Television

Best mic-drop
finale: Khuda Aur
Mohabbat 3

Of course, Khuda Aur Mohabbat would be the most-watched serial of the year. You had an intense Feroze Khan as the even more intense Farhad, and the always-adorable Iqra Aziz as Mahi.

They fall in love, because of course they do, and then after a tangle of inter-family intrigues and spiritual awakenings, adding to the mountain of reasons they couldn’t be together, Farhad and Mahi pull a classic Romeo and Juliet on us. And while this move left more than just one fan in tears, we’re just glad we got hooked to and witnessed a love as all-consuming as Mahi and Farhad’s.

Most chameleon-like:
Sana Javed

Sana Javed is cute as a button and a very, very good actor. Consider her role as Amal in Dunk, in which her character falsely accuses her professor of harassment. Conniving and just overall a terrible person, Amal incites dislike and anger in the audience, as she should, and for this we credit Sana’s ability to blend into the skin of any role she plays.

Meanwhile, in the ongoing Aye Musht-e-Khaak, which airs on Geo TV every Monday, she plays the sweet, religiously-inclined Dua, who must commune with every animal she comes across. Yet somehow, Dua is also a character who holds her ground – so far – and doesn’t bow down to societal pressure, in this case becoming betrothed to the rather psychotic Bobby (played by Feroze Khan). Therefore, Sana Javed: truly chameleon-like.

The one happy outcome of every drama: All OSTs

What would anything be like, really, without background music? And a signature song to accompany the most poignant of scenes? Pretty soulless we should think. Which is why we love everything: from the Musht-e-Khaak title track, to the Hum Kahan Kay Sachay Thay score, to the Parizaad OST. TV drama title tracks tend to be on the intense ballad side, and we’re not complaining. More, please!

Music

Hottest track or hot zinger?: ‘Hot Mango Chutney Sauce’

Meesha Shafi’s first independent single, produced musically by whiz-kid Abdullah Siddiqui, is an empowering song without necessarily trying to be one. When heard as a song without the music video, the lyrical wordplay touches upon what is a female gaze, and acknowledgment of some traditional South Asian cultural vernacular, while keeping the other foot in a future that is worth fighting for. Sung with such character and backed by a music video that is fun to watch with the appearance of Swineryy not only being cheeky but leaving the video with the most important message of the times: consent is important, ‘Hot Mango Chutney Sauce’ checks all boxes required by a top song.

Best first original track:
‘Intebah’ by Saakin ft. Amir Bresler & Ismail Lumanovski

Saakin, often considered the best band in the country, has been known for its beautiful interpretation of kalaam. From the debut single ‘Saki-E-Bawafa’ to their songs for Sarmad Khoosat’s upcoming film Zindagi Tamasha, every song feels imbued with beauty and grace but ultimately reliant on kalaam.

With just their first original song, ‘Intebah’, Saakin hit us in the gut while reminding us of our ubiquitous apathy, holding a mirror to a decaying society with a voice that shines while stating you will not stand alone.‘Intebah’ ft. Amir Bresler, Ismail Lumanovski provokes what is perhaps lost, a call to usher our subconscious to leave the apathy and be sensitive in a myopic society.

Did this song just look into our soul?: ‘Mera Dost Pareshaan Hai’ by Mehdi Maloof ft. Ali Hamdani, Shamsher Rana and Varqa Faraid

You cannot leave 2021 without talking about Mehdi Maloof. The singer/lyricist has a unique way of looking at things and writing about them. There is verve and so much heart to it. In 2021, Mehdi Maloof composed and wrote the song, ‘Mera Dost Pareshaan Hai‘ (ft. Ali Hamdani, Shamsher Rana and Varqa Faraid) and reminded us that he has the most extraordinary lyrical ideas that echo universal struggles. With presence of one-half of Saakin and a lovely music video, Mehdi continues to tell the story of a generation that feels lost, disenfranchised and unhinged under the guise of a friend who is distraught.

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Film

Most valiant attempt to pretend things are back to normal: Reopening of cinemas

2021 remained a major contender in the running for the most peculiar year of our lives, as a certain pandemic continued to make things all kinds of strange and unusual. Movies, though, remained our constant companions through it all. Streaming services were the global film industry’s (and our sanity’s) saviours. International entertainment made its way to us, even if the big screen content had to make do with reaching us via some very small screens. Eventually though, perhaps in a triumph of optimism over safety, theatres did finally reopen their doors towards the end of the year, welcoming the public back for some more cinematic adventures and overpriced snacks.

Most intriguing format:
Digital short films

While there were no major local movie releases in 2021 until November, we did get the chance to experience some filmmaking magic via shorts that appeared on digital channels like See Prime and Digestive Showtime. The shorts gave us a quick dose of entertainment while giving filmmakers a chance to explore a different medium and delve into topics off the beaten path. Take Yorker as an example. The Wahaj Ali-starrer proved that not everything has to revolve around family or romance and that you can effectively impart serious messages though wit and humour. We approve. More please!

Biggest global success story: the Marvel
Cinematic Universe

Internationally, 2021 saw the belated release of several films that were originally scheduled to come out in 2020. Franchises – from James Bond to Fast & Furious – remained firmly in control of the box office, but it was superheroes in particular that constantly drew the world’s attention. The Marvel Cinematic Universe showed no signs of losing popularity and was, once again, the year’s biggest success story, with massive Phase 4 releases including Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, and most recently, the delightful Spider-Man: No Way Home. And you know they must be doing something right when even a raging pandemic and a variant trying to cause even more kerfuffle can’t stop the Avengers and their cohorts from generating record revenues!

Fashion

Very eccentric but so
wearable: Rastah

Zain Ahmad’s brainchild, Rastah, makes a statement with pieces anyone can wear. The separates can be put together as one ensemble, used to accessorize your outfit, or as the statement feature of your look. Everything from the colours chosen, to the fabrics, prints and embroideries, are the elements that weave together to tell a story, which Ahmad says is the brand’s ultimate essence.

Most extra, but always worth it: Fahad Hussayn and Ali Xeeshan

Both designers bring the drama with them, be it through the layout of their shows, or the outfits themselves, but in 2021, as designers could not show live, at least not to larger crowds, they each hosted an intimate outdoor show – Fahad Hussayn’s Digital Janjaalpura – and Ali Xeeshan’s Ladies Master. While Hussayn recreated the festive atmosphere of a young wedding at his show, Xeeshan presented an ‘Insta Show’, where women clad in Ali Xeeshan designs sang Punjabi tappay. While yes, the themes of both shows were to pay homage to certain cultures and subcultures within the industry – Ladies Master being a warm nod to the tailors behind the scenes, e.g. – they also indicated that perhaps we can start expecting fashion presentations to change form and forum in the coming days.

The most stylish of them all:
All the stylists!

If we could, we would totally have a stylist tell us what to wear and how to wear it every day. Or even just for special events. Anything that can make our everyday style as effortless as theirs and the celebs they style.

So this is a huge shoutout to all the stylists – all of them! Mavi Kayani, Amal Qadri, Sana Anver, Mehek Saeed, Haiya Bokhari, Tabesh Khoja, Zainab Malik, Ania Fawad (and we’re sure we’re missing many!) We see you, we see your work, and we love it!