The Express Tribune Magazine - April 15

APRIL 15-21 2012

an extraordinary

gentleman

There’s a legend in Lahore these days — veteran Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah on the sets of his latest movie, the Pakistani production Zinda Bhag

APRIL 15-21 2012

Cover Story 20 An Extraordinary Gentleman A tete-a-tete with the legendary Indian actor, Naseeruddin Shah

Feature 28 ‘Mum’my Dearest!

The ‘mum’ is coming! Run for the hills!

31 In Search of the Sacred Dargas, drugs and devotees in Bhitt Shah

Portfolio 36 Europe’s Art Capital Art and culture on the banks of the Danube

20

Humour

31

38 In Your Face: Pakistan’s Next Big Oscar Hope It’s 2013, Pakistan is back at the Oscars and A A Sheikh has an exclusive sneak peak of our winning entry

Regulars 6 People & Parties: Out and about with Pakistan’s beautiful people 40 Reviews: A pale remake of Snow White 42 End Of The Line: Aap itni hot hain!

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Magazine Editor: Zarrar Khuhro, Senior Sub-Editor: Batool Zehra, Sub-Editors: Ameer Hamza and Dilaira Mondegarian.

Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Maha Haider, Faizan Dawood, Sanober Ahmed and S Asif Ali. Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi.

For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Mikail Shahnawaz, Kaira Alam and Kamiar Rokni

Kamiar Rokni along with Bonanza launch their 2012 lawn collection in Lahore

PHOTOS COURTESY CATALYST PR

Hassan Sheheryar Yasin and Frieha Altaf

Shehzad and a friend

Sabeen Saigol

Saba Waseem

Mr and Mrs Bilwani

Ayesha Amin, Tia Noon and Saif Noon

6 APRIL 15-21 2012

Natasha

Asifa and Nabeel

17 APRIL 15-21 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Nestle Fruita Vitals sponsors a special screening of House Full 2 in Lahore

Amna and Saim

Humaima Malik

PHOTOS COURTESY BY IJAZ MAHMOOD

Rabia

Mahwish and Maryam Saima

Fia, Safa Faisal and Xille

8 APRIL 15-21 2012

Aisha

Nabeel

Mahwish, Saira and Nadia

APRIL 15-21 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES Hira Lari launches her lawn collection with a fashion show in Karachi

Sana Khan

PHOTOS COURTESY TAKEII

Marvi

Rubya and Suneeta

Hira and Bilal Lari

Iraj

10 APRIL 15-21 2012

Tehmina Khalid

Nazia, Angie and Necolas

Mubashir, Fayezah and Rizwanullah

Saima Azhar

17 APRIL 15-21 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Amber Gohar and Mishal

Faraz Manan launches Crescent lawn in Lahore

Saira PHOTOS COURTESY SAVVY PR AND EVENTS

Aliha

Asif and Amina Bashir

Ursala Faraz and Cybil

Saira

12 APRIL 15-21 2012

Zohair and Mariam

Adil Bashir and Sana

Momina and Nael

17 APRIL 15-21 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Snog launches in Karachi

PHOTOS COURTESY VOILA PR

Shoaib Mohammad, Shehzi, Sara and Ali Zeeshan

Sarwat Gillani

Ayesha Khan

Nadia Hussain with her son

14 APRIL 15-21 2012

Guest

Yousuf Bashir Qureshi with a guest

Begum Nawazish Ali

Robert Baines

17 APRIL 15-21 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Nomi Ansari launches his 2012 lawn collection in Karachi

Nomi Ansari

Sadaf Ansari and Faiza Ansari

PHOTOS COURTESY CATALYST PR

Frieha Altaf

Ayesha Omar and Anoushey Ashraf

Maheen Khan Owais Suleman and Naureen Owais

Mehwish and Sarosh

16 APRIL 15-21 2012

Maliha Siddiqui and Mehak Zehra

Muhammad Gul Asif and Sarah

17 APRIL 15-21 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Usman and Aysh

Usman and Amna

a Haye

Children’s furniture store, Little Dreams, launches in Lahore

Mona

Maham, Sahar and Maya Bilal and Zehra

Junaid, Maira and Nayab

18 APRIL 15-21 2012

Shazia, Momina and Nael

PHOTOS COURTESY BILAL MUKHTAR EVENTS & PR

Uzma and Abeera

17 APRIL 15-21 2012

COVER STORY

20 APRIL 15-21 2012

I sit in an ordinary drawing room in an ordinary house in Lahore’s Gulberg area. Then actor extraordinaire Naseeruddin Shah walks in and the setting becomes, well, extraordinary.

Dressed in a dark shirt, casual trousers and black khussas, Shah looks fresh and graceful with

his white hair and the black-brown moustaches he has presumably grown for the role that brought him to Lahore.

“Aap kho gaye thay?” (Did you get lost?), is the first thing he asks in a smooth voice which actu-

ally sounds richer in person than it does on screen. He smiles and settles down into a comfy sofa as I struggle to shake off my star-struckness and reply without stammering. Luckily, the movie’s

producer Mazhar Zaidi comes to my rescue. “His car broke down and he hired an auto rickshaw to

get here,” explains Zaidi before I get the chance to respond. Relieved that I didn’t have to admit that

an extraordinary

gentleman

BY ALI USMAN

There’s a legend in Lahore these days — veteran Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah on the sets of his latest movie, the Pakistani production Zinda Bhag

I actually ran out of fuel as I had forgot that it was a CNG holiday, I smile back and ask Shah how he

is and what brought him to Lahore. As far as opening lines go, I’ve done better but at least I didn’t trip over my words. “I am here to work in Zinda Bhag, a Pakistani film on the subject of illegal immigration. I came in February and worked on the script for a week. This time I completed my shooting which continued for around six days,” Shah calmly replies.

But given that an actor of his stature has literally hundreds of offers on his table, why choose this

movie and this topic? And given that Bollywood constantly beckons him, why opt for a project by a pair of relatively unknown Pakistani filmmakers?

“Illegal immigration is a very big problem both in India and Pakistan. We have young, desperate

and unemployed people using different and sometimes very dangerous illegal ways just to go abroad.

One Pakistani boy even tried to go abroad while hiding in a plane’s landing gear. While some of them do manage to reach their destination, the majority end up in a terrible position and

even lose their lives.” As he continues, it seems clear that this is a topic that he feels deeply about.

“The notion that their lives will be somehow better if they manage to get to

another country is just a mirage that many educated and unemployed young people are chasing,” says Shah. “All these aspects are discussed in the movie. But more than the topic of the film, it was the fact that the script is (Continued on page 24)

21 APRIL 15-21 2012

COVER STORY very interesting that convinced me to work in it.”

But surely there are good scripts in Bollywood as well? Certainly, the lure of Mumbai’s booming

film industry inevitably draws Pakistani talent to it like moths to a flame. Why then would Naseeruddin Shah want to work in a Pakistani production? “I have become quite disillusioned with Indian

films,” he replies. “Filmmakers in India have become so complacent that there aren’t any chances

of making good films there. Over there, filmmaking is a business and so long as a film makes money it’s a success. If it happens to be a good film as well, then that’s a bonus! I believe that films made today will be watched even a hundred years from now. People will watch them to get a sense of history and see what the art of filmmaking was like. The films being made in India today aren’t what one would want to watch a century later. Of course, there are some young filmmakers trying to opt for quality rather than just profits and I do support them as well.”

How different then is the picture west of the Wagah border?

“I feel there’s more creativity in Pakistan in terms of writing and ideas than there is in India,”

says Shah. “The poetic and literary gatherings I have attended here are truly amazing! I also find

that there’s much more awareness in the youth as well, and that’s why Zindaa Bhag is so relevant to Pakistani society and will resonate with a Pakistani audience. If all these creative people go abroad, who will live here and serve this country?” he asks.

In this movie Shah plays the role of an unscrupulous human trafficker who has his fingers in

many illegal pies.

“My mother didn’t like me doing negative roles and asked me not to do them, and if she was

alive today she wouldn’t have liked this role either. But I thoroughly enjoy getting into the skin of such shady characters and despite what people may think, I’m not Mirza Ghalib!” he says with a

sly smile, referring to his iconic portrayal of the Urdu poet in the eponymous 1988 TV movie. This time around however, Shah’s dialogues are all in Punjabi, and getting the delivery just right was a priority for the actor who is something of a perfectionist. This involved several sessions with the other actors so that he could get the “local texture of Punjabi” just right.

Coming back to Ghalib, it is an inescapable fact that a great many people, particularly in Paki-

stan, do associate him with that role, and by default, with the Urdu language itself. Ironically,

while he may now have an intense affair with the Urdu language, it was not love at first sight.

“My schooling and education was in English and I used to look down on Urdu literature until I got

familiar with writers like Manto and Ismat Aapa, says Shah. After that, there was no turning back.

“Once I read them, I was so moved that I couldn’t help but make plays on their stories, because I

do feel their stories are to be told rather than read. Surprisingly, the throbbing intensity that is a specialty of Manto’s stories isn’t there in his plays,” he says.

But Shah is less optimistic about whether meaningful theatre can really be successful in com-

mercial terms.

“Audiences in commercial theatres want to be entertained, not lectured to,” he says. “If we’re

doing experimental theatre, even an audience of 250-300 people is a big deal.” This apparent lack

of interest is one of the reasons that Shah, who has a great taste for street-theatre, says he doesn’t

do it anymore though he has great respect for those who still use this medium to highlight social

issues. “If I do only street-theatre then people wouldn’t listen to what I say and the whole purpose would be defeated. That’s why I don’t do it,” he explains.

Of course, none of this explains how the two directors, Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi (or Meenu

Farjad as they prefer to be called) managed to bag Naseeruddin Shah for this film. “While writ-

ing the character of the human trafficking ‘agent’, we really started enjoying getting into the depths and motivations of the character, and very soon, Naseeruddin Shah’s name popped into our

minds,” says Meenu who is herself of Indian origin and is a trained filmmaker. “We approached him and thankfully he really liked the character and agreed to work in this film.” As simple as that.

24 APRIL 15-21 2012

“While writing the character of the human trafficking ‘agent’, we really started enjoying getting into the depths and motivations of the character, and very soon, Naseeruddin Shah’s name popped into our minds.”

25 APRIL 15-21 2012

COVER STORY

Given the flavour and style of the film, the score has also been chosen with great care, and luminaries such as Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Arif Lohar and Amanat Ali have lent their voices to the effort while Sahir Ali Bagga has composed the songs.

26 APRIL 15-21 2012

So without the whole world learning about it, Shah signed on and even visited Lahore to get a feel for the locale and his co-actors, almost all of whom are new to the field

“When he first arrived, he had a small stint with our actors, where they all workshopped

together. He wanted to remain low-profile and he was very busy. But we didn’t really hide his presence or this project on purpose, it just happened that way,” replies Farjad when asked how they managed to conceal this whole project for so long from the media. Farjad has made

a name for himself working largely on documentaries and music videos, all of which have a distinctly ‘artsy’ flavour. Does Zinda Bhag then fall into the ‘art movie’ category?

“It’s difficult to categories this film as an art or commercial film. All we can say is, this is a

film. We don’t even have any ‘heroes’ in it. There are four friends whose stories are integrated

and who have equal weightage in it. Even Shah Sahab’s role isn’t the central role,” explain

the directorial duo. “We were surrounded by many stories and we just set out to make a film, and by default, we made a film on this subject. It is inspired by the stories of real boys and real girls.”

The music thus plays a very important role in weaving the separate threads of these stories

into a complete tapestry. “The songs aren’t just there for the sake of having music and dance numbers, they are very much a part of the story and the film,” say Meenu and Farjad. Given

the flavour and style of the film, the score has also been chosen with great care, and luminaries such as Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Arif Lohar and Amanat Ali have lent their voices to the effort while Sahir Ali Bagga has composed the songs.

As for when we will see this effort on the screen, producer Mazhar Zaidi says they are in

talks with distributors in India and Pakistan to release the film in both the countries simultaneously in 2013. “Ideally we will want to release it in the UAE, UK and internationally as well, because the subject is very relevant and we hope things will go smoothly,” he says hopefully.

Given that this is Shah’s second foray into Pakistani film, what does he feel is the way for-

ward for Indo-Pak celluloid cooperation? “It can only really happen on individual levels and on a person to person basis. If it happens on an organisational level, we’ll probably just get

tied up in the red tape. Mein yahaan aa sakta hun aur kaam kar sakta hun, yehi bohat hai

(It is enough that I can come and work here). I do hope things get better and the relationship between the two countries becomes cordial,” he concludes.

Shah says he’s very optimistic about the prospects of Pakistan’s young filmmakers, but he

reserves his harshest criticism for those who call themselves critics. “The opinion of a rickshaw driver is just as important as the opinion of a critic, as they both are equally capable of

watching a film and forming opinions. In Beckett’s play “Waiting for Godot” the two charac-

ters abuse each other constantly, throwing newer and better insults at each other until one of them calls the other a critic. Then they both go silent, suggesting that there is no greater insult!” he says with a laugh.

Like many others who have come to this city, Shah seems mesmerised by the spell cast by

Lahore. Quoting Ismat Chugtai, he says, “Lahore ki hawa mein noor ghula hai,” (A sacred light is mixed in Lahore’s air). “Creativity is in the air in Lahore,” he continues. “It reminds

me of the Delhi of 30-years ago. It reminds me of Delhi at its best,” he says in a tone marked

with affection and reminiscence. “I loved and still love Sohan Halwa and Peshawri chappals.

When I was a kid, our relatives used to bring these from Pakistan when they came to see us in India,” he adds. “I can still eat a full dabba of Sohan Halwa by myself.”

So, a word of advice to the next Pakistani filmmaker who wants to bag Naseeruddin Shah

for his film: don’t skimp on the halwa!

27 APRIL 15-21 2012

FEATURE

‘mum’my dearest!

BY ADIL MULKI

28 APRIL 15-21 2012

No one could have imagined that an honorary emblem awarded in Egypt would one day intersect with an urban legend in Quetta and create a mystical creature that would become our very own local “monster under the bed” It was the turn of the 19th Century when Britain and France were slogging it out, not only in Europe and the Mediterranean, but also on the shores of Africa. It wasn’t going very well for the Limeys, who had the

bad luck of facing the elite armies of none other than Napoleon Bonaparte himself. Finally, after several reversals, the Brits finally had their moment in the sun on the shores of Egypt. The

‘gift of the Nile’ proved to be a game changer for the British who presented the French their first major battlefield defeat in a long, long time.

The British crown was so pleased at this long-awaited victory

over their frog-eating rivals that, in the year 1802, the emblem of the ‘Sphinx’ was conferred upon the regiments “that helped

to defeat Napoleon’s Army in Egypt in the previous year” as a battle honour. Among these honoured regiments were the ‘28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot’ and the ‘24th Regi-

ment of Foot’. The honour would be carried by them far and wide across the globe as the British Empire continued to expand and

expand until it, quite literally, spanned the globe. With garrisons needed in just about every continent, regiments began to be

restructured, reorganised and renamed, changing not just their location, but also their names and identification numbers.

The end result was that many of today’s British Regiments and

batteries trace their lineage to the ones that fought in Egypt that

fateful season and still carry the Sphinx either as a battle honour or a title, in some form. Here’s where it starts to get interesting...

Around the same time in a part of the world far removed from

the Napoleonic wars a very different drama was unfolding. Both

the nomadic and settled populations of Balochistan were expe-

riencing a horrific predicament. It began with stray goats and

ILLUSTRATION BY JAMAL KHURSHID

cattle going missing. Then, people began to disappear with no

apparent cause or explanation. The young, the old, men and women, lonely travellers and shepherds alike fell prey to this unknown scourge. Even the newly dead were not safe and their bodies were dug up and seemingly devoured. Sometimes, mauled

and mutilated bodies and crushed bones were discovered, at oth-

er times there was no trace at all. Clearly a beast, nay, a monster was preying on the living and dead alike. Some claimed to have seen it, they said that it walked on two legs and sometimes even

ran on all four. It was huge and menacing and had a roar that APRIL 15-21 2012

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FEATURE would stop a heart from beating. The locals gave it a name that, in retrospect, doesn’t sound very

menacing. They called it the “mum” and despite its somewhat cuddly name, bone chilling stories of its boundless hunger kept circulating and still exist in oral traditions. Even as recently as the 1980s, as a child I remember my own mum threatening me with the possible arrival of this other

“mum” whenever I used to be mischievous. Oblivious to the details of the Balochi version, I used to brush aside the possibility of another mum being more frightening than my own mum, when she really wanted to be.

Here’s where these two tales intersect...

Back in the days of the British Raj, Quetta, the current capital of Balochistan, was a beauti-

ful little town. It was the western most cantonment of British India and provided easy access to

Afghanistan as the border was much closer as compared to that of today. In fact, the border kept shifting until the boundary commission fixed one permanently, in the shape of the Durand Line.

The beautifully constructed colonial buildings, the cherry blossoms and the snowfalls of Quetta earned it the nickname of ‘Little London’. With the high-stakes geopolitical drama, known as “the Great Game” going on, both the Russian and the British empires had their eyes set on Afghanistan.

More and more British regiments were being allocated to the Anglo-Afghan wars, among them the

elite soldiers who had beaten ol’ Boney back in Egypt. They marched proudly into Afghanistan carrying the Sphinx insignia, but sadly for them, this was no Egypt. The Anglo-Afghan wars proved to be very costly for the British and their men were being slaughtered by the hundreds. Some of the

dead from Afghanistan were eventually brought to Quetta for burial and a memorial was erected to

honour them. And what else to guard the monument, than the insignia of their parent regiment — a relic of their past glory to crown their fall. The Sphinx! With the construction of this stone lion with the head of a human, the locals could finally put a face to their hitherto faceless terror. The Egyptian sphinx was now the Baloch Mum.

Interestingly, the legend and the statue jelled together very well. Legend had it that the Quetta

Mum was a female of the variety that had been left behind when others of her species moved on

due to increasing human encroachments. It was said that she came to life during the nights and hunted for prey, which she used to take up to a cave on the Murdar Ghar peak in the hills behind the cantonment area. This fit perfectly with the fact that the graveyard sphinx sat as still as, well,

a statue during the day. Who knew what it got up to during the night? Such was it’s notoriety that even in post-partition Quetta, much of the local population avoided passing alone at night along the Baleli Road where the “Gora” qabrastan (Christian Cemetery) is situated.

However, it was this very notoriety that spelled its unfortunate demise. In the 1990s, the statue

was smashed during a protest against the destruction of the Babri Masjid. An enraged mob decided to take revenge on the poor Mum for preying on their ancestors for all those centuries.

Scientists can ponder all they want if the actual bone-crushing predator with a predilection for

digging up graves was a striped hyena or a group of hungry black bears waking up from their hiber-

nation. Either of these could be the monsters that chose to target easier and slow-moving prey like humans and cattle as opposed to the fast moving and cliff-climbing wild goats and sheep.

It is interesting to note that by the time of the destruction of the Quetta Mum, wildlife around

the city had dwindled to extremely small numbers and thus, cases of the Mum preying on humans/cattle had virtually come to a stop. For many a believer, this only serves to provide empirical

evidence of the Sphinx’s guilt. However, with the passage of time, and no tangible reminder, the legend of the Quetta Mum is fast diminishing from public memory. Still, I suggest that on a chilly

Quetta night, if you are feeling romantic and wish to take a walk with your better-half along the Baleli Road by the Christian Cemetery, do take care — the Mum might be watching you!

30 APRIL 15-21 2012

With the construction of this stone lion with the head of a human, the locals could finally put a face to their hitherto faceless terror.

The Egyptian sphinx was now the Balochi Mum.

FEATURE

in search of

the sacred

Go not far, Sasui, nor give up the quest, walk not with your feet, yet sit not quite content, All connection with joys of life snap, Walk with your heart, that the journey may soon end.

(Sur Sasui)

BY TAIMUR ARBAB PHOTOS BY ARIF SOOMRO

It is the second day of Eid and I am in my native town of Hala. Hala, of PPP, magnificent Kashi tiles and mango orchards fame, is also the nearest major town to Bhitt Shah and the shrine of the great Sindhi Sufi poet, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.

It took me twenty minutes to drive over to the tomb of the rest-

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ing sage, adjacent to the scenic Kiran Lake. Eid, undoubtedly, is APRIL 15-21 2012

FEATURE special for the countless people who come to celebrate it in Bhitt

Shah. The usual hustle and bustle was all the more electrifying with the prospect of the coming ‘urs’ and the long Eid holidays, swelling the ranks of the ‘yatris’ who had come to pay their respects to the Shah.

Flags belonging to the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) lined

Tambura Chowk and the town seemed to be teeming with life, as the Fazal Abbas Hotel hawked its renowned ‘doodh-pati’ and

Shah Abdul Latif Photo Studio’s chotu made periodic announcements for available slots for photo shoots. As the shrine resonated with laughter, it was a testament to the devotion of the

‘commoners’ — Shah Abdul Latif’s chosen ones and the subjects

of most of his poetry, who have not forgotten him even after so many decades.

It was compelling to see so much life filling up the darbar.

No one was the master here. Distinctions between wadera and hari were meaningless and men and women were equal as they

danced to the other-worldly tunes of the Dhambura, oblivious

to their surroundings. The principal lesson of Islam and Sufism was too pervasive to be ignored.

After climbing the two flights of steps to the dargah, I entered

the main courtyard of the tomb. At the very cusp of the entrance to the inner courtyard where the mosque is located, lies the Kirk

tree. The origins of this tree go back to the time of Bhittai himself and legend has it that he planted the tree himself but the tree only became famous after the saint’s death.

Today, the tree can be seen adorned with locks, amulets and

all sorts of oddities. “I placed a lock here eight months ago, so

that my child would be safely delivered as I already had three

miscarriages,” explained Firdous as she unlocked one of the

locks on the branches. She had also arranged for a daig at the local langar since her mannat had been fulfilled.

However, the tree today seems to have faded over time, as if

granting so many wishes had weakened it from the inside. “Its

branches are now extremely weak, saeein,” said one of the caretakers of the dargah, “We occasionally trim the leaves but its regenerative capability has really become limited.”

Pakistani dargahs have always been associated with drugs

and shady goings-on, and Bhitt Shah is no exception in that regard. In my brief interlude from the main shrine, I saw many people sharing a chilum, smoking hashish and on a couple of

occasions, having a go at heroin too. “What harm am I doing to

society if I am high for a little while? It is malangi dhuaan after all,” says Jahangir Bhagio, a fruit seller.

When I inquired as to the source of his drug supplies, he ex-

changed a nervous glance with his partner. “Saeein, it is easily

available here. So much so, that people share it on the basis of ‘charity.’ I got my share today for just exchanging a bunch of ba-

32

nanas.” His “share” is more than 100 grams of lower grade hashish.

APRIL 15-21 2012

No one was the master here. Distinctions between wadera and hari were meaningless and men and women were equal as they danced to the other-worldly tunes of the Dhambura, oblivious to their surroundings. The principal lesson of Islam and Sufism was too pervasive to be ignored.

The tree today seems to have faded over time, as if granting so many wishes had weakened it from the inside Similarly, people have always wondered about the shady

“He is the master of his art. When the tamburas (long-necked

‘musafirkhanas’ which adorn the top of the bazaar outside

plucked lute) are plucked and Lateef Saeein’s bayts are sung

musafirkhannas. “We are never told as to what happens there.

the human,” asserts one close aide. Khaskeli, himself, however

the dargah. Everybody was tightlipped on what went on in the

Who comes to these places in night time and for what purpose?”

coupled with invocations of Solomon, the djinn has to abandon takes no credit for that and claims that it is the ‘karamat’ of Bhit-

said Rehman, a fruit vendor.

tai himself.

these might be safe places for sexual encounters rather than

the interior. Tambura is the instrument of the saints and yo-

settled in some of these, pretending to be permanent musafirs,”

Khaskeli adding that after separating the djinn from the hu-

When questioned as to what he thought it was, he said that

being permanent brothels. “Saeein, I think prostitutes are also quips his friend Rashid.

Although exorcisms usually take place as the need arises,

their numbers multiply during specific times of the year such

“In night time, we treat people who have come from all across

gis. Shah is the sanctuary for everyone, even for djinns,” said

man, the former are allowed to play within the dargah vicinity for a month. They leave of their own accord.

“Everybody comes here with hopes. None return empty-hand-

as during Eid and Muharram. Qader Buksh Khaskeli, the Kunji-

ed,” explains a Mutawalli at the exit of the shrine. The Bhitt is

more than two decades now.

ues which has proved resolute in the face of changing times. T

dar (key-keeper) of the dargah, has been handling such cases for

eternal in that sense. It is one set of glorious traditions and valAPRIL 15-21 2012

33

Vienna Belvedere Palace The 18th century Vienna Belvedere Palace museum with its extensive gardens

and fountains ranks amongst the most

exclusive baroque museums, exhibiting

cabinet paintings, sacral art and baroque portraiture from the Middle Ages to the

present. It exhibits the works of Claude

Monet, Vincent Van Goh, Max Beckham

and also Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka. In 2012, the museum celebrates the

150th Anniversary of the pioneer of Vi-

ennese modernism, Gustav Klimt, who spent most of his life in Vienna. His bestknown painting “The Kiss” is now on exhibition at the Vienna Belvedere.

Steinhof Church Built between 1904 and 1907, St Leopold’s Steinhof Church high on the

crest of Hill ranks among the best

known examples of Viennese Art Nouveau. With its copper dome, brightly

coloured stucco, floral patterns and

the use of marble, glass, tiles and metals, this is one of Otto Wagner’s most important works. Other inspiring works by Otto Wagner include his masterpiece, the Austrian Post Saving

Bank building and Stadbahn Railway Station.

europe’s art

BY SAIFUDDIN ISMAILJI

Vienna draws an eclectic assortment of art enthusiasts from all corners of the globe. Here, art is not simply exhibited in museums — it finds expression in architecture, technology, food and even in the streets.

The KunstHausWien A whole week can be whiled away exploring the hundreds of art museums in Vienna.

The KunstHaus with its Art Nouveau build-

ing offers a spectrum of spectacular art on canvas and a permanent exhibition of Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s work. His philosophy is mirrored in his paintings, graphic

works, applied arts, and architectural designs. He famously said:“Our real illiteracy is our inability to create.”

36 APRIL 15-21 2012

Hundertwasser House A part of Kunst House, the Hundertwasser House is a tribute to the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser who rebelled against monoto-

nous architectural design and promoted the creative freedom to build and the right to individualise buildings. Since the ’70s, he boycotted

sterile architecture and took the challenge of creating new architec-

tonic forms, like the spiral house with afforestation of roofs, the eyeslit house, and the pit-house. His buildings radiate his encouragement of diversity and healthy living in harmony with nature.

capital The Russian Square In 1955, the Austrian government liberalised art and monuments. The mind-blowing artwork at the Schwarzenbergplatz

(platz meaning square), overlooking the monument to the So-

viet victory, built by the Red Army in 1945, encapsulates the cosmopolitan feel of Vienna.

St Stephen’s Cathedral Undoubtedly the city’s landmark, it stands in the centre of the old town.

Each strata of this imposing limestone structure tells a story: the church

was dedicated to St Stephen in 1147, the building was completed in the Gothic period in 1160.

Then, in 1945 during World

church

War

was

II,

the

badly

burnt. You can climb the 343 steps to the tower-keeper’s

room

of the Cathedral for

a bird’s eye view of Vienna.

37 APRIL 15-21 2012

HUMOUR

in your face: pakistan’s n

BY AA SHEIKH

ILLUSTRATION BY JAMAL KHURSHID

The year is 2013. In the light of last year’s uproarious complaints that Pakistan’s sole Oscar-bagger only portrayed a very negative image of the country, a group of dedicated and patriotic filmmakers have hastily produced and submitted a fresh entry to the Academy Awards committee. Aptly titled In Your Face: Peace and Prosperity in Pakistan, the movie — a Lala Khushi Bakhsh production, in collaboration with Dr Heaven Lover Awan Films and Federal University of Cinematic Knowledge — proudly showcases the numerous positives that flood the country. Its creators are very excited about its Oscar prospects and consider it a fitting response to last year’s horrible, selfloathing, West-appeasing, Zionist-funded Pak-basher. Here’s an exclusive clip, enjoy:

38 APRIL 15-21 2012

next big oscar hope Bright sunlight filters through a lightly curtained window, filling a well-decorated, stately room

with a heavenly glow and radiating off the wholesome, pink-cheeked faces of its occupants, a mar-

ried couple, apparently enjoying a sumptuous breakfast. The husband holds a newspaper in hand, beaming at the news at offer, baring pearly white teeth in glee.

Husband: Begum, it says that from now on we’ll be celebrating 12 Earth Hours every day!

Wife: Really?

Husband: Yes, we’re the most environmentally-friendly nation in the world. The pollution levels

in Lahore, for example, are much lower than the combined totals of Mumbai, Jakarta, Manila and Lagos.

Wife: That’s so wonderful!

Husband: Sure is! And did you hear? Fuel prices are down!

Wife (Face all aglow): Amazing! Again?

Husband: Yup! It costs less to buy 1 litre of petrol now than buying 10 litres just a week ago!

Wife (Leaps up in joy): Oh honey, that’s great news!

Husband: That’s not all dear; it says our infant mortality rate has gone down drastically!

Wife: Tell me, tell me!

Husband: A survey of 28 five-year-olds shows that not a single one of them had died as a baby!

Wife: Remarkable, a magnificent positive achievement!

Husband: Honey, it’s not the only one. I heard on TV our female literacy rate has shot up, too.

Wife: No! You don’t say!

Husband: It’s true. A survey of female parliamentarians/politicians shows that their literacy cur-

rently stands at 63.2%, up from 58.7% last year.

Wife (Applauds excitedly): We’re proud of our female leaders!

Husband: We sure are! You know a Hollywood crew is making a documentary about one of them?

It’s regarding women empowerment.

Wife: Really, dear?

Husband: Yup. It’s called Slapping Face: One Woman’s Fight Against Electoral Injustice.

Wife: Well, it’s about time the world recognised how powerful our women are. What else does

the paper say, love?

Husband: Impressed by our bounding female literacy rate, the Taliban have declared they won’t

be bombing girls schools anymore. For another four weeks.

Wife: One whole month! That’s wonderful!

Husband: Yes, I feel so proud being a Pakistani! (Unshed tears of joy and patriotic fervour glitter

in his eyes) Oh, and a bit of personal good news, darling. My boss is giving me a big pay raise.

Wife (Jumps up in orgasmic ecstasy): “What!?”

Husband: Our company’s sales are booming, up 88%. It seems everyone’s buying our top-notch

trinitrotoluene powder and ball-bearings. Boss says that as marketing director, I deserve the raise.

Wife (Twirls in unbounded joy): Oh, I’m so happy!

Husband: And you know, many businesses are booming, thanks to the government’s positive

policies. I heard sales of loudspeakers, turbans, hazaarbands and small-bore guns are sharply up.

Wife (Beaming and misty-eyed): There are so, so many positives in this country…

Husband: …that you could just die!

They do a merry little jig and fall in a tight, joyous, positive embrace (only in uncut DVD version).

39 APRIL 15-21 2012

REVIEW

fairest of them all

BY AMMARA KHAN

One of the most beloved fictional characters of all time is back on the big screen, and in Tarsem Singh’s Mirror Mirror, the princess with the ebony hair and blood red lips is more than just a helpless victim.

Snow White appears to be everywhere in pop culture these days.

Mirror Mirror was released this month and Rupert Sanders’ Snow White and the Huntsman is coming out in June. I should mention that the ongoing TV series “Once Upon a Time” also draws heavily from the tale of Snow White among other fairytales.

Mirror Mirror is a bold retelling of the old tale with a feminist makeover. The story starts like this: a fair princess is born at the cost of her mother’s death and is named Snow White. But soon the King, a kind ruler, dies mysteriously, leaving her at the mercy of her evil stepmother. If you’re wondering what makes this story different from other versions, you’ll have to watch the film because I don’t want to give away the little innovation in the plot. All I can say is that Mr Singh’s Snow is more of a rebel against the tyrant of a stepmother than the fairy tale version.

miles to go

BY NOMAN ANSARI

Directed by Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, the sweetly touching and powerful French language film, The Kid with a Bike, was the The Grand Prix award winner at the Cannes Film Festival, and a Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.

Set in Seraing, Belgium, the film tells the caught-at-a-crossroads journey of a 12-year-old boy, Cyril (Thomas Dore) who lives in a foster home. His only link to the father that abandoned him is a bike he can’t find, and his only friend is a kindly hairdresser, Samantha (Cécile de France), whose compassion helps him deal with his despair and frustration.

Things start with Cyril escaping his foster home to look for both his bike and his financially troubled father, at his old apartment building. But before he can get inside, the foster home custodians show up, forcing Cyril to escape to a nearby clinic. Here, he encounters Samantha, who observes the pugnacious youth being taken into custody. Though Cyril learns that his father vacated the apartment long ago, he doesn’t give up looking for him.

The next day, Samantha unexpectedly shows up with Cyril’s bike, and tells him that his father had sold it to someone. The tenacious boy then contacts the buyer of the bicycle to trace his father.

40 When Samantha and Cyril finally do meet Cyril’s father, Guy Catoul APRIL 15-21 2012

As far as the performances are concerned, Lilly Collins is surprisingly quite good as Snow and Nathan Lane gives the best performance of the film as Brighton, the woodcutter charged with the task of killing Snow White. On the other hand Julia Roberts’ performance has been derided by critics and she fails to do justice to the role of the evil queen. And while Armie Hammer makes the most charming prince you can imagine, his character is rather dull and there is not much room for acting.

Things do drag a little in the second half and I found the ending rather abrupt and disappointing. But overall, Mirror Mirror offers children-friendly humour and a storyline that, despite its lack of coherence, has many interesting bits and pieces: it keeps the laughs coming and is fairly decent entertainment.

(Jérémie Renier), he tells Cyril in no uncertain terms that he simply isn’t wanted.

The Kid with a Bike relates the many trials and temptations young boys face, especially those in need. Later in the movie, a drug dealing youth that Cyril befriends, nicknames him ‘Bulldog’ for his scrappy appearance and randomly aggressive behavior, and we note that, when it comes to his father, Cyril doesn’t give up on sniffing out some love and acceptance, even if it means turning to a life of crime.

Shot in an engagingly naturalistic style, The Kid with a Bike is also very well-acted. Even though the film is only a short 87 minutes, each scene unfolds patiently, lending plausibility to the characters and story. An example of this is a scene halfway through the film that shows Cyril rushing to the kitchen, impatient with hunger. He cuts through a piece of cake with the blunt end of a knife, before switching to the proper end. The naturalistic style of the film allows viewers to truly believe in Cyril, and dare feel hope for him.

It also allows many of us to identify with a young boy barely able to contain anxious energy, trying to pedal through life at a mile a minute.

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END OF THE LINE

Are you capable of drawing a straight line? Do you have a comic or doodle that you think will have us rolling on the floor with laughter? If you’ve answered yes to all those questions then send in your creations to magazine@tribune.com.pk

42 APRIL 15-21 2012