In fine fashion print
“This is the kind of magazine I always wanted to see on newsstands and when when I didn’t, I thought I’d do it myself. So it’s my baby,” says former model-turned-fashion editor, Andaleeb Rana, about her latest venture, Xpoze Fortnightly, a magazine which is 60 per cent fashion and 40pc lifestyle.

She’s teamed up with hubby Farhan Zafar for the venture and says the magazine will be “unbiased and will hopefully raise the bar” when it comes to fashion in print.
Confirming rumours that the magazine includes fashion editorials from designers based outside Pakistan, she says that having worked previously in publication and having built solid contacts, they have all been very generous. “Some have sent fashion shoots for print as well,” she says.

Spilling the beans further, Andaleeb says that the magazine will launch in the first week of November and the cover will showcase Reema in “a completely new avatar”, wearing Sadaf Malatere who, according to Rana, is the next big thing in fashion design.
– Photo by Rizwan Ul Haq

First Published:
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October 28, 2007

Greener on the other side
India has always had her arms open for our local pop musicians. After a successful launch of their debut album, Sampooran in India, the Mekaal Hasan Band is back in Pakistan and they couldn’t be more excited: their album was very well received to raving reviews and they already have a little tour scheduled in India sometime later this year.

Adding to their already busy schedule, they are also simultaneously working on finishing recording their second album at the Digital Fidelity Studios, the release of which has been eagerly anticipated for over a year now.

What is interesting to note is that other than having a lineup of well-established musicians within the band, they are also perhaps one of the very few bands in the local pop rock music industry, established after the media boom, to continue working on their music with their original band-member lineup.

lso planning a trip across the border is the Lahore-based band, Call. Having already established themselves in the Bollywood industry (although it did require them to slightly customize their music to Bollywood tastes) they will be going to Delhi somusic-box-xulfi.jpgon to shoot the video for yet another Indian movie.

he name of the movie is Asmaan and the song is called Yeh Pal. Zulfiqar Ali Khan aka Xulfi from the band has lent his vocals to this song as well, the first time being for the Indian OST of Ek Chalees Ki Last Local, the massively popular song Laree Chotee.

First Published:
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October 28, 2007

Taking the lead

There are different kinds of storytellers — some prefer to express themselves vocally, by song while others prefer to communicate via the written word. Omar Rahim, on the other hand, chooses to express himself via a medium that isn’t literal in its context and known for the sheer amount of discipline and hard work needed to master it: dance.

Upon meeting Omar the connection between him as a dancer makes sense — motion is deeply entrenched in his being and he tends to carry himself with a pronounced but controlled agility and gracefulness that tends to separate him, although not very starkly, from the rest of the crowd.

His interest in this study of art began at an early age when he was encouraged into gymnastics, discovering that he had an innate love for movement. Joining the Student Television Arts Company (STAC) during high school, Omar received training in music, drama and dance among other things while also being exposed to music, dance and Broadway productions in New York City. He then pursued his interest in dance in college, enrolling in a programme titled College of Letters (CoL) that incorporated the study of history, literature and philosophy. He also went on to attain a scholarship to study ballet and subsequently went on to join Susan Marshall and Company (SM&Co) and worked with them for three years, retiring from the company in 2000 — also the same year that Susan Marshall was given the MacArthur Fellowship (the Genius Grant) for her contribution to the field.

What is interesting to note is that Omar also performed a cameo in the Hollywood film, The Guru, where he made an appearance as the Indian prince opposite Heather Graham and also assisted Mary Ann Kellog in choreographing some of the dance sequences.

“I was a pretty good student, so I didn’t compromise on my studies,” says Omar when confronted with the question about his parents allowing him to study a field not considered as the approved norm, “in college the compromise that was made was my major was CoL which was my declared major and my additional, undeclared major was dance.”

What is interesting to note is that his thesis was based on the works of Chandralekha — an controversial Indian dancer who combined the disciplines of Bharatnatyam, Kalarippayyat and Yoga in her choreography, and who is also known for reinterpreting classical traditions in dance and was often criticised for the inclusion of erotica in her sequences.

The fact that Omar was brought up in the US and that his field of study exposed him to western studies of dance, one can’t help but wonder why he chose to single out the works of Chandralekha as a subject to form his thesis on? “Although my major gave me terrific tools of analysis, of understanding history, contexts, how to see one thing in a different meaning. I was interested to spend all of that time and research not in the western cannon,” said Omar, going on to state that he had read about her in a magazine sometime in 1993-94 and as luck would have it, she happened to be showing her work at the Brooklyn Academy of Music around that time.

“When I saw the work I was mesmerised because I could sense that there was a depth of meaning that was very non-western. But even as a South Asian aesthetic it also had an abstraction, it had a philosophical kind of content. I found tremendous depth there, depth that I could sense but I couldn’t necessarily articulate. I then reached out to her but she was initially very skeptical because her politics were very interesting.”

Chandralekha has been deeply involved in women and human rights movements at several points in her life. “There wasn’t very much written about her so it was a challenge for me to do research,” said Omar about preparing for his thesis. “But it was great because that became the springboard for a very deep and profound friendship between Chandralekha and I. She unfortunately passed away about a year ago. I had the privilege of being able to spend time with in and out of hospitals when she was unwell.”

Whereas most writers interpreted her work as being deeply feministic, Omar is of the opinion that: “Her life can be seen as a struggle between the superficiality of decorative art, dance as decorative art, versus dance/performance/action as a political process, as a political dialogue, even within oneself.”

Hearing him talk about Chandralekha, one can’t help but wonder whether Omar attempts to consciously make a statement when choreographing a set himself? “Honestly, I don’t know how much people know how to read what I do. Because in Pakistan, I don’t think we’re a very seasoned dance nation: People are not used to watching and analysing dance. We have this notion, that I get from my grandmother often that ‘tum to mirasi ban gaye ho’. It’s sort of like you’re a low-class entertainer,” he says and then adds thoughtfully, “And I think that’s changing. But again, there isn’t that kind of respect given to dance as a text. Also as something that deserves legitimate study.”

Does he think it is because, as certain local musicians are of the opinion, that a dominant part of the local population does not understand music or art that is not literally spelt out to them? “I think that’s part of it. Among the so-called higher arts in Pakistan, I think abstraction isn’t understood. However, we have another, very fertile cultural space that embraces abstraction in a very sophisticated way. If you go to Bhit Shah and listen to the fakirs, they make the strangest most unusual sounds. There is an abstraction to this experience of sound. To me that is how seriously and how humbly people are exploring abstraction in their art. It’s also very emotional, touching and moving. But it’s not so obvious, it’s not so crass.” Pausing for a moment, he concludes, “But there is a way in which the literalness of everything else is dumbing us down.”

A part of what Omar does, other than dance, is that he’s established his own home-textile business as Soof Designs in New York and London, working in collaboration with designers such as Paul Smith and Tracy Feith. It predominantly focuses on the print and textiles that have been indigenous to Pakistan — which also explain his frequent trips to the Bhit Shah and other interior areas of the country.

“I think that to understand this culture, this land a little more deeply, one has to step out of the living room. What interested me, first of all, as an entrepreneur, was to find terrific folk heritage and artisanal tradition which is very much alive still. It’s hanging on by a thread but it’s still here in Pakistan,” he says talking about how the idea of introducing local textiles in a foreign market took place. “I could see that that kind of work is really appreciated in the states. I thought it would be worthwhile spending some time and money investigating that.”

Talking about his plans for himself, he says, “I’m at a point now when I want to invest a little more in my own performance, because I haven’t been performing for the last many years but I do want to get back into performing and get back into making work that is not perceived simply of as entertainment but is actually, in a sense, ‘textual’ dance.” Adding further he says, “Something that people would want to study, that’s content driven.”

-- Photography by Amean J.

First Published:
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October 21, 2007

Zaki strikes back

The last collective piece of work he released as a solo artiste was a little more than 10 years ago. Back then, Aamir Zaki’s much-awaited album, titled Signature for the sole reason that it contained tunes that were original and entirely composed by him, was considered a promising first step to what was expected to be a successful and fruitful career by someone considered to be one of the country’s greatest guitar maestros.

But things didn’t go as planned and Aamir Zaki disappeared instead, surfacing now and then to perform at select venues, collaborating with individuals at small and at times incomplete projects, hopping in and out of the country to and fro from Canada.

For a little over 10 years, there was no second album, only a couple of compositions released via the Internet and/or released via CD by a local music magazine.

His collaborative effort with Hadiqa Kiani, Rough Cut, which had been generating buzz for the last three years released recently to disappointing reviews. This collaboration also saw Aamir return to the realm of music videos in the Jami-directed hauntingly brilliant (both musically and visually) Iss Baar Milo and the Sohail Javed-directed Living this Lie.

Sohail Javed is also expected to work on another video from the album, City of Fallen Angels, which is also the only song in Rough Cut that features Aamir on vocals. With all of that being done, Aamir is now set to finally release a second solo album, titled Radio Star. Unlike other musicians, he hasn’t turned towards a record label to release this project of his, but via FM radio stations.

In a rare but short interview, Images managed to get several statements from the reclusive musician himself about this album and what happened to the ones that were supposed to be released prior to it.

“This one is called Radio Star because I wanted to separate myself from the heavily video-dependant musicians of today. It’s kind of like a response to the Video Killed the Radio Star syndrome,” he said talking about his chosen title for the album and relating it to the infamous song by the British band, The Buggles.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering that Aamir has, via his conversations or writing, always stressed on how music is a medium that should predominantly heard and not ‘seen’. But is he even considering making a video for the album? “No, there will be no video from this album, ever,” going on to add, “there might be a video about six months to a year later when I release another album. Let’s see.”

One has to wonder what happened to the much-anticipated album, The 10 Year Eclipse, he was supposed to release a couple of years ago? In fact he even released a video on a song from the album, Bhula Daina which showed him mysteriously appearing out of the darkness playing a bass guitar — a shot that was supposed to be symbolic of his comeback after a decade.

“I had to delete two albums before this one because I could just not agree with the expectations of the record labels wanting eye-candy videos,” he replied, “I had to delete The 10 Year Eclipse and another album before that because record labels and TV stations only seem to worry about videos and have no interest in music really. I’m just wanting to break away from the pretentious video/artiste expectations that accidentally came into my life through the release of Mera Pyar.”

About the videos he made for Rough Cut he says, “The videos had nothing to do with the lyrics of the song. The latter were the most important thing for me as a songwriter. The record label managed to print them all wrong, and after so many requests and resending of the lyrics file from my computer, they are still being printed all wrong. That is one very important reason for my breaking away from the videos and record labels in Pakistan.”

Talking about his plans Aamir says, “I will only be releasing music through FM radio and playing live, because that’s what music is all about. I also want to keep releasing albums regularly, at least one or maybe two a year through FM radio. I just want the music to be the most important communication between myself and the listeners.” Hopefully so, Aamir Zaki, though he doesn’t venture out much into the public eye, does have a tendency of announcing plans that... well, either don’t work out or take the longest time to do so.

First Published:
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October 21, 2007

Hash on a new roll

The artiste formerly known as Hash is looking to relaunch himself as Hashim via the release of his first video Loading the cannon, from his currently-unreleased second album. Featuring VJ/model Anisa Shaikh, the video has been directed by Zeeshan Parwez.

The video was shot in Karachi earlier this year and has, according to the director, a very ‘clubby’ theme. “It isn’t really based around a certain concept and it’s perhaps my first ever video which has a bit of commercial element to it — in the sense that it looks glamorous”, says Zeeshan about the video, “and it was my first ever 35mm project”

Continuing about the video, Zeehsan says that “a lot of effort from my side as well that of the DoP’s was on shots, frames and lighting. We experimented with what kind of lens would work on what shot according to the storyboard that I had. I loved working on 35mm and would love to make more videos on it”.

However, his projects with Hashim aren’t over yet. Another video in the making is a remake of Hashim’s (or Hash, as he was known back then) My Moment. The first video for the song had been directed by Aseph and since My Moment happens to be one of Hashim’s most favourite songs from his first album, he’s looking to add a little more to its video. According to Zeeshan, his version of My Moment will be a semi-animated video. “The cast was shot in front of a chroma-screen and then merged into a pre-made 3D environment. After that was done, everything was then digitised into vectors”, he says, talking about the video-making process. On the content, he says that the video has to do with his “fascination with super hero movies. The video has a very comic book feel to it in the sense that it features exaggerated action personalities”. The Zeeshan Parwez directed version of My Moment is expected to hit the tube sometime in December this year.

First Published:
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October 21, 2007

Opening in style

They’re the new kids on Zamzama, Karachi’s featured Fashion Street, but they aren’t very new to Pakistan’s fashion industry. Launching their second outlet in Pakistan (the first being in Lahore) Asifa and Nabeel recently opened shop in an event that was attended by some of the fashion industry’s most well-known names which included runway choreographer Imran Kureshi, popular singer Hadiqa Kiani, and designer Umar Saeed amongst others.

The interior of their outlet has been designed to look like cross between a tastefully done-up living room with a couch in the middle and a set of photos displaying their current line on one wall. Boasting a line that includes western, formal, semi-formal, saree and bridal wear, Asifa and Nabeel are sure to be a welcome addition to the fashion in Karachi.

First Published:
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October 21, 2007

To 'string' a guitar


One of Pakistan’s most popular music acts, Strings have been working for last five to six months exclusively on their upcoming album, due to be launched in January 2008. As yet untitled, the album has been fully recorded and is currently being mixed.

“The video-making process will begin after the album has been completed. There is massive touring to follow the launch of the album because we are also excited about having 10 new songs to perform and our fans also want to listen to something new,” says the band’s vocalist Faisal Kapadia while speaking to Images.

When asked whether they have decided upon a set of directors who will work on the videos, Bilal says that they are still looking at their options and that “Jami has obviously always been on the top of our list”, but nothing has been confirmed yet. They also added that almost every video from the new album will feature an original Gibson guitar in it!

That doesn’t come as a surprise when one finds out that band is the first music act from the subcontinent to be signed up by one of the largest guitar manufacturers, the Gibson Guitar Corporation (GGC). This will give them access to everything that the firm has to offer which includes guitars, the use of tour busses and amphitheatres if and when they need them.

One couldn’t help but wonder whether this will make touring outside the subcontinent easier for Strings? “All we’ll need to do is call them beforehand and let them know when we plan to tour, if the amphitheatre is available, they will book it for us,” says an obviously excited Bilal Maqsood.

Presently GGC’s portfolio of artistes include B. B. King, Sheryl Crowe, Sir Paul McCartney, Slash, Billie Joe Armstrong, etc. Does this also translate into making it easier for Strings to come in contact with other (foreign) artistes signed up by them? “They have opened avenues for us in the international market by giving us access to their tour busses and eventually, musicians,” responds Faisal. However, on a more pragmatic note, Bilal is of the opinion: “I don’t think so. They have artistes signed up everywhere in different countries, even in Japan. I don’t think that means it will be easier for us to have access to their other artistes.”

Considering that we have a fledgling music industry and with that particular brand of guitars being relatively highly-priced, do Faisal and Bilal think there is potential for them in Pakistan? “Previously, you had guitar shops here but the instruments weren’t that good. Serious musicians had to go out of the country and buy their equipment from there. It will make things much easier for them to get good equipment especially if an authorised distributor is based here. Until now there was no market for expensive branded guitars but GGC is trying to establish itself in India, and for the first time in the subcontinent and eventually to Pakistan,” says Faisal. Bilal, on the other hand, adds, “They’re realising the potential in our music. They should come to Pakistan if they’re looking to promote rock music and they’re looking into the options that they have. It would be great for local bands here”.

Perhaps what Bilal really means to say is that it will give local bands a direction in which to go in the industry? “Direction comes when you have an infrastructure to work on,” says Bilal, adding “the firm has its own workshops, studios, amphitheatres, etc. Obviously if they come here they will only start with a small shop, but it would go a big way in promoting our local bands.”

First Published:

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October 13, 2007

Moonstruck!

On Chand Raat, women are out to spend, and spend they will at any cost.

Through Ramazan, I struggle with attempts to fulfill my religious duties and obligations along with unbelievably short banking hours, people with a holier-than-thou attitude, short tempers and a tendency to consider it their birthright to interfere and comment on your beliefs; crazy traffic and as one co-worker pointed out, hordes of hungry people rushing to go home at iftar.

The best thing is that Ramazan culminates into Chand Raat. There is a magical festivity in the air. At times it seems, as if people are celebrating the fact that they don’t have to go hungry anymore nor put themselves through an endurance test. Sadly, they soon forget that the crash course in discipline was to train them for the year ahead.

On Chand Raat, chances are that it really doesn’t matter whether you need to or not, but especially if you’re a woman, you’ll find yourself in an already-crowded shopping mall browsing through jewelry, shoes, bangles and what not or haggling with a shop owner over the price of one. The sheer level of bargaining that takes place on Chand Raat is much more heated, intense and interesting than the fluctuations in the local stock market. The shop owners know that this is that one time of the year where they get to make as much money as they can and customers, fully aware of that, are hell-bent on making sure they don’t — at least off their purchases.

However, no matter what the price of the product or the relative stubbornness of the shop owner to stick to it, most women will never leave a shop empty-handed. On Chand Raat, they are out to spend, and spend they will at all costs.

One of the most delightful things about Chand Raat itself is the sheer abundance of women who sprout outside malls as expert henna artists, promising to apply the most exquisite designs on both your hands in 15 minutes flat. However, experience has taught that it is always wiser to stand and watch the designs unfold on someone else’s hands and then choose your artist accordingly.

Although known as the ideal place for women looking for traditional henna designs and application techniques, I strongly advise against going to Karachi’s Meena Bazaar on Chand Raat (or the day before Eid as well). The bazaar, which is off-limits for men, is full of women who wait for an unsuspecting customer to pounce on, as I once learnt several years ago.

Upon reaching the venue, even before you climb the stairs to where the bazaar is, you will be inundated by male relatives of the women working within Meena Bazaar, showing photo albums upon albums displaying pictures of either hands deeply decorated with henna or of women with extremely gaudy makeup (the white face, red checks, lips and eyes type) on with henna on their hands. The photos of the women are also shown if, God forbid, you happen to be there for getting hair and makeup done as well.

Take one step inside the bazaar and it takes less than 15 seconds for the first henna artist to grab your hand and proclaim loudly to the others that “Yeh mera haath hai” (this is my hand). Pretty soon you find yourself pushing through tens of artists reaching for both your hands, while others fight over who ‘saw it first’ and with some offering you shelter in their small shops provided they ‘get your hand’. By the time you, by some miracle of nature, manage to pull yourself out of there, you feel strangely violated.

Marketing personnel and firms producing consumer goods recognise the potential that Chand Raat holds for them. In agreement with certain popular shopping outlets, they will have put up small stalls with their products on display creating an ambience of a mini-fair. However, since they almost always encroach upon whatever available parking space there is, finding adequate parking near the shopping outlet itself becomes a nightmare.

Several years ago, a firm decided to go all the way when attempting to build a positive image for its brand. Hiring 15 or so henna artists at a designated place near a popular mall, just about anyone interested in having henna applied could get these artists’ services for free. It didn’t end there, every single ‘customer’ who had henna applied walked away with a set of bangles, courtesy of the firm itself. So what if they weren’t of the right colour or size? The gesture seemed to embody the spirit of Chand Raat itself, so what if the firm never ventured to be as generous in the following years?

The interesting thing about henna application on Chand Raat is that it goes on and on till the wee hours of the morning. Women, some of whom will be gaudily dressed, will arrive every couple of minutes demanding that the already-overworked and tired artist decorate their hands as well. Dutiful sons, husbands, boyfriends, fiancés etc., at their chivalrous best or what seems to be, will either stand alongside their womenfolk or wait in their cars for them to finish. And more often than not, will then carry their bags, shoes and handle their dupattas all the way to the car after the women are done.

Chand Raat ends when you come home and realise that Eid will bring with it dozens of guests knocking at your door right from morning. Not only does it imply that the house must be prepared to receive them at all hours, but also that local culinary delights symbolic of Eid such as dahi barey, doodh sawayan, chohlay etc., must be prepared in enough quantity to feed a little army.

Interestingly enough, Chand Raat, which marks the end of Ramazan also signals the beginning of Eid which is all about meeting people you haven’t met the entire year and forcibly stuffing yourself with every single piece of cooking conjured up in every single household you visit. That’s the spirit of Eid.

First Published:

The Magazine

October 13, 2007

Living in reel time

A Pakistani documentary-maker based in Karachi, Paris, New York and Canada, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy has won accolades from all over the world — the most notable being the Livingston Award for journalism and being the only non-American so far to have received it. She is also one of the 25 people picked out to represent 25 years of the Livingston Awards.

Having made documentaries and travelled to places such as South Africa, Manila (Philippines) and Afghanistan, and having made a locally-controversial documentary out of Pakistan titled Reinventing the Taliban, Sharmeen isn’t one to sit back when there is a story at hand or to get intimidated by the material she uncovers. Independent, straightforward and to-the-point with a visibly pragmatic side to her, one of the things that becomes apparent when meeting her in person is that she does not have a different camera personality — she is exactly the way she is in real life, in her mannerisms and way of talking and addressing issues, as she is on camera.

Recently, with the formation of the Citizens’ Archive of Pakistan (CAP) with a view of archiving and communicating Pakistan’s history and heritage, the group went on to organise the Shanaakht Festival held around Pakistans Independence Day. Talks about Partition, photography and art exhibitions and documentaries based on the theme of Partition were shown to the public totally free of cost. In between dealing with the festival’s post-event issues and going on yet another travelling stint abroad, Images managed to garner an interview with the documentary-maker bent on uncovering real-world issues.

Your latest documentary, Lifting the Veil, that went on air recently focuses predominantly on the lives of Afghan women six years after their so-called liberation. How long did it take to make the documentary?
Lifting the Veil has got three names — it was released by Channel 4 with the name of Afghanistan Unveiled, CNN is releasing it as Lifting the Veil and my name for it is The Promise. The festival version is called the latter. I travelled from Kabul to Herat to Tahar, Talakand… basically from the capital to the west and up towards the north and north-east to villages, towns, cities to see what’s happened to the women there.

I travelled through Afghanistan for five weeks. It was one of the most fascinating journeys that I have ever undertaken. Partly because I didn’t have any language trouble, almost everyone spoke Urdu and because the country is spectacularly beautiful. It’s very sad to see such stark beauty contrasted against such stark poverty and destruction.

Was it safe travelling in Afghanistan for a woman where the effects of Taliban rule and the recent war on terrorism are still predominant?
I’ve worked in conflict zones for a long time now and safety is a very relative thing. Are you safe in Karachi? You could be shot outside your own home here, your car could be hijacked, you could be robbed. Similarly, you could be robbed in Rio de Janeiro or the slums that I worked in in South Africa.

I think that safety is a very relative term and when I go into dangerous situations I do not think about whether I’m safe. I think about whether the circumstances that I’m in require me to be more cautionary or take precautions.

Going armed with a camera to an individual or a group to talk to them about whatever situation they are in can be very intimidating for them. How do you get people to open up?
I start a film after I research it for about two months before I actually go in and film it. During that period I make a lot of connections with the people in that country through NGOs, individuals who I would have met during the course of my travels and basically people who connect me to others. Once I’ve built a relationship with them, they then introduce me to ordinary people in that country and when they filter, it becomes easier for those people to trust me.

Also, people are not hesitant to speak to me because of the fact that I’m a woman and I come from a third-world country myself. I’m able to relate to many of their issues because I see it happening in my own country. A lot of people find me easier to talk to than, for example, a western journalist who they can’t relate to on any level.

For example, while working in the slums in South Africa or in the Philippines, I could tell them: ‘Look, I’ve seen this. I’ve seen this poverty, I’ve seen this discrimination, I’ve see this class of society because I’ve grown up in one’. Even though those countries are across the planet or in another hemisphere, I am able to connect with those people and they realise that when they speak to me, it’s not that I am walking through the slums wearing my D&G top or something. I am there in the mud with them doing the things that I should be doing.

You have been accused of representing Pakistan in a negative light in your documentary, Reinventing the Taliban. Why?
I am very straightforward about what I do. I am not Pakistan’s PR agent. I am a journalist. And just because I am one of the few journalists who work for international television and have access to stories in Pakistan does not mean that I do not uncover those stories. Some people may think that I am not a patriot, but I believe that you’re a patriot if you actually point out the faults in your country so that these can be rectified. A lot of people feel that because I have exposure, because I am well-known per say in the international community, that I should only present stories that are favorable to Pakistan.

Quite honestly, I present a very balanced view. In Reinventing the Taliban, I showed the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) area of Pakistan which was becoming increasingly radical at the time. I did the film in 2003 when the radical elements were not there but I predicted that in the next three years, Pakistan will face a civil war, where you will have Islamists battling the moderates. And what is happening today? What is Lal Masjid all about? If you watch Reinventing the Taliban you will think that I made it now. But I made it when the tribal belt of Pakistan was not as volatile as it is right now. The areas that I travelled to and the kind of people that I met in 2002-2003, I could never do now because it is extremely difficult to do so.

And of course that’s going to be a problem in this country and now everyone talks about it — its common drawing room conversation. In 2002-03 it wasn’t. And that’s why people didn’t like it and I think in some way I was a visionary. At least I was able to put forward the fact that I saw what was happening to my own country and it pained me to see it. I wanted other people to wake up and see that just because they live in your comfortable homes, in a large city, and no one is threatening the schools of their daughters and no one is threatening their wives.

Let’s face it. How many people are socially and politically active in this society? If you live in Karachi, the tribal belt seems so far away and so unknown to many of us. It’s not like we frequent that area or that we even know about it. How many of us have been to that part of Pakistan to know what’s happening over there? There is detachment because people don’t really care.

As a journalist, you’re taught that your job is to observe and not become a part of the observed. After having travelled and covered issues in conflict zones extensively, is it difficult for you not to get involved?
I’ve had a couple of circumstances where I’ve been very involved with people’s lives. I did a film in 2005 about a young man who stopped a suicide bomber, his name was Ghufraan Haider. He stopped a suicide bomber in Karachi at the mosque near the former KFC outlet in Karachis Gulshan-i-Iqbal area. He was very hurt and he comes from a very poor family. He sustained a lot of injuries, when he partially recovered, he was a key witness against the suicide bombers and based on his testimony, they (the bombers) got the death penalty. He was threatened openly in court and our government could not protect him. He fled overnight to a country in the Middle East and I helped him get asylum in Canada. So in that sense, I became increasingly involved in that case.

I did so because here was a young man who did something good, who should have been set as an example and instead, we ignored him. I was the only journalist to do a story on him for international television. I asked people in the military then: ‘This is a man, you should put him on a pedestal, you should tell other people that this is an example of what a Pakistani patriot is’. Instead, he now lives in Canada. It’s a loss for Pakistan to have lost someone like him.

Again, when I did a film in the earthquake zone, I became emotionally involved in the case of a woman who lost her husband and two children and who became a widow. She was getting propositioned by men and she had to leave for Karachi with 2 or 3 small children in tow. She’s struggling to make ends meet and I’ve been helping her get jobs.

Sometimes, you can’t distance yourself from these people just because you spend so much time with them, I’ve spent 4-6 weeks with such people and they become a part of who I am then. It becomes difficult for me to draw that line. And it’s not only in Pakistan. Sometimes being a human being comes before anything else.

What has been the most difficult documentary you have made so far?
The most difficult documentary that I have ever made was in East Timor. It was a small island, remote and difficult to gain access to. There was gang violence going on and a lot of times you had to look over your shoulder. The culture was very alien to me, it was a different society. But it was a beautiful country and had stunning beaches. Coming back to the gang violence, it was very difficult for me to penetrate the gangs.

Some would say you’re looking for trouble… that you have a death wish?
People have been known to say that about me. There is a tremendous feeling when you’re able to meet and understand situations. You see first-hand what all the fighting is about.

The one thing that I’ve learnt after being to all these places is that we’re not so bad in Pakistan. I mean, we have problems but we have a country. We’re not fighting to get a country. And if anything, travelling to conflict-riddled countries has made me more of a patriot because it made me realise that we have something that we really need to work to make better. I’ve seen what happens when things fall apart. And believe me, we do not want that to happen to us.

You have received a lot of accolades for your documentaries. What do you say about that?
Every film I did won something. Every film I did got some recognition. It has helped me know what I’m doing. There’s got to be something right to it and I should continue doing it. It’s a very lonely life doing what I do because you take off for months on end in locations and I’m married with a family. I miss a lot of important occasions… it’s a hard life.

Do you plan to show any documentaries of your here? Why didn’t you show any at the Shanaakht Festival?
I didn’t show any at Shanaakht because those films were about Partition and history and my films are very contemporary politics. I do try and show something at the KaraFilm Festival every year because that’s my only avenue through which I can reach out to Pakistanis.

However, I’m moving back to Karachi in December permanently and opening up a production house. I’m going to train journalists and film-makers to make quality film programmes for international television.

Have you ever thought about opening a documentary channel?
I want the freedom to be able to work for many channels, such as Channel 4, Al Jazeera International, CNN, Discovery Times, PBS, etc. I would like to have four or five people who become the core team and who do individual projects under the banner of Sharmeen Obaid Films. Hopefully, the idea is that there would be a select group of people who would be trained at an international level.

I don’t think I can make documentaries for domestic television because the idea of documentary films in Pakistan simply does not exist. The appreciation is not there and quite honestly, quality programming on Pakistani TV stations does not exist. I’m talking specifically in terms of documentary films.

What I would really like to do is make documentary films for PTV when I come back. I think PTV really needs to revive itself and regain the glory that it once had. I’ve always had an affinity to PTV and I would really like to have something to do with them when I get back, along with international television as well.

First Published:
Images
September 23, 2007

Eat, drink and be merry

THINK of a café today and immediately a picture of comfortable couches and chairs in a softly-lit ambience against shades of either cream, brown, maroon (or in some cases, black) comes to mind. You know it’s not a place where you’re going to stuff yourself with food and leave content with a full stomach and an inclination to go home and sleep – the sofas and chairs were never meant for that, not now and not even when the first proper café opened up sometime in the middle of the 16th century in Turkey.

Having always been a place where groups of people got together for light, intelligent conversation, coffee houses or cafés have been vehicles through which local cultures in different parts of the world experienced an evolution. The growth of coffee houses in any area is considered a positive sign and the local mushroom growth of cafés (as opposed to tea houses) in the major cities of the country, Karachi and Lahore, is often quoted in foreign publications as signifying the advent of a Pakistani ‘liberal’ culture.

Coffee made its way in Pakistan (commercially) in 1998, when drinking coffee wasn’t a pop culture norm -- tea was the more dominant and preferred choice of drink. Its growth has spurted to being included as one of the must-have beverages whenever the local city-dwelling population goes out to socialise. Coffee and cafés have predominantly Middle Eastern beginnings. Known as ‘kahvehane’ in Turkish, ‘al-maqhah’ in Arabic, ‘qahveh-khaneh’ in Persian and ‘kopi tiams’ in Malay and Singapore, cafés originated in the 16th century as a place to read books and/or play chess. Records indicate that Kiva Han was the name of the first independent café in Turkey and the culture regarding coffee was so strong that in those times, women could divorce their husbands on the grounds of their inability to provide them with adequate amounts of coffee. Turkish coffee was often served black, strong and unfiltered. The concept of including milk and cream in one’s coffee was introduced as a predominantly European style of brewing and consuming coffee.

Some time in the 17th century, coffee travelled outside the Ottoman Empire and into Europe when the Turkish Army left bags full of coffee after their invasion of Vienna (Austria). The potential of the curious green beans was recognised by Franz Georg Kolschitzky, the first person to open a café in Europe, and who had spent a considerable time living in Turkey to identify the aroma, taste and potency of the coffee beans left behind by the Turkish Army. Having been introduced into Europe this way, coffee has never looked back, going as far as to the Americas and the subcontinent, with each geographical area developing their version of a ‘café culture’.

In Britain, coffee houses were a place for intelligent discourse. They were a place where like-minded individuals could get together and discuss everything from literature and poetry to business and politics to the reigning king’s apparel. Such was the popularity and ease with which individuals could meet and socialise in cafés that they soon became a centre for many firms to conduct their business meetings and finalise their transactions.

The fact that in 1668 a coffee shop run by Edward Lloyd was such a popular centre for business dealings that it subsequently became the still-currently-operating Lloyds of London Insurance Company, a testament to the cafes’ growing influence. Well known and reputed auction houses such as Christies took birth in the salesrooms attached to cafés in Britain around that time. So much so was the impact of cafés that they were soon as ‘penny universities’ in local slang because a ‘penny’ was what a cup of coffee cost and a café was where local educationists, literary figures and business men came together.

The influence of cafés on the local culture wasn’t limited to Europe alone. When America was colonised, coffee was almost immediately introduced by the local Italian immigrant community and coffee houses started becoming a common norm. Established in 1792, the Tontine Coffee House in New York was, because of the sheer number of business transactions conducted there, the original location of the New York Stock Exchange.

In the 1950s, cafés experienced a different kind of cultural evolution -- that which included music. They fast became a venue for entertainment where poetry reading and local folk musicians were encouraged to come and share their pieces of music. The café-going culture was so dominant at the time that there used to be cafés lined up one after the other in all of the popular streets and almost all of them would be full most of the time, and at the end of the day, café brawls and fights were also not unusual.

Musicians such as Bob Dylan made their mark in the American industry by first performing in cafés alone. The 1970s saw the introduction of a standardisation and refinement of the café model in America with the advent of local coffee house chains such as Star Bucks. And since then, the definition of a café has evolved and has been altered to suit the current pop culture tastes and trends.

On a global level, cafés continue to be a hub of social activity. They are still places where people get together to have a conversation, to share ideas and to communicate -- via literature or music. They continue to serve the business community and the working-individuals within it with the café model being updated with the introduction of Wi-Fi hotspots.

With their continuing popularity and with the rapid advancement in technology, it is predicted that coupled with fast-paced and direct communication methods, cafés will again be a predominant place for people to go and work from as opposed to working in a proper, designated, physical workspace. Having already become the norm in European countries and in the United States, cafés now provide designated areas for those lugging their laptops with them complete with electrical sockets and adequate chairs and tables.

Although locally we may not be at such an advanced stage when it comes to our local café culture, which predominantly consists of individuals coming together for a random conversation or younger individuals for music, there is no denying that with the growing popularity local cafés are generating, we are on our way to our local cultural evolution.

First Published:
The Magazine
September 23, 2007

Style Fantastic

Hugely popular in Lahore, the city it first opening up in, Alle’nora is well on the way of establishing itself as the premiere salon for hair and make-up throughout the country, and abroad as well. After having recently opened up an outlet in Karachi with more branches on the way, Alle’nora is taking over the local beauty and fashion industry in an unprecedented manner.

Here, in an exclusive interview with the driving force behind the brand that is Alle’nora, the firebrand Annie Mansoor, we find out what Alle’nora is all about… and more.

In flashback, tell us when you decided that doing hair and make-up was your professional calling?
Annie: I started with the name Alle’nora about 19 years back and haven’t looked back ever since. It has been a success story from day one.

What kind of hair and make-up services does the salon offer?
Annie: We basically offer bridal and engagement make-up, which is further divided into four subgenres. These then branch out into the following: traditional, ethnic, pastel and colour line. Other than that we are into experimental fashion and formal make-up.

What other facilities besides hair and make-up services are available at Alle’nora?
Annie: Besides hairstyling we offer all kinds of hair, skin, hand and feet treatments to the satisfaction of our loyal clientele that we have established over a relatively short period of time.

Alle’nora is fast establishing itself as a strong brand where styling is concerned. How has the journey been so far?
Annie: All I would say is that to build a name is not as difficult as to maintain it at its peak. I did come across certain hurdles in Karachi but soon realised that if you put in your best efforts then it is not difficult to overcome the obstacles that are put in the way by one’s rivals and their likes. As it is, the vultures are always there, ready to prey upon you.

Considering that your services are as sought after as the brand itself, do you find yourself commuting to and fro between Lahore and Karachi frequently in trying to keep up with your clients’ demands?
Annie: No. I believe in creating models and delegating my responsibilities to my trusted staff. Ghazia does an exceptional job in Karachi, however I am available in Karachi if and when required.

Do you plan to expand and have more branches both in Pakistan and abroad?
Annie: Apart from the four branches running in Pakistan, I recently opened branches in London and Miami. One more branch is opening soon in Pakistan.

What in your idea for the bridal look this Fall/Winter season?
Annie: Maroon and red are everlasting colours for all the seasons but in the upcoming Fall and Winter season pastels are out and deep warm colors are in such as emerald green, burgundy, rust and bronze. In the pink family, dusty pink is in with lots of silver.

What do you have to say about your competition?
Annie: I always believe in healthy competition because in that way you continuously keep on innovating and upgrading yourself. I feel sorry for people who think they are nothing and are always out to steal your ideas.

What’s in store for the future for both you and Alle’nora?
Annie: I will be in Karachi for the Wedding Extravaganza exhibition then later in Lahore since I am organizing a grand show consisting of two segments. One of them is towards experimental and bridal make-up lines, and the other is a fashion segment displaying designer wear by Sonia Design Concept. Freiha (Altaf) is doing the choreography. I am also arranging an Eid festival for charity to raise money for the highly-reputed CARE organization, at Alle’nora Lahore (both branches) and Karachi (Zamzama) with some of the leading designers of our country.

What would advise to upcoming entrepreneurs in the field of fashion and/or styling industry?
Annie: Apart from hard work, I would ask them to be honest and sincere. They should go for experimentation, trust themselves and never be on the lookout for shortcuts.

First Published:

Bridal Extravaganza, DAWN

September 8, 2007

Striking the techno chord
Technology and internet have changed the face of music and videos. Madeeha Syed analyses how making music has now become everybody’s game

UNLIKE other nations in the world, we cannot boast of a rich musical history where pop music is concerned. Taking its roots in the late 1960s, pop music suffered great opposition in the late seventies and in the early nineties – people believed it was against the cultural identity and norm for (the then) youth. Concerts and the concept of live music till recently, after the media boom, were few and far between and in some cases, completely unheard of.

Our history in technological advancements follows a similar if not bleaker route. Most people consider the introduction of the internet synonymous to the technological advancement in Pakistan. However, almost a decade after the internet became widely used around the country, we cannot still boast of having made any noteworthy breakthroughs or of having ‘developed’ a technological industry like our neighbouring India’s. We are still in the stages of developing.

Having said that it cannot be denied that the internet and technological advancement made around the world have benefitted the media and the music industry in Pakistan. Sophisticated software, cheap, but highly developed hardware leaked or brought into the country has facilitated numerous music production studios and the setting up of country-wide (network) radio stations. They have encouraged video directors to experiment more with their video-making techniques. Most of all, this has encouraged aspiring musicians, producers and music video directors to enter the market.

If anything, technology and the internet has it made it easy for all of us to be rock stars in our own right – whether we are jumping on stage holding an expensive guitar bought on our last tour abroad or streaming away our tunes via the internet from home, in this day and age, one can be assured that no one will be left out.

Living in today’s highly informed age, if one watches a video of television recordings or live coverage of concerts of yore, it would not take a genius to figure that most of what was being shown will probably not be considered acceptable today. The music predominant in those songs was borrowed heavily from synthesisers, the subject and tunes of most of the songs were copied off popular songs abroad, the singers almost never sang out of tune and lip-synched a little too happily with oddly-animated expressions on their faces — it was all too ‘perfect’ and too ‘staged’ to be considered ‘real’.

For the longest time, musicians performed on CD or what is also referred to as on DAT – Digital Audio Tape. Live performances consisted of either no musicians, or just barely a couple, some of who did not even know how to hold a guitar properly. Yet, they pretended to strum away or play the keyboards while the artiste ‘sang’.

Truth was, even without the extra musicians or even a microphone properly working, artistes were able to sing flawlessly to songs and music blaring out of the speaker sets. Most people did not know how a live sound differed from a recorded sound and flocked to concerts because in reality, there were not that many avenues available for entertainment to the public. Of course, there were few who came to see the artiste on stage.

With increased awareness facilitated in part by podcasts of concert videos available to ardent music lovers over the internet, concert goers now know the difference between a truly live performance and a performance on Digital Audio Tape (DAT). Sophisticated sound systems and the availability of cheap monitors have also eliminated excuses that an artiste might have for not performing live, whether for a television recording or otherwise. Sound can be transmitted clearly or distorted there and then depending on the requirements of the artistes performing and the organisers.

However, if on the one hand, technology has facilitated the use of unadulterated live performances, it has also made audio ‘cheating’ on a live performance just as easy. It was recently revealed that a very popular local pop singer known for his ability to sing prolonged notes beyond the humanly possible, uses a programmable software which helps him extend the range of his vocals, especially when singing certain notes, while performing live.

The use of software and technological gadgets is also increasingly becoming a norm in live performance. One such example is Sajid and Zeeshan. The duo from Peshawar is known as the only truly two-person band in Pakistan in a sense that the vocals and the entire music, live or otherwise is done by two individuals only. Zeeshan also has to his credit the first fully animated music video.

Reaching what one would consider the height of multi-tasking on stage, one of the two band members can be seen hitting off beats from a programmable beat-player, working on his keyboards, swishing over the motion-sensor device to distort the overall sound, working the turn tables and playing the harmonica – via a mouth organ attached to the keyboard set.

In fact, other than the keyboard set, this musician does not use any of the conventional musical instruments used while recording or playing music live. He is the personification of a desi musician of tomorrow – when it comes to the hardware and software he uses for his music.

From national radio to the people’s radio:

FM100 hit the airwaves in the early nineties and a couple of years later, FM101 followed. The introduction of FM Radio in Pakistan was an important milestone since people could now listen to music anywhere they went and could keep up to date on developments in the music industry without having to go to the music store and consulting the store owner about the latest releases. This was in part facilitated by the fact that the same music was being heard throughout the country – radio jockeys became the first kind of behind-the-camera celebrities.

From two stations to now having more than 25 radio stations operating around the country and counting, technological advancements have a big role to play in the ease with which these radio stations are able to set up. Where previously expensive equipment only few could afford and with studios crammed with wires and devices that seemed on the verge of exploding if touched, the radio station of today is more modern, the studios are sleek and devoid of messy wires. The equipment is cheaper and now, a station does not need to have boosters set up in every city they intend to transmit in. They simply stream their transmission over the internet.

For example, a show that is meant to go network (transmitted throughout the country) that is being recorded live from Karachi is streamed via the internet to a branch of the same station in Lahore, from where they broadcast it all overall Lahore. The gaps of dead air during a transmitted show is more often than not, the result of a fluctuating internet connection.

Also, if one is a little too eager, one can also by-pass having to buy an expensive license and investing in costly hardware and software for a radio station. People are increasingly turning towards establishing their own internet radio stations, with audio streamed over the internet to people who log into the radio station’s website. A major example would be of the internet radio set up by the artiste management agency, Jilawatan, which subsequently closed down.

Coming to a more recent example, the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) launched their own internet radio station a couple of months back. Their launch was accompanied by the live streaming of a concert held by none other than the musical duo mentioned above, taking place within the university premises. Friends of LUMS alumni did not have to buy tickets to the concert; as long as they had a good internet connection, they could listen to it anywhere.

Technology has more than just changed the face of music, it has made music more of a ‘now’ thing than of a ‘learn how to sing/play the instrument first’. It has eliminated the geographical constraints and allowed people the luxury of attending a concert without being there physically. Where DAT performances are looking down upon now, it has also encouraged artistes to look for more sophisticated techniques of cheating their audiences. It has given enough space for those who otherwise would not be able to cut a record deal to put their music up for millions to listen to anyway. From the garage, bands are increasingly moving towards an internet domain. It has allowed the neighbourhood geek to become a rock star.

“Audio technologies have helped music production, but has not helped the average singer” — Zeeshan

Zeeshan Parwez is a Peshawar-based music video director and one half of the band, Sajid and Zeeshan. He has to his credit the first fully animated music video.. Question: What kind off technology do you use when producing/making music? Answer: There are two diverse domains in the field of audio engineering and recordings. There is analogue and then there is digital. Everything I do is done via computers, so it is all digital. But it has been sensed that analogue equipment sounds much better than digital, even though there is no logical explanation for this. So everything is processed on two PCs that I have kept in the studio only for audio purposes. Q: How do you think advancements in audio technologies have helped average singers sound better? A: I think audio technologies have greatly helped music production, but has not helped average singers much. Technology can help enhance the average singer's tone quality and correct the faults in pitch of the singer, but at the end of the day an average singer and producer’s faults become evident when trained ears review it. Technology cannot cover that up. It can help you make great music, compose things with ease but average singers should be warned if they are completely relying on their systems. Q: How would a regular person set up their own studio? What would he/she need? A: A regular studio nowadays needs to be built around a PC with hi-specifications that gives you enough room to be creative. It also needs supporting devices like mixers, microphones, amplifiers, patchbays, effects processors, good cabling throughout, soundproofing, sound cards, headphones, good ergonomics and comfortable room. In a country like ours that has limited resources to offer, an average person will have to start off with equipment that is not top notch. Q: You are also known as an animator. What do you use when animating your characters? Do you think animations are playing an increasingly major role in how music videos nowadays? How has technology affecting the making of music videos? A: First of all, I create my characters and design their respective roles in order to give me an idea of how they should look. After that, everything is drawn digitally on computer using softwares like Photoshop, Flash and Combustion. I do not think animations are playing a key role in Pakistani music videos. We have a long way to go. People/Artists here are not willing to invest too much in animated videos. Animation costs a lot, so they think it is a better idea to make something on film instead of creating animated videos which they think the general lot would not be able to grasp. This is what is preventing animated projects to see the light of the day. Internationally, it is different. Everything is covered from resources to finance. If that was the case here in Pakistan, I would be the first one to make a bet with anyone supporting the fact that Pakistan has got amazing talent in the animation field and we can do it better than anyone else. Technology has greatly helped people like me to make music videos. You have loads of data on your computer which you just copy and paste together and voila! You create! It is amazing. Q: What kind of technology regarding audio and video is predominantly used in Pakistani studios nowadays? A: Video is totally done through PCs. All the processing for film is done abroad. It comes back digitally transferred and you work on it. As far as formats like DV, HD and Digi-beta are concerned, once the footage is shot, it is directly placed on the systems and it is ready to be edited, composed and finalised. In terms of audio, there are very few studios in Pakistan that still record on master tapes (analogue) because digital has become way too convenient for everyone to use. There is still a debate among the-minded about which format to choose. Analogue sounds warmer but digital is more convenient and is not at all time consuming, unlike analogue recording. — MS

Riding the wave

For those of you with an avid, can’t-live-without love for music, coupled with an exhibitionist streak to show it off, setting up your own internet radio station could be your current calling. For one, they are cheaper to set up than a conventional FM radio station. They are also faster and easier to establish and since the station is yours, you can say whatever you want and how ever you want to, without fear of repercussions. It would be wise, however, to examine the copyright laws and royalties governing the type of music you plan to play before you play it. Companies such as Live365 that have already paid these royalties allow you to take advantage of their agreements. One other firm worth looking into is LoudCity.net. LoudCity.net automatically tracks the songs you play and allows you to operate a legal radio station for a subscription of only 20 dollars per month. This subscription covers the royalties for all of the songs you play. The hardware and software you need: 1. CD player 2. Software to rip off audio tracks (copies audio tracks from a CD onto a computer’s hard drive) 3. Recording and editing software 4. Audio mixer 5. Outboard audio gear (equalizer, compressor) 6. Digital Audio Card (also comes automatically bundled with your PC) 7. PC computer dedicated solely to broadcasting with encoder software 8. Streaming media server Getting audio over the internet is pretty simple: 1. The audio enters the Internet broadcaster’s encoding computer through a sound card. 2. The encoder system translates the audio from the sound card into streaming format. The encoder samples the incoming audio and compresses the information so it can be sent over the internet. 3. The compressed audio is sent to the server, which has a high bandwidth connection to the internet. 4. The server sends the audio data stream over the internet to the player software or plug-in on the listener’s computer. The plug-in translates the audio data stream from the server and translates it into the sound heard by the listener. You should also have a microphone if you plan to talk on air. PirateRadio.com provides you with free downloadable software you can use to set up as well as a whole listing of internet radio stations on World Wide Web. If you are using a dial-up internet connect, you can subscribe to the streaming services by websites such as Live365.com to improve the quality of your online radio broadcast. — MS

First Published:
Sci-Tech World,
September 8, 2007

Sugar 'n' Spice


They’re not your regular run-of-the-mill girls next door, although they may certainly look it. These ladies have a secret: they can sing! Not only that, but they can do it pretty darn well. To anyone who has an avid interest in the Pakistani music industry, Zeb and Haniya are no strangers: they’re the voices behind the radio and Internet hit, Chup.

Having just recorded their much-anticipated debut album, produced by music maestro Mekaal Hasan, recorded in Digital Fidelity Studio in Lahore and featuring the musical skills of popular drummer Gumby and guitarist Shallum (of Fuzon fame), Zeb and Haniya seem ready to take the music industry by storm. Considering that they have just the right ammunition — they ooze talent and have the support of some of the best in the industry — one can’t wait for this storm to arrive.

What comes as a welcome surprise is that Zeb and Haniya are refreshingly natural: they do not have any false airs about them and neither do they overdose on confidence. Zeb is the primary vocalist with Haniya also on vocals and the guitar. My first impression of Zeb was that she seemed shy, but as the interview progressed she displayed her more outgoing side. On the other hand Haniya, from the first moment onwards, seemed to want to make sure that everyone around her was comfortable enough.

Finding two very good female musicians — itself a rarity in this country — working together, I couldn’t help but wonder how far back do they go together and how did the band form? “I think I met her when I was three months old,” says Haniya seriously with a twinkle in her eyes. “Actually our mothers are sisters, so we are first cousins. And we were born exactly a month and three weeks apart.”

As one of the most popular songs downloaded on the Internet and having gotten generous airplay, the song Chup is one of Zeb and Haniya’s most popular songs. Written and composed during a break when they were in college, Haniya was visiting Zeb at college during one of their breaks and “we went down to the basement and we found an abandoned bookstore there. And over there Haniya got her guitar and started playing. That is the place where we made Chup for the first time,” said Zeb.

“We started writing songs and I had not written any before that. But by the time we finished college we had around four songs,” adds Haniya.

When did you guys decide to get into music professionally? “Mekaal (Hasan) was my friend’s friend. I met him randomly and was pleasantly surprised at how accessible and what a nice guy he is,” says Zeb. “He was kind enough to get us into the studio and record us two songs. I remember on our way back he handed us a CD and after listening to it we were really excited. It sounded like a real song! He really pushed us actually, always telling us that we should take our music further.

“The recordings that we got from Mekaal, we put them on the Internet to give it to our friends,” says Haniya. “About a year after that someone said that it is being played on the radio. I don’t know who put it there but someone heard it on the Internet, pulled it off and started airing it.”

About how they would describe their overall sound now, especially the one in their upcoming album, Zeb says, “It is more arranged as it has been six years now. And we really had a lot of time to think about where we wanted to go. Not to mention the fact that we had the country’s leading musician arranging and helping us shape up the songs. I think for a good three or four weeks we just jammed with them.”

“It is bluesy, in that the bass is there in most of the songs,” adds Haniya. “All the instruments are live. Gumby is great, he is not doing the straight four-by-four beat in any of the songs. Each song has come out very different.”

“And there is also a lot of folk touch to it along with a lot of jazz and blues,” says Zeb about the album. “We have at least two songs that are about women’s liberation and there are some romantic numbers too, a few naughty numbers and some playful ones. We also have kind of a fusion thing going on and a bit of classical in the album.”

With the kind of music that you have, have you considered performing live? “The kind of music we have isn’t a large crowd kind of a thing, very high-energy rock music usually does the trick,” says Haniya, adding, “our music is slightly more mellow, more intimate and so a medium-sized crowd would find it more suitable.”

“I don’t think that bigger crowds will be the problem. I think basically it would be the kind of crowd. I mean it is not bhangra,” says Zeb. “I know that we are probably not Atif Aslam for sure.” At this point I disagree with them as I am of the opinion that they do have what it takes to deliver a performance to a large crowd — all they need is a good set of back-up musicians and a decent sound system.

As women vocalists are extremely few and far between in the Pakistani pop industry, what do Zeb and Haniya have to say about it? “I think the whole scene for women musicians is so limited that sometimes I get thrown off by comparisons of this one and that one,” says Zeb quite seriously. “I think our categorical thing is that we are very excited about women and whether you are Arooj (Aftab) or not and whatever you are doing, it is so great to see so many people come up because it is part of the industry that has just not developed.”

“The more women come up, it will be easier for other girls to take to the field”, continues Haniya. “There are going to be more players, more role models.”

Having recently performed in both Islamabad and Karachi and wowed audiences in both cities, Zeb and Haniya are predicted to be the next big thing. Not only do they deliver a mesmerising live performance, but they have the right mix of talent and attitude to go. And more important, they also have the backing and the support of those who have been around in the industry for a long time.

-- Photography by Amean J.

First Published:
Images
August 26, 2007

Ishq-e-Laila

Considered a classic in Pakistani cinema, Ishq-i-Laila (1950), directed by J.C. Anand, centers around the legendary love story of Laila Mujnoon. Incidentally Mr Anand’s son and his family were also present at the time of the screening. He related how around that time, another movie, Laila Mujnoon, was rumoured to be in the making, and since it dealt with a similar subject matter, the production and shoot of Ishq-i-Laila was also hastened. The movie was made in 30 days and also premiered on the same day as Laila Mujnoon.

When the screening of the movie began, the hall was only half full. But by the time it finished, it was packed. The entire experience was punctuated by applause from the audience at dialogues and scenes that were most dramatic and sensational. Several scenes in the movie also invited laughter, especially some in the beginning which depicted a budding junior school romance between Laila and Qais. It was somewhat funny having two pre-pubescent children deliver romantic couplets more suitable for adults and share ‘loving’ looks that was completely unbecoming on them.

Another scene which was a huge hit with the audience, inviting a lot of hoots as well, came towards the ending in which, after having married Laila, the Prince of Iraq suddenly realises his mistake and declares that from that moment onwards, Laila is his sister.

The movie gave us an insight into the movie-making style predominant in the 1950s, as well as the fashion present during that time. Perhaps the story line and the movie itself will not be relatable to people in the present age, but it isn’t entirely unwatchable. It did drag on for a tad too long.

First Published:
Images
August 19, 2007

Closer Home

Screened on the third day of the Festival, Mark Tulley’s Face of India centered around the lifestyle that the ordinary people in India live, with a focus on the social infrastructure provided by the government to provide them with services and how much of these services are they really benefitting from. It is a look at the intensely bureaucratic system that the government offices in India are a victim of even today and seeks to find answers from various individuals working within them or in organisations related to or affected by them.

Face of India opens with a view of the condition in which the government offices are kept and maintained today, including a clip of an entire room full of land deeds contested by different owners. The sheer magnitude of the task at hand is displayed and the officer who also serves as our guide informs us that there aren’t enough resources to convert these files into a digital format and/or sort through them. Admitting that such antiquated methods of dealing with social and legal issues gives birth to corruption — its very easy for anybody to destroy or tamper with documents that have been there since time immemorial — the officer adds that it can be limited. Also, at times, the salaries of government officials are so meager that they have to rely on bribes just to make ends meet.

We are also taken into the villages and shown how an ordinary Dalit (literal meaning: broken) — a lower caste Hindu — lives his life. Reflecting the sheer poverty and lack of support they expect from the government also because they are poor — they hold no illusions regarding their place in the country and are fully aware that rights and privileges can be bought — we also see that they have been given political importance and that they constitute a significant place in Indian politics because of their sheer number.

Going from extreme poverty we are taken to the residence of Maharaja Amarinder Singh, from the royal Sikh family when they used to rule over Amritsar. We are shown how, unlike other Indian princes, Amarinder has managed to adapt to the current socio-political system and has chosen to assume power via politics (he is popular candidate amongst the Sikh community). He gives us an insight on his life and how he grew up and he differences that were predominant between the ruling class and the majority of the Indian population and so on.

An interesting point of view was presented by Laboni Jane, a health-care individual in India working in an NGO which directs its services towards mothers and children. Despite being a first-class graduate in Economics from a prestigious Indian university, Laboni has chosen to work for the welfare of the people. We see her take a two-hour journey to work — she is lucky if she finds a seat to sit on — and deal with the scores of mothers and children who come to the NGO premises seeking refuge from whatever ailment afflicts them.

We see her go out into the villages and talk to the people there, stressing that it is just as important to listen to them as it is to educate them, since you learn both ways. At the end of it, when questioned about the Indian government’s lack of effectiveness in implementing adequate health care, she defends the government and says that she considers her NGO as an enhancement of what it is trying to do for the people.

Despite covering issues predominant in India, one of the reasons why the screening of these documentaries was important was because they, to a larger extent, reflect upon similar issues predominant at home, in Pakistan.

First Published:
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August 19, 2007

Backstage Partition

In one of the documentaries being screened at the Shanaakht Festival, Beyond Partition was based on how South Asian film-makers view and have expressed what they think and felt about the division of India into two separate states. Film-makers such as Sabiha Sumar, Saeed Akhtar Mirza, M.S. Sathyu, Shyam Benegal, Chandra Prakash, Dwivedi and Indian film historians and archivists such as Prof Suresh Charia and P.K. Nair, spoke about different Indian moves where the Partition was talked about, albeit subtlety and on a handful of films that were made on the subject itself.

Notable movies mentioned in the documentary was M.S. Sathyu’s Garam Hawa (1971) which was considered a landmark film since it changed the way Muslims in the subcontinent were perceived in Indian cinema regarding Partition. Also, a movie titled Tamaas (1987) made by film-maker Govind, based the movie on the philosophy of the novel by the same name, showed the Sikh perception of Partition. Several clips from the movie were shown which included a particularly haunting scene in which an aged Sikh militant, standing in the middle of a burnt, deserted and completely destroyed street, looks around in shock and horror. With acting that was completely natural, the scene lacked the overdramatic acting predominant in most movies of that era. Another scene from the movie showed Sikh women walking towards a well behind their temple, intent on committing mass suicide with their children, while the men of their family fought on the other side — for them it was better to die than to have themselves compromised on the hands of the ‘enemies’. The sheer determination and single-mindedness with which we see the women first walk and then jump into the well is what both grabs and haunts the viewer (not to mention the background score which added to the intensity in the scene). Sabiha Sumar’s Khamosh Pani (2003) and the fact that it continues to remain under the scrutiny of the censor board in Pakistan, thereby not making it to theatres here, was a refreshing view on what the women went through both during and post-Partition. Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s Naseem (1995) was based on the Muslim viewpoint of the destruction of the Babri Mosque in India in 1992. According to the film-maker, he was never concerned with the mosque itself, he was more perturbed by “the sadness that surrounded it and the fact that it was allowed to happen.” According to Shyam Benegal, “The Babri Masjid destruction shook many beliefs of the Indians who believed that they were ‘naturally’ secular.”

Beyond Partition is one of those documentaries which one can see time and time again and still find something new to reflect upon. It’s an honest insight into the hearts and minds of those individuals who are responsible for communicating stories and their perception on Partition and the events that followed it, which some claim, haunt us to this day.

First Published:
Images
August 19, 2007

Veteran actors come together for Habib Mamoon

KARACHI Aug 16: Featuring a cast of seasoned actors who haven’t performed on stage for around 22 years, Habib Mamoon, an adaptation of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, will open at the Arts Council here on August 24.A tragicomedy, the play is directed and produced by Zia Mohyeddin and the adaptation has been done by Zahida Zaidi.

It is being presented by The Citizens Foundation (TCF) in collaboration with the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa).

Habib Mamoon is set in pre-partition Lucknow, which the organisers and the cast of the play believe will make it more relevant to local audiences.

The cast includes Rahat Kazmi who will be playing the lead role, Arshad Mahmud as the ailing professor Kalimuddin, Talat Hussain, Zaheen Tahira, Jehanara Hai and will feature the theatre debut of Aymen Ali.

Rahat Kazmi said that he considers Chekhov’s plays as having a universal appeal, transcending cultural and time-specific boundaries. He also stressed upon the fact that the story-line was very complex and would require serious attention while it is being performed.

The cast, all of whom are well-known television personalities and renowned for their theatrical skills, will be coming together on stage after a 22-year gap.

About performing after such a long time Rahat Kazmi said he was concerned about not being equipped with the same energy and memory as he was during his younger days.

Arshad Mahmud simply commented that after having spent a considerable period critiquing other peoples’ performances, they shouldn’t rob themselves of the pleasure of receiving some criticism in return.

Opening at the Arts Council on Aug 24, the play will run for a full 10 days with the final performance on September 2.

The proceeds from the play will go to TCF.

First Published:
The Metropolitan
August 17, 2007