August 3-9 2014
But the best conversations are the ones where you never find out
AUGUST 3-9 2014
Travel
An ode to China’s belly
Cover Story
Unearthing China’s culinary secrets
The joke’s on you Getting to know the trio who are worth more than just a few laughs
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Feature
Porters’ High Eight high-altitude porters set off to scale the second-highest peak in the world
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30 Regulars
6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people
34 Reviews: Movies and TV
38 Society: Eid for the displaced
Magazine In-charge: Sarah Munir, Senior Subeditor: Dilaira Dubash & Subeditor: Mifrah Haq Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Essa Malik, Jamal Khurshid, Samra Aamir, Munira Abbas, Omer Asim, Sanober Ahmed & Talha Ahmed Khan Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk Twitter: @ETribuneMag & Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ETribuneMag Printed: uniprint@unigraph.com
PEOPLE & PARTIES
The multi-brand store L’atelier hosts an Eid bazaar in Lahore
PhoToS couRTESy BILAL MukhTAR EvEnTS And PR
Amna and Samra
Anam, Maham and Zara
d Sarah
Faiza, Nafeesa an
Sarah Raza and Zahra Raza Farzeen Malik
Sehar and Maheen
6 AUGUST 3-9 2014
PEOPLE & PARTIES
PhoToS couRTESy BILAL MukhTAR EvEnTS And PR
Mahwish and Shazia
Masooma and Eman
Ayesha and Wasma
Natasha and Nur
Dua
Hina and Zarminae
8 AUGUST 3-9 2014
PEOPLE & PARTIES English Biscuit Manufacturers (Pvt) Limited hosts an Iftardinner at cafĂŠ Aylanto in karachi
PhoToS couRTESy ASIATIc PuBLIc RELATIonS
Hafsa Zubair and Wajiha Khan
Samra Muslim, Afia Salam, Zeelaf Munir and Tammy
Shahzain Munir
Shahammah Rizvi and Attiyah Inam
Zoya Altaf
Irshad Sanjrani and Muhammad Yasir
10 AUGUST 3-9 2014
PEOPLE & PARTIES
The restaurant Entourage opens in Islamabad Sehar and Shameel
PhoToS couRTESy vERvE
Minahil and Samir with their daughters
Shah Mehmood Qureshi and wa Samama Randha
Zunain, Abeera and Ameer
Zaineb and Farooq
Randhawa Family
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Nosheen and Sadia
Noor, Maria and Mahnoor
PhoToS couRTESy vERvE
Wahaaj and Abeer
ha, Qurat ul Ain, Waji a Barry and Madeeh
Sonia and Fatima
Uzair, Zain and Nosheen
13 AUGUST 3-9 2014
PEOPLE & PARTIES
The multi-designer store Tres chic opens up in Lahore
PhoToS couRTESy BILAL MukhTAR EvEnTS And PR
Mariam and Muzamil
Aleena, Neha and Maryam
h Bokhari
Chandni and Alize
Umer and Natasha Ali Aqsa
Ahmed and Anisa
14 AUGUST 3-9 2014
PhoToS couRTESy BILAL MukhTAR EvEnTS And PR
Fatima and Abiha
Farah Asrar, Hina Salman and Amina Saeed
ad Kanwal ilyas , As a mm Sa d an idi Za
Mishal and Sohera
Dua
Hina, Ayesha, Rabia and Bushra
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TRAVEL
An ode to
China'S belly Breaking gastronomic stereotypes is the first step to exploring a country BY HALIMA MANSOOR DESIGN BY MUNIRA ABBAS
No matter which country you travel to, Chinese food finds its way on the menu, into restaurants and takeaway containers. There are Chinatowns in America, in England and even in Kenya. Most of these menus will promise an addictive bastardised medley — the food will be whatever you want it to be. Spicy. Greasy. Salty. Doughy. Meaty. Complete with a dragon or a chopstick logo.
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When you land in China, make sure you pop an imaginary table water cracker to cleanse your palate of all biases, assumptions and preconceived notions. It’s a country where bitter gourd tastes pleasant and juicy, noodles have hundreds of varieties and people drink apple cider vinegar because it’s considered healthier than plain juice. In fact, part of your culinary journey in China mimAUGUST 3-9 2014
ics the exploration (and explosions) best described by Remy, the sophisticated protagonist (also a rodent) in Pixar’s Ratatouille. Many Pakistanis often describe food in China as smelly, insipid, intimidating and at times downright revolting, because, “they eat dogs you know.” Well, yes, in some areas. But for the most part, all that needs to be unlearnt. And just as Remy scurrying about in a pristine kitchen challenges basic stereotypes about food and rats, Chinese cuisine will challenge stereotypes about ‘real Chinese food.’
Chinese to my ears I was there for a photography junket courtesy the country’s state-owned English newspaper China Daily and I admit, being hosted was a huge boon. The paper’s staffers were there to help me navigate all sorts of things I wished to experience and to avoid unpleasant situations where not knowing a word of Chinese
would have tripped me up. The other saviour was Youdao, a handy dictionary-cum-search engine app for android. I admit it was not half as fun as my Chinese guides laughing at how I pronounce Shanxi and Shaanxi — which read almost the same but are tonally distinct — but served the purpose well. As did the few key phrases which I asked my friends to jot down in my notebook above their English translations.
The first supper My first meal in China was at Mr Lu’s in Xi’an, an affordable, basic restaurant facing a commercial lane, just off the corporate area. I balked when I saw the menu. None of it looked like the chowmein, Manchurian or Kung Pao which I am so used to ordering off Pakistani Chinese menus. My two local companions ordered for me, making me feel a tad bit like a lost child. When the plates hit the table, the simplicity of the meal was only overshadowed by its freshness. There was a plate of crispy, whole fish, each the size of my palm, dusted with a spice and with bones that were too soft to cause any harm. As soon as you pop the fried papery skin encasing the white meat, the fish melts into your mouth, making you want more. The two different types of dumplings, chicken and vegetarian, were hot pockets of flavour, only to be enhanced with a red chilli and oil dipping sauce. And the last dish to complete the feast, the most common dish to be found in almost every restaurant, a tomato and egg curry, was never too eggy and never too tart.
My Chinese love affair had begun Of course, visiting Jinci Temple or watching Shanxi’s child performers on stilts in Taiyuan city filled in the spaces which food never can. Jinci Temple, according to my hosts, is almost 3,000 years old. It would be easy to spend the entire day there, ambling from one gorgeous structure to the next, staring at the original hand-painted facades, all under sprawling trees with history spanning from their gnarly roots to their green tips. In fact, our hosts had kept each of our days packed back-to-back with enough activities to tire the energiser bunny and satiate the culture junkie. When I was told we had to climb Mount Tai, the second of three mountains and five activities slotted for one sweltering day in Taiyuan in May, I tried to put my foot down. But I soon learnt a quick lesson in subservience: when a senior in a team (under the supreme authority of the Peoples Republic) says climb, you just ask, how high? Though, looking back, I am glad I did climb that mountain high enough. The view was gorgeous, with soothing music piping through faux rock speakers dotting the trail all Scone-like savoury biscuits with seaweed, a Zhangjiagang speciality
The star list from Shanxi, Shaanxi and Jiangsu *Shaji ice cream in Taiyuan *The steaming bowl of shellfish with vermicelli in Zhangjiagang at Jiyanghu Hotel *Bitter gourd batons in Yonglian Village which are hard to associate with the truly bitter karailay we eat in Pakistan. These are almost sweet, and explode in your mouth with a fresh juice. *Also at Yonglian Village, mushrooms in their own peppery juices. *Hot pot anywhere is an absolute delight. You can chose your broth, ranging from mild to fiery hot and then pick your add-ons from meat, noodles, vegetables and sauce. Golden Dish, tucked away behind Jing An Temple in Shanghai is highly recommended. *Salty porridge at Jin Yun restaurant in Taiyuan. It’s like a porridge soup, with beans, corn and soya so it sounds like food for those sans teeth but the soup is packed with comfort. *China has blocked a number of sites, and, in addition to Facebook and Twitter, Gmail, Chrome, Hangouts, and Google Docs will mostly not work. To get around this, you need to download the Tor browser bundle before you leave Pakistan’s websphere — just put it on a usb and plug and play. *Every airport there will sell local SIMs but some SIMs can only be topped up in the province in which you buy them. So ask for a nationwide top up SIM, preferably a China Mobile connection.
TRAVEL 1. Detail of a handpainted facade at Jinci Temple, Taiyuan 2. Taiyuan folk dance 3. Locks placed for love and luck at a temple adjacent the Giant Buddha in Taiyuan 4. Szechuan-style hotpot
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3 the way up to our lunch destination. More importantly, before lunching at the Buddhist Longquan Temple, there was a pit stop for Pu’er tea on the way up. Like noodles and Chinese wine, green tea is an essential part of the Chinese meal, or
rather, the Chinese day. And like many tea ceremonies in the country, Pu’er tea is served after each individual cup is warmed by a ritualistic pouring of hot water over and into it. Even under the back-beating sun, a cup of hot Pu’er tea is cooling and calming. The monks in Longquan Temple do not eat meat. Sitting at a spinning round table (a common design element in China associated with family reunions) is a test of chopstick thievery skills. You have to be quick or else the wheat noodles (al dente) with rich tomato sauce or the steamed pumpkin will disappear quicker than you can say shay she-a or thank you in Chinese. Though, it must be mentioned, the plates at Longquan were refilled with equal swiftness. If anyone wants to be mesmerised by the art of handmade noodles, Jin Yuan restaurant in Taiyuan is the place to go. The waiters there put on a little
4 Many Pakistanis often describe food in China as smelly, insipid, intimidating and at times downright revolting, because, “they eat dogs you know.” Well, yes, in some areas. But for the most part, all that needs to be unlearnt show, where they turn large noodle dough into angel hair pasta (La mian), an unending singular string of fat spaghetti (Yigen mian), or short curls, using scissors, chopsticks, blades and their bare hands. In fact, the restaurant is an unintentionally kitschy place which has sections dedicated to replicating the wonders of China on
Chinese-to-English for essentials you might need
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5. Cups being warmed up during Pu’er tea ceremony 6. Tea ceremony in Zhangjiagang 7. Hand-sculpted sugar and dough desserts at Taiyuan’s food street 8. Apple cider vinegar which locals believe has restorative powers
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8 a small scale. One look at the miniature replica of the Hanging Temple makes any avid traveller lust for the real one in Datong City in Shanxi. While there were several brilliant banquets where each course was so fancy that it put us to shame in our reporters garb, the food found on the streets was also an experience, to say the least. The food street in Taiyuan is shiny and new but mimics the ancient, with all the right ingredients thrown in for tourists such as red lanterns, colourful facades and wooden stalls with offerings like warm, roasted peanuts. Nothing historic but nothing to scoff at either. The pedestrian
market streets of Zhangjiagang in Jiangsu borrow from both Europe and local aesthetics. From the Hello Kitty store to the deep-fried treats, it’s a perfect spot for nibbles and people watching.
Bright city lights Don’t start the trip with Shanghai if your heart lies in city life. Enthusiasm for quaint adventures is quick to fade when you enter the lovely mix of European and Chinese life that Shanghai offers. One step into one of the many tube stations (called the Metro) there and the deprived Pakistani within me was ready to move to Shanghai. Also who wouldn’t want to live in a place which offers Beatles tribute clubs not far from a shiny gold (Jing An) temple in the middle of several high streets? A walk through the French Concession will find you all your fixes: beer gardens, bars, bakeries with buttery crois-
sants, art galleries, independent designers and shoe makers, and museums. From there, the shops at Nanjing Road (high street and designer ware) will take you towards the Bund. I would recommend crossing over the Huangpu River to what is promised to be a spectacular view of old Shanghai from the 58th floor of the Ritz Carlton, Pudong. Unfortunately, I had more of an ‘evening in the clouds’ because it was an overcast day. But Flair, the Asian tapas bar there, made up for the missing view with an impressive offering of sushi and cocktails. Sushi in the middle of the clouds after a long day of walking around the French Quarters was a perfect way to end my Oriental express trip. Dear Shanghai, I am still in love. T
Halima Mansoor is a senior subeditor on the Express Tribune Peshawar desk. She tweets @hmansoor
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COVER STORY
22 AUGUST 3-9 2014
But in the best conversations, you never really find out
BY RAFAY MAHMOOD
PHOTOS BY ESSA MALIK DESIGN BY AMNA IQBAL
COVER STORY It is hard to have a serious conversation with people who make a living out of comedy. Even if you manage to break the ice, it still takes time to figure out whether you are being picked on or if you have finally cracked the proverbial code. I faced the same dilemma in my bid to understand the comic trio who have perhaps understood and harnessed the potential of satire to its fullest for a country like Pakistan — where the most powerful stories can only be driven home through fictional characters. Or cloaked under a good old joke. From ruling presidents to average disgruntled voters, anyone who has played a role in shaping the social and political landscape of the country, has found themselves at the receiving end of the comical cannon that comprises Mustafa, Murtaza and Faisal Chaudhry. They have also given the audience super hits like the Banana News Network (BNN), The 4 Man Show and now Media Azaad Hay. But as the lights go off and the three men slip out of character and slide back into reality, you get a glimpse of why they might be worth more than just a few laughs.
Two’s company, three’s a riot Mustafa Chaudhry can be anyone you want him to be. All you need to do is combine a few masterful strokes from the makeup artist with Mustafa’s wit, comic timing and selection of jokes. And perhaps, the fact that he has spent most of his life in vastly diverse places such as Kashmir and Karachi has a huge role to play in the variety of characters he can mimic. “In Kashmir, every jawaan will always have a newspaper in his hand and an opinion on every political issue in this world,” he says. “No matter how naïve it may sound, you’ll see him wearing a shalwar kameez with a waist coat and talking about current affairs.” In Karachi, on the other hand, people may stick to a single point of view but the city has enough people to do justice to opinions from every corner of the world. “I once met a guy from Aqasa community in Karachi. I was so shocked to hear the name that I thought he was joking but then I realised it’s Karachi, one shouldn’t be surprised even if he encounters an alien here,” recalls Mustafa. It was only a matter of looking at everything in Karachi from a Kashmiri point of view and everything in Kashmir from a Karachiite’s perspective that the jokes started falling into place. Obviously there were times when no one found him funny but that was also the time when the team discovered the reservoir of jokes that Pakistani politicians had to offer. Hence, came satire. 24 Till date, Mustafa has adorned hundreds of get-ups — AUGUST 3-9 2014
Mustafa Chaudhry has mimicked countless celebrities and politicians over the years. Here, he gets into gear to play Qaim Ali Shah.
Mustafa Chaudhry and Murtaza Chaudhry on the set of Media Azaad Hay. from easy-to-mimic characters such as Hina Rabbani Khar to the relatively flat-paced ones such as Arsalan Iftikhar — the responses from both, the audience and the subjects under scrutiny has been great. Generally, political figures do not take offence to these things and are a better sport than most showbiz celebrities but with time they have also started treating mimicry as another way of staying relevant. “Some of the political figures insist on being a part of the show because they enjoy being picked on by us,” he adds with a smile. “I totally respect their attitude. After all it takes a lot to get mocked on national television.” One incident in particular that shocked Mustafa, however, was the unexpectedly pleasant call from Maulana Abdul Aziz right after they imitated him for a show on the Laal Masjid operation. “He called me and said ‘I really enjoyed the way you copied my style and antics, it was hilarious,’” he shares. “For a moment, I was surprised but then he also told me how I could alter my voice and facial expressions to make the mimicry more plausible.” But few know the extensive homework that goes into preparing for an episode. Everything from hand gestures to how a character twitches their eye is scrutinised. Pictures are mulled over and YouTube videos are replayed multiple times in order to replicate each character’s idiosyncrasies as closely as possible. Today, an hour before the shoot, Mustafa calmly flips through Qaim Ali Shah’s most defining moments on his smartphone, while the make-up artist vehemently stuffs his wild, curly mane under a nude skull cap to make it look like the senior politician’s glistening dome. And while Mustafa literally gets into character, Faisal Chaudhry, the writer behind the comic sketches, gives 25 AUGUST 3-9 2014
Some of the political figures insist on being a part of the show because they enjoy being picked on by us, I totally respect their attitude. After all it takes a lot to get mocked on national television Satirist, Mustafa Chaudhry
them their voice. “We think about how a particular politician would react in a really awkward situation. Like imagine how Bilawal would behave agar uskay ghar ki paani ki motor kaam nahin kar rahi ho (if the water pump at his house stops working),” Faisal elaborates on his writing process in a quintessential Quetta accent — a mixture of Pushtoon and Brahvi — that immediately gives away his whereabouts. “The humour in Quetta is of a very physical nature and can only be understood in the colloquial style and language. But if you somehow manage to grasp it, it will crack you up,” he says before pausing to greet a friend from Peshawar in Pushto. “So the deal was to package that brand of humour for a more cosmopolitan audience.” Combine that with the political circus in the country at any given time and you have a winning formula. Even though Faisal was a late addition, his arrival added a different dimension to the duo who had somewhat become restricted to making videos for underground bands by then. Following their successful appearance on an Eid show on Aaj TV in 2006 which was the trio’s first project together, Faisal went on to become a permanent part of the group. But that does not stop Murtaza Chaudhry, also known as Khalid Butt, the final and probably the most significant part of this group, from mocking Faisal for his small-town antics, especially his shyness around the ladies. Something Murtaza can do safely since he has lived long enough in Karachi and spent time in the entertainment industry to be considered an insider now. But tough choices were made and several bridges burnt to get him to this point. “My parents never knew that I was going to the Karachi School of Arts. They thought I was studying elsewhere and to fool them, I had to do a lot of dodging,” recalls Murtaza. “Had I not succeeded in the entrainment business it would have been very difficult to justify all the risks.” And risks is something he took plenty of. Abandoning his arts education midway, he chose to pursue his passion for photography and storytelling and assisted directors Ahsan Rahim and Amna Khan. After spending a year and a half of hanging around on the sets of different music videos, commercials and other productions trying to get a grasp of things, Murtaza realised that this was not going to get him too far. “It didn’t really work out for me because I wanted to learn the execution of new ideas, and storytelling and learning the hard way wasn’t taking me any closer. So I called it quits.” In retrospect, the decision proved to be one of the smarter ones as he eventually landed in front of the camera and the rest is history.
Murtaza Chaudhry and Faisal Chaudhry brainstorming after a shoot.
Much more than a laughing stock Even though they are currently considered one of Pakistan’s prime satirists, the trio is not comfortable with being known as just that. “There are no two ways about the fact that we were recognised because of satire and we will continue to be known for that. But at the same time there is a lot more to us than just comedy,” says Murtaza on a rather serious note. This is perhaps the reason why their next big project is a feature film — a Persian and Urdu social drama, based in Marriabad, Quetta, where the lives of three different individuals get intermingled in a series of tragic events. The film, which has been written by Faisal and directed by Murtaza, is currently in the post-production phase and will be submitted at a few international film festivals before a commercial release in Pakistan. As the interview comes to an end, Mustafa adds almost defensively, “You know when the three of us are together, we discuss everything from history to philosophy to religion but unfortunately it never gets translated on-screen. We have to give people what they want.” And just like that, a few seconds later, the conversation steered back to the ways of keeping a Saint Bernard dog that is accustomed to cold climates, in a hot temperate zone like Pakistan. “It’s simple. You wear an Eskimo’s gear around the dog. It automatically convinces him that he is in a cool place,” says Murtaza as the three roar with laughter. Maybe sticking to the jokes for now isn’t such a bad thing after all. T Rafay Mahmood heads the life and style desk at The Express Tribune. He tweets @Rafay_mahmood
A mountaineer during the 2004 expedition up the k2.
Porters’ High
Eight high-altitude porters set off to scale the world’s second-highest peak, but this time, without any baggage By Munir AhMed Photos By dWire (PAkistAn) desiGn By sAnoBer AhMed
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Climbing K2 is somewhat akin to a fatal attraction that many mountaineers cannot resist. The world’s second-highest peak, feared as the ‘Savage Mountain,’ was first conquered on July 31, 1954, by Italian mountaineers Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli with the help of their porter, Amir Mahdi, from Hunza. Sixty years later, on June 14, 2014, history repeated itself with a little help from good fate. Eight high-altitude porters from GilgitBaltistan, hoping to take their career to the next level, set off on the first all-Pakistani expedition to the K2 summit — this time as mountaineers.
I wish the Gilgit-Baltistan government or the federal government [would have sponsored this expedition] with their own funds Porter/Mountaineer Muhammad taqi
A clipping of the 1954 italian expedition to the k2 in Domenica del Corriere, the italian weekly newspaper which ran from 1899 to 1989.
italian mountaineers who participated in the 1954 expedition to k2.
“I saw undeterred courage and a determination on their faces,” said Agostino Da Polenza, world-famed Italian mountaineer and president of the Everest-K2-Committee for Natural Resources (Ev-K2-CNR), while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. When the men of burden, Muhammad Taqi, Hassan Jan, Muhammad Sadiq, Ghulam Mehdi, Ali Durani, Ali Rozi, Muhammad Hassan and Rehmat Ullah Baig, first shook hands with the Italian last year at the Broad Peak basecamp and expressed their desire to climb the K2 as mountaineers and not porters, “Their aspiration came as a surprise” to him. Be he immediately sensed a blazing trail of passion and purpose, “And I promised to find [them] funds and technical assistance, if they [would agree] to go through intensive training to prepare themselves to put their feet on the peak of K2 where I had been in 1983.” The Italians have had an everlasting love for the K2. They have been associated with the mountain and the Karakoram since 1909, sharing an equal responsibility for its conservation and facilitating mainstream climbing. Polenza first scaled the K2 from the north side in 1983 and has since been the team leader of three successful expeditions to the K2, reportedly his ‘charmed’ mountain. Although lucky himself, Ploenza is wary of the perennial dangers of the sport and ensured that the porters went through extensive training before taking on the notorious K2. Just last year, the Pakistan Army recovered the bodies of mountaineers who were swallowed by a snow storm during their climb and the bodies of the three other climbers who were caught by an avalanche have yet to be found. At a height of over 8,000 metres, it is foolish to leave anything to chance. Although K2 has been thankfully kind to these 31 AUGUST 3-9 2014
the team of mountaineers at k2 basecamp on July 23, 2014.
mountaineers so far, except for a few delays in their journey caused by a snowfall, the climbers departed preparing for the worst. They set off in 11 jeeps loaded with equipment and essential climbing gear. Two Italian experts, alpine guide Michele Cucchi and record setter for world speed skiing, Simone origone have also been providing the climbers with technical support and guidance. “They [the climbers] are firm, they are determined, and I believe they would do it,” remarked Cucchi, encouragingly optimistic about the outcome of the expedition from the very beginning. Sharing Cucchi’s sentiment, Maurizio Gallo, Italian mountaineer and head of technical operations for the expedition, who has been stationed in the Karakoram for the past 25 years and has been part of several expeditions organised by the Ev-K2-CNR, added, “We [have learnt] a little bit about the K2 in the last 25 years. Its behaviour changes every next minute. We have to hope for the best, and pray to nature to be kind and [to be] on our side.” To support the team, Polenza has also been at basecamp to closely monitor the mission along with Muhammad 32 Taqi, the team leader for the expedition. “I wish the AUGUST 3-9 2014
Mountaineers stuck in their tents at the k2 basecamp during the heavy snowfall and windstorm. PHoTo CoURTESy: DWIRE/Ev-K2-CNR
Climbing mountains is my bread and butter like many [others] in Gilgit-Baltitsan. We wait for summers to earn our livelihood as porters... This summer we are lucky enough to climb the K2 as mountaineers Porter/Mountaineer hassan Jan Gilgit-Baltistan government or the federal government [would have sponsored this expedition] with their own funds,” said Taqi. “Mountaineering is not only a risky sport, but resource intensive as well. What could we, the poor porters-turned mountaineers, expect from the governments that could not even fund the national games,” he added, extending his gratitude to Polenza and other Italian organisations for funding the expedition. other members of the team were also grateful for the opportunity. “Climbing mountains is my bread and butter like many [others] in Gilgit-Baltitsan,” shared Hassan Jan, the leader of the climbers before setting off for the expedition. “We wait for summers to earn our livelihood as porters... This summer we are lucky enough to climb the K2 as mountaineers,” he said proudly, adding that another 120 of his colleagues will be their porters this time, carrying their luggage to the first basecamp and some will continue on to the second basecamp as well. “Let’s see what nature [holds] for us, and how K2 [treats] us.” If all goes well, however, and according to plan, the climbers should emerge at the top. With the weight off their shoulders, they will finally experience a long overdue high.
the Pakistani mountaineers and the italian mountaineering experts hoisting their respective flags at the k2 basecamp on June 22, 2014.
Munir Ahmed is a freelance journalist and communication consultant with the EvK2-CNR and Media Focal Person for the Pakistan K2 Expedition. AUGUST 3-9 2014
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Big-screen tragedy Not every TV show deserves to be a film By AyeshA ABdul RAzzAk
Recently, a remake of the movie Bad Teacher into an eponymous television show was cancelled after airing only three episodes. Despite the hit film, the show didn’t attract any viewers. The film Veronica Mars attempted something similar, but once again failed to capture the audience of its hit television show. The film is based on Veronica (Kristen Bell), a law student on the brink of securing her first job out of Stanford University, whose plans are interrupted when her ex-boyfriend Logan (Jason Dohring) becomes embroiled in the murder of teen pop star, Bonnie Deville (Andrea Estella). Strangely, it is Veronica who is called back home to help him out. What follows is an investigation that leads the protagonist to an unexpected trail where she is forced to confront a few skeletons from the past. Although the film has its moments, it does not lose its TV show vibe. It’s almost like watching a 100-minute episode. There is no serious character development and it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of a typical murder mystery. Veronica jumping back into the world of investigation to help her ex makes no sense when her father, being an investigator, could have done the same without her presence. Despite the weak plot, Kristen Bell is smart and sassy as Veronica. But nothing about her has changed. She still lies like a pro to her own father, escapes sticky situations without any consequences and also manages to save the day. This brings us to Logan’s character. The screenwriters must have thought it was a clever idea to have him join the navy to show that he has cleaned his act. But then how does that tie in with him purportedly murdering a troubled pop star? The only person who could have saved the act with a wider role was the imitating pop star, Gia Goodmen (Krysten Ritter). Ritter who is best known for her work in the television show Breaking Bad, works like a charm in this one with her fake wigs and terrible attempts to sing. She likes to dress up as Bonnie and sing in public places. She attracts Veronica’s attention who thinks she may have killed Bonnie in order to replace her in some way. But the accusations prove to be false. In short, the film is worth a watch mainly for fans of the television show. It could have been better had it perhaps shown Veronica investigating in the big city or defending Logan as a lawyer, but it does none of that. When the popular show Sex and the City was made into films, the characters had grown and moved on to other things. Sadly, in Veronica Mars they just end up doing more of the same. Rating:
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Ayesha Abdul Razzak is an aspiring filmmaker and enthusiastic photographer with a diploma in Mass Communication and a BA from Deakin University in Visual Arts. She tweets @Caffinolic
TV
A bloody good meal The second season of Hannibal will work up your appetite — for good TV By SchAyAn RiAz
‘I need you to recommend me a new TV show’ has become the new ‘I need you to lend me some money’. In times of binge watching, where entire seasons are often completed in a single sitting, it has become essential to be hooked on to at least one good show. Of late, whenever people have asked me the aforementioned question, I have repeatedly found myself suggesting the delicious Hannibal. Based on characters from writer Thomas Harris’ novels, the show 36 is a sort-of reboot, sort-of origin story of the Hannibal Lecter franAugust 3-9 2014
chise. The titular role of a cannibalistic serial killer which in the past has been immortalised by actors Brian Cox (Manhunter) and Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs), is played masterfully by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen in this version — watch out for scenes in which he has a faint smile on his lips, evidently enjoying himself pretending to eat human flesh. What works in Hannibal’s favour is its novelty factor — out of all the high-quality series that have been produced and have aired lately, no
other show has been able to blend drama and horror as efficiently. It’s as much a police procedural drama as well as a chilling horror story. With these two aspects, creator Bryan Fuller has managed to pull off something special. The sombre portions of the narrative could have failed but luckily the creepy tone works big time. Hannibal examines the relationship between FBI agent Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Dr Hannibal Lecter. While the former is a crime scene investigator who can vividly recreate or reimagine the crime acts (and
thus sympathise with the perpetrator), the latter is a brilliant psychiatrist and closeted cannibal. These characterisations make it clear, that sooner or later, the two are destined to clash with each other. Even though Lecter’s character gives the show its title, Graham is just as important to the proceedings. Oftentimes, he seems to be the protagonist of the story, which gives a nice twist about who the bad guy really is. In the first season, the FBI calls upon Lecter’s help regarding some gruesome murders, and he often knows more about the cases than he is letting on. This adds to Graham’s psychological torment as he grows into a troubled soul. His graphic hallucinations — a permanent one is a black stag, which could signify everything from guilt to fear — which continue in season two, are terrifying and add to the shock value of the show. One of Hannibal’s strongest components is its fantastic ensemble cast. Apart from the main couple, Laurence Fishburne as FBI head Jack Crawford serves as the show’s moral compass and Gillian Anderson shines in a short role as Hannibal’s mysterious therapist Bedelia du Maurier. In season two, we are treated to Michael Pitt’s demented pig trainer Mason Verger, who could have walked on to any Batman set — he looks and splendidly plays his character like a DC comic villain. Eddie Izzard plays an incarcerated surgeon, who killed his family, with aplomb. One highlight of the show is when Hannibal forces him to eat his own leg. Scenes like these obviously sound horrible but don’t be put off — they are shot with a certain aesthetic that is still ‘tasteful’. The same goes for other shocking moments in the second season, when for example, a character gets a human ear shoved down his throat. There is no blood in either scene, which goes to show that the makers aren’t interested in slasher elements and yet are able to provide true moments of body horror. With Mikkelsen, the makers of Hannibal have landed a great coup. He’s an established star of world cinema (credits include blockbuster Casino Royale, as well as art-house fare The Hunt) and his approach to the small screen is one of great understanding. Hannibal Lecter is not a role one would have associated Mikkelsen with prior to the start of the show, but after watching two seasons of him in this role, no other person could have possibly been a more convincing actor. Early on in season two, Lecter, when serving Jack Crawford some cooked human meat, confesses, “I never feel guilty eating anything.” It’s a dark, dark line, because Crawford doesn’t know what he’s really being fed. The food looks rather appetising, both while it’s being prepared by Lecter and while it’s being eaten. It’s not the first (and certainly not the last) time that someone has been invited over for dinner and has unknowingly partaken in his cannibalistic habit. And if he doesn’t feel guilty about it, why should we? The show has us eating out of Lecter’s hands.
Rating: Schayan Riaz is a Germany-based writer. He tweets mostly about film @schayanriaz August 3-9 2014
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sOCiETy
Eid In Distress
For the internally displaced Pakistanis, this Eid will fall short of a lot of things By Dilaira DuBash
as the nation prepared for the familiar Eid festivities this year, the internally displaced people (iDPs) observed from unfamiliar surroundings. They were too preoccupied scrambling to register themselves and securing rations to worry about finding the right outfit and matching accessories. For the IDPs who fled their homes after the launch of the military operation Zarb-e-Azb, on June 15, in the North Waziristan agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) the toughest challenge right now is to cope with the unknown. Although several efforts have been made by UN agencies and other NGOs to provide relief efforts, it is only the beginning of a long struggle for the one million registered IDPs to slowly rebuild their lives. And with more tough choices on the horizon, the banalities of Eid were not a concern for the IDPs this year. T Dilaira Dubash is a senior subeditor on The Express Tribune magazine desk. She tweets @DilairaM
internally displaced Pakistani civilians queue for relief supplies at a World Food Programme distribution point in Bannu on the border with North Waziristan on July 7, 2014. PHOTO: AFP