Haute revoltion

Although one arrived well on time for the show, the venue was packed with attendees to the point that quite a few had to stand and watch the show and nobody seemed to be having a problem with it. This was a debutant show of a new designer, someone who has been quietly working for the past two years generating a modest buzz now and then, and nobody wanted to miss what the one of the upholders of the future of the fashion industry was going to be like.

The event which was done by Wow Events carried their signature minimalistic, playing-with-white simplicity which has almost always worked since this helps in bringing out the models and the outfits on the ramp with their impeccable lighting for their fashion shows. The ramp, which was of medium length had a large revolving door in the beginning of it which set the stage from where the models would enter. Each section of the revolving door had something to it, whether it was all mirrors giving a three-fold reflection of the model or a larger-than-life chair or a side kept plain and simple. Each model would pose in her section, the viewer would get a full-glimpse of her first as the door revolved and in the second cycle, she would get off the door and walk down the ramp. Simple, yet innovative, even the choreography was done by Nida Azwer, the designer herself.

The show was pleasantly free corporate sponsorship or the hoopla that preceeds sponsored shows, in order to communicate the brand ‘creatively’ to the audience,  this was entirely for the designer by the designer, so to speak. Her models walked down the ramp in traditional eastern garments with a refreshingly modern touch to them, and not just in terms of embroidery, but also in choice of colour combination, cuts, and the designers knack for creating bold border – whether through embroidery, skillfully cut-out designed edges or in her choice of using a different coloured, designed fabric to don the border with.  Even halfway during the show it became apparent that this designer is someone out of the norm. Her work, which was a unique, yet tasteful blend of cuts and traditional styles brought skillfully to the modern era.

They say a collection is a success if you can pick out at least 50 per cent of the outfits as being sure winners.  Keeping in mind Nida Azwers’ prêt, couture and bridal collection – all of them together – it’s hard to pick out just one or two outfits that stood out, an overwhelming majority of her collection was delightfully exquisite and tastefully elegant.  From her signature use of the izar pants – which she claims she gets from her grandmother who used to wear them a lot – to her unique use of the gara embroidery on her clothes, this designer’s collection conformed to the current trends predominant in the industry (long, peshwas style shirts, fitted and flowing pants etc) and yet stood out in the manner in which she chose to translate those trends. Her colour palette was predominantly composed of white, cream, bronze, blue, turquoise pink, orange and red.

So what is the essence of this designer? Some time ago, an fashion industry person had referred to her following the style of Bunto Kazmi in her designs. Where Nida Azwer is traditional in that she chooses to design eastern-wear, uses a decent amount of embroidery, and seems to have an inherent love for gara embroidery, she may be looking towards refining her skills and evolving in the more ethnic, indigenous or rather be conventionally traditional style of fashion, but what sets her apart is the uniquely modern way in which she choses to translate that same tradition. One can’t say for sure if she is the next Bunto Kazmi, it’s too early to say, but one can say for sure that if she continues at the rate and the direction that she has shown in this show, she might carve out a whole new genre for herself.

There is no doubt about the fact that this designer is a much-needed breath of fresh air. One only hopes that she may be able to follow up on her subsequent collection with just as much panache and style as she has this one – and will hopefully not fall into a ‘mould’ most people who garner appreciation quite early end up getting into. Marked with the fact that this designer at least, seems to be thinking out the moves she is making in the industry (she waited two years before showing) and in her career, one is optimistic that this designer may be the spark that won’t die out anytime soon.

Shafqat Amanat Ali: Creating his own legacy?

After releasing his debut album, Tabeer, Shafqat takes his first step as a solo act.

Let’s just get down to it: Shafqat Amanat Ali, perhaps one of the most well-known vocalists in Pakistan’s current pop industry, has finally released Tabeer, his debut solo album and his first body of work in some five odd years.

The last time I met Shafqat was sometime last year, during a photo shoot for an interview featured in Images. Back then he was taking a step towards establishing himself as a solo artiste. In that interview, he’d spoken about his highly-popularised break-up with Fuzon, the act that propelled him to stardom, and his late father (Amanat Ali Khan sahib) and brother (Asad Amanat Ali).

Back then the impression I got of him was that he seemed firmly footed in what he considered to be his identity as a person; which he closely associated to his family and gharana. Although he had yet to record an album, during that time he was in talks with Rohail Hyatt on recording two albums, one of which I was told by the latter was supposed to be a more spiritual. “Somehow that didn’t work out,” said Shafqat about his plans of working with Rohail.

But whatever happened? “Well, Coke Studio started — it popped up at the last minute,” he responded. “So I went to Shani (Zeeshan Haider), which was the right decision according to Rohail who said ‘Aacha hua yeh album uss ke pass chala gaya, mein banata to thora dark ho jata. Shafqat needed a bright album because it was his solo album after a long time’.” Shafqat didn’t seem to have any hang-ups about being bumped off by Rohail seemingly at the last minute, and was quite happy with the work he ended up doing with Shani instead.

At this point it must be mentioned that the person I met for this interview was very different from the one I had met at the afore-mentioned photo shoot. The Shafqat I had encountered then was somewhat talkative and willing to open up about his influences and perceptions on different subjects. The one I met later was extremely travel-weary and well, fasting…which was what I assumed contributed to his relative lack of energy.

He had just come back to Pakistan after releasing an album in India and the requisite tour. We were also surrounded by a TV crew hoping to shoot some behind-the-scenes footage of Shafqat-in-action right before he released his album locally, with Sania Saeed his manager coordinating the activities of everyone involved — mine included.

“In fact, we had to pull out a few songs and tracks from the album which were very dark and very sufiana. We thought we shouldn’t do it because that’s not sellable in India,” he said, talking in terms of commercial viability. Later on during the interview, Shafqat went on to say, “I don’t really think about the reaction I would get from people or my fans when composing music as what others think is not important to me. What is important is that I create music the way I want to.”

Both these statements come across as a bit of a contradiction.

He got up in the middle of the interview and showed me a bundle of Indian newspapers on the recent coverage he’d received in India. One of the papers carried an advertisement of Shafqat’s album covered in stamp ink. With a hint of a smile (and Sania carefully manoeuvring the cameraman’s attention towards the paper) he explained how the officials at an Indian airport were using the paper for the boarding card stamp. As Shafqat got his card stamped and began walking away, one of them realised who he was and called him back. Needless to say, Shafqat left with the newsprint as a souvenir. I was appropriately pointed out the stamp and the inscription on it.

Coming to the content of Tabeer, it is predominantly composed of spiritual songs, some of which are covers of several popular numbers (Khairiyan de Naal, Lal Meri Pat, etc). The overall content is very different from what one had seen Shafqat work on during his tenure with Fuzon. I wondered whether this was how Shafqat hoped to define his own sound. “It is not unintentional at all,” he responded to the varying personalities in his music. “Whatever I had composed for my previous band, after disbanding I had taken everything back with the idea of releasing it.” The move would have exploded the ex-band members into further controversy, and realising that Shafqat decided not to go ahead with it. “I have given something totally new to the listeners in this album.”

But what about the fate of the unreleased songs that he’d sung with Fuzon on what was then supposed to be their second album with him? Shafqat plans to release those songs, perhaps two or three per album, to balance them out with his newer material.

The album Tabeer is more about establishing his own identity. “These were the songs that I always thought I’d do someday, and when I was approached by the Indian record label Music Today, I thought I’d sing those songs.” An example is Khairiyan de Naal, his first single from the album. “It’s a borrowed line from Tufail Niazi’s folk song of the same name.” Even though he took the main chorus line from the original folk song, he wrote and composed the rest of the song around it.

Shafqat’s also sung Pagalpan inspired by Sindhi folk music for the album. “I had heard some folk songs in Shani’s studio and they had a beautiful melody. After making several curves and changes, I decided that we should have it in Urdu.”

But this isn’t where the covers end. Shafqat has also covered Rang Le, a very popular qawwali in the Amir Khusro kalam. When Shafqat and Music Today were through discussing the album, the latter sent him a bundle of papers containing the shairi that they wanted him to compose. “We couldn’t pick more than one because I didn’t want to make it into an Amir Khusrau album. So I picked Rang Le because it’s a very traditional track with a lot of romance in it. I thought we should compose it in a different way, ‘with a pinch of jazz’ (as mentioned on the album jacket). We tried it and the Indians just loved it.”

The Indian sensibility and proliferation in Pakistan’s pop music industry is increasingly becoming a norm. With the country unable to provide a healthy environment for full-time musicians to grow in, given the current state of affairs — we haven’t had proper, outdoor ticketed concerts (the bread and butter of most musicians) in almost two years — making it in India has literally become the Pakistani pop star’s dream.

Having said that, disappointingly so, most of the albums that have been released earlier this year, except for perhaps Ali Azmat’s Klashinfolk, have had a very strong, very dominant Indian pop music touch in their overall compositions. Our pop music has a very distinct, non-filmi sound and it is what sets us apart. But when our acts literally do more than just sell their souls across the border, one can only watch in bitter disappointment.

Thankfully though, none of the above can be said for the album Tabeer...and Shafqat agrees, “I recorded the entire album in Pakistan while they wanted me to record it in India. I refused and insisted that I’d record Tabeer here because Pakistani musicians and recordings had their own distinct sound. Whatever is released had to be prepared and made in Pakistan. That was my major concern,” Shafqat says resolutely.

Shafqat was nominated in the best lyricist category at this year’s The Musik Awards (TMAs) for the Fuzon song, Neend Na Aye Teray Bina. One had even heard rumours that Shafqat planned to sing the song and release it himself as well. When asked, Shafqat shook his head saying he had no intention of doing anything of the sort, and that if someone really wanted to hear his version of it they could look online since most of the second album that he recorded with Fuzon had been leaked on the Internet.

“Do you know how he wrote that song?” Sania said, adding that he asked for a piece of paper during a flight and scribbled some of the initial lyrics on it. The subsequent song was completed on bits and pieces of paper procured from flights, hotel rooms and what not. It turns out that Shafqat does this quite often in a fit of inspiration — he’ll write on anything that is readily available for him to translate his creative energy on to.

– Photography: Arif Mahmud/WhiteStar

Simply haute

Paying tribute to the fashion industry, was the launch of a new fashion channel in the country: Style 360. There is a price to be paid for aesthetic glamour and they’re gladly willing to sign the cheque.

Let’s face it: Fashion is the entertainment industry’s stepchild. It’s always been treated as that and only managed to get somewhat of a boost these past couple of years when its scope and more important, visibility increased. However, keeping that in mind, fashion industry celebrities are still not as popular as perhaps, music, theatre or television personalities. What it does have, other than individuals expressing their more aesthetic side, is sheer drama.

It’s more cut-throat, unforgiving and requires one to have a certain thickness of skin to survive in it. You will be welcomed with open arms but make one mistake and you will be flicked away like the proverbial fly in the soup. The only way to survive is to be on top of the game at every level and at all times.

Paying tribute to all this and more was the launch of a new fashion channel in the country: Style 360 (henceforth referred to as S360). The name says it all as it covers fashion all the way. There is a price to be paid for aesthetic glamour and the people at S360 are gladly willing to sign the cheque.

What was pleasing to note was that every little detail was carefully taken care of. The invitation arrived in the form of a passport. To gain entry into the world of S360 you had to present it at the reception which was led to by the classic red carpet lined with vintage cars. Once inside, you were confronted by a waiting lounge draped in black and white, complete with sofas, a refreshments bar and statuettes lining your passage, while a live band played music on the gallery above. The show was opened by a group of acrobats who wowed all and sundry by their sheer agility and stunts. They used a circular trapeze and ribbons in their act, some of which were absolutely breathtaking and on a completely different level from how local work is being done.

No fashion event is complete without a fashion show. The ramp was set against a black backdrop of a starlit sky, offset by massive screens displaying varying visuals on either side. Opening the show was a collection by Hasan Shehryar Yasin (HSY) who also did the fashion choreography for the event. Starting off with an ensemble of black outfits, what was interesting to note was that the models sported chic black hoods across their eyes (see no evil, perhaps?). The collection was, however, very Sheroo: The shirt lengths were long and flared out towards the bottom. A majority of the outfits, however, had also been shown as a part of his Autumn/Winter collection last year.

The two bridal outfits that were shown as a part of the finale for his collection weren’t all that as they were overtly embellished and very reminiscent of what is freely available in the local market. How he chose to style them, however, was what set them apart. The models wore long, black velvet capes offsetting the bright red which gave them a somewhat darker, chic look.

Nomi Ansari also showcased his collection at the event. The Karachi-based designer is known for adding a bit of fun to his collections and how he chooses to show them. His models literally flashed as they came on stage that night. They sported headgear fitted with tiny, colourful lights throughout the showing of his collection. Except for a chosen few pieces, the collection inspired by Lollywood had also been showcased previously at a solo show held at The Designers outlet in Karachi a couple of months back.

Iman Ahmed of the Body Focus Museum is one of the oldest designers in our very, very young fashion industry. Shy when it comes to making social appearances, she’s not one to constantly push herself into the limelight, instead choosing to let her work speak for her. Making a rare appearance was an eagerly-awaited collection by her on the ramp. Unlike other designers she chose not to have her outfits be drowned in over-the-top embellishments or embroidery.

Playing with a colour palette that encompassed creme, white and black with a flavour of red thrown in here and there, her collection clearly displayed a maturity that comes with time and well-honed aesthetic instincts. Her models sported dresses which had several layers on the skirts, lachas set well above the ankle and culottes that made a visible comeback. Some of her models even sported kifayahs, as did the designer herself when she came for her final bow towards the end.

The other designer who managed to create a stir that evening, but in a complete different style, was Umar Sayeed. His collection, some of which was plucked from what he showed at Ensemble’s Midsummer Night’s Dream show earlier this year, was heavily composed of a colour palette of deep red, black and white. He was also the only designer to have the models sport saris on the runway. His collection played around with volume and layers, and one would have liked to see the models play with it as they walked down the ramp.

Personally speaking, the only flaw in the evening was the hair and make-up show titled “tribute to theatre” featuring Shahzad Raza of the Lahore-based Ather Shahzad duo. With all due respect, the collection was far, far from that as the models walked down the ramp in over-the-top headgear and oversized, untidy-looking wigs some of which were distastefully blonde and curly (think Goldilocks). There is a very good reason why people living in the subcontinent don’t have naturally blonde hair — simply speaking, they would look really bad with it. The sooner our stylists understand this, the better.

Also amusing was Shahzad’s introduction as a “living legend.” He may have spent over a decade in the industry and is known predominantly for his work first as a fashion photographer and now a stylist, but that hardly qualifies him for the rather generous title.

Music gets bigger, better, bolder

The biggest night in music is back!

The Musik Awards (TMAs) are back and they’re bigger, better, bad-er and bolder than before. Undoubtedly the biggest night in music, the TMAs, from the time they were first held in 2006, set a new standard in how local award shows should be executed.

They say that the backbone of any award event the world over is its credibility. You can spend millions in hiring the right talent to execute a brilliant show, but without a credible jury all that the award function is going to be is just a good show.

Unlike the other award shows geared towards celebrating excellence in fashion, the jury so far for these music-focused awards has largely remained unquestioned — the one for the previous TMAs comprised veteran music composer and principal of Napa Arshad Mahmud, former Vital Signs band member Shehzad ‘Shahi’ Hasan, Nayyara Noor (who won the Lifetime Achievement Award in this year’s ceremony), gifted writer-cum-lyricist Anwar Maqsood, acclaimed director Asad-ul-Haq, celebrated stylist Tariq Amin and long-time music and culture critic, Nadeem Farooq Paracha. This year the jury was limited to only four members which included Rohail Hyatt, Salman Alvi, Asim Reza and Nayyara Noor.

Due to the socio-political disturbances in the country and because of the fact that the TMAs have always flown in at least one act from abroad to perform (the last TMAs marked the comeback of Alamgir, the man responsible for introducing pop music into the local music circuit), the award ceremony couldn’t be held last year. Hence this year’s ceremony was a culmination of both which lasted a whopping six hours and featured over 10 acts.

Held at the Expo Centre and organised by Reema Siddiqui, Jalal Salahuddin and Omar Satti of J&S3, a Lahore-based event management agency, the sheer amount of work that was put into the event was evident from the moment one walked into the hallway designated as the waiting lounge which opened into the main performance area.

After multiple security checks, I entered the lounge area which also served as a Hall of Fame featuring blown-up posters of previous awards winners while music from the current list of nominations blared through the speakers. Meanwhile, the who’s who from the music, television and fashion industry gathered together for a pre-award function chat.

With the sweltering heat and humidity that we’ve all fallen victims to this summer, it was especially pleasing to note that the performance area was comfortably air-conditioned. Thankfully, the stage and the surrounding area (sponsors take note) was free of intrusive branding. The increasing the number of logos that can be seen at an event these days does not amount to better adveritising but only serves as annoying, visual clutter. Except for the left side of the stage where the Telenor-TMA branding was visible, it was nowhere else to be found.

The stage itself was offset by large life-size screens that displayed all that happening on stage for those sitting further off. It must be mentioned here that in terms of ambience the TMAs, overall, have consistently managed to maintain a level of sophistication in ambience and design, unlike other events.

The performances at the TMAs managed to blow off all previously held records of event-based shows. Paying tribute to music through and through, the performances consisted of the best in music, where performers such as Hasan Jehangir were brought back from obscurity. Adorned with an Elvis-like look courtesy Nabila and her team who did the overall looks, styling and wardrobe of all of the performers, he opened the show with a rendition of what else but his classic number, Hawa Hawa.

Ali Azmat surprised all by appearing on stage in what shall henceforth be referred to as the Bobby Brown pants (Whitney Houston’s husband who, during the course of his short career in music, was famous for wearing the baggy Sindbad pants that bunched up towards the end in a similar manner to the local chooridar pajama) and a Mohawk which he described as “the new wave.” He was assisted on stage by male dancers flown in from India courtesy of Rajeev Surti and his team.

Another performance worth mentioning was by the new line-up of Fuzon. I didn’t particularly fancy their velvet coats as they looked too hot for comfort, and not surprisingly most of the band members could be seen without them once they got off stage. And there was a definite improvement in Rameez’s performance. They performed to Balima, a song off their new album, Journey.

Noori came on stage and performed a rocked-up version of Ye Jawani Hai Dewani by the late Bollywood playback singer, Kishore Kumar. While some disagreed, I found their version highly entertaining. Other performances include one by Sajjad Ali who was backed up by dancers dressed in Cholistan-inspired western-infused outfits, and a performance by Annie Princess on her newer, more trance-oriented number. I wouldn’t give any points to the song itself, but the performance on a visual level was entertaining — she arrived on a throne that was carried on stage. Unfortunately the CD skidded several times during the course of her performance and the dancers would freeze every time it happened, recovering from it beautifully to the effect that it almost didn’t seem like a glitch.

Where one appreciated the finesse with which La flamenco, a dance troupe from London, danced on stage, their performance didn’t quite go with the high-energy acts that preceded them. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan performed his Naina Thug Lenge from the soundtrack of the Bollywood blockbuster, Omkara. He has always been a powerful and versatile performer, capable of holding his own even without the dancers that came to assist his set. Dressed in Cholistan-inspired outfits, they danced a more pop version of the classical Kathak which is currently the rage among Indian youths. Saeen Zahoor performed in the wee hours of the morning in a set that was designed by Ather Hafeez.

Taking the cake in live acts was the Indian band Euphoria. In an interview that was conducted later for Images, the band members mentioned how they had wanted to perform in Pakistan for the longest time but had previously never been invited. With songs such as Dhoom and Mayeri increasingly popular in Pakistan, they seemed like an ideal band to feature from the neighbouring country. Their performance was as loud as any Overload performance any day. With seven band members dominating the stage, they started off with a short instrumental and went on to perform classic numbers such as Dhoom, Kaise Bhoolay Gi Mera Naam and of course, Mayeri. Needless to say they had the audience on their feet and singing along with them.

Where the awards themselves are concerned, they were as follows: Best Ballad — Chale Rein Day by Sajjad Ali (a personal favourite in this category was Tere Pyar Mein by Kaavish); Best Album — Charkha by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan; Best Pop Song — Armaan by Siege (Roya Re by Shiraz Uppal was expected to win in this category and rightly so); Best Bhangra Song — Mahi Ve by Josh; Best Rock Song — Paheliyan by Mauj.

The Best Live Act (Solo) went to Shafqat Amanat Ali who, while accepting his award, said he would be back next year winning one for his solo album due for release this year. The Best Live Act (Band) went to the Mekaal Hassan Band, Best Music Producer went to Rohail Hayat for the album Charkha by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Best Lyricist award went to Anwar Maqsood for the song Akhri Alvida by Strings. Shallum Xavier won the Best Guitarist award for the second year in a row. Now where one is all for Shallum’s guitar-playing, one felt that Faraz Anwar, who was also nominated in the same category, should have won. He is a well-respected guitar virtuoso in his own right.

The Best Drummer award went to John Loius Pinto (Gumby) for the second year in a row and Khalid Khan bagged Best Bassist which was, frankly speaking, took a long time coming. Emu won the TMA for Best Keyboardist. The Outstanding Contribution to Music award was given to (surprise, surprise) Ghazanfar Ali of the Indus TV Network.

The Best Song award went to Chalte Chalte by Jal; the Best Video to Ahsan Rahim for the video of Ali Zafar’s Sajania. Sajid and Zeeshan won the Best English Song for Have to let go sometime. The Best Original Soundtrack TMA was Ali Noor’s to have for Sherdil by him and Waqar Ali. During his acceptance speech, Ali Noor recognised the sheer amount of work his contemporary had put into the song and dedicated 99 per cent of the award to him.

The Most Wanted Male TMA went to Atif Aslam while Annie bagged its female category counterpart. Strings won the Most Wanted Band. The Pepsi Rising Star went to Khawar Jawad (the award should have been Ali Khan’s as his popular song, Saathiya, still comes out strong from amongst the newer lot).

Giving credit where it’s due, those from the ARY team who contributed towards making the TMAs a success were Salman Iqbal, Arif Hussain, Danish Khawaja (show producer), Faisal Rasheed, Adil Malik, Ali Memon, Annas Faheem and Ahmed Zakariya.

Made in Moscow

Marking the end of Jami’s two-year haitus is the String’s video of Hamsafar

Some people might say that Jami shoots with a photographers’ eye. He is known for the frames that he works in and his often, almost abstract concepts (look closely at the videos he makes and every second carries a hidden meaning waiting to be explored and discovered). On a visual level, every single frame is a masterpiece — his videos are truly composed of ‘moving pictures’.

So where does Strings come in all of this you wonder? To begin with, Jami and the band go way back. When Faisal and Bilal made their oft-remembered comeback, Jami shot their title video of Duur. Years later, the duo is still working with this director and from its current album, Koi Aanay Wala Hai, has managed to drag Jami out of his almost two-year sabbatical from music videos to shoot the video of Humsafar, a song from their current album.

In our last interview with Strings, (No strings attached, published on May 19, 2008), Faisal Kapadia had mentioned that “the second video, Jago, is a fun song and we’ve shot it in Karachi with Jami. It’s still being edited. The third video we shot with Jami in Moscow.” The latter is now complete and is slated for a release on the airwaves soon.

For this sneak preview Images ventured into Jami’s crayon-coloured (artwork courtesy his children) editing room to see what he had to offer. And we weren’t disappointed. A fan of post-war, black-and-white French cinema, Jami chose to shoot the video of Hamsafar in Moscow, taking advantage of the colonial architecture predominant there. Featured in the video as the protagonist couple is Anatoly and Jane, the model duo imported from Russia who are slowly but quietly carving a niche in the local fashion industry.

The story within the video is fairly simple at first. We see Jane waiting in a café and she is visibly upset. Anatoly arrives at the venue, he and Jane quarrel and Jane leaves. She is then seen crossing a street and the next shot is of her visibly horrified expression as she turns around to face the (expected) vehicle crashing into her. Anatoly soon arrives at the scene of the accident and is (obviously) devastated. Love quarrelled and in the end it lost.

But just when you think you’ve seen it all, we’re taken back to the café and the story repeats itself in somewhat of a loop. Each time we’re shown a little more, extra clues and another detail to the story is revealed, and this goes on making the time frame of each repeating story a little longer. It culminates to reveal a completely unexpected and very different ending initially assumed. A spoiler would be to compare it to the Nickleback video of Someday.

A band once mentioned that they like their videos to be complex because every time he/she sees it, the viewer finds something new, another interpretation that he/she can take back with them. Considered a creative individual, the same can be said of Jami’s visual interpretation of Strings’ Hamsafar. There is something new to be found every time. The video is expected to go on the airwaves around the time this article appears in print.

Aitebaar:Signed, sealed and delivered

Saqib Malik spills all on his latest creative venture, the video of the Zeb and Haniya song, “Aitebaar”.’

Six months ago, in a previous interview (Genius in waiting?; November 10, 2007) Saqib Malik had said: “I am in the thought-process of a video right now for Zeb and Haniya. I love their music. I think they’ve got a fresh sound — it’s very modern, paired down, very cool and it just comes through very directly. I’m very excited. And I think it’s going to be different than my other videos because I want it to be something straight up and simple. It’s not going to be an elaborate setup.”

He has delivered on his promise. Saqib is back in the circuit after having completed the music video for Zeb and Haniya’s Aitebaar. Slated for a release on local television soon, it sees contribution by Tariq Amin on hair, make-up and styling, wardrobe by Deepak Perwani and Omar Rahim on choreography.

Every director has a quality that makes him stand apart from the rest, the defining characteristics of his work. When it comes to Saqib Malik, it can be said that his defining characteristic would be the concepts for his music videos. His video for Rushk’s Behti Naar was conceptually brilliant but rendered in a somewhat grainy, home-produced manner.

Moreover, it explored different facets of our society and selves: Internal conflicts, oppression leading to rebellion, women empowerment, male submission and sexuality. Then came Fuzon’s Khamaj, a visual delight that explored an unspoken, unfulfilled love between a director and his star. With Ali Azmat’s Na Re Na the interpretations are simply never-ending.

We are back at this avant-garde director’s Karachi apartment, and after having previewed the video it’s quite clear that despite the simplicity of set and design, the Aitebaar project explores yet another facet of love — reconciliation at the end of it all. Beautifully choreographed by Omar Rahim, who is joined in by Joshindar Chaggar (otherwise known more for her Bollywood dance lessons), we see the duo moving from room to room engaged in a dialogue within their dancing.

Shot at Saqib’s old family home, the movement of the dancers is perfectly synchronised and appears to almost tease the viewers. The camera switches from capturing them moving within a single frame, ala Stanley Kubrick, to showing a visual perspective of the other from the subjects’ point-of-view (in a similar manner to how the Herb Ritts video of Ain’t it Funny by Jennifer Lopez was shot). The band, like the clichéd voices-in-the-protagonist’s-head, fades in and out.

“After the film (Ajnabi Shehr Mein) didn’t take off there was a big void, and I wanted to do something interesting,” relates Saqib about how he initially came to hear Zeb and Haniya’s music. “Umar Amanullah played it for me one day and I instantly fell in love with it. I told him I wanted to meet these girls. I kept hearing the song over and over…. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it.

“I met them a couple of months ago and it was then that I understood their aura, the way they are and how they communicate, their body language, and what they are as musicians and as people,” he adds.

The fact that this is Zeb and Haniya’s first music video was taken well into consideration. “They’re going to launch themselves with this video, so there has got to be an image for them. They are divas in their own right — they’ve got great voices, they’re very intelligent and they sing from the heart.”

About the concept of the video, Saqib says, “After I met Zeb and Haniya, they told me that Aitebaar is about a relationship ending in a very mature way. Here is somebody who is reconciled to the fact that it’s over and they’re at peace with themselves. They can now think back in retrospect and deal with it in a very different way.”

The music video was shot at Saqib’s ‘heritage’ house. “I use it for shoots and it’s empty. I always believe that location has a huge role to play in the soul of any video that you’re doing. The entire idea for Khamaj came one day when I was at Eastern Studios. I looked around the place that was so full of history and I constructed the idea from that. Of course, the real inspiration came from Guru Dutt. For Na Re Na, it came from the haveli and the same is the case with Zeb and Haniya’s Aitebaar video.”

One of the things that sets the video apart from the rest of Saqib’s work so far is that it is almost entirely composed of dance. Choreographed by Omar Rahim who also choreographed the fifth LSA and worked on the choreography for the Hollywood production, The Guru, how did Saqib manage to rope him in?

“I’d wanted to work with Omar Rahim. In fact, he was supposed to be the choreographer for Ajnabi Shehr Mein which never happened. Then I wanted him to be involved with Ali Zafar’s Dekha video and that didn’t work out either. So I just called him up and he said he’d love to do Aitebaar.” Considering that Omar would need a partner in the video, Saqib assured him that he had the perfect person in mind: Joshindar Chaggar. “I had met Josh (Joshindar) a couple of times before and I thought ‘she’s such a spirited person…sweet and yet so strong’.”

But considering her background and inclination towards Bollywood-inspired choreography, how did he manage to tame her down? “I saw something in her. She’s got a great, very expressive face and technically she knows how to dance. Omar interpreted my idea into dance and both he and Josh slogged it out. I gave them the house to practise in and for two weeks they were at it. We would meet after every two days to see what they’d rehearsed…it all went off quite smoothly.”

Since the set, design and artwork of the video is extremely simple and considering that Saqib wanted ‘mood’ lighting, that in itself became an issue. “It was a very tough job because it’s all mood lighting. I didn’t want flat light; I wanted the glimpses of light to highlight the emotions. When you do that it’s very difficult to hide lights. So we had to find all kinds of corners to hide them in. At the same time I suggested that we make Josh a photographer and if you really study it, there are paintings, pictures, cameras, and there is light all over.”

Choreographers in the past have complained that inadequate editing of their filmed dance sequences often ruins the sequence of the story that they are trying to relate through dance and/or the music does not end up being perfectly synchronised with the movement. Keeping that in mind, I ask Saqib how he dealt with the editing of the video. “We planned it out. There was a lot of work that went into that. I decided what parts we were going to have for the singing. We shot the whole dance in real time. I filmed with several cameras and from several angles. Of course when I was editing there were certain moves that were redundant or didn’t work, so they were edited.”

Coming to Zeb and Haniya’s appearances in the video, they seem to be the voices that haunt the protagonist as she dances her way through different memories in different places in the house. “Now I know these two can’t act to save their lives. But what they do brilliantly is sing, and they really get involved with that. They have a style of their own where they really don’t communicate with each other, and yet there is synergy between them.

“I wanted them in there, to be the voice of the dancer’s subconscious or what’s going on in her mind. So really, in a way, Zeb and Haniya are narrating the story.”

As a nation we are not used to interpreting dance, or any art form for that matter that is not literally spelt out. Considering the metaphorical nature of how Aitebaar was filmed, does Saqib think people will be able to figure it out? “I think people are really smart. and I think people also expect something a little obtuse from me. When they see something that isn’t so clear and upfront, they want to see it again and again, and they want to put their minds to it and figure it out. To this day people are obsessed with trying to figure out Na Re Na.”

How much has he had to compromise on this video? “In retrospect, there are certain things I would have liked to do, things I’d have liked to make clearer now that it’s all put together. But I don’t think I’ve compromised much. I had a free hand to do what I wanted to. I had five days which is a real luxury in this field and I had the best team in the world. What more could I ask for?,” he asks.

‘Salute’, the calender

Photography: Amean J.
Hair & Make-up: Creative Team at Nabila
Artwork & Design: Sarah Pirzada at 18% grey
Photo Assistants: Kiran Iftikhar & Shezad George
Digital Assistant: Qasim Nagori
Copy: Madeeha Syed
Executive Producer: FTV Pakistan
Producer: Naushaba Brohi

Outfit: Sonya Battla
Inspired by: Patrick Demarchelier
(b. 1943 | France) is influenced by the classics of photography & painting. A connoissuer of beauty, Demarchelier’s work is depicted by his careful characterization of light, lines & forms of the human body. He captured vulnerability predominant in some of the most iconic figures today.

Inspired by: David Lachapelle
(b. Mar 11, 1963 | USA) known as the Dali of Photography. Mixing glamour with comic fantasy in an attempt to create his own visionary world than to reproduce what is there. Dubbing his work as “escapist fantasies”, his idea is that his pictures are “a small intermission, a break of beauty”.

Inspired by: Irving Penn
(b. June 16, 1917 | USA) is perhaps one of the most imitated contemporary photographers. He is credited for being among the first to use a plain white or grey backdrop, more effectivly than others, for his subjects to pose against, & carried this simplicity throughout his career. Othar than his extraordinary capacity for versatility, inventiveness & imagination, Penn’s work is also characterrized by its post World War 11 glamour and chic.

Outfit: Nomi Ansari
Inspired by: Steven Meisel
(b. 1954 | USA) asks his audience to think of themselves as learned & sophisticated. Obsessed with beauty, style & art from an early age, he ventured into fashion photography after working as an illustrator. With an eye for discovering undiscovered talent, for him fashion entailsa consciousness of styles revived knowingly & not for the sake of pleasure of recognition.

Outfit: Khaadi Khaas
Inspired by: Herb Ritts
(b. August 13, 1952 d. December 26, 2002 | USA) was one of Hollywood’s most celebrated photographers. Characteristic of clean lines & strong sculptural forms, his work often sought to challenge conventional notions of gender & race. One of the best-known celebrity portraitists of the 80s and 90s, he is attributed to have mythologized celebrity.

Outfit: Nida Azwer
Inspired by: Mario Testino
(b. October 30, 1954 | Peru) is one of fashion’s most sought-after photographers. Widely studied, his images are considered works of art. He is perhaps best known for his highly sensuous, sophisticated and sexy ad campaigns and his works on the couture scene carry a deceptive air of nonchalance. “I didn’t want to be a fine artist because I don’t want to be alone in the studio,” Testino once said, “I prefer seeing my work in a magazine and making a difference in how people see something.”

Inspired by: Edward Steichen
(b. March 27, 1879 | Luxembourg – d. March 25, 1973) thought of himself as a genius caught between the conflicting priorities of art and public service. Originally trained as a painter, he believed in the role of the photographer as a creator, subject to inward visions — “the mission of photography is to explain man to man and each to himself. And that is the most complicated thing on earth.”

Inspired by: Albert Watson
(b. 1942) is the great unknown, that is to say, he’s the greatest little-known photographer in the world. His work carries its own distinctive rules of quality: his images are broodingly powerful, intensely emotional, seductively erotic, and always dramatic and are identifiable by their sheer power and technical virtuosity. Watson’s images were initially rejected by fashion magazines for being ‘too strong’.

Inspired by: Andy Warhol
(b. Aug 6, 1928 – d. Feb 22, 1987 | USA) known as the Prince of Pop Art. Having formally studied commercial art, Warhol’s work often concentrated on newspaper clippings, product brands and celebrities with mass appeal and he preferred placing his work in a fine art context. A controversial figure of his time he has been reenacted in numerous retrospective films and books. “Isn’t life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?” Warhol once questioned.

Inspired by: Richard Avedon
(b. May 15, 1923 – d. Oct 1, 2004 | USA) will be remembered for his stunning reinvention of photographic portraiture: he was known to capture the ’soul’ of his subjects and was able to take his success in fashion photography and expand it into the realm of fine art. “I think all art is about control; the encounter between control and the uncontrollable” – Avedon

Outfit: Nida Azwer
Inspired by: David Bailey
(b. Jan 2, 1938 | UK) was influenced by post-war cinema in the 60s, the French New Wave in particular. His work moved from fashion photography to ‘intimate, almost friendly’ portraits of celebrities. “I don’t care about composition or anything like that,” he once said, “I just want the emotion of the person to come across… to get something from that person.” The 1966 movie ‘Blow up’ was made largely based on Bailey.

Outfit: Ammar Bilal
Inspired by: Helmut Newton
(b. Oct 31, 1920 | Germany – d. Jan 23, 2004 | USA) was the doyen of fashion’s dark side. One of the most influential fashion photographers of all time, Newton’s work bordered on the voyeuristic and embodied a unique amalgamation of style, sex, and theater. His images carry a nonchalant irony and air of secrecy around them. He once stated that “My job as a photographer is to seduce amuse and entertain.”

Hair to do

From Monroe to Madonna to defining a whole new ‘icon’, Tariq Amin casts his shadow on the fashion industry

‘You are what you hair’ was the theme behind the Tariq Amin’s hair show in Karachi recently. Organised by Catwalk, wardrobe by Ammar Belal and choreography by our very and ‘safe’ Sonu Dangerous, the event was held to introduce a style icon the sponsor Sunsilk found to endorse the brand. To further embed the style icon’s status, her contribution to the fashion industry and statements made by her personal style were sneakily being associated with two of the biggest icons in Hollywood history: Marilyn Monroe and Madonna.

The show was delightfully different, and that an attempt was made to pay attention to detail was quite evident. The onstage activity was divided into three sections — one dedicated to each Monroe and Madonna, and the third to introduce the new icon. Each set was preceded by a small presentation which compiled text, video clips and photographs of the lives of style icons.

With her hair bleached to blonde perfection, the show opened with model Hajra singing Happy Birthday Mr President, the version Marilyn sang for John F. Kennedy on his birthday on May 19, 1962. While she looked like the birthday song version of Monroe right down to her big-bobbed hair, what was amusing to note was that Hajra stood at quite a distance from the microphone set on the ramp while lip-syncing the song! It would have helped to stand closer, just to make it look more natural.

I want to be loved by You was performed by Fia. I was immediately struck by how tall she was as she walked down the ramp in large, classic Monroe curls and a short white dress while mouthing the words to perfection.

But it was Tooba who stole the show with her rendition of Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend (the overall look which Madonna recreated in her Material Girl video, and which was not performed that night).

Depicting female sensuality can be tricky business. Just by giving the wrong look, body language or by exaggerating a pout, a model can end up looking sleazy. Where Madonna was known for throwing herself brazenly to stage and to her videos, shocking the then predominant bourgeois sensibilities and sometimes even considered to be somewhat trashy, Marilyn Monroe on the other hand was a classic tease. The look in her eyes and the curve of her mouth for a chosen smile was enough to entice the viewer without making them feel visually violated (or without seemingly coming on the viewers).

Suffice it to say that a similar philosophy seems to come naturally to Tooba. She ended her performance with her arms held out wide — in that moment she ruled the show and she knew it. She mouthed the words perfectly, swished and sashayed and was completely natural.

Tooba’s hair was made up in tight, closed curls — the type that open to cascading waves, which formed a perfect circle around her head. She dressed in a white dress, gloves, decked in glittering jewellery on her arms and around her neck… she wasn’t acting Monroe, she was her own version of the iconic beauty. Her performance stood out till the end of the show.

In utter contrast was the segment dedicated to Madonna. It is here when the pace of the show picked up. Madonna is the queen of reinvention and so was the segment dedicated to her hairdo. It required more changes in set, song, model, and needless to say the overall look. All of this was carefully and adequately handled, especially where the overall look including, hair, make-up, chosen outfit and set/prop for the Madonna singles were concerned.

The same cannot be said entirely for the individual performances of the models. Where some were very good and seemed familiar with the Madonna they were personifying, there were others who were somewhat out of sync with their character and seemed completely clueless.

The segment hit off with Lucky Star, Madonna’s first-ever top-five hit single performed by Annie who carried a head of the ’80s-inspired messy curls. It was an era when Madonna donned perhaps the most outrageous outfits and hairdos, and in which she was considered to be a complete fashion disaster. But it helped shaped the identity she has now.

Hardly considered to be a regular feature on the ramp, Annie was supported by a pair of male dancers and danced on the ramp with endless energy. However, she tended to resort to the exaggerated pout and often seemed to squint at the audience; one could almost say that she was trying too hard (not to mention her timing was off; which was even more painfully evident with both the dancers by her side who danced perfectly in sync). At one point she walked into the middle of the ramp, lay down and raised her legs over her head – somersaulting? Thankfully the song also ended around that time.

Did she manage to shock in the manner of Madonna’s in-your-face acts? The answer is yes!

Another memorable performance came in the form of Fayezah Ansari (dressed to perfection in a grey-and-black Ammar Belal suit) performing to one of Madonna’s most controversial numbers, Express Yourself. This song carries some of the best dance choreography from all of Madonna’s videos. In it she is depicted as a female in a dominant position over the men who serve her and dances with feminine grace yet without a hint of submissiveness. The video caused a controversy for the unconventional manner in which the relationship between men and women was shown. Fayezah, with her tall and well-built figure, seemed perfect for the role. She came towards the middle of the ramp and seemed to put her heart into her performance, often forgetting to lip-sync the lyrics. Although somewhat awkward, she kept repeating moves but also continued to give fierce expressions coupled with delightful smiles.

Dressed and trying to dance like Madonna, was Fayezah entertaining? Yes. Was she her own version of the icon? No.

Tatmain came forward on Music, Madonna’s groovy hit in her later years. For this, a large box was brought in over which a male model became a DJ working the turntables. Another danced towards the left side of the ramp and Tatmain appeared danced near the box, towards the middle of the ramp. This particular performance didn’t quite do it for me as everyone seemed all over the place. The lighting in this segment was especially dark with dimmed hues of magenta overtaking the ambience which only ended up making it difficult to watch.

However, a disaster of a performance came with the model that performed Madonna’s Tell Me. Donning what attempted to look like classic western gear, not only did one think she was a little too short to be on the ramp in the first place, but she was also incredibly stiff. She predominantly skipped around the ramp attempting to dance.

Just when one thought that a perfectly good show was now taking a downward spiral, Sunsilk decided to unveil the style that they linked with Monroe and Madonna — Iman Ali. A larger-than-life portrait of the model/actress set against a white backdrop was revealed which further opened from the centre to show an enticing silhouette of Iman behind a white screen.

She carefully tore through it and dressed in an elegant pink dress that trailed behind her with studded diamantes on one side, she sashayed down the ramp. With sad, almost dreamy eyes and hair bouncing off her shoulders, she made one think of a classic princess from children’s fables. Whether she is a dominant style icon can be debated but not overruled.

‘l’m not Deepak Perwani’

Images catches up with the globetrotting designer who can’t stop showing off

You’ve been travelling a lot during the past couple of months, showing at a lot of places. What’s up with that?

I’m the kind of person who reacts to everything and feels a lot. So pertaining to what’s going on in Pakistan right now, I’ve agreed to accept every foreign assignment that comes my way.

I was in London and Cairo, and missed a flight to show in Geneva. Then I decided to go to Malaysia Fashion Week and on to Bangalore Fashion Week, Colombo Fashion Week and now I’m leaving on the Feb 19 for Dubai Fashion Week.

How was the experience of showing in Colombo?

Colombo’s always been fantastic because you get to see a lot of fantastic designers’ shows. I think the Malaysian designers are super-talented. What’s also nice about Kuala Lumpur is that as a fashion arena, it has international designers who show and they’re kind enough to invite designers from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh… so they’re not thinking of it just as their fashion week. They look at fashion as ‘Asia rather than as just being Malaysia, and I guess that’s why it works.

What did you show there?

This year the theme for Malaysia Fashion Week was ‘Love’ and I think everybody has their own interpretation of it.

You showed a dastarkhwaan-inspired collection at the Colombo Fashion Week recently. Why?

Why not? You only have to pick up something quintessentially Pakistani. I did the truck art collection 12 years ago. I did the ajrak, kantha and the rilli, in sort of spurts of creativity. This year I’ve stressed on dastarkhwaan because it’s something that I find very colourful, mad and it makes me happy. Plus, it’s regionally inspiring and it is what all Pakistanis are familiar with but have never taken as inspiration.

Ideas come from little things in life and not large things. You can look at a picture of Ali Khurshid’s and maybe draw inspiration from it immediately. Inspiration does not take long and inspiration is not expensive — I don’t look at it that way. I wanted to do something Pakistani for the longest time and I have over the years. I also think that as a brand ambassador and an ambassador for Pakistan when I’m going abroad, I’m not just projecting clothes, I’m projecting the country’s image. With the prevailing times that we live in, whether we are progressive, modern, or not progressive, it all depends on the kind of clothes that we show abroad. And I want to come across as a very progressive designer from an equally progressive country.

Something interesting happened when you were in Colombo I believe?

When we were there, Tapu (Javeri) called me up at 8.00am and asked me to walk out to the balcony. We were staying at the Taj which is right across the beach — the entire shoreline is there — and for the first time I saw tanks and rocket launchers and thousands of troops marching by and I thought: ‘Oh, my god! The war has finally arrived and the Tamil Tigers are going to attack’.

It made me realise that we are still better off; we’re not going through such trying times. We’re just being projected wrongly in the media abroad and in such a manner that we have a negative image. Pakistan is not about Waziristan, Balochistan and the NWFP. I’m sorry we have that part and I think every country has such problems. I’m sure India has those problems, too, along with Sri Lanka and Thailand. The US has insurgents everywhere — everybody has their own terrorists and their bombers. Surprisingly, anything that happens in the world Pakistan bears the blame for it. All of a sudden Pakistan is just so ripe and in the middle of everything. We need to project ourselves better; we need to love our country.

I was telling my friends the other day that it would be easy for us, if tomorrow something should happen, to just pack up our bags and move to Dubai. But what about the rest? Where are they going to go? What’s going to happen?

I’m sitting here, I’m comfortable in Defence and Clifton but for the first time, I’m scared. I’m not just scared for myself, I’m scared for everybody around me — my friends, family, the karigars who work for me and their livelihoods. I’m scared ke kal unko kuch hogaya to woh kahan jaen gay? They’ve been with me for 12 years.

When I talk about Deepak Perwani, I don’t talk about myself. I always say ‘we’. A lot of people find that very amusing and people find that absolutely crazy because I’m not Deepak Perwani, there are 150 people who are Deepak Perwani, who are a part of the organisation, who work there every day and create the designs that have helped me become what I am today. Full credit goes to my karigars, masters, assistants and my parents — everybody who’s taken s*** from me over the years — and my friends and people in fashion who work with me, who love me and hate me.

What approach would you suggest to people who’re trying to break into the industry now?

Have lots and lots of money. Because you’ll be putting in lots and lots of it into it before you even see it. Secondly, have hope: You must really love this job to be into it. If you don’t love it, then you have to become a great marketeer. But other than that, you must really love your job to be designing because it’s going to frustrate you, it’s going to make you mad, it’s going to make you crazy and at times you’re going to hate it.

At the end of the day, you’re carrying a huge burden on your shoulders, you’re not just selling clothes, but you’re selling an idea, a dream, an inspiration, a lifestyle and everything that is you.

I see myself as a non-conformist to Pakistani fashion because I’ve always believed that I’m designing — call it arrogance or my own satisfaction to my own creativity — what I’ve liked to design. Whether you understand it or not, or like it or not, that’s your problem. As far as I’m concerned, the global village or the global world understands me very well.

What can we expect from your label in the next couple of months?

Lots of stuff. A couple of our plans have gotten messed up because we were opening three new shops this year and I wanted to penetrate the other-side-of-the-bridge market but because of the times right now, those plans have come to a halt. After coming back form Dubai Fashion Week, we’ll start supplying to New York, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, etc.

So you’re going global?

It has to be that way. Otherwise I think I would be wasting my time. I don’t want to be a big fish in small pond. I would love to be a minute fish in a big pond because that’s where the fun is.

It’s kind of boring to be a big fish in Pakistan because after a while there is no capacity to grow, there’s no capacity for fun. I’m a much bigger person than that. I have the capacity to embrace the world. The question is whether the world is ready to embrace me.

-- Photography by Tapu Javeri

Penniless Paris

According to the law of the nature, bad behaviour gets punished badly. In the world of the Hiltons’, it costs you most of your inheritance.

William Barron Hilton, grandfather of infamous socialite Paris Hilton, recently announced that he is donating 97 per cent of his 2.3 billion dollar fortune to charity. The money will be placed in a trust and will be used to benefit the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The foundation works towards education for blind children, shelter for the mentally unwell and clean water in Africa.

Paris Hilton hasn’t issued a statement yet, but according to Jerry Oppenheimer the author of the House of Hilton, Barron Hilton is “embarrassed by the behaviour of his socialite granddaughter, Paris, and believes it has sullied the family name”.

In photo: Paris with her grandfather, William Barron Hilton