Minority report: Ramchand Pakistani

Mehreen Jabbar, not an unknown figure in the Pakistani entertainment industry, is a storyteller at heart. Currently living in between New York and Pakistan, this film-maker has to her credit over 10 years of experience in the local industry, a certificate in Film, Television and Video from the University of Southern California, a series of independent and made-for-television films some of which have also been shown in various film festivals around the world and is one of the original founding members of the KaraFilm Festival. Her work is often recognised as being based on the lives and dilemmas of the ordinary Pakistani woman, and she is often quoted as having a fresh, original style of film-making. With all of that safely tucked under her belt, it made sense that this bundle of talent would eventually release her own full-length feature film — or at least attempt to.

Written and produced by her father, Javed Jabbar, Ramchand Pakistani, expected to be released sometime early next year, is Mehreen’s first full-length feature film. What’s more is that the film has already been generating a buzz, locally and internationally, several months prior to its release. Images caught up with the new-wave film-maker in an exclusive heart-to-heart on Ramchand Pakistani and more.

“Well, I have wanted to make a feature film for as long as I remember wanting to hold a camera, so it’s been a while. Over the years, I dappled with a couple of stories and ideas but as you know it takes some effort putting together a feature, no matter where you are,” she says about delving into making a feature film.

“My father had mentioned to me that he had a story based on real-life events that he thought would make a compelling feature. On one of my visits to Pakistan last year, he gave me the synopsis of the story. I loved it from the moment I read it and from then on it’s been a non-stop process of having this film come together.”

Continuing she said, “Mohammad Ahmed came on board last year in May and the script-writing process started. As the executive producer of Ramchand Pakistani, my dad went and raised money for the venture from some very unexpected sources. I think for the first time in our history, a film has been financed by a group of people who just believe in the project and in cinema, and have donated various amounts to get it made. It is so tough to get individuals who are not from the industry to believe in cinema again that I’m indebted and grateful to all of them who actually did.”

Ramchand Pakistani is based on the real-life story of a Pakistani Hindu boy who accidentally strays across the border and he, along with his father, are put behind bars after being labelled as spies. The film reflects the emotional turmoil the wife-mother goes through and is a depiction of what families living near the Pakistan-India border continue to go through, especially when tensions between the two countries are running high.

Mehreen’s film also features a set of collaborations between Indian and Pakistani artistes. The soundtrack composed by Indian composer Debojyoti Mishra is a collaboration between India's Shobha Mudgal and our very own Shafqat Amanat Ali. The lead role of the mother is played by well-known Indian actress Nandita Das of Fire (1996) and Earth (1998) fame.

“I’ve worked with Nandita before on a short film and I’ve known her for some years. I felt that she would be just right for the particular role and wanted to work with her,” said Mehreen about the cast. “We were very clear though that the rest of the cast would be from Pakistan and so the film features many prominent Pakistani actors such as Rashid Farooqi, Noman Ijaz, Maria Wasti, Shahood Alvi, Tipu, Adarsh Ayaz, Saleem Mairaj, and of course the our little star, Syed Fazal Hussain who plays Ramchand. Our production crew is also a mix. The director of photography is Sofian Khan, who I’ve worked with in New York.

“We developed a great connection working on TV films over there and I felt that we would be on the same page with this film since we share similar tastes in film. Our chief gaffer, sound engineer and HD technician are also from NY. Apart from that, the rest of the 65-plus crew are all Pakistanis — from the associate producer, the assistant directors, the production managers, the lighting crew, etc. I think it was an incredible experience for everyone involved. It was gruelling and challenging, but at the same time there was always an undercurrent of excitement that made us look forward to every day.”

The story about the selection of the music composer goes something like this: Mehreen wanted the soundtrack composed by whoever had done the outstanding solo, Mathura Nagarpati Kahe Tum, from the Indian film Raincoat. “I found that music so haunting, I could think of no other music director other than Mishra,” says Mehreen. “I was a big fan of the song which has been sung by Shobha Mudgal. So I got in touch with the composer and his enthusiasm for the Ramchand Pakistani project from day one told me that he was the right man for the job. I think he’s done a wonderful job with it because he understood the tone of the film. We recorded the vocals of the two songs in Karachi at Rohail (Hyatt)’s studio.”

With an eye for detail and in an attempt to stay completely true to the story, some of locations at which it was shot were also where the original incident took place. “We shot in Nagarparkar and Islamkot, which are in Tharparkar, close to the Indian border. Also, the boy and his father hail from the village Bhimra in Nagarparkar where we shot a couple of scenes.”

However, working in the open wild wasn’t easy as Mehreen said that “it was very tough, no doubt about that: just the logistics of hosting and caring for 75 people in the middle of nowhere, where very few amenities, let alone roads, exist was in itself a feat for the production dept, but I think it all came together very well because everyone worked as a team. One of the blessings of working there was that there was no cellphone coverage.”

Relating an amusing anecdote about shooting on-location she said, “We built two bathrooms in a truck that were used by all the cast and crew and the facility travelled with us wherever we went. There was an ‘American’ and an ‘Indian’ toilet to cover both preferences and it had a name I can’t divulge!”

Ramchand Pakistani has recently been awarded the Global Film Initiative (GFI) Grant — an initiative to support films which promote ‘cross-cultural understanding’ and which consist of some of the best in global cinema. It was one of the five films selected to receive the grant this year. “The GFI grant was an affirmation to the story of the film and its screenplay and we are very honoured to receive it. I think we found out about it during or right after filming had stopped,” recalls Mehreen. “The film will first do its festival rounds over the course of the year and eventually we are hoping for an international release.”

About her own plans, she says that “making a feature takes a lot out of everyone concerned. Ideally, of course, I would love to work on the next feature immediately because I can’t wait to put into use what I’ve learnt from this one. I will continue to work in TV till the dream of the second one materializes. However, I do plan to start working on a script right away.”

Having worked in the local entertainment industry for a considerable period of time, one couldn’t help but wonder whether the current state of the Pakistan film industry had anything to do with her decision of going into the realm of film-making? “The current state of the Pakistan film industry has been the same as far back as I can remember, if not, it’s much worse now. I don’t know if that played a part in my desire to make a film. I think a film is more a storyteller’s dream and the obvious next step from TV,” she says.

With the tag as “Two nations poised for war. One family torn apart,” Ramchand Pakistani examines the repercussions that political relations between two countries have on the common man. With characters in the film speaking in both Urdu and Hindi, the fact that the film is also a collaborative effort by individuals from diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds, is testament to the unifying spirit that Ramchand Pakistani is hoping to evoke, from a perspective that otherwise hasn’t received much attention from individuals working in the local or global entertainment industry.

-- Photo by Kohi Marri

First Published:
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November 25, 2007

Passing on the fashion torch

It’s heartwarming to see individuals working in the fashion industry come together to nurture budding talent. In a fashion charity event titled Nine Women hosted by the Depilex Smile Again Foundation at the Lahore Grammar School, the event was themed to show the different faces of the Pakistani woman.

Over a period of time the participants who were all students, were taught how to design, cut, silhouette, colour, manufacture and retail their creations by fashion industry individuals. Coming together in a showing choreographed by HSY, the participants’ performance was judged by a panel of jurors which consisted of Ather Shahzad, Maria B. and Yasir Waheed.

Nickie Nina, one of the designers who helped instruct the students, had their creations based around the theme of Motherhood. With three of the outfits created by their students, this segment also included one original piece by them as well. Based on the theme of the Artiste and The Prom Queen, Kamiar Rokni was called to unveil two of his original outfits which were modelled by his muse, Maliha Naipaul.

More on Nickie Nina is that they are planning a massive 80-piece showing of their collections at New York, Chicago and Washington before the year ends.

Photo:
— Kamiar Rokni with Maliha Naipaul
— Iffat Omar with Nina

First Published:
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November 25, 2007

Behind the scenes: Depilex

Hair & Makeup: Nighat Misbah @ Depilex
Photography: Rizwan Ul Haq
Model: Neera Mansoor
Art direction: Light & Shade

This was a shoot that spanned over four days simply because each make up set took around three to four hours to do. According to Nighat Misbah, the inspiration for the shoot came from a yearning to do something other than the norm and by the works of hair and make up shoots by foreign artistes.

For this shoot, they also wanted to feature somebody who hadn’t been photographed very much before and owing to her beautiful, graceful bone structure as well, Neera Mansoor seemed like a viable model. “We also wanted to feature her in a way that she hasn’t been featured before”, added Nighat Misbah about Neera.

“For the hair and makeup we literally treated the face as a blank canvas and used the makeup to paint over it”, she said, “and because attention was paid to every single detail, the make up took several hours and by the end of it, I was exhausted. I couldn’t do another set the same day which is why Neera had to come over several days in a row. And she was very nice and cooperative and was always on time”.

The hair and makeup coupled with the shoot wasn’t a one-man show as Nighat clearly pointed out that “this isn’t the kind of work one can do on their own. Normally when you do shoots like these, the hair and makeup can come out looking very bad if the light and shade along with the angles at which the photograph is taken isn’t taken care of and Rizwan has done an amazing job at that. Along with that, I am grateful to Kamran Khairi who constantly guided us with the concept of the shoot”.

With or without a record label
He is a part of the dying breed that pioneered underground music in Pakistan, before it became what it is today — a platform through which local artistes hope to launch themselves into mainstream television. Shahzad Hameed is a guitar maestro who’s been in the Lahore underground circuit for over a decade. And for the past year or so, he’s been trying to get his album released.

The latest is that his album, Songs from the Nowhere Land, has been released via a distributor without the involvement of a record label. Carrying the “if you’re not going to do it for me, I’ll do it myself” attitude, this version of the album is slightly different from the original in that it contains additional material.

With one video from the album, Fish Out of Water, previously released to critical acclaim, the latest video from the album, Fear — a collaborative piece of work between Shahzad and other artistes — is currently making the rounds on the tube, the album will also subsequently be available online on www.shahzadhameed.com for download.

First Published:
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November 25, 2007

Stocking Kamiar

A product of one of the most competitive classes of Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design, Kamiar Rokni is one designer who is expected to redefine Pakistani fashion as we know it. And that same expectation has been keeping interested fashionistas constantly on the lookout for any sign of him making his outfits available.

The wait is finally over. Kamiar Rokni’s select haute couture pieces along with his prêt-a-porter line will be made available at The Boulevard in Lahore. K-town wasn’t left out of consideration either: his prêt line will also be available in December at the recently launched Ensemble in Karachi.

“It’s bold, vibrant, efficient and sophisticated. I haven’t concentrated too much on embroidery, on bling, but more on the texture of the fabric. It’s what can be worn everyday, for lunch and for dinner,” says Kamiar about his ready-to-wear collection, “I’m also experimenting with newer silhouettes in this and the overall line has a touch of elegance to it.”
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November 25, 2007

Going Datch


What do you do when you bring together casual, sportswear and accentuate it boots, bling, crazy hair and makeup and a whole new attitude? You get the Italian sportswear brand, Datch. And Datch came to town last weekend in a fashion show that was an eclectic mixture of both day-wear and evening-wear and was a tad too short. Although the invitation card dictated that the dress code for the evening was “smart casual”, the attendees were anything but, and seemed to fodsc_0032.jpgllow the “it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed” notion.

Starting around an hour and a half too late, normal by local standards, the opening section of the show was a flurry of colours and at the most, interesting combinations of them. With most models sporting capris that ranged from white to black and blue, the tops ranged from large kaftan-inspired creations to button-down shirts. The combinations were loud, colourful and at times, over-the-top. An outfit that stood out was a large, black and white zebra print shirt worn by Rubya Chaudry, over orange pants – a blend that was oddly reminiscent of the glam rock element predominant eighties. With hair and makeup courtesy of Nabila’s salon, the models in the first segment sported almost identical hair with light-brown, almost blonde buns on top of their heads ending up with spiked hair falling over on one side. Rumor has it that the wigs the models sported were flown in especially for the event. Although not brining anything drastically new, this section brought the glam rock element symbolic of the eighties and customized it to the current decade.

Coming towards the darker side, but in terms of colour only, the second section could have been categorized as formal evening wear had every outfit not been flavored with a little bit of silver and gold here and there. The outfits were simple and ranged from dsc_0072.jpgblack to dark brown in the colour. The models were accessorized with chains as necklaces and belts that flashed slightly on the runway. One of the knee-length dresses on the runway carried pockets near the hem (ala 70s style), following the international fashion trend for 2008 towards having pockets on dresses. There was one outfit, however, that was somewhat ghastly: a silver, backless bathing suit worn over black tights. It had a very Vegas showgirl (without the feathers) costume-gone-bad look to it. The outfit itself was an eyesore and stood out painfully compared to the rest of the outfits in the set.

The final set was when things became really interesting. Almost monochromatic, this section carried the most attitude, in terms of overall look, as well. The lights were dimmed with the only the one at the entrance, at the beginning of the ramp lit. The models began by posing against the light and the silhouettes that their outfits and most importantly, their hair made against the light were interesting to watch. The make up for this segment was dark, especially below the eyebrow and the hair was shorter and spikier – oddly reminiscent of the type being sported in the current Japanese pop culture (without the coloured hair). The predominant look for this section was definitely biker chic: complete with knee-length, high-heeled boots to long coats worn alone or over short black dresses. Definitely made for the winter seasondsc_0077.jpg, the coats, boots and the length of the dresses was perfect in keeping its occupier fashionably warm without toasting them entirely.

Interestingly though, for the final showing, the lights were dimmed again and the models took their positions on the runway. When the lights came on, one could see Vinnie (the only model for whom there would be some applause every time she’d appear on the runway) on the forefront, with a fierce almost scary expression locked on her face. She was almost statuesque in her appearance and exuded a cold confidence that sealed the event as well.

A sports brand in the loosest sense of the world, Datch by its own definition, stands for “freedom of expression, determination, music and sport”. The outfits themselves, although not radically different from what is currently available for any Pakistani woman looking to wear something to the next socialite event, did bring a touch of more sophisticated class (only in the latter sections) to what is currently being circulation.

– Photography by Fayyaz Ahmed
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November 18, 2007

Pushing the 'Chop Shop'

Who doesn’t remember Man Push Cart from last year’s Karafilm Festival? After bagging several Ciepies last year, including one for Ramin Bahrani for best direction and Ahmad Razvi for Best Male Actor in Leading Role in the same film, Man Push Cart went on to receive raving reviews and win an armful of awards in film festivals around the world.

With the Karafilm Festival postponed indefinitely this year, it’s a pity we wont be able to see Ramin Bahrani and Ahmad Razvi’s latest offering, Chop Shop, which opened at the Cannes Film Festival 2007 and which has already begun generating a positive buzz wherever it has been shown yet. It has been labeled “American independent cinema at its best” by the Daily Telegraph.Alejandro (played by Alejandro Polanco) is a 12-year-old latino boy who works in an auto-repair shop in the outskirts of Queens, New York. An adolescent living in the adult world, the highlight of his life is when his sister Isamar (played by Isamar Gonzales) moves into the tiny room he’s kept for himself. They hope to secure a brighter, more secure future for themselves by acquiring a food van and providing food to the people of the area and Alejandro begins saving for it. Reality sets in when they are confronted with everyday truths about the harshness of life that seeps into their work, relationships etc and they are often faced with making decisions that most adults would find intimidating. Chop Shop is a film about mankind’s inherent nature to survive, growing up before one’s time and yet retaining the hope that youthful innocence brings with it.

Chop Shop carries forward the essence of Man Push Cart in the sense that it focuses on communities that aren’t conventionally given much attention, on the complex interplay between aspirations, human relationships, the adversities that his protagonists face and their ability in overcoming them. It examines all that in the most humane way possible.

Ahmad Razvi is currently working on his third feature film.

– Photo: Isamar Gonzales and Alejandro Polanco in a still from the film.

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November 18, 2007

Ali and his toys

He’s known for being finicky about how is album is produced and recorded and has no qualms about travelling to different ends of the world to get the end result just the way he wants, which is why it makes sense that Ali Zafar has been caught up with a bit of construction. For the past couple of weeks he’s been caught up in building his own, private studio at his home in Lahore. “It’s not a commercial studio,” his manager, Haroon Sheikh commented, “it’s for his own personal use and he has the best equipment available which he bought from the United States”

Ali has been missing from the music video circuit for the past couple of months but not anymore. According to Haroon, “we’re in the thought-process of the next video” but preferred to stay tight-lipped about the song or the chosen video director. Other than his current baby, the Ali Zafar in-house studio, he will begin touring extensively sometime at the end of this year.

First Published:
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November 18, 2007

Genius in waiting?
“… about three years ago I decided I wanted to make a film and the rest is history,” says Saqib Malik into the dictaphone at the end of a formal summarised introduction he gives of himself and his work.

The film in question is Ajnabi Shehr Mein, which back then was supposed to be this avant-garde music video and commercial director’s first-ever full-length feature film. The film’s original cast included Ali Zafar, Shaan, Tooba, Veena Malik, Samina Peerzada, Durdana Butt and Ali Saleem, and was in Saqib’s own words a “political-thriller drama” based in Karachi.

“It’s going to happen; it’s going to take its own sweet time. I’m going to do what Shoaib Mansoor did: I’m going to quietly start and make it and when it’s ready for the world I will come and talk about it. Before, I blabbed way too much and I’ve had to answer for that,” replied Saqib when confronted with whether or not his debut film will ever make it to production.

However, one can’t help but wonder what happened to it. “Twice, I was absolutely on the verge of commencing shooting. In 2005, three weeks before the shoot was supposed to start, the producers backed out.” But Saqib didn’t give up on the film and approached a local television network which seemed to show a keen interest in it. Over the period of a year after that, including countless meetings and hours spent on rewriting and refining the script with Sarmad (the then scriptwriter), just when things seemed to be working out the sponsors had a problem with the script. But by then “Sarmad had just had enough. I think he just overdosed working on that script,” recollects Saqib.

With Sarmad out of the picture, a new scriptwriter was needed and in came veteran television writer Mohammad Ahmed who also has to his credit the script for Mehreen Jabbar’s yet unreleased debut cinematic feature, Ramchand Pakistani, due out early in 2008. “Mohammad Ahmed was very keen to come on board. But when I showed him the script, he had a very different perspective on it. And that meant working on it from scratch. He wanted to rewrite it and rework it in his own perspective, which is understandable. Obviously the first script was very close to my heart, we really burned the midnight oil on that. But it would to take another six or seven months to rewrite it,” he says, adding, “then we realised that maybe that script idea had gotten too old because I had already made the film twice in my mind and two years had passed and Khuda Kay Liye (KKL) had been made and everything had moved on.”

Keeping that in consideration, Saqib’s current plans for making a film are very different from the original political-thriller drama that he had in mine. “I think it’s time to do a film for Pakistan that is young, youthful, optimistic, appealing to students and younger people. A kind of love story that has a progressive, youthful angle and Ahmed and I are working on it. Everything is sort of happening from scratch.”

And what about the original script? “We have still got the original script which I really like, but I think we might work on that one after this,” replied Saqib.

Coming to the cast of Ajnabi Shehr Mein, one couldn’t help but notice that he’d picked Ali Zafar to act in it. As successful as a pop musician as he might be, Ali is not particularly known for his acting skills. So what made Saqib pick him for a role in the film? “I’ve done a lot of commercials with him, I know what his potential is,” he says. “Ali Zafar was also cast because he has that vulnerable, romantic boy kind of a look that fits the character very well. Plus, he has the pull, he has mass appeal in a very different kind of an audience that doesn’t see films whereas Shaan has the traditional cinema-going appeal.” However, as it turns out, Ali Zafar isn’t going to be acting in a Saqib Malik film, whether in Ajnabi Shehr Mein or the progressive, youth-oriented film he now has on the anvil. The next time around when the film was supposed to be shot, “Ali was too busy and couldn’t give me enough time. When he did agree, he wanted so much in his fee that it was ridiculous. I started talking to a couple of other actors and finally it came down to Mekaal (the model) and he was more than happy to do it. But now of course that whole project is in limbo. I can’t say what’s going to happen to it or who’s going to be cast next,” he says.

Interestingly enough, on the one hand Saqib Malik has an avid interest in old classic films, independent films and/or foreign films. While on the other, he wants to make a film which has lots of mass appeal and traditional song-and-dance in it. His interest in a certain type of cinema and the kind of film he now wants to make don’t seem to connect. What does he have to say about that? “When I said I’m making a commercial film, I meant in the sense that it’s got commercial appeal to it. But the way you make it, the kind of characterisation, etc, you can make that highly artsy or you can make it cinematically or visually interesting. It’s like music videos, Khamaj was a very commercial video and that was the point — to make a film that’s commercially viable. But at the same time, it would represent a certain cinema appeal, a look that will be a break from the way movies are made over here. But this is all before KKL — it changed everything. It redefined what people want to see, what they can see, the kind of cinema that Pakistan can make. So now it’s a different ball game altogether.”

So does that entail that he is rethinking his strategy? “Yes, I am. I’d still love to make a commercial film. I think the kind of film I would probably make would still be very different from KKL. Do remember that at the end of the day Shoaib Mansoor’s film is also a commercial film… it’s got all the elements,” says Saqib.

The last music video he made as a director was for Ali Azmat’s Na Re Na, and not having seen any work from him in the realm since then, one wonders whether he is currently working on one? “I am in the thought-process of a video right now for Zeb and Haniya. I love their music. I think they’ve got a fresh sound — it’s very modern, paired down, very cool and it just comes through very directly. I’m very excited. And I think it’s going to be different than my other videos because I want it to be something straight up and simple. It’s not going to be an elaborate setup.” Two extremely talented musicians, Zeb and Haniya first made it big with their radio and internet hit, Chup. Considering that they’re still just beginning to create waves in the industry and don’t have an album or a video out yet, what made Saqib pick them as his next big thing? “The concept of two girls… regular girls who are not just manufactured pop stars and have beautiful voices…there is a certain rawness to it and I want to capture that, I want it to shine through that personality,” he enthuses. The song that he will be making the video for is Har Su. “I think it’s a fantastic song, I heard it once and I got goose bumps. That’s the beauty of Zeb and Haniya’s music, they are yet unfazed, and that’s what I’d like to capture.”

Does Saqib have a particular schedule in mind for the video shoot and its release? “Definitely this year so that it comes out early next year. I’m presently engaged in the process of thinking what I want to do for them but I haven’t constructed it consciously yet.”

With almost all of Saqib Malik’s music videos seeming like an indulgence where experiencing them is concerned — not only are they complete visual treats but are conceptually strong as well — one can’t help but look forward to a collaboration between one of the industry’s most well-established personalities and a pair of talented ladies who are just beginning to make their mark in music.

Where his cinematic venture is concerned, with Saqib’s eye for detail and cinematic flair exhibited in his work so far, one can be sure that a Saqib Malik film, despite the drawbacks, might be worth the wait. “I’m at a very nice point in my life as I’ve been so stressed out because of Ajnabi Shehr Mein in the past. I’m doing very little advertising work and being very selective with what I do”, says Saqib about where he is right now, “I’m very much at peace and I’m just enjoying looking at the world. It’s actually a good time in my life".

-- Photo by Amean J.

First Published:
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November 11, 2007

Recognizing cross-cultural collaboration


“Besides the promise of artistic excellence, Ramchand Pakistani exhibited accomplished storytelling and offers audiences a perspective on daily life in Pakistan. We are impressed by the innovative and unique approach to the character development, plot construction, editing style and technique”, said Ms. Susan Weeks Coulter, Chairperson of the Global Film Initiative (GFI), in response to Ramchand Pakistani, Mehreen Jabbar’s first ever full-length feature film.

The GFI, whose Board Of Governors boasts a membership of some of the best in global cinema namely Mira Nair, Noah Cowen, Pedro Almodovar, Jia Zhangke among others, aims to ‘promote cross-cultural understanding through the medium of cinema’. And Ramchand Pakistani has been selected, in addition to five other films from around the world, to receive the GFI’s Spring 2007 Grant.

The film, which is in its post-production phase and is expected to be released globally sometime in January 2008, also boasts of a collaboration between Shafqat Amanat Ali and India’s Shoba Mugdal on four of the songs from the soundtrack of the film, with two of the songs having been recorded by Rohail Hyatt. Anwar Maqsood has penned the lyrics whereas Debojyoti Mishra has directed the music for the songs.

Inspired by a real-life incident, Ramchand Pakistani is based on how a seven-year-old Pakistani-Hindu boy and his father unintentionally cross the Indian border, are jailed as a result of it, and the emotional turmoil the mother (played by Indian actress Nandita Das) suffers through. “The film talks about things common to both India and Pakistan: bureaucracy and prejudice”, Nandita said, “There are innumerable cases of people accidentally crossing the border and being jailed as spies”. Ramchand Pakistani is currently one of Pakistan’s most anticipated films being made.

– Photo by Kohi Marri

First Published:
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November 11, 2007

Behind the shoot: Adnan Pardesy

[unedited version]

“We went out shopping for plants”, is the first thing Adnan Pardesy, the designer tells me the moment I entered Light and Shade, Rizwan Ul Haq’s (the photographer) studio. In fact it turns out that not only were the designer and photographer out shopping for plants the day before but had also ventured out in search of the perfect plant right before the scheduled time for the shoot as well. The plant as it turns out, was to be used as an accessory in the model, Rubab’s hair for the shoot.

“The whole inspiration of this whole collection was basically coming somehow or the other from plants”, Adnan quickly explained, “A few of the outfits have been inspired from the paintings of Gorgia O’Keeffe”. In fact, one quick look at his sketch book will tell reveal that a lot of Adnan’s inspiration for fashion design comes from paintings overall.
“We had a lot of trouble finding the plant”, elaborates Rizwan, “we tried finding a plant that could be wrapped around the head without ruining its dimensions”. As a photographer one of things Rizwan is very particular is the attention to the minutest details where the appearance of the model is concerned. Keeping that in mind, it is perfectly understandable if the ‘perfect’ plant was hard to find.

As a photographer, Rizwan has reputation for taking his time with a shoot. He prefers to work every single detail from the set, to the outfits, to the model’s overall look to the poses she/he will be doing in the shoot, beforehand. Once he’s decided he wants to start, he tends to gaze intently at the set where the model is supposed to model often moving from one side to the next asking his assistants to alter the lights this way or that, testing to see what would give the perfect effect… all the while not moving his gaze away from the set.

Once the model is in the studio is when Rizwan seemingly comes to life. He will begin by throwing keywords to the model, which nowadays includes “different” and “unusual” – he wants to photograph a pose that hasn’t been photographed before. If the model isn’t following his cue, he will literally stand and shift positions showing how the model to pose from hunching her back or keeping it straight to lifting her shoulders to small minimal alterations in regular poses that make them look ‘different’. And he won’t rest his animated direction till the model gets it right.
“When I approached Rizwan, what I requested him was that if he gets time, he should just come and visit my workshop and just look at the kind of work that I’ve done and if it inspires him, if he thinks it’s good enough, then if he could help me shoot it”, said Adnan about how he ended up working with Rizwan, “He looked at my work and agreed to do a shoot for me”. “I had the clothes with me for a week while I brainstormed how to shoot them”, said Rizwan in response, “we had to do a good, but simple shoot on a white backdrop. We opted for black and white because we wanted to give it a more mature look”.

Rubab is perhaps one of the more established models in the industry. She literally rescued the shoot when the model who was initially supposed to model for it backed out at the last moment citing previous commitments she had made. “She’s been around in the industry for a very long time. It wasn’t a difficult task to direct her that this is the pose we wanted”, says Adnan about the model. “I had to direct her a little in the kind of body language we wanted”, said Rizwan thoughtfully, “but she understood and ended up doing pretty well”.

The hair and makeup was done by Nighat Misbah from Depilex and they, keeping in mind Adnan’s minimalistic style in design, they kept the look very simple. “I was trying to look for a very classic look”, said Adnan about what he was looking for in makeup, “something which is very my style, very simple, not over-the-top, just focusing on my clothes, not really accessorizing to a great deal. And give that very vintage look to my whole shoot”, elaborating further he says “if you look at my garments, they’re all very basic silhouettes. I’ve played with texture of the fabric rather than using embroideries… this is how I’ve always felt towards my work; because too many flashy objects, too much Bollywood is not my style. And I think a majority of the designers actually focus on embroidery than design which is not what I try to do”.

[edited version]

“They were out shopping for plants, looking for that perfect one they needed for the shoot. The search continued minutes before the action began on the studio floor. The plant was to be an accessory in model Rubab’s hair.

“The inspiration for this collection came partly from plants”, Adnan explained. “A few of the outfits have been inspired from the paintings of Gorgia O’Keeffe.”

A quick look at his sketch book revealed paintings as the designer’s inspiration.

“We tried finding a plant that could be wrapped around the head without ruining it,” explained Rizwan. No wonder the ‘perfect’ plant was hard to find.
Rizwan takes his time with a shoot, working on every detail from the set to the outfits, to the model’s look and the poses. That decided, his gaze is fixed on the set before altering lights and clicking the camera. Then, he begins by throwing keywords at the model: “different”, “unusual”, looking to capture a pose not photographed before. He takes the floor himself, shifting positions and showing the model how to pose. The animation goes on till the model gets it right.

“Rizwan looked at my work and agreed to do a shoot for me”, says Adnan.

“After a week of brainstorming we decided it would be a good but simple shoot against a white backdrop. We opted for black and white because we wanted to give it a more mature look”, Rizwan explains.

Rubab rescued the shoot when the model initially engaged backed out at the last moment.

“It wasn’t difficult directing her”, says Adnan.

“I had to direct a little in the kind of body language we wanted; she understood and ended up doing pretty well,” Rizwan concludes.

The hair and makeup by Nighat Misbah met Adnan’s requirements.

“I was looking for a very classic look, very simple, focusing on my clothes, vintage, to go with my basic silhouettes, no flashy objects; Bollywood is just not my style,” Adnan asserted, and got what he wanted.

– photo by Rizwan Ul Haq

First Published:
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November 11, 2007

Here, there, everywhere!

The brainchild of Asad Tareen, they have redefined how fashion is retailed; The Designers which currently houses collections by HSY, Karma, Sublime and the in-house Maysoon label, plans to introduce for the first time in Karachi, a collection by the UK-based designer label, Rouge, via the launch of their second outlet in Karachi sometime in late November.

Rouge (by Memoona Mannan), which boasts of a loyal clientele in both London and Pakistan, is a brand recognized for its elegance and intricately-embroidered bridal wear. Previously having only had representation in Lahore where Pakistan is concerned, with the addition of Memoona’s children, Faraz and Sundas as part of the Rogue design team, joining hands with The Designers was part of an attempt to expand the label to a wider audience.

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November 11, 2007

Madman in town

He lives in his own romanticised world of medieval chivalry, considers himself to be a wandering knight and his delusion is rendered so strongly that he, along with his squire Sancho Panza, has imaginary duels with everyday objects. This classic madman is now coming to town (Karachi) in a local adaptation of Don Quixote de la Mancha, titled Man of La Mancha, by The Academy of Cinematic Theatre (ACT) established by Saba Saeed, opening on stage sometime in late November. Not only that but this adaptation will also include music performed by Taal Karisma with the bandmembers performing as part of the characters in the play. This is ACT’s first stage performance after a hiatus of three years.

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November 11, 2007

In full celebration

“I am honoured that I have been selected to showcase Pakistan at this prestigious event, and I plan on showing a part of my Bijoux A/W07 collection there” said an excited Maheen Karim when asked about her participation in the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week (KLFW) in Malaysia, later in November. According to Maheen, the Bijoux A/W07 collection is based on ‘the season to celebrate’. Kuala Lumpur is fast establishing itself as one of the world’s major fashion cities.

But those staying back in Pakistan need not worry, Maheen will be unveiling her Bijoux A/W07 collection at Label’s, earlier this month, prior to leaving for her showing at the KLFW.
– photo by Amean J.

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November 4, 2007

Good will

After launching his album in Pakistan recently, Yasir Jawed (of Kalavati fame) is off to India for the international launch of his debut album, Ibtida via the Indian record label, HMV. True to the spirit of Indian pop music, a couple of tracks from the album will be remixed.

Interestingly enough, Yasir Jawed who started off by releasing Kalawati as a part of a two-person group, Yasir and Faraz, with local guitar maestro Faraz Anwar, has released the album as a solo artiste saying that Faraz was hesitant in releasing a full-length album as a duo. Also that Faraz preferred limiting his contribution to the album as a producer only. This comes as a major disappointment considering that fusion music predominant in Kalavati seemed well-composed and one looked forward to more musical collaborations between the two musicians.

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November 4, 2007

Cross the border again

After launching his album in Pakistan recently, Yasir Jawed (of Kalavati fame) is off to India for the international launch of his debut album, Ibtida via the Indian record label, HMV. True to the spirit of Indian pop music, a couple of tracks from the album will be remixed.

Interestingly enough, Yasir Jawed who started off by releasing Kalawati as a part of a two-person group, Yasir and Faraz, with local guitar maestro Faraz Anwar, has released the album as a solo artiste saying that Faraz was hesitant in releasing a full-length album as a duo. Also that Faraz preferred limiting his contribution to the album as a producer only. This comes as a major disappointment considering that fusion music predominant in Kalavati seemed well-composed and one looked forward to more musical collaborations between the two musicians.

First Published:
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November 4, 2007