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That was the year that was...
Is it just me or has 2003 passed us by in the blink of an eye? Were the developing situations in Iraq and Afghanistan responsible for keeping us preoccupied, or did the massive manhunts launched by allied troops for both Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, duly given ample coverage by the print and electronic media, seem to make the whole year literally fly by us?
This year, like the one before, saw a flurry of entertainment related events across the Pakistani showbiz landscape. Topping it all off was Rhythms of the Indus that opened at the Royal Albert Hall in London, thanks to the efforts of the former Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK, Abdul Kader Jaffer. It featured the creme de la creme of Pakistan’s haute couture and the performing arts industries, such as Deepak Perwani, Nilofer Shahid, Rizwan Beyg, Faiza Samee, Sonya Battla, Nahid Siddiqi and Abida Parveen, among others.
Speaking of fashion also brings us to the recent Turkish fashion show in Karachi that featured the classic cuts of renowned Turkish designer Madame Z, displayed by a bevy of beautiful ladies.
Fashion soared while films bombed. The Goethe Institut opened its doors to audiences after nearly two years with a concert. Rumours of Junoon splitting up were brushed aside. Shoaib Mansoor did it again with his ‘Ishq’ videos while Pakistani musicians contributed to a Bollywood flick
All this talk about fashion wouldn’t be complete without mentioning one of the most prominent names in the local designer market — Shaiyanne Malik — who presented her clothes at the World Gold Council and Dnata shows, the concepts done to perfection by hubby Sohail Malik, and walking away with top honours in India as well.
Fashion and Freiha Altaf have a lot in common, with some even calling the latter its ‘Godmother’ of sorts. This credible title comes her way after holding two successful Lux Style Awards ceremonies in Karachi, the second eventually being held behind closed doors due to the unstable political situation in the region (a real shame the creative invitations fashioned like spools of film went to waste). They were not without a fair share of controversies, however, specially regarding the invitation list, among others. However, the grapevine is a buzz with the rumour that this time, the organizers of the event are allegedly taking the show to Lahore and eying Hasan Sheheryar as a potential replacement for Ms Altaf. Speaking of HSY also reminds us of his prowess in fashion and his choreography for Bridal Asia 2003. And along with all the local high achievers in the world of fashion, the haute couture crowd from across the Wagah also paid a courtesy call. Along with a strong contingent at the Bridal Asia show, Indian designers were also present for a charity fashion show which featured Suneet Varma and Rina Dhaka, as well as the European House of Dior.
Wedding bells are chiming for the statuesque Nadia Hussain, who’ll be getting married around the same time these lines come into print.
Amin Gulgee’s Char Bagh exhibition kept him as busy as a bee, not to mention the Albert Hall honour and his short jaunt to China for more fashion-related engagements. His concepts, as usual, continue to be as enticing and breathtaking as ever!
Who could have imagined that Saadia Imam, of all people, would jump on the Humayun Saeed/Junaid Jamshed bandwagon and take to opening a designer outlet? But she did exactly that in 2003, and now she can be pinned for an autograph on weekdays during working hours at a snazzy mall on main Tariq Road. How’s that for being accessible to her fans?
Iman Ali is finally getting noticed in all the right circles after emerging from her cocoon. Big things are being predicted for this Lahori lass if she plays her cards right.
Afreen Baig and Farooq Mengal officially became a couple recently. The romance blossomed during the serial Anarkali and the ‘I dos’ were exchanged in a very private and family-oriented ceremony. Best of luck to the lovebirds.
Khawar Riaz emerged from the ashes of disappointments — Zara Sheikh and Ahmed Butt, both of whom have gone their respective ways after parting with their mentor — like the legendary phoenix, glittering and dazzling in his own aura and taking to work with a zest.
Shararat bombed at the box-office and could not rake in the big bucks as expected. Oh well, it’s back to the drawing board for Samina Peerzada. Fahim Burney’s Piyar hi Piyar Mein, which was being hyped as the next Yeh Dil Aapka Huwa miserably failed to live up to expectations, as the industry went back into its retrogressive trend of portraying gandasas, sleaze and violence as cinematic staples.
Laaj was another box-office disappointment by the otherwise acclaimed TV producer Rauf Khalid of Angaar Wadi fame. While it is hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong, since the film had a strong theme based on actual events, the treatment was just not up to scratch.
The third KaraFilm Festival recently concluded, and what a ride it was! Independent films such as Khamosh Pani, winner of the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, and the stinging documentary Bowling for Columbine were the toast of the town, raking in acclaim for the festival in the last legs of 2003. Already, the natives are restless for some more of the good stuff in 2004.
Yousuf Baig Mirza was ousted as MD PTV one fine day in the year that was. It came as a shock and Mirza has also opted to keep mum on the matter. Till he breaks his vow of silence, guess we’ll just have to believe all the rumours making the rounds.
Bushra Ansari made quite a few heads turn with her ‘new and improved’ look, courtesy stylist, Saima. “It’s a pity most of the heads turned in the opposite direction, and the ones that did turn Bushra’s way had quite a few nasty thoughts in them,” remarked a catty colleague.
Junoon’s Salman Ahmed shifted to the US of A with bag, baggage and family in tow. In other band news, Ali Azmat has shorn his long locks and opted for the Kojak look. The band’s lead singer also contributed music to Pooja Bhatt’s debut film as a director, Paap, in the form of the addictive Garaj Baras.
Shoaib Mansoor is a man for all seasons, as proven yet again with his Ishq video sung by Shabnam Majeed. There’s just no compromising on quality for the man who has outdone himself yet once again.
The Italian Consulate opened its door to the Pakistani public with a glitzy musical affair held in Karachi on a cool December evening, and charmed its audience into total submission. With a palate to match, here’s hoping there are more good things coming out of this Little Italy. The Germans were not far behind, as the Goethe Institut resumed its operations as well. They did so with style, also inviting a chamber music ensemble to celebrate their resumption of activities.
On a much more sombre note, 2003 is also the year in which we parted company with veteran PTV producer and all-round good guy Mohsin Ali, who succumbed to his terminal illness. On Hollywood turf, Bob Hope, Katharine Hepburn, Charles Bronson and Gregory Peck packed it up for the blue yonder, while action superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger scored further on his winning streak and got himself elected as the new Governor of California. To quote Arnie here would be most opportune: “I’ll be back!”
Meera, towards the fag end of the year, also had to bear the loss of her brother, Murtaza, who died tragically in a car accident in the US. The popular film actress has now changed the name of her charity, naming it after her brother.
As politicians on both sides of the Pak-India divide decided to lay down their swords and as the guns fell silent, the frothy feelings latent on both sides erupted in a show of neighbourly good will. Along with the Pakistan-India Peace Forum, held in Karachi, which brought together artists, writers and intellectuals from both nations in a festival atmosphere, the biggest news, in showbiz, was the arrival of Indian artists Urmila Matondkar, Mahesh and Pooja Bhatt. Urmila pranced around Lahore filming a music video-cum-documentary for peace with Pakistani artists Resham, Fuzon and Shamyl Khan, while Pooja premiered her film Paap at the KaraFilm Festival.
On the television front, the trend of festivals also gained ground. Among the major ones were private channel Indus Vision’s short films festival and PTV’s tele-films marathon, which is still in progress.
While so many positive events occurred in the entertainment industry, the cinema industry and musicians in the NWFP faced the wrath of the provincial government in its campaign against ‘obscenity.’
Finally, this year, too, it is expected socialites Tahir A. Khan and wife Seema will throw a big New Year’s eve party, inviting the who’s who and all and sundry related to entertainment one way or the other to welcome 2004 in a grand way. Hmmm, let me see what I can wear to the grand bash!
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