FASHION, style, catwalk, modelling and such other words are synonymous with the name of Freiha Altaf. She was there on the fashion scene at a time when people here would raise eyebrows on hearing about someone doing a modelling assignment. In the last couple of decades she has made a major contribution in terms of expanding the fashion industry, from the one-woman show it was then, to the flourishing industry it is now. The evolution has been dramatic, to say the least, and when it comes to Pakistani style, Freiha’s stamp can be seen all over it.
She discussed her taste in movies, music and books on a usual, extremely busy day. She had just arrived from Cairo in the morning and was leaving for Lahore on the next. She also had to make sure that her children had completed their homework. So the session, on her suggestion, had to be done in her car as made her way through the city streets. Great time management, indeed.
Her taste in movies is quite different in a sense that she doesn’t really watch every other movie that comes out. Rather, she keeps a track of the movie reviews and watches out for the best one. In fact, she likes old movies, to be exact. Historical fiction is her most favourite genre, Casablanca being her all time favourite.
Besides, she loves movies that have exotic costumes and period themes, and that may be reason behind her choice of subcontinental flicks. “I love old Indian classics, the ones that starred Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore and even older than this were even more classical,” she says. “The Dilip Kumar-Waheeda Rehman starers are very arty and old-fashioned at the same time. Mughal-i-Azam is simply wow!”
Pakeezah is a movie that she has watched at least 20 times. Umrao Jan Ada, again a period film, has a special place in her collection of movies. The breathtaking sets, eye-catching choreography, music that one can treasures for a lifetime and, most of all, the resplendent and intricately designed costumes in these old Indian movies are a few things that attract her a lot. Needless to say that her obsession with colour and art is quite obvious as she does this kind of work on a daily basis.
When it comes to music, she is a fan of all genres of music, from the classics to the hip-hop kind. When it comes to classical music she confesses that she really doesn’t understand it at all, and only listens to it “when I am in a hot bath.”
However, she likes ghazals and qawwalis, and appreciates the renditions by Mehdi Hasan and Iqbal Bano, her favourite being Yeh Dhuaan Sa Kahan Sey Uthta Hai by Mehdi Hasan. Although she likes music from varied cultures of the world, but Pakistani music has a distinct place in her collection. However, since no further names came to her mind while talking about the local music scene, we had to move on to discussing books of her choice.
Right now she is reading a trilogy of Alexander the Great, by Misi More. As she discussed the book, she was all charged up and there was a special gleam in her eyes. “It is out of this world, I am so engrossed in this book that even though I have been on my trips these days, I do make sure that I read at least one section a day.”
This book is a kind of historical fiction that is exactly what she likes, the history and the true epics. She likes the work of Wilber Smith, who writes a lot of this kind of Africa-based books that has many interesting references. “I just love this old and epic-type books,” she says. Freiha loves history and immediately picks up any book that has history written in a lucid manner.
In the last few years, Freiha has been quoted in the media as having given controversial statements, like saying that though there is more talk of fashion now, it is not necessarily an improvement, and that quantity does not mean quality, and that while there are a number of magazines that sell like hot cakes with glossy covers, but there are hardly any editorial content worth its while. The fact is that Freiha in her attitude is very selective and choosy, which is also reflected in her choice of movies, music and books.
FAVOURITE MOVIES: Casablanca and Pakeezah
FAVOURITE MUSIC: Yeh Dhuan Sa Kahan Sey Uthta Hai, by Mehdi Hasan
FAVOURITE BOOK: Trilogy of Alexander the Great, by Misi More
FASHION, style, catwalk, modelling and such other words are synonymous with the name of Freiha Altaf. She was there on the fashion scene at a time when people here would raise eyebrows on hearing about someone doing a modelling assignment. In the last couple of decades she has made a major contribution in terms of expanding the fashion industry, from the one-woman show it was then, to the flourishing industry it is now. The evolution has been dramatic, to say the least, and when it comes to Pakistani style, Freiha’s stamp can be seen all over it.
