In accordance with the New Normal conceptualized by the destructive coronavirus pandemic, almost all events scheduled for 2020 have been compromised, either cancelled or pushed to the next year, in the hope that 2021 will be a better year and some semblance of life as we knew it will be restored. The Lux Style Awards is one such event that had to rethink its usual razzmatazz in compliance with the New World Order; with social distancing and elbow knocks being the new hugs and kisses, there was no way the LSAs could have managed their usual pomp and ceremony. Had things happened on time, within the first three months of the year (as is standard for all award shows), the LSAs would have gotten away with a show too. But such was not the case as the LSAs have rarely managed to happen on time in their 18 year history.

Fortunately, come hell or high water, they have always honoured their commitment to recognize excellence across the realms of Fashion, Film, TV and Music. Therefore the Awards Committee did manage to conduct the jury process and voting digitally and virtually announced the list of winners for the year 2019.

While 2019 is a distant memory, it is nevertheless a fond memory of when life used to be normal. Let’s revisit and take a look at films and television shows that stood out and have landed awards for their brilliance…

Best TV Play

Nominees: Aangan - HUM TV, Cheekh - ARY Digital, Ishq Zah e Naseeb - HUM TV, Meray Paas Tum Ho - ARY Digital, Ranjha Ranjha Kardi - HUM TV

Winner: Meray Paas Tum Ho

Featuring some very strong serials, this was one of the toughest categories and had it been a jury decision, one feels that the complex and sensitively handled Ranjha Ranjha Kardi would have won. But being a Viewer’s Choice category and given the millions of viewers who tuned in every Saturday evening to catch a new episode, it was a given that Mere Paas Tum Ho would win in popularity and walk away with this award.

Best TV Director

Nominees: Farooq Rind for Ishq Zah e Naseeb, Kashif Nisar for Inkaar, Kashif Nisar for Ranjha Ranjha Kardi, Muhammad Ehteshamuddin for Aangan, Nadeem Baig for Meray Paas Tum Ho

Winner: Kashif Nisar for Ranjha Ranjha Kardi

With such powerful directors on the list, this was literally anyone’s win especially with Muhammad Ehteshamuddin’s brilliant handling of period play Aangan and Nadeem Baig’s expertise of taking a simple, oft problematic story, and elevating it to the level of national obsession. But again, with two nominations for equally strong drama serials, one is delighted that Kashif Nisar’s handling of sensitive social issues was recognized and rewarded.

Best TV Actor (Viewer’s Choice & Critics Choice)

Nominees: Bilal Abbas for Cheekh, Humayun Saeed for Meray Paas Tum Ho, Imran Ashraf for Ranjha Ranjha Kardi, Rehan Sheikh for Inkaar, Zahid Ahmed for Ishq Zah e Naseeb

Winner Viewer’s Choice: Imran Ashraf for Ranjha Ranjha Kardi

Winner Critic’s Choice: Zahid Ahmed for Ishq Zah e Naseeb

This category isn’t as simple as it appears. Critically speaking, Imran Ashraf and Zahid Ahmed both delivered extremely complicated characters as Bhola in RRK and Sameer in IZN and one is delighted that both Best Actor awards went to actors who are so unanimously brilliant. One had actually expected Imran to win Critic’s Choice but then this result just goes on to prove the love people had for Bhola. It’s a shocker that Humayun Saeed, with millions watching and loving him as Danish in MPTH, didn’t secure Viewer’s Choice.

Best TV Actress (Viewer’s Choice & Critic’s Choice)

Nominees: Ayeza Khan for Meray Paas Tum Ho, Iqra Aziz for Ranjha Ranjha Kardi, Saba Qamar for Cheekh, Sajal Ali for Aangan, Yumna Zaidi for Inkaar

Winner Viewer’s Choice: Yumna Zaidi for Inkaar

Winner Critic’s Choice: Iqra Aziz for Ranjha Ranjha Kardi

Iqra Aziz delivered the performance of a lifetime as Ranjha Ranjha Kardi’s Noor Bano, a vagabond who aspires to rise from the slums, falls in love and then handles being married to a mentally challenged man. Torn between duty and honour, affection and abuse and ultimately love and betrayal, this was a multi-faceted, grey and unpredictable character that Iqra absolutely aced. A very well-deserved win. One is just as happy for Yumna Zaidi for being recognized for her equally nuanced character Hajra in Inkaar, a drama inspired by Khadija Siddiqui’s true story. Truth be told and given Sajal Aly’s fanbase and solid performance, one expected her to win Viewer’s Choice for Chammi, but Yumna’s character had more of a social impact and it’s reassuring to know that the public acknowledged her for that.

Best Play Writer

Nominees: Faiza Iftikhar for Ranjha Ranjha Kardi, Hashim Nadeem for Ishq Zah-e-Naseeb, Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar for Meray Paas Tum Ho, Sarwat Nazir for Khaas, Zafar Mairaj for Inkaar

Winner: Faiza Iftikhar for Ranjha Ranjha Kardi

With a solid body of progressively entertaining work behind her, Faiza Iftikhar has emerged as one of the strongest writers of our time and it’s great that her story-telling has been duly rewarded. Faiza is one of those writers who engages and entertains while influencing the viewer with subtle messaging tucked away in the story. There is a strong sense of family values but a refreshing absence of preachiness and self-righteousness. Her characters are grey, they’re human and are rarely demonized or sketched as angelic.

Best Original Sound Track (TV)

Nominees: Ishq Zah-e-Naseeb by Naveed Nishad, Kaisa hai Naseeba by Zeb Bangash, Khaas by Natasha Baig, Ramz-e-Ishq by Shani Arshad, Ranjha Ranjha Kardi by JB Sisters/Rahma Ali

Winner: Ranjha Ranjha Kardi by JB Sisters/Rahma Ali

There were some major snubs in this nomination list, the biggest being to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for the OST of MPTH. But from this list, RRK was by far the most powerful title track.

Best Emerging Talent

Nominees: Haroon Shahid for Do Bol, Naimal Khawar for Ana, Saheefa Jabbar Khatak for Beti, Shees Gul for Meray Paas Tum Ho, Usman Mukhtar for Ana

Winner: Shees Gul for Meray Paas Tum Ho

Both Naimal Khawar and Usman Mukhtar stood a very strong chance to win this one. But one is delighted that things turned out this way because no emerging talent had the kind of impact comparable to Shees as the adorable Roomi in MPTH. A child whose mother abandons him as she walks out of her marriage to live with another man, Roomi portrayed every single emotion with the skill of a star.

Category: Film

Best Film

Nominees: Baaji - Produced by Saqib Malik at Page 33 Films, Laal Kabootar - Produced by Hania Chima and Kamil Chima, Parey Hut Love - Produced by Asim Raza at The Vision Factory Films, Ready Steady No! - Produced by Hisham Bin Munawar, Superstar - Produced by Momina Duraid at MD Productions

Winner: Laal Kabootar - Produced by Hania Chima and Kamil Chima

Best Film Director

Nominees: Asim Raza for Parey Hut Love, Hisham Bin Munawar for Ready Steady No!, Kamal Khan for Laal Kabootar, Mohammad Ehteshamuddin for Superstar, Saqib Malik for Baaji

Winner: Kamal Khan for Laal Kabootar

Best Film Actor (Viewer’s Choice & Critics Choice)

Nominees: Ahmed Ali Akbar for Laal Kabootar, Nadeem Baig for Superstar, Rashid Farooqui for Laal Kabootar, Salman Shahid for Ready Steady No!, Sheheryar Munawar for Parey Hut Love

Winner Viewer’s Choice: Ahmed Ali Akbar for Laal Kabootar

Winner Critic’s Choice: Rashid Farooqui for Laal Kabootar

Sweeping the top four film awards, Laal Kabootar literally flew away as the biggest film of 2019, proving that while viewers want glamour and star power, they are also looking for real stories, especially when they are told well. Directed by the talented Kamal Khan, Laal Kabootar scuffled on the streets of Karachi and drew out the underbelly of the metropolis albeit in an artistic, aesthetic way. The film’s soundtrack wove through its serpentine action and its characters, especially Adeel Alam and Inspector Ibrahim (played by Ahmed Ali Akbar and Rashid Farooqui respectively), portrayed an onomatopoeic version of a city that was unpredictably both good and grey.

Best Film Actress (Viewer’s Choice & Critics Choice)

Nominees: Amna Ilyas for Baaji, Mahira Khan for Superstar, Mansha Pasha for Laal Kabootar, Maya Ali for Parey Hut Love, Meera for Baaji

Winner Viewer’s Choice: Mahira Khan for Superstar

Winner Critic’s Choice: Mahira Khan for Superstar

Having delivered one of her most powerful performances to date, Mahira Khan owned this award; critically because Noor Malik owned and carried the film and popularly because that’s just the love and influence that Mahira has earned from her fans.

Best Playback Singer (Film)

Nominees: Ali Sethi for Bekaraan, Ali Tariq for Behka Na, Jabbar Abbas for Jugart, Mai Dhai for Raag Murli, Zeb Bangash for Gudi Wang

Winner: Ali Tariq for Behka Na from Parey Hut Love

This came across as a very strange nominations list because several big songs were snubbed, including most of the Parey Hut Love and Superstar soundtracks. The award for Behka Na therefore seemed more tokenism than merit. Undoubtedly pleasant, it was by no means the best amongst the soundtracks of the year’s top films.

The writer served on the fashion jury of the Lux Style Awards, 2020