KAB TAK

This is an appeal to all non Indians… please respect the industry and the country you come to seek work in.
Recently yet another Pakistani model/ actress crossed the border.

Its amazing how obsessed they are with hindi films. No celebration is complete without a hindi film song. Hindi movies are eagerly awaited and styles copied shamelessly.
The past couple of years have seen several artistes move to Mumbai and work in the industry and yet there are repeated unhealthy comments and digs at the glamour world. Pakistanis never fail to blog about how cheap and crass the Indian film industry is and yet they continue to blog about indian artistes and cinema...their daily newspapers and websites are buzzing with ‘bollywood news’ and gossip...

What is most upsetting however, is that these very foreigners are not averse to wooing the media, even using them to get work but continue to spit venom at the content of the films, the scripts and vow never to wear short skirts and reveal.. but if you take a look at the youth of pakistan, they are deeply influenced by the west and their social gatherings consist of scantily dressed women...
These aspiring artistes are not embarassed about looking ttheir nose down at mainstream actors, never mind the fact that they secretly send feelers to the same people for work.

Please guys,stop humiliating yourselves and your country...and value your rich heritage.
Come if you must but do handle yourself with some dignity and respect the country that has the grace to welcome you with such warmth.You only make a fool of yourself for face it, you need us - we most certainly don't need such hypocrites in the garb of well-fed boa constricters..
wake up.....

KHUDA KAY LIYE

Very aptly titled 'In the name of the lord',
'khuda kay liye' is a defiant attempt at filmmaking - defiant because it defies the very norm of even the offbeat subjects that cinema can boast of.
Decent performances by the lead cast, especially Shaan ..the music - soulful and melodious. The composer seems to have very skilfully blended the conservative notes with the modern technicalities.

However, the script need to have been more taut... and the emphasis on the trauma that the elder son goes through in police custody could have been more subtle..
some things are more touching if left unsaid....

Naseeruddin shah's speech in the court was pretty quickly done with ... too much was said and quoted in just one scene which was actually very crucial to the script.

All in all, a decent attempt, but the darkness could have been lesser, the morbidity of some scenes,though crucial, could have been dealt with some softness and sensitivity.

IMAN ALI

The lady is undeniably the most stunning, graceful and ethereal diva to hit the modelling scene in a long long time.
An actress now as well, debuting with 'Khuda ke liye', iman defintely has what it takes to hit the international arena.

faiza samee

Faiza Samee is known for keeping Mughal tradition alive in the country. She is known for her glorious shaadi joras and Kashmiri work. She is also known for block prints that are uniquely Pakistani and can make jackets that would be snapped up by high end fashion consumers around the world.

Faiza Samee believes Pakistani embroidery has interesting influences that range from the Chinese to the Turkish Enlarge. From designing jodas for former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s wedding; to being commissioned by the esteemed Victoria Albert Museum, UK; to reviving the heritage of the stitches of Sindh, Samee has a class and a richness that is unique and sorely needed in todays' modernistic trends.

Much of the embroidery she uses originally comes from Gujarat and northern India.
To quote her, "I firmly believe that if India and Pakistan were to present a common front in fashion, no one can beat us. We have the world's greatest heritage of textile and fashion and can easily take on and beat the west together.' AMEN.

SA RE GA MA PA CHALLENGE 2007

ALL FOR A SONG...

After a long long time, SA RE GA MA PA has finally got back its lost form. After the dismal show by amaan and ayaaan ali bangash, the show had for a while lost its glory. Though Shaan did a commendable job, somehow the programme could never come into its own.
This season, however introduced a batch of some very talented singers and the best artistes were chosen from pakistan and usa too.
Apart from ismail durbar and vishal shekhar, the less said the better about the commitment and seriousness of the mentors in encouraging and guiding fresh talent.
Lets take a look at the more talented of the lot.

RAJA HASSAN
Raja Hassan has come a long long way.
Eight years of struggle suddenly seems to have been well worth it if the current popularity, the thunderous applause, the lavish praise, the numerous smses are anything to go by, this SA RE GA MA PA CHALLENGE 2007 contestant is already a star..

Having been closely associated in many such reality shows, i admit to never having seen such an amazing fan following.
Quite the under dog, rajas' meteoric rise can easily be attributed to the kind of person he is. Clean, straight, honest, warm, radiating positive energy. At the risk of sounding like his PR person, may i add that i have been working with and writing on music for ages besides being a trained vocalist and filmmaker myself. The boy has been blessed with the purity of heart that comes across in his voice which is not exactly the best in the show nor is it the most flawless in terms of technicalities. Whether it stems from his humble upbringing or the long struggle when he has had to sing at humble restaurants to pay for his meal and walked miles to save the bus fare...whatever the reason be, its clear that raja has used each obstacle to his advantage- learning from the mistakes many aspirants have made and the most amazing thing is that none of this has made him cynical or manipulative. If anything he has only grown, as a human being which in turn has helped him grow as a singer. No wonder his renditions seem to tug at your heartstrings despite the very visible flaws.


POONAM

Truly a volcano of talent, poonam is very skilled and whats more she is blessed with a deep voice that seems to come from the very deep recesses of her heart. The lack of style and finesse add to the raw pain in her voice.
The simplicity lies in the way she uses her voice to convey the meanings behind the lyrics.
The quiet but sure killer instinct exists alright. Poonams' biggest strength is her
humble upbringing. She seems to desperately want to succeed and change things for herself hence the focus never wavers. Even while singing a simple song like 'dil to paagal hai;, she brought in the correct mix of emotion and technique.
However, the pressure did seem to get to her at one point when she couldnt get the song right and went blank. After which when she did resume, she had a winner. There was pathos and a deep longing that was simply outstandingly mature. It was 'hamesha tumko chaha ' from DEVDAS.
She is the only mature female singer in the show that is any competition but her mentor needs to give her more confidence and nurture her so that she stops fighting and begins enjoying her music.

ANEEK

If there is any one singer who is truly deserving of being the winner, it is Aneek. The sheer command over style, technique, emotion and expression is flawless.
Honestly speaking, he is way above all competition of this level.
The only worry is his devotion to sonu nigam that can unconsciously spoil his own style.And full marks to him for not losing his nerve when salman khan ripped his shirt off. One seriously wonders why the organizers of the show don't object to such crude behaviour. No one- not even the mentors objected. Dear salman probably forgot that he was gracing a contest where the careers were at stake. All dignity was dispensed with as salman made a laughing stock of himself as well as aneek- and the poor child was made to sing without a shirt.
Which actually makes me wonder what the point is of getting these stupid film stars ato 'judge' such shows when none of them have the faintest idea of music. Oh yes- the promotions...the programme is used to promote forthcoming movies which is forced upon by the channels which in turn makes it hilarious. Can you imagine a sajid khan commenting on the finer nuances of music? its equally upsetting to watch a pathetic diya mirza 'judge' these so very talented participants- at least shamita shetty was gracious enough to shower praise and admit she knew nothing of music.

Doesnt anyone realize that these participants are roughing it out away from their loved ones, rehearsing all day, exhausted from performing at small towns and colleges to promote the show and garner votes while most of these shows are actually done only to promote the channel and NOT to promote the artistes. The poor kids are trained to give the appropriate sound bytes- the programme heads are clearly not the decision makers here but the channel is...and after the nail biting, anxiety ridden shoots that last for endless hours, the kids are subjected to irresponsible comments by arrogant and ill informed films stars.
Can no one stop this nonsense in such a prestigeous programme that has over the years acquired the honor of being truly devoted to the cause of music?

As if this isnt enough, even the mentors continue to make an ass of themselves.
Himesh reshammiya should stop resorting to cheap publicity by creating a supposed 'love triangle' out of nothing and subjecting the poor viewers and contestants to inane remarks about it in EVERY SINGLE episode.
Add to that all that empty talk of promising work to contestants- does he actually realize what he sounds like? Like some wannabe desperate for publicity. Please someone tell him that he can be as dignified about his promises as vishal shekhar are. And must he speak so much? Must he shower such annoying praise on the directors and producers and stars on the show? We understand why its being done...and its so obvious.To get work , to please and flatter them. But please, mr.reshammiya, you are a metor so kindly maintain the dignity and class expected of one.

And mr.bhappi lahiri. Its sad to watch a musician of such high calibre being reduced to doing what mr.reshammiya is doing. Begging the stars to give work to the contestants. And i use the word 'beg' coz thats exactly how it sounds. Requesting someone once in a while when the singer has sung superbly is quite another thing but why this? Besides, he seems to be very fobd of encouraging and defending his students alone and promoting them. Its cheap and disgusting to see that such a world class musician can be so small hearted. He needs to learn a lesson or two from young vishal shekhar who are truly large hearted and gracious. Fair in praise and promises that they know how to keep.
I would say tese are the real musicians - the ones who understand music.

MUSARRAT

Such amazing talent has never been witnessed before on this show. Musarrat, a student of maestro ghulam ali, is classically trained and is undoubtedly the expert as far as classical knowledge is concerned. And it shows. His rendition of 'piya saanware' from BANDIT QUEEN was, by no means a small feat.
It was a superb attempt and displayed an expertise, a practised ease, a certain comfort that comes from years of honing a skill. Musarrats' limitation though is that he can sing only in one particular genre and that is where mr.reshammiya has been absolutely right. The moment musarrat tried his hand at other styles, he failed but there is no doubting his credibility in his genre. He is here to stay.

The same goes for mouli dave who is great in her own hip style and needs to stick to it so please guys, give these kids a break and guide them wisely. Let them choose their own kind of song and don't push them over. They are after all here to create music not indulge in mudslinging politics. Keep the younger generation out of this muck that has kept true music away from you. Let them falter, learn and master. They need to grow on their own so let them be.
These are really are hope for the future. Lets not try and get cheap publicity by targeting pakistan now. For gods' sake, the viewers are least bothered. They are only interested in listening to soulful music. So if you want to resort to cheap and vulgar publicity gimmicks try not to blame the media and press for one.
Do not poison young, impressionable minds. It affects their work and the reason they are on the platform.