Showcase: Sattar Buksh’s community space

Amean J’s photography exhibition at Showcase depicts the polarised relationship between light and shade. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

KARACHI: 

Sattar Buksh is gaining ground in the desi-meets-gora food scene. The cafe’s name may be an intended pun on the international coffeehouse chain Starbucks, but Sattar Buksh’s Facebook page says of its quirkiness: “We [at Sattar Buksh] do what we want and we do it our way.”

With eccentric food names, a blend of Eastern and Western specialty foods and the quintessential desi ‘mooch’ logo, Sattar Buksh has been anything but orthodox so far. A recent addition to its uniqueness is Showcase, located on the first level of Sattar Buksh.

So, what is Showcase? Is it an art gallery? Sattar Buksh co-founder Adnan Yousuf says, “No, it is not. It is a space. We don’t want to follow rules. Being unorthodox, we want to stir things up a bit here.” What he refers to as a ‘space’, will house a multitude of art forms, performances, installations and photography exhibitions. Yousuf shares that Showcase is not a classic art gallery because there are enough of those in the city.

Co-founder Rizwan Ahmad Malik elaborates. He describes Showcase as a space where anything and everything can be showcased — even a bazaar. “It’s not just a gallery, it’s a community space,” he stated. Malik is currently responsible for managing Showcase. Commenting on why Showcase wasn’t opened when Sattar Buksh was, Malik said, “We wanted to start a food venture first. We had empty space and we kept thinking how to utilise it. With the cafe doing exceptionally well, we thought of making this space engaging and interactive.”

Showcase was inaugurated by photographer Amean J on Wednesday evening. He exhibited a set of 16 digital images inspired by his trip to Beijing, China, in March 2012 with his students from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. Calling his trip fabulous Amean said, “Beijing is rich in culture and so inspiring. There is this unexplainable energy on the streets. I would love to go there again.” He said that he has never exhibited these photographs online but thought they needed to be printed and put up on walls.

Titled ‘Walking the fine line between Light and Shade’, the exhibit offers a peep into a particular day from Amean’s trip, when he took a stroll in Beijing all by himself. “I was walking around The Forbidden City in broad daylight, and all I was doing was following the shadows.” Amean feels that the relationship between ‘light’ and ‘shade’ is one that photographers have been exploring for a long time. “Light and shade are an oxymoron. What is light and what is dark? This [his photographs] is my version of the contradiction between light and shade,” he said.

The images capture the shadows of road signs, lampposts, grilles, lawns, bicycles and even himself (in a self-portrait). The black and white images are “very graphic and very old school”, as Amean describes them. His personal favourite is one with a large bicycle.

Amean’s photographs will be on exhibition for the next two weeks at Showcase. After a great premiere event, one is curious to know what will follow next. Without giving away any details, Yousuf reveals that “a performance is next

Did you know?: Beyonce releases surprise self-titled album exclusively on iTunes

The “visual album,” simply entitled Beyoncé is exclusively available on iTunes and sells for $15.99 without the ability to purchase any of the 14 tracks individually.

Just minutes before midnight on December 13th, Beyoncé released a self-titled fifth album, exclusively on iTunes. Artists featured on the exclusive visual album are Jay Z, Drake, Frank Ocean and daughter Blue Ivy, Billboard reports.

The album arrived on Thursday night without any previous warning. A press release announcing the album notes that Beyoncé “has been the target of leaks,” adding that “this is a fully designed preventative plan. The album will be offered as a cohesive body of work with every song and every video available all at once for one single purchase.” 

The 14-song collection features Drunk In Love, a new collaboration with husband Jay Z;Mine featuring Drake; Superpower with her I Miss You collaborator Frank Ocean; and Blue, a song with her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. XO, which was rumoured to be a single track, also appears on the track list.

The “visual album,” simply entitled Beyoncé is exclusively available on iTunes and sells for $15.99 without the ability to purchase any of the 14 tracks individually. There is an accompanying music video for each song alongside three additional clips. Grown Womanappears as a bonus video but is not in the album’s soundtrack list. Standing on the Sun, a song written by Sia which was featured in an H&M ad, is not in this album.

Rumours of a new Beyoncé album have been circulating all year. The star has been spotted filming videos in locations around the world and snippets of new music have been previewed in commercials. But her record label had suggested as recently as this week that the next album would see release in 2014

The Golden Globe Nominations: What they tell us and who we’ve picked

5 things you need to know about the nominees. PHOTO: FILE

The Golden Globe nominations have taught us five things, according to CNN.

Comedy isn’t really comedy anymore

None of the five films nominated for best comedy or musical will have you rolling around in your seat. In fact, some nominations are downright dark and twisted.

The Butler was brushed under the mat

While Lee Daniels’ film did quite well for Screen Actors Guild nominations, none of its cast was nominated for a Golden Globe. Sorry, Oprah.

SAG Award nominations don’t define the rest of awards season

Actors who weren’t nominated for the SAG award need not fear, as they have been for The Golden Globes. Rush received a nomination, as did Robert Redford.

Gravity may just be this year’s big winner

Alfonso Cuaron’s film has gotten quite a number of nominations. Star Sandra got an acting nod with both the SAGs and the Golden Globes and the film also earned Globe nominations for Drama Film, Director Cuaron and its score.

The hosts of the star studded evening will, once again, be Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The Golden Globes will be broadcast on Sunday, January 12.

12 Years a Slave and American Hustle are in the lead

Both movies received seven nominations each and we can expect similar results when the Oscar nominations are announced early next year.

Golden Globe Nominees

Movies

Best Motion Picture — Drama

12 Years A Slave

Captain Phillips

Gravity

Philomena

Rush

Our Pick: Gravity, because George Clooney as an astronaut is everything we’ve ever dreamed about.

Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

American Hustle

Her

Inside Llewyn Davis

Nebraska

The Wolf Of Wall Street

Our Pick: American Hustle, what an ensemble!

Best Actor — Motion Picture Drama

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave

Idris Elba, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom

Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips

Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Robert Redford, All Is Lost

Our Pick: Idris Elba, because The Wire, Luther, Heimdall, and that voice.

Best Actor — Motion Picture Musical or Comedy

Christian Bale, American Hustle

Bruce Dern, Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis

Joaquin Phoenix, Her

Our Pick: We just know it’s not going to be Leonardo DiCaprio.

Best Actress — Motion Picture Drama

Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

Sandra Bullock, Gravity

Judi Dench, Philomena

Emma Thompson, Saving Mr Banks

Kate Winslet, Labor Day

Our Pick: Sandra Bullock, because she looks great both in and out of a space suit.

Best Actress — Motion Picture Musical or Comedy

Amy Adams, American Hustle

Julie Delpy, Before Midnight

Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Enough Said

Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Our Pick: We hope it’s Julie Delphy. This one’s been a long time coming.

Best Supporting Actor

Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

Daniel Bruhl, Rush

Bradley Cooper, American Hustle

Michael Fassbender, 12 Years A Slave

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Our Pick: Jared Leto. The man waxed his eyebrows three times for the role for heaven’s sake!

Best Supporting Actress

Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine

Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years A Slave

Julia Roberts, August: Osage County

June Squibb, Nebraska

Our Pick: We all know it’ll be Jennifer Lawrence’s year again, just like every year from now till the end of time.

Best Director

Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips

Steve McQueen, 12 Years A Slave

Alexander Payne, Nebraska

David O Russell, American Hustle

Our Pick: David O Russell. Again, just look at the cast! We salute you, sir.

Best Foreign Language Film

Blue is the Warmest Color

The Great Beauty

The Hunt

The Past

The Wind Rises

Our Pick: Blue is the Warmest Color. When you see it, you’ll know why.

Best Animated Feature Film

The Croods

Despicable Me 2

Frozen

Our Pick: Despicable Me 2. Because Minions. Minions FTW!

Television

Best Drama Series

Breaking Bad

Downton Abbey

The Good Wife

House of Cards

Masters of Sex

Our Pick: Breaking Bad, because Ozymandias and Jesse Pinkman. Yeah, science!

Best Actor in a Television Drama Series

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan

Michael Sheen, Masters of Sex

Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

James Spader, The Black List

Our Pick: Cranston deserves all the Golden Globes, and then some.

Best Actress in a Television Drama Series

Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black

Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black

Kerry Washington, Scandal

Robin Wright, House of Cards

Our Pick: We hope its Tatiana Maslany, although Kerry Washington is likely to take home the award. Watch Orphan Black, you won’t regret it.

Best Comedy Series

The Big Bang Theory

Brooklyn 99

Girls

Modern Family

Parks and Recreation

Our Pick: As long as they keep nominating BBT for awards, it’ll never end. Can we please have another show nominated for a change? Community?

Best Actor in a Television Comedy Series

Jason Bateman, Arrested Development

Don Cheadle, House of Lies

Michael J Fox, The Michael J Fox Show

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Andy Samberg, Brooklyn 99

Our Pick: Michael J Fox. He’s as inspiring as they come.

Best Actress in a Television Comedy Series

Zooey Deschanel, New Girl

Lena Dunham, Girls

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Our Pick: We’re going with Edie Falco, because we really don’t care who wins as long as it’s not Zooey Deschanel.

Poora Chand aims to transform art films in Pakistan

The film’s boasts an ensemble cast comprising Fahad Mustafa, Iman Ali, Manzar Sehbai and Sanam Saeed. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

LAHORE: 

The year 2013 has been an eventful one for the Pakistani film industry — it underwent a complete metamorphosis and outgrew the phase of Punjabi-centric cinema. With upcoming projects constantly being revealed, one cannot help but be excited about what the new year has in store for local cinema.

A recent announcement reveals that two veterans of the Pakistani entertainment industry — Khurram Rana and Badar Ikram — have come together to make an art film, titled Poora Chand.

Being produced under the banner of MiRaqsam Media, Poora Chand’s shooting is reported to conclude by January 2014 and concurrently start its round of post-production. The film’s cast boasts big names from the entertainment industry. TV actors Fahad Mustafa and Sanam Saeed will be making their film debuts, alongside model and actor Iman Ali, who has previously worked in Shoaib Mansoor’s films Khuda Kay Liye and Bol. Mustafa and Ali will be seen playing double roles in the film.

Defying the current trend of commercial cinema, the makers of Poora Chand have roped in famous playwright Sarmad Sehbai as script writer for the venture. “We have always looked up to Sarmad Sahib,” says Rana. For producers Ikram and Rana, the current state of cinema culture is one that is conducive for those seeking to experiment with film genres, hence their decision to make an art film. “The debate on commercial film versus art film does not really matter. Everything depends on the audience’s response — they either like a film or they don’t,” says Rana, former chairman of the United Producers Association.

A year ago, Rana along with Ikram, who was previously a senior executive with a major television channel, forayed into the cinema from the television industry. “I pushed Badar, saying that we should come up with an idea which is new and big. It was about time we formed our own production company, which catered to the kind of work we are interested in,” he explains. The film, which includes five songs, is currently being shot in Karachi wherePoora Chand’s team has constructed large studio sets in order to streamline the shooting process.

The film is directed by two-time Lux Style Award winner, Anjum Shehzad, known for making stellar television dramas before this. The film, which Sarmad wrote five years ago, draws inspiration from an 18th century poet but is set in the contemporary world. Sarmad’s brother, Manzar Sehbai, who was last seen in Bol, plays the antagonist in the film.

Ikram says that contemporary film audiences demand more complex themes and stories. “The film assumes that the audience is smarter than what is assumed in the industry generally. This film is brought forward with the belief that the audience will be able to digest its complex theme,” says Ikram. “Despite being an offbeat film, everyone participated in the project with the spirit of creating something very unique. As for the audience, they should be expecting a brave film.”

Although Pakistani cinema industry has been flourishing in recent years, Rana feels its identity is yet to be defined. He adds that there is still a massive divide between quality production teams and local talent, and that is the reason why he thought it was important to make something which can be considered a truly original Pakistani effort. “Any actor, designer or producer who is involved with cinema is looking at this as a long-term business investment. Right now it’s too early what genre or style will constitute Pakistan’s narrative.”

Seconding Rana’s statement, Ikram says, “The decision to produce a film like this was long overdue. I can’t say that India or Iran cannot make a film like Poora Chand, given that there are some extremely intelligent people in their respective film industries. But this is a film, we believe, that they will not [be able to] make, because it’s not their style, per se.”

Currently, the makers of the film are in talks with local distributors. Meanwhile, they are also deliberating to launch an official website and Facebook page for the film

10 Hollywood Films That You Absolutely Must Watch in 2014

Hollywood movies always have a lot to offer, sometimes it’s not what you’re looking for but we’re always prepared to be surprised!

From superhero films, sci-fi flicks, fantasy films to rom-coms, 2014 looks like it’s going to be one hell of a year! Here are the 10 2014 Hollywood Films You Should Look Forward To:

1. The Cat Woman
Vanessa Tavares will play Cat Woman in this film directed by Matty Johnson. The trailer of the film is fantastical and absolutely stunning. Cat Woman! *shivers*

2. The Monuments Men
A film about a World War II platoon that rescues stolen art from Nazi thieves and returns them to their rightful owners. George Clooney, Cate Blancett and Matt Damon have us sold!

3. 300: Rise of an empire
The Greek general Themistocles battles an invading army of Persians under the mortal-turned-god, Xerxes. Larger than life and visually stunning, we can’t wait!

4. Noah
We’ve vowed to watch every film that stars Emma Watson! With a star cast that includes Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly – this film can’t go wrong.

5. The Amazing SpiderMan 2
So Andrew Garfield didn’t blow us away in the first film but we’re eager to see what he, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx can pull off.

6. Chef
Robert Downey Jr, Jon Favreau, Scarlett Johansson and Dustin Hoffman come together to tell a story about a chef who loses his restaurant job. What a stellar cast! *Sigh* This movie just went right to the top of the list.

7. X-Men: Days Of Future Past
Wolverine is on a quest to change the past and we can’t help but want to join him. Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Hugh Jackman – what’s not to like.

8. A Million Ways To Die In The West
Directed by funny man Seth McFarlane, this is a story of a cowardly farmer who tries to win back the woman who left him. Can’t skip a movie starring Liam Neeson, now can we!

9. Fast & Furious 7
It won’t feel the same and it will be painful but we won’t get another chance to watch Brian O’ Conner.

10. The Judge
Robert Downey Jr and the fiesty Leighton Meester come together to tell us a story of a successful lawyer whose father is a suspected murderer. *Chills*

Which film would you love to watch? Tell us in the comments below.

Fashion casts off 'dark cloud' of extremism

Kamiar Rokni. PHOTO COURTESY FAISAL FAROOQUI

PARIS: Mention the Taliban to fashion designer Kamiar Rokni and his irritation is clear.

“One of the things we feel diminishes our work is whenever our story is linked to Talibanisation and whether we are doing this to fight extremism,” he told AFP in Paris.

“We’re not. We’re doing this for the business of fashion!”

Tired of the country’s ‘bombs and burqas’ image, Rokni is far from alone in his desire to see fashion for fashion’s sake.

Certain precautions are unavoidable however and the locations of fashion shows are never disclosed in advance.

“It’s the one thing we do to protect ourselves,” said Rokni who runs his House of Kamiar Rokni label with two cousins.

“Apart from that you just have to have faith and carry on.”

Fellow designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, founder of the HSY label, is equally keen to distance himself from any political motive.

“We’ve been lumped up with a very bad dark cloud that’s been over our heads… but this really isn’t our war,” he said.

Extremism aside, the designers – who recently held a catwalk show in Paris – say Pakistani fashion is finally starting to establish itself.

From an industry made up of just a handful of designers and models in the early 1990s, fashion shows, attracting foreign buyers, are now held regularly in Lahore and Karachi.

Its leading figures are gossip column and glossy magazine staples and not afraid to court controversy.

One designer, Safinaz Muneer, sparked outrage last year when she told Hello! magazine that Pakistani employees could spend 1,500 hours on embroidery that “will cost you nothing”.

The row failed to dent sales and the designer denounced critics demanding to know what they had contributed to the industry.

Rokni and Yasin, both graduates of the couture-focused Pakistan School of Fashion Design in Lahore, are evangelical about what the country has to offer, citing the Zardozi embroidery technique which uses gold thread, beads and seed pearls to embellish fabric.

“The world gets their embellishment done from India but when you see the clothes that are hand embellished in Pakistan it’s arguably some of the best in the world,” said Rokni.

“It’s generally a South Asian tradition and the skills are very much alive here.”

The Lahore school, now known as the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design, was established in 1994 with the aim of giving Pakistani textiles a competitive edge in a global market.

Textiles contributed 7.4 percent to GDP in 2011 accounting  for over half of all exports, worth around $11 billion.

“Our fashion school was primarily to develop us into making value added products for the textiles industry but our fashion industry also started to develop and flourish,” Rokni said.

Yasin describes his clothes as “uber-masculine with a touch of contemporary”, summing up his signature style as “rock, royal, gent”.

“That’s ‘rock’, for rock star, ‘royal’, all the embellishments, and ‘gent’ meaning very classic so the blazer is 100 percent wool cashmere,” he said.

And he dismissed as out of date the image of Pakistan as a place where men only ever dressed in the traditional salwar kameez of long shirt worn over loose trousers.

In fact, well off Pakistani men in the 25 to 35 age group were increasingly interested in fashion, he said, irrespective of whether they opted for western or traditional south Asian styles.

“Our clone culture – where we used to seem like clones in white salwar kameez – has started to fade away very rapidly,” Yasin said.

Few would deny that Pakistan fashion still has a long way to go to reach even the majority of the middle class, let alone poorer sections of society.

The socially conservative, mainly Muslim South Asian country is among the world’s poorest.

But an appreciation of fashion can sometimes be found in unlikely quarters, added Mohsin Ali, a member of the targeted minority Hazara community, from Quetta in southern Pakistan.

Ali set his sights on a career in fashion after learning about the Lahore school from a television programme.

But his father, a Muslim preacher, was horrified at the prospect of his son dressing women in revealing clothes and having physical contact during fittings.

“There was a little bit of a drama from the family,” he said.

There was, however, such a positive reaction from Hazaras after media coverage of his designs – described by fellow designers as “ethnicity on speed” – that his father dropped his opposition.

“Hazaras are really not given any importance in Pakistan so it was a proud moment for me to represent them because the designs are inspired by the culture,” he said.

“Now lots of people go to him (my father) and say ‘we saw him on television and we are truly proud’. For him it’s far more than working with girls, the whole meaning has changed,” he said

Bilal Lashari's next project: A multi-million dollar remake of Maula Jatt

The director speaks exclusively with The Express Tribune about what he has in the works.

He came, he saw and he conquered. Bilal Lashari’s journey as a film maker has begun on as high note a note as it possibly could. While it’s clear that no one else can come close, one wonders whether even he will be able to top himself and fulfil the expectations associated with his next project. Now, Pakistan’s leading director is all set to surprise us again, not with box office returns but with the project that he has gotten his hands on.  Lashari earlier put the arms and ammunition of Pakistan army to stylistic use, and will now be giving a new identity to Gandasa films with a multi-million dollar remake of Maula Jatt. Bilal Lashari unveils his next venture in an exclusive interview with The Express Tribune. 

“This will be my take on Gandasa films which are blamed for the death of Lollywood” says Bilal Lashari. “I think the Gandasa genre was a missed opportunity for Pakistani cinema, and what better choice to utilise it then by paying homage to the cult classicMaula Jatt.”

This rebooted version of Maula Jatt has been in its pre production phase for the last seven months, and Lashari was waiting for the Waar hype to quiet down for the right moment to disclose his new film. The film is a co-production with an American production house, the name of which he is not disclosing just yet, and will have a budget in the millions of dollars, according to the director. From a war epic to a new brand of Gandasa films; Lashari is taking some huge steps and even huger risks. Traditional Gandasa films have been looked down upon by modern viewers due to a lack of content, but Lashari is not only aiming to stay true to the spirit of the originals, but he is also determined to make it palatable for contemporary audiences.

“The entire world has been exporting their own styles and versions of cinema outside their territory, but we have been silent,” Lashari says, concerned. “Hollywood sent us the old westerns or the cowboy films, the Japanese gave us Samurais. We have also had Ninjas, but I now feel it’s our time to tell the world what our Gandasa films are capable of,” Lashari stays determinedly.

His concerns are genuine, and the fact is that in the past few years many have spoken about revamping Maula Jatt but no one has actually successfully done so, making Lashari’s venture all the more interesting. Four different production teams have approached The Express Tribune in the past two years for potential coverage regarding their versions of Maula Jatt, and none have shown any progress or delivered a finished product thus far. Lashari has acquired the rights to the original cult classic starring Sultan Rahi, and one can’t help but be intrigued as to what his vision of the film is.

“My version of Maula Jatt will be a visual epic, with less dialogue and many captivating moments. It will be a dark but stylised take on Pakistan’s original film genre.”

While we can tell you that the new Maula Jatt will stay true to the original by being a Punjabi language film, the name of the script writer has not been disclosed as yet. The casting process has just begun and Lashari is looking for younger and fresher faces from Pakistan and is keeping his options open in terms of getting Bollywood stars on board. The shooting locations for the film have not been finalised and neither has the cast.

On the other hand, Mindworks Media and Ary Films have announced the making of Waar 2which surprisingly, will not be directed Bilal Lashari. This time around, Dr Hasan Waqas Rana will be calling the shots. This certainly doesn’t reduce Lashari’s love for his passion project, which became the highest grossing film in Pakistan. Apart from the fact that it made Lashari the most acclaimed film maker in the country, the film also raised the bar in terms of production value in Pakistani films. There are numerous reasons why Lashari is neither in favour of a sequel being made and will not be onboard as director.

“Waar was something extraordinary for Pakistani cinema and it should just be left alone,” he chuckles.  “Personally Waar 2 would mean staying in my safe zone, and like any concerned artist I would rather challenge myself with every new project. If I took the helm for Waar 2, it would be more like taking one step ahead and five steps backwards.”

Ever since Waar was released, the rumour mill has been churning our news that Lashari had a major fall out with Rana, the producer/writer of the film who will now be directing Waar 2. Some said that the reason was based on the producer/director distribution of revenues, while others believed it was due to the criticism that the film was receiving on its script.

“The rumours are completely false, and I share a good relationship with the producer of the film, or I would not be in Dubai busy promoting Waar. Yes, the director-producer relationship is one where you have differences, but they certainly do not outweigh the good times,” Lashari says.

Partly excited and partly nervous, Lashari had to take a deep breath before giving a final message for his fans out there regarding the expectations from his next film.

“Maula Jatt will be much bigger and better than Waar, and my fans should keep expectations as high as possible, because that’ll motivate me to meet them.”