LUX STYLE AWARDS result.

who is the second lady, yaar?! nirma?

i heard that the show came to some arbic channel which comes free on sky digital. abhi dabu some like that.

I think thats is nirma . . thats lady can be so lazy on stage sometimes. sometime it looks as if she dont even want to be their.

Pakistani style steps out

The show got bigger this year. Not only did the organizers fly out to Dubai, giving the local entertainment industry much-needed international exposure, they also collaborated with a television network, ensuring a much wider audience than our local channels could ever pull off.

Indian talent, comprising professional dancers, stage designers and technical assistants, was flown in to fill the gaps, but this year's Lux Style Awards could easily have been better executed than last year's programme had the picture not been overexposed to the glitter and gaudiness of Bollywood. The India-based Sony TV channel, as director and producer of the show, was perhaps given too much freedom to project it as it wanted, right from the poster at the front desk down to the silver and gold tinsel on stage.

The poster had the face of Sonu Nigam surrounded by the Pakistani faces of the brand behind the awards, the girls we love. Not a visual of any of our local artists, just a small mention on the brochure. And if the Zee Cine Awards were being publicized on television a month before the event, why were these awards advertised for only a day or two? There was hardly any local press at the conference.

One didn't expect the awards to have the pull of Bollywood, but the marketing department could have done far better than a half empty auditorium. There were too many cooks spoiling this broth, each blaming the other, and in the end the TV network brushed off all accusations, claiming the show would look good on TV. That was, after all, the reason for their involvement.

Taking the awards to Dubai was Pakistan's chance to show the world their mettle, especially in terms of style and fashion. Within the peripheries of the efforts made by the sponsor - Tariq Amin's stylization of all the Pakistani artists and the much needed Indian choreography and technical assistance - things were well planned. Indian assistance was needed to brush up a couple of acts, but to hand the entire show to Tarun Chopra was not wise. The show direction should have remained in our control. We saw Asim Reza doing a better live job last year.

Nevertheless, all was not lost. The awards did provide an international platform to our local talent, and the slim attendance may be a blessing in disguise. When the world sees the televised version, everything will fall into place. They will see how classy Vinnie, Tanya, ZQ and Aaminah Haq are. It will hear Fuzon's Malhar and Strings' Dhani and will experience the charisma of Ali Zafar's Channo. Their appearances made Pakistan look good, their performances spoke well and what most of them had to say did us truly proud. But besides the actual outcome, the event, which was co-ordinated by Freiha Altaf, provided a huge stage for the industry to bond and bind, something that had not been done for ages.

It'll be interesting to see how good the event looks on international TV and how different on PTV, because that will bring on the judgement of millions of viewers. What we need to evaluate is that did stepping out to Dubai result in Pakistan stepping into the international market?

The faces of beauty

The show was divided into five segments, each depicting the different faces of beauty from different parts of the world. 'Power' came with a beautiful and unrecognizable Sadia Imam, followed by a strong display of the martial arts; 'Passion' was portrayed by Resham in the role of Mumtaz Mahal, looking gorgeous and dancing up a storm. ZQ played 'Mystery,' unravelling the secrets of Nefertiti. Though visually spectacular, how exactly were the performers or dances inspired by Michael Jackson's Remember the Time video relevant? Perhaps this was just an attempt to make the presentations a bit more internationally digestible.

The costumes worn by Sadia Imam, ZQ and Resham were designed by Neeta Lulla, Indian designer of Devdas fame. It was unanimously felt that our own designers would have done a much better job. "Neeta Lulla was chosen for her theatrical expertise," commented Simin Khan, creative director of the show, suggesting that a designer could never have the skills to do stage costumes, skills which Neeta had.

The Indian choreography and dance participation, however, was a welcome change. The dance sequences were well planned, and though people had apprehensions about the tacky costumes and choice of songs, they turned out better than anticipated. 'Romance' came with a flirtatious, if a little out-of-synch performance by Lollywood stars Sana, Nirma and Meera, who all refused to perform together and had to be given separate items. Nirma's dance had a moment of awkwardness when there was no star on stage. Rumours are that Kiran was supposed to dance with her but was shoved away. The organizers had to add Fuzon's Khamaj at the last moment, just to accommodate her. The Lollywood segment was designed by Beegee, and in all honesty, her creations matched Neeta's.

The last segment was 'Latino,' bringing on a euphoria of colour and song. Aaminah Haq, who had been brought a cat-suit from India to wear, thankfully chose not to and safely stuck to a local ensemble for her performance. A lot of people felt this segment should have been the grand finale and that the Indian star appearances should have been balanced in between, not left for the end. The show ended up looking bright and vibrant, though some of the segments were a bit long, and Nadia Jamil, as hostess, was no match for last year's Master of Ceremonies, Moin Akhter. Though she is a good actor, she was amateurish and a bit too slipshod for this position. The event demanded someone more dignified.

And the music played on

Beginning with Yeh Muamla Koi Aur Hai, a hamd by Najam Sheraz (which we're all curious to know if Sony will air or not), Pakistan was represented by its most popular musicians. Najam, Fuzon, Ali Zafar and Strings were all given two performances each, Fuzon given a third only to accommodate Kiran. Ali Zafar, with his Huqqa Paani and ever popular Channo, had the crowd, especially the girls, going wild. Though the music was well received by the audience, the singers all felt rather let down at the end.

They had been led to believe that everyone would lip-synch and it would be a pre-recorded performance. All was well until they saw Sonu Nigam's orchestra walk on and Sonu perform live. Needless to say, the local crooners felt cheated by this!

The winner is...

Amazingly, who would win was predicted almost perfectly. There were surprises, however, and then there were shocks too. For the Viewers' Choice awards, Aaminah Haq stirred up the biggest controversy by winning the best actress award for Mehndi. With actors like Sania Saeed and Bushra Ansari on the list, how was this possible? people were asking. The very simple reason is that Mehndi, being aired on PTV, had the greatest amount of viewers who participated in the polls, ensuring her success.

ZQ winning the best female model was well deserved, as with Vinnie and Iraj not competing, she was the next most versatile nominee on the list. As for Daniyal Arshad winning best male model, all one can say is that one day the flow of male models will come to an abrupt end with Khawar Riaz.

Ali Zafar proved his popularity on stage and his win was no surprise, as neither was Deepak Perwani's. One disappointing result, however, was that of best fashion photographer. Though Usman Saeed is a talented lens-man, he has not done enough photography to have won. Ather-Shahzad should have scored a hat-trick.

Viewers' Choice Awards

Best TV serial - Mehndi

Best TV actor - Humayun Saeed (Mehndi)

Best TV actress - Aaminah Haq (Mehndi)

Best film - Larki Punjaban

Best film actor - Shan (Commando)

Best film actress - Zara Sheikh (Laaj)

Best music album/singer - Ali Zafar

Judges' Awards

Best designer bridal wear - Faiza Samee

Best designer men's wear - Deepak Perwani

Best designer women's wear - Karma

Best fashion photographer - Usman Saeed

Best make-up artist - Nabila

Best model female - Zainab Qayoom

Best model male - Daniyal Arshad

Best music video director - Shoaib Mansoor (Anarkali)

Lifetime achievement award - Mohammad Ali and Zeba






     

After reading the above article it clearly shows that we could have done a better job ourselves. When are we ever going to have faith in our talent and instead of relying on others. Please come out of this inferior complex.

In a bid to put Pakistani fashion and style industry in international spotlight, Lux Style Awards were held in Dubai this year. The question remains, can't Pakistan go international without becoming Bollywood?


What do you get when you mix the high-end world of Pakistan fashion, the roaring lion that is Pakistani pop and the swiveling queens of Lollywood and interface them with an Indian crew? A show that sails smoothly without a hitch certainly - but also a show that rolls along on alien territory. This is precisely what happened at the third Lux Style Awards that put a motley crew of Pakistani talent on a grand stage on Dubai recently and will beam out to all of Sony's 25 million plus viewers around the world any time soon.

When you see the Lux Style Awards 2004, you will see Aaminah Haq kicking up her heels to a can-can inspired number. You will see Zainab Qayyum dressed as Nefertiti/Cleopatra as Indian dancers prance around in Egyptian costumes in a dance as reminiscent of masala films as it is of Michael Jackson. Saadia Imam will emerge in a kimono as Mandarin Martial Artists from China showing off their kung fu wizardry. And last but not the least, the film actresses, all at their cantankerous flamboyant best, with heaving bosoms and lips firmly in pout position, performing item numbers amidst a bevy of Bollywood dancers making all the right, inspired from across the border, moves. This visual assault will be punctuated with performances by Najam, Faakhir, Ali Zafar, Fuzon and Strings -all of whom will look good because they weren't live. All throughout the show you will see Nadia Jamil introducing people in her very confident manner. And presenting the Awards will be the pride of Pakistan - stalwarts like Nadeem, Samina and Usman Peerzada, Sahira Kazmi and Javed Sheikh standing with the stars of today like Shaan, Vinny, Faisal Rehman, Iman and Adnan Siddiqui. They all looked so good and lent a stunning sobriety to an evening of excessive masala laden madness.

Three hundred and fifty people from our fashion, music, television and film industries were flown to Dubai to be a part of this evening. It was a mini Pakistan at the hotel with familiar faces all over the place. Frieha Altaf was busy with meetings. The girls (Natasha, ZQ, Vinny, Iman) lounged about even as they flitted to consultations with Tariq (Amin). Rehearsals went on at the Dubai Convention Centre, which was adjacent to the hotel. There was a definite spirit in the air that was somewhat dampened by a poster in the lobby which had Sonu Nigam beaming out, surrounded by Iman, Aaminah, Sadia, Meera, Nirma, Sana and Priyanka Chopra. "The pride of Pakistan goes international!" It was a sign of things to come.

The show began with Najam singing 'Yeh Moamla Koi Aur Hai', his superhit hymn of last year. There are those of the view that this shouldn't be allowed, but the question is why not? When gospels can be a huge part of the repertoire of a singer in the West and Lata Mangeshkar can sing bhajans across the border, why can't our pop singers recite naat and hamd? Anyway, he soon swung into song and the show really began. The first segment was outlandish with Shaolin Monks from China that were a brilliant visual precursor to Sadia Imam's rather damp entry as an Oriental beauty icon. All the beauty icons were damp, especially Aaminah and ZQ. The ones who sizzled were the Lollywood starlets who pranced, danced and pouted with the best of them. The only sedate one was Resham, who played the sub continental beauty, but her segment was also the most hair-raising. She entered as Mumtaz Mahal to the strains of an Umrao Jaan Ada tune, which soon turned into a 'Kahe Ched Mohe' song from the new Devdas. The music was punctuated by an uninspired narration and ended with Mumtaz Mahal being laid to rest by her sons in dhotis. The Mughals must have collectively rolled over in their graves. How one wished that it were Iman Ali up there instead, swaying to 'Anarkali' - Supreme Ishq 2, which won the award for Best Music Video. It may be a branded song, but at least it's ours.

That was the problem with the 3rd Lux Style Awards. They did not have the feel of Pakistan, despite the fact that Pakistani talent was under the spotlight. That can be attributed to the fact that the show was choreographed and implemented for Sony TV by a wholly Indian crew. The directors Tarun Chopra and Ashim Sen were Indian as was the choreographer Terence Malik. They all did an outstanding job, as far as technicalities are concerned. The problem was that they had exactly four days to work with Pakistani talent and as Indians, they didn't know much about it. In the process Pakistan was Bollywood-ised because that is what the Sony crew knows best.

When you put one Pakistani actress or a model amongst a dance troupe of around two dozen people who have been practicing their moves in India and have got their costumes from there as well, the effect is non-Pakistani. For Nirma's item number, the dancers were wearing lilac ghararas with shocking pink ponchos. Never before has such a sight been seen in Pakistan, but then again, never before has Nirma looked as good or performed as well elsewhere. Ditto for Meera and Sana. The night belonged to Lollywood.

The tragedy is that it was Pakistani fashion that took a fall. The fashion industry was restricted to presenting Awards and dressing stars for the night. Here, Tariq Amin and his team outdid themselves. Every Pakistani on stage was given his and her individual look and they all did us proud. Be it the timeless class act duo Samina and Usman Peerzada, Ayesha Alam looking ravishing in a Sana Safinaz outfit or Vinny dressed to kill in Nomi Ansari pants and an Umar Sayeed top. Sahira Kazmi in ash pink that softened her aggressive personality without detracting from her stature. And ZQ was in a stunning Nomi Ansari jora, hair pulled back and traditional earrings dangling from her ears, picked up a well-deserved trophy for Best Model. This is the aspect of Pakistani fashion that one knows, loves so well and whose potential one believes in. But the national television's archaic censorship policy rules out high fashion and the industry suffers hugely at events such at this.

This was a night when the stunning ideals of Pakistan's fashion industry were outshone by the sheer garishness of Lollywood. Pakistan's two premier models ZQ and Aaminah also did numbers. The first was the Middle East beauty icon that came on as an Egyptian pharaoh queen, while Aaminah was a Latino beauty icon, the only icon to wear a Pakistani label Karma. Sony had designed the costumes for the other beauty icons. Both looked quite out of place in the middle of the Bollywood blast around them. ZQ with men dancing like Egyptians all around her, while Aaminah was surrounded by women in a cheap imitation of samba costumes, looking like mock peacocks complete with upturned tails in green, yellow and purple. This is not what Aaminah and ZQ do best. It is ironic that the Lux Style Awards cannot project fashion because of state television's policy that doesn't allow fashion even as it turns a blind eye to the tackiness of modern day Pakistani cinema. The censors will clear Meera boogying away to glory, but they have a problem with Aaminah Haq walking down a ramp. It remains to be seen what bits of the show make it on national television, but chances are that large chunks will be censored. Nabila wore a stunning sleeveless black gown. Zara Sheikh, a halter neck. And there were plunging necklines all round, especially those of the actresses who performed.

What national television will definitely air are the songs. A man singing has never bothered anyone and now, even Shallum Xavier's long hair is acceptable. (Remember the controversy Junoon's hair styles sparked during Nawaz Sharif's tenure?) And the music acts were the best part of the event. Music is the most vibrant industry in Pakistani entertainment today and the only one that has made breakthroughs into the Indian (Junoon, Adnan Sami Khan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan) and world market (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan).

However, the musicians did not play live. Strings and Fuzon were quite cut up about the fact that they couldn't. They were expected to go on and perform and that is exactly what they did. The only one who came through with flying colours was Ali Zafar who injected life into the evening with his rendition of 'Channo' and had an otherwise staid audience on its feet. That was because he walked down the stage and towards them. Strings, Fuzon and Najam are not fantastic entertainers, but they are fabulous musicians who come into their own when their instruments are plugged in and electrified. They feel and therefore look like shadows of their real selves with unplugged guitars in their hands and a drum kit nowhere in sight.

According to Rajan Singh Vice President Sony TV if Sony had been asked to record live music, they would have done so. Musicians stated that they would prefer playing live, but that is needless to say, they always do. Of course that would have meant getting in all the band members and equipment to Dubai, but it would have been well worth the cost. It's fine when Meera lip-syncs to a Lollywood song. But when it's about the music, the music should be played. This becomes all the more important when musicians are being honoured. It may not be all that important for playback singers.

At the end of the day, Pakistan has a fashion and music culture that has evolved on an absolutely different wavelength from that of Indian cinema. Our fashion is entirely different from the multi-coloured concoctions that are the norm across the border. Our music is also very edgy and the videos that we make are a parallel universe. Our musicians have made their work as distant from Bollywood as possible. Fashion and music are the two fortes of Pakistan and these are what took a backseat making room for crass Lollywood to swing supreme. And that is a real tragedy because our film industry is the part of entertainment that has the least to offer and has a negligible contribution to the blooming media tree of Pakistan.

JWT-Asiatic had come up with the concept of the show, which was a rather loosely paid tribute to beauty that had everything to do with making Pakistanis represent beauty icons of the Asia Pacific and little to do with the local scene. 'Beauty' is what the Lux Style Awards have revolved around since their inception and with each passing year, the theme of 'beauty' will become more and more difficult to exploit without resorting to cliches. Beauty is beauty. It is not fast paced. It has a hard time being edgy and by its very definition it conforms to the norm. It is no wonder that Faisal Qureshi wrote a weak script with jokes that failed to tickle and little wonder too that Nadia Jamil didn't really impress. As an actress or a host, she needs matter to work with. Going by what she had, she did a pretty good job.

It remains to be seen what the Awards will look like on screen. Five days after the show was held, Rajan Singh, proclaimed that he had seen the rushes and the show was looking fantastic. If it's good enough to merit three hours of airtime on Sony TV, the show must look good. Held in Dubai, the new commercial centre of the world, it unfolded in a grand auditorium. It was shot by a crew with the kind of experience no Pakistani director can boast of. It was a collaboration effort with Sony TV that has an audience of 28 million international viewers, which no Pakistani channel has yet. It was big, it was bright, and it had the entire glamour quotient required for a good show -- by Bollywood standards. Looking at things the way they are it did not do justice to the talent of Pakistan. Indeed, the finale, went to Sonu Nigam who was also the only musician to perform live.

Overall the show was a huge disappointment for the many Pakistanis who had flown in, especially the people from fashion and music, but one can also safely say that it will translate better on camera than the first two LSAs. In an ideal world the first LSA (strong on relevant content) would have been held in Dubai and been produced and directed by an experienced crew. That would have been the ideal formula. This show will merely give much needed exposure to our music industry and five minutes of international fame to Lollywood actresses and do nothing for Style. And hopefully, by looking at the nominees, presenters and our pop acts, people who tune in world wide, will wonder how artists who come together for a show so like Bollywood's can be so very different.