Even if the Pakistani team is proven not guilty, which seems very unlikely at the moment, we all know that they all are a bunch of shady people who play only for themselves. Their punishment should be exemplary.

In spite of losing, God knows how many matches in a row, they get half a million each from the PCB for winning the Oval test match.

Question: Aren’t these guys paid money to play and win? Some of them get up to 800,000 rupees per test match. So why pay them extra for doing what they are supposed to do? Or….were they paid their cut for losing the first two? Hmmm?

Look what’s happening in Pakistan. On one hand we are begging the world for money and on the other hand we are throwing away money as if we own the World Bank. 500,000 to each playing team member and 250,000 to non-playing at the Oval test. Why? Everything seems like a big scam. Well, it has to end now.

PCB and the Pakistan cricket team need overhauling. I’m sure most of you will agree that there should be no international cricket at all for the next two years in Pakistan. As it is no team wants to come to Pakistan, so why do we need to travel such long distances only to get humiliated?

Suggestion: For the next two years we should just train a fresh new lot. Nurture them mentally, physically and socially under the supervision of a brand new PCB. PCB free of any old baggage. No Ex cricketers, no ex PCB’eers.

To find the right people for PCB I suggest four people who I think are the best in what they do and are devoted and passionate Pakistanis too. They are normal people like us and do not have any political connection or agenda. These people should hunt for the right office for the new Pakistani team, a team that will emerge from first class cricket and other cricket workshops in the next two years. These four are Mr. Sarfaraz Rehman (CEO Engro Foods), Mr. Khalid Alvi (Vice President ICI), Mr. Asad Jaffer (CEO Philips Pakistan) and Mujahid Hamid (Ex-Chairman Lever Brothers China).

They should sit down, brainstorm, and find the right people for PCB. Then very quickly PCB should take up the task of finding the most talented young cricketers. These young boys should be taught social etiquettes, art of communication and leadership, patience and planning and above all should be injected with an ultimate sense of patriotism. They should be like robots with human emotions.

After two years or three, no matter how much time this overhauling takes, when these boys step out into the ground for the first time, our entire nation will stand together to support them. Till then, please no cricket.

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Amina Baig
Karachi

Aisa Karo Gay Tu Kon Ayega

Remember all the days you spent laughing endlessly at school, because there would always be this bunch of dudes who had a knack for cracking people up with their hilarious take on anything and everything? Sometimes all it would take was a look to set the laughing fits off. Now imagine being able to watch those guys onstage weekend after weekend, doing nothing but make you laugh.

If this sounds to you like a scenario you could get used to, the Aisa Kerogey Tou Kon Ayega (AKTKA) Urdu improv troupe has exactly what you need. Founded by Azfar Ali, who himself had delivered side-splitting commentary on life and weirdness with his cohort Mani on radio for the longest time, AKTKA is a remedy of sorts.

The thought behind the troupe, as Azfar explained at a preview of the show he hopes will be regularly put up, was determination to get over the melancholy and chaos that surrounds everyone in the country at the moment and just laugh. And laugh do the comics in this act. They don’t have a scripted performance, but work with situations given to them, quite like in Whose Line Is It Anyway?

The humour is very homegrown, and something that everyone who has lived in Pakistan, been schooled here, worked here and only ever skimmed newspaper headlines will understand and burst into laughter to. What’s more is that the guys are all hilarious in their own little ways.

Led by acting coach Zeeshan Haider, the comedians; Ali Gul, Afraz Rasool, Imran Ahmed, Saquib Sameer, Minhaj Ali and Rameez Siddiqui, all come with their own brand of comedy that works with an almost palpable chemistry between them. Let’s just say that when the AKTKA guys are doing their thing, you might not notice that the gazillion mosquitoes in the theatre are eating you alive.

Being funny is something that just cannot be described in words – so the minute you hear they are performing again, run out the door and grab yourself a seat for at least an hour of stomach cramping laughter!

Aisa Kerogey Tou Kon Ayega will be performing at the PACC, Karachi on March 20-21 and March 26- 28

Tickets available at Laraib Music, Clifton

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Manal Faheem Khan

Instep

When one hears the word ‘Sheep’, the last thing that would come to mind would be a very large, eye-catching shop on main Zamzama. Also, when trying to deduce from the name itself as to what you might find inside, there aren’t many things one would be able to come up with. Therefore, one feels compelled to step inside and take a look around.

When the car neared the entrance of the shop, the lane was packed with cars and people, with valet parking drivers trying to manage the traffic: clearly, the launch of this new brand had attracted the attention of many people.

Once inside, after managing to make way through the oozing crowd, a wide array of colourful cotton dresses welcomed the audience. A look around and above showed some very interesting décor: in the center stood this vast pole with life-sized stuffed sheep hanging from it, surrounded by a countless amount of people surveying the other racks of clothes, which had almost a bright glow emanating from them due to their colours and summery designs.

Also, one should not forget the interesting finger-food that was being served, as people enjoyed the amazing music being played by a DJ in one corner, with mocktails in one hand and sushi in the other.

Adding more glamour to the evening was the fashion show that started around 7 pm, with the likes of supermodels such as Iraj and Nadia Hussain, who showed off the collection as they walked around the shop wearing flowers in their hair, to complement the summery feel of the collection itself.

Adnan

Throughout the evening, I was deeply intrigued by the mystery that revolved around the name, and when I finally caught up with the man behind the thought himself, Mujeebullah Khan explained the innovation behind his decision by claiming, “If Apple can be a brand for technology, then why can’t Sheep be a brand for clothes?” Mujeebullah was once the business manager for Dupont Lycra, Pakistan and worked with Karachi Fashion Council so he knows not just about fashion but more importantly about the business of fashion. Other than running Sheep, he is currently the CEO of iTextiles; parent company of Sheep. Yet, he refuses to take any credit for Sheep, choosing to praise his team of designers, marketers and public relations experts. Aalia Jafar is the Executive Director of Sheep and worked with Mujeebullah at Dupont where she was voted as the Best Marketer for 4 years. Mujeebullah claims that it’s all about the image and the brand, “You should have fun when you go to a shop,” he says. “Going to Zara is fun, even if you don’t want to buy anything. When you’re in the store you see how affordable it is and you buy something. Unlike going to Prada where you need a reason to buy and a lot of money to do so, most of us can’t afford it.” With this thought process, Sheep will cater to most of us with an extremely affordable price range of Rs1800 – 4500. The brains behind Sheep hope to launch 5 more stores in the country within the next couple of years.

Deeply impressed by the show, the collection and the delicious sushi, I was further impressed by the efforts of the people behind this lovely evening, when guests were given chocolate truffles as they made their way towards the exit. It is an extremely wonderful feeling to experience such hard work at a local level, as events like these are very rare in Karachi. Therefore a large thumbs-up to the event itself!

Also, the trip to the launch of Sheep was made even more worthwhile, when I saw that the clothes were beautiful, yet practical and affordable. Women can now just skip the emotional trauma of haggling with the kaprawala’s and the darzi, and head towards Sheep to pick out some fun and easy clothes to wear during the day, either while going to work, or to a lunch with their girlfriends. The clothes have also made it easier for Karachi women to beat the heat in style, as the approaching dreadful heat had us sweating as we rushed out to hide our winter wardrobe, and make way for the spring/summer collections.

Therefore, I’d recommend all the other ladies who have been fretting over this year’s summer wardrobe to head down to Zamzama, and find the answers to their summer troubles, at Sheep.

Sheep is at:
Plot No. 9-C,
7th Commercial Lane,
Zamzama, Phase 5, DHA
Karachi, Pakistan

– Photos by Kohi Marri

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By Amar Ayaz

Meesha Shafi

Video: Mona
Artist: Mauj
Album: Now In Technicolor
Director: Sohail Javed

The release of Mauj’s ‘Mona’ video; the vibrant song, with a deeper meaning, was well planned, as it was released just before their debut album Now In Technicolor. Behind the soulful solos and funky riffs, underneath the foundation of bass and drums, certain tracks on the album comprise of an intellect within Mauj. Similarly, ‘Mona’ has the same effect as it is not entirely a song about love, but a darker side of the human psyche, which is clearly evident in the video.

‘Mona’, directed by Sohail Javed, is undoubtedly a fine piece of work by a man who can only be described as a workaholic. Sohail Javed averages about two videos a month, which encompasses the entire production process. Add some quality to the pace and it is easy to see why he is amongst a group of sought after video directors in the music and film industry.

Mona

Also last month Sohail directed a video for Kaavish’s debut album track, ‘Morey Saiyan’, keeping with the average, and again supplying quality. With ‘Mona’ he displayed how he can switch from one frame of mind to another. From the more subdued and classical tune of Kaavish, to the more vibrant and jazzy melody of Mauj, the transition for the director was seamless. Both videos delivered in aesthetic quality and satisfied both bands’ demands of showcasing the message behind the song, even though ‘Morey Saiyan’ was more ambiguous.

The actors, most notably Anisa Shaikh (who plays the object of Omran’s affection) and Sanam Saeed, support the storyline well, which is expected of Sanam, the increasingly popular theatre star. Omran also shows us that apart from being a musician and a performer on stage that he can hold his own on-screen as well. However, credit for this also has to go to Sohail who is also in charge of eliciting emotions from the characters to complement the storyboard.

Mona

The video shows a writer who goes to stay at Mona Manzil, where he is mesmerized by the beauty of the family’s daughter and the compassion that family bequeaths upon him. The storyline continues to show that at night the endearment and empathy displayed by the family turns into something more sinister. Troubled by this ominous feeling the writer (played by Omran Shafique) wakes to see the family comforting him.

Mona

“There are things that are very shiny and glittery on the surface, but a lot of ugliness underneath,” Omran explains of the song. “You may love something but you don’t realize the after effects are horrible (yet) you love it so much that you have to reconcile your desire for this thing and its ill-effects,” he elaborates.

From Omran’s perspective, and Sohail Javed’s storytelling technique, it is easy to deduce that the darkness of addiction is what they are referring to by portraying it as love. You tend to overlook the shortcomings, or any appalling aftermath, when you are in love which is a sort of addiction.

After ‘Paheliyan’ and ‘Khushfehmi’, ‘Mona’ is a slightly more artistic video as it comprises of a storyline rather than Mauj performing. Sohail Javed’s broad understanding of the music video format is absolutely apparent as he switched moods with great ease (from morose to a menacing jubilance in one month). Even though it is yet to be deciphered who is going to direct the band’s next video; one thing is for sure we cannot wait to see which of Mauj’s eclectic set of tracks is converted to aesthetic awesomeness.

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EP Fawad

Twitter is now officially a little cooler, as far as Pakistani celebs who tweet go. Fawad Afzal Khan (@Fawadk007), frontman for the band Entity Paradigm (EP) joined Twitter a few months back but seemingly has only just now become more active on it. And the tweets he has been leaving for fans are nothing short of superbly exciting!

“Get ready.. Something big is coming up soon! Until then please keep waiting,” Fawad tweeted a while back, piquing the curiosity of fans. This message was followed up by “Okay… This news is only for my Tweeps. I wont post this on FB until later.. But EP will be featuring in the 3rd season of Coke Studios!”

The band has an official presence on Facebook as well, and the response they have from fans is simply tremendous – and a little surprising.

The surprise comes from the fact that EP had broken up a while back, and reunited in March last year, however, their presence still seems negligible as nothing new by EP has been seen in a long, long time.

Yet there are still people who want their favourite band to start rocking and rolling ASAP. Initially most fan messages on Facebook centered around including Xulfi back into the main line up of the band – however, after EP played a few live shows last year, one fan remarked, “At first I thought EP would be nothing without Xulfi, but now I realize that EP is way better without Xulfi!”

The band has recently been busy recording their second studio album, the first single of which ‘Shor Macha’ will be released soon. EP called for all fans to convene at Bari Studios in Lahore, so they could be part of the video as well.

After a long hiatus, EP is back, with what seems to be a mighty bang.

Source : Instep Today

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Strings

Strings duo Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood are currently going through the major cities of Pakistan as part of a concert tour. Having played a Valentine’s Day show for the Isloo crowd, Strings made their way to LUMS in Lahore on February 17, and sent an already keyed-up audience into absolute adrenaline-rushed mode.
While it is always fabulous to hear Strings sing – this particular performance was made even better by the fact that Bilal and Faisal sang a medley of pop songs by various Pakistani artists of yore.
If you love Strings, then just imagine them singing Nazia Hasan’s ‘Disco Dewane’ – and imagine how you would dance! And dance did the audience – one girl in particular, a student at LUMS, who was chosen by the band to come out of the audience and share stage space with them! The exhilarated girl could be seen saying, “Oh my god!” throughout her time on stage and this probably made the concert even more fun for the people there, to see one of their in the spotlight.
The medley had other musical gems as well: Reshma, Alamgir, Vital Signs, Junoon and Ali Azmat songs were part of the repertoire and had the crowd swaying, singing and dancing along.
Strings humbly admitted that these artists were the ones responsible for paving the way for future musical acts such as themselves and to see such humility from people so successful is always awe-inspiring; especially since Strings already paid homage to Pakistani greats in the ‘Titliyan’ video.
The night ended with the Jupiters’ ‘Yaaro Yehi Dosti Hai’ – classic Pakistani friendship anthem – which was the perfect song to play for an audience full of students.

Source: Instep Today

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Aamna Haider Isani
Outlook India

Fashion & Article

Almost every Indo-Pak cultural relationship walks the thin line between love and hate. Indian films are adored, but all hell breaks loose if one takes an anti-Pakistan slant. Cricket matches between the two  generate huge excitement, but a defeat leads to torn-down billboards and burnt effigies. Cricketing ties turn sour when the ipl decides to keep out Pakistani players-and love for Shahrukh Khan soars to an all-time high here when he defends Pakistani cricketers on TV.

One little-noticed aspect of the relationship, however, is marked by a serene consistency-fashion ties. Pakistani brands like Sana Safinaz have, according to reports, sold out within an hour of stocking in Mumbai or Delhi. And Indian fashion, with its vibrant colour palette of reds and oranges, is a temptation not many Pakistani women can seem to resist. Poor trade ties play spoiler in this discreet love affair. Fashion imports are mostly either ‘suitcase operations’-which risk being nabbed at customs, if the suitcases stuffed with bulk clothing get inspected-or follow an expensive indirect trade route, via Dubai.

Indian fashion is influential at both ends of the spectrum in Pakistan-those who buy fabric and get it tailored too revel in Bollywood bling. Ekta Kapoor soaps, airing on cable TV in Pakistan, inspired an entire generation to wear sequins in their saris and bindis on their foreheads. Addiction to Indian films saw Madhuri Dixit’s green-and-white lehnga, in Hum Aapke Hain Koun, copied several times over by every tailor in town. Kajol’s DDLJ mehndi outfit acquired a huge fan following, as did Aishwarya’s star-spangled costumes in Devdas and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. If you happened to attend a Pakistani wedding around that time, you’d see India’s top films unravel down the marquee!

The copycat culture faded a little when Manish Malhotra and Rocky S stepped into Bollywood fashion, tweaking their heroines’ wardrobes to near-nudity. Never comfortable with revealing either legs or cleavage, Pakistani women found new-age Bollywood fashion a little too risqué for their taste.

The elite end, namely a thin minority of label-conscious upper-middle-class and rich women, has always looked down upon Bollywood fashion. Call it the Malabar Hill mindset, if you will. The Indian fashion they like is either heritage statements, embellished with traditional embroidery, or then, high-end fashion that has absorbed western influences in an indigenous way, of which Sabyasachi Mukherjee is the best example. And it was around the beginning of the millennium, when the Lakme Fashion Week popularised Indian fashion around the world, that Indian fashion branding really began to find recognition in Pakistan.

In 2004, Zeba Husain, a socialite and frequent traveller to India, started hosting the annual Carnival De Couture, a high-end fashion show that brought in Indian design houses and celebrities as fashion brand ambassadors. Indian fashion stars like Tarun Tahiliani and Rohit Bal came to Karachi and presented collections that were devoured by the rich and famous. This made way for Indian fashion retail, with Zeba opening her shop Ensemble in Karachi and Lahore, stocking Indian designers like Tahiliani, Bal, Simar Dugal and Ritu Kumar. (There are few takers for designers like Rina Dhaka, Manish Malhotra and Suneet Varma, who also went to Pakistan in the early days of the Indo-Pak fashionfest.) Indian fashion was suddenly accessible.

“Our customers do not discriminate between Pakistani and Indian designers on grounds of nationality,” says Ensemble GM Shehrnaz Husain. “Indian designers arouse curiosity and anything that looks different gets snapped up immediately. Tarun’s digital prints on stretch, for example, move rapidly.” But pricing is an issue, Shehrnaz reveals. Since Indian stocks come in via Dubai, Ensemble pays for them in US dollars and the rising dollar-Pakistani rupee conversion rate makes some brands unaffordable. “Costing,” says Shehrnaz, “is the only thing stopping us from bringing in Sabyasachi, who is popular in Pakistan”.

That said, Ritu Kumar bridals and casuals sell exceptionally well, a new collection disappearing from the shelves in two or three days. “I needed a last-minute fashion fix for a qawwali night hosted a day after my nikah,” says Abiha Jafri, who got married in Karachi recently. “I bought a beautiful white Ritu Kumar outfit because it was traditional and yet trendy. Pakistani labels at Ensemble were too contemporary. Not many local labels retail eveningwear off-the-rack and when they do, it’s usually expensive. Ritu Kumar was was perfect.”

Perfection is achieved with a bit of tweaking though. Indian salwars are not popular in Pakistan, where the garments are cut very differently, nor half-sleeves – Pakistani women prefer to go either full sleeves or sleeveless – and cholis are a no-no. Indian designers represent a very thin slice of the Pakistani fashion pie-because of the hassle of importing, the volumes involved are tiny – but the retail potential is incredible. Any Pakistani woman looking for a sari would first visit the Satya Paul outlets in Karachi and Lahore. Sabyasachi, not retailed in Pakistan, has enough pull to have women fly to Dubai to buy his clothes, if they can’t get an Indian visa; and Indian designers who do retail in Pakistan would do even better if their stocks were refreshed frequently, which does not happen because of the detour via Dubai. As the two countries look to mend their volatile relationship, will someone please give fashion a chance?

Source: Instep Today

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Fashion Week

Instep Today: What’s your collection for the upcoming PFDC Fashion week about?

Ammar Belal: My inspiration is the King of Pop Michael Jackson and traces his life and legacy. We start from ‘Thriller’ which was very ’80s and ‘Bad’ which is very punk metal. I have picked 11 of his most iconic songs and videos and structured my show chronologically. In every video he wears a very specific look that had made a profound style statement like the white glove and the red jacket. So the first half of the show is punk rock and the second half has pieces with work on them. All pieces are very theatrical and dramatic.

Instep Today: What is your view of holding two/four fashion weeks?

AB: I’m really glad that the trend of holding fashion weeks has finally begun in Pakistan. But on a serious front, it should still be one collective fashion week rather than the very many that we are going to have this year. I’ve always been for doing things together. But the problem is with everyone’s inflated egos. Everyone is so busy playing Moses, while what we need is for people to start playing Jesus.

Instep Today:  How will the industry benefit from regular fashion weeks?

AB: It will be a good thing for people to get together twice a year or so to give the industry a good structure and more importantly give an accurate representation of Pakistani fashion. It will give us exposure in our own market and allow for global recognition with time. Right now Pakistan is viewed as unreliable. But by showing that fashion isn’t entertainment, but serious business, we can change that image of the industry. For me, fashion week is an opportunity to show that whatever the world can do, we can do cheaper and better. I want Pakistan to become a place where the world can out source handicraft work. Buyers will only stock you if you can sell. It’s as simple as that. It’s all about the numbers that you can generate. We need to understand who are target market is and work towards it.

– Hani Taha Salim

Source: Instep Today

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Sarah Shah

Instep Today in Lahore as PFDC Fashion Week is announced in Karachi

Instep Today: What’s your collection for the upcoming PFDC Fashion week about?

Sarah Shahid

Instep Today: What is your view of holding two/four fashion weeks?

SS: Ideally it should have been one because to be honest the market isn’t big enough for so many fashion weeks. But to look at things positively: this is all a practice that will bring about a lot of professionalism in the industry. It’s a rehearsal for everyone associated with this event from designers to choreographers to event managers on how to hone their talents, and will result in competitiveness in design. Also it gives the participants lots of exposure. For Pakistan to pull in people (such as international buyers) in this social and political climate is tremendous. But to expect them to come four times in a year is not realistic. Nonetheless, let’s just do this and not think about all these practicalities.

Instep Today:  How will the industry benefit from regular fashion weeks?

SS: It will give us the discipline to work according to seasons and bring seriousness to the business of fashion. We need to develop some ethics and professionalism. The concept of a fashion show needs to be changed; the idea of a show is to display garments, not entertain people. A fashion week brings all kinds of designers together under one roof. It’s a great opportunity for just your work to shine irrespective of how you are. It allows for overnight success and for fashion stars to be created – which is very exciting since it gives a chance to people beyond a certain clique to display their worth.

– Hani Taha Salim

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