Mahira Khan steals the limelight at ‘20th Lux Style Awards’.

The 20^th edition of ‘Lux Style Awards’ was a star studded evening that honored winners and announced Life-time Achievements for three noteworthy Entertainment and Fashion legends. The much loved event featured celebrities from the Fashion, Music, and Television fraternities. Due to Covid, this year’s submissions did not receive any entries in Film. The 20^th year, a milestone for the Lux Style Awards, that has hosted many glittering gala evenings, was celebrated exclusively with limited presence of media, nominees and performers, adhering to government’s standard operating procedures (SOPs). To assure this, the recorded show was an all-day production and was divided into multiple dedicated slots.

The hosts for the evening included Mehwish Hayat and Ahsan Khan and the duo of Ahmed Ali Butt and Mansha Pasha. Every bit of the show-flow, was designed around the #LSA4Pakistan and focused on building up and appreciating the Pakistan fashion and entertainment industries. The ‘Lux Style Awards’ are much acclaimed for recognizing both the high achievers and encouraging new emerging talent and in its 20^th year, the show stayed true to its ethos of recognizing Pakistan’s varied talent.

The day-long red carpet was magnificent as for the first time it included a live catwalk that was a perfect spot to showcase the many varied fashion hits that strolled down. Hosts Dino and Ayesha Omar plus a plethora of channels, electronic and digital were seen in action as celebrities walked down in momentous outfits. While some rushed towards the show, Asim Azhar shared his first Lux Style Awards experience and music nominees; Bayaan, Baluch Twins and Abbas Ali Khan sang snippets of tracks during interviews.

The TRESquad featuring Hareem Farooq, Nimra Jacob, Maha Tahirani and Sarah Zulfiqar made an appearance at the ‘Lux Style Awards’ red-carpet together while Ali Rehman, Uzair Jaswal, Shahbaz Shigri, and Imran Ashraf entertained the media with their antics.

At the red-carpet we loved the ultra-feminine looks with Mira Sethi in jeweled long gloves by Hussain Rehar, to Mushk Kaleem in a gorgeous trail by Sana Safinaz. the ‘Lux Style Awards’ look was classy and elegant with all the excitement and bonhomie, which was  was evident to all.

The night began with the national anthem sung by music veteran, Shehzad Roy. Starting off the show, Amir Paracha, CEO, and Chairman of Unilever Pakistan took over the stage to welcome the audience to the milestone 20^th year of glitz and glam. He said; “Lux Style Awards began as a means to spread the message of Lux to the audience via fashion, music, television and film but it has become so much more. It has encouraged entertainers to persevere with their talent and continue to bring joy to their fans. The real meaning of the LSAs is the hope that comes with it and how it has battled during tough times, like natural disasters, political instability, or a pandemic. The LSAs have gone on without breaking momentum, transforming from a LUX platform to Pakistan’s platform internationally. Our hashtag this is year is LSA4Pakistan.”

With that, the show opened with a star-studded Lux Style Awards anthem ‘Sitare, sitare, aasmaan kay tarey, keh raha hai yeh pal, aaj hum hain yahan’, which featured a line-up of celebrities. The anthem was composed by Bilal Maqsood and sung by Aima Baig, Uzair Jaswal, Asim Azhar and the Young Stunners. Many celebrities joined the stage such as Mahira Khan, Meera Jee, Ayesha Omar and couturier Ali Xeeshan and show choreographer Frieha Altaf.

Following this, Ahmed Ali Butt, who has continuously entertained audiences with his quick wit and humour and Mansha Pasha, the versatile actress, hosted the music segment. The segment included awards given to the best singer of the year, the best song of the year, best emerging talent and best music video director. It started with music dynamo Bilal Maqsood and Mira Sethi, wearing Hussain Rehar, presenting the best emerging talent in music award to Aziz Kazi for Shantarum, a meditational track. Friends, Asim Azhar and Uzair Jaswal presented the award of best video director to Hamza Bin Tahir for Teri Tasveer by Bayaan. Recently engaged Aima Baig and Shahbaz Shigri graced the stage to present song of the year to Bayaan for Teri Tasveer and singer of the year to Abbas Ali Khan for Mein Yeh Janoun Na. CEO of Airsial, Ameem Hasan joined them on stage to present the latter.

The Unilever Chairman’s Lifetime Achievement Award was dedicated to Farida Khanum, known as the Queen of Ghazal during her active years. Famously known for her songs, Aaj Jaane Ki Zidd Na Karo and Woh Ishq Jo Humse Rooth Gaya, Farida Khanum has been a singer with an inner muse who expressed her identity in every song. A dedication of love to her was performed by Mehwish Hayat and Resham to the melodious Punjabi numbers of “Balle Balle” and “Meinay Pairoon Mein Payal Tau Bandhi Nahin”. Both Mehwish and Resham gave the legendary singer a heartfelt tribute through their energetic yet elegant dances, and Unilever Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amir Paracha read out a befitting tribute, standing beside the lovely Mahira Khan on stage. Farida Khanum’s message as she accepted the award was then played out. Ending the segment was the fabulous Tabish Hashmi, a spectacular comedian who has recently rightfully earned fame. Tabish walked down to the audience and roasted some of the nominees, creating moments of laughter.

The second segment of the show starred the Laal Kabootar star Mansha Pasha and the brilliant Mehwish Hayat together. The ladies asked Asima Haq, Director of Beauty and Personal Care at Unilever Pakistan to introduce the ‘Lux Style Awards’ newly initiated Lux Change Makers Award. Asima Haq said, “This award has been created to recognize the change-makers in the industry. As a brand ‘Lux’ has always endorsed a positive attitude towards everything feminine and this award recognizes the female strength of women in the industry that has created change in the world with their art and content.”

Asima Haq then announced the award posthumously for the late Haseena Moin, playwright par excellence, as the first recipient of the award. The iconic Haseena Moin wrote memorable female characters. A tribute to her played out, which featured celebrities like Behroze Sabzwari and Marina Khan who spoke about Haseena Moin’s larger-than-life energy and how she created dreams. She was a woman who knew her worth and wanted to showcase women who carried the same attitude, leading to characters like Dhoop Kinaray’s Dr. Zoya. Haseena Moin’s award was accepted by her niece Sadaf, who spoke of how her aunt, her father’s sister, inspired so many to live out their lives with courage and independence.

To present the Lifetime Achievement Award in Fashion, Safinaz Muneer Co-founder of Sana Safinaz, and Shamoon Sultan, founder of Khaadi were given the honors to award legendary Fashion Designer Banto Kazmi. Banto Kazmi has been an inspiration for many younger than her in the industry, as well as to the girls whose lives she has added much joy into, by bringing color to their bridal dresses and weddings.

Debonair, male model, Hasnain Lehri and chic female model, Mushk Kaleem came on stage to start off the awards in the fashion category; best emerging talent and best hair and makeup artist. The best emerging talent in fashion was bagged by a promising model, Sarah Zulfiqar.

Salman Ahmed, musician, famously known for band Junoon and actress, Azekah Daniyel continued the segment and went on to award best fashion photographer and achievement in fashion-pret. Achievement in fashion pret was won again by Generation who wanted to thank their customers, adding that every time somebody wears a generation outfit, they add a sentence to their colorful story.

Ahsan Khan, the host for the second bit of the fashion segment, joined Mehwish Hayat and invited two former LSA winners’ Nadia Hussain and Fouzia Aman to present the Best Menswear Designer award to Ismail Farid. The gorgeous Sunita Marshall and high-end designer Hasan Sheharyar Yasin (HSY) announced model of the year (female) and this award was won by Mushk Kaleem, who was dressed in an extravagant stand-out hot pink gown. Ayesha Omar and Azfar Rehman were welcomed onto the stage to present the model of the year (male) award to Sachal Afzal. Ayesha Omar looked stunning in an all-gold, gemmed body-hugging dress.

Achievement in fashion-luxury and bridal were announced by Emaad Irfani and Saboor Ali. Tabish Hashmi roasted some of the fashion category nominees and the breaks of entertainment were appreciated.

The last segment of the show was hosted by Ahmed Ali Butt and Mansha Pasha. The elegant Youmna Zaidi announced the best emerging talent award, followed by dapper Imran Ashraf announcing Best Writer and Best Television Director. To no surprise to the audience, Umera Ahmed won the best writer award for Alif, an artistically pleasing drama and Farooq Rind won the award of best television director for Pyar Ke Sadqay.

 A heart-tugging performance by Asim Azhar in the middle of the awards made the audience emotional as he sang “Nimmi Nimmi” an original by the late Farhad Humayun, the Overload vocalist who was remembered for leaving this world too soon. An obituary video played behind Asim as he sang, featuring industry stalwarts who were no more. Tweets by celebrity friends were also shared on screen.

Television’s biggest night was swept by the two Hum television serials Ehd e Wafa and Pyaar Kay Sadqay, with Ehd e Wafa walking away with Best television serial and Yamna Zaidi sweeping the Best Actress Awards for Critics and Viewer’s Choice categories. For the men, it was Bilal Abbas for Pyar Kay Sadqay and Danish Taimoor for Geo’s Deewangi.

The grand finale featured a plethora of power-packed performances by the Parey Hut Love stars Mahira Khan, Meera and Sheheryar Munnawar for the perfect finale. Director Asim Raza and Producer Fizza Ali Meerza talked about how 2020 ruined the film industry by shutting down cinemas and halting projects. While no films were made, the desire to make films lives on, and as everybody knows music and film go hand in hand.

Mahira Khan, Sheheryar Munawar, Ahmed Ali Butt, and Meera jee, performed on the lively songs that stayed popular all year round and were played multiple times at weddings: Haye Dil Bechara, Ik Pal, and Morey Saiyaan. Each performance looked spectacular because of the graphics behind and the magic created by Nomi Ansari, with every performer’s outfit stitched with intricate detail to be noticeable on stage.

This year’s Lux Style Awards were partnered by Sialkot-run state of the art airline, AirSial as the travel partner, Tresemme as hair partner, Magnum as snack partner, Lipton as beverage partner, Geo Television as media partner and A.F Fergusons as award’s auditors.

The backstage was buzzing with the help of booths put up by sponsors. Celebrities prepared backstage by the Tresemme booths as Tresemme announced two best tressed (dressed) awards for celebrities who exhibited trend and style backstage. Nimra Jacob and Ali Rehman won these titles along with iPhone 12s.

The 20^th Lux Style Awards was conceived & directed by Frieha Altaf at Catwalk, show dancing choreography by Nigah, show script by Nabeel, Fizza & Ahmed Ali Butt, television production by Nadeem J, hair & makeup by Nabilas & NGents, event design by Jalal Salahuddin, official photography by Faisal Farooqui at Dragonfly, performance costumes by Nomi Ansari, show styling by Mavi & Rao, team Reactivate for all the content on Lux’s own social media handles and finally Talking Point for awards management, and digital media and print media.

This year’s event was its 20^th years since its inception and this make LSA as the first Pakistani Awards Show to reach that milestone! Some of the highlights of this year’s 20^th Lux Style Awards are to start from Pakistan’s most sought after face, i.e. Mahira Khan, she was the star of this show with three impeccable and outstanding performances. Her popularity has gone beyond borders and she truly is a superstar of this era and has been associated with Lux for ages.

Apart from regular segments and performances this year’s Lux Style Awards added some uniqueness to their fold by adding an event’s anthem for first time. This star studded anthem feature 20+ celebrities and was another nod to their hashtag #LSA4Pakistan. This anthem was composed by Bilal Maqsood and aimed to commemorate the 20^th year of Lux Style Awards. A star studded performance was a tribute to the emerging talent and the many personalities who have performed on the LSA stage

Tabish Hashmi, now a known comedian for his sardonic wit and humor was something not experienced before at an award show. He kept the show alive by dropping in to roast nominees, something that we don’t see enough of in Pakistani shows.

A news award was also initiated, which seemed very important, the Change Maker’s Award for artists who push the envelope for their narrative of those Pakistani women who bring about a change in society

One of other main highlight of this year’s LSA was it being very well-organized with an ample amount of space for everyone present. This very well-organized show with plenty of spread out photo opportunities, at no point people were squished together. This meant nobody was pushing anybody and the air conditioning was at chilled temperatures throughout the show. The show followed proper standard operating procedures (SOP) throughout.

Winners List at 20th Lux Style Awards:
Music Category
Best Singer (Viewer’s Choice)	Abbas Ali Khan for Mein Yeh Janoun Na
Best Song (Viewer’s Choice)	Bayaan for Teri Tasveer
Best Emerging Talent (Jury Vote)	Aziz Khan
Best Video Director (Jury Vote)	Hamza Bin Tahir for Teri Tasveer
Television Category
Best Television Play (Viewer’s Choice)	Momina Duraid and ISPR for Ehd-e-Wafa
Best Television Actor (Viewer’s Choice)	Danish Taimoor for Deewangi
Best Television Actress (Viewer’s Choice)	Yumna Zaidi for Pyaar Ke Sadqay
Best Original Soundtrack (Viewer’s Choice)	Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for Ehd-e-Wafa Ke Naam
Best Male Actor (Critics)	Bilal Abbas for Pyaar Ke Sadqay
Best Female Actor (Critics)	Yumna Zaidi for Pyaar Ke Sadqay
Best Play Writer (Critics)	Umera Ahmed for Alif
Best Play Director (Critics)	Farooq Rind for Pyaar Ke Sadqay
Best Emerging Talent	Adnan Samad Khan for Ehd-e-Wafa
Fashion Category (Critics Vote)
Model of the Year (Female)	Mushk Kaleem
Model of the Year (Male)	Sachal Afzal
Achievement in Fashion Design	Generation for Pret
Achievement in Fashion Design	Husain Rehar for Luxury Pret
Achievement in Fashion Design	Shehla Chatoor for Bridal Couture
Best Menswear Designer	Ismail Farid
Best Fashion Photographer	Najam Mehmood
Best Hair & Make Up Artist	Sunil Nawab
Best Emerging Talent	Sarah Zufiqar
Lifetime Achievement Category
Lux Change-makers Award	Haseena Moin
Life-time Achievement in Fashion	Bunto Kazmi
Unilever Chairman’s Life-time Achievement Award	Farida Khanum

Glitz, glamour and glory were the highlights of Day Two of Fashion Pakistan Week ‘winter festive 2018’

After a glitzy first day of the winter edition of Fashion Pakistan Week, day two held on the 29^th September 2018 at Pearl Continental in Karachi which roped in major appreciation and love from the attendees. Each outfit sent down the ramp was a sight for sore eyes and left the audience wanting more.

The ensembles showcased on day two were an ode to women, celebrated through timeless bridals with antique embroideries laid out on modern silhouettes. Conventional work was evident in some of the collections, and contemporary cuts and embellishments in others. The menswear range included trend-setting piece with sleek cuts, basic color shades, and classic styles.

Once again the red carpet hosted many well-known and high profile personalities, all dressed to perfection, prior to the start of the show. At the entrance of the marquee, guests walked past the intricately detailed installations by Carbon Events for ‘Brides Through the Looking Glass’, a breath-taking set of installations set up by some of The Wedding Atelier’s participating designers Tena Durrani, Sana Safinaz, Sania Maskatiya, Deepak Perwani and Zainab Chottani. The walkway led the attendees to the red carpet, where they met up with, air kissed and graciously posed for cameras and interviews.

Red Carpet was abuzz with TV One and FM91’s joint interview booth where Khalid Malik conversed with key media influencers and socialites. The Emirates Lounge, where the host asked participants their favourite Emirates destination, is what caught everyone’s eye, the decked up corner served as a great relaxing spot for guests before heading inside for the show.

The evening came to a close on a high note as CEO Fashion Pakistan Council Feri Rewanian stated; “Fashion Pakistan Week has been around for 10 years now and we hope it continues for decades. Fashion is all around us this season and we aim to make each Fashion Week bigger, better and trendier than the last. We had some of the most prominent designers showcasing their exquisite bridal collections this season and we truly hope that all those who attended, thoroughly enjoyed the show.”

The event was produced by the Fashion Pakistan Council, directed by Nubain Ali and would have been impossible to execute without loyal partners including the official media partner TV One, red carpet sponsor Peek Freen’s Butter Puff, airline partner Emirates Airline,  radio partner FM 91, beverage partner Aquafina, experience partner Discover, styling partner Nabila & NGents and food sponsor Cosmopolitan.

On the second day, the line-up consisted of seven designers as the show opened with ‘ChandBala’ by Wardha Saleem who brought out a brilliant take on antique bridal attire tailored for the modern day bride with the critically acclaimed Mai Dhai band playing live throughout the showcase. This was  followed by ‘Fleur De Lis’ by Sara Rohale Asghar, ‘Zartaab’ by Deepak & Fahad, ‘Lueur de Luxe’ by Maheen Karim, ‘Phool Bunro’ by Rano’s Heirloom and  ‘Beyond Generations’ by Shahmeer Ansari. Winter/Festive closed with maestro Maheen Khan’s power-packed collection, ‘Raw’.

Celebrity showstoppers for some of the collections added further oomph to the evening with Wardha Saleem’s showstopper being Azfar Rehman with Motorcycle Girl Sohai Ali Abro. Ayeza Khan walked the ramp for Sarah Rohale Asghar, Yousuf Bashir Qureshi for Shahmeer Ansari and Hareem Farooq for Maheen Khan.

Wardha Saleem – Chaand Bala: The second day kick started in a glamorous manner with the singing sensation Ma Dhai playing folk music live in the background. Wardha used rich fabrics like hand-woven nets, jamawar, pure silks, velvets, custom digital printed silks and organza, her ‘Chandbala’ collection was as timeless as the regal legacy of the Chandbala (bali/hoop) itself. This rich-in-heritage line was inspired by the glorious legacy of the Sub-Continent, the home of the Mughals. The delicate and tasteful embellishments incorporated diverse techniques of gota work, age old zardozi, and kora dabka work. From sultry-grey saris and shirts to shimmering gold-silver stunning lehngas with antique hand-printing methods like block printing, foil printing and screen printing, along with experimental techniques like basketry, leather appliqué and Swarovski studs in Wardha Saleem’s own signature style, the collection had it all for the brides-to-be. Having Azfar Rehman walk the stage with Motorcycle Girl Sohai Ali Abro as show stoppers brought the collection to a close with thunderous applause for the sheer scale and imaginative use of fabric and colour.

 

Sara Rohale Asghar – Fleur De Lis: Sara Rohale Asghar’s Fleur de Lis lived up to its inspiration from the historic association with the French crown royalty. Colors that ruled the runway during the show were hues of pink, different shades of red and blood maroon along with nudes and pastels. Fully embroidered peplum tops paired with flowy pants that had frills and tassels on the border added a modern spin to the bridal extravaganza that was being showcased. Her collection was an epitome of traditional royal embroideries and mesmerizing ornamentation, with the use of floral adornments, integrated with Asian tradition. Leading star Ayeza Khan gracefully strutted the ramp flaunting an ethereal heavy embroidered white ensemble that was perfect for closing the show.

Deepak & Fahad – Zartaab: Deepak & Fahad’s collection Zartaab took us to the golden era of nobility. Inspired by art from the Mughal era and European chintz, their collection used a clean and classic colour palette of whites, cream, gold and black. With use of traditional yet modern embroidery techniques, hand-crafted embellishments, and hand-woven fabrics, Zartaab created quintessential pieces for the men of today.

Maheen Karim – Lueur De Luxe: Maheen Karim lit a spark with Lueur de Luxe, her enchanting party wear collection which comprised of a range of silhouettes from edgy trouser suits to scintillating shimmering dresses and theatrical two piece sets. The colour scheme of the collection took the audience to a world of bold statement shades of red, coral, cabaret pink and tangerine orange. Fabrics saw the use of flowy chiffons with bejeweled 3 dimensional embellishments. Her pieces perfectly embodied the essential elements of the modern glamourous women of today; sensuality, glamour and femininity. With great design at its heart, the collection married rich colors and intricate patterns with tailored silhouettes and edgy detailing; the result was a bold collection, which was very wearable and much appreciated by all.

Rano’s Heirloom – Phool Bunro: Rano’s Heirloom presented Phool Bunro, a collection that addressed the to-be married girl of today. Phool Bunro means the adorning of flowers, which partakes a grand place in traditional Pakistani weddings. Rano took us back to the simplistic bride. Her awe-inspiring collection strongly brought back effortless elegance in bridal wear, using a unique and vibrant colour palette with blue combined with rani pink gul anari to isphahan blue and zeher mora. Models walked down the ramp wearing gorgeously exquisite numbers with stunning jewelry with stones, embroidery mixed with gold and silver embellishments and gota work. The collection was loved by many as the audience applauded the revival of an age old style and some even gave her a standing ovation.

Shahmeer Ansari – Beyond Generations: Beyond Generations by Shahmeer Ansari showcased the journey of a man starting from his graduation day till the day he leaves his legacy, to the generation after. Remaining true to its ideology, Beyond Generations had ensembles tailored to each of these occasions. Inspired by the life of a man, Shahmeer had a piece ready to wear for any event that comes a man’s way. Sharp tailoring and clean lines, Sastre Culture showcased a bold, strong and bespoke menswear collection. Staying true to the collection name, Shahmeer went beyond generations by having Yousaf Bashir Qureshi walk the ramp in a dapper white-black attire and seamlessly close the show for him.

 

Maheen Khan – RAW: Maheen Khan’s collection Raw paid tribute to all the vibrant, passionate women out there. Women who know what they want and persevere through difficulties to reach their end goal. Raw served as an undisguised power to the millennial, career-oriented women and mothers. Hareem Farooq, the showstopper, effortlessly opened the show for Maheen Khan in a crisply draped bright red raw silk jacket top. From delicate silk embroideries to contemporary cuts, her pieces were like a breath of fresh air: comfortable, and soft to the eyes, yet stylish in an effortlessly chic Maheen Khan way.

“Parchi” fails to live-up to its expectations.

For Pakistani movies year 2017 had only one movie to boast about and that was ‘Punjab Nahi Jau Gi’ and year 2018 started as badly as year 2017 stated off. First movie of year 2018 ‘Parchi’ wasn’t much different from the movies of 2017 as it has almost nothing to boast about. Due to immense hype created, expectation were high, but ‘Parchi’ failed to live-up to its expectations.

Certain scenes from ‘Parchi’ resembled ‘Fukrey Returns’ and most prominently roles of ‘Choocha’ and ‘Bholi Punjabaan’ were evident all through the ‘Parchi’. Shafqat Khan tried his best to copy ‘Choocha’ as much as he could but he failed miserably, Story written by Shafqat Khan felt headless and this coupled worst possible execution / direction reminded me of ‘Thora Jee Le’.

Apart from excellent cinematography, only other positive point of ‘Parchi’ acting by some of its actors. Best among them was by seasoned actor Shafqat Cheema as he literally dominated screen with his lively acting and excellent dialogues delivery. Faizan Shaikh also acted flawlessly throughout and surprisingly debutant Faiza Saleem also did justice to her role, her screen presence was better than her female colleagues. All main leads like Hareem Farooq, Ali Rehman Khan, Ahmed Ali Akbar, Usman Mukhtar and Shafqat Khan failed miserably with their forgettable performances. Mah-e-nur Haider had a forgettable debut.

There are certain type of roles meant for certain type of actors and the role played by Hareem Farooq “madam saab” was definitely not meant for someone like Hareem Farooq. She didn’t fit into “madam saab” role at all, as she is simply too beautiful, bubbly and cute to be a gangster. Although it seemed as she had tried hard to act well and there were positive glimpses some were but background didn’t work for her, she is just another pretty face without much acting skills. I was expect a lot more from Hareem Farooq as she hails from theatrical background, but she simply failed to deliver.  At most she looked like a shadow of “bholi punjaaban” from Fukrey Returns. Production might be one reason why she couldn’t do justice to her role. Still wondering if she lost weight just to produce this rubbish.

Ali Rehman Khan didn’t act well but he seems like a terrific dancer, rest should take dancing lessons. Ali Rehman Khan seems like a decent addition to our very small list of male actors who have hero material within them and I am pretty hopeful that with better selection and slight improvement he can be the next big thing in Pakistani movie scene.

As for music, I have seen very few Pakistani movies which lack good music and ‘Parchi’ is definitely on the list with its pathetic music. Highly anticipated songs Billo Hai and Imagine have Bollywood feel to them. Should have done better.

 

‘Jannan’ – Fails to impress.

Before going to see this movie I called almost all of my friends and colleagues who are basically from Swat and one of my colleague who is an excellent cook came to my place with excellent home-made beef biryani

Once settled I asked him what jannan meant?, he immediately said “mashooq”, and he then countered a question “do you have any Janaan?. My answer was an immediate and a big No.

DIRECTION & STORY: I have been to Swat many times and have stayed there, made friends, although didn’t make any Janaan. We were told that Janaan will be a movie aimed at bringing life to a culture that is overshadowed the most and highlights the essence of Pakhtoons. I did see some glimpses of pakhtoon culture in the movie but calling this a movie based on pakthoon culture wouldn’t right.

Never heard of any pakhtoon family sending their girl all by herself overseas for education, even some-one as famous as Malala didn’t go all by herself.

Meena had been away from family for six years only and on return not recognizing Asfandyar didn’t fit well, this kind of stuff is very common in bollywood movies. There are many other scenes that can only be seen in bollywood movie not in any part of Pakistan or Swat to be precise.

Ikramullah (Nayer Ijaz) is shown as a very influential person and the way he was arrested (way too easily) is not digestible, in our part of the world even a small crook is not that easy to arrest.

ACTING: Starting with Armeena, she disappointed once again with her acting skills, although she looked cute all through-out the movie and that was the only positive aspect that she could bring into the movie.

Bilal Ashraf the other lead looked very much inspired by Siddarth Malhotra and his acting in Kapoor & Sons, for me Bilal Ashraf was the biggest disappointment of the movie, expressionless acting. He should be better at ramp-walk.

Mishi Khan and Nayer Ijaz didn’t impress at all, and guy who was playing the role of Groom will try to forget this movie pretty soon, as he just couldn’t deliver. That Canadian girl didn’t know how to cry, she reminded me of bollywood movies of early 90’s.

Ajab Gul was perfect most of the time and surprise was Hania Amir excellent on her debut, I was told by friends that this is her first acting assignment; before this movie she had not acted in any drama / movie / commercial or anything similar, she handled here character very well. Grand-Mother acted well enough.

And lastly Ali Rehman Khan future super-star, can’t wait to see you soon again on-screen, you are the kind of stuff that our industry needs the most, you know how to act on big screen and you carried your character very well through-out. Thoroughly impressed.