Six Sigma Plus, Salman Iqbal and ARY Films launched the trailer of film, ‘London Nahi Jaunga’. The trailer premiered at Nueplex Cinema Karachi on Saturday 11th June 2022, to a full house of press (including members of social-media, print-media & electronic-media), editors and celebrities from the entertainment fraternity as well as notable directors.
The movie ‘London Nahi Jaunga’ is a romantic comedy with a touch of family drama and, at the same time, lots of passion, intrigue, ambition, and power struggles that encapsulate its journey.
The film stars some of the most powerful names in Pakistani cinema such as Humayun Saeed, Mehwish Hayat, Kubra Khan, Gohar Rasheed, Sohail Ahmed, Vasay Chaudhry, and Saba Hameed. It is produced by Salman Iqbal, Humayun Saeed, Shehzad Nasib and Jerjees Seja. Nadeem Baig is the director of the film. The script is the work of acclaimed writer, Khalil ur Rehman Qamar.
The buzz around the upcoming movie has been electrifying, and it has already garnered a lot of attention with people loving the scale and magnitude that the trailer promises as well as soulful Music to groove to only some of which has been revealed.
Salman Iqbal CEO ARY Group said; “this is the moment that the Pakistani film industry has been waiting for, ever since the pandemic, films in the country have taken a major hit. With the release of ‘London Nahi Jaonga’ we are seeing a much needed resurgence in the industry”.
“We see the release of ‘London Nahi Jaonga’ as a milestone in the industry. Major film releases in the country had come to a halt during the last few years, with little to no expression of art and creativity. ‘London Nahi Jaonga’ with its star studded cast will definitely be a breath of fresh air and open doors for newer releases”, stated the CEO of ARY Network Jerjees Seja on the trailer launch event.
CEO of ARY Network went on to say that; “this film will be a game changer for Pakistani film industry, we have plans for international release as well and this one is going to be one of the biggest release for any Pakistani movie”.
While the much-celebrated director Nadeem Baig observed; “film making is a joy that took a back seat due to COVID in the last four years but, now we are back to it again and I couldn’t be happier with the work we have put in ‘London Nahi Jaunga’. I hope the audiences feel what we are feeling with it!”.
Nadeem Baig stressed on the point that; “this film ‘London Nahi Jaonga’ is not a sequel of Punjab Nahi Jaongi, but is of same genre, which is romantic comedy.”
Mehwish Hayat lead actress of the film express her views, “it has taken 4 tough years to complete this venture. Every project is different from one another and I can’t wait to give my country this eid-ul-adha gift!”.
Mehwish Hayat all set to steal the limelight with ‘London Nahi Jaonga’, releasing this Eid-ul-Adha.
Male lead of ‘London Nahi Jaonga’ Humayoon Saeed showed his excitement against other two major releases this Eid ul Adha, which are ‘Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad’ and other being an international release ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’. He was confident that Pakistani crowd would opt for local heroes Fahad Mustafa & Humayoon Saeed over Christopher Hemsworth (Thor: Love and Thunder).
Relying to a question on Eid releases, Humayoon Saeed responded by saying; “during these horrid times when only one movie is being released, we are left with no options but to go for Eid release, pretty soon we will be releasing more than one movie / year then we will release part from Eid also and we will be catering to other genres also”.
Replying to another question, of music of ‘London Nahi Jaonga’, he replied; “all songs of the movie are in Punjabi and having said that there are plans for a Punjabi film soon. Dubbing in other languages is also under active consideration”.
Trailer doesn’t give much away, but is seems more a sequel of some previous movie. If you watch Humayoon Saeed closely you will fell that he seems to start exactly from where he left at prequel. Just by watching Humayoon Saeed with his monologue dialogue delivery, you can safely call this movie Punjab Nahi Jaungi Part 2′ aka London Nahi Jaunga.
Then enters Mehwish Hayat with all of her beauty, charisma, appeal, acting-skills, body-language and effortless dialogue-delivery will put you under her mesmerizing spell for while and once you get over it then will realize that Mehwish Hayat with her star-appeal and on-screen-charisma, will carry this movie entirely on her shoulders.
The 20th 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 20th 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 20th 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 20th 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 20th 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 20th 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 20th 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 20th 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.
Pakistani movie ‘Load Wedding’ felt like a breath of fresh air in a much polluted environment, it was that kind of movie that makes everything seem more exciting and fresh. ‘Load Wedding’ had a very fresh and natural feel to it, not a single scene depicted any alien type or any foreign type feeling which is now seen in most of Pakistani movies. By far ‘Load Wedding” is the best Pakistani movie to come out this Eid-ul-Adha season and should be on must-watch list.
Load Wedding seems to have everything that attracts crowd to cinemas, from excellent and spot-on direction by Nabeel Qureshi coupled with decent content & storyline by Fizza Ali Meerza, Nabeel Qureshi and Mohsin Abbas Haider. Social issues were presented in a very descent and acceptable manner.
On the acting front ‘Load Wedding’ has the biggest crowd puller of Pakistani film industry today, Fahad Mustafa as male lead and against him is Mehwish Hayat as lead female. This duo is now the best and perhaps the most wanted onscreen couple on silver screen. Both played their parts to perfection and chemistry between seems very natural and flows smoothly.
Fahad Mustafa apart from being a crowd puller is also best hero that we have today. His onscreen aura, his acting skills, dialogues delivery, facial expressions, flexibility, his dance-moves and his innocent face makes him a complete hero. Right now he is probably the only Pakistani actor who has complete characterises of a hero. He can easily compete with any top hero from across the border.
Mehwish Hayat charmed with her beautiful and adorable face. Her acting skills were near perfect but what left a lasting impression was her facial expression, which were mesmerising to core and to such extent that even after a couple of days gone still can’t shake-it off my head. Mehwish Hayat seemed natural all through out and performed outstandingly, she was an equal match Fahad’s brilliant performance.
Another actress who stunned with her brilliant all-round performance was Faiza Hasan, she didn’t miss a single mark and at times outshone bigger stars. I see big potential in this actor. Samina Ahmed was also performed brilliantly with her role as a mother.
Cinematography was also good enough and was one of the reason that kept our eyes onscreen. They way parts of rural Punjab were shown felt very fascinating and can do wonders for our tourism industry if promoted properly.
Good music is turning out to be a trade-mark of Pakistani movies and with that ‘Load Wedding’ is also loaded with excellent music. Songs like Rangeya, Kooch Na Kari and Faqeera flow smoothly with the movie are treat for listeners. Music composer Shani Arshad should be credited for excellent music.
‘Load Wedding’ is surely made for masses not for an elite audience and this is evident all throughout the movie as all stakeholders involved in bringing this movie to us have focused on merely on keeping it simple as possible or to keep it as close to our habitat. Topics and issues portrayed are normal in rural punjab and in rest of the country.
‘Load Wedding’ is the best Pakistani movie to come out this Eid-ul-Adha season. It has entertainment, emotions and highlights important social issues. ‘Load Wedding’ is a must-watch.
Kamran Hashim's Blog 