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| Pakistan's film industry is in collapse |
Lollywood, a once-robust movie-making machine, has fallen victim to religious-based government policies, cable TV and DVD piracy, said a report. The Odeon Cinema's creaky, ripped red vinyl seats are mostly empty except for a couple of back rows, where a dozen Pakistani men sit slouched, their eyes half-open, legs slung over the seats in front of them. Along the hall's bubble-gum pink walls, rows of fans barely move the hot, dank air. The Odeon's loudspeakers crackle like a ham radio.
The feature on this recent evening is a Pakistani film called "Majajan," a love story. The barely breathing, Lahore-based Pakistani film industry produces less than a dozen movies each year, which explains why every day, three times a day for the last three years, the only movie screened at the Odeon has been "Majajan."
Welcome to Lollywood, or what's left of it. It wasn't always this way. Back in the 1960s and '70s, Lahore buzzed with movie shoots, red-carpet premieres and box-office hits. The Pakistani film industry has always been based here, and though it didn't have the girth or dazzle of Bombay's Bollywood, "Lollywood" thrived in a country staking out an identity distinct from its Indian neighbor.
In their heyday, theaters such as the Odeon had queues of Pakistanis snaking far beyond the box-office window and down Lahore's bustling sidewalks. Moviegoers dressed in their snazziest salwar kameezes and arrived two hours before a showing to secure tickets.
Today, Pakistani cinema has all but vanished, a victim of the VCR, cable television, President Muhammad Zia ul-Haq's Islamization of Pakistani society, and finally DVD piracy. In 1985, 1,100 movie houses operated in Pakistan; today, only 120 are in business. The few directors, producers and cinema owners often rely on second jobs to make ends meet.
Reviving the industry necessitates junking what's left of Pakistani cinema and starting from scratch, says Jahanzaib Baig, a Lahore cinema owner pushing for a revival of Pakistani film. Baig has been lobbying the government to clamp down on DVD piracy, a scourge that keeps Pakistanis from leaving their living rooms to head to cinemas. "We have hit rock bottom," says Baig. "We can only go up. Whatever we had before is not only destroyed but is obsolete in terms of technology and skills. So we're setting the foundation for a new film industry in Pakistan."
Sangeeta, a Lollywood mega-star during the 1970s and one of the few survivors still directing homegrown films, says a revival of the industry can happen only if the Pakistani government lends a hand. "We need government support," says Sangeeta, now 52. "We need new cameras, new studios. Right now, producers aren't investing because the equipment isn't good." One of the only directors still making movies, Syed Noor, has established a film school in Lahore to help seed a new generation of filmmakers. But most directors and producers gave up long ago.
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[12] Comments  Post Your Commets |
| S. Waziristan musician prays for Taliban defeat, so he again can make sweet music |
“I recite from the Holy Quran every morning and pray for the success of the military operation and when they are defeated I will buy another rubab”, said musician Mohammad Akbar, after fleeing his native South Waziristan to Dera Ismail Khan.
Mohammad Akbar says he prays every day for the Pakistani army to crush the Taliban so he can make sweet music once more without fearing for his life. “They smashed it into pieces and warned me of serious consequences, if I ever played rubab again,’ said Akbar as he recalled the day two years ago that the Islamists forced him to give a recital of his rubab — a traditional lute-like instrument that is popular in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The 39-year-old was speaking in the dusty town of Dera Ismail Khan where he fled with his wife and seven children to escape a major offensive by the army against the Tehrik-i-Taliban in neighbouring South Waziristan. While those living in Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt are fiercely protective of their independence from the federal government, the Islamist militants have alienated many with their hardline edicts, such as a ban on music.
‘The Taliban cannot be our friends,’ said Akbar, as he recalls incidents of flogging and beheading of those who fell foul of the extremists. Akbar looked visibly distressed as he spoke about his ordeal, which started two years ago when a Taliban delegation turned up at his home, following a tip-off from one of his neighbours. Not knowing they were from the Taliban, he served them tea, played his rubab and sang for them in his living room. And then they grabbed the instrument and smashed it. ‘It was a warning from them. I was forced to stop playing an instrument that I started playing in 1981,’ he said.
Islamic extremists have blown up hundreds of music and DVD shops in the troubled North West Frontier Province (NWFP), calling the practices against the tenets of Islam. Shop owners were forced to display the pro-Taliban material, which ranged from tirades against the ‘renegades’ to gruesome clips of beheadings and bomb attacks.
Tears rolled down Akbar’s cheeks as he talked about one of his very close friends Ahmad Shah, whom he says was executed by Taliban for playing the flute. ‘They slit his throat because he ignored their warning,’ said Akbar. The musician also recalled his childhood friendship with Qari Hussain, a reputed mass trainer of suicide bombers whose hometown is now surrounded by the army, saying that Hussain also did not like his hobby of playing the rubab.
When he confronted Hussain, who returned to South Waziristan in 2007 after living for years in Karachi, about the Taliban’s behaviour, he received an icy reply. ‘I went to him to lodge complaint, but he asked me to be thankful to God that they did not kill me on his request,’ he said.
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| Restoring the fading status of Pakistan film, cinema |
Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) is endeavoring for establishment of a National Film Academy (NFA) in the federal capital to revive the film industry in the country and making quality movies.
To keep the film traditions alive in Pakistan, there is a need for educating the youth with proper training of film productions and direction, said PNCA Director General Tauqeer Nasir while talking to a news agency. The filmmakers in Pakistan are outdated in terms of new technologies, storywriters, directors and creative talents, causing poor quality of movies, he said. Replacement of serious filmmakers with highly commercialized ones created crisis in the Pakistani film industry, which is now struggling for its survival, he said.
The establishment of National Film Academy is a step forward in the efforts made for restoring the fading status of the films and cinema in the country. The NFA to be established in Islamabad will house academic work, labs, production and the training centre for theory, production, editing and camera work, while its film studio would be setup at Lahore, he added. Five acres of land in sector H/9, which was earlier allotted to NAFDEC for this academy during 1975, has been handed over to PNCA for establishment of NFA, he said. In view of the necessity of the proposed academy, PNCA has prepared the feasibility and financial proposal while the project would be completed in two years after its commencement.
“Films are a source of presenting a country’s cultural image to the world and an inspiration with the level of work done,” said Nasir, adding “We will have to open a new chapter of providing opportunities to the creative artists and encouraging young talent.” PNCA will collaborate with foreign organizations to encourage and promote budding amateur artists from abroad, he said. “This will allow locals to have a taste of different cultures and allow them to explore film-making capacities to a greater extent,” he added.
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| Shouldn’t the democratic Govt. also lend helping hands to artists, art festivals? |
Repulsion to the dictatorial rule and all that is associated with such governments is though understandable, yet any intentional or unintentional abhorrence and apathy on this pretext towards the art and artists doesn’t speak of well in a democratic set up, which is expected to let flowers of different colors bloom.
The Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop has launched appeals to federal and provincial governments to raise money for the World Performing Arts festival scheduled for November.
The Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop has been holding the festival for the last 20 years featuring international as well local artistes and troupes. Theatre’s creative director Faizan Pirzada told a press conference on Thursday the worldwide financial crunch had made it difficult for them to hold the festival, as no multinational company was ready to sponsor the event. He said though it was not the responsibility of multinationals to sponsor the festival every year, such sponsorships helped the group manage the international event.
He said the government must help them out keeping in view their services for the country by holding international art festivals for the last 20 years and introducing Pakistan on the world cultural map. Pirzada said he had written letters to the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister for financial aid, but got no response.
Now, he has pinned his hope on Governor Salmaan Taseer, whom he will meet on Oct 8. Pirzada said that he would hold another press conference on Oct 14 to update the media about his funds appeal. According to him, festivals have featured 83 countries and 168,000 artists from all over the world. Pirzada said political and security issues had affected international participation in the festival. Last year, blasts rocked the festival sending shudders down the international community spine.
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| Lollywood returns to post-Taliban Swat Valley |
More than a year after locking doors and ripping down racy posters because of Taliban threats, cinema is once again attracting excited men in Pakistan’s Swat valley. Mingora, the capital of the northwest district formerly overrun by Islamist gunmen determined to enforce sharia law and ban entertainment, is now seeing hundreds queue up to watch re-runs of Pakistani films.
“I love the big screen. It’s a lot of fun. The curse (Taliban) is almost finished,” 21-year-old mechanic Abid Khan told reporter inside the Swat Cinema. “Forget the Taliban, come on enjoy,” he said, jumping up to dance along to a song from a fabled Pashto musical blaring out into the auditorium.
Taliban fanatics set fire to music and DVD shops, closed cinemas, killed and threatened dancers and banned people from even listening to music, plunging the once relatively liberal, northwest tourist centre into fear — and boredom. But this week a billboard showed a silver screen hero, Kalashnikov in hand, with an actress dancing in a provocative manner on the side. The Pashto film, “Gul Soori Soori Karam”, which loosely translates as “The Flower Who Injured Me”, is a popular old-time favourite for the Muslim religious festival of Eid-ul-Fitr, which took place this week.
“There is no other source of entertainment. Where can the young go? That’s why I’m here to enjoy,” said 17-year-old shop worker Sajid Ali who came to see the film with eight friends.
Pakistan launched a blistering assault against the Taliban in and around Swat last April after foot soldiers loyal to radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah advanced further south towards Islamabad in defiance of a peace deal. The military announced ahead of this week’s Eid-ul-Fitr festival a series of high-profile arrests of wanted Taliban commanders.
“I’m not afraid of the Taliban anymore. We saw their dead bodies. We know (Swat Taliban spokesman) Muslim Khan and others are in jail,” said Ali. The Swat Cinema opened at Eid, putting on two screenings of a Pashto film. But night-time showings are still out of the question because of a curfew.
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| Meera’s SOS saying the daughter of Punjab in trouble, how truthful is it? |
Meera is once again in the spotlight because of her swear-filled interview to Geo News in which she insists and swears that she is not married to Attiqur Rehman. The interview was incomplete because Meera fell sick during the interview. Meanwhile, according to Geo, Nikah Khwa (Nikah recorder) says Meera did get married to the gentleman in question- Attiqur Rehman.
Lollywood’s Meera is in news these days owing to her marriage scandal with Attiq-ur-Rehman, a businessman in Lahore, but she has explicitly refused his claims before media. Meera has accused Indian film director Faisal Saif of masterminding conspiracies against her who is director of her new Indian movie named ‘Murder at Farmhouse’. She has filmed highly bold scenes in that Indian movie with freshly introduced hero Shawar Ali, while the film is going to be released in India in a couple of days, sources added.
Reacting to her marriage scandal, film star Meera has sworn on the name of her brother, mother and father that she was telling the truth. “If I am lying, may my mother, father die and Allah Almighty destroy me”! In an interview with Geo News, she claimed that she had received about 3,000 proposals for marriage, adding: “Four to five scandals about my marriage have appeared.”
She said people seek cheap publicity by linking themselves with great artists like Angelina Jolie, Michael Jackson and Madonna. She said this scandal had no importance for her. Meanwhile, Meera could not complete the interview due to her poor health. However, she told the Geo News correspondent that artists should not fear such scandals.
Meanwhile, her mentor Indian filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, whom she had earlier approached for his help, said I could sense that Meera too wasn’t as truthful as she wanted me to believe. She in fact did admit that the two of them were in a relation, but denied her marriage to him. However, both Meera as well as the man in question have filed a case against each other. It’s all boiling down to some property dispute between the two of them. I had warned Meera that her past would one day catch up with her. She is now bearing the brunt of it. I guess it would now be the Court of Law that would decide their fate.”
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[21] Comments Post Your Commets |
| Foreign movies in Pakistan theatres to galore Eid season |
As the film industry has failed miserably to produce quality movies after becoming more or less impotent, cinemas are all set to screen Indian and American movies on upcoming Eid. The two Eids have traditionally been considered most appropriate time to market films. But the Lollywood, keeping its recent but sad ritual alive, being unable to produce for satisfying the demands of people, will launch only three films, while maximum cinemas are presenting three new Bollywood and two Hollywood films, which is a continuation of the trend of exhibiting foreign movies in theatres across Pakistan.
Cinemas are a part of the market that always follows demand and supply rule. That is why both scarcity of products and absence of would be movie-watchers have forced almost every theatre, including those located in the Northern Lahore and Walled City, in the metropolis identified as the cultural hub of the country, to switch over either to Indian or English films.
The cinema-owners and distributors are of the view that local films have failed to attract the audience to sustain the industry; therefore, they are without any choice except foreign movies. They are purchasing the screening rights for the latest Bollywood and Hollywood movies due to negligible and poor quality local production.
The cinemas throughout Punjab including Empire, Sozo World, Metropole, Mir Mahal, Sanay Gold, Cine Star, Nishat, Shaheen Auditorium and Shama at Sialkot; Dream Land and Rex at Multan; Gulistan at Sheikhupura; Seroz and Sany Pex at Rawalpindi; Prince, Taj Mahal and Sabina at Faisalabad; Zinko Palace at Gujranwala; and Shaheen Auditorium at Sargodha have planned to exhibit Indian and English movies. It is worth recalling that the Bollywood products Kambakht Ishq, Luck, Love Aaj Kal and New York are already doing huge business throughout the country. A few cinemas including Minor at Faisalabad, Capri at Multan, Capri at Gujranawala, Serooz at Rawalpindi, Sazia at Gujrat, Gulistan at Sialkot, Shaheen and New Gulistan at Sargoodha will display a local Punjabi film Nach K Yaar Manana directed by Masood Butt.
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[7] Comments Post Your Commets |
| Shouldn’t showbiz celebrities also pay their tax dues? |
Most of our elitists and celebrities, unfortunately, consider it their birthright to enjoy, if possible exclusively, all the available resources and facilities in the country, but when it comes to paying back to the exchequer in terms taxes and levies, they scornfully shun the authorities and very often silence them by exercising their clouts in the ever strengthening VIP culture in the society, resulting in shifting the major burdens to the law abiding citizens only, while all those who could browbeat the law with their power and wealth get scot-free.
This is for the first time that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has focused on potential area of showbiz industry, where film stars, drama artistes and theatre actors are earning huge profits, but paying nothing into the national exchequer.
FBR has decided to approach Central Board of Film Censors, All Pakistan Association of Film-markers and television stations for bringing filmmakers, cinema owners, film stars/TV artistes and persons engaged in studio business into the income tax net. The aim of the exercise is to register all the potential persons engaged in the drama-making, studio business and theatres for filing of income tax returns and payment of due amount of taxes.
This potential sector has been neglected in the past, which requires immediate attention to expand the tax-base. Priority in film industry would be given to film directors, film artistes, top models and cinema owners to bring them into the income tax net for compliance. The tax department would collect data about the drama-makers, artistes and theatres from provincial excise departments, TV stations and advertising agencies.
According to the FBR plan to bring showbiz industry into the tax net, the Director Generals of Large Taxpayer Units (LTUs) and Regional Tax Offices (RTOs) would approach the Central Censor Board, provincial excise department, All Pakistan Association of Film-markers and analyse newspapers to register persons, who are associated with the film industry. The report said that the FBR would also check if the persons associated with the film and drama industry have obtained the National Tax Numbers (NTNs) and are filing income tax returns.
We can only wait and see how professionally the FBR zealots conduct their new move and succeed without causing any harassment to the showbiz celebrities making them voluntarily agree to pay their due amount of taxes.
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| Plan to set up think tank to project culture, isn’t a step in right direction? |
Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Culture Ms Nilofer Bakhtiar reportedly was of the view that Pakistan is rich in diverse cultural heritage and the international community’s interest is evident from the recently held Gandhara art exhibition in Germany. The chairperson had also underscored the importance of the `National Film Policy’ in uplifting the Pakistani film industry, which had been languishing for the past two decades due to government’s negligence and proliferation of piracy.
In the light of this observation, ministry of culture is planning to set up a think tank on culture to advise the government on preserving and projecting the rich culture as an effective instrument to counter the tendency of intolerance. The members of the Senate Standing Committee on Culture in a recently held meeting favoured the need for this initiative. The members were of the view that a ‘Think Tank on Culture’ should consist of members, who are aptly qualified in the field and also hail from all the provinces.
The terms of reference of the proposed organisation should be to advise the government in its endeavour to promote and project culture both at home and abroad, a source in the Culture Ministry told.
Let us hope that this ‘Think Tank on Culture’ would be constituted in all its urgency and hold meetings for formulating its recommendations on promotion of culture at home and abroad, which is direly needed for removing all misconceptions about Pakistan and projecting the right image of the Pakistan society.
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[8] Comments Post Your Commets |
| Did Indians over-react to Shah Rukh being detained? |
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan was en-route to Chicago for a parade to mark Independence Day, when he was detained and questioned at Newark airport.
After a couple of hours’ interrogation, the 43-year-old actor was allowed to make a call, getting in touch with the Indian consulate, who vouched for him and secured his release.
The incident sparked uproar among Khan’s fans in India, who vented their anger over the Internet and in protest marches.
This is not the first time an Indian celebrity has had trouble with U.S. immigration officials and security checks. Last month, U.S-based carrier Continental Airlines apologised to former Indian president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for frisking him at New Delhi airport.
On Saturday, Information Minister Ambika Soni said while she could not say if Khan had been detained “on religious grounds, there have been too many instances like these in the U.S. concerning Indians”. A Times of India report on Sunday said U.S. officials feel some Indian visitors are “needlessly huffy about routine security procedures and there is a broad cultural mismatch”.
Are Indians over-reacting? Or is the U.S. taking things a bit too far? Khan is a celebrity, but what about ordinary Indians, who travel to the U.S. — do they face racial profiling?
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[19] Comments Post Your Commets |
| Musharraf becomes YouTube singing sensation |
Former president Pervez Musharraf is in the news again, this time for his prowess at singing classical songs, The Telegraph has reported.
A video clip making rounds on YouTube, which shows the former army chief singing a duet with Sufi singing maestro Ustad Hamid Ali Khan, has become an instant hit, inviting hundreds of comments from viewers surprised by Musharraf’s talents.
Musharraf, whose actions, while in power including illegal arrest of the country’s senior judges, have recently fuelled increasing calls for his trial, appeared to be singing his worries away at a musical evening. He also surprised viewers recently when he took to the stage during a concert to play Tabla at a show in London.
Hasn’t Musharraf by letting his talents for music and song making public provided yet another opportunity to the bigots and their Amirul Momineen at Jati Umra to include among other high treason charges and war crimes, the committing of ‘Gunah-e-Kabira’—the love for music, according to their brand of Islam?
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[24] Comments Post Your Commets |
| Lollywood failures driving Pakistanis to Indian movies |
Almost every cinema hall in Pakistan including those located in Northern Lahore and the Walled City are known for displaying Punjabi movies, but now they have switched to screening either Indian or English films. Cinema-owners are going in for foreign flicks after Pakistani films failed to attract viewers in sizable numbers. The trend to display foreign films is countrywide and not just confined to Lahore, which was once known for its vibrant film industry.
Exhibitors and distributors are showing a keen interest to purchase screening rights for new Bollywood and Hollywood movies. Only a few cinemas like Odeon, Capital and Shabistan are showing Pakistani movies, but cinemagoers have shown the least interest in these films. Cinemas throughout the country have screened an Indian movie “Kambakht Ishq”, while Prince and DHA are showing another Indian film “Luck”. Taj Mahal and Sabina at Faisalabad, Dream Land at Multan, Zinko Palace at Gujranwala, Sany Pax, Shaheen Auditorium at Rawalpindi and Shaheen Auditorium at Sargodha are exhibiting another Indian film “Love Aaj Kal”, while the Metropole and DHA cinemas have displayed “New York”, said a media report.
The huge number of cinemas including Mehfil, Crown, Alfalah, Regal, Palace, Paramount, PAF Cinema, Shabnam, Shama, Angola, Rattan, Rewali, Nishat and many others have closed down for lack of business and for the poor quality of films produced in Pakistan.
Pakistan Cinema Management Association (PCMA) chairman said the industry failed to produce quality films, which had forced the cinema-owners to take interest in screening rights for foreign movies.
What in your opinion is/are the reason/reasons of Pakistani film industry’s persistent failures?
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| Mohammed Rafi lives on |
A legend was born 85 years ago. And even 28 years after his demise, he is still alive in the hearts of music lovers, who just can't think of any substitute for this legendary singer. You have guessed it right-- we are talking of none other than Mohammed Rafi, whose soulful renditions are still remembered by people from all generations.
His was the haunting, melodious and at times even wild voice of several yesteryear Bollywood superstars. He is remembered as a man impeccable in his professional and personal conduct. Rafi had a strong command over Hindi and Urdu and a powerful range that could accommodate anything from the sublime O duniya ke rakhwale for Bharat Bhushan in Baiju Bawra to the eccentric Badan pe sitare lapete huey for Shammi Kapoor in Prince.
The superstardom came his way, when Naushad noticed him and picked him up for some compositions. Naushad first used Rafi's voice for Pehle aap in 1944. Two years later, Rafi's duets with Noorjehan in Anmol Ghadi catapulted the singer to the top league, where he remained for the next 25 years, singing many of his most popular songs with the invincible Lata Mangeshkar.
Every composer, big or small, used Rafi's indomitable vocal range to great advantage. But his tuning with Naushad and Shankar-Jaikishan was undoubtedly special. While Naushad made sure that Rafi became the ghost voice of the 1950s' superstar Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor preferred Rafi's contemporary Mukesh and Dev Anand was more comfortable with Kishore Kumar.
But, among the titanic trio, only Rafi could cut across the image barrier to sing for every face and occasion. He was as comfortable doing a seduction song like Kis se pyar karoon for Shammi Kapoor as he was singing a sad song Babul ki duayen for Balraj Sahni.
Rafi ruled the charts throughout the 1960s and struggled on, singing occasional hits throughout the 1970s and even making a tentative comeback with Laxmikant-Pyarelal's entire score in Sargam along with Lata. Rafi's last recordings were for Laxmikant-Pyarelal in the film Aas Pas. Singers like Shabbir Kumar, Mohammed Aziz and, more recently, Sonu Nigam, who made a name by adopting his style, perhaps owe their entire careers to Rafi.
Evergreen Rafi will continue living in the hearts and minds of music lovers, isn’t it?
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[7] Comments Post Your Commets |
| Reema as cultural ambassador brings laurels for Pakistan |
Believe it or not in Malaysia, Reema is referred to as the Aishwarya Rai of Pakistan and sounds very knowledgeable in her interviews with the Malaysia press - the perfect Pakistani cultural ambassador. She speaks about the facilities for filmmakers there letting them know that she is a woman with the reins of a mainstream film firmly in her hands. It's a pleasure to read about one of our own being able to hold her own and be lauded in the foreign press.
Her debut film Koi Tujh Sa Kahan made the grade to being qualified a hit and now she's shooting her next film Kitne Haseen Hai Zindagi in Malaysia. The Malaysian press is rather interested in the lovely actress and last week, Pakistan's High Commissioner to Malaysia, Lt. Gen (R) Tahir Mahmud Qazi announced in Kuala Lumpur that Reema would release both her films in Malaysia this year to introduce them to the audience there. Here's to Reema then - who is the epitome of elegance in Pakistan and who has worked her way up from starlet to filmmaker. It isn’t easy, but someone's got to do it.
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| Saudi Miss Moral Beauty pageant |
Saudi beauty queen Aya Ali al-Mulla trounced 274 rivals to win a crown, jewelry, cash and a trip to Malaysia, and all without showing her face, Saudi media reported on Friday.
With her face and body completely covered by the black head-to-toe abaya mandatory in the conservative Muslim kingdom, 18-year-old Mullah was named 'Queen of Beautiful Morals' late on Thursday, newspapers said.
There was none of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and heavy media coverage of beauty pageants elsewhere when the contest was decided in the eastern city of Safwa.
Instead, the winner and the two runner-up princesses had to undergo a three-month test of their dutifulness to their parents and family, and their service to society.
This included a battery of personal, cultural, social and psychological tests, Al-Watan reported.
It was unclear exactly what Mullah did to pip her rivals in the huge field, but Al-Watan reported that the high school graduate had good grades and hopes to go into medicine.
She raked in a 5,000-riyal (1,333-dollar) prize, a pearl necklace, diamond watch, diamond necklace, and a free ticket to Malaysia with her win.
The 20-year-old first runner-up, one of triplets, had already won an education ministry-sponsored 'I love you, my country' competition.
The second runner-up, a high school student aged 15, was cited for taking care of her home and family during the week because her mother works far from home and can only return on weekends.
Beauty contests focused on physical beauty are non-existent in segregated Saudi Arabia, where women can not mix with unrelated men, and must appear in public completely covered - even in photographs.
Miss Moral Beauty pageant organiser Khadra al-Mubarak kept the focus on inner beauty, as defined by Islamic standards of Saudi Arabia.
'The real winner in this competition is the society. The winners represent the culture of the society and its high Islamic morals,' Mubarak said, according to Al-Watan.
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[6] Comments Post Your Commets |
| India, US movies not true pictures |
“Don’t believe everything you see in the movies,” US secretary of state told students at Delhi University. “People watching a Bollywood movie... think everybody in India is beautiful and have dramatic lives and happy endings,” she said to laughter. “And if you watch American TV and movies, you’d think we don’t wear clothes and spend a lot of time fighting.”
Those were the images — exaggerated a bit for dramatic effect — that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton evoked Monday in a question-and-answer session with university students who probed her thinking on a range of topics — some personal.
It was a classic Clinton moment, engaging in what she calls public diplomacy to argue that Americans have more in common with people around the globe than is often suggested. She blamed the media — not just the news but also entertainment — for distortions.
She said it is time for Indians and Americans to get over the stereotypes promoted by their movies and television.
"If Hollywood and Bollywood were how we all lived our lives, that would surprise me," she said with a tone of understatement. "And yet it's often the way our cultures are conveyed, isn't it?
"People watching a Bollywood movie in some other part of Asia think everybody in India is beautiful and they have dramatic lives and happy endings. And if you were to watch American TV and our movies you'd think that we don't wear clothes and we spend all our time fighting with each other."
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[6] Comments Post Your Commets |
| Shouldn’t Mumbai Aman Committee forgive Shahrukh |
Easily the most popular actor and also commonly known as ‘The King of Bollywood,’ Shahrukh Khan has recently been under fire for a statement on religion his spokesperson said was a ‘misprint’ in one of his recent interviews.
Khan reportedly made some remarks against Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the July issue of Time N Style magazine. Mumbai Aman Committee got an FIR registered against the actor.
In the wake of the Mumbai attacks many famous Muslim Bollywood actors, including Shahrukh Khan, have felt insecure. But Khan seems to be facing the fire from both sides.
Sanjiv Chawla, CEO of Shahrukh Khan’s company Red Chillies, in a statement, described the reaction to Khan’s interview as ‘unfounded’ and unfortunate.
Shahrukh Khan has appealed to Muslims through his spokesperson in a series of statements defending his strong belief in Islam, starting with the reaction of those who misunderstood part of his interview, which he said was a misprint.
He continued by mentioning his previous interviews during the past 20 years in which he says he quoted the teachings of the Prophet (pubh). He also mentioned how he has been brought up on the words of the Holy Prophet and has always believed in them: ‘My parents, Allah bless their souls, would never forgive me if I did something against the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet,’ Khan said.
Rhetorically, he asked why he would hurt the sentiments of his own people when he has lead the life of a good Muslim. He also asked people to stop overreacting to a misprint and later in an emotional turnaround asked for forgiveness, first from God and then from the people whose feelings he said he had unwittingly hurt.
‘I will always check the copy of the journalists who do interviews with me, especially on sensitive issues,’ Khan said.
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[6] Comments Post Your Commets |
| Govt. withdraws tax on cinemas |
People from the film industry hailed Punjab government’s decision of withdrawing the recently imposed 65 percent entertainment tax on cinemas.
Representatives of the film industry including producers, film exhibitors, cinema owners and directors called on Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif, who assured them that the entertainment tax would be withdrawn. The CM also formed a three-member committee comprising of Farah Deeba, Imran Nazir and Pervez Rasheed to negotiate with the people from the film industry to bring improvements in Lollywood.
Speaking at the press conference, director, producer and film writer Syed Noor said in addition to abolishing the entertainment tax, filmgoers should also be provided with a packet of chips and cold drinks. “We want the film industry to survive. We condemn vulgar films,” he said, adding that the CM had asked who made these vulgar films and why they were not condemned. “We told the CM that there were a few people who made such vulgar films. We assured him that we would snub the filmmakers who make films glorifying dacoits and criminals,” he said.
He said the CM had assured his support for the revival of the film industry and also formed a committee for this purpose. He said the film exhibitors and cinema owners should jointly boycott those movies that were not in accordance with the moral ethics. He said the censor board should categorise the films and should issue a statement or warning to films that were not up to the moral standards.
Pakistan Film Exhibitors Association (PFEA) Chairman Jahanzaib Baig said cinema was an important industry worldwide but in Pakistan it was being sidelined. He said the people considered the film business un-Islamic or immoral and did not invest in it. He said in the current circumstances, DVDs and other entertainment medium have created a lot of awareness in the public. “Now only films that are good do well. Hollywood, Bollywood or Lollywood films can not do business only because of their labels,” he said. He thanked the CM for removing the entertainment tax.
Film producer Shahzad suggested that the censor board should strictly follow the code of ethics. He said the producers association had registered a protest against unethical films.
Pakistan film industry--survive must--what measures would you like to be taken, ensuring sure success?
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| Priyanka’s sore eyes--may be because of some 'Boori Nazar'? |
Come rain or shine, I’ll be going on. This line may be apt for Piggy Chops as on now.
Priyanka Chopra is said to be suffering from eye infection; but she has not a made an excuse out it. The ‘Fashion’able actress has been carrying on with her busy schedules despite of the conjunctivitis.
It seems the infection is due to her prolonged use of the contact lens. Priyanka is involved in two big bannered projects - ‘What's Your Raashee?’ which is complete and ongoing ‘Pyaar Impossible’. So she is going on shooting without any proper rest. She is also not willing to give up the use of lens, since it will hinder the shootings.
Sources said, "It is still a bit difficult for her to shoot, as when they need a continuation sequence of Priyanka, she has to wear the lenses."
Poor Priyanka. Maybe this is because of some ‘Boori Nazar’?
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| Shouldn’t we act nobly towards Nasibo Lal? |
Pakistan’s most popular folk and film singer Nasibo Lal has been dragged before the court in Lahore for singing allegedly “obscene” songs. Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry of the Lahore High Court has correctly asked the police to trace the people, who have made her sing these songs. The plaintiff took her to court in anger, but the honourable judge has rightly decided to proceed rationally.
Nasibo Lal has the genius of singing and is a national treasure. In 1999, when Pakistan faced India at Kargil she was chosen to sing a song of exhortation for Pakistani soldiers on the national TV hook-up. Today, the state is sitting on the sidelines as she is prosecuted for songs that others have made her sing in films that our Censor Board has routinely passed as fit for public exhibition.
She says she is not a poet and can’t write any songs, leave alone dirty songs. She accuses other people of making her sing such songs. It is not surprising that filmmakers resort to strong-arm methods to make their films spicy and successful in the cinema.
More significantly, we should not be seen as supplementing the evil work of the Taliban — who have steadily destroyed our culture in the name of piety — by punishing Nasibo Lal instead of tightening up the Censor Board. Already the state has erred in the face of the challenge of deciding how much entertainment the common folk deserve. Terrorists have blown up cinemas in the name of Islam. Singers and musicians have been made to run away from their homes.
Theatres in Gujranwala and Gujrat are already in trouble, an arts academy in Karachi is under notice of closure, and there are cities like Islamabad where there are no longer any cinemas left. In the past, we have respected and honoured singers like Madam Nur Jahan even though some of her film-songs were in the same category as Nasibo Lal’s. So let us act nobly towards her.
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| A.R Rahman invited onto Oscar board |
Music genius A.R Rahman has got an invitation to be an Oscar voter. Rahman has been in news ever since he won two Oscars earlier this year for his score in Slumdog Millionaire.
This is another big news for Allah rakkha Rahman’s career. Rahman has won all the known awards for his music. He is the 1995 recipient of the Mauritius National Award and the Malaysian Award for contributions to music.
He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for his first West-End production. A four time National Film Award winner and conferred the Padma Shri from the Government of India, Rahman has received six awards for Best Music at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and eleven awards for his scores at the Filmfare and Filmfare Awards South each. In 2006, he received an honorary award from Stanford University for contributions to global music. A 2008 Critics Choice Awards winner for Best Composer, Rahman became the first Indian national to win a Golden Globe, winning for Slumdog Millionaire in the category of Best Original Score.
Wow, what an enormous achievement so soon, so young Allah Rakha Rahman, born A.S. Dileep Kumar on January 6, 1966, in Madras (now Chennai), India, to a musically affluent family--for him it seems sky is the limit
---post your comments. |
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| Jackson no more with us, but his music will live forever |
Tears flowed outside a hospital here Thursday as hundreds of Michael Jackson fans gathered to mourn the loss of the music legend, stunned by his sudden death at the age of 50, apparently from a cardiac arrest, at his Beverly Hills home.
Celebrities, stars and millions of his fans around the globe were overwhelmed by sorrow and shock as they sought to absorb the news of the sudden death of pop icon Michael Jackson.
"I'm absolutely devastated at this news," bestselling record producer and musician Quincy Jones told. "I just don't have the words. Divinity brought our souls together and allowed us to do what we could do through the '80s," Jones said. "To this day that music is played in every corner of the world, and the reason is because he had it all -- talent, grace, and professionalism. I've lost my little brother today and part of my soul has gone with him."
Pop diva Madonna revealed she was left in tears over the death of Michael Jackson. ”I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless.”
Britney Spears joining the chorus of musicians paying tribute to Michael Jackson said, "He was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed".
California Governor Arnold Schwarzegger issued a statement lamenting the loss of "one of the most influential and iconic figures in the music industry."
"I'm just devastated, very sad. I pray that his soul is up there now," close friend Uri Geller told, after multiple US news outlets confirmed Jackson's death. "I'm still trying to hold on to the glimmer that it is not true. It is too surreal for me to absorb that Michael is no longer with us." "Michael was in good shape because he was practicing, he was training, he was rehearsing for the shows," Geller said.
US actor Jamie Foxx was in the middle of an interview with "Extra" TV when the news broke, and said he hoped Jackson would be remembered as a "brilliant musician" and not for "the circus sideshow" that his life turned into.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband also posted his thoughts on Jackson's death on Twitter. "Never has one soared so high and yet dived so low. RIP Michael," Miliband wrote.
"Right today I can't believe we might have lost the best entertainer this world has ever seen," sobbed Lana Brown, 49, from Dallas, who described herself "as the biggest Jackson fan ever".
"I left my office. Everyone should. It's so shocking. Because you think someone like Michael Jackson will live forever, like Peter Pan," Yoshiko Plair, clasping a sunflower for her icon, told.
Many paid tribute to Jackson's influence on the world of music and dance. His album "Thriller" remains the bestselling album of all time with more than 41 million sales. And his iconic moonwalk has passed into dance legend, endlessly copied by millions of dancers around the world. "From a dancer's perspective, he was the epitome of the natural mover and popularized the 'moonwalk' from his Billy Jean video. Of course, the dance that he did for 'Thriller' is still performed, used and emulated constantly," Ashley Roland, co-artistic director of the Oregon-based dance company BodyVox, told. "He was an inspiration to so many, and I am one of them." British child actor Mark Lester, the godfather to Jackson's children, said he was in shock at the news, and praised Jackson's attributes as a father. "They're the most fabulous kids -- whatever they need, they've got me," Lester told.
You may post your thoughts and sentiments as well.
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| Zardari thanks Angelina Jolie for million dollars aid |
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari made a 'thank you' call to Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie for donating a million dollars for the people displaced by anti-Taliban military operations in the country's northwest.
Mr. Zardari thanked Ms. Jolie and her companion Brad Pitt, who jointly run the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, during the phone call on Monday and also invited them to visit Pakistan, sources said.
The Hollywood power couple has been running the Jolie-Pitt Foundation to assist in humanitarian crises around the world.
Ms. Jolie, who has been a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commission on Refugees since 2001, donated a million dollars on World Refugee Day to aid displaced people in Pakistan.
Ms. Jolie said she decided to provide aid to the displaced Pakistanis because the refugee crisis in the country was relatively new and the numbers of displaced persons had "jumped so quickly".
"I think in the last few weeks, there were about 100,000 displaced a day. There's over two million now. I think it's just there has been a giant appeal, a lot of funds have been sent in, a lot of aid has come to the people---but the numbers are so extraordinary and they're growing," Ms. Jolie told U.S. news agency after making the donation.
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| Aishwarya, Shah Rukh ‘Actors of the Decade’ |
Superstars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan were declared ‘Actors of the Decade’ at the IIFA awards at Macau on Saturday night.
Aishwarya won two honorary awards for her work in Indian and international cinema, while Shah Rukh was honoured for his work in Bollywood.
The 35-year-old actress, who also performed on stage at the function, received both trophies, while Shah Rukh missed the ceremony because he is shooting for his upcoming film ‘My Name is Khan.’
The 43-year-old actor, who began his career on the small screen, beat Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Abhishek Bachchan to the title.
Aishwarya won the ‘Golden Decade’ award for her memorable performances in the past 10 years, beating off competition from Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta, Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.
While Aishwarya shot to global recognition with international projects like ‘Pink Panther’ and ‘Provoked,’ Khan too has a global following as the ‘Badshah of Bollywood.’
The former Miss World won the ‘Outstanding Achievement by Indian in International Cinema’ award, which was bagged last year by musician A.R. Rahman, who won the ‘Golden Decade of Music’ award for his contribution to Indian films.
Bollywood international award winning spree this year seems to have outshined even Hollywood. How do you agree/ disagree? Mail your comments: |
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