Ranveer Singh on awards and inaccuracies

Singh believes his role in Lootera was difficult, which is why he is proud of the film. PHOTOS: FILE

MUMBAI: Ranveer and Deepika’s sizzling chemistry and performances in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s modern adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet was one of 2013’s biggest hits.  Awards committees have been kind to Ram Leela, and its cast has won a number of awards, including Filmfare and Big Screen Awards for their roles in the movie. Ranveer Singh however, finds these awards debatable.

The actor, who has been attending numerous award functions of late, says that sometimes he is not so sure about them.

“Sometimes I find awards questionable. At times I get surprised looking at the winners’ list… at times it glares out to me as well, but it’s all subjective. For me, awards mean live performance and I love live performances,” Ranveer told IANS.

The star was referring to the fact that while Ram Leela has fared well this awards season, his other offering Lootera was snubbed by committees. Like his co-star Sonakshi Sinha, he too is disappointed that the period love saga, based on O. Henry’s 1907 short story The Last Leaf, was not nominated despite receiving critical acclaim.

“It is very disappointing that the technical team of Lootera didn’t get their due credit. Looterais technically one of the superior films of Hindi cinema,” he said.

“I would rate Lootera higher than Ram Leela, as Ram Leela was easier for me to do, whileLootera was tougher. I am proud of Lootera. It’s a timeless film. It’s sad that Lootera went unnoticed by many.”

After the success of Ram Leela, Ranveer will next be seen in Gunday, and is currently busy promoting the action thriller. Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the drama, set in 1970s Kolkata, will see Ranveer teaming up with Arjun Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra

Did you know?: Ashton Kutcher banned from partying

Actor Ashton Kutcher. PHOTO: AFP

LOS ANGELES: Actor Ashton Kutcher has reportedly been barred from throwing parties by the bosses of US sitcom “Two and a Half Men”.

The 36-year-old is known among cast and crew for his party habits, but producers have asked him to stop inviting lots of guests in his luxury $2 million trailer, reports contactmusic.com.

“Every Friday night after they finished filming, Ashton would throw wild parties until the early hours. The parties were notorious and got way out of hand. It wasn’t unusual to see famous friends stumbling out of his trailer,” a source told US Star magazine.

However, the orders from Warner Bros. bosses have not gone down well with the actor.

“Ashton’s not happy about the decision. He says he felt like king of the lot,” the source said.

FiLums 14 rises to the occasion

At the occasion, Resham discussed her decision to return to the film industry with a role in the film Swaarangi. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY

LAHORE: 

The 8th installment of the LUMS International Film Festival (FiLums), which began on Friday, showcased the creative knack and talent that students in Pakistan are brimming with.

Despite the fact that the LUMS student body comprises of students who are pursuing degrees in traditional fields of study, such as economics and engineering, many young minds are avidly interested in the dynamic art of film-making.

Their passion is reflected in the three-day-long festival, which constituted both in-person and virtual sessions with notable names of the entertainment industry from both sides of the border.

Kites Grounded

Saturday began with an interesting seminar on the yet-to-be released indie film Kites Grounded.

The film’s team includes producer-director duo Murtaza Ali and Seema Hameed, actor Tasneem Kausar and Ali Noor from the band Noori. Noor, who is one of the few people who have watched the film, is looking towards contributing a song to it.

The interactive discussion revolved around the technicalities of film-making, the ban on Basant, commercial versus art house film-making, and the prospects of film distribution.

“The festival is very nice, but it has been happening for many years and I wish it would expand and be open to the general public,” said Ali. “The response was good, but you still have that feeling – that film-making is not being taken seriously as a profession.”

Old cinema versus new cinema

The seminar featured an entertaining and no-holds-barred talk with Chambaili producer Shahzad Nawaz and director-producer Shehzad Rafique.

Both veterans believe that the industry is heading in the right direction, but there is still a need to produce more films and bring new film-makers to the forefront.

Awaz said that he has witnessed the change that has taken place in the industry, which favours issued-based film-making that challenges the conventional film narrative. “Film-making for a cause is like a struggle; it requires forming a new narrative – one that is our own,” he said.

He urged new film-makers to be honest to their work and not take shortcuts. He stressed upon the need for them to focus on their work instead of networking. “I think we are going in the right direction; the technology is flowing in, but what continues to persist is the need for more films,” he added.

Rafique provided a retrospective glance at the highs and lows of the old industry. He made a pertinent point: Film-makers should not shun veterans. In fact, they should seek apprenticeship from them to improve their practical knowledge of film-making.

He shared that more film festivals should be organised to promote young and independent film-makers in the country. He predicted that by 2017 local cinemas will not have to depend on Bollywood films due to what he foresees as a boom in local films.

Kaanebaz Q&A

Ali Sade’s film Kaanebaz, starring Mohib Mirza, Aamina Sheikh, Faisal Rehman, Rashid Farooqui and Shabbir Jan, premiered at the festival on February 8. It was followed by an interesting session, where Rehman shared that the film was shot in Karachi nearly a year and a half ago.

He encouraged students who are interested in the industry to consider acting as well. “It’s easier to be an actor compared to being a film-maker, because a film-maker has to be an actor and cameraman, while an actor has to be shameless to work in front of the camera and look confident,” he quipped.

It is fitting to see that the external relations team at LUMS brought together some of the industry’s biggest personalities.

Hosted by Shamoon Abbasi, the closing ceremony was attended by Resham, Sangeeta, Omair Rana, Sarah Tareen and Abdul Mannan.

At the occasion, Resham shared her decision to return to the film industry with a role in the film Swaarangi, which is a parallel cinema project.

Sangeeta aptly highlighted the value of such festivals in altering mind sets: “In our time, making a film was considered a sin. This why we want to encourage youth and young film-makers to join the industry.”

NAPA Theatre Festival 2014

Artistes from Nepal, Germany, England and India, including Bollywood legend Naseerudin Shah, will be lighting up Karachi’s stage.

KARACHI: 

National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) turned nine last week, even though their journey seems much longer.  After all, it takes more than just infrastructure to provide education in a craft that is still socially unacceptable at large. However, the faculty at Napa hasn’t shied away from this; their upcoming International Theatre Festival seems like the realisation of their dreams, at least in terms of theatre.  Zain Ahmed, the Artistic Director of Napa Repertory Theatre (NRT), raises the curtain of the International Theatre Festival and talks about providing a space for cross conversation with Karachi’s fast-growing commercial theatre.

 “The festival is becoming quite a large event, I didn’t think that it would but it has. About 12 plays will be performed over a span of 24 days,” says a rather excited Ahmed.

This time around the festival will be welcoming theatre artistes from Nepal, England, Germany and India, apart from the local troupes.  On the weekends the festival will also have dramatic reading sessions, a craft pioneered in Pakistan by Zia Mohyeddin, something that has now been taken up by many small groups like Dastaan Goi and Zambeel among others.  Much like the last theatre festival, this year again, there will be sessions dedicated to storytelling for children. This will also take place on the weekends, but in the mornings. Where Napa has managed to engage some major international acts, the local theatre troupes performing are the likes of Tehrik-e-Niswan and Ajoka, none of the young theatre artistes from the ‘musical’ frenzy commercial theatre scene have been engaged. Was it a conscious decision to axe the commercial theatre scene?

“Certainly not; to be very frank, the applications were open for six months but none of them responded,” clarifies Ahmed. However, he believes that Napa’s role is not about competition, there simply can’t be any competition with the commercial theatre as they have a lot of money that Napa doesn’t.

“For the commercial theatre in Karachi to survive, it is very important that they don’t run out of ideas and for that to happen there needs to be this cross conversation and that’s where the festival comes in. They need to see some of our work we need to see some of their work, so that theatre stays alive,” he adds.

Ahmed believes that this theatre festival is going to be very significant for all kinds of artistes, enthusiasts and for the health of theatre in general-be it mainstream or parallel.

“All of them must come and see what the Indians, British and Germans are doing. After all, a healthy commercial theatre scene means more job opportunities for our graduates,” says Ahmed.

Ahmed is bent upon making the much celebrated Pawnay Chauda August a part of their festival next year and that’d be Napa’s way of participating in the much needed dialogue between artistes.

“Pawnay Chuada August and Sawa Chauda August were landmark events and we have to own them. They changed everything. This dialogue has to happen, “remarks Ahmed.

The festival will go on from the March 4 to March 27, 2014, and all performances will take place at Napa. Tickets will be available at the venue.

Here is the list of performances

Ismat Apa Ke Naam

Place: India

Troupe: Motley Theatre

Director: Naseeruddin Shah

Synopsis: A celebration of Ismat Khanum Chughtai (1915-1991)

Raddi Bazaar

Place: India

Troupe: Saltlake Mohnitharan Group Theatre

Director Santanu Bose

Synopsis: The play is about proximity.  Three different plays have been cut and put together again. Baaki Ithihas the first play creates the majority of the narrative, while Paglaa Ghoda, the second play, intervenes and re-routes the narrative in unexpected ways.  Evam Indrajit, the third play, has been used as a lost narrative in video images.

The Princess of Garden

Place: Nepal

Troupe: Theatre Village

Director: Bimal Subedi

Synopsis: The Princess of Garden is an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s famous play,Malini.  The play talks about the strict monarchist system and the breathing space that can be provided by the philosophy of Buddhism.

Black T-Shirt Collections

Place: England

Troupe:Fuel Theatre

Director: Inua Ellams

Synopsis: Black T-Shirt Collection tells the story of two foster brothers building a global t-shirt brand. On their journey from a market in Nigeria to a sweatshop in China, Matthew and Muhammed discover the consequences of success.

Eksod

Place: Germany

Troupe: Concept, Movie and Choreography: Brigel Gjoka

Music: Nicola Guazzaloca

Dancers: Mattia Gandini & Brigel Gjoka

Synopsis: Inspired by the Albanian movie Rrethi-i-Kujteses, that talks about the submission to the regime and the strong impact on society.

Mera Rang De Basanti Chola

Place: Lahore

Theater troupe: Ajoka

Directed by Madeeha Gohar

Synopsis: This is Ajoka’s tribute to the great son of Punjab.  Bhagat Singh’s legacy is one which our people can truly celebrate.  The play also seeks to correct many historical inaccuracies. Moreover, it brings to stage the not very widely known facts about the life, ideology and trial of Bhagat Singh.

Kaun Hai Yeh Gustakh 

Place: Lahore

Theater Troupe: Ajoka

Directed by Madeeha Gohar

Synopsis: The play focuses on Manto’s life, works and the events after his migration to Pakistan in 1948.  Manto migrated because of family pressure (his wife and her relatives had already moved) and his disillusionment towards the Hindu-Muslim tension in Bombay.

Manto Mera Dost

Place: Karachi

Troupe:Tehrik e Niswan

Directed by Sheema Kirmani

Synopsis: The play is a look into the close friendship of Manto and Ismat Chughtai. The play explores Manto’s life through his own writing and the writings of Ismat Chughtai.

Oedipus Rex

Place: Karachi

Troupe: NRT

Directed by Zain Ahmed

Synopsis: The graduating class of Napa will be performing the famous Greek play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles in Urdu. The play is set in a contemporary setting without compromising any of its original dramatic content.

Blah and Blah

Place: Karachi

Troupe: NRT

Directed by Sunil Shankar

Synopsis: Sunil Shankar along with the well-known choreographer Joshinder Chaggar will be presenting a dance drama that explores a series of intimate human emotions about relationships, abandonment and desire. It features text, recitation and dance.

Kuttay

Place: Karachi

Troupe: NRT

Directed by Meesam Naqvi

Synopsis: A strong political play about a liberating army and its efforts to subjugate the populace it purports to liberate. A starving man and his traumatized wife seek solace from the army, but instead they are fed a diet of promises and slogans.

Raagni

Place: Karachi

Troupe: NRT

Directed by Fawad Khan

Synopsis: A stunning adaptation of Ariel Dorfman’s play Death and the Maiden.  The play has been adapted by Shoaib Hashmi and is directed by Napa Alumni Fawad Khan. Story is about a woman who comes face to face with the man who tortured her during the previous military dictatorship.

Govt committed to peace talks: Interior minister

Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in a meeting with Governor K-P Shaukatullah in Islamabad on February 10, 2014. PHOTO: PID

ISLAMABAD: Four member committee constituted to hold dialogue with Taliban called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Radio Pakistan reported.

The committee apprised Nawaz of latest development in the dialogue process with Taliban committee.

The committee also discussed a future line of action for the talks.

Govt committed to talks

Separately Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that government is committed in pursuing the path of peace and wishes peace talks to succeed.

In a meeting with Governor Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Engineer Shaukatullah, the two leaders discussed the recent visit of the Taliban committee to North Waziristan to meet Taliban leadership on Sunday.

A positive start has been made through initial contacts, said Governor K-P. He added that all tiers of government are working for the success of the dialogue process.

Talks to be within ambit of Constitution

Earlier in the day, leader of the house in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq said that government would hold dialogue with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) within the constitutional framework based on Islamic principles, Radio Pakistan reported.

The 1973 constitution was prepared and signed by the top religious scholars of the country, including Maulana Mufti Mahmood‚ Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani‚ Maulana Abdul Haq and Maulana Abdul Sattar Niazi, who were also the members of the parliament, said Haq.

He said these religious dignitaries and distinguished Parliamentarians had taken oath and run the matters of the country under the constitution.

He added that only one member of the Taliban committee has objected to the constitution. Earlier Maulana Abdul Aziz of the Taliban had raised objection on the constitution of Pakistan. Haq said it was Maulana Aziz’s personal stance and it would not affect the dialogue process.

Line extension: Pakistan looks for $10 billion oil credit facility

Saudi Arabia provides over 10,000 barrels of crude oil per day to Pakistan’s refineries. Annual crude import bill is around $7.5 billion. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: 

Pakistan is seeking a long-term oil credit facility valuing about $10 billion from major oil suppliers Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, a move that comes in the backdrop of weakening foreign currency reserves and rising circular debt in the energy chain.

According to sources, the government has approached Saudi Arabia through diplomatic channels, asking it to extend the credit facility for oil supply from the existing 30 days to one year. The matter was taken up during the visit of Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal to Pakistan in the first week of January.

At present, Saudi Arabia provides over 10,000 barrels of crude oil per day to Pakistan’s refineries. Annual crude import bill is around $7.5 billion.

Apart from Riyadh, the government has asked Kuwait to allow it to defer payments for oil purchase from the current 60 days to six months in an attempt to build the country’s foreign currency reserves.

Annual oil purchases from Kuwait cost around $2.5 billion. The existing deal with Kuwait is going to expire in the next six months and negotiations are under way for a fresh one.

“We have placed a request before the Kuwaiti government for extending the oil credit facility to six months and its response will be known after further negotiations,” a senior government official said.

Pakistan is asking for enhancement in the oil credit facility from other countries as well. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar took up the issue with the UAE government during a recent trip, asking them to extend the existing 30-day period, the official added.

The previous Pakistan Peoples Party-led coalition government had also tried to persuade Saudi Arabia to increase the oil credit ceiling to one year, but Riyadh gave Islamabad the cold shoulder.

In addition to the higher credit facility, the government is also planning to strike a state-to-state deal with Gulf countries to reduce the cost of crude oil imports. The import of oil and its products eats up roughly $15 billion a year.

In this connection, the Ministry of Finance is discussing the modalities of enhancing the oil credit facility with the representatives of oil marketing companies and refineries.

The country’s consumption of petroleum products stands at 22 million tons, of which about 13 million tons are imported. Apart from this, oil refineries import nine million tons of crude oil per annum to meet their processing needs.

Government officials believe that the import bill will swell further in the wake of closure of compressed natural gas (CNG) stations in Punjab and lack of gas supply for running power plants.

Demand for petrol from vehicle owners surges following shutdown of CNG outlets while absence of gas for power plants increases the need for furnace oil.

“In this scenario, we see pressure mounting on the already thin foreign exchange reserves of the country,” an official remarked.

Industry players say private companies in the oil sector have already made commercial arrangements with different oil suppliers. “And now, the government is planning to enter into relatively long-term oil import contracts with friendly Muslim countries,” an official said

Swedish envoy asks businesses to increase exports

The Swedish embassy in Islamabad and its consulate in Karachi are both trying to improve business links between both the countries, said envoy.PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: Swedish Ambassador Tomas Rosader has urged exporters to diversify their exports to Sweden as well as to the European Union (EU) after the grant of GSP Plus status to Pakistan.

He said this while speaking to members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Monday.

The EU granted the GSP Plus status to Pakistan on December 13 last year, which gives the benefit of zero-rated duties on products entering the EU. It came into effect from January 1, 2014.

“Sweden has always been a strong supporter of Pakistan in the EU,” said Rosader. He further said his country provided Pakistan with full support in granting GSP Plus in the 28-nation trading bloc.

Underscoring the need for further improving trade ties between Pakistan and Sweden, he said he was optimistic this could be done keeping in view the existing great potential for trade enhancement.

The ambassador pointed out that Karachi is a well-known city due to its size and economic contribution in the national exchequer of Pakistan. “Karachi city holds a huge consumer base and a strong middle class which play an important role in the economy, which encourages businessmen to invest in this region,” he said.

The Swedish embassy in Islamabad and its consulate in Karachi are both trying to improve business links between both the countries, he added.

In response to a question, the Swedish Ambassador said that a lot depends on the private sector of the countries to enhance trade ties as the governments can only facilitate them.

Swedish government is supporting people to people contact between the two countries so that more and more businessmen, academia, experts, scholars and professionals can travel between Pakistan and Sweden.

“For the period 2000 to 2010, around 10,000 Pakistani students visited Sweden for studies and they are now playing an important role in Pakistan’s economy,” he informed.

President KCCI Abdullah Zaki appreciated the Swedish government’s support. “It is high time that Pakistani exporters, besides exporting traditional textile products, must focus on exporting other goods to the EU,” he added.

Pakistan can export pulp to Sweden. Moreover, pharmaceutical and surgical products can also be exported that will certainly improve the export volumes to Sweden.

“We need to look for ways and means to enhance current trade volume of just $300 million, which is heavily in favour of Sweden. We must take steps to at least balance it,” added Abdullah.