Bloody Karachi, bloody hell
And it has started again. The target killings, the burning buses, the protests, the funerals and the ‘peaceful’ mournings. They seem to stop for a week or two and start again in full fervour. Then the Shia Ulema Council, the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz or the Jamaat-e-Islami will protest – for Dr Aafia, Shia killings, target killings, extortion, Lyari gangsters, Sindh or some other damn thing. Sigh, sometimes it is just so damn exhausting. Sometimes, I wish Karachi had a superhero. Where is Sindh’s answer to Batman or Karachi’s own kryptonite man in red briefs? All we have are target ...
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Shahid Afridi is my neighbour
I have a special bond with my house. It has nothing to do with nostalgia but simply because Shahid Afridi is my neighbour. I’m not quite sure if this affects property prices but just looking at the boy next door evolve into a champion and national captain gives me a lot of pride. I remember my younger days – as a guest in Karachi – when I’d wait to play cricket in the afternoon when this new Pakistani opener used to interrupt the match and take us all for Maghrib prayers. I went to the mosque because of him. When I moved to his ...
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Shoaib Akhtar speaks the truth
I usually try to keep my personal biases and opinions aside while writing, but reading all that has been written about Shoaib Akhtar and his book has incensed me to no end. I cannot believe how easily people have started ridiculing one of the best fast bowlers this country has ever seen. And all this just for saying out loud some things which we have all always known or at least suspected to be true? For all those who question Akhtar’s class as a bowler, I would suggest a look at Criicinfo’s page on Shoaib Akhtar. For God’s sake the guy ...
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Facebook dangers: Satisfying our inner hero
Facebook, undoubtedly, has brought about an immensely significant social revolution over the past few years. It is now not just any other social networking website. In more ways than one, Facebook is a virtual reflection of our personality, beliefs, ideologies, likes and dislikes, and so on. What Facebook has gradually accomplished is that it has given everyone a voice; it has given people to opportunity to express their opinion about any matter, no matter how sensitive or controversial, to several hundred people in just a matter of seconds by typing out a few lines. However, while this freedom to express ...
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Lt Yasir: Him and me
Something dawned on me the other day – disturbing and fascinating at the same time. It is related to the Mehran Base attack in Karachi. I could have known Lieutenant Yasir Abbas, the tough fighter and hero of the Mehran Base attack. I could have known Yaser. He could have been more than a bodyless hero, more than a random encounter in a restaurant, may be an acquaintance. We could have been really good friends. In fact, we could have been the same person. Let’s rewind a little. Once upon a time, I almost landed in the Pakistan Air Force. ...
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Ready: Brainless entertainment
For all of you who had great expectations from Salman Khan after Wanted and Dabangg, Ready does not disappoint. The movie has all the elements of a typical Bollywood masala film – songs, goons, chases and fights. Of course, serious movie watchers may wish to opt out of this movie, but if you are looking for a great time with friends and family, Ready is for you! Salman Khan, plays the hero named Prem (for the fourteenth time) who is under familial pressure to get married. Sanjana (Asin), a run away bride on the run, lands at his house as the potential ...
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Everything you always knew about Lollywood
I have to hand it to the Pakistani film industry of the 1980s and 1990s. Each film never failed to be a block buster hit regardless of having a very predictable plot line – the good guys, the bad guys and the age old triumph of good over evil, and yes, the hero gets the prettiest girl on the screen and all go home happy. This is a typical filmi “happily ever after.” Does any of this sound familiar? I present to you my small list of movie conventions back from the 1980s with the sole purpose of making you ...
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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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Shahid Afridi: Diverse narratives
Shahid Afridi, our cricket hero these days, is best known for his sixes. Irrespective of the circumstances, and engaging all kinds of risks, he hits the ball with all the force at his command. From then on, it is entirely up to the ball. It may cross the boundary or end up just inside and be caught. On his return from Mohali he issued a statement that must rank alongside his historic sixes. Hit hard and high, the ball appeared to have landed far from the cricket field and into the political arena. There’s been a lot of hue and cry ...
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Aisamul-Haq: 2010’s shining star
To say that it was an eventful year for Pakistan sports would be an understatement. 2010 witnessed many ‘highs and lows’, ranging from the sensational spot-fixing scandal involving three of the country’s leading cricketers to a stunning title-winning triumph by our ladies in the cricket event of the Asian Games in Guangzhou. For me the defining moment of Pakistan sports came in September when tennis ace Aisamul-Haq Qureshi marched into the men’s doubles and mixed doubles finals of the US Open. His heroics at the Grand Slam tournament gave Pakistan’s sports fans something to cheer about after several dismal weeks in ...
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