normally devote one or two chapters to creative strategy and tactics. Major industry awards are given to ‘creative’ advertisements and salaries to ‘creative’ personnel represent a considerable portion of ad agencies’ expenses. Furthermore, there is a strong focus on creativity in advertising trade papers [e.g. Aurora].

Despite the importance attributed to creativity, there has been very little research on this issue in marketing and advertising. Unfortunately, this lack of systematic theory development in advertising creativity has created a vacuum in the literature.

According to Webster’s dictionary to ‘create’ means: to bring into existence, to invest with a new form, to produce through imaginative skill. The Encyclopedia Britannica uses a similar definition: the ability to make or otherwise bring into existence something new, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic object or form. These definitions highlight two primary determinants of creativity. First, there must be something new, imaginative, different, or unique – this component is generally referred to as ‘divergence’. Second, the divergent thing produced must solve a problem or have some type of ‘relevance’.

People are creative when they produce ideas, solutions, inventions, or products that are divergent and relevant. Note that divergence and relevance are determined by context or the ‘social recognition criteria’ (Getzels and Csikszentmihalyi, 1975; MacKinnon, 1962). This means that an ad that is creative to one group (e.g. senior citizens) may not be considered to be creative by another group (e.g. teenagers). Ultimately, ads are products of people, just like ideas and inventions. Accordingly, the concepts of divergence and relevance can be applied to anything people create including advertisements. This is important because three different types of creativity are related to advertising. First, there is the creative team that develops and implements the creative strategy and actually produces the ad. Second, there is the level of creativity that the ad is perceived to possess by the target market. Third, there is the level of creativity in the audience members who are exposed to the ad. While there are likely to be interactions among these three types of creativity (as hypothesized below) the defining characteristics of creativity – divergence and relevance – do not change. Instead, it is the context that changes. In an attempt to note the important differences that do exist among these contexts, the term ‘personal creativity’ will refer to the divergence/relevance of creative talent (e.g. creative directors, copywriters, etc.); ‘ad creativity’ will refer to the divergence/relevance of an ad (or campaign) as perceived by the target market; and ‘consumer creativity’ will refer to the divergence/relevance of the audience members exposed to the ad.

Various people spoken to about this subject, described Advertising Effectiveness in their own words. The majority said that effective advertising is something that impresses. Others said it is an ad that is concise and to the point and if your target market is talking about the ad, it’s Effective Advertising. It was also described as advertising methods that lead to significant product circulation both at the brand and consumer level with obvious augmentation of product sales and consumer satisfaction. Another opinion about Effective advertising was that it is more informational than promotional, it tells us when, where and how to get the product; Effective ads are ones which present a clear communications about the product / goods that you are trying to sell. Furthermore, it was thought that advertising effectiveness is a way to advertise in a way which might create an influence on a consumer’s mind about a particular product that he/she may remember for a long time. One respondent said Effective Advertising would constitute an ad that achieves popularity amongst all strata of society – a good example would be the Pakistani telecommunication company Ufone’s Prepay ad – everyone loves the ad, the images and the jingle, and it has according to her invoked customers to go for a switch. Another respondent said Advertising Effectiveness means presenting the right content in a different style which catches the attention of the customer and gives him/her all the information he/she needs to know about the product. It should have enough repetition (if via T.V or Radio) but no too much since it can bore the prospective customer. And if it is in the form of print then it should cover as much area as possible and at the right time. Another answer expressed that effective advertising is an evaluation of the extent to which a specific advertisement or advertising campaign meets the objectives specified by the client. It was also said that when an ad manages to get its message across to the audience it is considered effective. Additionally, if the audience undertakes an “action” based on the correct interpretation of the ad, it is an effective ad. Effective advertisement always respects the product it seeks to promote; marketing professionals have no business debating the caliber of a product, a practice very evident in the Pakistani advertising agency: what they don’t understand they put down. Effectively capture the essence of the product, create the mood, entice the consumer, pique their interest and trust the product to do the rest. If you do not have faith in the product, then just step away.

Most people believe that creative advertising uses images and forms not used before; originality is the keyword. An ad that is distinguishable from others, conveys the message across and creates the need for the brand/product/service is a creative one in most respondent’s minds. Some believe creativity can be seen as the “fine arts” employed in advertising, that lead to increased consumer recall about the product in relation to the advertisement, while being present in markets, thereby leading to at least a consumer curiosity about the product. Others believe creative advertising would drive the seller to be more strategic. Instead of spending too much on recurring informative ads, they’d rather develop a distinctive image in the consumers mind so that the consumer would associate the ad to the brand wherever they see it or hear about it. Hammad Azim who is Brand Activation Manager at U-Fone Pakistan says that creativity in advertising endorses the message so that the communication is retained in the minds of the consumer! An ad needs both creativity and effectiveness to be successful. However marketers / ad agencies have also proved that without creativity an ad in never successful, especially with High Involvement products such as CARS, Hand SETs, Airlines, Holidays destinations! FOR FMCG goods, the ads need to have an effective communication! These products are low involvement goods being used in our daily lives! “So I guess it’s only fair to say Creativity / Effectiveness is dependent on the product / goods / services you are trying to sell!” says Hammad with an exclamation.

Ads that force you to pay attention to the screen/billboard/newspaper and make you sigh with pleasure, are creative ads says another respondent. Creativity can vary differently depending on the product so giving one definition is not possible says a 29 year old businessman. Insiya Syed, a journalist, says that creative advertising is easy to comprehend creative ideas for the target market and not being creative for the sake of being creative. Nadeem Farooq Paracha who is in advertising and a journalist says creative advertising is an abstract idea based on a rational strategy, while Mr. M.A Niazi of ‘The Nation’ newspaper describes it as an ad that registers itself in the consumer’s mind. Sajid Ghafoor, Law Professor and a musician says that creativity is something that can put life into a lifeless product, something that enhances the characters of the product but in such way that the product and the advertisement do not lose harmony; both should compliment each other properly. It should be presented in an artistic fashion so that the viewer sees more than what he pays for. The initial pull should be captivating. What makes a product stand apart from the others is how it’s presented. Salman Khalid a fashion designer from Lahore says creativity in Advertising must inherently be used to communicate something that is interesting and of some value or worth to your potential customer. Sambreen Rashed who is a product manager at ABN Amro Bank Karachi says creative advertising is an unusual yet effective manner of advertising a product or service. Creativity encourages audiences to “connect” the meaning meant to be conveyed with the product/service. Shaheryar Khan Niazi, Creative Director of a Fashion label says Creativity in an ad campaign is directly related to its effectiveness. If it creates the required mood, piques the interest etc then you are creative. When handling marketing, your job is to be the liaison between the consumer and the product. If the projected targets are met then the marketing campaign is a success, otherwise forget about it. “The confusion I have noticed in our country is that everybody wants to prove that they are creative, usually sacrificing the task at hand. Creativity in advertisement is all about effectively creating the perfect plane of existence, which every product in the world warrants. Let the creative people create the product and let the marketing people creatively make the product effective” says Shaheryar.

The findings from the little study done above, suggest that the debate regarding Creativity vs. Effectiveness continues, especially in the corporate and media world. However, the majority of people believe that they will remember and recall an ad that is creative and effective at the same time, rather than one that simply supplies information about the product/service. This balance between creativity and effectiveness, will entice the customer to act on what he has seen, or heard and he might just go out and buy the product or pick it up when out for shopping. Effective advertising ensures that the customer is told where, how and at what price he/she can purchase the product/service. At the end of the day both effective advertising and creativity do sell and sell better together.

Ever Heard the Word 'Blog'?

2007-09-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

Ever heard the Word 'Blog'?

By Fariha Rashed
Weblogs or blogs are the recent trends and hip happenings on the virtual, intelligent world of the cybernet. Many of the regular internet users still confuse blogs with chat rooms, bulletin boards, and other web communication platforms. However, blogs are simply logs of interesting websites hosted by individuals who input information on massively diverse subjects. Furthermore, authoring a blog, sustaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called "blogging". Individual articles on a blog are called "blog posts," "posts" or "entries". A person who posts these entries is called a "blogger".

It probably will be quite interesting to know that the initial weblogs were websites full of a mixture of different links, personal experiences, essays, jokes, recipes, gossip and so on, created by web enthusiasts, who knew how to formulate a website. In 1999, a whole community of blog readers sprang up, crowding the cyber world.

The term "weblog" was coined by Jorn Barger on 17 December 1997. The short form, "blog," was coined by Peter Merholz. He broke the word weblog into the expression "we blog" in the sidebar of his weblog in April or May of 1999. Justin Hall, who began eleven years of personal "blogging" in 1994 while a student at college, is generally accepted as one of the earliest bloggers. After a slow start, blogging rapidly gained in popularity. Blog usage spread during 1999 and the years following, being further popularized by the arrival of the first hosted blog tools, round about the same time. In early 1999, Eatonweb Portal, comprising of a detailed list of weblogs was created by Brigeitte Eaton. Brig kept on compiling the rapid growth of blogs, until mid 1999, when the first free build- your-own-weblog tool, Pitas was launched. After Pitas the band wagon began, practically all and sundry having interest got opportunity to build there own weblog.

According to a Technrati report there were almost three million blogs up till mid 2004, which has been rapidly growing. Since blogs aren’t taken as a mainstream source of entertainment or job, bloggers i.e people who keep their own blog are considered as its best consumers. They equal to about 2.9 million based on Blog Count Report. Don’t get awed by it, it is only 4% of the online users who use blogs. These can be categorized in four main types.

Personal bloggers habitually create blogs with personal information, thoughts, experiences, and views etc. These blogs proved to be useful to those people whose interests match those of the personal bloggers. There are business bloggers who create blogs for the purpose of promoting their product or services. These blogs contain detail information which would other wise have reached you through brochures, or leaflets. Furthermore, there are organizational bloggers, who externally or internally communicate with people through blogs. Blogs related to NGO’s, community clubs, and institution details are an example of their creations. Lastly there are certain people who are actually paid to create blogs by other companies or clients. These are known as professional bloggers.

Having been around for a number of years blogs have now become a source of sharing and community building. Blogs such as BBC Urdu’s blog section, allow people to post their views, and opinions. It comes as a great surprise that many web experts like Sheila Coggins, consider blogs as a cross between bulletin boards and an ink list. Although most of the blogs are a complete waste of time, there are a number of them tilted towards specialized skills that are worth paying a visit. Journalists and weblogs also work hand in hand to help disseminate, filter and break news to the world. It has been discovered that weblogs can actually do an amazing job at breaking news and that journalists must harness that power by starting their own blogs. Also, a few rare bloggers transform into amateur journalists, a status which brings with it great ethical responsibility. However, most bloggers tend to be more like columnists rather than hard core journalists. The question and concern in the world of print media is whether bloggers have given birth to a new type of grassroots level journalism, one that threatens the extinction of journalism in its truest form. I personally feel that bloggers and journalists have a mutually beneficial relationship, just like symbiosis in Biology. They work together to report, filter and break news. In this way a blogging biosphere is created which can be thought of as an ecosystem. Bloggers have decided to describe this ecosystem as a blogosphere which is a living, breathing media biospehere of sorts.

I tried gathering info about the grounds on which people read blogs. The rationale that I found was honestly quite simple, and frankly, quite depressing. Out of 80 net users whom I interviewed, 65 didn’t know the difference between a blog and a website. “What difference does it make if I am using a website or a web blog, as long as I get what I want?” was the majority's reaction.

The basic difference between a website and a blog is rather technical. Blogs are usually updated on a regular basis with posts or entries with date and time stamps. Websites do not have to be updated that frequently until and unless it belongs to a media body like Al-Jazeera or BBC. Furthermore, blogs are generally text based, where as, websites might also have pictures, flash files, or sound waves. Furthermore, blogs have posts in a reverse-chronological order. Thus, the newest piece of information is what users are confronted with at the top of the page, when they visit a blog. For readers this gives them a sense of immediacy with no extra effort being done on their part. Also the reader does not have to browse the page to see what new stuff has been added or changed. Blog pages commonly appear uniform in layout and design because some are created using blog software which often uses a template technique for making each page. As a result, blogs typically don't suffer from the problems new users can have with formatting Web pages.

Amongst the respondents, those who did know about blogs or use them gave several reasons for using blogs. These included gathering information on various topics and issues, learning more about a particular topic, being entertained with humorous content or interesting reports, finding people with similar interests and concepts.

I managed to find two real life bloggers who had their blogs on really interesting issues.

Asad (27) made his blog about racing cars, because he could not find the required information. To his surprise he not only managed to get that information on his blog, but professional racers also started posting there. “Now we are a small community and discuss various racing and car issues. It really helps,” he confided.

Rehab (26) on the other hand actually gets paid for his blog making. “It all started when I made a weblog during summer vacations and posted it on the net for the sake of fun. My blog was about imaginary hair oil that would make hair grow. I was amazed at the response that I got. Initially, it was hilarious, but then I started taking it seriously and got hired by some company who wanted to build a website for advertising.” Rehab convinced them that a blog would be cheaper and as efficient. He was actually earning money, while performing a hobby.

The trend of blogging in Pakistan is increasing gradually. The motivation, being its self publishing, automated technology. One such application is “Blogger”, the web service, which allows you to launch your own blog inside the cyber world without any difficulty or time wastage. Many websites also provide their users some space to put their blogs online. On Blogger one can add a myriad of images to support one’s blogs and can paste various links also. A Blogroll is also present, which is a list of links to other blogs, often included in a vertical column down one side of the weblog: usually a way of identifying the blogs one reads or esteems. Blogger is held in liking by many longer-term bloggers, even though it fell out of fashion, as the service was run for some time by only one person - Evan Williams - after the dot.com crash. Blogger was subsequently bought by Google, the search engine, for an undisclosed sum.

Blogs are one of the easiest and inexpensive mechanisms of putting information on the internet. Without any hassles or stress, a blogger can make his ideas, opinions, and concepts available online. In easy words a blog, is like an electronic personal diary. Any thing a person feels like narrating to others can be presented to them, through the e–media. Blogs are also used as a source of commercial promotion or e-marketing. It is also a means of communication and interaction amongst a particular community with same interests. Although, there are only 4% of the net users, who put blogs to exercise, it is becoming a rapid trend. I myself had to use blogs in order to get all this information about them; hence, I would definitely be recommending their use. They can be quite handy!

Broken Bodies

2007-08-22T04:53:00.000-07:00

Broken Bodies
Published in the 'Quiet Panic' section of NICHE Lifestyle
Vol 1, Issue 3, 2007

By Fariha Rashed
June 6th, 2004. A 6-year-old boy named Talha is reportedly sexually abused by his Quran teacher but religious groups pressurize the boy's family to withdraw the complaint. He was allegedly assaulted by a maulvi (Islamic religious priest) at a Mosque on College Road, in Green Town. Talha's grandfather registered the First Information Report (FIR) at Green Town Police Station against the maulvi under Section 12/7 of the Hudood Ordinances on 7th June 2004. According to the FIR, during the afternoon of 6th June 2004, Talha's mother went to the Mosque because Talha, who went to there to study, did not come back home at his usual time. When she arrived in the mosque, she found that her son was lying in the corridor. He was bleeding and unconscious. At that time, the maulvi who had abused him was not in the mosque. Talha's family asked for help from their neighbors and they helped to ensure that the maulvi in question was found and taken into police custody. Later, Talha clearly identified the said maulvi as his attacker in front of the Green Town police and gave his statement about the incident. The initial medical report confirmed that Talha was sexually abused. The maulvi is currently detained at Kot Lakhpat Jail. However, according to Talha's family, various religious groups, where the maulvi reportedly studied, pressurized them to withdraw the case. It was reported that some of their neighbors in Nasir Colony were also pressurizing the family to withdraw the charges against the accused. The family got worried that the Islamic Religious Priests might threaten the whole community. In addition, in such circumstances, police investigators are also allegedly pressurized by religious groups. According to Mr. Mahmoodul Hassan, the Green Town Investigation Deputy Superintendent of Police, the police called a meeting of the maulvis and the family on 17th June 2004. An investigating officer Aftab Pervez said the police's job was to investigate the case and if the complainants and accused wanted to reach a compromise that was up to them.

This is just one extreme case. Shockingly, a huge percentage of our kids are being exposed to sex for the first time in their lives through their qaari's [religious teachers]. It is estimated, that nearly every second person has been abused in childhood and the usual culprits are religious teachers. Unfortunately, no accurate data is available for us to be able to estimate to what degree child sexual abuse is being practiced in Pakistan, because it is an issue which everyone either prefers to deny or hide. However, statistics from a few small-scale studies by some daring NGOs (Non governmental organizations) provide critical evidence of its existence in society. This horrific phenomenon is a major problem but an unexplored subject in Pakistan. According to statistics, it appears that girls are more likely to be molested by family members, acquaintances and neighbors, whereas the majority of boys are molested by teachers and total strangers. Notably, both girls and boys have a high risk of being molested by shopkeepers as well.

People hesitate while discussing this issue due to strong taboos inherent in our society. They do not want to talk about this shameful act even if they come to know that their child is a victim of sexual abuse. They want to hide it. They prefer to be silent over the safety of their child so that they can protect the honor of their family. This attitude stems from a number of factors ranging from the concept of (izzat) honor to the difficult and cumbersome effort of seeking retribution. The fact is that child sexual abuse is prevalent in Pakistani society irrespective of relations, community, status, gender or age group. Today parents are not giving proper attention to their children. Their children are being abused by religious teachers, right under their noses. The home, a place where a child is meant to feel the safest, is being turned into a place he/she associates abuse with. The ‘qari’, a person who is meant to be associated with knowledge and religion, is being seen as a monster by these unsuspecting children.

There is actually no universal definition for child sexual abuse. But when an older person, such as a ‘qari’, uses his/her authority with a sexual intent, to indulge in any sort of sexual activity with a child, it is termed child sexual abuse. Many of us are unaware of how children around us are being abused by others. If, parents, elder siblings, teachers and other people take this issue seriously and vigilantly track the activities of their children then this abomination can certainly be eradicated. Every child is innocent and trusting by nature. A sexually abused child loses his peace of mind and in most cases gets severe psychological and behavioral problems. It affects his daily life, education, character and interactions with others.

Wrong actions and impressions of others leave permanent harmful side effects on the overall personality of a child. Media, which calls itself socially responsible, should be strongly urged to play a vital role in this regard and help get the desired results. Today we are providing children with easy access to the internet, Indian and English music and movie channels. Our children are not equipped with proper information and guidance to decide what is right and what is not, and their parents and teachers are further failing them in this regard. Therefore, they are easily trapped, and abused by others.

Media’s power should be used to address the matter in an effective manner. TV channels, children pages in newspapers and children’s magazines can play an important role in this respect. I suggest that these programmes and articles be produced by experienced psychologists only, who are the best judges about at what age what sort of information should be effective for a particular child. Teacher training programmes must be launched in every school to raise awareness and help eradicate sexual abuse from our society.

Every child, despite his individual differences and uniqueness, is to be considered of equal socio, economic, civil and political status, so that he may fully realize his inherited potential and be able to share equally in life, liberty and happiness. How can child abuse be wiped out from the society? It is a centuries old tradition for children to be obedient, silent, subservient and accept abuse as their fate. It is high time for them to speak out, speak up and act on the premise of their rights. There is great need to make them aware and also educate people about their child’s rights. Illegality and the consequent devastating impacts of the sexual exploitation of children must also be addressed. The basic problem continues to be that people do not want to acknowledge that they are living in a sordid society.

It is also high time parents and especially mothers start realizing the damaging effect this grave problem is having on their children, and in the broader sense, on the basic fabric of society. Then only, can a concrete solution be developed to eradicate this curse from our society. The role of community, religious leaders and school teachers is key to countering the sexual exploitation of children. Unfortunately, when we come to this point, there is ambivalence at times. There are members of these very groups who themselves contribute to or participate in the sexual exploitation of children. There is a need to sensitize parents and teachers on the crucial issues around child sexual abuse and mobilize them to form networks to protect children. With regard to religious leaders, there is much room for re-enforcing the Convention on the Rights of the Child on non-sectarian terms with the understanding of the child as an ultimate value. Let us strive as a community that cares to stop any further accumulation of ‘broken bodies’.

Sajid & Zeeshan Interview

2007-08-15T05:49:00.000-07:00

Sajid & Zeeshan Interview

Published in 'In Chorus'

August 2007 Issue

By Fariha Rashed

1. What kind of a response have you had after the recent release of your debut album 'One Light Year at Snail Speed'?

Zeeshan: At first, the response was somewhat OK because there were distribution problems. Later on, MashAllah, we got good reviews from different sorts of people and our inboxes were flooded with good responses. There were very few criticisms about different things in the album, but that to me is a very healthy sign. It'll be one complete year in July, I can't believe how fast time flies by.

Sajid: The response was quite good considering we had a few problems regarding the distribution initially. But over all the response was good and
we're happy with that.

2. Any particular reason for choosing such a long title?

Zeeshan: The title was chosen by Sajid and it's seems sound, because he was the one who wrote all the lyrics (with the exception of one in the album) and he was the closest one in defining concepts for all the tracks.

Sajid: The title says it all. I believe the reason is right there.

3. When preparing for a gig, how do 'Sajid & Zeeshan' plan their performances? Do you try and do something different every time?

Zeeshan: Our performances have different intros and outros. The way we perform is that some of things (drums and bass) are sequenced before hand and we play on top of that. The reason for me to be sequencing things for stage is that we don't want to give up our electronica sound. The beats used are different from the album to some extent and we do try to play differently as well.
Sajid: Yes we do try to do different things, and one should do too. It makes
it all the more enjoyable and not just for the audience but for us as well.

4. When performing live what are some of the things you pay particular attention to as artists?

Zeeshan: I don't pay attention to anything to be honest. Like I'm the sort of a person who won't even try to look up at the crowd when I'm playing because I'm busying doing the job of 2 people. I just pay close attention to my playing and what my next moves are going to be.

Sajid: the sound, lights (because too much in your face just kills the mood), our place on the stage, basically all those things which need to be looked at.

5. How do you respond to the comment by certain media publications that any artist's success is rated by how many live show they are doing, and that you might not be doing enough?

Zeeshan: Success lies in a lot of things in my opinion. One part of it comes with the degree of how much the tracks of that particular are liked and how much his art is being appreciated. The other part is of course how many gigs the artists are playing. Lastly, it also depends on downloads and album purchases. Let's analyze us now. Mashallah, our songs have been appreciated a lot when heard, at least that's the general perception I get to hear and we're damn happy about it. Our gig rate, on the other hand, is low because most of our shows are sponsored ones and the music we deliver satisfies a small crowd. Just like our concerts, our album sales have been low as well, not because people didn't want to buy it, because it's distribution / promotion was not done as it was promised by our record company and we suffered greatly in that. It was physically unavailable in the stores since its launch and even now, I'm sure you won't find it in the racks.

Sajid: I'd say there are many who'd over play themselves but then they might
have a good reason for it. Usually its money, because if success was just based
on playing more live shows then I guess the small little bands that play in
marriage ceremonies would've been the top artists by now. Having said that,
yes more shows also support the “supply and demand concept” but that works
for a very few artists in this country.

6. When is your next video coming out and for which song? Do you have any particular director in mind for it?

Zeeshan: Our next video in the pipeline is for our Pushto track "Lambay" and I'm directing it. We shot it in Peshawar some weeks back. It's in the editing process as we speak.

Sajid: I'll let Zeeshan deal with that question.

7. Have you started working on the second album and can you give us a little inside info on what kind of an album it's going to be this time?

Zeeshan: I have started recording for our 2nd album just some weeks back. It pretty much follows the same pattern of Sajid's song writing in the current album. The recording ethics in the studio are the same, totally relaxed, laid back, full of tea and coffee and only on those days when we're both comfortable with it. However, in terms of arrangements and instrumentation, we'll be experimenting a lot this time so that it totally differs from OLYASS. We'll be trying things we haven't done before.

Sajid: Yes we have started working on our next album and to be honest I
really cant say what kind of an album it will be. We're just trying to go
with the flow. At the moment we've only recorded a couple of tracks and plan
to have more recording sessions soon. The only thing that I can say for sure
is that, we're letting it take its own shape. Once we see what it turns
into, I'll let you know.

8. Now that you have entered the mainstream, how important has making money off of your talent become for you? Is it your top priority?

Zeeshan: I have chosen not to do a job for sometime. So that is why I would expect to generate revenue through things I've associated myself with - music and video direction. That is why I would expect to get paid well when I perform at concerts. I enjoy doing what I do the most but on the other hand, I treat it as my job as well.

Sajid: Making money of music never was our top priority. In fact if that was our top priority, we wouldn't be doing music in English. So our top priority is now to make better music, better than what we've done before. It's hard to do that really since one feels pushed in a certain way, but then its fun too.

9. Are 'Sajid & Zeeshan' planning on going international? If so, in what capacity?

Zeeshan: We do have an international fan following, but to say we're going international remains to be seen. We have been asked to play at different music festivals worldwide, but that's going to take some time to materialize. Our stuff is played in different radio stations in some countries but let's hope we get an international deal for an album release abroad.

Sajid: Planning? Yeah our bags are packed and we're ready to go.
Just kidding. No, nothing at the moment really. Frankly speaking, we don't have any such contacts and until we do, we can't say much about that. But of course if our music can reach beyond borders, we'd love that.

10. What kind of a working relationship do the both of you share? How do you separate friendship with professionalism?

Zeeshan: I love working with Sajid. We have a productive relationship because he absorbs my ideas as much as I'm open to his. We don't have to separate anything, because we're totally casual with each other. If there's something that needs to be discussed professionally, we'll deal with it like it's any other thing for. We try not to give too much weightage to small things around us.

Sajid: Its pretty easy, when we're working, we try to do it with all
seriousness and passion. Of course being friends makes it all easier
too, but when we're deciding matters related to Sajid and Zeeshan, we try to
be fair towards each other.

11. There is a lot of leg pulling in the music industry. How do you feel about this as artists and how would you go about dealing with it if it happened to you?

Zeeshan: This is a major problem in the industry where some artists or their managers forget their professional responsibilities and cut off somebody else's gig and that too, at times, right at the end near the date of the concert. I feel the act is immoral, unethical, greedy and paints an ugly picture of people who do this sort of thing to make a living for themselves but leaving other people suffered. I would tackle it first by looking everything from a legal point of view, whether the party can be sued or not. If there is not much material that would give out a proper legal stance I would then tackle this by doing nothing, because I do realize it's a dog eat dog world out there and in many ways, our world is unfair, cruel and not just. I'm a strong believer of the saying "What goes around, comes around". I do feel that these guys will meet their match one day in the oddest situation ever.

Sajid: Of course we don't feel good about that. Wish we didn't have that. I
just hope we all snap out of this cheap trick sooner than soon. It doesn't
do any one any good. And as every case is subject to its own circumstances,
so if any of that sort happened to us, we'd go about it in a way which we
consider most appropriate.

12. Has coming out with an album in English put you at a disadvantage in any way?

Zeeshan: Not at all. We don't have the attention of the general mass at large, but I never opted for that anyway. All I can say that it was a sincere step and I'm glad we took it.

Sajid: From a listener's perspective? No, but from a wider range of

listener's perspective? Yes, since it's an English album and so we cant
access the masses.

13. It has been rumored that you might be coming out with a song in pashto. Can you tell us a little about this and why you have decided to do it?

Zeeshan: I've always wanted to do a Pushto track as well since our inception. Both of us have this strong attachment with our native language and we thought we should do it. Sajid wrote "Lambay" (flames in Pushto) quite some time back and I further enhanced arrangements on it. We were supposed to come out with it last year, but due to our album launch and concert activities, we were unable to. I guess this is the right time to do it.

Sajid: I wrote a Pashto song just for fun but then we decided to record and
release it since we think it's a lot different than the usual Pashto music.
Just felt like giving something back to Pashto, not much though.

14. What are some of the upcoming 'Sajid & Zeeshan' activities we can look forward to witnessing? Concerts? Videos? Tours?

Zeeshan: There are a few concerts in the pipeline though we're not sure about the dates and yes, there are more videos coming.

Sajid: yes to the concerts, yes to the videos and yes to the tours.

15. How many times a week do you both take out time practice? How important is keeping up a practicing regime for you?

Zeeshan: Practice is crucial. We have to jam together a few times per week to keep up with the sort of stuff we would like to showcase. And in the process, we're coming up with new material. I don't like practicing as much as Sajid does, but it's something you have to do, there's no way out.

Sajid: Actually we only jam like 2 weeks before any gig. Though jamming is
very important, we make sure we jam enough to feel comfortable playing what
we play, otherwise there's no point. It's like fooling others and yourself at
the same.

16. You have recently re-launched your website. How important is it for you to have an updated site and why?

Zeeshan: Websites are considered to be an important marketing and promotional tool that gives convenience to everyone worldwide when they want to know more about their artists. For the last two years, I managed our website and I sucked at it because we didn't have a proper team setup to do this for us, nor did we have the funds to be honest. I did whatever I could to design pages from whatever I had learnt in my HTML and Dreamweaver classes that I took a couple of years back. We gave our account to some people I know in Islamabad and I'm happy that it's their headache now.

Sajid: It's important because then we have a chance of sharing our music with the
rest of the world. The more listeners the better.

17. 'Sajid & Zeeshan' has a team of people working to market and manage them in all major cities. Why have you decided to create such a team?

Zeeshan: Well, musicians usually have a bunch of people with them who look after their interests and who work in getting them concerts and etc. It's like this worldwide. The other reason is that we do need people from mainstream cities like Lahore and Karachi to represent us. That is the only price you pay for living in Peshawar.

Sajid: Just because we're all the way here in Peshawar and we need people who
can help us out in other cities. If we didn't have them things would be
difficult to handle.

18. How do you both deal with any criticism that may appear, about your
music, in media? Have you had to face any that concerned you?

Sajid: I think criticism is very important, especially when it is fair
criticism. It helps us in seeing things which we might over look and so if
we can counter that at the expense of someone else pointing it out, I'd say
its still not a bad way to go about it, as long as we can counter it.

19. Any shout outs for your fans?

Zeeshan: Thank you so much for sticking around with us since the last few years. We love you very much and we'll make sure you guys don't get disappointed in the future InshAllah.

Sajid: Hey guys! Please keep listening to good music and please keep
supporting your local bands.

A Business of Hemlines

2007-08-15T05:21:00.000-07:00

A Business of Hemlines

Published in 'In Chorus'

August 2007 Issue

By Fariha Rashed
Saturday night at the Royal Palm Golf & Country Club saw the official launch of Pakistan Fashion Week, currently running in its first year. The ambience created at the Dome [hall], was nothing less then magnetic. The room was swarming with celebrities, designers, models, photographers, stylists, actors and media. This was an unprecedented and very professionally organized media launch. Glamorous and tasteful are the words that best define the evening. The Fashion Week is scheduled to open on November 4-8 in Lahore at the Royal Palm. According to Jodi Pritchard, head of International Marketing Director and Special Projects [IMG Fashion], Lahore has been chosen as the city to host fashion week, because of its inherent culture that truly represents Pakistan as a whole.

Initially, guests were directed into a large lobby elegantly divided into separate enclosures. Each enclosure was exclusive to various top news channels. All celebrities present, took a stroll around the winding white ramp-like flooring interestingly created on the hall’s otherwise dull carpet. TV hosts invited designers and celebrities one by one to sit in their respective channels’ enclosures, to be interviewed in front of large plasma screens hanging at the back. People walked around sipping on cocktails and chattering as the interviews continued. Tall, yet rather lopsided mannequins, displaying Pakistani high fashion were scattered about the room. One witnessed a media explosion never seen before in Pakistan. One also witnessed a shocking unity between the Lahori and Karachi industries, unseen prior to this event. It seems took only for an international organization such as IMG [International Management Group] World to get involved, for our opposing forces in the fashion world to come together and work hand in hand for a promising Fashion Week all set for November this year. Film stars Reema, Meera and designers from the fashion capitals of Pakistan including Nomi Ansari and Deepak Perwani showed up at the event, although arriving late due to flight delays owing to bad weather.

IMG Fashion, which for decades has been organizing a surplus of fashion weeks all over the world, New York, Sydney, LA, Miami, Moscow to name a few, will be staging Pakistan’s very first Pakistan Fashion Week. This will be done in conjunction with media partners, Jang Group and GEO TV. The event will be largely organized by Events Unlimited, a Karachi based company headed by Mr. Asim Qureshi. This event management company is the first to be appointed as organizer member of the prestigious AEO based in the UK. Pakistan Fashion Week will showcase some of the best designers from Pakistan, to important buyers, media personalities and industry insiders. Therefore it promises to be one of the most significant moments in fashion history, for Pakistan.

Eventually, the guests and media persons were directed towards the main conference area which had a stage set with sofas, a table and a backdrop reading ‘Pakistan Fashion Week’ in big bold letters. Low, comfortable sofas were placed all across the area to seat everyone and plasma screens were fitted at both sides of the room playing an exclusive package related to global Fashion Weeks. Subsequently, a unique press conference organized more like a chat show unfolded. Leading the conference, Simon P Lock, Managing Director, IMG Fashion for Asia Pacific, welcomed three different sets of three guests each onto the stage for a brief question and answer session. Simon welcomed his first set of guests on stage with a touch of humor which lasted throughout the conference. ‘Welcome to Simon’s couch’ he said to Imran Aslam - President GEO Television Network, Sarmad Ali, Managing Director/Marketing - Jang Group and Asim Qureshi, CEO Events Unlimited, as they took their places on stage. Simon expressed his pleasure at having GEO and Jang involved in this venture as “they passionately want the message of Pakistani fashion to get across at an international level”, he said. Imran Aslam pointed out that they wanted to provide a platform for Pakistani designers and that they needed to ensure that Pakistani fashion does not go out of style. “Fashion never goes out of style”, he said. “It’s really going to paint a new image for Pakistan and make household names of Pakistani fashion designers”, agreed Simon.

Imran enthusiastically exclaimed “This is going to be one hell of a show!” With great passion he went on to say that Pakistan should not become a country known for its handicrafts alone. “The issue is to take our fashion out there into the world of retail. We’re known for our embroideries but Pakistan should now be a place for business,” Imran said excitedly with the crowd nodding in agreement. He also said that Pakistan was a well guarded secret that needs to be let out there. “Take our fashion out to the retail stores of the world. It’s a business of hemlines”, said Imran as the entire audience broke into a laugh. Imran also revealed that Pakistan Fashion Week would be promoted and covered in new segments, for one hour daily, on Geo and Aag TV. This would be coupled with pictorials running in The News and Jang. Simon added that viewing of online video streaming related to Pakistan Fashion Week would be available the world over. Sarmad Ali explained that 70% of their online traffic comes from abroad and the Pakistan Fashion Week website would be linked to that of IMG, thus pulling in more international traffic.

At this point Asim Qureshi said, “Simon, I really want to thank you for putting Pakistan on the international circuit! Hats off to you man!” The three went on to explain how Pakistan Fashion Week would be promoted through widespread media coverage. This would include radio and TV broadcasts as well as web casts [live coverage on the internet]. This kind of coverage, though standard practice for international fashion weeks, is completely new to Pakistan. “Our job as the organizers is to get the industry empowered” said Asim. He also warned that industry unity is vital for the success of PFW. He commented further that there is a lack of awareness in terms of the business of fashion in Pakistan, and the success of PFW also heavily depends on creating this awareness. “Our training in Sydney was very important with regard to achieving this goal” he explained.

Every individual’s role in PFW was discussed and two very important announcements were made. Simon Lock confirmed that Colin McDowell, one of the world’s most renowned fashion historians and pioneer of Fashion Fringe, has been placed on board as Special Advisor for Pakistan Fashion Week. Subsequently, while on stage, Nabila, Hasan Sheheryar and Sonya Battla, making up the advisory board for PFW, revealed that Pakistan Fashion Week would be taking a teaser to India during Lakme India Fashion Week in September. PFW would be organizing a fashion show in India in which Pakistani designers would be sending select outfits to give international buyers a feel for PFW. The show would have a certain mood and be thematic in nature. It would serve as a trailer of sorts for Pakistan Fashion Week. The main purpose for setting up this show would be to highlight to buyers the difference in Indian and Pakistani fashion. Nabila also jokingly added while addressing Simon that “we will be holding workshops to help our industry learn from your mistakes”. The workshops would apparently aid Pakistani designers learn from and improve upon the West’s work. Simon expressed that the Pakistani industry, through PFW, would undergo a transition. They would be transitioning from producing couture to producing ready-to-wear.

The media launch of Pakistan Fashion Week was unique and undoubtedly a roaring success. It’s quite obvious that IMG and Events Unlimited are geared up to take Pakistani fashion to another level altogether. One would like to believe that with time and with the help of ventures such as PFW, the industry will be united and redefined. Simon Locke is right in saying that this is a good first step.

Theatre: A Mirror of Social Issues

2007-08-14T05:16:00.000-07:00

Theatre: A Mirror of Social Issues.
Published in 'Khaleej Times'
14th August 2007

By Fariha Rashed
Social Theatre should not merely instigate change, it IS the change. It is with this objective in mind that theatre groups around the world perform with utmost zest and sincerity. If alternative and social communication theatre can today be held as a vibrant form of political expression and a mirror of social issues, a large share of the credit goes to the theatre companies that dare to speak out under oppressive regimes. In Pakistan for instance, where Social Theatre groups are these days the busiest, Ajoka Theatre, Tehrik-I-Niswan, and the Punjab Lok Rehas can be highlighted as some of the most vibrant. The connection between postmodern capitalism and the re-emergence of Islamic fundamentalism has been made explicit through the theatrical work of many such alternative theater groups.

Madeeha Gauhar, a talented Pakistani theatre director and human rights activist heads Ajoka Theatre and has been doing so for over 20 years. Ajoka as a theatre group continues to be a vital part of the struggle for a secular, democratic, humane, just, and egalitarian Pakistan. “Ajoka emerged out of extreme diversity… angry and full of fiery zeal to bring about a change, spurred me on to set-up Ajoka theatre in 1984”, explains Gauhar. Not just Ajoka, but all other such theatre groups were formed when Zia-ul-Haq's Martial Law was at its oppressive height and all forms of opposition were punishable by imprisonment and lashes. Since then these groups have been producing theatre plays promoting mostly issues related to human rights and social change. Ajoka for example, set the wheels turning with their ‘cultural marathon’, which marked the “beginning of the Theater for Social Change movement in Pakistan”. Most of their plays have depicted and addressed daring social subjects such as dowry, honor killings and discriminatory laws. The first play performed by Ajoka was ‘Juloos’ (procession), a play written by Badal Sircar. Due to the absence of the ‘no objection certificate’ from the Government, which scrupulously examined every script through and through, the play, could not be performed in any of the public halls or auditoriums of the city. Therefore it was performed in Begum Khadija Gauhar’s lawn in the Cantonment, Lahore. Madeeha recalls: “our activities were not discovered by the intelligence until the last portrayal of the week-long performances. However, they banned the second play we were to perform there. By then we approached the ‘Max Mueller’ institute and the German institute accommodated us by lending us space to perform. In the meantime I also went to London to get a Masters degree in theatre from University of London”. Some other prominent street plays and stage plays by Ajoka are ‘Kala Qanoon’ [Black Justice] which revolves around the Hadood Ordinance; ‘Kala Meda Bhes’ which dwells on a real life incident which took place in Sindh, where a woman was exchanged for an ox; ‘Dukhini’ which portrays the ugly practice of trafficking by luring and deceiving Bangladeshi women, living in rural areas, to come to Pakistan. Shahid Nadeem, Madeeha’s husband and playwright for Ajoka, has also done a Punjabi adaptation of Brecht’s ‘Arturo UI’, in the play ‘Bala King’.

Writer Fawzia Afzal-Khan in her book – ‘Exposed by Pakistani Street Theater: The Unholy Alliance of Postmodern Capitalism, Patriarchy, and Fundamentalism’, writes “Many of the more recent plays in the repertoire of several of the groups I have been researching do indeed make these linkages, especially a play entitled Dukhini (Suffering woman) by the Ajoka Theater group, which brings these issues to light through the theme of the trafficking of women who are smuggled from poverty-stricken Bangladesh across India and into Pakistan under the false promise of a "better life," only to find themselves sold into prostitution to the highest bidder. These women are victims not only of postmodern consumerist ideology that treats women's bodies as commodities to be bought and sold in the marketplace, but also of Islamist/traditionalist ideologies that work to keep them oppressed….” This excerpt helps to expose the hard hitting themes that street theatre can adopt, to try and touch people, with the intention of bringing about a change in their mind set. However, Imran Peerzada, one of the founding members of the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop believes that “although theatre groups such as Ajoka have done a great job in addressing important social issues, with theatre one does not plan to make a huge change. Somewhere, someone might be touched by a performance and a message might hit home, but it has to be done subtly.” Imran Peerzada suggests that “since audience members do not like to be lectured and ultimately shy away from such attempts, creating awareness through theatre can have a greater social impact than any other form of expression.” Iffat Nazir who has been an audience member at countless Ajoka performances agrees with this assessment and says that “projection of social issues, which might otherwise escape attention in the helter skelter of our daily lives, through vibrant theatre attract and hold our attention and, entice us to reflect upon these relevant issues even after we have left the theater halls. Effective and thought provoking performances agitate our lethargic minds and perhaps, energize us enough to make a concerted effort to try and bring about even the minutest of changes in societal imbalances.”

Ajoka Theatre’s mission to mirror social issues inspired many others to follow the same path. Safdar, a painter by training, graduated with distinction in Fine Arts from the National College of Arts, Lahore. As a student in the dictatorial Zia ul-Haq regime, Safdar became active with theatre and women's groups that sprang up all over the country in protest against the repression. She even courted arrest a number of times with other women activists. Looking back, Safdar says: “Although I had set out to be a painter, activism intervened. Those were times when it was very important to take the message to the people and theatre was a more potent medium than fine arts.” She joined Madeeha Gauhar's Ajoka theatre group as an actor. Later, she formed her own group, Lok Rehas, committed to raising consciousness on social issues and rediscovering roots, traditions and folklore. In the same way, cultural action group Tehrik-I-Niswan headed by Sheema Kirmani put up plays last year to help create awareness about and to put an end to the so-called honor-killings. Ms Kirmani pointed out that it was very difficult to create a play on this issue. “There were so many aspects to be taken into consideration. It had to be performed in those areas and for that audience where these crimes take place almost every day. We invited a group of men and women from rural Sindh and with some members of the Tehrik team started brainstorming workshops. During these sessions, two of the Sindhi women shared with us their personal experiences of being accused as Kari,” she recalled.

Madeeha Gauhar is saddened by the fact that besides Ajoka, Tehrik-I-Niswan and Lok Rehas, there are not many other theater groups emerging in Pakistan, especially since the possibilities for artistic expression is much greater now. She feels that since 1947, “there has been an active discouragement by the State of performing arts…the government was never clear about its direction and consequently, we landed in a quagmire of a manufactured identity, which was a mixture of our own fabricated ideas about arts and stress on Islamic values.” She believes that the situation has improved a lot in recent times and says “Now, the environment is very encouraging. Motivation and freedom is a prerogative of an artist. Our collaboration with the government has been very successful. We have done two plays, Bullah and Bala King with the Arts Council. We can change the trend if the government pays the expenses of productions, provide facilities and pay actors”. However, with the recent ban on her play ‘Burqavaganza’, which is a satirical comedy commenting on the sometimes hypocritical wearing of the veil, Madeeha sees support for Social Theatre as being bleak.

On the other hand, the government’s apparent leniency in Pakistan has given birth to young theatre troupes such as ‘Black Fish’. This theatre company was founded in 2002, and is the first improvisational theatre troupe in Pakistan. Black Fish makes use of stand-up comedy to address social issues and get their message across to audiences. The troupe has a huge following and is very popular among the youth, although it does cater to all age groups. In 2004 Black Fish was also selected by the British Council to represent Pakistan in an International Youth Theater Festival Manchester called ‘Contacting the World’. Also, a young stand-up comedian, Saad Haroon, who got a strong footing in the world of comedy through his work with Black Fish, has now gone solo. Saad recently performed at the Dubai Community Theatre in Dubai with the tag line ‘Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World? Set Your G.P.S on Saad Haroon’ plastered all across his promotional posters. Saad is talented and has the means to spread his social messages globally. At the end of the day, no matter where we live in the world, we are all plagued by the same problems of daily existence.

The continued existence of groups like Ajoka, Tehrik-I-Niswan and Lok Rehas is viewed by many as a story of resilience, courage and personal sacrifice. Social Theatre seeks to empower rather than persuade. It encourages and teaches team work, ideas about body language and the whole realm of communication. Being part of a Social Theatre group also allows actors to work on building confidence and self-awareness. Furthermore, international theatre groups such as Bond Street Theatre in New York, create innovative theatre works that communicate across lingual and cultural borders and bring these works to varied audiences worldwide. Theatre groups utilize the performing arts as a means to address social, political, and environmental issues with thought and intelligibility. Groups such as the Bond Street Theatre group, also further cross-cultural understanding by participating in and initiating community arts projects and humanitarian outreach programs in a wide range of communities globally, particularly areas of conflict and post-war rehabilitation. They stimulate other artists towards these ends through association, exchange, and creative relations with artists and organizations around the world. In this way, the institution of Social Theatre is bound to survive as a mirror of social issues and be a global revolution in itself fighting and raising a voice for freedom and rights of the individual.

Searching For Destiny

2007-08-12T06:40:00.000-07:00

Searching for Destiny

Published in 'Images' [Dawn]

12th August 2007

By Fariha Rashed
Well organized premiers of privately produced tele-films are a rarity in Pakistan. Imran Malik, an aspiring Director based in Lahore, recently took the brave step of premiering his film ‘Justaju Jiss Kee Thee’ for a selected audience at Sozo Gold located at Fortress Stadium, Lahore. Imran’s decision not to hand his film over to any one channel before its official release to the public was commendable. The decision went in his favor. Imran has now been offered the opportunity to premier his film at the headquarters of various large national and international companies. Publicity and promotion of his film will be better accomplished by the holding of small, yet meaningful viewings of his film for select targeted groups of influential people.

Imran Malik is no stranger to the world of film making. Having done his Video Production from NCA in 2004, he moved on to making a short film called ‘Bushra Kahan Hai’ in 2005. The film was well received and covered in various leading dailies. After completing his Film Making from the New York Film Academy in 2006, Imran made a short film called ‘Last Kiss’ as his final project at NYFA. He received the second position among a total of 18 projects. In 2002 Imran has also tried his hand quite successfully, at directing a music video for Ibrar-Ul-Haq’s song ‘Teray Rang Rang’.

Imran found himself in a fix when trying to decide what to title his latest tele-film. However, after analyzing the essence of the story which revolves around every human being’s search for their destiny in this world, Imran felt that ‘Justaju Jiss Kee Thee’ was apt. “It is a powerful and brave social drama, which highlights the frustrations of our youth, represented in the film by three friends belonging to a lower income bracket, and their ‘justiju’ to achieve their dreams”, explains Imran. Unfortunately, as seen in the film, the three friends’ biggest goal in life is to attain money in whatever way necessary, even if it means coning others. This eventually leads to a sacrifice of friendship among the three and the death of one of them. On the other hand, Sakina [played by Myra Khan], a beautiful girl also living in the three friends’ neighborhood, and striving to achieve the same destiny as them, fulfils her ‘justiju’ of becoming rich. However, she does this at the cost of her self-respect as a woman.

Imran, who has a very Stanley Kubrick come Satya Jeet Ray style of directing, has tried to show a true ‘mohalla’ friendship between three youngsters, living in a lower middle class area of Lahore. He very realistically manages to represent the boys’ leisure time, their sexual issues, their needs, and how their immature minds can sway towards violence. While studying film making in New York last year, Imran felt that most Americans have a wrong image of Pakistan. With regard to the Danish cartoons printed in the papers, he feels that the Americans viewed the consequential Lahore protest based riots to be the work of Muslim fanatics. Through ‘Justaju Jiss Kee Thee’ which touched upon this issue, Imran wanted to give a message that poverty and desperation exist everywhere in the world, and should not be linked to Islam. “I couldn’t give this message directly so I knitted it in with a story showing people’s miseries which often turn them violent”, explains Imran. He believes strongly that someone has to show the true face of our society and although some of the issues he has highlighted in the film may be taboos for the vast majority, Imran sees it as his responsibility as a Director to speak out about them through his work. “I want to give a message to the decision makers of Pakistan to please do something to help the masses instead of always trying to exploit them”, states Imran. As shown in the film, youngsters who can’t talk about their problems in a society like ours, or get counseling of any kind, eventually end up making mischief in the backseats of rickshaws, in cubicles of net cafes, and the dark corners of their homes. According to Imran, all these activities amalgamate to become the dark corners of their lives instead.

It took Imran almost three months to complete the film, including pre-production and post production. He spent almost two months writing the script – two weeks on character development, two weeks on dialogues and a full month on the screenplay. To research for the film, Imran personally visited the lower middle class areas of Lahore many times in order to get a real feel for the lives of the people living there. He also visited net cafes and auto garage workshops. One of the three friends in the film, Shoki [played by Atta Ullah], works as a mechanic in an auto workshop. Another, Ali [played by Ali Zain] owns a net café. Imran also had long sessions with real motor mechanics and the lads owning net cafes. It helped the director immensely in understanding the characters he created for the film.

Lahore was chosen as the right place for the premier because the film’s events are based in the city. The premier was a success evidenced by the fact that the movie hall was jam-packed. One saw celebrities such as Sarmad Khoosat sitting in the front row. Most people liked the theme of the film, while others appreciated the treatment adopted, as well as lighting. A few had mixed reviews on the performance of the cast as some liked them and others didn’t. Acting done by Myra Khan and Ali Zain in particular was good. Their facial expressions and body language were in sync with their dialogues. They also succeeded in showing the emotion needed for various scenes in the film. Background music was not jarring and coincided well with the film. Camera work was innovative and not run-of-the-mill. The shot angles were paid a lot of attention to and rendered the film visually pleasing. Close-up shots of character’s faces are the hardest to achieve, yet they were nicely done.

While choosing a perfect cast for the film, Imran initially contacted senior people of the industry but did not receive a positive response. Imran eventually decided to cast a whole new lot of fresh talent. He advertised in various institutions for auditions and ended up choosing from among a 100 people. The majority of the cast members are from BNU and the senior cast members were referred to Imran by Mr. Shaukat Zain-ul-Abaideen.

One of the strongest points of the film has to be how it very realistically represents Pakistani culture, society and the mentality of the majority of our people. It also manages to highlight the many problems we have, forcing anyone who watches the movie to relate to the characters and contemplate. Imran has boldly touched upon quite a few topics related to youth intimacy. He acknowledges that it was a risk to do so but he also feels that it is important to accept that they exist and are a very real part of our society. Most of the frustrations inherent result from these issues and denying their existence. A premier to be held in Karachi is on the agenda next. Imran is also sending the film in to different international festivals – Vancouver Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, New York Film Festival, TriBeCa Film Festival, London Film Festival, Calcutta Film Festival, India Film Festival and Venice Film Festival. Imran also plans to have the film air on a leading satellite channel. A deal is in process. The film will also run on the channel’s USA, Canada and UK beams. Imran’s next project is a film based on a working woman – a Creative Director of an Ad Agency.

Cast & Crew

Written & Directed by: Imran A. Malik
Story & Screenplay: Imran A. Malik
D.O.P: Shabahat Qamar
Edited By: Yasir Rohaila
Asst. Directors: Akhyar Ahmed, Jalal-u-Din Babar
Production Manager: Akhyar Ahmed
Lighting: Imran A. Malik, Shabahat Qamar
Background Music Selection: Imran A. Malik

Ali: played by Ali Zain
Sajjad/Saju: played by Hamad Shah
Shaukat/Shoki: played by Atta Ullah
Sakina: played by Myra Khan
Sahil: played by Fawad Shah
Sughran: played by Razia Malik
Humera: played by Abida
Shakeela: played by Shabana Bhatti
Perveen: played by Fazeelat
Policeman: played by Ali.

You Have To Let Go Sometime

2007-08-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

You Have To Let Go Sometime
Published in 'SHE'
August 2007 Issue

By Fariha Rashed
Saturday 7th July -- the infamous duo from Peshawar, Sajid and Zeeshan, wait in anticipation, all geared up for their first performance in the city, at the Lahore University of Management Sciences [LUMS], due to begin at 8pm sharp. As sweat pours down their foreheads, owing to the extreme humidity in the air, they realize that it’s already 7:30pm and sound hasn’t even been set up properly as yet. Farhad Humayun fumbles about trying to get sound and light ready at the LUMS Central Courtyard, so the duo can begin their sound check. The stage is all set, and a large backdrop highlights the three collaborations made for this specific event, namely Djuice, Sajid & Zeeshan and the LUMS Music Society.

By 9pm the gig is well on its way. The courtyard is filled with at least 600 enthusiastic fans. Unfortunately, much to everyone’s anger and frustration, the LUMS Music Society does not allow Sajid & Zeeshan onto the stage anytime before midnight. This serves to aggravate fans, media and not to mention the sponsor. It is quite obvious that the Music Society is too busy promoting their own underground bands, who go on to play for three hours straight. During the stretch of this time, Sajid & Zeeshan are seen standing on the side waiting to be given a chance to perform at what is supposed to be their own concert.

After a few heated words are exchanged between the Music Society, the sponsor’s brand manager and the duo’s Lahore manager, Sajid & Zeeshan are finally seen mounting the stage. Half of the crowd, which had left the courtyard and was standing outside waiting to hear the duo, are seen rushing back as Amar, the host for the night, finally introduces Sajid & Zeeshan onto the stage. Loud clapping is heard and fans scream out the duo’s individual names. The energy in the courtyard suddenly heightens as Sajid strums the first chords on his guitar. He stands in the middle of the well lit stage, before a microphone, completely involved in his playing. Zeeshan, located to one side of the stage, is surrounded by tables that support his various gadgets. What the crowd witnesses Zeeshan do next, with what is known as an AirFX [gadget], is unbelievable. Coupled with Sajid’s powerful vocals that were hitting all kinds of notes, the effect is nothing less then mind blowing. The duo performs seven songs off their recently released album called ‘One Light Year at Snail Speed’. The songs most enjoyed by the crowd include ‘King Of Self’, ‘My Happiness’, ‘Close to You’, and ‘You Have to Let Go Sometime’. After the completion of every song the audience breaks out into an uproar of appreciation. Zeeshan is seen dancing along to every fast paced song they do as he continues to improvise with his electronic gadgets. Suddenly Sajid pulls out a harmonica and adds its flavor to the performance, driving the crowd even crazier.

Lahore has never before been subjected to such music or such a wild performance. Sajid & Zeeshan have taken the fun of going to a live performance to new heights. As the duo performs their last song the crowd shouts for an encore of ‘You Have to Let Go Sometime’. They oblige and once again the entire courtyard sways from side to side. The concert finally comes to an end at 1am and as Sajid & Zeeshan say their thank you’s, a flock of girls rush towards the stage and ask for autographs. When they finally start packing up their instruments, both Sajid and Zeeshan have huge grins plastered across their faces. It is apparent that they feel they had a good show.

Urban Eating

2007-07-31T05:10:00.000-07:00

Urban Eating

Published in 'Instep Today'

31st July, 2007

By Fariha Rashed
July 14th saw the opening of a brand new Bakery and Coffee Shop in Lahore. Yes, yes, I know! ‘Another one?!’ you ask. Let me put your mind at ease. This bakery/coffee shop IS a little different for the sole reason that it ends up serving more than one purpose. If you want to know how, do read on.

The orange-ish building of ‘The Urban Chef’ is situated on main Ghazi Road in Defence. Surprisingly, it managed to quite easily cater to nearly 200 invited people at its opening, which was organized by JB & Jaws Productions. Other than the free food [something Lahoris can never resist!] there were other kinds of interesting attractions at the event. Mr. Abrar-ul-Haq, along with his family, made an appearance as the Chief Guest, and one saw him enjoying a good round of colorful cocktails and scrumptious food the coffee house-come-bakery has to offer. A nice kid from BNU called Haroon sat propelled on a stool with an acoustic guitar in hand and sang ‘Manwarai’ by Noori and ‘This Love’ by Maroon 5. The audience looked quite pleased and entertained.

As one walks into the bakery, one’s eyes are met with an abundance of color. Rows of shelves on the walls behind the counter have cans and cans of juices and soft drinks placed on them. The Urban Chef is basically divided into four floors. The basement floor is a sheesha lounge, where people can also enjoy special flavored drinks. Apparently the entire place can be booked for private functions as well. The ground floor is the bakery, and looks somewhat like Gourmet. Both bakeries also more or less offer similar items, both homemade and foreign. The first floor is the restaurant, where people can indulge in all kinds of desi and continental food. The restaurant seems to be catering to a more sophisticated and mature market. The second floor is another sitting area, where again one has access to food types such as pizza, desi dishes, and continental food. The second floor is also appropriate for small gatherings, gigs, movie shows and parties. It’s formed more like a small hall that can accommodate about 80 people.

It is nice to see that there are more traditionally styled bakeries opening up in Lahore. ‘The Urban Chef’ is affordable, stocked well with fresh eateries, and with its sheesha lounge, caters to a very important part of the population – the youth.

The Croquis Guru

2007-07-29T06:16:00.000-07:00

The Croquis Guru

Published in 'Images' [Dawn]

July 29th 2007

By Fariha Rashed
Bilal Ashraf walks confidently through the door breaking into a warm smile as he greets me. He may be a man of short stature but his impeccable talent as a fashion illustrator renders him the tallest man alive in my eyes. I am meeting him after many years, but I remember vividly that at fashion school everyone used to envy and look up to Bilal. His fashion illustrations were by far the best in the entire school. His croquis [fashion illustrations] were always intense and flawless. He was a maestro in his field. So what has the man accomplished thus far? Well to start with, while at Pakistan School of Fashion Design, Bilal won third prize in an international fashion competition held in Belgium. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. He has gone on to accomplish much more. I see a maturity in Bilal, both with regard to his work and his demeanor that I feel must have come with extensive experience and living abroad. When talking about his work Bilal has a fire in his eyes I have rarely seen before. Passion for what he does spills over like sizzling larva all through my conversation with him. His firm hand gestures and unconscious throwing in of Arabic words here and there prove that living in Egypt for the past so many years has had a lasting influence on him. Through the course of my interview with him I found out that he is very well versed in his field. He as an artist is more then willing to impart knowledge to others and is on a constant quest for learning.

Bilal, how did you end up in Egypt?

I had no special plans to go to Cairo. I had graduated from Pakistan School of Fashion Design [PSFD] in 1999 and eventually joined the Crescent Group in Pakistan. I was offered a chance to become Brand Manager Levis for the Asia-Pacific Division and at the same time I was also offered to teach at Institute Technique de la Mode [ITM] in Cairo. The offer from Cairo came as a result of my good friend Irfan Cheema who had already been teaching there. After great contemplation I decided to go to Egypt in 2002 and I began teaching four subjects at ITM – Fashion Design, Textile Design, Accessory Design, and History of Costume. I started off teaching only Fashion Design to three batches and my students went to the principal the second day and asked that I should teach them more subjects. The main reason for my choice to leave Pakistan and move abroad was that I was bored after spending two years in the industry here. With the Crescent Group I was doing work related to garments but it was related to hard core manufacturing and had no creativity to it.

Did you face any problems teaching in a foreign land and how have you found the country so far?

It is known as the African Republic of Egypt and this country has great history. It was ruled by the French, the Ferons and then Islam. Therefore Egypt is extremely cross-cultural and it people’s features are also unique. A lot of students know French, English and German. I am teaching design oriented subjects so I do not find any communication problems with my students. My subjects are about expression of feelings more then anything else. Egyptians by nature are humble people and their thriving tourism allows them to deal very well with foreigners.

Why do you think Pakistani fashion brands are stagnant and lack branding?

For branding everything from the logo, marketing campaign, to the models used matters. A brand has to research, innovate and invent. I think Teejays is the only revolutionary brand that ever existed in Pakistan. The label played with the shalwar kameez and made it a status symbol. It broke the rules and catered to the masses. No one is doing this now. The only setback for Teejays was that it did not move with the times. Fashion is about change which is the only constant. Egypt is also a Muslim country but they dress in a Western/European style as well. They wear white gowns in their weddings and black suits in their funerals. Pakistan needs to progress with regard to new styles of dressing as well.

You started your own business in Cairo. Can you tell us a little about that?

My student Sara and I set up our own business last year. This June, we established our brand [atelier] in Cairo. We offer formals, casuals and exclusive attire with our own prints on it. Fashion, art and design are brought together under one roof by us. Sara and I are not bound by the limitations of the industry. We also have the best printers, Mario Printers, working with us. Initially they were not agreeing to print only 300 pieces for us as that is no quantity for them. However, once the owner saw our work he opened his arms to us. Sara and I named our label BSAR’AI, ‘B’ standing for Bilal of course. The reason why I started my business in Egypt and not Pakistan is because in Pakistan you can’t innovate much with the shalwar kameez. All you can do is play around with the neckline or the embellishments on the kameez. In Egypt I am getting a chance to apply all kinds of innovation to my work. I can easily play around with cuts and I have a very educated team, which largely consists of my own students. Also, I have an exceptional partner. Sara belongs to a family that owns a very large group called the Riyad Group in Egypt. This group deals in fabrication, knitwear exports etc. However, Sara wanted to follow her own dreams instead of joining her family business. She and I compliment each other completely. Our design sense and philosophy are the same. We do of course face some conflict between us at times, but I feel that is healthy. I scribble the signature of our company on all my fashion illustrations as I believe everything we do should be as a team.

How has Egypt responded to your fashion illustrations and your fashion designing?

Egypt on the whole has not been exposed to fashion illustrations much. I received a lot of compliments for my illustrations, and the most encouraging comment I got about my work was from people who said “we see ourselves in it”. Dressing has been around from the time of Adam. I believe strongly that you “wear what you are”. One must always be comfortable in what one wears. Your dressing should make you feel confident. It protects you and lets you portray yourself to the world the way you want. Illustration is also a strong form of art and it entails function, aesthetics and design sense. Art representing fashion creates style, mood and attitude. One should be able to tell the time period the illustration is set in, just by looking at it. I don’t believe that fashion and art can be separated so why not combine it with the industry as well? In Pakistan the problem is that industrialists don’t care about the designer. Take a look at United Colors of Benetton for example. They have a strong message of unity for mankind which is represented through the unity of colors. This is a good philosophy. In the same way, Gucci has sleek models, and Versace has broad models. All brands have some element which stays constant and is representative of their brand. In Pakistan there is no such sense of similarity in designing with regard to labels and brands. I think Nilofer Shahid is the only one who has a strong sense of identity. When I worked with her right after graduation, I learnt a lot. I learnt foremost to be a designer with a distinct and clear philosophy.

Are you satisfied with everything that you are currently doing?

I’m teaching, I have my own label, I’m doing my fashion illustrations – I have everything. Yes, I am very satisfied and if I stop doing even one of these things I will lose a part of myself. All aspects compliment each other.

Who are your inspirations and who do you feel you have learnt the most from in life?

Marisse who taught us pattern making and draping at fashion school is the reason why I am what I am today. She was a turning point in my life. Rashid Rana, my drawing teacher at PSFD taught me a lot too. However, learning can’t come from teachers alone. It comes from students also. I believe it is a give and take relationship. I have also learnt a lot from my partner Sara. She brings out the best in me and is one of my main sources of inspiration. We are a team and I need her input in everything. I believe people like Asif Haq, Imran Muzaffar and Ghulam Moiuddin from PSFD can truly make a difference in Pakistan. They all have a unique way of working. I also learnt a lot from Kaleem Khan and Hamid Baloch who taught me how to draw in Quetta at the Foundation of Anatomy. With regards to international renowned illustrators, Antonio Lopez who is one of the best illustrators of the world and David Downton have inspired me a lot. I think a mixture of knowledge, awareness, exposure and education are the essential ingredients for any success story, and I am lucky enough to have all of them. For me, seeing is learning, so everything I see is an inspiration. I learn from nature and nurture [culture]. I pick things from different people, store them, and utilize them best by inculcating them with my own taste.

You recently held your first fashion illustration exhibition in Cairo. Tell us a little about it, how you prepared your pieces and what kind of a reaction you received for it.

I intentionally used a lack of color in my first exhibition. I was inspired by the Chinese way of using solid black ink. It takes you in and is a very strong medium. My stroke on the paper has to be my last stroke because with ink, there is no room for correction once you make a mistake. This concept really excites me. Although it is not a very neat medium, the artist has to have a lot of control to manage it. I believe there is a strong link between being genius and mad. I also believe one should allow oneself to make mistakes as this let’s artists in particular, come out of the box and find out what they are capable of. As Picasso said, “be fearless like a child”. What he meant by this was that child’s art is fearless, bold, energetic and colorful. The child does not hold back. An artist should be fearless like a child yet controlled in his craft. I can find myself with one million chances for making a mistake while using ink. I use the same brush throughout to give strokes and therefore my brushes finish after one painting. I invent constantly while I work, challenging myself and opening doors for learning. My decisions are very quick while I paint and I find that to be the fun part of it. It was a challenge to show the feel of clothes, hair and shoes etc while using just one color. Also, with this exhibition, I did not make an intentional effort to make asymmetrical lines. This exhibition was about energy executed through intense lines and bold strokes. Fashion was transformed into illustration through this exhibition. For me, the urge to portray style, mood and attitude gave birth to an art form that has been a mode of visual expression for many exceptional individuals.

The exhibition had 30 pieces in all and I made each piece in four hours. It took me five months all together to complete them. The exhibition was inaugurated on 12th may 2007 at Sakiat-El-Sawy, situated in the heart of Cairo. This location is a very famous cultural centre in Cairo. There is something exciting happening to promote youngsters there every night. I had the good luck of acquiring a lot of big sponsors such as Mobinil [equivalent to Mobilink] and the Arab African Bank etc for my show, which went on for nine days. O Tv, a new Egyptian satellite channel by Orascom, covered the event and recorded me live at my college while I gave a demonstration to my students. Through this exhibition I wanted Egyptians to get exposed to new forms of art and fashion. As a rule, people have to be introduced to a product before they put their hands on it, which is what I planned to do through my exhibition. I sold them a philosophy which encouraged them to find out what fashion illustrations are. Once the exhibition ended I got good feedback. I was offered to do illustrations for a children’s book, designers wanted me to teach them fashion illustration, and Sakiat-El-Sawy wanted me to hold workshops at their venue.

How would you describe your own work?

Fashion is for your own self. If it’s in you, then it’s good. Whatever I do for a living is exactly how I want to live. Personally I don’t like images in which I feel the model is trying too hard. A certain feel should emanate from my illustrations. I do portray dramatic postures at times but the models have distinct expressions in their eyes.

The rest of your siblings are also artists. Why do you think all three of you pursued this particular field?

Our nana was a tailor but none of our family members were artists. Me elder brother Jawad is a photographer, and my younger brother is also doing fashion. I guess it was just meant to be!

What does the future hold for Bilal Ashraf?

I want to learn, learn and learn some more! I believe designers and industrialists need to know each other and I will strive to make that happen. Designers have to be exposed to art, and do not necessarily need to be technically educated. R&D departments are making new developments around the world; those developments are then taken to designers who use them in their collections. Subsequently famous models wear the clothes and media critics at the show give the collections coverage. Next, celebrities wear the same designs and a demand for them is triggered by the masses. Orders go back out to the industry for cost effective clothes to be made. It is a cycle that Pakistan needs to fast adopt. I plan to do whatever I can to make it happen.

Bilal, after literally hanging off the edge of his chair for an hour, sinks back and relaxes in his seat as the interview comes to an end. Taking a closer look at his work I realize that Bilal’s fashion illustrations are wild and controlled all at the same time. He has a firm grip on the medium. His strokes are both fierce and light in the right places but every piece speaks out on an individual level. The pieces look just as good up close as they do from afar. Every stroke of ink has a different emotion behind it and it almost feels like the ink is dancing across the canvas having a life of its own. There is an air of perfection in Bilal’s work. One would have to struggle very hard and long to find any mistakes whatsoever.

A Rocking Tribute

2007-07-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

A Rocking Tribute
Published in World Music
July/August Issue

By Fariha Rashed
It was Friday the 20th of April 2007. A few friends and I found ourselves making our may to Saint Anthony’s college, situated on that long winding road called The Mall. We were enthusiastically looking forward to a fun night of loud music played by a bunch of old and young musicians that haven’t gotten together in ages. The night was largely organized by Cecil Chaudhry and Shahzad Hameed to commemorate Babar Khan, lead vocalist for the band Trip. Babar sadly died in 1997. Rumor has it that he was shot, but that claim cannot be substantiated, and therefore is at the end of the day just a rumor.

It was a beautiful night; the stars were out and the wind was blowing gently. Weather wise it couldn’t have been a more perfect day to hold a gig on. Stage and sound had been set up at one end of Saint Anthony’s roof top. The surrounding view, of the enchanting Church’s dome in particular, gave the whole ambience an air of nostalgia. The stage carried behind it three large backdrops of Babar’s smiling face. Lighting served to create a juxtaposition of brilliant colors that reflected off the backdrop and stage beautifully. Large carpets were spread across the floor in front of the stage to allow for comfortable seating. According to Shahzad Hameed prior rehearsals and set up of the equipment, stage etc took a lot of time. It’s a good thing that so much instance was invested in taking care of these details, because that’s what made the whole difference in the overall success of the gig….and a success it was indeed.

Before any of the singing began, a projector screen lit up with images of Babar through the years of his life. I thought that was a very touching display showing how much he is missed by his entire band and most musicians of Pakistan. Subsequently, the show kicked off with Shahzad Hameed who played two of his originals from his upcoming debut album. I specifically enjoyed his single ‘Fish out of Water’, which was sung by Shahzad with great fervor. He later returned on stage to play a little guitar on the song "Cocaine" and played bass on "Highway Star". What followed Shahzad’s initial performance was no less enthralling. It was the original Mind Riot consisting of Farhad Humayun on drums, Sheraz Siddiq on keyboards and Mehmood Rehman. The performance was tight and the audience loved seeing the band together again. Coven took to the stage next. The band consists of Hamza Jafri, Sikander Mufti on drums, Imran Shafiq, and Sameer Ahmed on base. Coven completely rocked the house with their energized performance. Sikandar in particular was powerful on drums. The band performed an improvised piece which blew the crowd away; whistles as well as ‘aaaah’s’ of approval could be heard resounding across the roof top.

By this point the audience was in full throttle, as were the performers, both enjoying the night immensely. The audience was reacting to musicians and the musicians were reacting to the audience’s appreciation of their skills on stage. It was a beautiful interacting to watch and be a part of. It took for Ahmed Ali Butt to bring an element of comedy to the event. He got on stage and passed a few sarcastic comments that had everyone smiling. He then went on to perform a few songs as a part of the band ‘Entity’. Once he got off stage, the original members of the band Trip came on. This was the moment everyone had been looking forward to. Cecil did a tremendous job on guitars and some of his solo portions were absolutely mind blowing. The flow of his fingers over the guitar strings was mesmerizing. I could see my friend, who was sitting right next to me, sway his head from side to side, completely lost in the moment. Various musicians came and went during Trip’s performance, each playing with them at different occasions and on different songs. The show went on into the wee hours of the night and it seemed even the audience just couldn’t get enough.

One realizes that seated in open air is always the best way to hear a live performance. Sound carries better in such an environment as it did on Saint Anthony’s spacious roof top. The sound engineers at the switch boards did a good job in controlling the levels of instruments and vocals. Also, intelligently the crowd present at the gig was invited by the organizers themselves. One saw all kinds of people from media, and the music industry. The event was not publicized on a grand scale and Cecil and Shahzad Hameed made the effort of calling people up themselves to invite them. This ensured that an interested and good group of people was there. Refreshments were available in abundance and I for one knocked back two bottles of coke during the stretch of the night.

The event started off a little late, but then the rest of the night more than made up for that initial little glitch. Overall the evening was a blazing success with some of the finest musicians Pakistan has ever produced performing together on one platform after years. It was a treat for any music lover well acquainted with the maestros. Even the Meekal Hassan Band made a five minute appearance to show their support for the cause. Unfortunately they had to rush to another gig they had lined up for the night and thus did not perform at Saint Anthony’s. Babar Khan must have been smiling down from the heavens, appreciating the show that was put up to tribute him as one of the greatest vocalists Pakistan has produced over time. I for one hope such entertaining and well organized events continue to take place on a regular basis. It warms the heart to know that Pakistanis have come quite far with regard to putting up a good show!

Review on 'Sajid & Zeeshan' Live in Lahore at LUMS. Event sponsored by Djuice, organised by LUMS Music Society & co-ordinated by Fariha Rashed.

2007-07-11T04:41:00.000-07:00

Sajid and Zeeshan rock LUMS!
Published in 'Instep Today'

11th July, 2007

By Jazib Zahir

The dynamic duo of Sajid Ghafoor and Zeeshan Parwez descended upon the Lahore University of Management Sciences on July 7 – giving their audience a reason to let their hair down. It surely was a Saturday night well spent.

While Sajid and Zeshaan have been prominent in the Peshawar underground scene for some time and can regularly be spotted crooning on our television screens, their LUMS gig marked their live debut in Lahore! And thank goodness for that, considering the duo frequents Karachi for gigs and concerts more so than either Lahore or Islamabad.

The show was hosted in the central courtyard of the main academic building sealed by a tent in an attempt to thwart forecast showers. The organizers were students of the 'LUMS Music Society', a group of devoted amateurs keen to provide Lahore with avenues of entertainment. Telenor was the primary sponsor with the symbols of their newest service 'djuice' emblazoned around the venue. Like any show put on with a sound conscience, this one too had a humanistic bent with the crowd encouraged to 'open its hearts and empty its pockets' in support of the Agha Khan Memorial Trust fund.

Those who arrived by the designated hour were treated to the sight of Sajid and Zeeshan on stage conducting sound tests and warming up by playing short sections of their various hits. When the proceedings finally began, the audience was treated to the commendable amateur efforts of some local bands. The Aitchison College group warmed up the audience with two numbers, 'Cemetery Gates' and 'Crying in the Rain'. A group of LUMS students got the crowd bobbing its heads along with the catchy beat of a remix of Awaz's 'Jadoo Ka Charagh'. And a recent LUMS graduate, Ali Shahid, plucked the guitar while managing vocals that meshed nicely with a background flute.

Unfortunately, these early performances were plagued by long intervals since each group needed time to set up its equipment and undertake a basic sound test before it was ready to jam. Some of the amateurs also failed to account for the limitations of the electronic equipment and consequently, their crescendos were not received well by the audience. A portion of the crowd began to dwindle at this point.

Those who persisted were ultimately rewarded by the grand arrival of Sajid and Zeeshan. With their tools already meticulously tuned, Sajid and Zeeshan wasted no time in getting down to work. They announced their arrival by breaking into one of their lesser known songs, 'Free and Underestimated'. Sajid had the composed presence of a true professional behind the microphone. He strummed his guitar serenely while launching his powerful vocals at the delighted audience. He had significant command of his pitch in the presence of sensitive electronic equipment and it showed in the high fidelity of the sound produced.

This number was followed up by one more familiar to the audience, 'Freestyle Dive'. This song was distinguished by Zeeshan's contribution to the vocals, as he lifted his gaze to the heavens periodically and reverberated Sajid's words. But at no time did he desert the delicate devices at his fingertips. As the group techie, Zeeshan is responsible for all things electronic. This includes the dexterous use of the keyboard-cum-synthesizer to generate the pulsating techno beats that distinguish this brand of music. Courtesy the projector screen, members of the audience were treated to a close-up of the intricate dance of his fingers through each song. He managed to mix things up with a blend of scratches, riffs and slow beats that punctuated the beginning and end of each song.

'Deserts' allowed Sajid to exhibit his versatility as he relieved himself of the guitar strings briefly to draw a harmonica across his lips. The mellifluous chirps provided a special ingredient absent in most contemporary music forms. This song was slower and softer than the others and had the audience swaying with cell phones aloft, either to record the performance or just to generate some illumination of appreciation.

Sajid chose to swap guitars as he launched into a rendition of 'My happiness'. The audience responded with hoots of recognition. This was Sajid at his finest with this song allowing him to demonstrate the depths and flexibility of his vocal chords. Zeeshan, as always, patched in the gaps in the vocals with a jiggle of electronic beats. The lights joined the fun here, blinking and changing color to render a psychedelic touch. The encore was a stirring performance of 'King of Self' - the hit that initially launched the duo to prominence. This version was distinguished by a protracted jam that had much of the crowd swaying.

In all, Sajid and Zeeshan played seven songs while engaging in friendly chatter with the audience and fitting in a pitch for their album One Light Year at Snail Speed. They will be in town for at least a few more days so you may hear of another Lahore performance very soon. Judging by how well the performance was received at LUMS, it may not be long before the duo is ready to transition to music as a full time occupation.

--Photos by Wasim Sajid

Metamorphosis

2007-07-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

Metamorphosis

Printed in 'Anokhi Vibe' [Canadian Magazine]

July 2007 Issue

By Fariha Rashed

Among the many students graduating yearly from Pakistan School of Fashion Design, only a few step out with a vision for the future. Mehdi, who graduated in 2001, was one of those ‘enlightened’ designers who had clear goals for himself and knew the path he would be taking in trying to establish his label. Believing that education is the backbone for every professional, Mehdi lays great emphasis and importance on fashion designers being educated in their field and qualified to do what they do. He believes that although people can learn a lot from their surroundings and have inborn talent, for the field of fashion in particular, it is essential for designers to be technically sound and possess that expertise at their fingertips. This may not have been a necessity a few years back, but now with the abundance of competition that has arisen within the Pakistani fashion industry and the growing awareness among people, it plays a vital role in determining the success or failure of any designer.

Once he graduated, Mehdi took a year of f, during which time he pursued his passion for painting, pottery-making and sculpting before eventually returning to his profession as a designer. Once he did return however, he poured his heart and soul into it. During his time off, Mehdi contemplated how he would test himself as a designer. He wanted to test not just himself, but also his sense of color, his sense of fabric and his sense of embellishment. He wanted to figure out where his strength lay. He started out by creating a collection with casual and western wear to challenge his designing abilities. He discovered that he was not only capable of coming up with a casual and western wear collection, but also a bridal wear line. He researched color and fabrics and learnt through trial and error where and how to mix and match them. He realized that no matter what, Mehdi had to be a successful brand. He is proud of his achievement and believes that he has accomplished what he set out to do.

Like all other designers, Mehdi too has certain inspirations from which he derives his collections and comes up with ideas for his garments. It is beauty from which Mehdi is most profoundly inspired and he strongly believes that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. As a designer he finds beauty in everything. He is also stimulated by music, ‘ghazals’ being the one form of music that inspire his designing the most. The process of designing for Mehdi is almost ritualistic in nature. He has to be in the right mood and frame of mind to create and reflect his imagination in his work. Designing a collection is the most important time as opposed to when a single outfit is being created on paper. Being in the right mood allows a designer to relate one outfit to another and achieve subsequent harmony in the collection. Mehdi’s collection is the outcome of a combination of elements which surround him at the time of designing. Those may include anything from the colors around him, the music he is listening to or even nature.

Mehdi was born in Sheikhupura and has grown up between Lahore and his home town. He has a very simple, educated family which includes four brothers [including him], and one sister. ‘I love my family and I believe wherever I have reached today is due to my mother’s blessings’. Mehdi studied at Saint Mary’s School after which he joined PSFD. He remembers being quite good at his studies and topped his class. Art was something Mehdi always loved and enjoyed as a form of expression. He believes that being artistic is inborn for Shahzad and himself, as no one in their family had any interest in the field. Mehdi says ‘Shahzad and I are lucky we discovered out inner talent’. Growing up with a famous elder brother inspired Mehdi who has witnessed Ather and Shahzad be the best in their field ever since they started out. ‘I always noticed their professionalism and dedication towards their work. It is from there that I realized that hard work and dedication is the key to success. I am really proud of them’, says Mehdi. Although Mehdi is tired of being taunted about his relation to Shahzad, he does not deny for a minute that having his established brother in the fashion field is a huge help to him. He is not ashamed of it in any way and believes that anyone should embrace their sibling’s support and help, if it is available. Furthermore, no matter how much Shahzad supports Mehdi, he can only contribute to his success to a certain extent. It is a professional’s own hard work, luck and effort that will lead to his/her triumph at the end of the day. Mehdi knows that his clients come to him because of the name he has created in the industry for himself and not because he is Shahzad’s brother.

Probably one of Mehdi’s best fashion shows, and worth mentioning here, was Vanity Fair held last year in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. The designer showcased his Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2006 collection. The show was all about vanity, carving eternal stories of passion and Mehdi’s own conception of the word beauty. Mehdi explains that he tried to make a statement regarding this word by showcasing his designs in various thematic segments. The show started off with the dazzling ‘Mystery’ segment which consisted of garments in black. Black to Mehdi is the epitome of beauty. ‘The segment was all about western wear and larger than life images’, explains the designer. Then followed the trendy casual wear and the elegant ‘sari’s’ collection. Evening wear, formal wear and bridals were next. Each segment had a cover theme and there were eight breathtaking segments in total. The cuts were simple yet suave and the flowing fabrics were embellished in a kaleidoscope of shimmering colors. The extravagant head gears, beautiful accessories and crisp make-up and styling done by Ather Shahzad all combined exquisitely to create a perfect effect. There were a total of hundred outfits which is a large number for any seasoned designer to come up with for a single show. Nineteen top models of the country strutted down the ramp, wrapped in Mehdi’s seductive creations. Among them were the stunning Iman Ali, Vaneeza Ahmed, Iraj Manzoor, Tanya Shafi, Zainab Qayyum and Meesha. Although PC management assigned to manage the event was a little on the unprofessional side with regard to starting the show on time and being courteous to guests and media people, the show itself more than made up for the initial stress that audience members had to endure. Speaking about the effort that goes into putting up a show of the scale of Vanity Fair, Mehdi says ‘I work day and night for a fashion show and I start out by determining how many outfits I need. I have to do at least a hundred sketches before I confirm the ten final sketches for one collection. It takes month to organize and finish everything and I do everything myself’. Mehdi personally buys fabric from the market for his collections and chooses the material for the embellishments also. He pays special attention to all details and has managed to secure a good relationship with his tailors and embellishers. It is by being personally involved from start to end that a designer comes up with an extraordinary and unique collection.

Mehdi has introduced a signature style of his own and has in this way supplied fresh new styles, looks and trends to the fashion scene. ‘I introduced hot and loud colors such as neon pink in my collections. I also introduced the Capri pants and short shirts. That was my signature style’. In his latest Vanity Fair collection Mehdi introduced long gowns, and he wants to show something different in every new show that he does in the future. Among the local designers, he likes Banto Kazmi’s work as he believes she adds color beautifully to bridal wear. As far as following the international forecast goes, Mehdi follows the colors that are in. However, he believes that Pakistani designers need to follow trends according to our culture’s own limitations. ‘The international forecast can be incorporated in our fashion sensibility and style’ he explains. Mehdi’s personal fashion statement is casual. He is comfortable in jeans, a t-shirt and joggers.
This year Mehdi showcased his summer collection 2007 at a fashion show that he called the ‘Viva Glam Show’. It took place at the Royal Palm in Lahore. The beautiful assortment of clothes was, as the line’s title suggests, meant to dazzle and mystify, and so it did. Mehdi received rave reviews for the show and the creative, yet very wearable collection. The capri pant seems to have replaced the shalwar once again this summer. A cool turquoise for both men and women seems to be the color Mehdi chose to introduce to the fashion conscious this summer.

Mehdi understands the importance of international exposure for Pakistani designers. He has showcased collections in Romania, the USA, and Brunei in the past. However he strongly believes that at the moment Pakistan needs fashion more than other countries do. He wants to be stable as a designer in his own country and wants to contribute in spreading awareness about fashion here. ‘I’m a proud Pakistani and before showcasing abroad, I would first take every opportunity to do shows and sell here.’ Mehdi also states that the Pakistani fashion council issue is one he does not understand. The industry is a small one and the council, if it exists, should be for the benefit of all designers. The fashion council’s main aim should be to show our talent in fashion to the world and not a power play between old and new designers. The government should encourage and help local designers be a part of international fashion fairs.

To the younger lot of designers entering the fashion industry carrying with them a bundle of doubts, Mehdi says ‘be confident’. He admits that starting out is not easy as trouble seems to come from all nooks and corners. The fashion field in particular is one where designers are thoroughly scrutinized and people criticize them a lot. Mehdi wisely advises young designers to handle the situation and negativity surrounding them as it is unavoidable. Once again he believes that with good education and know-how related to fashion and its basic rules, any aspiring designer can make it as long as he/she is confident about what they are doing. Mehdi says ‘you have to show people that you are right’. Furthermore, the Pakistani fashion industry has evolved with leaps and bounds and there is greater acceptance of fashion designing as a career than there was a few years back. It is seen as a full fledged profession. It must be pointed out that media has helped to promote fashion to a large extent. It has delivered it to the masses, who now truly understand the concept of designer wear. Initially it was only available and understandable to the elite. In the future Mehdi aspires to spread fashion all around Pakistan, and with this young, enthusiastic designer going through an amazing metamorphosis right before our very eyes, there is no doubt that he will accomplish exactly that.

Mehdi’s favorite:
Song ---- Falling Into You by Celine Dion
Scent --- Beyond Paradise
International designer --- Jean Paul Gautier
Movie --- Moulin Rouge
Hangout --- Anywhere with my family
Friend --- Myself
Color --- Black [because I can see all the shades in black]
Fabric --- Chiffon
Accessory --- Caps
Cuisine --- Thai
Fashion Magazine --- VOGUE
International Model [Male & Female] --- Naomi Campbell [female]
Arjun Rampal [male]

Jeans & A Band of Boys

2007-06-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

Published in 'Eyecandy' [The Post]

24th June, 2007

By Fariha Rashed
The invite, a black and white Polaroid picture splattered across with Coven band members, was enough eye candy to make any young girl rush over to see the gig! The well designed pass, gripped tightly in my hand read, 'Coven Live at the Levis Flagship Store….8th June…9pm onwards'.

Surprisingly the gig started almost on time. Credit must be given to the official organizers Radio 1 FM 91and JB & Jaws Productions, for ensuring that a good ensemble of people were invited to see Coven live in action. The gig took place in the spacious basement of the Levis' store on the busy MM Alam Road. As I walked down the winding staircase, I was given free cans of Red Bull, the company also being one of the official sponsors of the gig. By the time I got there, signing and handing out of the band's album had already been concluded. After mingling with the likes of Omar Chaudhry [Levis Brand Manager], musician Shehzad Hameed, RJ Fizza Aslam, and fashion designer Rabya Butt, people were making their way to an area enclosed in glass. This space is usually crowded with trendy accessories and Levis' exclusive vintage collection of jeans. However, for the gig, the entire area was cleared out and Coven had set up their instruments at the far end of the square room. The Jammin Java Cafe was the first place that fans turned to when they needed anything to drink. The ambience was created by a myriad of lighting effects. One of the oldest vintage jeans, boxed in a glass encasing hung behind Sikandar Mufti as he started the gig with drumming of the drums. The crowd huddled together was left anticipating a great evening of music that would tempt insurmountable amounts of foot stomping and head banging. They got just that!

Each one of the Coven boys took their places on the floor, clad in Levi attire. Sikandar instantly blew everyone away with his wild thumping at the drum set. The band began with an instrumental and slowly built up the pace. Sailing Fast was the first and by far the best performance of the night. Sikandar Mufti's energized drum beats, Sameer Ahmed's tight bass playing, Omran Shafique's electrifying lead and Hamza Jafri's soulful rhythm, amalgamated to build the instrumental up into a rock-inspired musical fury! The band launched into subsequent compositions, one after the other, driving the crowd to the point of insanity as young boys and girls hooted and sang along. Hamza Jafri's impeccable vocals were crisp and powerful, yet singing for an hour and a half takes a lot of stamina and by the end of the show he began to tire, which affected his ability to sing with the same intensity. The constant sweating due to lack of ventilation at the venue may have contributed to this happening.

Omran was clearly versatile on lead. His body movements uniquely blended with his playing style, as he shifted his weight from side to side while strumming with great fervour. He lit a cigarette after every few songs and it truly seemed like the entire band was jamming in its back yard, completely relaxed and at ease. There was a loud, yet intimate communication between the audience and the band. They crowd exuded an aura of encouragement while the band responded by offering a hard hitting performance.

Sameer Ahmed is known as one of the best bassists in Pakistan, and he proved just why, yet again, at the gig. His bass playing was solid and added masterfully, to the already brilliant Coven sound. Sikandar, it seems, only gets better every time he performs. His wrist movements are agile and his beat was confident. Best of all, anyone watching him could tell that he was completely immersed in what he was doing. His facial expressions aren't to be missed!

The gig was a roaring success. Coven was loud, passionate and most of all won the hearts of all present at the event. For a band not very fond of commercial collaborations, the boys made a smart move entering into a contract with a label that specifically linked itself with rock music all around the world. Being the brand ambassadors for Levis will take them far. Music lives in Coven's core and no amount of commercialism can take that way from them, it can only help to add to it and give them access to bigger venues and more gigs. We hope to see a whole lot more of the band in the near future.

Global Ambition

2007-06-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

Published in 'Images' [Dawn]
24th June, 2007

By Fariha Rashed
August marks the release of Karachi-based Karavan’s long-awaited new album that comes after an extended gap. The year 2007 is also one in which Assad Ahmed (former Awaz member and guitarist) and Tanseer Daar (vocalist) complete a decade as a mainstream band. Currently recording the yet unnamed album at Assad’s studio, they have done three songs with another seven to go. It is the fourth studio and fifth overall album by the band.

“It’s not going to be a small affair because with it we also celebrate 10 years in the music industry. The feel to the new album will be different this time with more mature songwriting and heavy in all the right places. The stuff we have been working is miles ahead of what we had been doing in the past,” says Assad.

However, lyrically speaking, Tanseer doesn’t feel it is much different from their first four albums. “This time the songs are by Adnan Ahmed. He used to write for us before and the album Safar was by him. He co-wrote Gardish with Sajid Zafar and this time Anees Ahmed is doing two or three songs as well besides Adnan. We sit down with them and sense the direction of the songs they have written. If we leave them on their own, it gets complicated for us as performers because they use a lot of heavy words. This time there will be easier words and beats,” he explains.

One thing that Assad says they have learnt over the years is “when you write a song that connects with people on any level it’s great because it will always take them back to the moment when they first heard it. This time we have all the ingredients to make a great Karavan album. I think that if Gardish was the bar that we were measured by, we’ve managed to raise that bar this time.”

“People mostly go to India to become famous but we are beyond that. We want to
go there and look at India as another territory to play in. We don’t care about
record sales. Pakistan may be home, but you can’t stay here for the rest of your
life,” says Karavan guitarist Assad Ahmed

There is an element of motivation in one of the songs on the new album, called Sara Jahan. There is also one called Kaise Mumkin Hai, which is something the band has never done before. According to Assad, it is one of those songs that take you away to a far-off place. “We try to do what we do best and evolve within that frame.

“People are now listening more with their eyes than their ears. With all the TV channels coming up, now people only know you for the videos you come out with. So if you have an album out and you’ve done a video, they only know you through that one song. This is apart from your hardcore fan base of course,” he adds.

Tanseer feels that his vocals have kept on changing through time, “Usually, it occurs naturally. It’s the fans and band mates that make you conscious of the change. Your voice is not an instrument that you practice with and it gets better. Also, we are not from a family that supports careers in music. As a result, in an environment where you have no support, it is quite difficult to improve oneself,” says the lead vocalist.

Assad adds that if you stop evolving as a singer, bassist or a musician, it’s all over. “Just hang up your instrument and say thank you very much, it’s been a good ride and good night — Elvis has basically left the building. I remember when Tanseer first joined the band; I thought to myself ‘what are we going to do’? This guy can’t even sing. I told him to lock himself in a room and practice. In those eight months, on a scale from one to 10, this guy went up to at least 7.5. It’s all about applying himself.”

For the future, Karavan plans to come out with videos that are both cost-effective and creative. Assad explains that they picked out art students from the Indus Valley School in Karachi and asked some young students to come up with interesting concepts. “It’s about promoting young talent. We got in touch with a few people, Aman Ahmed being one of them. I’m not a big fan when it comes to making videos because I come from a generation that thinks radio gives artistes a break whereas television is just a marketing tool. However, you have to have good videos and for this album we’ll pretty much do the same. We might spend more money on them and have them done on film rather than video format.”

The band also plans to go to India with the new album this time. “People mostly go to India to become famous but we are beyond that. We want to go there and look at India as another territory to play in. We don’t care about record sales. Pakistan may be home, but you can’t stay here for the rest of your life,” points out the Karavan guitarist.

All of Assad and Tanseer’s attention is on the new album right now that will not just be released in Pakistan this year, but worldwide. “Most people want to go to the East but I believe our place is in the West. Desis and Asians, in general, are tuned in to rock music as much as the white man. I want to bridge the gap between us and the white man through this album. Hence, there are two English songs on the album which will be released there, not here” says Assad Ahmed sounding off.

Spreading the Word

2007-06-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

Published in 'Images' [Dawn]
17th June, 2007

By Fariha Rashed
Ajoka Theatre’s play, Bullah, performed last week in Lahore was very appropriately timed in that it brought with it a strong message of peace and tolerance. It revived the true spirit of Bulleh Shah’s poetry, as his poetic message intermingled with the popular genre of drama grasped everyone’s attention in the audience. It seems the recent ban placed on Burqavaganza that was accused of ridiculing the veil and disrespecting Pakistani culture has, in essence, managed to attract more crowds to Ajoka’s plays.

Bullah tells the story of sufi poet Baba Bulleh Shah. Based on the events that came to pass during his lifetime, the play carries a strong message of love and a plea for world peace. Bulleh Shah’s teachings are based on tolerance and the play suggests that in today’s conflicting times we should spread his message extensively.

‘Bullah’ tells the story of sufi poet Baba Bulleh Shah. Based on the events of
his life, the play carries a strong message of love and a plea for world peace
along with an impressive blend of various aspects of literature and the
performing arts.

Ajoka, known to stress on social issues through its plays, moulded Bullah to address the present state of chaos in South Asia. The play started on time and as the lights dimmed, the events on stage began with devotees carrying Bullah’s mortal remains in a procession, chanting his verse: “It is not me who is in the grave it is another.” The backdrop of the play is set in Punjab at the time of the decline of the Mughal empire in the early 18th century. Sona (Kamran Mujahid) and Chandi (Furqan Majeed) act as narrators, giving comments on what the sufi poet had to contend with on various occasions.

The play is an example of what the magic of theatre is all about — an entertaining, live and interactive experience that carries with it a message that everyone can relate to. The play is a perfect blend of music and acting. Mian Shaharyar composed the music for the play and the kafis were sung by Khawar Ali Qawal and his ensemble accompanied by Arif Ali. As Sarfaraz Ansari (the lead actor who played Bullah) recited his poetry, the qawwals would enhance the recitations by offering their own music and voices as support. It was said that Sarfraz Ansari felt a personal affiliation with Bulleh Shah and elevated to a spiritual high while playing the role. This translated into a moving performance on his part.

The stage was not overly crowded with props and the lighting was impeccable. It created just the right ambience for each scene and gave depth to every character’s individual expressions. The dances were an important part of the play, lending through their movements a symbolic touch to the storyline. The live qawwali music intersecting throughout the play managed to enhance the performance marvelously. The actors themselves sang intensely and soulfully, clearly indicating that they were classically-trained singers as well.

The entire production was performed in Punjabi which is difficult to comprehend for many, but the actors’ powerful performances made understanding the story a whole lot easier. Lines were not forgotten, voices carried well across the entire stretch of the Alhamra hall and the space on stage was used intelligently by the actors which made the play visually appealing.

The dancers were in sync while the actors acting out the fight sequences were also quite agile. Both the dances and the fight sequences were choreographed with special attention paid to detail. The actors’ purposeful eye contact with the audience helped to keep them engaged for two whole hours. Eva Majid played the dancing girl Muradi Begum and Malik Aslam played Banda Singh Bahadur who avenged the deaths of Sikh saints. Both of them delivered convincing performances.

The last scene was one of the most powerful in the entire play and sums up the essence of the story: Bullah’s shrine is visited by devotees and Sona and Chandi proclaim that the sufi poet is still alive and loved through his teachings which will continue to live on for centuries after his demise.

The life history and contributions of Baba Bulleh Shah were artfully staged and accurately presented in Bullah. Madeeha Gauhar must be complemented for brilliant direction, Shahid Nadeem for writing a powerful script and Uzra Butt for strong choreography. The set designed by Aqeel Qazmi created an atmosphere which convincingly portrayed the living conditions and trends at the time of the sufi poet. The play is an impressive blend of various aspects of literature and performing arts that leaves a lasting impression on its audience.

Impressively, Ajoka is known to keep its set designs and backgrounds to a bare minimum, focusing entirely on acting, a strong meaningful script and brilliant background music. At the end of the day, the evening was a roaring success and it was good to see that the Pakistani public appreciates cultured theatre.

Staging 'Ethics'

2007-05-27T07:55:00.000-07:00

Published in 'Images' [Dawn]
May 27th, 2007

By Fariha Rashed
What are the ingredients for a successful comical farce? The play should entertain and make you laugh, its message should be clear and concise, and it should engage you throughout the duration.

Ethics of Job Hunting, an original script written by Saad Sultan, possessed all these qualities and more. Directed by Ian Eldred and Saad Sultan, and produced by Younis Chaudhry, the play ran for three consecutive nights last week at the Alhamra in Lahore.

The story revolves round Mujtaba (Taimoor Shakuri), a young graduate from Lahore looking for a well-paying job. After more than six years of waiting in vain, he gets a once-in-a-lifetime break when a family friend, Zahid, settled in London (Timothy Abel) visits Pakistan. The friend is seeking out local talent for business purposes.

In order to land the job, Mujtaba is willing to wipe out any obstruction in his way, even if it is his own girlfriend who applies for the same position. However, when he visits Zahid equipped with a worthless degree, a frustrated, religiously-inclined elder brother and father, he has to face tough competition and his prospects look bleak. But he has a secret weapon at his disposal — Zahid’s engaged but flirtatious daughter.

The director points out that he thought the play was a good idea, as most of the scripts that have been performed locally in the past have been either European or American. “We thought it might be good if we encouraged local youth and talent with a script that carries indigenous characters that show Pakistani’s unique situations.

“I also thought it would be a good experience since I haven’t really done a production before,” says Ian about his stint as director. Saad had a skeletal outline for a script and Ian advised him to keep it simple and go with that.

‘Ethics of Job Hunting’ was a good effort by a bunch of daring youngsters who
put up a production in Lahore that sat well with the audience, despite facing
great limitations and hindrances. As Isaam pointed out, “People here need to get
out of that Shakespearean mindset and move on”

Ethics of Job Hunting was relevant in the sense that it tried to show, albeit subtly, that if society is to advance and progress, we should keep our ideals with us but not let them control us. This point was driven home through the character of Mujtaba’s brother, Mustafa, played brilliantly by Isaam Haris. Taimoor further points out that the characters in the play mirror people we see everyday as an intrinsic part of our society.

In spite of the voice projection classes before every rehearsal, there were still a few voice-projection blunders during the play. At times it was felt that the actors were running through their lines. The performance was also packed with a lot of moving and jumping around on the entire length of the stage as Ian meant for the play to be that energized. “We would have loved to cut down the pace, but to be very honest when you are doing it with new actors, they are sort of unsure of what to do on stage, so I gave them very precise movements to avoid any fidgeting. Taimoor was the only one given liberty to move around freely as he is an experienced actor,” said Ian.

“I played upon a topic that is so relevant to everyone out there who has looked for a job,” says Saad who plans to learn literature, philosophy and theatre from here on, not sure at this point if he would write another script anytime soon. “I just want to get an education first,” he says, talking about his plans for college.

The cast featured a good ensemble that worked well together and their performance on a whole was perfectly synchronised. Timothy Abel (also known as the gentle giant) in particular did a scene where he was meant to act high after accidentally smoking a joint. His performance was outstanding in this regard and had the audience in fits.

According to Timothy the best part about working in an amateur production is that one gets to meet lots of talented people. Uswa Amjad, Huma Mobeen and Jennifer Bhatti, who play the female leads in the play, believe that team work is what made the play a success.

Overall, Ethics of Job Hunting was a good effort by a bunch of daring youngsters who put up a production that sat well with the audience, despite facing great limitations and hindrances. As Isaam pointed out, “People here need to get out of that Shakespearean mindset and move on.”

“What each one of us will take away from this play and the experience overshadows any amount of financial loss we might have suffered,” said Saad on a concluding note.

The Passive Voice

2007-05-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

Published in 'The Friday Times' [TFT]
May 25-31, 2007

By Fariha Rashed
'Maawaan Noo Na Satao' is an interactive exercise that is meant to create awareness about the issue of violence against women. It was performed by the Interactive Resource Centre [IRC] as a theatre performance, followed by an interactive session on preventing violence against women. The event was specifically held on the occasion of Mother’s Day this year. The White Ribbon Campaign and FCC Rotaract Club organized the afternoon at Sinclair Hall, Forman Christian College [FCC], Lahore. GTZ must be commended for funding such educational events.

The hall seated a packed crowd of 700 students, faculty and staff members. Surprisingly, the event started on time. It began with the beautifully synchronized playing of a tabla and a flute. I thought this was an ingenious way to allow a rowdy crowd of students in uniforms to settle down in their seats and relax. As told to us by Mr. Amen Jaffar, Advisor, FCC Rotaract Club, the performance was put up to encourage all of us to learn a lesson. The crusade is an effort to educate both men and women about women’s rights. The White Ribbon Campaign takes up volunteers and offers summer internship programs to anyone interested in joining in to help forward the cause.

As the show was about to begin, an IRC performer took to the stage and explained the format of the performance. Since it was an interactive play, the actors brought forward an issue, acted it out, and later invited people from the audience to come on stage and complete the story. Completing the story would of course in essence mean that the audience was giving the solution to the problem highlighted through the performance.

The story discussed a woman who was beaten and abused by all the men in her family --- her husband, her brothers and her sons. What IRC did was leave the woman’s story behind for awhile and instead gave us a peak into each one of the men’s lives. As we witnessed the husband going to work as a laborer and being ill-treated by his boss; the brothers making money off of gambling and getting into all kinds of trouble; and finally the sons being beaten by the teacher in class as a means of punishment, we realize the reason for each one of their frustrations. Unfortunately, it is the woman who suffers their wrath at home as they unleash their aggravations upon her.

Throughout the performance the actor playing the abused woman interacted directly with the audience, asking them questions pertaining to her plight. By the end of it, a scenario had been presented to us, yet no solution had been offered. One by one young audience members went on stage and gave their opinions as to how the situation could be resolved and what they thought of violence against women. A few very interesting remarks and observations were made. A question was posed as to whether kids who are beaten at school should leave and stop studying. The audience was quick to disapprove. A teacher of FCC took to the stage at this point and agreed that beating students was acceptable because according to him, the teacher knows best how to make a child listen. When asked to take the place of the kid being beaten in the play, the teacher did so and still stuck to his guns. “If I did something wrong as a student, I should be hit”, he said as the crowd booed him off stage. Another audience member brought it to everyone’s notice that it is not only the girls who are suppressed and ill treated at childhood. Boys are sent to off to work at very tender ages and huge responsibilities are put on their shoulders. Yet another person pointed out that at least boys have a right to speak out against any injustice done to them; girls have no such rights in our society. A few girls felt that if they were ever beaten or abused they wouldn’t take it. They would go to court and divorce their husbands. Loud cheering and clapping resounded through the hall as these thoughts were expressed. However, immediately someone raised the question as to whether our society would accept such a step taken by a woman. Would it be easy for her to walk into a court and file for divorce? To this, the audience became double minded and one girl admitted that it is not an easy step for women and the only solution is to educate men and teach them how to respect women. She pointed out correctly that women are only respected by men so long as they stay within the four walls of their homes and stay obedient. Although change would be slow in coming, the audience felt that we should at least try. They believed that awareness programs such as the IRC performance would help immensely. Also, it was noted that every family has its own policies regarding education for their children, and whether it is necessary at all.

At this point a young man came on stage and provided us with a perfect example of certain factions of society, mostly men, who are in complete denial regarding the issue of violence against women. “Women are not as violated as you portrayed them to be through your performance”, he said. He goes on to state, very optimistically, that even if there are problems, there are matching solutions. However, he failed to pin-point what these solutions might be. “Bardasht kee had hoti hai” shouted a young lady as she grabbed the mike from another student. She stressed that the education of men with regard to how they should treat women should have been enforced from day one. She raised a pertinent question; how long will women run? A daring your man admitted on stage that men should sit down and think about how to behave with the opposite sex.

On the whole the event was a brilliant success. A very important issue was presented to the youth in an intelligent manner. The message got across to them clearly and they were provoked into actually ‘thinking’. For a society where social theatre is not yet recognized and accepted as a good form of ‘entertainment with a message’, the IRC did an excellent job. They must continue to perform interactively in various schools and colleges around Pakistan, as these young minds are the ones that need to be fueled to bring about change.

Strike A Pose

2007-05-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

Published in 'Fashion Avenue Quarterly' [FAQ]
9th Edition.

By Fariha Rashed
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that in Pakistan, there is a stark contrast between the modeling industry of the 80’s and the modeling industry of today. If we sit down and try to pin point what the major difference is, we will realize, as I have, that it’s a whole new ball game now. However, whether the industry has changed for the better or the worse is another debate altogether. In the 80’s, the industry was in its infancy and had been initiated by some daring individuals. As veteran designer Rizwan Beyg points out, “Initially the fashion scene was about a lot of friends working together. People like Atiya Khan were all part of the same group of people and what happened was that friends ended up asking friends to work for each other. It was not about making a buck back then and people came across work through word of mouth and contacts”. That was a different time. Models back then came from seemingly educated backgrounds. I use the word educated very carefully here as its meaning may be easily misinterpreted. When I say educated I am simply referring to the fact that in the 80’s and 90’s women taking up modeling as a profession were not only good on the ramp and in shoots, but could also carry off a conversation if engaged in one. That is the kind of overall persona internationally expected of super models. Do the new models taking up fashion as a profession fit this bill? Do they exude that state-of-the-art super-model quality or even look like they belong on the ramp?

We have to keep into account that the modeling industry’s trends have with time transformed or rather evolved if you will. In the late 80’s and early 90’s we had models such as Bibi, Zoyla, Atiya Khan to Aliya Zaidi leading the way. They had poise and were all unique in their own right, knowing how to carry themselves and taking what they were doing seriously. Shehzad Raza is right on track when he says “before, photographers and designers were educated and experienced in their fields. Even if they had no formal training there was no copying going on and they were all good at what they did. There was an air of professionalism and they worked with professional models as well. Now anyone gets up and becomes a designer or a photographer and therefore the models coming in are also less qualified and skilled.” Frieha Altaf who has been one of the top models in her time and currently recruits models herself [through her agency] has a slightly different point of view on the matter and states that “Even at that time there were two types of models. You either came from a good background or what we called an ‘ifi’ background. I personally was very hesitant before doing a commercial. I stayed away from poor quality, ‘pan masala valai’ offers. The ‘ifi’ models were doing all that and there were very few models that came from serious backgrounds. I kept away from the ‘ifi’ models because they gave a bad reputation to the modeling industry. Girls from good families were not allowed to take up modeling and those who did had to fight a lot of misrepresentation. I believe it is the same deal right now.” Amina Haq takes it one step further and says that “the 80’s saw no models as such. It is in the mid-90’s that modeling developed in Pakistan as it was a paid profession. Modeling has always attracted a varied kind of people.”

The 90’s saw the coming of exceptionally talented models such as Vinny, Iraj, Amina Haq, and ZQ. The advent of fashion schools in the mid-90’s also encouraged more females to take up modeling as a career. However, modeling at this time was still more or less about creating and maintaining a certain image and class that comes with exclusivity in the business. Grooming became important as modeling agencies led by Ather Shehzad and Nabeela primarily came into being. Male models also entered the arena and today we see talents such as Abdullah and Emmad Irfani making waves. Although male ramp models are paid relatively less than female models, they tend to find plenty of work in the corporate business sector and are often found on multi-national company’s billboards and in their TV advertisements. Shehzad Raza says very confidently that “we [Ather Shehzad] are the ones who introduced all the educated models in the industry from Amina Haq, to Vinny, to Iffat Rahim, to Cybil, to Iman Ali, to Nadia and even Meesha”. Shehzad goes on the express that it is therefore they who feel the pain the most when they see that the bar has gone down tremendously when it comes to the kind of girls becoming models. However, Shehzad agrees that it is an inevitable trend which is difficult to curb and the industry is suffering as a result. Iraj agrees and says that when she started out the field was tiny. There were fewer dedicated people who were only interested in fashion and had purely aesthetic reasons for joining the industry. “It’s completely different now. People want to do more now than just fashion. They are more interested in what’s happening after midnight. Women in the modeling industry have become distracted. The media is huge and models don’t eat and end up looking anorexic. Today you don’t have to do much to become a model”, says Iraj. She also insists that a girl is not measured according to her brains. So who is responsible for making sure that models are brought back on track? To this Iraj says “me just talking about it will not make a difference. Designers need to be responsible; people at the top need to be responsible. I have heard designers putting models down and telling them they are too fat. If my lot leaves the industry it will get worse. New girls don’t voice themselves. We used be particular about quality and now girls are willing to do anything. Lobbies are killing the industry. You can survive if you strive to survive. Talent has a lot to do with it and your intentions have a lot to do with it.” Iraj also hints that there is a difference between Karachi and Lahore when it comes to professionalism. “Karachi is still a little better. Take Nadia Hussein for example. She had presence and was modeling solely for fashion. Some newcomers are also good and it is my duty to guide them. Everything negative that crops up in the industry is very contagious but we try to stay decentralized and not get into that chaos.”

One can not deny that to some extent the modeling industry, along with many other industries, has become excessively commercial and media driven. Rizwan Beyg further clarifies this issue when he says that “now everything has become about money and models are doing shows to gain easy and fast cash. Designers are also commercially driven and fashion is suddenly at the forefront everywhere. Our clients are now making clothes and this is a reflection of our culture and the times we live in. Earlier there were no fashion magazines and now we have magazines solely based on fashion. There are no longer any standards or criteria for what is good and what is bad…..and this is sad.” The pertinent question arises. Does the current frivolous, glam-driven and ever changing nature of the modeling industry demand that models should be well groomed and well educated? Does it make a difference to the overall impact they exude? Frieha Altaf for one, when hiring models, does not care if they are literate or not. “I don’t give a damn about someone’s education. They should be groomed properly and should look like a model; they should come on time and take orders well. I am non-judgmental about what a model does with the rest of her/his time and I don’t care if they can speak English or not.” Amina Haq is perturbed by the insinuation that education is a criterion for judging a model’s caliber. “Since when do models have to become nuclear scientists? It is not necessary for models, actors or people in the performing arts for that matter to be PHDs. Why is it necessary for a model to speak English to be considered educated?” she exclaims. Vinny on the other hand believes that grooming and training is very important for a model. “A model needs to know how to deal with clients and how she or he does that depends on their background. Models are now personalities around the world and modeling is all about how you carry yourself. It is a good thing that more people are coming in and I feel it is the model’s own responsibility to get appropriately groomed. Nabeela has groomed models and Shehzad’s girls are also all groomed. Think of Iman Ali when she did Dawlance and now…what a big difference! A model must definitely know how to speak well.”

Say the word ‘model’ and what instantly comes to mind is a sassy, hot individual wearing great clothes and posing like there is no tomorrow. Scratch the surface and you will realize that there is a whole lot more to this species than just glamour and good looks…at least that’s what you are supposed to find under all the paraphernalia! A model is meant to be a complete persona equipped with taste, beauty, sophistication and above all else…brains! So have the modeling standards really dropped in Pakistan or are we making a big deal out of nothing? Hassan Sheheryar couldn’t agree less with the fact that fewer educated females are coming into the modeling business now as opposed to in the 90’s. “Meesha and Farheen are both newcomers and well educated. Nadia has a LUMS degree for God sakes! Those who were educated just used to shine through more before although there were uneducated models even back then. Now even models that are uneducated have been given a chance to come in and shine through and let’s give them that chance instead of insinuating that they aren’t any good”, says Hassan. Maybe if some of the influential people in the fashion world erected some modeling schools and agencies with all the money they make, it would ensure that well-groomed, educated, and trained models came onto the scene and eventually got invited and represented us abroad as well. The people who can truly make a difference need to re-invest in the industry. As far as I can see, the modeling world is fast becoming a second rate business where anyone who gets a shoot done can claim to be a model. Models such as Bibi, Vinny and Iraj etc have worked so hard to raise the standards and here we are disrespecting their efforts. With the way things are unfolding, we are only ensuring that modeling in Pakistan goes to the dogs. Everything can not only be about making money or else progress shall never see the light of day.

Cover Up

2007-04-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

Published in 'The Friday Times' [TFT]
April 20 - 26, 2007

By Fariha Rashed
Ajoka Theatre recently put up a new play Burqavaganza, an outrageous musical extravaganza which daringly touches upon the sensitive issue of the veil with a laissez-faire touch of humor. The play, written and directed by Shahid Nadeem, highlighted the significance of agreement and understanding in preventing the spread of extremism and the poison of uncertainty. Nadeem said he aimed to tackle problems faced specifically by the youth and middle-aged women of the Islamic world, who are caught up in a whirlwind of contradicting perceptions about the veil.

The satirical play revolves around the false perception of many that women need to be hidden, and the female species is something to be ashamed of. Through the storyline Shahid Nadeem reveals an ugly truth ---- the practice of and belief behind veiling a woman has been perverted and shamefully linked to religion. However, the obsession with the burqa, face-veil, niqab, hijab, or parda has nothing to do with religious beliefs and everything to do with a tribal and feudalistic mindset strongly prevalent in our country and value system. Burqavaganza mocks the phony rationale created for veiling a woman, and leaves no possible room for its justification in modern times.

The play speaks of the current fixation with the veil being a product of the Pan-Islamic fundamentalist political movement which is supported by repressive Muslim rulers and the ‘great’ powers of the West. In Pakistan’s recent history the Zia regime actively supported and followed this policy. It was pursued as a part of the West-supported policy to promote religious militancy. Similarly, the burqa ‘fad’ was taken to atrocious and peculiar extremes in Afghanistan by the Taliban. Quite ironically, the Saudi rulers, whose less than discreet shenanigans while holidaying abroad are well known to all, have also applied a strict veil policy. However they don’t stop there. In addition, they have enforced other humiliating and repressive restrictions on the free movement of women. On the other hand, the veil has become a central point for Muslim communities trying to claim their distinct religious and cultural identity. Banning of the veil with anti-Muslim intent and underlying racist connotations is deplorable and is in fact accomplishing nothing but negative and extremist reaction among the Muslim youth. However, it must be remembered that those who want to cloak women in burqas are merely a small fanatical ultra-conservative minority. There are also other important issues explored in Shahid Nadeem’s play. Unfortunately, the trademark of our moral and religious establishment is to cover all things beautiful and conceal all things horrible. These issues have very broad political and social dimensions. The establishment tries to cover up the inconvenient truth and they have double standards of moral and ethical values.

Burqavaganza, although void of any specific central plotline or story, portrays modern youth in veils going out on dates, sneaking out of educational institutions, offices and homes for discreet affairs with friends of the opposite sex. The play begins with the story of two burqa clad lovers, Haseena [Nosheen Sheikh] and Khoobroo [Raza Abbas], who cannot be together openly because of the restrictions placed on them by society. They sneak about and find ways to meet without being caught. The irony and twist is that by the end of the play it is revealed that these lovers are actually married. They are STILL penalized for being seen enjoying themselves in public, and are eventually put to death. The play aims to challenge set mindsets and to provoke audiences to think for themselves and break the chains of prejudice and obsolete values.

Hilarious news clips were screened in between to show misconceptions existing in different countries which have banned the veil in the aftermath of terrorist strikes. The fictitious channel on which these news clips appeared was named ‘Burqa Vison’. Among other issues, the play sought to address the compulsive obsession to confine the female species to secrecy. It sought to reason that whatever the rationale for covering women's faces in primitive or medieval times; there could be no justification in modem times for such practice. No society could encourage indecency or immodesty. Right through the play, characters appear in veils and abayas. The play highlights the impact of the veil on the society, as it becomes a tool to hide what a person wishes to keep private. The play refers to Osama Bin Laden as “Burqa Bin Badin”, allegedly hiding in Afghanistan, where the Taliban regime once enforced the burqa. He is eventually caught and put to death by hanging, but enacted by Sarfraz Ansari, the character was comical and quite droll. At one point, while “Burqa Bin Badin” gave his sermon to the public in Urdu, an actor stood on the side and translated everything that was being said by ‘Badin’, in his own hilariously concocted version of sign language. In another part Razia Malik, playing the part of a character known as ‘Hijab Hashmi’ is rolled in, seated uncouthly on a takht like piece of furniture with wheels. She is clad from top to bottom in a shimmering veil that covers her face completely. To her audience of a few, she gives an amusing sermon in which, even though farfetched to an extreme, the advantages of wearing veils and burqas are highlighted. The audience of the play applauded dialogues such as “Burqay Kay Peachay Kia Hai”, “Ye Jo Burqa Hai Dushman Hai Hamara” and “Burqa Associations”.

The best performances of the night had to be those of Iqbal Naqvi and Imran ul Haq. They pose as two maulanas addressing people’s random problems and handing them out preposterous [to the point of being utterly humorous] solutions, that too in the name of religion! The play was meant primarily to make people laugh at radicalism and extremism in society and it accomplished that objective superbly. However, Shahid Nadeem stressed that the main reason for staging the play was to educate people about the prevailing and rather serious situation of ‘forceful veiling’ as it may. Burqavaganza’s execution may have been slightly lacking only with regard to being treated as a musical. The songs were funny, but the performances began dragging slightly halfway through. The costumes were colorful, and innovative, sparking among the audience, a great deal of interest in each character. Costume designer Zahra Batool must be applauded for coming up with unique, deconstructed options to veils, burqas, hijabs and so on. The set and lighting, designed by Kewal Dhaliwal and Malik Aslam, were suitably appropriate with regard to the topic of the play. Both set and lighting succeeded in rendering the play visually pleasing and lent the ambience great authenticity.

Even though the serious issue of oppression of freedom was treated satirically in the play, dialogues and connotations expressed with regard to the veil became slightly crude at times. For the veiled women sitting in the audience the blunt ridiculing of their attire may have been a bit much. However, sometimes people need to be shocked and jolted into thinking and questioning obsolete mindsets. I believe Burqavaganza certainly succeeded in leaving people questioning various issues brought forth in the play long after it ended.

Setting The Stage for Bigami

2006-07-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

Published in 'The Friday Times' [TFT]

July 21 - 27, 2007

By Fariha Rashed

In a country where there is an extreme dearth of stimulating entertainment, parallel amateur theatre comes as a relatively new, yet refreshing concept. It is in particular a welcome addition to the only place on the planet, where fashion shows are considered a source of entertainment, usually packed with an audience comprising bureaucrats and the nouveau riche. Surprisingly, media and potential buyers are seldom seen at these ‘grand events’. The clothes or designers matter little and instead the skimpily clad models, awkwardly strutting down the catwalk, are of more importance. Keeping in mind the above mentioned sad state of Pakistani entertainment, Shah Sharahbeel’s play ‘You Only Marry Twice’ came as a breath of fresh air. The man has managed to carve a niche for his theatre company called Centre Stage Productions as audiences and sponsors acknowledge his unique vision and insight. Shahrabeel has had numerous successful plays in the past, shown in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. His latest play was performed in Lahore’s largest hall at Al-Hamra and was sponsored by one of the leading telecommunication companies in the country, along with the Lahore Arts Council.

‘You Only Marry Twice’ is based on the farce ‘Caught in the Net’ by Ray Cooney. It centers on bigamist John Smith who has been juggling two separate families which are living in two different areas of the city. He tries desperately to keep his two wives from discovering each other, and manages to do that successfully for 18 years. However, one fine day his daughter and son, from two different wives, date on the internet and decide to meet up to discuss their fathers, who ironically have the same name and are both taxi-drivers. From then on the play takes the audience on a roller coaster ride. Twists and turns occur in the plot as it falls upon John’s best friend Stanley Gardner to try and stop the children from meeting each other. The slogan “who knew mayhem was a mouse click away” cleverly puts the play’s central theme into perspective. In essence, ‘You Only Marry Twice’ is a light play that although comical in nature, revolves around the delicacy and intricacies of relationships and marriage. The best part about watching this play was that almost every person in the audience could relate to the theme in one way or another. They saw their own reflections in the myriad of characters, and on a personal level, were able to relate to each of these character’s dilemmas.

The set, designed by Asad Zaidi who has just completed his third year at Pakistan School of Fashion Design, was cleverly constructed. Asad made use of different colors to separate two different households created on one set. Lighting and sound, managed largely by Hassan Suleman Rizwan, was effective. Hall management was on its toes at all times during the play, ready to snatch away people’s mobiles if they rang. Although many complained that this kind of treatment is oppressive, for the first time in history, a Lahori audience sat through a non-stop one hour and forty minute long play, without a single mobile ringing or a single hoot being heard from any audience member. This indeed is an accomplishment worth noting. Choreography was taken care of by the talented Atif Khan who even managed to get a stiff Ian to miraculously dance. Although the dance segment at the very end was not well synchronized, it was thoroughly entertaining none the less.

One area where Shahrabeel needs to be a little more careful is timing. The play began late each night and therefore ended late as well. Due to this, a few people with other commitments had to sadly get up and leave during the performance. Also, Al Hamra’s AC’s were not cooling the hall well enough and one could see both actors and audience members sweating and feeling uncomfortable owing to the heat. Although all actors did well on the whole, a few of them did a better job in understanding and portraying their character. Ian Eldred’s performance while playing Stanley Gardner was crisp and almost flawless. His dialogue delivery and face expressions were in sync, and his body movement accompanied by his talent to use the stage space well, served to instantly captivate audience members. He, along with Muhammad Ali Jan who played John Smith, gave energized performances day after day, as if performing the play for the first time each night. Others, including Ushna Shah [playing Vicki Smith], A’hera Mathew [playing Barbara Smith] and Shaan Lashari [playing Gavin Smith] started out a little rusty as far as voice projection and speech clarity is concerned, but they got better with each passing performance, as their confidence and comfort on stage increased. Irsa Ghazal, playing Mary Smith, and Ijlal Khan, playing Mr. Gardner, both had excellent voice projection and are competent performers on stage. While established stage and television actress Isra lent her roles emotional depth, Ijlal’s love for theatre at once came spilling through on stage, translating itself into a passionately hilarious portrayal of Mr. Gardner.

It seems Sharahbeel’s reputation for putting up quality theatre far exceeded him, as the play’s opening night instantly drew in crowds of people. By the fifth night, word had spread all across the city and the hall was suddenly jam-packed till the last day. Furthermore, hundreds of eager, young, aspiring actors were keen to audition for a part in ‘You Only Marry Twice’. Sharabeel, as the director of the play, explains that “there are a few basic things that have to be kept in mind when choosing actors for particular roles during auditions. These include compatibility with the rest of the cast, voice projection and appearance.” Rehearsals, according to Muhammad Ali Jan, “went on for two whole months…..stretching at times till three in the morning.” Sharahbeel is most respected by his team for encouraging new talent and giving them a platform on which to prove themselves and show their potential. Mudassir Sheikh, a senior undergrad at LUMS and an RJ in his spare time, acted as everything from the Assistant Director, Media Coordinator, Presenter, Props In Charge, Production Manager to being involved in Backstage Management. He says “this experience has given me great exposure; great fun, great new friends and I have managed to learn a lot”. Ian Eldred who is known to be a master of improvisation on stage, adding a dozen extra ‘bloody’s’ to his lines in the play, exclaims “this experience has given me access to bloody good food, every single night, on the house!” Apparently the whole cast was treated to scrumptious food at various restaurants across Lahore. Ian also feels that working in Shahrabeel’s play cannot be compared to working with any other director in Pakistan. Shahrabeel’s motto as a director is “discipline, hard work, and passion”, to which his whole cast chants “discipline is an understatement!”

It is strongly felt by the cast members and by Shahrabeel himself, that the responsibility to encourage the efforts of young, amateur talent that has put in hours and hours of hard work to bring twelve consecutive nights of thrilling entertainment to the people of Lahore falls upon the shoulders of the media. Healthy criticism is always appreciated by actors, who feel they can learn from it and improve where they are lacking. However, reviews should not carry criticism for the sake of criticism and praise should be given where it is due. It is commendable that these youngsters and Shahrabeel, even in the face of poor tradition and infrastructure when it comes to theatre, have brought to Pakistan a new form of praiseworthy drama. The government and the corporate sector should work together to nurture this budding theatre culture and create an atmosphere where it can blossom further.

International or citywide?

2006-03-26T08:11:00.000-08:00

International or citywide?
Published in Instep [The News]
Sunday 26th March, 2006

The 2nd International Fashion Festival Awards, were far from being international, but they are a step forward all the same

By Fariha Rashed
As glamorous fashion events have suddenly come into vogue in Pakistan, so have giving out awards to acknowledge the great talent inherent in these fields. Lahore was once again highlighted as a potential international fashion ground, as Kamber Entertainment Group organized the second International Fashion Festival Awards 2006 from March 15th to 18th at the Pearl Continental Hotel. It was last year in April, that two Lahore based designers Salina–Wardah held the first fashion awards, aiming at putting the vibrant city of Lahore on the map of the fashion world. A great deal of hype and excitement had been created prior to the beginning of this festival, with well known fashion labels such as HSY, Karma, Lajwanti, Nabeel Aqeel, Walid Atallah, Amna Malik, Arshad's and many more participating.
Kamber Entertainment's Vice Chairman Syed Rehan Ahmed, who is a Dubai based businessman and designer, rightly pointed out that the Pakistani fashion industry is unfortunately controlled by a few names, that do not appreciate or let budding fashion designers and models come to the forefront, or share the limelight with them. Ahmed says he wants to genuinely help the Pakistani fashion scene flourish at the international level and holding such events is his way of accomplishing just that and at the same time, encouraging upcoming talent. It is pertinent to mention at this point however, that of the 20 international countries that were meant to participate in the festival, only a given few were present.
The International Fashion Festival took place at the spacious yet sophisticated Crystal Hall at Hotel Pearl Continental, Lahore. As people made their way in, they were met with various colorful stalls spread across the sides of the room. A long white ramp at the centre ran, like a slithering snake, from one end of the Crystal Hall to the other. The stalls were abundantly laid out with formal and informal clothes displayed either on mannequins or hung on racks, and accessories such as shoes, bags, belts and other fashion-related items, lying decoratively on tables. Each designer displayed the latest trends and their newest collections. Karma's stall was very well equipped, with three or four representatives for the label available at all times, incase anyone wanted information about Karma designs. There was a multimedia screen in the background running Karma fashion shows constantly. Even Maheen and Kami made an appearance once or twice to check up on things and meet potential buyers. Designer Walid Atallah had his catalogue available for viewing, as well as some beautiful white dresses from his couture line, displayed on mannequins. Chic Wear House, headed by Malaysian educated fashion designer Imran, had its women's and men's wear collection on display. The designer himself was seated very comfortably and rather quietly at his stall throughout the festival. However, strangely enough it was his PR person who gave any necessary information to curious passers by.
Other than fashion designers, cosmetic companies such as Cosmetica and Diana of London had a wide variety of luscious make up items in a number of colors available for purchasing and sampling on the spot. As we all know, beautification is the most important thing for a woman. Therefore, it was no surprise to see, that a bunch of ladies were found, every now and then, huddled all around the cosmetic stalls, testing products and giggling away as they saw themselves transformed when they peeped into mirrors. Also, SAAI Concepts, headed by designer Sahar Atif had displayed among other things, a myriad of beautifully crafted steel decorations such as small chests, in hues of greens and blues. Other items on display by them were scented candles, exotic looking cushion covers, steel coasters beaded jewelry and clothes.
Although excitingly enough, models from Germany, Greece, Cyprus, Hungry, Philippines, Romania, Norway, Dubai, Italy, Australia, Belgium, India, South Africa, Kenya and Bulgaria were expected to catwalk at the show, one only saw a handful of models from a very few of these countries actually on the ramp and that also for a very short period of time. The fashion shows on both the 16 and 17 March were held at 7:30 pm after the exhibition had wrapped up.
Four exclusive models from Ukraine, Lithuania, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan also took part in the fashion show on March 16. Pakistani models showing off designer clothes on the ramp included Hina, Aleena, Mehreen Syed, Neha, Sara Gillani, Seemab and Sanam. Male models included Gul Danyal, Emad, Naeem Haq and Meekal, who was appreciated on the first day, but was not seen the next day among the male models. A few unknown models also appeared in Nabeel & Aqeel's segment, which managed to surprise the audience quite a bit.
As always, the awards were the highlight and climax of the whole fashion festival. National Assembly member Riaz Fatyana was the guest of honour. What was a little disturbing was the fact that at the awards ceremony, many people had to stand outside the crystal hall, as passes distributed to the public exceeded the seating capacity. Even inside the hall, several guests had to watch while standing since they had no seats allotted to them. The award categories included best smile, best photogenic face, best model, best designer and best formal and informal dresses. The jurors making all the decisions about who won the many awards included the likes of Yusuf Salahuddin, Wasim Akram, Moammer Rana, Yahsir Waheed, Aaminah Haque, Vaneeza Ahmed and Khanito, Lebanese choreographer and adjudicator.
On the whole and in circumspect, the Second International Fashion Festival went off well. Many of the products were sold out and media coverage was at its height. However, it was a little sad to observe that the turnout of people was a little less than expected, and the response of buyers was minimal. It did not come up to the expectations of many. Compared to the first fashion festival held last year, people seemed less enthusiastic to attend or display their work at this particular fashion forum. Perhaps better organization and marketing of the whole festival will encourage a higher attendance, more sales and better participation by designers next year.

The New Age

2006-03-19T03:28:00.000-08:00

The New Age
Music & the Internet
Published in Images [DAWN]
Sunday, 19th March, 2006

With the sudden explosion of the internet in Pakistan, a fresh and innovative channel has opened its doors to the local music industry. It has managed to reel in a new age and new form of listening to music. The lack of any rules and regulations for internet usage means that people from all age groups find “cheap” and “comprehensive” entertainment through the World Wide Web. Furthermore, marketing through the net ends up being much cheaper than it is through other mediums and therefore, underground bands which are not financially strong find it a cost-effective way of advertising their music.

It is safe to say that an internet presence has become compulsory for any musician who wants to make his or her mark in the market. It also allows our local musicians easy access to the world market, since the World Wide Web has now become “a global business directory”, as Mr. Arshad Mahmud, Editor of World Music Magazine and Director Programs of NAPA very rightly points out. Much to their glee, the Pakistani communities abroad can also now listen to [and to some extent directly participate in] the local music scene. Their “jazba” for their country can be manifested through their active participation by way of the internet. It is avenues such as “blogs”, “discussion forums”, “communities on Orkut”, “webzines”, “ezines”, “music portals”, “and yahoo groups”, which are available to the global community for this very purpose. The much visited and talked about Orkut for example, is an online community site designed for friends. The main goal of their service is to make the visitor’s social life, and that of their friends, more active and stimulating. One can also create and join a wide variety of online communities which have been launched by the myriad music bands, artists, producers, and directors which make up the Pakistani Music Industry. Orkut to some of the upcoming music artists has become a marketing haven and self promotional platform. Every important TV Channel, radio station and music website has a community on Orkut and it provides the added advantage of having the presence of an international audience. Therefore, one can almost immediately gage the importance Orkut possesses in the bigger picture of things. Other than Orkut though, one of the most visited music oriented e-zines is called Bandbaj.org, and as their writer and PR Manager Huma Imtiaz explains “Bandbaja was one of the first e-zines that came up with comprehensive reviews and interviews that took a fresh look at the state of affairs in the music industry. Not only that but we have promoted a lot of artists that were being ignored elsewhere”. E-zines are online versions of music magazines that can be viewed by anyone in the world.

I feel that an apt description of the relationship between the internet and music is best described by Mr. Adeel, owner of the popular online entertainment e-zine DesiTwist: “It is plug-and-play, turn on your favorite music website, download and/or play the track”. The truth is that the internet is having a “label – breaking” effect on society. This is a medium which anyone, anywhere can use to voice their opinions, to listen to or watch what they want. With its advent, we are no longer an “isolated” society. Furthermore, limitations of time have also been countered by the internet. Music is available at your fingertips “when” you want it … unlike TV and radio channels where you have to wait for a specific program to be aired. Cellular technology has also supported this explosion of access to music; you can use your mobile phone to use the internet and listen to the latest music. However, there are some negatives to the whole scenario also. With the use of the internet comes a sense of responsibility on the part of the website administrators – to ensure that only those singles and albums are made available for download which the musician has given permission for. The wide availability of unreleased music leads to decreased album sales for the musicians. As says Mr. Arshad Mahmud of World Music Magazine: “The only download sites which are popular are the sites which offer free downloads. We some how never acquired and acknowledged the responsibility of spending money on entertainment”.

Another infamous creation of the internet is the internet radio station, which has become popular because of the wide variety of music it offers and the relative lack of commercials it airs. Listeners can also customize play lists to their own liking, thus giving them greater freedom than ever before. There is FM Mast 103.com, FM 100, City FM 89 and a few other internet radio sites for the Pakistani youth to listen to.

Although TV and radio are also important modes of communication for the music industry, the internet I feel is the medium of the future. It has no limitations and can be accessed from anywhere in the world at any time of the day. Furthermore the availability of constant updates and downloadable material online is unprecedented. One can be linked and have instant access to the ‘going-ons’ of the local music industry, sitting at literally any location on the globe. However, it is important to note that with all the freedom it enjoys, the electronic media also has a responsibility to promote and project our music industry and a more “liberal” way of thinking. This is the only means for our industry to evolve and make a name for itself internationally.

By: Fariha Rashed.

Round is a shape. I am in shape.

2006-02-27T07:17:00.000-08:00

"Round is a shape. I am in shape"
Published in 'YOU' [The News]
21st February, 2006.
By Fariha Rashed

A curvaceous and fuller bodied woman has as much a right to wear elegant and fashionable clothes as a perfect size 12 woman

More than half the women in Pakistan fit into plus size outfits but you won't find a single local, ready-to-wear designer creating clothes for larger women, or even thinking on those lines for that matter. This is quite a shame because I believe as a designer you need to research your market not just in terms of what colour, style or fit people prefer but also with regard to what sizes they can wear and what the average woman's size really is! The Asian figure is fuller and the average size for a Pakistani woman in particular is in the range of 14 to 16. There is also a large and rapidly growing plus-size teen market on the horizon. I am sure if our local designers go with public requirements, they will receive an overwhelming demand for plus-sized clothing in the market.

The idea that the Pakistani designers cater to this largely overlooked chunk of the market is not only an appealing idea but also a smart business move. The trick is not to just make plus-sized garments, but also to design them in a way that is stylish, chic and trendy. Slightly plump or overweight people also want to feel and look good in what they wear and feel satisfied with their image. Finding the right fashionable plus-size clothes for themselves can help them do just that and avoid feeling like 'outsiders'. It becomes a kind of 'body-image therapy' for them. They would willingly spend large amounts of money to buy trendy alternatives than wearing baggy clothes that hide their bodies and do nothing for their self-esteem.

Abroad, outlets such as The Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy, J.C Penny, Sears, Nordstrom and many more, all offer extended sizes. Even the celebrities pitch in. Hip-hop star Nelly has launched her own label called 'Apple Bottoms' for larger, broader and fuller-bodied women. J.Lo started her fashion company 'Sweetface' in 2004, also catering to plus-size women and to everyone's astonishment, her company grossed over $130 million that year. All these companies and stars have shrewdly recognized that the women's plus-size market is currently the fastest growing segment of the apparel industry. They have tapped into it by making the necessary expansion in size variations.

Local designers offer no such options for larger Pakistani women. As a result, they are forced to buy imported garments. Pregnant women can't walk into any fashion outlet and pull out a smart and fashionable maternity dress for themselves. Due to this lack of choice, pregnant ladies continue wearing baggy and shapeless clothes that hang off of them like dough drooping off a wooden rod. They feel undeserving and fat who don't have the right to look good because they are suddenly shunned from 'fashion'.

I believe the wind of change and opportunity is blowing our way and our designers should make use of it. They need to stop depriving the plus-size market of the fresh and fashionable options afforded to their "average" sized counterparts.

Having an outlet in Y-Block, Defence or on Main Boulevard is no justification for the ridiculously high prices designers charge for the limited variety in sizes they offer. They should expand their target market and cater to all sizes, which will automatically increase demand and ultimately result in profit. I am positive the response to this strategy will be overwhelming for designers and they will become the 'advocates of change'. There is nothing like a happy and satisfied customer, even if that customer isn't a "perfect" and petite size 12.

Link: http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/feb2006-weekly/you-21-02-2006/index.html

The Mafia.

2006-02-11T05:44:00.000-08:00

The Mafia
Published at Chowk.com
Link: http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00006143&channel=chaathouse
10th February, 2006.

To understand the word mafia in the context in which I am referring to it in this article, one must first specify its dictionary meaning, which is “a close-knit or influential group of people who work together and protect one another’s interests or the interests of a particular person.”

In almost very field of entertainment in Pakistan, sly workings of a tight knit group of people appear to be at work, who end up benefiting from a large chunk of the gains from that industry. This group is called a mafia and they do their best to make sure that no bustling new talent trying to break into the industry makes it very far without their help or without going through them first. In the same way the music industry has also been plagued by a similar mafia that includes a cluster of people ranging from directors, choreographers, heads of record labels, event managers to even VJs from various music channels. They form an understanding among themselves to exclusively support and work with each other in order to capture the entire market and safeguard each others interests. They end up monopolizing the industry and all work is conveniently supplied to them alone. There is also a great deal of pathetic exploitation taking place by various parties in the music industry of unsuspecting new artists coming onto the scene.

This ‘hardcore mafia’ hangs out at all important events and parties taking place in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. They usually comprise of a group of people already very well known and established in the music industry. Since Pakistan does not yet have suitable organizations to promote and market artists the way they do in the west, this ‘mafia’ takes over that crucial role in a negative and rather oppressive way. Record labels, for example, are scarce in Pakistan, but the ones that exist are very well established and have been running their manufacturing factories of CDs, tapes and DVDs since a very long time now. They are equipped with all the relevant contacts to back them and an abundance of finances which allows them to perpetually stay at the top of the game. They are not worried about competition because they know the competition would have a tough time against their esteemed success and power built out of sheer monopoly rather than through the dissemination of quality products.

Tragically record companies do not offer the artists whose albums they plan to release a whole lot to chew on in terms of incentives and support. Artists get no royalty on the sale of their CDs and cassettes and the record label offers the minimum amount of marketing for them and for the promotion or launch of their album. Coming out with a video to support the release of the album is also the artist’s own headache. The sad part is that the record label knows it can get away with this half hearted and almost unfair offer that it unjustly ‘grants’ the artists, because it realizes that it has no particular competition in the market. This lack of available competition in turn, ensures that the artists will turn to no one else for the release of their music.

An artist has to have and has to continue building a good rapport with the owners of the record labels who often have absolutely no idea about music. They only view the album as a product from which they want to gain maximum profit for themselves. They are least bothered about the quality of work or genre of music they promote. I think that if there was good and healthy competition for these already well established record companies that offered much better incentives and quality to artists, this mafia like condition would be done away with and our artists would feel more encouraged, optimistic, secure and motivated. Our music industry would flourish too!

Furthermore music directors often ask for ridiculously exorbitant sums from new artists to direct relatively easy videos, knowing that the musicians could not possibly afford that kind of a budget at an early stage in their career. As if that isn’t enough, they also insist that they will only work with particular choreographers, designers and make up artists who all come together as a package and thus form that dreaded mafia [once again]. Taking it one step further, when companies agree to sponsor a video for an upcoming musician, they too stress on the use of the same mafia of directors, make up artists, choreographers and so on. Every step becomes interlinked and dependant on the other and the music artist finds himself/herself confined and compelled to work with the same people that everyone else has worked with. It’s almost like eating the same dish of food every single day of your life, even if it starts rotting or becoming stale.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS!
If you happen go to parties and ‘get-togethers’ anywhere in Pakistan, you will see the same faces over and over again almost like a serious case of ‘deja-vu’ happening right before your very eyes. You want to know why? Because if you want to be a success in any industry related to entertainment in Pakistan, you have to be seen at all these events and you must fit in and rub shoulders with important people. If you are a musician and the director of your next video invites you to a party, you have to go, or you take the risk of losing his interest in doing your work. If you’re an upcoming, budding music artist striving to be a huge success, more than making great music, you have to hang out with the ‘plastic mafia’ that helps shape and determine how painlessly or painfully you move forwards with your career as a musician, and with what speed. If you want your video aired relentlessly on the few music channels that there are in Pakistan, star one of the VJs in it and watch it magically enter into the charts and shoot to one of the top spots. You may even win an award for it! Better yet, just party with the VJs all night long and you’ll then be guaranteed an amazing airing on all shows on the channel that they work for. If you want your video or song to be nominated in the ‘prestigious’ Music Awards, make sure you get the ‘mafia’ behind you and don’t forget to thank them when you win and pit pat onto the stage to receive your award; and if you are a talented, new director trying to get a foothold in the music industry and create a name for yourself, you won’t be able to do it without the help, involvement or support of the ‘big fish’ already in control of the whole video making scene. It’s a jungle out there and every time I think of how our music industry has been overtaken by a few control freaks that can’t see anyone else succeed or rise to the top without their consent or direct involvement, I am reminded of the Italian mob (mafia)….and it scares me. I fear a bloodbath coming our way very soon.

By: Fariha Rashed
Chowk link: http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00006143&channel=chaathouse

Step into Maria's World.

2006-02-10T03:44:00.000-08:00

Step into Maria’s World
Published in Fashion Collection-Annual Issue 2006.
Issue No. 103

I can’t explain this as anything else but one of the most relaxed and casual interviews I have ever taken and that also of such a well known and respected designer as Maria. B. As I sat at her comfortable home in Lahore, sipping on deliciously hot, pink colored ‘kashmiri chai’, Maria and I broke into an easy conversation about her life, career and experiences in the fashion industry. The best part of the whole ambiance was the presence of her baby daughter Fatima, who kept the mood alive with her occasional little shrieks of excitement and naughty antics throughout
the stretch of the interview. Step into Maria. B’s world.

What is your qualification as a designer?

I graduated from PSFD. Before that I did my A Levels from Karachi Grammar School. After fashion school I went straight into work.
When did you decided to create the label MARIA.B and why?I decided in second year at PSFD. I didn’t want to start something from the home or do just bridal. I wanted to reach out to people and have fashion and street wear accessible to everybody. Before we started there was just Neepunhal and Generation and nothing else. I feel there is still nothing else. I wanted to reach out to as many people as I could and if I would have just stuck to bridal wear I would have been limited. At the end of the day I had a greater purpose where I wanted to sort of revolutionize fashion.
Which countries besides Pakistan does MARIA.B cater to?
We have an Asian clientele whether it’s in the UK, US, Netherlands, Pakistan or India for that matter. Not only that, but recently some people said that my clothes work very well for the Arab women because they want trendy stuff like bootleg pants and short shirts. That’s the market I especially want to expand into, the Muslim belt of countries.

What was it like to be the first Pakistani to win an international fashion competition?
It was surreal. I was a part of the first batch of PSFD students going to Belgium and I remember thinking to myself very casually “ok so we are just going to be one of the 50 countries there and probably won’t win anyway”. The experience was amazing though because I got selected to participate on the basis of my portfolio and the judges actually said that mine was the best portfolio they had seen so far.

How has winning that competition helped you since?
It made a difference in the beginning because it gave me a lot of confidence. I thought if I can win by going to Belgium and competing with students from fashion schools from all over the world and make my own impact in the process, then I can do anything. It gave me a high and encouraged me to start something of my own. If you look at the Pakistani fashion industry, unfortunately people just want to play down achievements. There are these older designers that are just hanging onto their ‘glory’ and when I first came in to the scene they wanted to literally rip me apart. Not only me, but even today they want to put all the younger designers like Nomi Ansari, Karma and Usman Dittu down also because they are insecure and can’t handle any competition in the market. However I am above all that now and it doesn’t upset me as I realize it’s all part of the game.

What range of garments does MARIA.B offer to women?
I do everything from casuals, semi-formal party wear, formals to bridals. The casuals and formals include the prêt a porter [ready to wear] line and then the couture [high fashion] bridal line and are totally separate. I did Western wear for a while but that’s not my particular clientele. My clientele would occasionally wear the sleeveless or short shirt but 85% of them wouldn’t. When one is catering to a large group of people, these restrictions do creep in and they should be taken as a challenge. When you’re retailing in the market as a designer you can’t afford to make choices for the client. You have to give your client what they want otherwise you fail. My casuals range from Rs. 900 to Rs. 3000. My semi-formal party-wear ranges from Rs. 3000 to Rs. 6000 and the formals start from Rs. 10, 000 onwards. Bridals start from 70, 000 onwards.

Why have you decided to only stick to women’s wear?
Since I have had a baby I really want to get into children’s wear and there is such a huge market for it. Sadly, I do not have time to go into that kind of production. Designing is not a problem for me but production is, as controlling the labor is a huge responsibility. However, I would love to go for it in the future as I know I have a feel for it and ridiculously there is no choice for children’s wear in Pakistan. Mothers have to shop abroad for their kids.

What is MARIA. B’s design philosophy?
My design philosophy is generally centered on my belief in fusion. I am a big believer in fusion and gelling together of Eastern and Western influences so that I can come up with something that is internationally viable. The designing however should not be overbearingly Western or overbearingly Eastern. There needs to be a perfect balance. Furthermore I want my clothes to be different and have a certain mark in the market. They should instantly be recognized as Maria .B outfits by customers and I try to follow the latest trends to achieve that uniqueness.

What do you believe the woman of today desires in a wardrobe and what kind of an image do your clothes help her to portray of herself?
I think above all else the woman of today desires functionality and also to have some sort of an edge in her style of dressing. She does not want to look like everyone else. My clothes follow the international trends and I feel that they help the woman of today portray herself as ‘one in a million’ wearing signature clothing.

You have a bridal couture line. How do you define ‘couture’?
Couture is made to measure and it is created on order. It has the element of exclusivity. In Pakistan bridal wear or formal wear is called couture, but true couture is something that a designer designs for the first time for somebody in their own measurement and it is the only garment of its kind. That is a rare phenomenon in Pakistan at the moment but it does happen.

Who does the make-up and grooming for your shoots?
The two or three make-up artists that I have worked with are all fabulous and I choose them according to the nature of the shoot. I have a good idea now about which make-up artist [or photographer for that matter] would do well with which theme.

How important do you think it is for a designer to have photo shoots appear in magazines/publications regularly? Why?
It is extremely important because as a designer I am selling an image. It is a form of marketing and because we always put so much stress on this aspect of marketing ourselves, the Maria.B label became a big name in just two years. We were actually building our brand through constant shoots in magazines and now a Maria.B shoot is recognized instantly by people.

How have you grown as a designer in the last 4 years?
I have learnt a lot. When I was in college I had these huge dreams and I told myself I would make all kinds of clothes and be very experimental but now I know it doesn’t work. You have to create what sells and I learnt that the hard way. At the end of the day market forces are what drive the designer. You have to make your mark and give your clothes that special edge within the confines of those forces.

How old is your baby and what is her name? Do you find it difficult to balance your personal life with your career?
My baby is called Fatima and she’s a year and a half. She’s completely changed my life and made me realize that nothing is as important as her.

Which is your most memorable fashion show and why?
It is the Paris collection because the scale was very big and I hardly get to show western clothes in Pakistan. My whole Paris collection was western wear. I enjoyed it for the freedom I had.

Do you think an education in fashion is absolutely necessary for a designer? Why?
Yes, pretty much. Aesthetically I don’t think anyone can teach you anything. Either you have it or you don’t. However, if as a designer I am not technically educated then the stitcher, cutter and other people that work for me will not respect me too much as a designer and I won’t be able to guide them properly. They would take me for a ride if I didn’t know anything about the technicality of making a garment. Therefore it makes a huge difference. Do you have an accessory line? What kind?I have started an accessory line and I have hired a girl for that. She has studied Accessory Design from FIT in the States. We have a completely separate accessory department with shoes and bags now.

What is the process you go through while designing a complete line for a season?
I first think of a theme for the next season and then I think of the print and get that made. Then the silhouette and the color palette are decided and finally I do the designing.

What kind of fabrics do you use?
I work with all kinds. For casuals I use ‘khadars’, cottons, lawns and ‘marina’. For semi-formals I use silks, georgettes, ‘jamawars’ and chiffons [as well as other transparent fabrics].

If you were not a designer, what would you have liked to be?
I would have been a nuclear scientist because I loved physics and I wanted to do nuclear physics. I applied at a University in Houston [America] but my cousin who was studying there told me that as a Muslim I wouldn’t be able to study it in the States.

Which local designers do you think are doing a good job?
Out of the older lot I love Imrana [Body Focus] from Karachi and Seher Saigal in Lahore. I think she is a true entrepreneur. I also like the eccentricity of Zubair Kuman. In the younger lot I like Karma and Nomi Ansari. Do you think having an online presence (website) is important for designers?Yes it is, and although we have one I have neglected it because I don’t have the time and I need people to manage it. A lot of our customers wanted us to have online sales but I have not gotten to that yet as far as an e-service is concerned where the customer can just click on the garment they want and choose the size.

How do you dress personally? What is your fashion statement?
I am very whimsical. I get sick of looking one way constantly and I need change. I dress according to my mood. I also mix and match a lot and I always design something that I myself would wear.

Link: http://www.fashioncollection.com.pk/html/interview3.htm

By: Fariha Rashed

The Last Poem

2006-01-21T04:14:00.000-08:00

The Last Poem

It started out as a sad tale regarding a severe phobia of death, and ended up being about a poem that saved me.

Sometimes while I lie in bed at night gazing up to where I know there is a ceiling, but being able to see nothing but darkness with the lights turned off, I think about death. The very thought sends shudders up my spine and an overwhelming sensation of fear grips me. I lie there like a log wondering what happens to us when we die. All kinds of peculiar questions arise in my mind such as ‘do we undergo a transition from being living, breathing human beings to becoming mere souls floating about without purpose in space?’ or ‘do we become pure energy and unite with the Universe?’ I ponder over whether heaven and hell exist as we have stereotypically imagined tem to be and mind you, do we actually get to meet God after hearing about him for so long? What in God’s name [excuse the pun] will I say to the big ‘G’? Will I tell him I’m sorry for being a naughty child or will I ask for forgiveness for stealing my friend’s rather nice looking pen when I was in eighth grade? I think I should just shut up and let him do all the talking.

You must be wondering by now where this article is leading and why I feel its ‘My Story’. Well, let me take you back to December 7th, 1998 when my father passed away suddenly, and things might get a little clearer. It was the saddest, most horrific day of my life as my father meant the world to me, my mother and my sister. He was the pillar of strength on which we all rested and relied. Unfortunately, he had been admitted in the hospital in Uzbekistan the night before, after undergoing his second heart attack in eight months. The doctors managed to stabilize him but decided to keep him overnight, under observation in the hospital. My sister, mother and I therefore made our way home for the night, expecting to see him the next morning. However something just wasn’t right, as I had a sudden feeling of depression as I walked out of the hospital door. I lay in bed and drifted off to sleep with an uncomfortable feeling deep inside. I suddenly found myself snapped out of sleep by a dreadful feeling and I sprung off the bed unable to understand what was happening. I instinctively turned my head towards the window sill where I found myself gazing straight at my father’s smiling picture and right next to it I vaguely remember seeing the clock strike 5 a.m. Rather confused and shook up, I made my way back to the bed and fell asleep eventually. The next morning we found out that my father had died at 5 a.m. from a third heart attack and I believe my waking up at that precise moment was not a coincidence.

My father’s demise managed to develop in me a phobia about death which became unshakable. I lay in bed day in and day out the way I have described above, driving myself to the point of insanity. Death and its mystery became my obsession. They say time heals all wounds and although it did to some extent decrease my pain, it could not convince my mind to stop its fixation on our ultimate end as human beings. However, the most extraordinary thing happened a few years after my father’s death which eased my mind a great deal. We unexpectedly found a poem that he had written in the hospital right before he died. In it he described the angels in white that were coming to take him away to a wonderful place of peace. The poem had not been titled and I named it ‘The Last Poem’.

After uncovering that poem, all I know now is that this thing called death is inevitable and I have got to face up to it. I know for sure that even though my father has physically left this world, he lives spiritually, continuing to discipline me. The part that had really gotten to me the most when my father died, was the actual time of death; the slipping away from reality, entering an unknown, unseen realm, in a totally new form of oneself. I had envisioned it to be scary, but I now believe it will be a completely comfortable and pleasant sensation. It could end up being the best feeling in the world as my father described it to be in his last poem.

I do believe in God and I have faith in my religion, but it is a very natural feeling for us humans to be afraid of the unknown. To me life is just a temporary phase of a bigger scenario. It is a precious gift given to us which we must cherish, for it will never be given to us again. I don’t know if time ever stops or just goes on forever, but I do believe that after death, the place where we all go to, will have no concept of time. So “forever” is what we’ll be in our new state of being. My father had meant for me to find his last poem and I look forward to seeing him again, on the other side.

By: Fariha Rashed

The Ajoka Awakening

2006-01-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

The Ajoka awakening
COVER STORY
Published in 'Images' [DAWN]
October 16th, 2005

By FARIHA RASHED
lt seems like a crime that an institution of the calibre of Ajoka Theatre has its main office in Lahore hidden away at the very end of an almost invisible gali in the main Cantt area. However, upon entering the cozy and inviting setup, the very air carries with it the determination and resolve to bring about change.Seated with the driving force behind Ajoka, Madeeha Gauhar, she spends hours talking about her life as a political activist, a TV celebrity, the founder of Ajoka Theatre and then becoming its artistic director.Born in Karachi in 1956 and still carrying wonderful memories of the city, Madeeha has spent most of her life in Lahore. Her father, Ali Gauhar, a Peshawar-born, Persian-speaking army officer died when Madeeha was only 14 years old. Her mother, Khadijah, born to a Gujrati speaking family from Bharauch, India, was, in her words, “a dedicated socialist, fearless writer, committed human rights activist and an untiring social worker.”She was of great inspiration to Madeeha who now feels that her political consciousness stems from observing her mother’s interaction with journalists and political activists, “My mother always encouraged me to form Ajoka when Gen Ziaul Haq’s rule was at its oppressive peak.” Her mother faced disapproval for Madeeha’s career choice from relatives who were shocked and upset, but even in the face of such opposition she pushed her daughter forward. Together with her sister, Faryal Gauhar, also an actress, Madeeha formed a small group of women who had the courage to take up acting in a society where music and dance were and are still prohibited in certain regions.In 2002, Madeeha received recognition and was awarded the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz by the Pakistan government. Furthermore, Ajoka was invited to perform the play Aik Thi Nani at the London Theatre Festival along with the other participating countries. The play was also well-received in India and is one of Ajoka’s few Urdu plays, most of them being in Punjabi. Aik Thi Nani, according to one of Ajoka’s flyers, is ‘inspired by the true life story of two extraordinary sisters, Zohra Segal and Uzra Butt. After Partition, Uzra migrated to Pakistan and Zohra stayed back. This play, especially written for the sisters by playwright Shahid Nadeem, brought them together on one stage after four decades. The play was first performed in 1993 and has since toured India twice and the UK’.Madeeha studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary Lahore, and then acquired her B.A from Kinnaird College where she was also the president of the Najmuddin Dramatic Society. It was here that her skill and expertise as an insightful actress was honed. Later, as the secretary of the Government College Dramatic Society, she took part in an anti-establishment play which ruffled quite a few feathers. At 17, she acted in her first TV serial, Zanjeer (Chain), by Anwar Sajjad. After doing her Masters in English Literature from Government College Lahore, Madeeha taught at a government women’s college and then joined the Women’s Action Forum (WAF) where she got a chance to practice her activism with great fervor.
‘Stand up for your rights as a daughter, sister, mother, wife and in any other role you play.I am a firm believer in gender equality,’ says Madeeha Gauhar
At a time when there were no means for expressing outrage concerning the so-called ‘amended’ laws made by Gen Zia, WAF organized rallies and protests. Madeeha, Faryal Gauhar, Rubina Saigol and Asma Jahangir and Hina Jilani were all at the receiving end of a brutal baton-charge. Madeeha was arrested and subsequently jailed twice at Kot Lakhpat. She also lost her job as lecturer. “Banning or arresting people is not a solution. Let all things flourish and give viewers the right to reject,” she says while remembering those days.“Ajoka Theatre emerged out of extreme diversity, anger and a fiery zeal to bring about change in 1984,” she says. The first play performed under its banner was Juloos (Procession), written by Badal Sircar. Due to the absence of the NoC (no objection certificate) from the government, which scrupulously examined every script through and through, the play, could not be performed in any public hall or auditorium. Therefore, it was performed in Begum Khadija Gauhar’s lawn in the Cantonment area of Lahore. Madeeha adds, “Our activities went undiscovered until the last portrayal of the week-long performances. They then banned the second play we were to perform at the venue. We then approached the ‘Max Mueller’ institute and the German institute accommodated us by lending us space to perform. In the meantime, I went abroad to get a Masters degree in theatre from the University of London.”Madeeha acquired a British Council scholarship for the degree in drama. It was a one-year course that amalgamated both the practical and academic sides of the subject. Madeeha feels that her experience was very useful as she had the chance to view a lot of theater there. She also met her future husband, writer Shahid Nadeem, for the very first time in London. He was working with Amnesty International after being pardoned from a jail term in Pakistan during Gen Zia’s era due to his trade union activities. He was a documentary producer at PTV Lahore centre at the time of his arrest.In London, Madeeha asked Shahid to do the script of a play, Mara Hua Kutta (The Dead Dog), directed by his late friend Shahryar Rashed. “I had seen the play at a Kinnaird College festival while still at school and it had left a lasting impression on my mind. At the time, Ajoka needed original scripts for stage plays, which I felt no one was delivering at that time, with the exception of Sarmad Sehbai. I did not want to rely on mere translations.” Shahid Nadeem ended up giving Madeeha scripts for two stage plays, Mara Hua Kutta and Barri. “Barri was one of the first plays on the issue of the Islamic laws and a patriarchal system. The play also raises questions about the class basis of the woman’s movement in Pakistan and its direction,” she says. It was initially performed on International Women’s Day in 1987.Madeeha and Shahid had both been married before. Savera Nadeem is Shahid Nadeem’s daughter from his previous marriage, who is now a successful stage and television actress. Nirvaan, now completing his A levels, is Madeeha’s son from her first marriage. From their marriage to each other, Shahid and Madeeha have a son, Sarang.According to one of the annual newsletters, Ajoka set the wheels turning with their ‘cultural marathon’ which also marked the ‘beginning of the theatre for social change movement in Pakistan’. Most of their plays have been on daring social issues such as dowry, honour killing and discriminatory laws. “My vision has always been to help promote a secular, just, humane and egalitarian society,” says Madeeha.“Some of the other prominent street and stage plays by Ajoka include Kala Qanoon which revolves around the Hudood Ordinance; Kala Meda Bhes which deals with a real-life incident in Sindh where a woman was exchanged for an ox and Dukhini which portrays the practice of women trafficking by deceiving Bangladeshi women living in rural areas to come to Pakistan,” she says. Shahid Nadeem has also done a Punjabi adaptation of Brecht’s Arturo UI in the play, Bala King.Madeeha has had to deal with the reality of women’s issues in her own backyard, so to speak. “Some of the girls that act in my plays have had to face a lot of hurdles and obstacles created by their families. In a few cases, I have had to watch some of the girls with great acting talent leave Ajoka as they could no longer bear the stress of family pressure and opposition.” Her message to women: “Stand up for your rights as a daughter, sister, mother, wife and in any other role you play. I am a firm believer in gender equality.”Ajoka has also contributed to Indo-Pak peace by collaborating with Indian theater groups. They managed to collectively put up an indo-Pak theater festival, Zonani, also held in Lahore in March 2004. Ajoka Children’s Theatre has done plays such as Gali Kay Bacchay (Children of the dead-end street), Kaali Ghata (Grey clouds), and Bhola.Madeeha is saddened by the fact that besides Ajoka there are not many other theatre groups emerging in Pakistan, especially since the possibilities for artistic expression is much greater now. “The environment is very encouraging. Motivation and freedom is a prerogative of an artist. Our collaboration with the government has been very successful. We have done two plays, Bullah and Bala King with the Arts Council. We can change the trend if the government pays the expenses of productions, provides facilities and pays actors.”For the future, Madeeha hopes to have many more performances in Pakistan and wants to attract all kinds of people to her plays. She feels she has done countless street plays already and would like to concentrate more on stage plays held in various auditoriums across Pakistan, theatre festivals and conferences. She is also looking to expand the management team for Ajoka, with the aim of projecting it further and on a wider scale, in print and electronic media.Madeeha confesses that Ajoka is her whole life and everything she does is related to it. “At times I feel I cannot even give my children enough time because of it.” She commends Shahid Nadeem for supporting her throughout her career. As our chat comes to a close, she tells me that she would be leaving for India soon as a few of Ajoka’s plays were being performed there. Ajoka is most certainly her entire life and would continue being so.

Music In Vogue

2006-01-07T05:44:00.000-08:00

Music in Vogue
COVER STORY
Published in 'Nation On Campus' [The Nation]
January 4th, 2006

There has been a phenomenal growth in the electronic media industry in Pakistan and as a result this has had vast repercussions on the music industry and the society as a whole as well as on the youth in specific. Electronic media is defined as those communication mediums which are based on electronic or electromechanical means of production and most often distinguished from print media. The primary electronic media sources familiar to the general public worldwide include radio, sound recordings, television, video recording, and streaming internet content. Over the past few years, the industry in Pakistan has displayed an unprecedented boom in media outlets. This uprising has brought with it many challenges, but it has also created new opportunities for the evolving local music industry. This is a particularly ripe time to evaluate the relationship between electronic media and music promotion and their combined affect on society and the youth in particular.

Internationally, and especially in the developed countries, growth in the media industry has been going on for ages and remains one of the most vibrant sectors. What has caused the revolution in Pakistan’s media industry is the recent liberalization of media policy afforded by the government. As a result, television, radio and the internet have further seeped into our society with effects of paramount importance, whether positive or negative. Media and society now come together in a new way.

Music in Vogue
Music is in vogue in Pakistan and electronic media is its primary medium of communication. If one reviews the change that has taken place in the content of music in Pakistan, in the early days “Pop revolved around kurta-shalwar clad, flag hoisting singers with songs of love and patriotism”. This was perhaps a result of the socio-political turmoil that Pakistan was experiencing at the time. Next came the “Western” influence which translated in to some original and some copied tunes and beats. Today, however “we either sing about national lies or 'ishq'”. The time has come to take a good hard look at the “quality” of music being produced and move to more important “subjects” which are relevant for our youth today. Music videos and lyrics should be used to educate the youth on matters such as “drugs”, “depression”, “survival” rather than just “love”.

Music has always been a culturally strong influence in the sub-continent. Pakistan has moved from an inherently traditional form of music to a diversification of sounds, tunes, beats and melodies which has lead to an amalgamation of “new” music. This “new” music is now looking for fresh and innovative avenues through which it can reach the Pakistani Youth – its intended target market. The growth in the number of music TV and radio channels combined with the relaxation of government censorship rules is trying to do exactly this.

It’s Impact
TV is found to be the better medium for communication and promotion of music both in Pakistan and globally. The reason identified for this is the simultaneous audio and visual stimulation provided by TV to the youth. TV is a medium which people of all ages can watch; there is no way of preventing a certain group from watching. Thus, children, adolescents, and adults are equally exposed to the positive and negative aspects of this medium. Some of the benefits which are available to the youth today are:

• An opportunity to identify with a specific genre of music
• An opportunity to follow the music careers of one’s favorite musicians/ singers
• Availability of a large amount of information pertaining to the local and global music scenes
• An opportunity to have an impact on music in Pakistan by requesting/ voting for a particular number
• An urge to take up music as a career

Stereotypes & Violence
Everything good usually also has a negative side to it. In this case, TV (music videos and lyrics) can represent an exaggerated version of an idea, concept or emotion (primarily love) which can play havoc with many young impressionable minds. Throughout the history of music in Pakistan, one can see how music has influenced the youth in terms of their dressing and behavior patterns. Music videos also have a tendency of supporting and representing conventional gender roles which can be emulated by the youth to their detriment. This is a form of “stereotyping” through music. Another cause of concern is the “violence” which is associated with the “hard rock” genre of music. Both the lyrics and beats of certain music videos/ songs can induce trance like states where one can become delusional and perhaps behave in a manner other than usual. “Head banging” is a phenomena which has begun at concerts in Pakistan and which sometimes gets out of hand and leads to the crowd becoming rowdy.

Portrayal of Gender Inequality
The misrepresentation of the male and female and their respective roles in society, shown in music videos and portrayed through lyrics is something almost everyone has noticed. Isn’t it uncanny how almost each and every music video shows the girl having certain, very so called “feminine” physical and emotional attributes? Why is the guy always chasing the girl? Or for that matter why does every music video have to tell a story of ‘Love’? Is this what media is trying to teach us? Is it trying to sensationalize the concept of love and portray it as the only kind of relationship possible between the two genders? The trend even today has been to show women as the weaker sex and an object of desire and beauty in music videos. Through out time it is the love songs that have been the most popular and it is about this one human emotion in particular that every artist has chosen to sing at one time or another. However inequality of the sexes always manages to seep through in the final message being sent to the viewer or listener.

What the youth thinks
The youth is very gung ho about the whole electronic media revolution which is taking place in Pakistan. They feel that all mediums have opened up new avenues for them to listen to and identify with various genres of music in Pakistan. They like the “interactive” aspect of modern day electronic media portrayal of music. Youth in Pakistan is becoming more confident of their likes and dislikes and they are glad that they have the forums for voicing their opinions. They feel as if they are making a difference.

However, it is essential for the media to be responsible in its dissemination of images and messages through music and to ensure that the youth is not confused about their identities as a result. Misrepresentations, stereotypes and other such negative portrayals should be avoided. The young minds that media targets are fragile and susceptible.

By Fariha Rashed.

Who Am I?

2006-01-07T05:38:00.000-08:00

WHO AM I?
Published in 'Eyecandy [The Post]
September 25th, 2005
&
Published in 'Nation On Campus' [The Nation]
January 4th, 2006

I was just thinking the other day as I sat all alone watching the rain pouring down……who am I? Since that day I have not been able to get this question out of my head and it inspired me to write this piece. I realize that the question I have put forward to myself serves to be a rather queer one, but on several occasions, when I have really sat down to think, this question has automatically popped into my head as if it were waiting to be thought about. What I am striving to find out really, is why am I the personality that I am? Why do I walk, talk, laugh (and just about do anything) in a certain way? Could it have been ordained for me to be this way or did I make myself this way? I am sure many of you, especially the youngsters out there, have pondered over the same issue many a times when you were alone and had time to think. I am equally certain that after thinking about it for 5 minutes at the most, you quickly shoved it out of your mind and got busy with your daily chores, sensing that such ‘ridiculous’ thoughts are a waste of time and emotional energy. However, I believe we should let ourselves explore these unique thoughts a little further at times, so as to gage where they come from and why they make us so uncomfortable.

Sometimes in the middle of doing something, I stop dead in my tracks and unexpectedly get an overwhelming feeling of being trapped within myself. If you take away my body and brain from me, what would I be left with? Where would I go? Where would my personality go? I guess the real question is, does the brain make us who we are or do we have a soul that is floating around inside our exterior frame that moulds us a certain way? If you are a religiously inclined person then while reading this article, your first reaction will probably be something to the effect of: ‘Well God made me who I am and I should not question it so much’. Unfortunately it is not that simple for me. You see, I have always wanted to know why I think the way I do. What makes me react to something in a certain way? Yes of course…everybody would say ‘that is your personality’ but what boggles my mind is……where does THAT come from?

Even as a new born baby that had no understanding or experience of living in the world, I must have had my own set of traits. Every baby is different from the other. But how is that possible? I do not know or even remember what I was like when I was a child. Now isn’t that funny considering the fact that THAT child was also me? How can I not know what I used to do or say at a certain time period of my life? Why can’t I remember being born, taking my first step, saying my first word or tumbling down a flight of dangerous stairs at the age of five? When my mother recounts these stories of my childhood to me, it is like she is talking about another person I have no recollection of…a stranger.

Now as I sit here in a black leather chair comfortably writing this article, I wonder why I am writing the things that I am typing out with such speed and clarity of feeling. Where are these wondrous ideas emanating from? However, it is of no use for me to drive myself to the point of insanity with these thoughts, because there are no clear cut answers. I have been blessed with a body, a mind and two eyes through which to see the vastness of the world. I have been given ‘myself’ (whoever I am), so I should make full use of all these priceless gifts and live, simply because I have no choice.

However, as I bring my article to an end I want to send an important message to everyone who may or may have not experienced the ‘who am I’ syndrome. Never stop questioning things. It is your basic human right to probe into each and every situation or idea that you do not fully understand. Do not stop asking questions till you are satisfied with the answers. If you ever doubt something about your own personality or thought process, sit down and talk it out with yourself. This is the best way to clear your mind and know yourself better in the process. Don’t be ashamed of your confusion or uncertainties…..trust yourself completely and once you are able to do that, I guarantee that nothing in this world will ever be a puzzle to you anymore.

By: Fariha Rashed

Revolutionizing Fashion

2006-01-07T05:20:00.000-08:00

Revolutionizing Fashion
Printed in 'Nation On Campus' [The Nation]
4th January, 2006

The Maria.B website states that “MARIA.B DESIGNS (PVT) LTD is the largest manufacturer and retailer of women's fashion garments in Pakistan” [http://www.mariab.com]. Following is an intimate interview with Maria in which we discuss her impressive and successful career over a cup of hot steaming ‘kashmiri chai’ at her house in Lahore.

1. What is your qualification as a designer?

I graduated from Pakistan School of Fashion Design [PSFD]. Before that I did my A Levels from Karachi Grammar School. After fashion school I went straight into work.

2. When did you decide to create the label MARIA.B and why?

I decided in second year at PSFD. I didn’t want to start something from the home or do just bridal wear. I wanted to reach out to people and have fashion and street wear accessible to everybody.

3. Which countries besides Pakistan does MARIA.B cater to?

We have an Asian clientele whether it’s in the UK, US, Netherlands, Pakistan or India for that matter. Not only that, but recently some people said that my clothes work very well for the Arab women because they want trendy stuff like bootleg pants and short shirts. That’s the market I especially want to expand into, the Muslim belt of countries.

4. What was it like to be the first Pakistani to win an international fashion competition?

It was surreal. I was a part of the first batch of PSFD students going to Belgium and I remember thinking to myself very casually “ok so we are just going to be one of the 50 countries there and probably won’t win anyway”. The experience was amazing though because I got selected to participate on the basis of my portfolio and the judges actually said that mine was the best portfolio they had seen so far.

5. How has winning that competition helped you since?

It made a difference in the beginning because it gave me a lot of confidence. I thought if I can win by going to Belgium and competing with students from fashion schools from all over the world and make my own impact in the process, then I can do anything. It gave me a high and encouraged me to start something of my own. If you look at the Pakistani fashion industry, unfortunately people just want to play achievement down and they want to discourage anyone who is successful. There are these older designers that are just hanging onto their ‘glory’ and when I first came in to the scene they wanted to literally rip me apart.

6. What wide range of garments does MARIA.B offer to women?

I do everything from casuals, semi-formal party wear, formals to bridals. The casuals and formals include the prêt a porter [ready to wear] line and then the couture [high fashion] bridal line is totally separate. I did Western wear for a while but that’s not my particular clientele. My clientele would occasionally wear the sleeveless or short shirt but 85% of them wouldn’t. When one is catering to a large group of people, these restrictions do creep in and they should be taken as a challenge. When you’re retailing in the market as a designer you can’t afford to make choices for the client. You have to give your client what they want otherwise you fail.

7. What is MARIA.B’s design philosophy?

My design philosophy is generally centered on my belief in fusion. I am a big believer in the fusion and gelling together of Eastern and Western influences so that I can come up with something that is internationally viable. The designing however should not be overbearingly Western or overbearingly Eastern. There needs to be a perfect balance..

8. Who does the make-up and grooming for most of your shoots?

The two or three make-up artists that I have worked with are all fabulous and I choose them according to the nature of the shoot. I have a good idea now about which make-up artist [or photographer for that matter] would do well with which theme.

9. How important do you think it is for a designer to have photo shoots appear in magazines/publications regularly? Why?

It is extremely important because as a designer I am selling an image. It is a form of marketing and because we have always put so much stress on this aspect of marketing ourselves, the Maria.B label has become a big name in just two years. We actually built our brand through the shoots and now a Maria.B shoot is recognized instantly by people.

10. How have you grown as a designer in the last four years?

I have learnt a lot. When I was in college I had these huge dreams and I told myself I would make all kinds of clothes and be very experimental but now I know it doesn’t work. You have to create what sells and I learnt that the hard way. At the end of the day market forces are what drive the designer. You have to make your mark and give your clothes that special edge within the confines of those forces.

11. Which is your most memorable fashion show and why?

It is the Paris collection because the scale was very big and I hardly get to show Western clothes in Pakistan. My whole Paris collection was made up of Western wear. I enjoyed it for the freedom I had.

12. Do you think an education in fashion is absolutely necessary for a designer?

Yes, pretty much. Aesthetically I don’t think anyone can teach you anything. Either you have it or you don’t. However, if as a designer I am not technically educated then the stitcher, cutter and other people that work for me will not respect me as a designer and I won’t be able to guide them properly. They would take me for a ride if I didn’t know anything about the technicality of making a garment.

13. Do you have an accessory line?

I have started an accessory line and I have hired a girl for that. She has studied Accessory Design from FIT in the States. We have a completely separate accessory department with shoes and bags now.

14. Do you think having an online presence is important for designers?

Yes it is and although we have a website I have neglected it. I don’t have the time and I need people to manage it. A lot of our customers wanted us to have online sales but I have not gotten to that yet as far as an e-service is concerned where the customer can just click on the garment they want and choose the size.

By: Fariha Rashed

'Heel' Me!

2005-08-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

‘HEEL’ ME!

Printed in "The Post"---Eyecandy Magazine
21st August, 2005-Station Chaos Column.

“If high heels were so wonderful, men would be wearing them”. ---- Sue Grafton (quotationsbywomen.com).

There is a great significance in our daily lives, of shoes in general. Shoes protect our feet and we as humans have become accustomed to them. They are in a way a part of us, and as some comment, they help in hiding our peculiar feet, especially if they are deformed in any way. Shoes come in all varieties whether they are in the form of boots, mules, slippers, sandals, platform shoes or high heels.

High heels are types of shoe that are often used make a fashion statement when worn. They are also a psychological crutch for women with a lack of confidence, they are sexy, and in some cases they can even be used as a deadly weapon in self-defense. As a utility, high heel shoes are height enhancers as they once were for a royal bride in 1533.

High heel shoes have a history just like any other item of clothing. The ancient Egyptians have to be credited for having the earliest recordings of leather shoes on their murals in tombs and places of worship (approximately 4000 B.C). In England, King Henry II made popular shoes with narrow and pointed toes, so as to hide his ugly feet (1154-1189). By approximately the 1500’s shoes became two-pieced: an upper part attached to a sole. The high heel was born to help riders stick their feet in the stirrups. Boots with heels became popular among men. The five inch heel was invented and worn by Louis XIV. By 1660, the ‘Louis’ heels were also worn by women. In 1794 the first retail shoe store opened in Boston and shoes were now made by machines. The famous ‘stiletto’ heel was invented by the Italians, and thus the pointed toe fad became apparent for both sexes by approximately 1955. In 1980 platforms and sneakers came into vogue, although high heels stayed popular as well.

In today’s world the high heel is fast barring discomfort and is becoming a symbol of attractiveness, sophistication and evening wear. The saying ‘beauty is only skin deep’ does not apply when it comes to high heels and all the glamour they exude. Women who wear them all the time, claim that they feel beautiful, confident and on top of the world at every occasion. They are even willing to bare the discomfort of a five inch heel to simply look good. Women also endure pain and bruises on their feet for fashion and an outward appearance of being ‘in control’.

High heels have been portrayed as glamorous by the media. Celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez lead teenagers and fans that idolize them, to imitation. This turns out to be a good way for shoe companies to market themselves. The celebrities are made to look vivacious and attractive in their heels, and this image becomes ingrained in the minds of so much of the youth. It is the image that sells in the end. I also feel that women feel superior and dominating towards men when they tower over them in heels.

Believe it or not there is a medical standpoint to the wearing of heels too. When wearing heels, women put all the weight of their body forward. Therefore it takes an extra effort by the muscles to stop the body from falling forward. It is in the lower back area that most of this effort by the muscles is concentrated, thus leading to back pain. Moreover, it is difficult for our feet to carry out their sensing and balancing jobs, when tight heels are worn and suffocating them. Women are therefore more prone to falling and stumbling with high heels on. Furthermore the Lancet, Massachusetts researchers claim in the British medical journal that knee arthritis is more common in women than men due to the fact that women wear high heels that affect the knee and hip while the body tries to maintain a balance. This can lead to a very apparent degeneration of joints and bones.

A good comparison to make would be between the practice of East Chinese foot binding and the wearing of high heels. There was a practice of foot binding of young girls between the ages of 3 and 8 years, in China from 950-1912 A.D. High heels were invented in 1533 in France, as mentioned before, and both the Chinese foot binding practice and the French high heels were thought to make the feet appear alluring and produce a sexy walk. However there are some vital differences in the two practices also. Bound feet result in permanent damage to feet, and heels can cause damage in rare cases, to the body and feet. In China it was the parents who were responsible for the decision to bind girl’s feet whereas wearing high heels is a personal decision. Bound feet signified acceptance and inferiority, while heels portray either independence or submitting to projecting an image of dominance. Height was not affected by foot binding as it is by heels.

Emotionally, when wearing heels, some women feel happy, charmed and high spirited. Their self-moral is boosted. Other women recoil in disgust by the thought of wearing heels and see it as degradation to women, especially when worn for the sole purpose of attracting men.

I personally feel that women should wear heels if it makes them feel better about themselves and gives them a sense of being powerful and feminine at the same time. Even as a fashion accessory, the heel enhances and sophisticates any garment. It is a shoe that almost certainly ‘heels’ the wearer’s spirit and lifts it up to new heights. However, just like anything in excess is not good, one must take care to not let wearing heels constantly damage our feet or body in any way.

By: Fariha Rashed

Better To Light One Small Candle than To Curse the Darkness.

2005-08-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

“Better To Light One Small Candle than To Curse the Darkness”

Every morning one picks up the newspaper to see a fresh yet distressing headline, screaming out at us from the crispy off-white pages. One such daunting headline that has suddenly grabbed the attention of the Western media in the recent days is that of poverty and starvation in the continent of Africa. This turn of events came about due to the labors of a few people who had the courage to shine a spark of change in the pitch, black cloud of helplessness that engulfs the everyday lives of Africans even today.

The ‘Live 8’ concert, held this year, was ridiculed by many as doing little in bringing attention to the cause of alleviating poverty and famine in Africa. It was thought of as being too small an effort in regard to the enormity in scale of the problem. However, I believe it was one man’s vision and strength of resolve that made the ‘Live 8’ concert not just one of the greatest concerts in the history of music, but also acted as one of the most important catalysts in speeding up the process of healing Africa. Bob Geldof is this exceptional man.

This gentleman lit a small candle of hope in the face of complete darkness. By this tiny act, he managed to divert the eyes of the world and its leaders to the frightful plight of starving Africans, which allowed them to receive relief almost immediately.

The moral of this essay is that it is always better to get up and do something (no matter how miniscule) to find a solution, rather than to let the sheer size of the problem overwhelm you into not acting at all. Do not be defeated even before trying.

BY: FARIHA RASHED

Pakistani 'Couture'?

2005-07-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

Pakistani ‘Couture’?

Printed in "The Post"---Eyecandy Magazine
14th August, 2005----Station Chaos Column
&
Printed in "Instep" ---- The News
15th January, 2006.

Have any of you ever stopped and wondered what Pakistani designers mean when they say ‘we also have a couture line’? What goes through your mind when you go to liberty and read the word ‘couture’ written on a garment shop? You would be flabbergasted to learn the precise meaning and implication of not just the word ‘couture’, but also of the art itself. You would be equally stunned to find out how this fine form of fashion is being exploited and its meaning tainted. Have Pakistani designers really reached the position and level of expertise in fashion, where they can claim that they have mastered the art of couture? If not, I believe we must address the perversion of this term that is definitely taking place on many levels.

Haute Couture is a French phrase for high fashion. Couture means dressmaking, sewing or needlework and haute means elegant or high. The two words when combined represent excellent skill with the fashioning of garments. It is a prestigious face for French creative fashion and original design.

It is imperative for any designer to understand that there is a huge difference between a high-priced ready-to-wear garment, that they often incorrectly call ‘couture ready-to-wear’, and an actual 'couture' outfit. The term ‘couture-ready-to-wear’ is of course a contradiction in itself since couture implies clothes made to measure for individual customers, and ready-to-wear means garments produced in standard sizes not keeping in mind the individual measurements of the people who will eventually buy them. In Pakistan, our vision and understanding of haute couture is totally wrong.

The exclusive made to order, couture clothes are virtually made completely by hand, with the use of luxurious fabrics and superb needlework. They command exorbitant prices and are sold to the wealthy and sociably mobile. In addition the clients get a perfection of fit only achieved by meticulous methods of cutting and fitting to the client's body. Designers create their initial designs using muslin (for flowing designs), calico or linen canvas (for tailored garments). These samples are called ‘toiles’ and save the designer from using very expensive fabrics. The toile can be manipulated, marked and accustomed to fit a live model’s measurements till the designer is satisfied. The final toile of a design is an exact interpretation of the line and cut right down to the button placement or hemline that the designer desires. An exclusive haute couture garment means that there is only one of its kind. No two people would have the same couture garment in their wardrobe and this is why people are willing to pay vast sums for it. I personally feel that nothing produced in Pakistan yet bears the slightest semblance to European Couture and there are very few trained designers in Pakistan who even manage to follow half of the rules of couture making. However, I am fully aware that there are a few who would beg to disagree with me.

Nowadays in the West, wearing couture is affordable for those who are happy to pay for exclusivity, high quality, superb craftsmanship and a fresh idea, but is no longer appropriate for many, as prices are too excessive. For Western designers, making couture is actually unprofitable now. It is only a means by which to publicize their ready-to-wear divisions through which they make the most money locally and globally. They sell their potential customers a dream through their couture creations, a dream of something elusive and indescribable; the fashion shows attract huge media attention and bring great publicity to couture houses. In Pakistan it is the complete opposite. Over here designers start out with ready-to-wear lines and ultimately venture into so called ‘couture lines’, from which they end up extracting the most income. If they were producing genuine couture, this would be an impossible phenomenon.

Some Pakistani designers claim not just to have a couture line but also to have a couture house. Now let me explain, that in the West a trade association determines qualifications for a couture house. Membership with this trade association is limited to couturiers that meet specified qualifications and abide by a set of rules. I believe that in Pakistan because the concept of tailors was already widespread, it was easier for designers to lean towards the made to measure style of designing rather than the ready to wear. However these tailors are not trained sufficiently or adequately yet and do not posses the finesse required in making couture.

As a student of the Pakistan School of Fashion Design (affiliated with the most prestigious French trade association—La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne), and having been trained in the art of haute couture for 4 years, I strongly believe that Pakistan can at some point actually produce authentic ‘couturiers’, but there is still a long way to go before that happens. This is why I stress that the word ‘couture’ should be respected for what it is and not flung about carelessly. I know that with this article I will end up ruffling a few feathers as it may, but I think if as Pakistani designers we want to attain international acclaim at some point, that we should go through the steps of evolution (as man did), rather then jump from one stage to the next.

In the end I encourage all readers to ponder over this matter of the alleged Pakistani ‘Couture’ trend. The terminology is definitely impressive, but do we have the vital ingredients to complete the recipe? They include training, experience, facilities, knowledge, quality and caliber. I’ll let you be the judge of that.

FARIHA RASHED.

UNFATHOMABLE.

2005-07-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

UNFATHOMABLE.
DIVA Magazine.
Issue No. 40, August/September2005

The ‘Cindy Crawford of Lahore’…..this is what instantly comes to my mind when I think of super model Iffat Rahim. This rather unique title has been, gallantly bestowed upon her by the local media. Iffat understandably feels quite flattered by the comparison made between her and one of the top most successful and popular supermodels of the world. The comparison in our minds might be a rather far fetched one, in terms of the difference in scale in popularity and success between the two; however, I believe it is a fair one in terms of the confidence, caliber and professionalism inherent in both the ladies.

Iffat impressively holds a Masters in Graphic Designing and was born in Lahore on 12th February, which makes her an Aquarian. She believes that fate played its skillful hand in wooing her towards becoming a model. Her parent’s complete support made it a much easier and smoother path to success and stardom. Iffat has noticed a huge difference in nature, between the modeling world when she started out and was at her peak, and the modeling field now. Her opinion was clearly put across when she said to me, “honestly it has now deteriorated, as the element of nudity really bothers me”.

Iffat does however have some favorites among the local fashion designers with Umar Saeed at the top of her list. Iffat whole heartedly feels that “he is the best”. Internationally she likes D&G, Gucci, Hermes and LV as she is totally into bags and shoes. Having worked with many photographers in her time, Iffat insists that Ather Shahzad are the most professional in Pakistan and when I probed her further as to why she feels that way, she very matter-of-factly announced “You know why! They are the best in their field”. Iffat recalled that out of all the fashion shows she has witnessed in Pakistan, Neelofer Shahid’s first show was the most amazing one. She told me that “in those times it was an absolutely new concept to have fashion shows, and Neelofer being the classy lady that she is, really brought a bout of fresh air into the fashion scene”. Iffat personally hated doing live shows and preferred photo shoots to the catwalk. She has immense personal style from what she wears and how she wears it to her entire outward demeanor. Iffat’s fashion statement in her own words is “it’s not what you wear; it’s how you carry it”. She perceives and hopes her own image to be quite dignified in the media circle.

Iffat has made vital contributions to the entertainment industry and when she looks back she is most proud of her first production called ‘Iffat’s Fashion Magazine’. She explains that “I think my life is an example of how to maintain dignity in the field of fashion/modeling and bring with it respectability which has been a source of encouragement to lots of new people entering the arena”. This is what Iffat believes to be her biggest contribution to this field. She shrewdly advises girls that want to enter into modeling as a career, to “never compromise on values”.

Iffat met her husband through a mutual friend and theirs was a 100% love marriage. She proudly told me that the craziest thing she has ever done is “falling in love with the craziest man I have ever known”. When I hinted at her marriage maybe having something to do with the halt in her modeling career she quickly corrected me and said “no it was long before that”.

Besides modeling, this multi talented woman has acted, directed, compeered, produced and done set designing. She feels that the most fulfilling out of all the things she has tried her hand at, is acting. At present Iffat categorizes herself as a director and producer and her future plans include directing and producing a serial. She strongly believes that everything happens as a result of one’s destiny and one of the influences that mould her personality and creativity is the “continuous drive to do better”. Her inspirations include first and foremost her husband and then, “every successful woman out there”. She also very confidently and boldly claims to have no regrets in life so far.

While performing the difficult task of self analyzing herself, Iffat told me that she perceives having a strong character and honesty to be two of the major qualities in her personality. In criticism of herself she complained that the weakness in her character is her temper. However when she looks in the mirror she sees “a satisfied mother, a successful professional, a loving wife and an obedient daughter”. About her role as a mother she modestly says, “I am an ok mother because nothing is good enough for my little princess…I want to raise her so intelligently that she can ascertain right from wrong”. When I cautiously probed Iffat about whether she would support her daughter (Noor-e-Jehan) in the future, if she were to want to become a model, I was very pleased by her sensitive and loving answer “I would stay neutral. She will be making her own decisions in life. She is the apple of my eye….my strength….and my greatest weakness”. This showed me that Iffat is not only a competent professional but also an understanding, committed and reliable mother. She agrees that she has gained tremendous personal growth through life, “especially after becoming a mommy”.

You won’t see Iffat Rahim attending or mingling at ever party or get together that takes place courtesy of the big names in media. Socializing is of some significance to her, but only with her friends, those that are very important to her. As the topic of noble causes was touched upon, Iffat confides to me that she has not been able to do anything charitable on a big level, but on a personal level she tries to do her best. When I asked her about what the nature of her relationship with God is, she very persuasively answered “very good…..can’t you see that?”

Iffat is a petite woman who has always stayed slim, yet healthy. Surprisingly she does nothing to maintain her slender figure---“I don’t exercise regularly but because of my metabolism I stay thin. My diet principally comprises of vegetables but there is no specific diet I follow”. Yes, some people are just born lucky! She considers her best feature to be her face.

In an attempt to know Iffat better, for who she is from the inside, I asked her about some of her favorite things and boy does this lady have taste!
Her favorite:

Color: White
Cuisine: Thai
City: London
Car: VW Beetle
Music: All Kinds
Pet: Gypsy (my bitch)
Sport: Polo
Perfume: Gucci Rush
Book: One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Garcia.

Recently, Iffat has starred in Strings’ latest video, for their song ‘Kahani Mohabbat Kee’. Her performance was well done and well choreographed. I feel that she expressed, with great conviction, the pain inherent in her character’s life. The video has become a hit and was directed by well known and accomplished director Umar Anwar. I asked Iffat what made her want to do the video and how she got the part. This is what she had to say: “I did it because Strings are my favorite local band. I was offered the part and I was told that they had me in mind for the part so I decided to do it pro bono. Yes, I enjoyed it, although later I missed the New Year party back home and got hell from my hubby”.

It was my pleasure to interview a dynamic woman who had the courage to enter a field that was at one time looked down upon in Pakistan, and who made her place and mark as one of the top models of this country. She helped transform the image of modeling into that of a dignified career for girls to follow. She paved the way for them. Iffat’s way of thinking comes across to me as a very balanced blend of ‘daring’ and ‘conservative’ at the same time. She continues to strive to do more and I wish her the best of luck. I will end my article on Iffat Rahim with her favorite quote “what will be, will be”.

By: Fariha Rashed.

Frieha Altaf-Unvelied!

2005-07-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

FRIEHA ALTAF-UNVEILED!
COVER STORY----INFLUENCE LIFESTYLES (ILS)
SPRING/SUMMER 2005, ISSUE 2

By: Fariha Rashed

I had been eagerly anticipating taking this interview for days now! I mean here was a woman that took the world in the palm of her hands and everything she touched or tried her hand at turned into gold and ultimately became a blazing success. I wanted to meet this most empowering yet enigmatic woman face to face in hope of absorbing some of her energy, passion, creativity and strength. I was a little nervous, not knowing what kind of a welcome or reaction I would get from her. I wanted to come across as professional a free lance writer, as I could to her, because whoever had the revelation that ‘your first impression is your last impression’ must have tested this theory to the letter! So here I was, making my way through the long almost endless looking corridor of the Pearl Continental Hotel at Lahore. As I reached the escalator I made a quick check to see if I had everything…recorder, questionnaire, pen, my nerves…YUP…all there! I made my way to the Crystal Hall where we were to meet and as I approached it I could see her through the open door, sitting on a rather odd looking couch, chatting away on her mobile, dressed in beige jeans and a top, her long streaked hair cascading dramatically over her shoulders. She looked like an angel. I moved towards her with I dare say too wide a grin on my face and she waved at me with a warm smile on her face and made a gesture implying that I should take a seat while she wrapped up her conversation on the phone. As I sat down I watched her closely and was astonished that a woman with such a petite frame had such an overpowering character and demeanor. Lost in thought, suddenly I realized that she was staring at me and her lips were moving. I zapped myself out of my daze as I realized she was addressing me. We introduced ourselves to each other and she suddenly said ‘I need to go to the washroom, so we can finish our introduction there’. My god, I was going to the loo with Frieha Altaf! For people reading this who don’t understand my excitement I must tell you that for women going to the washroom together is a sign of ultimate bonding! Anyway, once we returned to the hall the interview began with the sound of the ‘click’ on my recorder.

Following is the unedited interview with Frieha Altaf. I have not rearranged any of her answers or tried to organize them in any way as I believe in putting forward an authentic piece of writing so that justice can be done to the interviewee’s story. I have also added in brackets the kind of facial expressions and body language she was expressing whilst answering, so as to give the reader a better idea of her reactions and a more intimate understanding of her personality. Everything is at it was and as she said it. I like to call this interview my unveiling of Frieha Altaf.

How do you perceive your own image to be, in the media world?
(a little confused) I don’t know. Read what people say about me. I think people have a great perception of me though. I have been called everything from a fashion icon to the godmother.

What do you feel has been your biggest contribution to the entertainment industry?
(sits back and sinks into the couch to relax) I think I still have miles to go. I’ve been in the field of fashion and TV for the past 19 years. The hardest time was when I started out because of the negative image of models. All my friends said ‘what are you doing, standing with your legs open?’ and ‘your pictures are plastered all over the pan shops’. One was dealing with an elite, educated class who were your friends who thought this was not a done thing. It’s very hard to come into something when you have that kind of opposition from everywhere and u do it just because you believe in something and have that conviction. That is the hardest part and I think that is my biggest contribution---doing something I believe in against all odds. Now it’s very easy to do whatever you please. Now you’re an icon and people want to be you. Young girls look at the magazines and say I want to be Vinny or Irage, and I get that too now. Girls come and tell me we used to look at the magazines and want to be you. The rest of the people used to think ‘she’s easy because she’s a model’. They don’t care. I have an education. I went to study in America for four years.

What made you want to get into modeling? What attracted you to this field?
(looks at the ceiling, as if reminiscing) I wasn’t attracted to this field at all actually. I wanted to be a painter and my education was in art. I was at an art gallery and Saira Shah the Editor of Newsline came up to me and said ‘do you want to model?’ I said ‘sure’ because my sister was doing it (whose married), and my brother in law was doing it and my brother was modeling too. So I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. Every woman likes to have nice pictures of herself, so that was the first attraction. Plus (with a shrug) you get to wear pretty clothes and feel happy about yourself.

What difference do you see in the modeling world now from when you started out?
When we used to model, first of all we didn’t do it for money. We did it for fun. We also did it because what we were doing at that time was so new and fresh. It was very unique and there was an excitement about it. I used to do my own make up for most of my shoots. Sometimes they would send me to Tariq or Nabeela who were starting out. It was completely breaking grounds at that time and the biggest difference between then and now is that people had passion and vision back then. People acted as professionals. I mean you were on time, you tried to never work for trashy magazines or do trashy work (at least that’s true for me). There weren’t that many magazines. I did the first Fashion Collection cover. I only did three covers because I was just very picky about my work---which designer I wanted to work with, which make up artist, which photographer etc. I wasn’t just going to get up and do anything. I did commercials and a Haseena Moin play. I wanted to do a Gul Ahmed add because it was a big dream at that time. I only did products like Sunsilk and 7 or 8 commercials. This I did for the money because I wanted to make sure that whatever I did had some kind of value to it. Now things have totally changed. There are ‘pan masala’ ads which I would never be seen in. First of all I don’t eat ‘pan masal’ (giggling) and its just degrading. I would also never wear something that is badly cut, badly stitched or badly designed and end up looking like a Christmas Tree. I wouldn’t do it because it’s not me and I don’t have to do it. Besides its bad fashion and trust me there’s a lot of bad fashion, bad magazines, bad make up artists and bad models out there now. There were models that did bad shoots and ads back then as well but one just did not associate with them or do what they did because it was important to keep one’s reputation intact.

What is your ‘fashion statement’?
I actually don’t give a shit what anyone thinks. I also don’t like to stick to one thing. I’m wearing beige and brown today which isn’t very common because I like color. I have worn the brightest pink lipstick, and my friends Tariq and Deepak say ‘this lipstick should be named after you because its completely you’. So I don’t follow a particular fashion per say. I have a lot of vintage clothes, I buy second hand things from Sunday Bazaar. I love that kind of stuff and I have like a very old car and very old furniture. I like very old buildings too. I am basically very vintage-oriented and I think that’s very unique. New things you can just go buy off the rack and you end up looking like everyone else. I also think we live in that culture…we live in a clone culture where we see something in a magazine and everybody has to have it.

Who colored your hair?
(carefully runs her fingers through hair as if feeling them for the first time) I have colored my hair at least twelve times since last year. Humayun was actually the one who started it and no one else touches my hair but him.

Which are your favorite local and international designers and why?
(pensive) That’s very difficult to say because I like so many and will not stick to one designer and go to him to just pick out one thing. I’ll buy things from different people and I certainly don’t have time to stitch clothes myself. If I come across something in a show or a shoot or if I’m going to a party and have nothing to wear then I just head out to the people I know who I can just call up and say ‘give me something to wear’. I have everything from designers like (begins counting on her fingers) Sana Safinaz to Rizwan beig and Maheen to Body Focus, Nomi Ansari, Deepak Parvani, Omer Syed, Faiza Sami…everyone. I used to wear a lot of Generation when I was growing up and was in one of their ads. I used to wear Neepunhal too. I am now wearing less Pakistani clothes and more Western attire. I have to move around a lot now between countries as well and so it’s easier to wear western clothes. Furthermore I was abroad for a long time and was in a retail merchandising business in Canada and had free access to clothes from there. I had a great wardrobe because of that experience. I also do a lot of my shopping from Sunday Bazaar. I have a Paco Roban dress from there which I got for a hundred rupees. I also got a lot of vintage bags and jewellery there. I think it’s really boring to limit yourself even when it comes to liking international designers but I like Tom Ford, Hussein Chalayan, and I love Galliano.
Out of all the fashion shows that you have witnessed in Pakistan, which one was your favorite and why? I only remember my own. I make it a point not to go and see other’s fashion shows (does not elaborate).

What made you come up with CatWalk Productions?
I had to go back to America and I had no money. I was working in an advertising agency and I was a model making Rs.5000. I was 25 years old. I had been in advertising for three years and was doing television plays, theatre and just about everything. I wanted to try everything. I had a situation where I had to get a Canadian passport and it was costing 2 lac rupees which I did not have. I spoke to a few of my friends and a friend Sheherzad Hashwani said ‘why don’t you do a show? Get it sponsored and sell the thickets’. It was 1989 and there were no good shows so Maheen said to me ‘let’s do a proper show with really nice invitations and event management…the works’ so I agreed. The first thing I did was come up with a concept and went looking for technical people and there weren’t any unfortunately. There were the Veerzada brothers in Karachi at that time so I got them to do the lights and sound. Tapu who wasn’t even a photographer at that time and just a good friend from school had a ‘khazana’ of good music so I got the music from him and found an architect friend of mine who I got to design the set. I did things very professionally and differently so that it wasn’t an everyday show. I think we sold 500 copies of just the cassettes with the music of our show. I got Tariq to do the hair and make up. This event was the stepping stone for me as it had event management, choreography and modeling in it. It was during the Zia-ul-Haq regime so one had to be really careful and we couldn’t even call it a fashion show. We called it a cultural show. After this I started getting offers from companies and Unilever was one of my sponsors. They loved the show and said they wanted me to do more stuff for them. I then started doing conferences, tableaus, theatre, dance etc. There was no creativity at that time and agencies used to handle their client’s events. Unfortunately they never had any creative ideas and worked with bad sets and backdrops. This is when I started working on CatWalk Productions. Modelling was nice but it was not to make money. Suddenly I discovered a way of making money with this project and I said to myself….hmmmmmmm…I can even buy a car and have an AC in that car if I keep going this way! I didn’t ever have any of that. I had an education as a painter and how much money can u make off that? I was telling Nasreen (my manager for Cat Walk) I used to do very selective shows. I have done/organised Sana Safinaz’s first show, Maheen’s first show, Faiza Sami’s first show, Nomi Ansari’s first show, Karma’s first show, Shumail’s first show, Shayan’s first show…a lot of first shows! I used to paint and sculpt for three weeks and then I would do one show. I wanted to be an artist but now I don’t do it anymore because I don’t get time. I was a top student when I graduated and I wanted to do my masters in art and become a professor and teach. For three years after I graduated I kept trying to get scholarships to go abroad and do my masters in art.

Has there been any personal growth?
(crosses one leg over the other) I had a lot of personal growth. I was a little ‘chit’ of a girl at 25 who could have made a lot of money modeling but I wanted to do something more. It was very exciting because there were all these people around you that were just starting out and growing---like Nabeela’s, Tapu Javeri, Arif Mehmood, Ather Shahzad, Nilofer Shahid etc. You were seeing all these young people with energy and passion who wanted to do so much. I also did the first Junoon video of ‘Heer’. We used to wake up at 3 in the morning to go to some farm for the shoot and I did everything for free because they were friends. I also did the first concert for Vital Signs in Karachi and sold 150 tickets for them at the Marriott. Kuchi Muneera’s husband is a real music fan and he’s a friend of mine from school so I took him to the concert. I went shopping with them to Zainab Market and bought them these long coats. It was so exciting because it was just all happening! Its fun now too but back then the beauty was that everything was new. If I wanted to do a show at a train station no one had ever done it. Nobody had done a venue show. I picked up Hindu Gymkhana which was lying covered with ‘jharis’ and nobody even knew it existed. I used to pass by and think to myself--it’s a beautiful building. I went to the gymkhana and got the permission, got an architect…the same architect that did Maheen’s show and he got really excited because no one looks after heritage here. We got the ‘jharis’ cut, got it painted, and got it going again! When people came they were astonished! The press took pictures of it and wrote about it the next day and said it is a beautiful building that must be taken care of. No one had ever seen a building lit up that way. My next project is a film. If anyone comes up to me for something it’s very hard for me to say no to them. Ali Zafar came to me two days before the ‘Rungeen’ video and said ‘I don’t have the models, the money or the clothes and this is the concept so what should I do?’ Literally within three hours we had casted for the video, I got the clothes from the shop that opened at 11 the next morning…I got the uniform that Sadaf Pervaiz had to wear, took out my old glasses which I gave her and we got all the stuff from here and there and put it together! Then people appreciate your work and that makes it worth it! ‘Khamaj’ the video for example was something I never got paid for, but Sakib Malik was a really good friend of mine and it was just so exciting to do something like that. I convinced Shaan first of all to do the part, at 3 in the morning at Yousaf’s ‘Haveli’. He had not even heard of Fuzon or there their music so we put there songs on and made him listen to them. I also had to convince Sakib Malik to do the video because he had never done one before this (‘Khamaj’ was my favorite song on the CD). We chose the clothes, location and everything together and worked on it.

What do you at present categorize yourself as doing?
I can’t categorize myself as doing a particular thing. Imran Aslam my friend, calls me ‘Impresario’—someone who just picks up on anything creative and does it. Half the time I’m doing stuff (for example commercials) and you don’t even know I’m doing those things. I cast, pick the location, get the permission, etc. I have done television production too.

When you look back, what are you most proud of?
Everything I have done and accomplished to date…and my kids!

‘Instep’ was a major tool for bringing fashion and fashion shoots to the forefront. It was well planned and visually appealing. What was your objective when you initiated this?
I like getting involved in something that anyone is doing that is worth while. I appreciate it and then I myself feel worth while. I combined Lux Style Kee Duniya (first magazine program on TV) and Instep. I did a lot of out door shoots and I don’t like doing very common shoots. II also do a lot of shoots when I go abroad like I have just come back from Jordan and did a shoot there. You need change of scenery, and models. You take their clothes or your own and just work with it. I did Lux Style Awards when I came back from Canada. Unilever was pushing me to do it because there was a need for it. Then I got married (second time—first time was in 1988) and took off in 1995. Left for five years, had my kids and went back to school and got my Fashion Designing Diploma. I started working at ‘Barbizon’ which is a model training school and I was an instructor there. I also joined ‘Dynamite’ which is merchandising company and a big chain. My father died and my husband and I got separated. I was living there on my own and the eventually I moved back to Pakistan.

Are there any regrets in life?
None. You can’t have regrets because you end up becoming bitter and hateful. I love life and it’s very special.

Favorite:

Color: Pink
Cuisine: Nihari, Sheermal, Payi, Salan…anything desi because I love it, especially eating with my hands. I like sushi.
City: I love the water..I skie, scuba dive, so a lot of my holidays are in beach places. I love history too so wherever history and the beach are in one place…that’s paradise. I love Mexico. Love going to places where I can go to temples. I love Venice, Paris and New York. I don’t like London. I love Pakistan, like India and a lot of the developing countries. Don’t like America, especially North America. I like Europe better because it has got more culture, buildings, and museums etc.
Cars: Antique cars.
Music: All kinds of good music.
Pet: I have a cat, two dogs called Brownie and Oreo. I have birds and had a rabbit but gave it away.
Sport: I’m a cricket fanatic and write on the sport for publications. I also love tennis, soccer and when I was in Canada I really got into basketball and the whole Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan scene.

Are you involved in any charitable work? What kind?
(laughs) Everything in the beginning was charitable work and nothing else. I needed charity myself because of it. But seriously I have done a lot. So many shows used to happen just for charity. Some of my best shows were for Kidney Centre, for example the train station show which was one of my favorite shows. The models came on a steam engine which we got from Sakkhar. It was actually done at a train station and people loved it. Shumail was the fabulous designer who is one of a kind. I have also done a show at a Casino, and I just did a show last Friday where I had four cars coming on stage which models were driving and getting on and off from. The models enjoy it too.
What influences mould your personality and creativity? I would be dead tired after working all day but still I would go and hang out with friends. My friends influence and mould my personality a lot as does my work. It’s all about creative juices flowing all the time.
Do you socialize a lot and how important is that to you? I love partying and have never said that I don’t like it. There’s nothing wrong with it and I have always loved dancing, and meeting people, going out, seeing different places, and a lot of the time when I come to Lahore I stay at the ‘Haveli’. I don’t like hotels.

Tell us about your children.
(with pride) My kids go to school. My son Turhan is very sporty and he’s 8 and my daughter Pareeshey is like me, very creative. She has done seven shows already (modeling) and is completely into dressing up. She’s been doing ‘Baharat Nateeyam’ for the last three years as well as classical singing. My son is doing Karate and cricket. They are both very different from each other. I love kids. One of the reasons I got married was to have kids.
When did you get married and was it a love marriage? I have been married twice and both times it did not work out. Both times it was a love marriage.

Do you believe it is better to have a love marriage or an arranged marriage? Why? I think whatever works. My sister had an arranged marriage and is really happily married. My love marriage didn’t work.

What qualities do you see in yourself?
I think I’m hard working, passionate, organized, creative, and honest and I try to be a good human being. I think I’m a good mother and a good, loyal friend.

What weaknesses do you see in yourself?
(with a sly smirk) My short temper.
What kind of a relationship do you have with God? (after a long, pensive pause) I am not a fanatic. I am spiritual and have my own relationship with god.

Do you believe everything that happens to people has to do with luck or destiny?
I think it has to do with both and it has to do with hard work too. I have been very lucky with everything I have done.

What do you do to keep fit? What kind of a diet do you follow?
I work out and go to gym when I have the time. I watch my diet.

If you could spend one whole day being someone other than Frieha Altaf, who would you be and what would you do?
(with utmost certainty and conviction) I would want to be Michael Angelo. That’s what I always wanted to be…an artist. That’s what my education was. When I used to sculpt I used to forget everything. I would be at it for three days, no food, no sleep no rest. Being an artist is the most amazing thing. It’s completely opposite to this line of work. There is no stress. I would put on Mehdi Hassan and listen to him for hours and my parents would get sick of me. I would just totally get lost in my art. It was graduation day and I had a life size sculpture to finish…everyone was partying and I was in a studio working. Awards were being given out and I ran to that place with plaster all over my hands and face in my shalwar kameez and shawl, got my award and headed straight back to my studio to work. That’s how obsessed I was.
You have accomplished a lot career wise. What do you want to do next? What is the next endeavor? I want to do a movie, go back to school, learn film making and dance choreography. I want to raise good children and give them more time. I feel that as a single parent I’m very busy although I’m very lucky that my mother is there to help me.

If your daughter would want to become a model, would you encourage her?
(with a shocked expression) My daughter IS a model honey! She has done 7 shows. She has already done commercials like SafeGuard and she is only 7! My son has modeled too. My daughter sings and dances as well and tells me she’s JLo (Jennifer Lopez). She hates the ‘Sa Re Ga Ma’ because she does not understand it yet. I really wanted to learn ‘Katthak’ but my parents did not allow me to when I was younger. So I said to myself, when I have a daughter I will make sure she learns it and she absolutely loves it.

What is the craziest thing you have ever done?
(with a naughty laugh and one eyebrow in the air) Hehehe…can’t tell you that! I have done so many crazy things and am doing them all the time!!

What do you consider to be your best feature (physically)?
(Turns to her Manager) What is my best feature? My dimples…because they are my identity…. and my hair! I like my skin color too. I like to tan myself and I like my cheek bones.

Finally…..your favorite quote?
(with a huge grin and her hand extended outward) “Ham Jalain….Duniya Jalai”.

As the interview came to a close I almost felt sad that she would not speak further about herself, her life and her amazing accomplishments, as I had been listening intently and in complete awe. I felt that I had managed to know Frieha Altaf in a much better capacity not just as an icon or a celebrity, but for the person she is from inside. She is truly ‘all woman’ and an inspiration to all those young girls that want to come into this field. She is proof that with hard work, dedication, and most of all belief in oneself and one’s goals the world is a ray of unending opportunities. Through this one meeting she has already managed to teach me to seize the moment, stay focused and be as creative as possible in my every endeavor. I couldn’t help thinking to myself as Frieha and I said our goodbyes, that this woman had not wasted a second of her life. She is like an engine that just keeps going and never runs out of fuel. I can safely claim that she is truly one of the most captivating and inspiring people I have ever met, and a gem of a person with a charming personality. We can only imagine how many more things Frieha will have done by next year and I would gladly meet her again at that time to hear about her expeditious life!

Date of Birth: 20th April.
Star: Virgo