Pakistani Cinema

Khalilur Rehman Qamar on Lollywood, revival of dramas, Mona Lisa
Shabnam in town: ‘Revival of cinema requires govt help’
Shakeel: The legend returns to theatre
Great expectations for ‘Coke Studio 5’

Khalilur Rehman Qamar on Lollywood, revival of dramas, Mona Lisa

Posted: 09 May 2012 11:39 AM PDT

By Ghulam Hussain

Pakistan's ace drama writer Khalilur Rehman Qamar has said that most of the top talented artistes have been migrating to Karachi due to the non-serious attitude in Lahore's showbiz industry. The hypocrisy has been rife in Lahore's showbiz world that was why the Lahorite showbiz people have fled to Karachi.

In an excusive interview with Daily Times, Khalilur Rehman Qamar said that now Karachi has become the hub of showbiz activities, because in Karachi we find professionalism unlike Lahore, he stressed.

He said these days he was in Karachi and was busy in writing for majority of the production houses such as for Humayun Saeed, Abdullah Kadwani, Momina Duraid, Tanveer Ajmee. "My drama serial 'Manchali' will go on air next week from a private TV channel. This serial has been directed by Nadeem Beg."

Khalil said that Pakistani dramas had improved a great deal, hence their viewership had increased drastically as well.

He maintained that creative people could make good dramas. He pointed to some names such as Anjum Shahzad, Nadeem Beg, Shafaat, Babar Javed, Roomi and Sarmad Khoosat, who were doing commendable creative work.

Talking about the Pakistani film industry, Khalil said Lollywood had totally vanished but could be revived with the help of educated minds.

Khalil appreciated talented actresses including, Mona Lisa who had acted in Bollywood films too. He said he was happy over the fact that she had gone to India and was giving Bollywood actresses tough competition.

He defended Mona Lisa over not acting in Pakistani dramas or films by saying that she had a lot of Bollywood projects in her kitty and could not afford coming to Pakistan and then going back to India over and over.

He predicted that the Pakistan film industry would make a comeback, because the good directors were still present in Lollywood, who could revive it.

Mentioning Shabnam, Khalil said he salutes Shabnam and Robin Ghosh, adding that Shabnam was great actress, who gave more that 30 years of her life to the Pakistani film industry.

'Boota from Toba Tek Singh', 'Landa Bazaar', 'Mein Mar Gay Shaukat Ali', 'Love Life Lahore, and Dehli Kay Bankey' are some of Khalil's most memorable plays.

Shabnam in town: ‘Revival of cinema requires govt help’

Posted: 09 May 2012 10:35 AM PDT

Legendary actress Shabnam has called on the government to reduce taxes and develop infrastructure for the film industry if it want to revive Pakistani cinema.

The actress, who has starred in more than 300 movies and was recently honoured with a lifetime achievement award by the government of Pakistan, is visiting the country for the first time in 13 years since moving to Bangladesh.

"Lahore Lahore aye ji," she said about the warm reception she had received in the city. A 200-strong audience at the FC College auditorium gave her a standing ovation when she walked on stage to give a talk organised by the Griswold History Society.

Shabnam said she had not planned a career in movies. "From my early childhood, I loved to dance, but I entered films purely by luck."

It was a struggle at first. "When I first came here [to West Pakistan from then East Pakistan] I did not know how to speak Urdu," she said.

She learnt the language, but mastering the accent was another challenge. "I won't take names but there were a lot of famous people back then who said I would not make it because of my accent," she said.

Shabnam said that she had not been tempted to leave Pakistan in 1971 after the creation of Bangladesh. "People here gave me lots of love. How could I have left them?"

She said that she had personally never faced any "ill feeling" in Pakistan because of her Bengali ethnic origin.

She said she had moved to Bangladesh in 1999 to be close to extended family. She called for cultural exchanges between Bangladesh and Pakistan. "Cinema can bridge the gaps between countries," she said.

Shabnam said she was glad to have received the lifetime achievement award while she was still alive. "What is the point of acknowledging artists only once they are dead?"

She said the movies she had starred in that had been successful had done well not just because they dealt with social issues, but because all the people – producers, directors, actors, scriptwriters, etc – involved in the making of the movie had worked hard together as a team.

She said the Pakistani film industry was currently in such a bad state because so many talented actors and producers had left the country. She said it would take time for new talent to develop. She said that the government could help the industry by cutting taxes and providing infrastructure.

Asked if the film industry would be in better shape had she stayed in Pakistan, Shabnam said, "Please don't blame me for the bad shape in which the industry is currently in!"

Asked by audience members about her famous onscreen pairing with actor Nadeem, Shabnam said that their families had ties to each other and she had always enjoyed working with him. She said he was highly professional, hard working and supportive of his colleagues.

Asked if she would ever do theatre, the actress said it would be very difficult for her. "In theatre you have just one shot at getting it right while in movies you can always do a retake," she said.

She said her marriage with music director Robin Ghosh, who was seated next to her, had been successful because both of them respected each other's professional commitments and gave each other space. However, she complained about his lack of excitement at her visits to his music studio, much to the amusement of the audience.

"He would not even look at me when I visited during his recordings," she said. But she attributed her success to Ghosh "because of his unfaltering support".

One young student asked Shabnam about the secret behind her beautiful hair. "It runs in the family," she said, but added that she ate plenty of rice and fish.

Asked to name her favourite songs from her movies, she mentioned 'Kuch log rooth ker bhee' and 'Roothay ho tum'.

The talk was moderated by Dr Yaqoob Khan Bangash of the FC College history department.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9th, 2012.

Shakeel: The legend returns to theatre

Posted: 09 May 2012 10:30 AM PDT

Over the last three days, renowned television actor Shakeel has been enthralling audiences at the Alhamra Arts Complex in Lahore. Living up to and even surpassing the viewers' expectations, the celebrated actor, who returned to theatre after a span of 25 years, once again delivered a flawless solo performance for his most recent stage play "Us Gali Na Jawin".

Dressed in ragged, torn clothes, the actor was not only able to connect with the younger audiences, but also received a resounding applause by leading actors and theatre veterans present in the auditorium.

The play, written and directed by the popular playwright and poet Sarmad Sehbai, was a thought-provoking exercise, questioning the deteriorating situation of the country. The way the script has been written, Shakeel's character is shown engaged in a monologue, during which he tries to explain the nuances of life and the everyday issues of growing up.

One of a kind

Although solo performances have been done before, none have come even close to this one, which stood out due to the abstract nature of the dialogue.

Entering the stage with a bowl of bird food, Shakeel plays the role of an elderly man who has lost his memory and tries to reconcile with the world through his imaginary conversations. These conversations see him talking his heart out with a host of imaginary characters such as birds, people and the surrounding environment such as the sky. The conversation tries to understand how the country's great principles and ideas are slowly decaying.

For instance, the dialogue highlights how, in olden days, life was simpler and people cared and friendships were not determined by wealth or greed. However, things have changed and now greed, intolerance and terror are widespread in the country.

"I don't think that a solo performance of this nature has been done before," said Shakeel. "I was just thankful that I had a chance for the role because when I read the script I was immensely inspired," added the legend.

Paying a tribute

Following the play was a tribute to Shakeel's 45-year-old career in the form of a video presentation featuring his acting clips from various TV dramas and films. In his youth, Shakeel was a bona fide superstar, known not just for his acting but also for his good looks. Despite having been typecast as an actor known for playing Casanova roles, Shakeel made sure that his acting talents were constantly challenged and the diversity of his skill set was proven by his portrayal of the famous character Uncle Urfi in the PTV drama "Uncle Urfi".

When asked why he decided to return to theatre after such a long gap, Shakeel replied, "I always said that I wanted to see the zinda dil Lahore and the support I received during the performance was very inspiring. "The play is abstract and not typical and the audience was sophisticated and understood the underlying message," he added.

Meanwhile, speaking about the play, the eminent Urdu fiction writer Intezaar Hussain, said, "It really was a learning experience because the way the script was written and the acting was done, it brought forth something I have never seen before."

It wasn't only Hussain who was taken aback by Shakeel's acting. Famed screenwriter Asghar Nadeem Syed also looked stunned at the performance. "This sensibility and timing that Shakeel brought delivered an amazing performance," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10th, 2012.

Great expectations for ‘Coke Studio 5’

Posted: 09 May 2012 10:23 AM PDT

Finally, it's that time of the year again when all things positive happen in the supposedly dying music industry of Pakistan — a period marked by musicians whining less and producing more music. And most of all, it's a time when a certain television music show gets unprecedented level of viewership. We're talking about "Coke Studio", which is now a globally recognised music show, and set to air from May 13. However, this time around, there are a lot of changes and surprises planned for the audience as drummer Gumby and keyboardist Jaffar Zaidi, two of the main house band members, are making an exit. As the show goes international, it has welcomed Karachi-born Punjabi rapper Bohemia to spell some magic.

New house band members

Although a lot of "Coke Studio" fans are disappointed by the exit of the show's founding member Gumby and Jaffar, their replacements are no less than musical geniuses. In fact, a musician like Farhad Humayun will bring in a lot of diversity to the overall sound of "Coke Studio". At the same time, one cannot draw a comparison between the skill level of Gumby and Humayun, as both are immensely talented in their own respective ways. If Gumby has experience, Humayun has the innovation — which is evident from the fact that he is the only drummer in Pakistan leading a band of his own. Apart from Humayun, Mubashir Admani, popularly known as "Mobi", is also part of this season's line-up. Considered as one of the most underrated, yet finest keyboard players of Pakistan, his style happens to be contrary to that of Jaffar's. While Jaffar's keyboard playing is rooted in classical and semi-classical influences and has a mellow approach, Mobi is known for his funk, jazz and blues playing style. All these changes may actually evolve the overall sound of the upcoming season and take it to another level.

Popular acts

Although this season will be introducing young acts like SYMPT and mark the return of Bilal Khan, they are definitely not the musicians who we are expecting miracles from; mostly, because they might be outdone by a whole list of amazing musicians who are expected to light up the stage this time around. Take for instance, rapper Bohemia, Atif Aslam and young rock band Qayaas, featuring Khurram Waqar and Sarmad Ghafoor. A lot is also expected from qawwals Fareed Ayaz and Abu Mohammad. Add to this, the fact that model-cum-musician Meesha Shafi will also feature in the same season as the experienced Pakistani artist Hadiqa Kiyani.

Unforgettable songs of the soil

The most original aspect of the show will be the appearance of folk band Chakwalis and sheedi musician from Sindh, Tahir Mithu. Whether it is "Danah Pah Danah" or "Aik Alif, folk tunes always get the audiences' attention. On the other hand, Humayun Khan who is a pop artist from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), will bring elements of ethnic pop to the table. At the same time, it would be interesting to hear what the house band members put together for the show.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9th, 2012.

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Wednesday, May 9, 2012