Shabnam: A bright star of a bygone era
In the 60s, Shabab and Evernew studios were considered the two best film studios in Lollywood. Any director in Lahore would want to shoot his films there. Like many legends of that era, the beautiful Shabnam also spent most of her time shooting at these locations. After 14 years, Shabnam returned to Pakistan last month. Although Shahab no longer exists and Evernew is not what it used to be, Shabnam’s fans were keen to have one more glimpse of her as she visited her colleagues in Lahore. Film technicians who had worked with Shabnam back in the day described her as a ...
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Humsafar: Here’s what the noise is about
The Pakistani TV series “Humsafar” has gathered tremendous popularity since its launch on September 24 this year. At least five pages are dedicated to it on Facebook, with a cumulative number of fans exceeding 100,000. Every status update, video clip, or image shared on these pages gets thousands of likes within hours and they are shared over and over again. Not only this, but “Humsafar” can be seen trending on Twitter very often too. Some enjoyable Tweets I have come across that capture the mass appeal of the show are: Hafsa_Khawaja That awkward moment when you meet Asher from “Humsafar” and your mother is even more ...
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Sex, sleaze, and The Dirty Picture
Some people watch a movie for its elegance, good acting, and high production value. Others watch it for the sleaziness, skin display, and controversy. How often do you get both sides and leave the theatre satisfied, thinking “Wow, I got great value for my money”? In the words of Silk Smitha, a film works for three reasons; entertainment, entertainment, entertainment. This is exactly what Milan Luthria’s The Dirty Picture is – entertainment. Having said as much, I must admit that it is a movie for an adult audience who is mature enough to handle the kind of humour and exposure this movie has to ...
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Review: The ‘Game’ is not on
Although Game has an interesting cast, it fails dismally to get any points, when it comes to reviews. Actors Jimmy Shergill, Boman Irani, Abhishek Bachchan, Kangana Ranaut and Anupam Kher star in the mystery action movie. The Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Shidwani release does not live up to the high expectations I had after watching the trailers. The good thing is that Game wastes no item with background score and meaningless shots. Multi-millionaire character Kabir Malhotra (Anupam Kher) invites four strangers from different parts of the world, each with a murky past to his private island, Samos. They are: Ramsay (Boman Irani) a politician running for presidential ...
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The Oscars 2011: Fashion hits and misses
The envelopes may have been upgraded from plain white to embossed crimson and gold but the 83rd Academy Awards didn’t live up to the hype that surrounded them. Touted as being ‘younger and hipper,’ the ceremony left one yearning for hosts that were ‘older and funnier.’ Alec Baldwin and Billy Crystal should have grabbed the stage for themselves while they had the chance during the ceremony. It’s unfortunate that politically correct Hollywood doesn’t appreciate comedian Ricky Gervais’ candid brand of British humour (remember the crazily entertaining Golden Globes that he hosted this year?). Had Gervais been asked to host the 2011 Academy Awards ...
Read Full PostLong live Lollywood!
Lollywood originates from my hometown of Lahore. My childhood consists of vivid memories of Royal Park – unique as a glittering place – mesmerising me each time and offering escape from reality. However, the place has changed over the years and so has Lollywood. Who is to blame for the decay of Lollywood? The answer, simply, is filmmakers. Many have said that Lollywood needs a lethal injection to die once and for all as it couldn’t revive despite bans on foreign films, tax waivers, special grants and receiving the status of an industry. However, there’s always a flip side to the story. ...
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Narnia loses its magic with Voyage of the Dawn Treader
It all started from a forgotten old closet in the largest mansion the Pevensies had ever seen. Today, five years later, Lucy and Edmund are still adventuring in Narnia in the third film installment The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The missing siblings This time, Peter and Susan do not accompany them. Do we miss William Moseley, who plays the boyishly cute Peter? Yes, we certainly do, but certainly don’t miss Anna Popplewell , who plays the conscientious, nagging and whiny Susan. Although it’s sad to see the Pevensies part ways I, for one, am glad that Susan ...
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A dummy’s guide to morality in Pakistan
Like everyone else, friends on my e-mail group became very active while discussing the recent media hype about Veena Malik. While the opinions came from a diverse group of people, one irritated friend questioned why people can’t seem to follow basic ‘Pakistani moral standards’. Reproduced below are the top 10 rules on Pakistani moral values that came out as actually being followed in modern day Pakistan: Pakistani moral values 101: Top 10 rules If a Pakistani man dates more than one woman, he is a Casanova. If a Pakistani woman dates more than one man, she is a “loose woman”. If ...
Read Full PostPakistan army and the latent power of cinema
It’s safe to say that as a nation we don’t believe in the power of cinema. While it’s true that currently Lollywood doesn’t offer us much in terms of cinematic thrills, it doesn’t mean it has lost the power to deliver. Recently, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in collaboration with a private production company launched Faseel-e-Jaan Se Aagay, a drama series based on the true stories of the brave Pakistanis who stood firm in their fight against terrorism. The principal objective of this drama series is to pay homage to those who sacrificed their lives in the name of their ...
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Dhobi Ghat: Better than Bollywood, a film about truth
Kiran Rao’s debut venture, Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries), is well written and artistically executed. For fans of regular Bollywood masala movies the movie has little to offer. The movie has no songs at all, and does not have a very captivating background score. But if you are interested in alternative cinema you will find the film spellbinding. A few years ago, when Slumdog Millionaire, became a runaway hit, a lot of people around the world got a glimpse of the harsh, dog-eat-dog world Mumbai that is. Dhobi Ghat also provides a glimpse in to the underbelly of the city, but instead of dwelling ...
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