BOL NEWSPAPER | December 11 2022

By Faizan Usmani and Maheen Aziz KARACHI

The blood-ridden history of the Indian subcontinent is not a settled set of affairs of a distant past; it’s rather a sordid story in the making, shot through with persecution, polarisation and the recurring horrors of an inevitable partition. Mostly used in the past connotation, therefore, human history is a constantly evolving phenomenon that keeps moving to known and unknown directions either through anthropogenic activities or by virtue of the vicissitudes of time beyond human control.

The new web series ‘Sevak – The Confessions’ has come out as a timely reminder about the inerasable, yet ghastly horrors of the blood-stained partition that are embodied en masse this time in the specter of Hindutva. Once lying unconscious in the memory corners of a nation’s psyche, the belief in the hegemony of Hinduism has now been reincarnated that too in the guise of a niche but defiled ideology. Masqueraded as following and revering a particular religion in letter and spirit, such a frenzied wave of devout activism laced with vicious vigilantism, in marked contrast, has more to do with the perpetuation of hate crime and is more about fanning hatred as well as committing gross human atrocities and genocide against the other religious minorities that too in the name of purifying and saving the mainstream religion with more than a billion believers.

Purported to be an original action-thriller based on true events, ‘Sevak – The Confessions’ can be referred to as a spirited attempt at laying bare the other but true side of history which took place between 1984 and 2022 across the border with all its vehemence and violence. Thanks to the propaganda machinery that characterises Indian media patronised by a nearly fascist regime today, the series equals to the occasion to redress the brutally wronged history through a slew of empirical evidence of the historical developments and momentous events unfolded in a Hindu-majority country in the

last few decades in particular. Most importantly, all such things were more directed against the minorities of India, chiefly Muslims and Sikhs.

Hailed as a story of intrigue and nail-biting suspense based on true events, the cast of the web series include Nayyer Ejaz, Nazarul Hassan, Hajra Yamin, Mohsin Abbas Haider, Adnan Jaffar and many other talented new faces. Directed by Anjum Shahzad, the series is written by Saji Gul, the established screenwriter behind such popular plays as Sannat (2013), O Rangreza (2017), Ibn-e-Hawwa (2022) and Mrs. & Mr. Shameem (2022). Released by Vidly. tv, an OTT (Over The Top) platform, the official trailer followed by the first episode of the web series is out for the public view on the mainstream social media platforms, while the complete series can be watched via Vidly.tv app and also through its official website.

According to Saji Gul, the screenwriter of the web series, the current rise of the Hindutva narrative in India has caused the alarm bells to ring for Muslims across the world. "Vidly and Loco 89 approached me with the premise of a basic thriller in mind which was set in India, and we went through several ideas and possibilities about which story we should tell,” says Saji Gul.

“I have an interest in global politics and world religions so that element appealed to me, especially since such themes aren't addressed in Pakistani content and nor is such care and precision taken with the use of languages and dialects. We watched several documentaries that have been made about the 1984 genocide to craft the eight-episode narrative arc,” he added.

The web series has a total of three tracks and eight stories intertwined together under the banner of ‘Eight Stories, One Crime’.

As the official statement suggests, ‘Sevak –The Confessions’ is a historical action thriller and its main story puts forward a riveting blend of murder and mystery revolving around the shadowy death of Jeet Singh, a leading Indian film star. Vidya, a young investigative journalist, is aided by a key informant Mannu, who secretively leads her

to the assassin and their investigative journey gradually unravels the chief motif behind the mysterious murder, perpetuated out of hate by diehard followers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist organisation. In the beginning, the story of Sevak had a very linear manner, but the writer Saji Gul wanted it to have a non-linear style with an intriguing story that explores the present while also flashing back to the lives of both the murderer and the murdered. Saji believes that film and TV are not suitable platforms for this kind of shows since TV

audiences find it difficult to understand the non-linear storytelling device, and the length of the story wouldn't make it a standalone film.

“Another reason why we wanted to tell this story through an OTT was that oftentimes the collective viewing experience in a cinema can impact our response to certain content. When we consume such stories at home all by ourselves then the experience is a more intimate one. Also, as storytellers, we can tell a wider array of stories for OTT platforms, and this content does not fall victim to the censorship laws which

dictate films and TV shows. Given the topic and style of this show, we knew that a web series was the best method to tell this story. However, it is also possible that this show is aired on a Pakistani TV channel in the near future,” according to Saji Gul.

Saji Gul is cognizant of the fact that Pakistan is not making enough web series of this standard and its length (40-45 minutes), but shows like Sevak, backed by a proper budget, are much-needed. "If we put this entire show on YouTube then the OTT platform will not be able to recoup the millions of money it has invested into this series. We decided to release the first episode on YouTube as is done by any Indian web series. Since India instead offers cheap subscription plans for OTT to attract more viewers, we also need to follow a similar subscription-based model in Pakistan too otherwise our projects won't be able to sustain themselves."

Thinking high of the stellar work done by director Anjum Shehzad, Saji Gul believes Anjum chose a very difficult script to work on as he toiled day and night to bring his vision to life and the entire team had to run to and fro on several locations while confronting a host of logistical challenges to successfully finish the formidable task.

The relevancy of the series Sevak – The Confessions can be seen in terms of uninhibited vigilantism and rampant political violence in India and the series will be relevant in the times to come. This is because the lasting saga, manifest purely on ethnic lines, mainly occurred with all its gory galore in August 1947 when the two independent states of India and Pakistan were created mainly on the basis of their religious identities. Just after 25 years, however, the making of a relatively nascent Muslim state witnessed its breakup but this time on ethnic grounds in place of religion. Now, the hasty partition of the subcontinent boasts of

its unfinished business across present-day India, be it Indian-occupied Kashmir, the states of Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya or be it the heart of Punjab in North India where a separatist movement is gaining traction in order to create a separate homeland this times for Sikhs only. More than just a lesser-known version of the recent past, the web series ‘Sevak – The Confessions’ aptly engages the attention of those fanciful patriots and nationalist utopians across the border who tend to bask under the sunshine of a glamorised historical narrative, which is roguishly woven by the state apparatus to conceal the truth in order to appease the majoritarian sentiment at the expense of vilifying the believers of the other religions.

The new web series ‘Sevak – The Confessions’ has come out as a timely reminder about the inerasable, yet ghastly horrors of the bloodstained partition that are embodied en masse this time in the specter of Hindutva

‘Sevak – The Confessions’ cannot be labelled as merely a fact-finding mission as the series goes an extra mile to depict the unremitting plight of religious minorities living in India with no end in sight of their suffering at the hands of mob vigilantism fully backed by the state government along with its like-minded cronies. Though it is too early to have a final say about the merit and demerits of Sevak, the official trailer along with its first episode conveys a great deal about the hard work involved since the series ticks almost all the boxes of a thrilling web series in terms of its storyline, dialogue, characterisation, set design, camerawork, special audio-visual effects and music.

According to Saji Gul, the team behind the web series has a season two in mind, but they need to work on the specifics of the script and those character arcs once the public has watched the season one. "We are getting a good response from Pakistan and also from Sikhs across the border. In contrast, adherents of the fundamentalist and radical RSS ideology in India are getting rather angry. However, the most important thing is that this series is helping to start a dialogue and encourage a reaction, be it good or bad," he said.

Undoing the wrongs of the past and present, ‘Sevak – The Confessions, in sum, is a refreshing blend of fiction tinged with a moving love story as well as a whole host of historically undeniable, yet underrepresented facts. Although many productions tend to blow things out of proportion to prove the point out of nationalism, one hopes Sevak will come out to be a well-knit and factually justified narration of the errors of the past and present that fail the minorities in a multi-ethnic country like India.

The web series is a refreshing blend of fiction and a whole host of historically undeniable yet underrepresented facts about the plight of religious minorities in India

Shaan Shahid’s spy thriller’s biggest drawback is its time of release; it should have been released near Waar in 2013

KARACHI By Omair Alavi

Shaan Shahid is undoubtedly one of the most talented and forward-thinking filmmakers we have in Pakistan. His films including Guns and Roses: Ik Junoon, Mujhe Chaand Chahye and Zille Shah were well received when they were released between 1999 and 2008. However, it seems that instead of moving forward, he has remained in the past and that's why his latest film Zarrar suffers. Instead of handing over the writing duties to someone else, Shaan chose to pen the script himself which weakens a film loaded with quality action sequences, impressive VFX, and a plot that reminds the audience of Hollywood but fails to impress.

The Plot Zarrar (Shahid) is a secret agent who takes a break after his last case, and no one knows his whereabouts except his mentor retired Colonel Mustajab (Nadeem Baig). But when the Colonel gets to know about an international conspiracy to gain control of Pakistan’s Nuclear Program, he recalls Zarrar who does his best to stop the bad guys from achieving their goals. He befriends journalist Kiran and uses her to reveal the corrupt elements in society, but will he be able to save the country on time, that is the question.

The Good

For a Pakistani film, the action sequences are top notch as is the badass attitude of the main lead, who doesn’t waste time to kill his enemies. There was never any doubt about Shaan’s credentials as an action hero since he has been doing that for more than three decades now. Be it a gunda-

sa in hand or a gun, Shaan does it best because he knows more about this stuff than others. By injecting politicians, media, and cross-border terrorism in his script, he has shown the way to other filmmakers who may have ideas but don’t know how to execute them.

Then there was Kiran Malik as the damsel in distress, who looked breathtakingly beautiful throughout the film. The one-take scene where she delivers a speech about her late father is proof enough that she is beautiful with brains, and can act better than many in the film industry. She can give any heroine from across the border a run for their money and needs to do more projects in the coming years.

However, the man who commands the respect of every Pakistani – Nadeem Baig – is the most likable person in the movie. He is Colonel Sam Trautman to Shaan’s John Rambo (the Hollywood one) who takes him under his wing when he seems to have lost the will to live. He is one of the finest actors we have around and we should utilize him more like Shaan did, otherwise he would fade away like his contemporaries.

It was great to see veteran TV actor Nisar Qadri in the film, however, he had a minor role that could have been elevated to a major one. As for the cinematography, and VFX, they are first-rate and it was because of these factors Zarrar makes it to the list of better action films in the country. One should be impressed because Shaan used Hollywood as a reference, instead of Bollywood, and if the fight scene in the elevator reminds you of the Sean Connery action scene in Diamonds are forever, or the Daredevil sequence in an alley, then that’s a step up for Pakistan.

The Bad

The extremely bad editing and the worst dubbing are the biggest drawbacks of the film. Whatever the reasons, filmmakers might have gotten away with it in the 1980s or the 1990s, but that was before OTT platforms were available to them.

Scenes, where the characters might have spoken English, were dubbed in Urdu, or vice versa,

while there was no link between the scenes. In fact, the twist is bland, which wouldn’t have been the case had the other actor been relatable, and the film’s spoken language was Urdu, instead of Pakistani English. As for the actors, it’s time for Shafqat Cheema to quit playing the bad guy because he is so 90s for today’s audience. Nayyar Ejaz needs to stop following the Shafqat Cheema way and do meaningful films instead of every film since he is a good actor. Newcomer Adnan Butt is also one of the producers of the film and while he has a menacing presence, his lack of acting skills didn’t help the film at all.

The Verdict 2.5/5

Out of Shaan’s last five films, three have been predominantly in English for no reason, and while Waar worked because it came at a time when people had no option, 021 and now Zarrar couldn’t work. For a director who knew that since his flick

Arth would be hitting the screens in winter, and made his actors wear warm clothes, he didn’t give this film the same attention. It’s time Shaan started to take himself seriously as a filmmaker because that’s what his fans want. He may be the son of the greatest scriptwriter Pakistan produced but he should collaborate with others as a screenwriter for his next project and think beyond himself.

If there was another person associated with the script, Shaan would never have named the project he is undertaking and his character as Zarrar. He would have gone for another name for Kiran Malik’s character besides Kiran Malik or I6 for the Pakistani version of MI6, he would have been corrected had he walked through a metal detector after killing two men in the lobby, and wouldn’t have started the film with Pakistan-America relations, only to wage a war against England, for some reason. He needs to understand that the audience has evolved, and if they are paying for a Pakistani film, they want to see a film in a language they understand, and not something that is alien to them.vz

AFP

Fictional films and TV have immense power to shift attitudes on political issues, yet they remain little-used in debates over climate change.

Analysing a database of 37,453 film and TV scripts from 2016 to 2020, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) found that just 1,046 -- 2.8 percent -- included any keywords related to climate, and only 0.6 percent mentioned "climate change" specifically.

A similar British study by Albert, a sustainability NGO, found that "cake" was mentioned 10 times more than "climate change" in TV subtitles in 2020.

"The vast majority of films and shows we watch exist in a different reality, where climate change does not exist. This allows viewers to live in a fantasy," said Anna Jane Joyner, founder of Good Energy, a consultancy that helps scriptwriters address the issue.

Scriptwriters have been keen to address climate change, Joyner said, but felt others would not be interested, or that they would be branded as hypocrites.

"Many writers feel guilty about their own lifestyle -- that unless you're a perfect climate citizen, you can't authentically write about it," said Joyner. "But we need less shaming."

It helps that public concern is rising.

The number of Americans viewing climate change as a major threat jumped from 37 to 55 percent between 2017 and 2021, despite right-wing denials.

In Britain, it jumped from 37 to 65 percent.

Para-social relationships TV has helped shift political attitudes over the years, especially around race and sexuality, from the first inter-racial kiss on "Star Trek" in the 1960s to the stars of 1990s sitcoms "Ellen" and "Will and Grace".

The latter was even cited by then vice-president Joe Biden in his decision to support marriage equality in the United States in 2012.

"People tend to view entertainment as frivolous... and writers who care about climate change might think that audiences will not be receptive," said Erica Rosenthal of USC. "But that is false."

Her work has shown how viewers form "para-social

relationships" with characters on-screen, exposing them to new ideas and people.

"Even if climate change only comes up in passing in a show that we love, it subconsciously validates that this concern is normal," said Joyner.

"You need that sense of connection before you get to a place of agency."

However, some mentions are more useful than others, she added.

Two common tropes are the apocalypse -- which is demoralising -- and characters that badger others about

their SUV or plastic straws. "Nobody likes a scold," said Joyner. Simple gestures can help -- characters expressing concern about the climate, using public transport or minimising food waste.

"We see plenty of stories on extreme weather but they are rarely, if ever, linked to climate change... That would be easy," added Rosenthal.

Conquering nature Hollywood has long explored humanity's relationship with nature, dating back to the grand vistas of early Westerns.

"Initially, Westerns were about conquering the land, but very quickly we see that domesticating nature should not mean destroying it," said Veronique Le Bris, who compiled "100 Great Films for the Planet" in France.

Horror over nuclear weapons spurred change after World War II, she added.

As early as 1958, celebrated director Nicholas Ray made "Wind Across the Everglades" about animal conservation. There have been many examples since, from "Erin Brokovich" to "Wall-E" to "Don't Look Up".

But the current focus on global climate change is tricky for filmmakers, Le Bris said, perhaps because we are all complicit at some level.

"The debate on sexual rights was fairly neat. Either you're tolerant or not," she said. "But nobody is perfect when it comes to climate."

AFP

French actress Mylene Demongeot, a box office star from the 1950s right up to the present day, who also appeared in several British productions, died in November last week at the age of 87. Her 70-year career included turns as Milady de Winter in the 1961 version of "The Three Musketeers" and alongside David Niven in Otto Preminger's "Bonjour Tristesse" in 1958. In France, she was best known for comedies, especially two trilogies that appeared half a century apart -- the "Fantomas" films in the 1960s and

"Camping" franchise in recent years. She also appeared in more serious fare, and was nominated for a BAFTA for best newcomer for her part in 1957's "The Crucible", adapted by Jean-Paul Sartre from the famous play by Arthur Miller. She stayed popular to the end, starring in "Retirement Home" alongside Gerard Depardieu, one of the biggest box office hits of 2022 in France. Demongeot was often compared to her contemporary Brigitte Bardot in her early years, and was similarly a passionate advocate of environmental and animal charities. She died in a Paris hospital, with no cause of death immediately given.

Shaan Shahid and Kiran Malik sharing the screen in Zarrar. Photos: File

The word ‘cake’ was mentioned 10 times more than ‘climate change’ in TV subtitles in 2020: Research

Photos: File

The meaningless quest for objectivity in the fifth season of The Crown only demonises Princess Diana

Taha Kehar

KARACHI

A turning point in British history, the demise of Queen Elizabeth II has revived a fiery debate over the significance of the monarchy. Released mere months after the British royal family was assailed by tragedy, the fifth season of The Crown is unlikely to go unnoticed by both the proponents and detractors of the seemingly anachronistic institution. Be that as it may, the Netflix series doesn't take sides when it tackles concerns about the growing obsolescence of the monarchy. Over the last few years, the show has offered a fictional dramatisation of the events that besieged the deceased monarch and those who became the inadvertent casualties of her decisions and missteps. As a result, The Crown seeks to present dispassionate observations of people, incidents and circumstances. The balance may occasionally -- if not disproportionately -- tilt in a particular person or institution's favour, but the fundamental aim is to create a nuanced portrait of the British monarchy.

Chronology is, undoubtedly, the primary strength of The Crown. The series navigates through the quicksand of British history and depicts its highs and lows with verve and intensity. The creators of the Netflix series are cognisant of the fact that they aren't simply producing a documentary for the purpose of posterity. Every episode of The Crown is targeted at viewers who are interested in the trivia, secrets and salacious gossip about the British royal family. As a result, the entertainment value of the historical drama cannot be discredited. Even so, the series often moves along at a sluggish pace and relies heavily on comfortable distractions to fill any voids in the narrative.

The previous season, which was released in November 2020, captured the intricacies of the Thatcher era -- a period when Britain's economy was transformed for better or for worse. During the Thatcher years, Diana Spencer, the veritable 'People's Princess', gained considerable popularity across the world. Her fame even managed to dwarf the glorious image that the Queen had carefully cultivated over the decades. The fourth sea-

son of The Crown dealt with the initial years of Diana's discontent within the British royal family. The new season also opens a vista onto the subsequent challenges that beset her empty-shell marriage with the Queen's heir Prince Charles. Viewers are provided a front-row seat to the unsettling loneliness that haunted her in the years prior to the separation from the Prince of Wales. At times, the portrayal of Diana suffers from a heavy-handedness and an unforgivable insouciance. The creators seem to shatter the image of the 'People's Princess' in a feckless attempt at objectivity. It is difficult to accept this approach as a sincere attempt to dispel the false narrative of victimhood that surrounds Diana. On the contrary, the meaningless quest for objectivity only demonises the deceased princess. For instance, Diana's infamous interview with Martin Bashir for Panorama is likened to the Gunpowder Plot. Coupled with this bizarre and unwieldy comparison is the image of Diana as the spurned wife with a surging bitterness for her in-laws.

Nevertheless, the creators have compensated for this faux pas by portraying Diana as the dependable friend, loving mother and disenchanted princess abandoned by a hapless prince. At the

Photos: File

same time, her affair with Dr Hasnat Khan has been depicted in compassionate hues. Even so, the cruel comparisons and unflattering portrayals seem like damning indictments.

When the narrative shifts away from Diana's distress, viewers who aren't history buffs tend to lose interest. This may seem like unfair criticism in light of the fact that the Netflix series isn't intended to be a glorified biopic on Princess Diana. However, by the end of the season, viewers may wonder why Diana's trajectory was frequently interrupted to accommodate other unnecessary arcs.

A long episode focuses on the Queen's failures as a mother and sister. Upon closer scrutiny, the episode serves to tangentially draw attention to the plight of her other children -- especially Prince Andrew and his marriage to the infamous Sarah Ferguson. However, it does little to steer the plot forward.

Another episode reflects upon the British royal family's failure in saving Tsar Nicholas and his family from the wrath of the Bolsheviks. At its core, the episode reveals the oppressive legacy of the British monarchy and makes for an informative lesson in history. However, when viewed in

terms of the overall focus of the season, it comes through as excess baggage that ought to have been discarded in the final cut.

The fifth season also includes an episode that captures the rags-to-riches account of the Al-Fayed family. Viewers may find this episode to be an emotional deadweight as Diana's relationship with the Egyptian family isn't allowed to blossom in the current season. Discerning audiences will realise that the reference to the Al-Fayed family has been included for purely chronological purposes and as a means of providing a counterpoint to the British royal family. In either case, these appearances could have been packaged into a few scenes and the focus could have remained on Diana's woes.

The tenth and final episode seeks to give closure to the fifth season but instead comes through as a missed opportunity. By the middle of the tenth episode, viewers will find themselves stifling yawns and desperately waiting for the season to end. Many of them may even be praying that the creators have the good sense to present a more focused narrative in the next season. Despite these lapses, The Crown boasts some memorable performances. Imelda Staunton, known for essaying the role of Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, convincingly renders the part of a much-diminished yet indestructible Queen Elizabeth II. At first glance, Elizabeth Debicki appears to be a rather inelegant choice to play Princess Diana. As the season progresses, Debicki manages to do justice to the part and comes through with a spellbinding performance. Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed was an unlikely choice to portray the role of Dr Hasnat Khan. Yet, Saeed's on-screen transformation and ability to climb into the skin of a Pakistani heart surgeon in love with a princess, will endear viewers to him. The Crown offers a sober glimpse into the British monarchy that neither sugar-coats its failures nor disparages it for its shortcomings. In subsequent seasons of the series, the creators will need to maintain a healthy balance between historical precision and well-paced narration.

Whether you are interested in royal affairs, love stories or thrilling tales of the supernatural, Netflix has a diverse assortment of films and TV shows that you can binge this December

By BOLD Desk

While there are now a whole host of streaming platforms to choose from, Netflix’s variety of content remains unparalleled.

From films to limited series, TV shows and documentaries, Netflix has something to help satiate everyone’s viewing appetite.

While the streaming giant never fully discloses figures or numbers about which films and shows performed well on the platform, the presence of the Netflix Top 10 list does give viewers an indication of what others are watching on the platform. To help keep you up-to-date with, and on the lookout for, the best content currently available on Netflix, here is a comprehensive list of the best films and TV shows available on the streaming platform which you should add to your to watch list.

Top 5 films

1. The Swimmers

A heartfelt sports biopic, The Swimmers tells the tale of sisters and professional swimmers Yusra and Sara Mardini who escaped war-torn Syria on a dinghy across the Aegean Sea, using their swimming skills to drag other refugees to safety. Yusra went on to compete in the Olympics after training in Germany. Directed by Sally El Hosaini, The Swimmers stars Manal Issa, Nathalie Issa and Matthias Schweighöfer.

4. Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing is based on the bestseller by Delia Owens, and is a drama laced with romance and murder. The film is stuck in an ideological quagmire similar to its love triangle, its naturalist feminism dragging down with it the soap opera-like drama itself. The films tells the story of a young man being found dead. The town outsider, Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones), is accused of the crime. As the murder mystery unravels, Where the Crawdads Sing reveals itself to be a predictable film which offers very little nuance or depth.

Director Francis Lawrence turns Winsor McCay’s bright and ground-breaking early 20th century comic Nemo in Slumberland into a modern VFX spectacle. Slumberland’s Nemo (Marlow Barkley) lives an idyllic life running a lighthouse with her dad Kyle Chandler. However, when Chandler’s character dies, Nemo is thrust into the care of her uptight urbanite uncle Philip (Chris O’Dowd). She finds herself escaping time and time again into the dream world, where she can briefly pursue her father alongside a dream-being, Flip (Jason Momoa) who was the co-star of many of her father’s bedtime stories. Unfortunately, Momoa doesn’t quite have the acting chops to bring this odd-ball character to life.

Top 5 TV series

1. Wednesday

The Addams Family have long been considered a pop culture staple, particularly after their film adaptation in the 1990s. Show-runners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar bring the eccentric family members Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, and Pugsley back to our screens in this fun series. The show focuses on Wednesday Addams, the sinister daughter of Gomez and Morticia, and is produced by Tim Burton. Wednesday is a supernatural horror-comedy series that explores the teenage years of Wednesday Addams. After getting expelled from public school for releasing piranhas in the pool, a 16-year-old Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) is sent to Nevermore Academy, a preppy boarding school for outcasts. The series has a variety of bizarre characters and creatures including vampires, werewolves, gorgons, and sirens. Ortega shines as the titular character and she puts her own spin on the iconic character made famous on-screen initially by Christina Ricci.

3. Dead to Me

2. 1899

German creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar are the brains behind 1899, crafting a world shrouded in mystery and confusion. The mystery series follows a ship heading towards America when it encounters another vessel that had been missing for several months. The captain, Eyk (Andreas Pietschmann), decides to investigate, setting off a sea of events which make little to no sense at first glance. For some, 1899 might be too discombobulated to enjoy due to a lack of satisfying answers. While the story is jumbled, it is also intriguing and gripping and might make more sense once viewers have seen all the episodes.

This show begins with Jen (Christina Applegate) and Judy (Linda Cardellini) meeting at a grief support group. Jen’s husband died three months ago in a hit and run accident. Judy’s fiancé died eight weeks ago of a heart attack. They develop a friendship over their mutual anguish. Before long Judy is moving into Jen’s guest house and a beautiful friendship is formed. Or is it? Netflix is keen on keeping the pilot’s big reveal a secret. The series, rooted in terrific performances from Applegate and Cardellini, is a fascinating mix of humour and pathos. The show deftly balances both extremes and pulls both off.

4. The Crown

In its first two seasons, creator Peter Morgan’s lavish treatment of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II hinges on Claire Foy’s utterly captivating performance, the impeccable period detail, and a sense of historical scope. However, in Season 5, the show is most interested in grappling with grim realities and reflecting on mistakes. Characters survey a monarchy in crisis, multiple royal marriages in a shambles, and roles in British society in fluctuation. And yet, even with a story that’s just as turbulent as last season, the new episodes are more subtle and nuanced as it explores the Royal family’s faults and struggles as one century ends and another begins. This is the most interesting season of The Crown yet, even pensive in its attitude and approach.

5.

This music biopic stars notable acting talent like Mariana Gómez, José Ramón Barreto and Yuri Vargas. Based on the early life of Colombian singer Arelys Henao, this series tells her unlikely rags-to-riches story.

The Unbroken Voice

5. Slumberland

3. The Noel Diary Directed by Charles Shyer, this PG-rated Christmas romance is sure to be a hit with most audiences in the mood for some lighter fare this holiday season. The Noel Diary stars Justin Hartley as a successful author who crosses paths with Barrett Doss as a whirlwind romance ensues.

2. Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich This gripping true-crime documentary covers the sex-trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the infamous accomplice to Jeffrey Epstein and a socialite with connections to the rich and famous. This film is both fascinating and deeply alarming, and viewer discretion is advised given the troubling subject matter.

KARACHI

Much like the air we breathe, language is an inescapable facet of our existence. More than a tool for communication, it also serves as the cornerstone for literary pursuits and an avenue for our creative emancipation. Any attempt to celebrate our linguistic traditions and heritage ought to be lauded, especially in these troubled times when the languages we speak are subject to the twin hazards of erasure and neglect.

At the same time, discussions on the future of our linguistic traditions can't be extricated from concerns over the challenges that plague society.

In light of these concerns, the 15th Aalmi Urdu Conference, which was held from December 1 to December 4 at the Pakistan Arts Council in Karachi, was a step in the right direction. It is often difficult to shrug aside our growing cynicism over annual extravaganzas that seek to promote our rich linguistic and literary traditions. In recent years, literary festivals and conferences have inevitably been dressed up as opportunities to satiate our intellectual curiosities. Instead, the calibre of conversations at these annual events fall below par and are often plagued by marketing gimmicks.

This year's edition of the Aalmi Urdu Conference brought some fascinating insights to the fore. Even so, the ambit of the debates and discussions could have been widened to include pervasive trends, especially those that the youth are familiar with.

Urdu was the lifeblood of the conference.

For years, our mother tongue seems to have been prematurely placed on death row. Many of us have grown up hearing dirges on the demise of Urdu. It is, therefore, heartening to witness a conference that aims to breathe life into a language that has stood on the brink of a possible extinction. However, this year's conference didn't perceive Urdu as a hapless patient that is languishing in the emergency room. As in its previous editions, the conference used Urdu as a catalyst to identify and rectify the plight of languages in our country as well as a lens to understand social injustices. A rich panoply of sessions on Sindhi, Seraiki and Balochi literature used Urdu as the connecting language to reveal Pakistan's diverse linguistic landscape for audiences. As a result, Urdu emerged as a saviour of sorts rather than a wounded victim.

The miracle of multilingualism

The emphasis on multilingualism was palpable at the inaugural event. Esteemed linguist Dr Alex Bellem gave her keynote address in English while sprinkling her speech with a generous dose of borrowed phrases in Urdu and Sindhi. Her decision to speak in English wasn't jarring because Pakistanis, as Bellem stated in her speech, are accustomed to moving easily between languages. However, the content of Bellem's speech was especially illuminating. She used English -- Urdu's perceived nemesis -- as a bridge language to discuss Pakistan's intricate relationship with multilingualism.

If the late Lord Macaulay had been seated at the Arts Council on that particular evening, he would have been shocked to see his nightmare being realised. Bellem spoke with great fervour about how the conference was a "valuable and timely" initiative to celebrate language as an expression of culture. She also drew attention to Pakistan's rich linguistic landscape, which is a welcome testimony to the unique ways in which languages live, breathe and grow in our culture. "This multilingualism is a way

of life that speakers navigate in subtle and unspoken ways," she said.

Nasir Abbas Nayyar, the second keynote speaker, pointed towards another malaise that had laid siege to our linguistic traditions.

The esteemed critic argued that the perils of "digital colonialism" in the 21st century had weakened our capacity for critical thought and the spirit of resistance that channels productive endeavours, including literature. Citing the adverse effects of digital media has become a common refrain, but it seemed fairly logical in the context.

Speaking at the inauguration, Urdu poet Zehra Nigah reminded us that these conferences can't exist in a vacuum and must take stock of the state of affairs in society. She lamented inflationary pressure that had made it increasingly difficult for people to live with dignity -- an earnest reminder that language is rooted in the realities of the people who speak it. Zehra Nigah also spoke briefly about Urdu's intellectual poverty, which could be enriched through translation in the regional languages

Urdu as a literary language

Over the course of the four-day event, audiences attended a whole range of discussions on Urdu literature, which signified that our national language is still alive and kicking. Copious sessions sought to assess current and future trends in literary pursuits. At times, some of these discussions could have been enriched through the presence of younger panellists with a different outlook and worldview.

A session of the direction of the Urdu novel in the 21st century, though rewarding and informative, was mostly dominated by the old guard. In an insightful session on Urdu poetry in the 21st century, panellists explored the differences in the sensibilities of male and female poets and the evolving nature of the ghazal. One of the panellists voiced his reservations about the diminishing intellectual calibre of poetry readers in Urdu. This is a pivotal concern for aspiring poets and it

would have been interesting for audiences to discover how younger Urdu poets would tackle this challenge.

Another session titled 'Iqbal aur Qaum', which assessed the contributions of poet Allama Iqbal, felt like a walk down memory lane where familiar insights were disguised in new apparel. Scholar Muhammad Suheyl Umar asserted that Iqbal's significance to Pakistan relies heavily on his engagement with Western philosophy. In addition, Umar argued that the poet's work in Urdu and Persian provides valuable insights into the key questions of human existence. The scholar mentioned that Iqbal's role as a political reformer during the colonial era also rendered him indispensable to Pakistan's history. Nomanul Haq, another distinguished scholar, explored the poetic reputation of Iqbal while linguist Dr Tahseen Firaqi highlighted the importance of learning Persian to understand

Iqbal. Though the session proved to be intriguing, it would have been interesting to hear a younger readership's take on Iqbal's illustrious legacy.

A vast number of people attended a session featuring Zia Mohyeddin, where the popular television broadcaster read Ghulam Ahmed Pervez's speech on Iqbal and Jamila Khatoon's memoir piece on Faiz Ahmed Faiz. He also read the work of Zehra Nigah, Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi and Shaikh Ayaz. Most festivals and conferences tend to carve out space for such sessions as they play to the gallery and attract audiences with the promise of seeing the familiar face of a beloved celebrity.

However, it would be unfair to solely highlight the negative features and gloss over the triumphs of the conference. One of the most energetic conversations drew upon the fundamentals of literary criticism in Urdu. The life of a language is inextricably linked to the health of the journalistic activities pursued in it. This was the subject of a lively debate that lamented the downward trajectory of Urdu journalism over the last two decades.

A few sessions paid homage to the work of literary giants such as Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi as well as other poets who had died recently. Sindhi and Urdu poet Imdad Hussaini, critic Shamim Hanafi, Farooq Qaiser, Shamsur Rahman Faruqi and Gopi Chand Narang were also remembered in glowing terms. A deep engagement with the past stands the danger of being extraneous if it isn't aligned closely with the present or future. Even so, these sessions provided fans with a front-row seat to conversations about their favourite writers.

Miscellaneous concerns

Language is a political tool. Yet, purists believe a conference that celebrates language shouldn't be a venue for political discussions. This year's conference mercifully ignored the obnoxious dictates of these cynical minds. Apart from literary and linguistic pursuits, a few sessions also turned an intimate gaze on matters pertaining to politics, statecraft, education and the role of women in society. Hamid Mir discussed a diverse menu of issues that have afflict

ed our political fabric. Press freedom, enforced disappearances in Balochistan and the perils of a presidential system were among the major talking points. During an informative discussion on the country’s education crisis, academics pointed out that inadequate funding for education had pushed our schools and universities into a spiral of decay. Many of them also raised concerns about the deteriorating standards of state-run schools and the inability to foster critical thought at educational institutes. An enlightening conversation on the transformative effect of new media on our modern-day realities.

On the final day of the conference, writer Anwar Maqsood read out a satirical piece on Pakistan's prospects in the 21st century. All of these sessions served as welcome proof that discussions on language require an interdisciplinary focus. Linguistic development cannot be discussed with a narrow purview and must account for the socio-political milieu.

The root of the resolution

The crowning glory of the conference was a 14-point resolution that unanimously approved by the audience through a show of hands. At first glance, this appeared to be a cosmetic measure that carried the spirit of political rhetoric. A mix of suspicion and curiosity would have been a predictable reaction to the resolution. After all, half-hearted pledges to raise the stature of Urdu as an official language have been made before.

However, the resolution stood out as it wasn't detached from the country's social realities. It reminded many of us of the surging need for a library culture and institutes that could commission more translations. A few points of the resolution also dealt with deep-seated concerns about rights violations, free speech, youth empowerment and development.

The resolution was a spirited reminder that preserving a language goes beyond myopic concerns about grammatical precision or diction. Languages can only be preserved if they respect the largesse of other languages and remain connected with the societies where they must be kept alive.

Taha Kehar

A resolution passed at the Aalmi Urdu Conference stood out as a spirited reminder that preserving our mother tongue goes beyond myopic concerns

Participants of the Alami Urdu Confrence at the start of the cermony.

Anwar Maqsood, Ahmed Shah and Murad Ali Shah on stage. Photos: File

AFP

Kanye West, known as ‘Ye’ on both Twitter and Instagram handles, is a globally-known rapper, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer from the United States. Ye, however, has recently sparked outrage when he declared his "love" of Nazis and admiration for Adolf Hitler.

In an extraordinary hours-long appearance on Infowars, the show fronted by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, Kanye West wore a black mask completely covering his face, as he ranted about sin, pornography and the devil.

"I like Hitler," West said several times. Even though West hid his face -- the mask had neither eye nor mouth slits -- there seemed no doubt it was him. Jones addressed him as West as they spoke, Infowars billed the interview as being with West, and at one point Jones took West's cellphone and posted a tweet on his account that appeared in real time.

West, who has hinted he is running for US president in 2024, has spoken openly about his struggles with mental illness, but his erratic

behaviour has continued to raise concerns. The rapper-businessman has seen his commercial relationships crumble after a series of anti-Semitic comments, as the one-time titan of fashion and music appears to have entered a disturbing spiral.

In his lengthy appearance on the Infowars livestream, West opened the throttle, drawing shocked laughter and even disagreement from far-right host Jones.

"I see good things about Hitler also," he told Jones.

"This guy... invented highways, invented the very microphone that I used as a musician, you can't say out loud that this person ever did anything good, and I'm done with that."

Hitler did not invent either of those things.

"I'm done with the classification, every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler.

"I like Hitler."

'I love Nazis' Jones, a serial provocateur who has been ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for claiming one of America's

deadliest school shootings was a "hoax,"

interjected that "the Nazis were thugs and did really bad things."

West did not back down.

"But they did good things too. We gotta stop dissing the Nazis all the time... I love Nazis," West said.

Hours after the astonishing performance, social media platform Parler, a favourite of conservatives for its hands-off approach to moderation, said a deal for West to buy the outfit was off.

"Parlement Technologies would like to confirm that the company has mutually agreed with Ye to terminate the intent of sale of Parler," the network said on Twitter.

"This decision was made in the interest of both parties in mid-November."

In October, German sportswear giant Adidas severed its lucrative tie-up with West after the star made anti-Semitic statements, including threatening to "go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE," using a misspelled reference to US military readiness.

Paris fashion house Balenciaga and US clothing retailer Gap have also ended ties with West, who appeared at a Paris fashion show wearing a shirt with the slogan "White Lives Matter," a rebuke to the Black Lives Matter racial equality movement.

West appeared on the Jones program with Nick Fuentes, the same white supremacist with whom West had dinner last week with Donald Trump at the former president's Florida estate, in a meeting that provoked outrage.

November’s livestream sparked immediate condemnation from the Republican Jewish Coalition, which dubbed the three men "a disgusting triumvirate of conspiracy theorists, Holocaust deniers, and anti-Semites."

"Given his praise of Hitler, it can't be overstated that Kanye West is a vile, repellent bigot who has targeted the Jewish community with threats and Nazi-style defamation," a statement from the group said.

"Conservatives who have mistakenly indulged Kanye West must make it clear that he is a pariah. Enough is enough."

AFP Having accused of underpaying staff in Pakistan, British online fashion retailer Boohoo has recently been alleged that its staff in a UK warehouse work in harrowing and health-threatening conditions and regard themselves as "slaves".

The Times newspaper, in an undercover investigation, reported that workers at Boohoo's facility in Burnley, northwest England, complained of racism, sexual harassment, poor safety equipment, inadequate training and "gruelling" targets.

However, a Boohoo spokesperson said that it "does not believe the picture painted is reflective of the working environment at our Burnley warehouse". Boohoo "is taking every claim very seriously", the spokesperson said, adding that making sure workers are safe and comfortable is the company's "highest priority".

The Times, whose undercover reporter worked at the warehouse for one month, said each staff member walked the equivalent of a half-marathon

AFP Italian designer Alessandro Michele left Gucci in November, where he has overseen a surge in sales at the fashion powerhouse since 2015 but seen his star fade in recent seasons.

"Gucci today announces that Alessandro Michele is stepping down as creative director of Gucci," said French conglomerate Kering, which owns the Italian house.

It said he had played "a fundamental part in making the brand what it is today through his ground-breaking creativity".

Michele, in the same joint statement, said: "There are times when paths part ways because of the different perspectives each one of us may have."

Kering said Gucci's design office would "continue to carry the direction of the house forward until a new creative organisation" was announced.

Industry bible Women's Wear Daily earlier said Michele was quitting after being asked to orchestrate a creative revamp to restore the brand's lustre.

With his bookish chic looks and vintage mashups that harkened back to the 1970s and 80s, Michele helped turn the once-flagging house into a white-hot success, drawing in a new generation of

fans with his anti-establishment veneer.

Michele also joined a handful of other designers by announcing in 2021 that the number of annual shows would be slashed from five to just two, saying that "clothes should have a longer life" and that his future collections would be "season-less".

Sales also got a boost from 2021's Ridley Scott-directed "House of Gucci" film with Lady Gaga and a host of Hollywood A-listers.

But enthusiasm had begun to wane among industry insiders, according to WWD, with Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault eager for a quick change at the helm.

Pinault wished the designer a "great next chapter in his creative journey".

"The road that Gucci and Alessandro walked together over the past years is unique and will remain as an outstanding moment in the history of the house," he said.

Financial analysts at the brokerage firm Bernstein said earlier in a research note to clients: "Gucci is suffering from brand fatigue and Alessandro Michele has been doing the same thing for the past seven years."

"Institutional investors appear to agree that a new approach is needed to re-launch the brand," added analysts at Royal Bank of Canada.

(13 miles, 21 kilometres) per shift.

Night-time summer temperatures reached up to 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and frequently collapsed, it alleged.

The daily added that Burnley employees are paid £11 ($13.25) per hour in shifts that are up to 12 hours long.

Each staffer must fetch 130 items every hour, it said.

The online retail group has annual sales of almost £2.0 billion per year, and its chief executive was paid a £1.3 million bonus this year.

Boohoo had already been rocked last year by allegations that one of its suppliers in Leicester, central England, paid workers much less than the national minimum wage.

Boohoo benefited from an online sales boom during the pandemic, during which it expanded aggressively to snap up brands belonging to collapsed UK retail giants.

It bought fashion labels Burton, Wallis and Dorothy Perkins from Arcadia, as well as assets of failed UK department store Debenhams.

The company employs about 5,000 people worldwide, according to its website.

Kanye West, the rapper-businessman, has seen his commercial relationships crumble after a series of anti-Semitic comments

The group's suppliers were meanwhile accused of underpaying staff in Pakistan Gucci has parted ways with Alessandro Michele, the Italian designer who had been at the creative helm of the luxury fashion house since 2015

Photos: File

BY Bold Desk

Alison Brie, born in Hollywood in California, started her acting career at an early age and performed in various community theatre shows in her childhood. After her graduation in 2001, she earned Bachelors in Fine Arts (BFA) in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts. While there, she performed at Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theatre in Downtown LA and was one of the original cast members in the world premiere of The Peach Blossom Fan. Currently one of the leading film actresses, she has performed in various shows at the Write-Act, Odyssey, and Rubicon Theatres and also took part in the Young Playwright's festival organised by the Blank Theatre Company. She was given an Indy Award for her best performance as "Ophelia" in the Rubicon's production of Hamlet. She later studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. Before landing her role in an American television drama Mad Men, Alison had performed leading roles in many independent films as well as guest spots for Hannah Montana, a live-action comedy series. After completing her education, she is currently appearing in all forms of media, including theatre, TV and film.

The football-crazy people of Brazil have re-embraced "Brazilcore," a street-wear fashion heavy on symbols of national pride and the yellow, green and blue of the flag

AFP

In a yellow-and-green outfit with matching shoes, eye glitter and fingernails, Julia Barbosa is on her way to watch Brazil's big match in a Sao Paulo bar.

But she looks like she could be strutting her stuff on a runway modelling Brazil's latest fashion trend: World Cup style. As the five-time champions wage their campaign to bring home their sixth world title, the 24-year-old marketing student is waging a campaign of her own.

"I'm going to have a different look for every match," Barbosa says proudly, posing for pictures in the outfit she bought for Brazil's opening match against Serbia.

Next up, she says: a bikini top and shorts in the colours of the flag, which have flooded streets, shop windows and online stores in Brazil as the footballmad nation starts its World Cup party.

The team won its first two games and has qualified for the knock- out stage of the tournament. Some Brazilians have eschewed yellow and green in recent years, which were associated with outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro and his far-right base.

But with the World Cup now under way and Bolsonaro on his way out after losing last month's elections to leftist president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, fans are re-embracing "Brazilcore," a street-wear fashion heavy on symbols of national pride and the yellow, green and

blue of the flag. Pop superstar Anitta and an army of influencers on social media have pushed the trend -- redefining the symbolism of yellow and green.

The trend "aims to reclaim pride in the national colours, giving all Brazilians a sense of belonging, regardless of their politics," said Katia Lamarca of the European Design Institute (IED) in Sao Paulo. Engineer Vivianny Sales, 31, was also looking sparkly in a form-fitting T-shirt of blue sequins.

"I wanted to shine, and I want the team to shine too," she told.

"Brazil is the country of football, and it's important for fashion to be attuned to what consumers -- who are also football fans -- want," said fashion analyst Paula Acioli.

"It has to have the right timing, be attractive and be assertive."

One top Brazilian brand, flip-flop maker Havaianas, launched a new product line ahead of the World Cup celebrating "brasilidade," or Brazilianness, with yellow-and-green sandals stamped with the iconic number 10 of

Neymar and Pele.

"Brands know the emotional pull of an event of this magnitude," said Lamarca.

"That can translate to purchases and increase profits."

Rio de Janeiro brand Farm meanwhile launched a line including sleeveless T-shirts stamped with slang and double entendres, such as "Pra jogo," which can mean both "ready to play" and "available."

Men have not stayed on the sidelines

of the World Cup fashion frenzy. Shop windows and online stores are packed with World Cup-themed clothing for men, with options going way beyond the traditional national team jersey, and sometimes even bordering on elegant. Neymar and team led the way, arriving in Qatar wearing sleek, light-weight suits by renowned Brazilian designer Ricardo Almeida. Almeida said the trend may be here to stay — "especially if Brazil win the World Cup."

Ranee Campen

Mayssa Maghrebi

Kaouther Ben Hania

Alessandra Ambrosio

A fan of Brazil has her makeup done at a booth after watching the live broadcast of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group G football match between Brazil and Switzerland at a music and football broadcast festival Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 28, 2022. Photos: File

Whether it's gowns, chic urban wear or more traditional attire, Mehwish Hayat has the uncanny ability to look at ease in everything she wears

Aima Baig covers Kaifi Khalil’s song

By Bold Desk

Singer Kaifi Khalil shot to national stardom after his debut performance on this year’s Coke Studio, with his track Kana Yaari raking in millions of views and rave reviews. Khalil has since developed a devoted fan following, with his off-beat eccentric style making him stand out from his contemporaries in the music arena. Now it looks like one of his biggest admirers is Aima Baig. Spellbound by Khalil’s hit track Pyar Hua Tha, Baig has done a cover of the song which was originally composed and performed by Khalil. Referring to the song as a “beautiful melody,” Baig took to Instagram to announce to her millions of followers that the song and Khalil’s “beautiful voice” had gotten stuck in her head. As a result, she felt compelled to put her own spin on the tune. Baig said, “Thank you to the amazing artiste Kaifi Khalil for letting me sing his composition. There’s no ambiguity that nobody can do justice to his melody especially the way he presented it.” Baig’s cover of Pyar Hua Tha has a video directed by Adnan Qazi and is defined by Baig’s effortless ability to transition from soulful renditions to more pop elements of songs. Baig also believes that by appreciating each other’s music, artistes should try to support and uplift their contemporaries.

Kashmir working on their second album

After winning Pepsi Battle of the Bands, Kashmir established themselves as one of the most innovative bands currently operating in Pakistan’s music landscape. While most musicians and artistes are drifting towards churning out pop songs defined by a catchy beat, Kashmir’s style is very different. Their music hearkens back to the music of the early 2000s and bands like Fawad Khan’s Entity Paradigm (EP). Hence, fans of slightly more rock and grunge music have been eagerly waiting for Kashmir to put out some new music which showcases their signature style. After the success of their album Khwab in 2020, lead singer Bilal Ali has announced that the band’s second album ZIndagi is in the works and will be coming soon. The band has already released individual songs and music videos since their debut album Khwab, and the band is now hard at work to compile their new music in one album. Band members Bilal Ali, Vais Khan, Usman Siddiqui, Shane J. Anthony, Zair Zaki, and Ali Raza revealed that the release of this album was pushed back due to the pandemic. The Coronavirus and heavy rains and flooding across the country also impacted Kashmir’s concert schedule, which meant they couldn’t perform as often as they would have liked. However, with life returning to normal now, Kashmir are not only eager to perform more but also want to make sure that they put out their second album Zindagi sooner rather than later.

Spotify unveils list of most popular Pakistani musicians

Spotify is undeniably the biggest music streaming platform in the world, and the popularity of Pakistani artistes on Spotify speaks volumes about the global reach of Pakistan’s music. While this has been a good year for Pakistani music in general, it has been a particularly good year for those singers who are now affiliated with Spotify. The displaying of the pictures of Hasan Raheem and Natasha Noorani on a Spotify billboard in Times Square in New York demonstrated that Pakistani musicians are gaining rapid success on the music streaming platform. Spotify Wrapped, the yearly look-back at the best performing and most listened to musicians of the year, revealed that Atif Aslam was the most-streamed Pakistani artiste of 2022. However, the most streamed musicians in Pakistan are actually Indian artistes. Singer AP Dhillon, Arijit Singh, Pritam, Gurinder Gill and Sidhu Moose Wala continue to be the top listened to musical artistes in Pakistan. Unsurprisingly, the Ali Sethi-Shae Gill song Pasoori was the most streamed Pakistani song of 2022 after it became a breakout sensation when it was released on the latest season of Coke Studio. Alongside these names, other Pakistani artistes who were among the most listened to in the country include Talha Yunus, Kaifi Khalil, Young Stunners, Asim Azhar, Abdul Hannan, Justin Bibis and Hasan Raheem.

Algeria's Rai music makes UN cultural charts

AFP Raucous, expressive and revolutionary:

Algeria's Rai music took its place on the United Nations' list of intangible cultural heritage on Thursday.

"New inscription on the #IntangibleHeritage

List: Rai, popular folk song of #Algeria," UN cultural agency

UNESCO announced in a tweet.

Rai, whose biggest stars include Cheb Khaled and Cheb Mami, emerged in the closing decades of French colonial rule in Algeria, confronting social taboos and dealing with themes such as love,

freedom, despair and the struggle against social pressures.

It was originally a rural art form, with singers performing poetic texts in vernacular Arabic, accompanied by a traditional band.

But from the 1980s onwards, it surged in popularity, centring around the western city of Oran.

The city hosted Algeria's first Rai festival in 1985 and the next year the genre reached France, home to a large Algerian diaspora.

That took singers including Cheikha Rimitti to global fame and attracted the attention of major record labels.

In 1992, Cheb Khaled became the first artist from the Maghreb

By Zehra Batool KARACHI

Aging, a gradual and continuous process, is inevitable. However, we all fear it, don't we? Since aging is inescapable, why not simply embrace it? After all, aging is a natural process that everyone is supposed to go through and could be a wonderful period in your life if you are mentally, emotionally and spiritually prepared for it.

In today's youth-obsessed world, aging is mostly equated with such negative attributes as losing beauty, love, and respect, which is not true. In marked contrast, with age comes wisdom, experience, a larger circle of loved ones, and a greater sense of comfort and security. That is something we must look forward to as one can grow old with grace with the help of positive thinking.

It is true that people will experience some physical and mental decline as they age, however, a better self-care increases the likelihood of leading a healthy life as well as sustaining a healthy mind and body in later stages. This entails maintaining a regular exercise routine, eating a healthy diet, attending to emerging health issues on time, getting a good night's sleep, continuing your education, and being socially active overall. Friendships strengthen with age and relationships matter most when one is old. Fear of falling sick and dying is also natural. Be that as it may, you may hit your prime in your 40s if you are healthy and happy. Therefore, it is necessary to conquer the self-imposed fear of aging by keeping the following points in your mind:

Education is the most powerful tool

To begin with, you can educate yourself on what to expect as you become older. It is crucial to distinguish fact from fiction because there is a lot of disinformation regarding the matter out there. It is not a given that as you age, you will become weak, ill, and incapable of finding joy in life. Everyone ages at a different rate as the aging process is not always the same and is mostly subject to the impact of trauma, stress, lifestyle, and the overall state of mind on how positively you are able to react against such events while growing old.

Talk about how you feel Naturally, one thinks about death more as one gets older. Some people may find it difficult

to accept this, but keep in mind that everyone feels this way at some point in their lives. Therefore, you must share such feelings with someone you can trust. This will help you in understanding what precisely is generating your fear and how to deal with it successfully.

Live in the moment

When you are focused on what is happening right now, you tend to worry less about what has not happened yet. Practicing complete mindfulness and being fully present broadens your experience of serenity, which in and of itself eases the fears surrounding aging as well as death. Try to put attention to the little things around and appreciate the good moments.

Be grateful

Again, be grateful for the little things around. You can change your perceptions and feel more optimistic about your future by showing gratitude. It will also shift your focus from fear to thankfulness, which is by

Photos: File

a powerful emotion.

itself

Build a legacy

One of the finest ways to overcome your dread of getting older is through leaving a legacy through which you have something to look forward to and live for as a result. And when you believe in leaving a long-lasting legacy, you don’t simply living for yourself but also live for the coming generations. Whatever you decide to accomplish, keep in mind that your legacy will stay long after you are gone, giving it a kind of symbolic immortality, which is a cause for celebration.

Staying engaged and active as you age is essential. When you are in an awakened, conscious state, doing things like hanging out with friends, or enjoying in your later years can help you feel young and animated. The bottom-line is that while aging and mortality are inevitable, there is no reason to let this fear dictate how you lead your life right now. Now is all we have, so make the most of it!

AFP

The French baguette, dubbed "250 grams of magic and perfection" by French President Emmanuel Macron, has been given UNESCO heritage status.

The bread sticks, with their crusty exterior and soft middle, have remained a quintessential part of French life long after other stereotypes like berets and strings of garlic have fallen by the wayside. Of late, the UN agency granted "intangible cultural heritage status" to the tradition of making the baguette and the lifestyle that surrounds them.

More than six billion are baked every year in France, according to the National Federation of French Bakeries -- but the UNESCO status comes at a challenging time for the industry.

France has been losing some 400 artisanal bakeries per year since 1970, from 55,000 (one per 790 residents) to 35,000 today (one per 2,000).

The decline is due to the spread of industrial bakeries and out-of-town supermarkets in rural areas, while urbanites increasingly opt for sourdough, and swap their ham baguettes for burgers.

ery, or "boulangerie".

helped prepare the UNESCO dossier.

AFP

The 2022 edition of the Aesthetic and Anti-Aging Medicine World Congress (AMWC), one of the world's major beauty anti-aging conferences, was held in Japan. Held for the first time in Japan, AMWC congress was launched to activate the East Asian market with Japan as an aesthetic medicine and anti-aging hub.

DEXLEVO, a company specializing in beauty medical devices, participated as a sponsor and exhibitor at AMWC Japan and within two congress days, the company held meetings with about 250 Japanese and overseas doctors and companies.

On the first day of the congress, about 190 doctors participated in a special luncheon symposium devoted to DEXLEVO's unique injectable GOURI. During the seminar, an Italian plastic surgeon Dr. Mario Goisis introduced GOURI's technology and some practical cases to demonstrate the anti-aging power of GOURI, and show how it fits in the latest

trends of the aesthetic market.

Dr. Goisis highlighted that DEXLEVO's GOURI uniqueness lies in the fully-liquefied formula of PCL which contains no micro-particles. After injection, the product naturally spreads under the skin and forms a base for a full-face collagen regeneration effect.

DEXLEVO has been internationally recognized for its filler technology. At AMWC Awards held in Monaco last April, DEXLEVO won the Best Injectables - Collagen Inducer award. For the first time in the history of AMWC Awards, an Asian company became not just a nominee but a winner. GOURI laid the foundation for its overseas sales by obtaining a European CE last year. CE is a mandatory certification required for supplying and selling products in Western countries, in particular countries of the European Union (EU).

"Since the launch of GOURI in September last year, DEXLEVO has introduced and started selling GOURI in more than 40 countries.”

Still, it remains an entirely common sight to see people with a couple of sticks under their arm, ritually chewing off the warm end as they leave the bak-

There are national competitions, during which the candidates are sliced down the middle to allow judges to evaluate the regularity of their honeycomb texture as well as the colour of the interior, which should be cream. But despite being a seemingly immortal fixture in French life, the ba-

guette only officially got its name in 1920, when a new law specified its minimum weight (80 grams) and maximum length (40 centimetres).

"Initially, the baguette was considered a luxury product. The working classes ate rustic breads that kept better," said Loic Bienassis, of the European Institute of Food History and Cultures, who

"Then consumption became widespread, and the countryside was won over by baguettes in the 1960s and 70s," he said.

Its earlier history is rather uncertain.

Some say long loaves were already common in the 18th century; others that it took the introduction of steam ovens by Austrian baker August Zang in the 1830s for its modern incarnation to take shape.

One popular tale is that Napoleon ordered bread to be made in thin sticks that could be more easily carried by soldiers.

Another links baguettes to the construction of the Paris metro in the late 19th century, and the idea that baguettes were easier to tear up and share, avoiding arguments between the workers and the need for knives.

France submitted its request to UNESCO in early 2021, with baguettes chosen over the zinc roofs of Paris and a wine festival in Arbois.

"It is a recognition for the community of artisanal bakers and patisserie chefs," said Dominique Anract, president of bakeries federation in a statement.

"The baguette is flour, water, salt and yeast -- and the savoir-faire of the artisan."

It is necessary to conquer the self-imposed fear of aging by keeping these key points in your mind

GOURI, a collagen injection, naturally spreads under the skin and forms a base for a full-face collagen regeneration effect

The French baguette, one of the abiding symbols of the French nation, has been given UNESCO heritage status

Dr. Mario giving a lecture about GOURI at AMWC Japan 2022. Photo: File

By Omair Alavi KARACHI

With James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water all set for a worldwide release next week, let’s go back to the film that made him believe big, for the first time. No, we aren’t talking about Terminator 2: Judgment Day or True Lies but the film that came, that screened and took most of the awards that year – Titanic. Released in December 1997, it not only raised the bar for other films to follow but also gave the director the confidence he needed to take on bigger tasks.

With the help of screenwriter Ed Marsh, James Cameron released a book about the making of Titanic ten years back, and there was no better time to revisit that effort than days before the film completed its 25 years later this month. What makes this bestselling book different from other books about the film is that it collaborates with the cast, the crew, and above all the director who not only pens a new introduction but a heartfelt one as well. The book’s 3D lenticular cover is a tribute to its 3D version released a decade back, but that’s not the only good thing about it. If read properly, it can give the readers twice the amount of happiness than just one book. The narration about the making of Titanic takes most of the pages but so do the never-before-seen photographs that have another story to tell.

Unlike other movie tie-in books, this one wants you to watch the movie again instead of giving you just a synopsis. After all, the newer edition has 18 pages of new material from the previous edition, with some of them being from James Cameron’s personal archive. Add to that the many behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes from Cameron and his cast and you have a perfect tribute to a film that is still unmatched after two and a half decades.

James Cameron explains why making Titanic was a titanic task while talking to the author, and discusses the lengths to which his crew went to make it look as authentic as possible. From the wardrobe used in the film to the crockery, the accents, the mannerisms, and even the hairstyles, everything had to be perfect before the film went to the floors, and perfect, it all was. He explains that without the support of his art department, he might not have been able to resurrect Titanic whereas the eyewitness accounts and some never-before-revealed information helped him greatly in creating a blockbuster for generations.

How many films have been made on a Titanic scale in the last fifty years? How many books feature the director revealing the secrets behind the making of the original film? How many flicks have sustained 25 years at the box office in this ever-evolving world? Only the name Titanic comes to mind because James Cameron

Russian publishers fear the return of Soviet-like censorship

AFP

Since President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, Russian authorities have strengthened controls on the flow of information, including in the arts. In November last week, lawmakers approved a bill banning all forms of "propaganda" in books, films, the media and the internet.

Authorities also want to ban the sale to minors of books written by "foreign agents" -- a label given to Kremlin critics and activists, but also to a growing number of writers. Russian publishers are "all very worried" by new restrictions and fear the return of Soviet-like censorship.

Leading novelists like science fiction writer Dmitry Glukhovsky and historical fiction novelist Boris Akunin have been slapped with the tag, which has Stalin-era connotations.

At the "Non/Fiction" book fair in Moscow -- an important annual cultural event in the Russian capital that opened in December -- many publishers, booksellers and readers were concerned. Yevgeny Kopyov, of the large Eksmo publishing house, said he was worried by the "broad interpretation" of the propaganda law.

He warned that it "may affect a large amount of literature, including the classics."

"Everything will depend on our interaction with the regulatory authorities," he concluded.

Many publishers like Kopyov are waiting for authorities to clarify what they believe is "propaganda" or not.

But some bookstores in Saint Petersburg already got rid of problematic books by offering discounts of up to 50 percent, according to local media.

At the Non/Fiction fair, Marina Kadetova of the Kompas-Gid publishing house, warned that the restrictions are fuelling "self-censorship."

"When people start censoring themselves, then the problems start," she said.

Her job, she said, has become harder.

"In any restrictions that are not justified and not thought through, it is hard to work."

Tatiana Stoyanova, who also works at the same publishers, said the restrictions could lead to a revival of the Soviet "Samizdat" practise that saw the underground publishing of banned books.

"In Russia, there is such a mentality: the more it’s forbidden, the more it's interesting," she said.

doesn’t like to make films for one generation, but for multiple ones and that’s why nearly all his films are evergreen.

Aside from its huge size, this book takes you back in time to the moment when James Cameron realized that if he could make a film on the greatest tragedy of the last century, he could pull off anything. The readers get to know that during the making of his film The Abyss in the late 1980s, the director got the ‘Titanic’ idea during one of his trips underwater. After weighing the pros with the cons, he went ahead with the idea and inspected the original ship’s wreck on multiple underwater trips, before making the decision to go ahead with the film.

The author also reveals that most of the crew members from the team that took Cameron underwater were retained as actors in the film, whereas he explains the reason why it was necessary to show Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio’s characters as rich and poor, respectively. Furthermore, the readers get to know from this book that the ship where the action, romance, and thrill took place was not an actual ship but one recreated in the studios, by the best technical crew ever assembled.

It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that this book is like a James Cameron film – it can be categorized into three acts. The first act features the pre-production discussion about the film, the second one deals with the shoot and the final act is all about the film’s post-production. Don’t be surprised to find out that Bill Paxton’s character never went underwater, because he promised his wife, he wouldn’t do anything dangerous; Leonardo DiCaprio was in two minds before saying yes to the film while Kate Winslet claims that the film’s impact on her personal and professional development made her a better person and an actor.

The book just doesn’t revolve around the stars but also the supporting characters namely the antagonist played by Billy Zane, Rose’s mother who wanted her daughter to get married for her own selfish needs, as well as the ship’s builder played by Victor Garber, who was onboard the ship’s fateful journey. But the best part about the film is the story behind the selection of yesteryear Hollywood star Gloria Stuart as the present-day Rose, who not only narrated the story but also proved to be the missing connection between the two eras.

On the whole, if you are a fan of the film, then you must have this book because it will make you fall in love with it again. From the actual construction of the ‘ship of dreams’ to the sinking of the unsinkable, from the casting of most of the actors to the ingenious way of filming the disastrous climax, Titanic did everything right.

A removable double-sided poster not only just reminds you of the time when the film came out, but also of the efforts of the entire crew that brought back the ship that couldn’t complete its maiden voyage, and took the audience on a journey they would never forget.

Rainer Maria Rilke is considered one of the most important German-language writers, along with Franz Kafka and Thomas Mann

AFP

A huge collection of letters and manuscripts by modernist poet Rainer Maria Rilke has been handed over to the public German Literature Archive (DLA). Known as the so-called Gernsbach collection, the biggest existing archive of Rilke's works and letters had been in private hands for almost 100 years, representatives from the DLA told journalists in Berlin.

Sandra Richter, director of the archive located in Marbach, near Stuttgart, described the deal as the "acquisition of the century".

"We now want to make Rilke's estate speak," she said, announcing a major exhibition in 2025 to mark the 150th anniversary of the poet's birth.

The collection was acquired for an undisclosed sum with funds from the federal government, the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg and various private foundations.

As well as more than 10,000 handwritten pages with drafts of works and notes, it includes around 8,800 letters to and from Rilke. These include correspondence from his long-time lover,

the Russian-born psychoanalyst Lou Andreas-Salome, and the French poet Paul Valery, a friend of his.

There are also more than 470 books annotated by Rilke, 131 drawings and more than 300 photographs from all phases of his life, according to the DLA.

Rilke, who lived from 1875 to 1926, is considered one of the most important German-language writers of the modern era, along with Franz Kafka and Thomas Mann.

He lived in various European countries and maintained an extensive correspondence with the intellectuals of his time.

Experts consider the Gernsbach collection to be one of the most important surviving legacies of a German-language poet.

After Rilke's death, the material was inherited by his descendants and only became available to buy after the death of his granddaughter Hella Sieber-Rilke.

She had kept the collection in a private house in the town of Gernsbach, with access granted only to an elite group of experts.

The DLA is now planning to digitise the archive and make it accessible to literary researchers and the public.

By Maheen Aziz and Omair Alavi KARACHI

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;

The world knows him as a credible journalist who launched daily newspapers, his friends considered him someone who could always make them laugh while his close associates acknowledged his creative prowess that gave one of the world’s best airlines its name, and Pakistan’s favourite biscuit its tagline.

Known as Tippu among his friends and family, Imran Aslam was born in the Indian city of Madras in 1952. His family migrated to Pakistan when he was young and then they settled in Lahore. Being extraordinaire, he eventually started making a name for himself in Lahore where he was studying as a creative individual and made friends who would go on to stay with him till death did them part.

He held many feathers to his cap and writing was the most known side of Imran. Writing came naturally to him; it was god-gifted. People know that he was a prolific writer, however, not many are aware that he wrote for TV, theatre and film as well.

While studying in Lahore, he realised that his first love is acting thus he began his career as an actor whereas writing went side by side.

“I met Imran Aslam at the Government College Lahore in 1967. Imran was reciting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the theatre room of the college and that too all alone. I was in shock and thought that what is he doing? I asked him, ‘Who are you? And he asked the same question too. We introduced each other,” recalls the veteran artiste Usman Peerzada.

“I asked Imran whom you are doing this for and why are you reciting these? He told me that he loved this particular soliloquy from ‘To be or not to be.’ We developed the friendship from there and never looked back.”

Usman went on to share that Imran and he discovered Sarmad Sehbai who became another valuable friend. Together they produced a play ‘Dark Room.’

“I took Imran with me and requested Sarmad to cast him in his play. However, Imran did not know writing and reading Urdu which seemed to be a hindrance. Sarmad told me that I am asking to cast someone who couldn’t read Urdu. I assured Sarmad that his Urdu is really good, he knows Urdu and will be reading Urdu to you tomorrow. Then the same night Veda Salahuddin (Imran’s cousin) and I made Imran write the play in roman Urdu. Then the rest is history as Dark Room became the best play of our lives,” says Usman Peerzada.

in a phone call. He was a great soul and I wish he could live more and come out with interesting things he used to discuss with me so often. In fact, Pakistan lost a great intellectual,” Usman Peerzada added. Veteran TV and film actor Salman Shahid remembers his best friend as an achiever, not as a backbencher.

‘We were friends for a long time and hung around like-minded people pursuing their artistic pursuits. We started working together at the same time with a group called Alpha Players where besides Imran and myself, we had the likes of Usman Peerzada and Shafqat Mahmood. Before Imran ventured into journalism, he evolved as a creative individual who could write and act well. With the passage of time, he did things that showed his inclination towards journalism, which was the right place for him. After moving to Karachi from Lahore, he was busy as a writer than an actor and did so many things in his life from adapting plays, writing screenplays, heading organisations, etc. He was always the achiever in our group, and never the backbencher and that’s what took him to unimaginable heights.’

Although he started gaining recognition in Lahore as well, but once he moved to the city of lights, Karachi, he began to fly higher as Karachi gave Imran Aslam the freedom he desired to grow both as a writer and a journalist. Besides acting on the stage, writing screenplays, and editing newspapers, he found time to groom youngsters into becoming professionals who now have their own identities and voice as individuals.

Veteran TV actor Sajid Hasan was one of those people who owed his entry to TV to Imran Aslam.

Contrary to popular belief, Sajid Hasan’s first drama was Khaleej, not Dhoop Kinarey and it was after the latter that the two drifted apart – Sajid as an actor, Imran as the editor of an English newspaper. He remembered his friends of five decades in glowing words and paid tribute to his legacy, and his friendship.

‘I met Imran Aslam at a time that seemed like another lifetime, where I was young and the world had endless possibilities. The strangest part of that meeting was that he treated me as an equal, which I wasn’t. He was the editor of The Star with laurels and I was just a rookie, wannabe journalist. Until someone tells you that you can do it, you really never start any journey – Imran was that kind of friend. He encouraged me, supported me, and put his weight behind every step I took towards acting. The first time I met him was at an event that I remember to this day. He kept us laughing for an hour with his impersonations and his very subtle wit. Little did we realise that later Imran was to become a genius with his unmatched ability to write fantastic one-liners.’

‘From my first stage-play appearance to my first TV serial Khaleej written by Imran Aslam, I was a regular fixture with everything he wrote for the Karachi Grips Theatre. Then TV serial Dhoop Kinarey happened and

Imran and I parted ways. After that we would bump into each other and chat but gone were the days we used to hang with friends.’

He went on to add that when Imran Aslam became critically ill a year back, he hadn’t lost hope and was his usual self. That smile that most of his friends knew him for was still as bright as ever. However, he didn’t want to write which was not the usual response for someone who was a giant among journalists, taught editors how to edit and writers how to write.

‘Imran knew the trends but he couldn’t succumb to the lure of nothingness. He has written enough to make him a great theatre, television, and film writer. We were always planning a film that never saw the light of the day. In this desert of possibilities, I wish someday to be with my friend Imran Aslam and tell stories. Goodbye, my friend!’

Imran Aslam’s magic wasn’t just limited for his friends but also for those who believed in themselves no matter how young they might be. According to Mahira Khan, Pakistan’s leading film and TV actress, Imran Aslam was the first person who believed in her and told her that she would go places when many didn’t.

‘I still remember the day when Imran Aslam came to my place and asked me to switch to the new music channel that he was launching because he believed that it would help my career. At that very moment, I formed a connection with him because he somehow knew me better than I did, and believed in me. That belief was there when the same management offered me a morning show and I politely rejected it because I had set my eyes on film stardom. He was the only person in that room who believed in me with his trademark smile, and later told me that I would make it big because I had faith and vision.’

The Bin Roye actress also added that whoever knew Imran Aslam realised that they had some kind of unexplainable connection with him, and that was his beauty.

‘Whenever we used to meet, he was always smiling and talking about that day when I told everyone I wanted to be a film star. He didn’t just live his life but set an example for all of us so that we could value life just the way it should be valued. He was always there for the people around him, be it by giving them the needed push, or the sympathy required without making the other person feel bad about it. He may be gone but has left behind a legacy that would remain unmatched.’

Mahira Khan wouldn’t have achieved her dreams had she not worked with director Sarmad Khoosat in his super-successful TV serial Humsafar. However, Sarmad Khoosat believes that he wouldn’t have been able to go the distance had Imran Aslam not been there to promote him the way he did with most of the youngsters. He feels proud of the fact that he not only worked with Imran Aslam but learned a lot from him in the process.

With the passage of time, he did things that showed his inclination towards journalism, which was the right place for him. After moving to Karachi from Lahore, he was busy as a writer than an actor and did so many things in his life from adapting plays, writing screenplays, heading organisations, etc

times knew what the other person was capable of, even if that person wasn’t sure, said Sania Saeed the veteran TV and film artiste who credits Imran Aslam for keeping her on the theatre track after she had debuted on TV. ‘After doing my first play on TV, I would have drifted away from theatre had it not been for Imran Aslam. Since I had done his adaptation of a Brecht play in Balochi for kids in Golimar, he knew of me from Yasmin Ismail, which is why when his Bachon Ka Theatre was being televised, they chose me for characters previously done by Marina Khan. No one wrote like him when it came to children’s stage plays and since adults acted as kids on stage in these plays, they were quite successful. His plays were all about the environment, politics, ethnic cohesion, violence, etc. and he also dealt with the treatment of children through his writings. He was also part of my father’s play Galileo as an actor which is how I knew him for his acting skills as well.’

Sania Saeed added that Imran Aslam’s sense of humour set him apart from his contemporaries as it was urban, modern, and angrezi. He never showed off his genius and always made the other person feel comfortable in his presence.

‘I interviewed him for my talk show on mothers named Maa and it was a great experience since he began the conversation by saying that his mother was mad. I was surprised at first but when he elaborated it all made sense. He explained it in a hilarious way that she was a proactive woman for her time whose parenting style would have been illegal today. He even said that she once punished his younger brother by hanging him over a well just because he wasn’t sleeping in the evenings. Throughout the interview, he treated me like a kid but never treated me as an inferior which is what set him apart.’

Salman Shahid

Imran was somebody with whom I could sit for hours and not talk yet feel accompanied. We learned together and learned from each other. My world is saddened and empty without Imran

Aslam

Usman Peerzada

“Our friendship was meant to last forever. Communication wasn’t as easy as it is today and when I was not in Pakistan even then we never lost touch. We were a group of four to five friends who were equally handsome and ladies’ men because of the way we were at that time and still appear to be the same,” he said with a roaring laugh.

“After college, we all went into our worlds but we always touched base with each other and knew what was happening.”

Usman said that it was not only Sarmad Sehbai he introduced Imran to, but also to the president of a media group who was coming out with an English newspaper. “The current owner of a media group asked me if I know someone who is reliable, intelligent and trustworthy. Imran was working as the editor of another media group. I told him about Imran’s work and incredible intelligence and he asked me to call Imran immediately as he was desperate to meet him. As we were in Lahore so we sent Imran a return ticket to come to Lahore.”

“Imran initially refused the offer as he was already working with a media group and found it unprofessional and unethical to leave on such a short notice. But later he joined and worked with this media group until his last days.”

Usman lamented that the true potential of Imran Aslam couldn’t be rightly tapped in Pakistan because his artistic brilliance, dialogue writing and wit were double-edged, remarkable and way beyond usual standards. Except for his professional abilities, he said that Imran was more than a friend to him. “Imran was somebody with whom I could sit for hours and not talk yet feel accompanied. We learned together and learned

‘Imran Aslam was the true genius. Being the gentle giant we all need in our lives, he was nothing short of a treasure trove of wisdom and knowledge. My association with him dates back to the time when his channel wanted to redo the TV serial Jangloos and had roped me in for the project. When I entered the conference room, everyone was shocked because apparently, they were either expecting someone older like Sarmad Sehbai, or only Sarmad Sehbai. It was Imran Aslam who broke the silence by saying that ‘Oye tum ne Sarmad Sehbai ki jaga Sarmad Khoosat ko bula lia … chalo is ko bhi involve karlete hain, direct Sarmad hi karega (you people invited the wrong Sarmad; it’s okay we will involve him as well as he will direct the project.)

I don’t know it was a joke or a blunder of the administrative team but for the next couple of days we worked on the project and I even got to meet the novelist Shaukat Siddiqui. I found him quite real as he comforted the other person in a way with his soft-spoken and easy-going attitude that made others accept that whatever he was saying was the right thing.

Sarmad added that Imran Aslam was always there as a member of the review committee when he was making the film Manto. ‘Every time I would present them with a cut he was there, always present, and was very candid in his critical analysis. He gave his opinion with such kindness and warmth, which is very rare these days that it felt like a gentle pat on the back.’

Sarmad also discussed his collaboration with Imran Aslam in Jal Pari and Mor Mahal, two projects that he considers different from the run-of-the-mill stuff.

‘Jal Pari was the most difficult project of my life but it was also one of the most satisfying ones as well. It was penned by Sarmad Sehbai and I am sure that it was Imran Aslam who convinced the legendary playwright to trust his script to me. We needed a narration in Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s OST and when I asked him to give the narration, he agreed without thinking twice. Also, in Mor Mahal, after watching the plot, he looked at me with his animated smile and praised the use of the candlelight source which was something not many noticed. His contribution to my career was immense, and although it seemed he wasn’t around, he was always present. I hope he is somewhere where his knowledge and his light are valued better than we did.’

For some people, Imran Aslam was an anchor on whom they could depend for the best advice. He some-

After writing for theatre, Imran Aslam turned to TV and was successful with his very first play Khaleej which aired in 1986 and introduced the world to the talented Adarsh Ayaz. The actor who played Dodo in that play remembers Imran Aslam, first as his parents’ friend and later as someone who saw the acting talent in him when no one else did.

‘My parents Babar Ayaz and Najma Babar were both journalists and that’s how I knew Imran Aslam, who worked with them in The Star. When he was writing Khaleej, they needed a young boy who would replace their original casting who was having his exams, and he saw me disrupting the lives of people in my mother’s office (laughs) and asked her if she would let me act. Sahira Kazmi then took my audition from where I started my career as an actor, so as much as I owe my career to Sahira Kazmi, I owe it to Imran Aslam as well. He saw that this kid might be inclined towards acting and suggested it and I owe him for that.’

He went on to add that growing up, he saw Imran Aslam as a rock star journalist whom people would flock around because he was writing stage plays and acting besides editing newspapers. ‘He knew how to nurture people who had a creative spark. He was amongst those people who would promote others and I had the pleasure of working with him there as well.

Our interview became an interesting conversation when he put his glasses on the table and asked me to build a story around it and when I did, I was selected.’

Imran Aslam was loved by all who knew him, worked with him, and spent time with him because he carried positive energy with him that many lacked.

‘The person who always wrote socially and politically conscious drama had his lifelong wish and that was playing Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on screen. He was very disappointed when he wasn’t selected to play the father of the nation in the film that had Christopher Lee as the main lead. It was his dream to play that character which was fulfilled when his younger brother produced a short film and cast him in that role. Not only did he do justice to the character but also excelled in that performance because he was fit for that character. Also, despite being very senior to the many people he knew, Imran Aslam had no airs about him and never threw his clout around. That’s how we all should remember him, as a creative genius who wanted to do interesting things and managed to do that in his lifetime,’ Adarsh Ayaz said.

A man of many talents, Imran Aslam is no more with us. However, he will be alive through his creative work as well as the enriched legacy left behind.

(L to R) Salman Shahid, Nazir Kamal, Imran Aslam, Sarwat Ali and Usman Peerzada. Photos: File

Not everyone is an expert in whatever they do, but Imran Aslam was an exception to this rule