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What brand of style?
If only soaps could give facelifts. If only they could guarantee overnight success, recognition, glamour and everything else promised in advertising fairy tales. If only, because that’s what a certain soap brand has been trying to do for the past three years: give the local fashion and style industry a solid platform with its annual style awards and promote it to the rest of the world. Perhaps also to give artists the motivation to do better and simply give style in Pakistan a radical makeover.
They took off with a blast in 2002, promising a vision that would make a sincere difference, but two years later, they still seem to be struggling to find solid ground. In an operation that involves high level marketing of products that are underdeveloped and dying, like the film industry, the style awards are desperate for credibility and trust.
Things haven’t been as smooth as anticipated and this year, the third annual style awards have taken drastic measures by bringing aboard Indian channel Sony TV and shipping the ceremony off to Dubai. It could work wonders, taking the image of Pakistan a couple of notches higher by placing it next to the recently held Zee Cine Awards.
The organizers need to convince the industry that the event is not a two-hour advertisement for their brand but a sincere effort to uplift the image of Pakistan, as far as fashion and style are concerned. Bringing in even one celebrity from India will tip the scales
Or, it could fall flat on its face, making us the laughing stock of 10 million estimated viewers. It could project our artists as highly talented and competitive individuals, or it could prove them incompetent by bringing in Indian directors, as planned.
After months of speculation on the date and venue, the following revelations were made at the recently held press conference at a gallery, along with a reluctantly released list of nominees for the seven judges’ awards. Facing the press could not have been easy as the company’s relationship with the print media soured last year when they were the only ones kept out of the ‘Iraq-war-effected-closed-door-ceremony.’
The make-up kiss was anything but comfortable. The press was on the attack. ‘Why Dubai?’ was the frequently asked question. The panel’s reply was that Pakistan’s image abroad was very negative and that this would help improve it and if we portrayed a picture of fundamentalism, that would prohibit such liberal events. But then, the question arises, doesn’t taking the awards to Dubai defeat the purpose?
Going to Dubai is playing it safe. The organizers will have access to better technology, bigger budgets (spooned in by the channel) and a bigger, more global audience. Everything seems to be fine for the organizers, but what still haunts them is credibility — and that’s what they desperately need. They still have to convince the industry that the event is not a two-hour advertisement for their brand but a sincere effort to uplift the image of Pakistan, as far as fashion and style are concerned.
Bringing in even one celebrity from India will tip the scales, but then the organizers might handle it in such a way that they could ‘innocently’ play up on the Indo-Pak friendship that is currently the rage. The question is, will they make the show a success using only Pakistani talent? With a controversial choice of jury and judges, a less-than-deserving pick of nominees and rumours of the panel playing favourites, as always, they need to be a bit more convincing.
How can Hadiqa Kiani’s Jogi be nominated for best music video when the concept has ostensibly been borrowed from Sukhbir’s Sauda Khara Khara? Many believe Mahi, directed by Asim Reza, a better effort? Munib Nawaz has been put in the same bracket (for best designer, men’s wear) as Deepak Perwani. This begs one to ask, Munib who? No points for guessing who’ll win.
As for best fashion photography, does the jury seriously believe that Rehan Qureshi, Deevees and Usman Saeed have done better work than Tapu Javeri, Arif Mehmood and Arshad Tareen? Of course, the portfolio system does streamline things, as a huge chunk of the industry opted not to submit one. But then again, perhaps the portfolio system needs to be revised.
Having said that, things are not all that bad. Controversy and gossip add flavour to just about anything, and this is no exception. To the 10 million viewers who are not aware of the undercurrents, the Lux Style Awards will simply be an entertaining evening. They are being handled in good taste, with Frieha Altaf on board.
The organizers keep reminding us that the image of the soap has always been associated with film stars and glamorous celebrities. Let’s just hope they don’t forget that it’s the celebrities who have given the soap its image and not the other way round.
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