Coke Studio Ep 1: Thank you for ‘Larsha Pekhawar Ta’
The first episode of “Coke Studio” season five has lead to an interesting debate amongst its fans. Did the studio do justice to rap with Bohemia’s rendition? Has Hadiqa Kayani come of age? These questions and others have been making the rounds. One thing that is glaringly obvious is that an artist’s sincerity can be judged from behind the scenes (BTS) clips. For instance, Humayun Khan sounded like a mature artist when he spoke about his experience of completing his education first and then switching to music, that too, at a time when the music landscape of Peshawer was changing. But ...
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Mathira’s wardrobe malfunction: Nudity or modernity?
“It wasn’t part of the show. It was an accident!” pleaded designer Sanam Chaudhri after the scandalous Mathira fashion faux pas at her showcase on day one of Fashion Pakistan Week. Chauhdri spoke in Mathira’s defense saying “I felt so bad for her, and she started crying the moment she got off the ramp.” But when something of this nature happens with a personality like Mathira (whose last name is Scandal) people most likely assume that it was deliberate. Fashion writer and cultural commentator, Mohsin Sayeed, certainly thinks so. “Of course, it was deliberate,” he said. “If it wasn’t then why did the ...
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Outlandish Kamran Shahid
I’ll be honest; I don’t like Kamran Shahid one bit. He’s brash, uncouth and thoroughly ungentlemanly; and if I were a woman, I’d make a deal with the devil before allowing myself to be found within a 100 meter radius of the guy who conducts a “serious” journalistic talk-show with his chest hair on display like it’s still the 70s. Seriously. A man who seems to have made it his “purpose” to make women cry on cable television is not the kind of man I was brought up to respect. I’m positively tickled by the fact that of all the people ...
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Maya Khan, apology not accepted
Call her a vigil-aunty, call her a vapid morning show host, call her what you must, you have to admire the sheer tenacity of Maya Khan in her refusal to back down, lay low and do the one thing she needs to do to end her misery – apologize for a mistake. I had hoped never to see Maya appear on a TV screen again – in any other country, she would have been fined (along with her producers and the media group) faced a legal inquiry and been banned from TV. Unfortunately, in Express News’ desire to produce “the greatest ...
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Why firing Maya Khan is not the solution
The protest has borne fruit: Maya Khan has been fired and her show has been taken off air. One more host of Samaa TV has been shown the door, after a clamour of complaints following the fateful episode of her morning show. This is the moment of vindication for the online community of journalists, bloggers and ordinary citizens who were incensed (and rightfully so) after watching Maya and her coterie of minions prey on couples dating in a public park. But lest these critics lapse into complacency over an accomplished mission, they must know that there’s more to the story. There’s ...
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Humsafar: A comic review
If you’re a human being and you know a Pakistani woman, then you’ve probably heard about Humsafar. I could write pages on how this show is planting the seed of fasaad (trouble) in perfectly normal and happy households and how it’s basically just a guide on how to break up pretty normal marriages. The fact that most women like it says a lot. I’ll end the casual sexism now and just give you the review. Enjoy it! A couple of things to remember: this review is supposed to be funny. If you do not ...
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An open letter to Maya Khan
It started with this video. Dear Maya Khan, My name is Mehreen. I like browsing through morning talk shows when I’m waiting for breakfast made by my mom who, like your colleague said in a particular clip, is like my friend and I confide in her often. Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I do. She’s never demanded an oath of eternal confidence in her. We’re humans, and we love our private space. You might be thinking, “Why is she telling me this?” I thought I should let you know about the knitty gritty of my personal life since you do enjoy delving ...
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What Mathira and Paris Hilton don’t have in common
An article published in the Los Angeles Times describes notorious TV show host Mathira as “Pakistan’s Paris Hilton”. While the comparison does fit with regards to both women being sex symbols (don’t roll your eyes, Mathira’s got the oomph), to me she seems to represent so much more than that. In a country where a greater part of the population prefers to watch “family friendly” TV shows, Mathira brazenly landed up on the sets of VIBE as a host on Love Indicator, a show where she invited callers to share their relationship problems and make song requests. While many were ...
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Why should feudals apologize?
I have grown up hearing all the stereotypes on television in newspapers. Feudals drive big jeeps (who cares how many books they read?). Feudals are the reason the country can’t prosper. Feudals abuse people in the name of tradition. But this ‘wadera’ boogeyman image is not accurate. I’m not saying that exploitation of the poor does not exist in rural Pakistan, but the facts that are often ignored are: Exploitation is not exclusive to the agricultural community. For every landlord who mistreats the people who depend on him for a livelihood, there are at least three who are actively working to provide services (services that every ...
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So you hate TV? Do something!
The Pakistani Television media has a problem. It is too often racist, sexist and intolerant of religious beliefs of minorities. How do citizens push back against the tide of propaganda being fed on the airwaves? I don’t think anyone should be advocating for the government to regulate channels. When the government is given power to regulate media it is very easy for regulation to become censorship. What should be done? It is simple. Citizens should push for economic boycotts. It is important to understand how media works and how they generate money. Unlike print media which also earns money through the circulation of ...
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