Innovative and unique, Maheen Khan has undoubtedly been a trendsetter for almost two decades. She has a knack for defying the norms of this formula driven industry. However, on a sultry Friday afternoon she reveals her exquisite taste in movies, music and books that provided ample proof of her multifaceted personality.
She likes detective movies. This is the only genre that she is really fond of otherwise it’s onto the classics.
Among the classics, Gone with the Wind is one awesome piece of art that has remained attached to her memory for a long time, and will remain so in years to come. “It is an epic story of a woman who can cope with everything (during) the US Civil War, except losing the love of the man she wants to another.”
From the Indian classics “There is no matching Pakeezah. This particular movie is as fresh today as it was 35 years ago. Each frame of the film is shot with dexterity and utmost conviction. The songs and the resplendent sets were another major highlight of the movie. The story is also very close to reality which together with other plus points seems to have literally immortalized this classic in the minds of true lovers of art.”
Recently Maheen had the opportunity to watch the controversial Passion of the Christ in a theatre in Edinburgh. and despite the gory violence in the movie, she felt is was a brilliant masterpiece. “When I came out of the cinema I totally forgot about the violent part of the movie and concentrated on the portions where the theme of love was portrayed. The love for mother, son and wife was so well depicted that it left a solid impact on me. There was also a message of human endurance which appealed to me greatly.” Although she admits that the violence was in fact ‘very violent’ but says that she only looked at its positive aspects.
Maheen is definitely a music buff who likes to listen to the classics from the sixties and seventies. “Ghazals of Amir Khusro and Roomi are the ultimate pick of the lot for me from the classics. The lyrics in these pieces are full of messages and powerful meanings. It is an exercise for the brain to listen to these ghazals.
The tunes of the undisputed king of Rock’n’Roll, Elvis Presley, make her drool. He is her all time favourite from the western musicians.
From the eastern end, the energetic sufi singer, Abida Parveen, is the ‘best’. “She renders her verses with sublime passion and seems to be deeply engrossed in what she sings and as a result of which the attention of her audience also never wander away from her sufiana ghazals.”
She terms the present Bollywood commercial music as ‘abysmal’! Talking about some of the evergreen songs that she usually listens to, she says “there are so many of them that I can’t really pick out only few of them.”
Being an avid reader Maheen mostly enjoys reading autobiographies and she’s currently engrossed in Angela Davis’. “Angela Davis was a black woman, a communist and a fighter. She fought fearlessly for the rights of the underprivileged black minorities in America and the world.”
The Alchemist by Paul Coelho is a book, which according to her is a piece de resistance from her collection of book. “It is a wonderful book. You must read it.”
She also reads English poetry and Keats is one poet who has given her immense inspiration. “He lived a short scarred life and died a legend at twenty-six. You could say he was a great spirit who despite or due to harsh adversity left behind a gift of poems in which he portrays the light and shade of life with magical vividness.”
Maheen is a designer with a clear design philosophy and a person with clear idea of what she wants. The same is revealed in her taste in movies, music and books.
Favourite Movie: Gone with the Wind and Pakeezah
Favourite Musicians: Elvis Presley and Abida Parveen
Innovative and unique, Maheen Khan has undoubtedly been a trendsetter for almost two decades. She has a knack for defying the norms of this formula driven industry. However, on a sultry Friday afternoon she reveals her exquisite taste in movies, music and books that provided ample proof of her multifaceted personality.
