The Express Tribune Magazine - March 8

MARCH 8-14 2015

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE

HOME

How a group of young city-dwellers is making us relive the magic of Karachi and Lahore

MARCH 8-14 2015

Feature

Cover Story

Testing times

A group of young city-dwellers makes us relive the magic of Karachi and Lahore

How one school in Balochistan got its students to stop cheating

There’s no place like home

22 Feature

Ladies, fasten your seatbelts!

Indian women get behind the wheel to offer female commuters safe transport

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41 Regulars

6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people

48 Reviews: Movies and art 54 Positive Pakistani: Saima Rasheed

Senior Subeditors: Dilaira Dubash and Sanam Maher and Subeditor: Komal Anwar Creative Team: Essa Malik, Jamal Khurshid, Mohsin Alam, Omer Asim, Aamir Khan, 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

Mathira and Moomal

Nausheen and Sana

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Tara Mahmood

Maham Javed

Saadia Nawabi

Nadia Hussain

Samar Mehdi

PHOTOS COURTESY CATWALK EVENTS AND PR

Abudawood Pakistan Wella Professionals Division launches its first learning academy in Karachi

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Lubna Lakhani

Sadaf Malaterre

Fouzia

Natasia and Rana Khan

Anoushey

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Huma, Zurain Imam and Humaira with a guest

Rukaiya Adamjee

PHOTOS COURTESY CATWALK EVENTS AND PR

Cyma and Frieha Altaf

PEOPLE & PARTIES As part of Valentine’s Day celebrations Unplugged hosts a live performance at CafÊ Flo in Karachi Hina Hasan Rizvi and Hasan Rizvi

Afnan Khan and Uzma Mullah

Angeline Malik and Arjuman Rahim

Adil Haji and Beenish

Amna Malik and Beenish Pervaiz

Zhalay Sarhadi and Sanam Agha

Komal Rizvi

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Nusrat Hidayatullah and Torsam Tajik

Aale and Azmat Alibhai

PEOPLE & PARTIES Rabia Aziz Rizvi and Maryam Rashdi

Sana Ansari Faraz and Seher Asad Jumani

Fia Khan

Nader and Farah Abbassi

Azaan Sami Khan, Zeba Bakhtiar, Sofia Azaan and Ibrahim

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Maheen Jafri and Saad Asfar

Ainee Bilwani and Zaki

Farzan Randhawa and Aliya Bhurgra

Mrs Neack and Neshmia Ahmad

Ziauddin Ahmed Junejo holds his solo art exhibition in Karachi

Hina, Nida, Fuzia and Tania

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Ziauddin Ahmed Junejo and Faiza

PHOTOS COURTESY CATALYST PR & MARKETING

PEOPLE & PARTIES

PEOPLE & PARTIES Ishtiaq Baig hosts the Moroccan food and cultural festival in Karachi

Gill Atkinson, Dr Masuma and Ali Ahmed Al Qassimi

Ikhtiar and Noreen Baig

Hayat Alaoui, Ishtiaq Baig and Soumia Khadiri

Navaid Ishtiaq and Mr and Mrs Emil Wyss with Mahnoor

Adeeba, Najjia, Shireen and Mr and Mrs Saad ur Rehman

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Samira and Mr and Mrs Haroon Aslam

Testing

TIMES TIME How one school in Balochistan got its students to stop cheating

BY SHEZAD BALOCH PHOTOS COURTESY DELTA SCHOOL TURBAT DESIGN BY EESHA AZAM

The examination hall in Turbat’s Delta School looks like a standard room in any educational institute in Balochistan. The room has unpainted walls and a wooden roof and young boys and girls sit in neat rows as they scribble on answer sheets. But there’s something unprecedented going on in this room: there is no cheating.

Delta School is the first institute in Balochistan to install CCTVs inside its examination halls in a bid to monitor student activity, clamp down on rampant cheating practices and increase security in the wake of a string of attacks on schools within and outside the province. In February this year, Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch led a rally in Quetta to highlight the growing trend of cheating in the province’s schools just weeks before matriculation examinations were scheduled to be held. The chief minister was joined by legislators, politicians, teachers and students, some of whom carried placards reading, “Cheating will be the death of knowledge.”

While officials promised that ‘secret’ cameras would be installed in all school examination halls, Balochistan Education Department Secretary Abdul Saboor Kakar said the provincial government did not have enough time to 222 install these cameras before the matriculation exams. But MARCH 8-14 2015

Murad Ismail, the 35-yearold educationist behind Delta School, chose not to wait for the government to kick off the process of installation, and instead covered the Rs25,000 installation cost for four cameras in the school through the pupils’ fees.

There are 2,700 students enrolled in Delta School, located on Turbat Road near Dakhana Chowk. People living in the area are dependent on livestock and agriculture as well as an informal crossborder trade with Iran. Ismail set up the private Englishmedium school here in 2006 after he returned from his higher education studies in Karachi. “Many of the school buildings in this district are poorly constructed and lack basic facilities,” says Ismail. “But our students do not lag behind — they compete at the national level.” Delta School’s first batch of grade 10 students includes Mahnoor Mirwani, who received the highest marks in matriculation exams in the Makran division, which includes the districts of Panjgur, Turbat and Gwadar. “We expect high standards from our students and to compete at the provincial level and they make us proud,” he adds.

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12:36:92:00 Education by the numbers: 24% of Balochistan’s budget has been allocated to the promotion of education and teachers’ salaries.

33% of children aged between six years and 16 years are out of school in Balochistan.

34% of boys are able to read sentences in Urdu, as compared with 23% of girls in Balochistan.

62% is the literacy rate in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s spending on education is less than 2% while globally it ranks 177th in education spending.

SOURCE: ANNUAL STATUS OF EDUCATION REPORT PAKISTAN, 2014 MARCH 8-14 2015

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Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch led a rally in Quetta last month to highlight the growing trend of cheating in the province’s schools.

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The students of Delta School stand out in a province that has the lowest literacy rate in the country (33% as compared to the national literacy rate of 53%). Currently, there are 2.3 million children out of schools in Balochistan and for those enrolled in educational institutes, there is one teacher for every 16 students on average. In remote areas of Turbat and Gwadar districts, there is one teacher for each primary school comprising four to five classes. One school in Turbat was closed for several months recently as there was no teacher to cater to the students. In many schools in the area, teachers continue to draw salaries despite not attending classes.

“The education system here needs way more improvement than people can imagine,” says 16-yearold high achiever Mirwani. She points out that Delta School’s crackdown on cheating is part of a larger attempt to improve conditions in the province and the country.

“How can a student who cheats in school be a good citizen or serve his country well?” she asks. “The corruption we suffer nationally starts in our classrooms.”

Sangat Rafiq, a lecturer at Balochistan University, says that while the provincial government has launched a massive publicity campaign against cheating, it has not shown commitment to resolving the problem.“The government has installed large billboards and put up banners with messages against cheating but this is an absolute waste of money,” he says. “If a private school like Delta could invest in a surveillance system, then why is it so difficult for the government to do so in schools in the province?”

Rafiq points out that while access to education remains a problem in

How can a Principal Murad Ismail student who watches a CCTV feed cheats in school of Delta School’s examination halls. be a good citizen or serve his country well? The corruption we suffer nationally starts in our classrooms Student Mahnoor Mirwani

Balochistan, rampant cheating results in abysmal standards of education. “Many students in the 10th grade or in Masters programmes are unable to fill out applications in Urdu or English,” he says. Mirwani adds that students are caught unaware once they enter college classrooms to see that every subject is taught in English. “From the first to the 10th grade, these students have studied everything in Urdu,” she says.

In stark contrast, Delta School students are awarded scholarships to study in other parts of Balochistan and internationally through an exchange programme with American schools. Classes here are taught in English and one of the school’s three campuses in Turbat is devoted towards learning to speak and write in English. Each student is charged between Rs800 to Rs900 monthly and the school employs 140 teachers. Ismail is able to watch over these teachers and the school’s 2,700 students via an application that streams footage from the CCTV cameras directly to his cellphone or online to his computer. While the school suffers with the rest of the district during loadshedding hours — the power often goes out for half the school day — the cameras continue to function via a backup generator.

Education Secretary Saboor Kakar says it will cost the government roughly four million rupees to install a similar surveillance system in colleges and universities across the province. “All schools will be properly monitored and people will see results from the government’s measures within the next few years,” he promises. However, parents and teachers are not as optimistic. They say, the proof of better education and security in schools in Balochistan can be found by answering one simple question: how many political leaders and officials send their children to study in schools in Balochistan? “Until the children of these government officials do not study in state-run schools in the province, people will never agree with the government’s claims that education here is improving,” says senior Balochistan National Party leader Khurshid Jamaldini.t Shezad Baloch is a reporter for The Express Tribune.

He tweets @Shezadbaloch.

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THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE DESIGN BY MARYAM RASHID

How a group of young city-dwellers is making us relive the magic of Karachi and Lahore Falling in love with a city is easy, but after years of living in it the initial attraction begins to fade. Most people get so caught up in finding their way through a maze of streets every day that they tend to overlook the very features that define their hometown. Blinded by a cloud of black smoke they fail to identify what drew them to the city in the first place.

To rekindle that spark once again, one has to take it from the top: become a tourist in their own city to revisit and rediscover its forgotten charms.

Fortunately for the people in Karachi and Lahore, such a tour is already in place. Several passionate individuals have carefully curated a hop-on hop-off sightseeing and culinary tour of their respective city to remind others about what makes their town so special.

COVER STORY

TIMEOUT The Super Sawari Express gives locals a tour of downtown Karachi BY TOOBA MASOOD PHOTOS BY BILAL HASSAN

A few months ago two young men felt the need to do something for Karachi. The unlikely pair — Bilal Hassan, a doctor by profession and a photographer by passion, and Atif bin Arif, owner of Gulliver’s Travels — was looking for a way to repair the city’s damaged reputation by showing people a more peaceful side to Karachi. “Karachi gets a lot of hate for being a city with security risks but a local Karachiwala has a certain bond or attachment with the city,” says Arif. So together they realised that that the best way to get people to shake off the negativity would be to initiate the city’s first guided tour.

Arif was at work when it hit him that he could give his business a new dimension and simultaneously promote local tourism. He heard about Hassan and his through a mutual friend who recommended that he take a look at the pictures Hassan had uploaded on his Instagram account

A night-time food tou r of Karachi.

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from his many walks around the city and to pitch the idea to him. The two clicked instantly when they started discussing their common interest — a shared love for Karachi — and decided evoke the same emotion among others. To kickstart things, Hassan says they laid the groundwork for the tour by visiting historical and religious sites in Karachi to see how receptive they were to letting people in. And once they were confident they had gained access to enough sites for a full day’s tour, Hassan took up the challenge to prepare a formal itinerary and Arif volunteered to deal with logistics. This is how the Super Savari Express came to be.

For those who want to share a little bit of the city with their significant other, Super Savari Express also offers special tonga (horse carriage) rides According to its Facebook page, the Super Sawari Express is a tour company that will take one around the alternative and unseen sights of Karachi using local and ethnic modes of transportation, such as a traditionally decorated minibus. Although their concept was unique, it was difficult to initially get people on board to support the tour, says Arif. He had several meetings with caretakers and officials at churches, temples and mosques to convince them to open their doors to tourists. “I used to ask them to give me one valid reason to say no,” he shares, adding that eventually many relented and granted them permission.

K Karachi gets a lot of hate ffor being a city with security rrisks but a local Karachiwala has a certain bond or h attachment with the city a

The g Freem roup visi ts ason Lodge the Kara chi .

Owner of Gulliver’s Travels Atif bin Arif, O

Show me the city The Super Sawari Express, in essence, is a complete guide to Karachi. But to thoroughly enjoy this tour one must wake up early on a Sunday and reach Gulliver’s Travels, behind Karachi Gymkhana, by 7:30am as the tour starts at 8:00am sharp. Hassan is the tour’s official guide and Arif keeps a protective watch over the group. From Karachi’s pre-partition structures such as Frere Hall to Sobhraj Chetumal Terrace — a place built by a Hindu businessman for women to enjoy their evening strolls — and Karachi Parsi Institute to Flagstaff House, the tour recaps what makes the city special. It also includes religious sites, such as the Zoroastrian fire temple, Tahiri mosque, Swami Narayan Temple and Trinity Church — places that are representative of Karachi’s treasured diversity.

For those who want to share little bit of the city with their significant other, Super Savari Express also offers special tonga (horse carriage) rides. This includes dinner and an evening under the open Karachi sky. On Thursday evenings, the company also organises a food tour along Burnes Road during which the group indulges in a wide selection of local foods, including, nihari, kebabs and rabri for dessert, with the added bonus of touring Karachi from on top of a bus. And on Saturdays they book special tours for groups. Currently, they are planning on expanding to other cities of the country, including the federal capital.T

Tooba Masood is a senior subeditor for The Express Tribune Karachi desk.

She tweets @tabahitooba

To book a tour, contact Super Karachi Express via Facebook (https:// www.facebook.com/ superkarachiexpress).

You can also email them at: superkarachiexpress@ gmail.com.

Jah grouangir Re p sto staur ps fo r breant in S akfa a st. ddar w here the

Rs2,00 0 is the perperson cost for the tour. This is inclusive of breakfast and tea 33 MARCH 8-14 2015

COVER STORY

LAHORE, The Adil Lahorei Cultural Club takes tourists on a nostalgic ride around the Walled City

As part of the AL CC tour tourists get a chance to pr epare lassi.

PHOTO CR EDIT: VASIQ IQB AL

BY VASIQ EQBAL

While the Super Sawari Express made its debut as a guided city tour last year, the Adil Lahorei Cultural Club (ALCC) earned a reputation as the country’s first official city tour in 2012. Initiated by Adil Lahorei, a young search engine optimisation officer, the tour follows a similar path: taking locals and foreigners working in the city to explore Lahore’s historical heritage and vibrant culture.

However, there is one variation: everyone must wear the traditional kurta lacha to truly get in the spirit of things.

Adil always felt the Walled City had an edge over other cities in Punjab and decided to promote it through tourism. Initially, for six years he struggled to source founds for the project but eventually decided to take matters into his own hands and started the club with a small sum of money. He devoted a blog and a Facebook page to get the word out about ALCC and the rest, as they say, is history.

The ALCC conducts full-day tours (from 8:00am to 5:00pm) on weekends but they operate with a flexible itinerary

with dinner at either Anarakali food street or Fort Road food street.

Several tongas are especially hired for each tour which takes a group of 20 to 25 individuals at a time. For families which prefer shorter tours, they are given the option of a customised package and pick and chose the destinations they wish to visit. On one particular tour people from half a dozen nationalities got the opportunity to taste local food and play cricket with the children in the streets of Gawalmandi.

Trotting through Lahore The ALCC conducts full-day tours (from 8:00am to 5:00pm) on weekends but they operate with a flexible itinerary. Most tours start form Old Tollinton market and proceed to Pak Tea House, Mall road, Hall road, Lakshmi chowk, Gowalmandi (for a spot of breakfast), Guru Arjun Nagar, Shahalmi chowk, Lohari Gate, Bhati Gate, Delhi Gate (for a stopover to visit some of the historical palaces), the Shahi Hamam, Wazir Khan mosque, followed by a boat ride on the river Ravi and a visit to the tomb of 34 Jahangir, Royal mosque and Lahore fort before concluding MARCH 8-14 2015

A g receproup pho t t PHOT ion at D o after e O CRE t DIT: V lhi gate. he gra nd ASIQ IQ BAL

Despite having lived in Lahore, I was not familiar with many of its historical locations.

But this tour reintroduced me to o my own city

A gro u

p pho PHOT to of O CO a URTE SY: A DIL

Banker Gul Akram

tourist. an on a rb tu a g in orei putt Adil Lah EDIT: VASIQ IQBAL R PHOTO C

recen t

LAHO tour.

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For bookings and queries leave a message on the ALCC page (https:// www.facebook.com/ AdilLahoreiCulturalClub).

216 tours have been conducted by the ALCC thus far.

Rs2,000 to Rs2,500 is the per-person cost for the tour, depending on the choice of food Currently the tour has become so popular that it has expanded to include some destinations beyond the Walled City and is managed by a four-member team. Just to be extra cautious, the police is also informed about the groups whereabouts so they can be provided with some security.

Sharing his experience, a young banker, Gul Akram says, “Despite having lived in Lahore, I was not familiar with many of its historical locations. But this tour reintroduced me to my own city.” Akram adds that the tonga ride, while dressed in traditional clothes, is perhaps the tour’s main attraction. Even Julia Kathryn, a Canadian teacher and blogger, who took the tour was all praises for it. “Many thanks to these people for helping me view this [part of the] world with more compassion and less reaction,” she says, adding that it’s the hospitality of the people and not so much the mountains and the scenery that makes Pakistan a meaningful place to visit.

Vasiq Iqbal is a Lahore-based photojournalist and a travel writer.

He tweets @vasiq_eqbal

Touris t

hav PHOT O CRE ing goo d tim DIT: V e ASIQ IQBA L

at tou r.

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FEATURE

LADIES,

FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS! Indian women get behind the wheel to offer female commuters safe transport

BY SHAI VENKATRAMAN DESIGN BY HIRA FAREED

Growing up in Mumbai, ai, a ai i, Havovi Wadia moved with th ease through the city, never ver err thinking twice about travelling ng alone at any hour of the day or or night. Over the last few years, however, her movements have changed. “I travel every month and usually leave home at 4:00 am for early flights,” says Wadia, who works with a nongovernmental organisation. “I invariably return to Mumbai on a late flight and I worry every time about getting home safely at night.” Wadia’s family insists on staying on the phone with her until she reaches home.

After the infamous Nirbhaya (‘the fearless one’) case of December 16, 2012, when a 23-year-old medical student was gang raped and murdered on a moving bus on the

Men routinely say, ‘women cannot drive’ or ‘what will we do if you women start driving?’ I tell them that maybe it is time for men to start doing women’s jobs Taxi driver Shanti

FEATURE streets of Delhi, female commuters like Wadia are hesitant to take public transport. Many have turned to taxi services that can be booked online. But in December last year, news broke of a 27-year-old woman who was raped by a taxi driver for Uber, an online startup transportation company. “Now, I have become uncomfortable with using these fleet services,” says Wadia. “I worry constantly.”

Given that India’s public transport system is rated the world’s fourth most dangerous for women and laws have largely proven ineffective in combating sexual violence against women, it seems there is one solution for female commuters fearing for their safety: transportation by and for women.

Getting on board Transport services catering only to women popped up nearly four years ago in India. Lately, the number of services has mushroomed, with several states announcing plans for women-only transportation.

Officials in Gurgaon, near Delhi, say they will help women interested in buying taxis and running a womenonly service and in January this year, a company called Meru Eve launched a fleet of 20 cabs in Delhi, all equipped with panic buttons and pepper spray. Delhi police also trained the drivers in self-defense in order to protect themselves and their passengers.

Mumbai-based Priyadarshini Cabs boasts of being among the first such services in the market. The company was launched in 2010 and business is booming, with five new customers every day over the last three months. “We started with just two or three taxis and a meager 10 calls a day,” recalls CEO Susiieben Shah. “Today we have 25 taxis and receive a minimum of 75 calls in a 24-hour shift.”

Kerala’s SheTaxis was launched in 2013 and CEO Dr PTM Sunish says the Nirbhaya rape case “brought home the need to ensure maximum safety for women” on the streets.

“In Kerala, women are moving everywhere for work and we wanted to find a way to guarantee their security,” he says. SheTaxis started out with just five taxis in one city but today, 50 of the company’s vehicles ply the roads in four cities in Kerala. All SheTaxis are equipped with wireless tracking gear and panic buttons linked to call centres as well as police control rooms, ambulance and fire services.

For 42-year-old marketing executive Priya Nair the service is a blessing. “I live far from my office and work in shifts, with very late work hours,” she explains. “Thanks to She Taxis, I don’t have to worry about how I’ll get home from work. I feel so safe in these taxis that I’ll often take a nap on the ride home,” she says, laughing. A school counselor Aarathi Nair adds, “In a country like ours where there are so many incidents of violence against women in public, this is the only way to feel safe while travelling in the city.”

Services like New Delhi’s Sakha Cabs are offering taxis driven by women as a solution to keep female commuters safe in public spaces. PHOTO COURTESY: SAKHA CONSULTING WINGS PVT LTD

Making inroads in a ‘male profession’ SheTaxis’s entrepreneurship model sets it apart from other such ventures as taxi drivers are also owners of their vehicles, thus truly making it a service by and for women. Razia, 36, says that getting behind the wheel in her SheTaxi has been life-changing. “I make INR25,000 a month now,” she says.

“It gives me great pride to be successful at something that most people see as a ‘man’s job’.”

However, the road to success has not been as smooth for some companies. Female drivers in Kerala have the advantage of a higher literacy rate and efficient government in their state, leading to greater acceptance, while drivers in Mumbai and Delhi routinely face criticism or ridicule.

Launched in 2009, Sakha Cabs is linked to the Azad Foundation, a non-profit organisation which empowers underprivileged women who are victims of domestic violence, training them to enter professions traditionally closed off to women COO of New Delhi-based Sakha Cabs Deepali Bharadwaj says the company’s female drivers are routinely harassed.

Launched in 2009, the company is linked to Azad Foundation, a non-profit organisation which empowers underprivileged women who are victims of domestic violence, training them to enter professions traditionally closed off to women. “Road transport officials keep our drivers waiting for months for a license, while licenses are granted to male drivers at the earliest,” she says.

“Men say, ‘women cannot drive’ or ‘what will we do if women start driving?’” says Shanti, a 33-year-old Sakha

driver. “I tell them that maybe it is time for men to start doing women’s jobs.” And if a verbal put-down doesn’t work, any Sakha driver can utilise the martial arts training given to each employee. Bharadwaj adds proudly, “Our drivers have learned to expect biases and handle them.”

“The most common employment option for women is a job as domestic help,” says Bharadwaj. “With Sakha, we wanted to break the mould of a male bastion. For women from marginalised backgrounds, driving a car is very empowering, and they are charting unknown territory.”

Shanti says she took a job with Sakha after her husband refused to support her and their three daughters. “The selfdefense techniques they taught us gave me confidence and after I began earning an income, I found the courage to walk out of my abusive 13-year marriage.”

A supportive infrastructure In order to slowly maneuver their way into this maledominated profession, these transport companies have sought legitimisation on official levels. Shah says the Bombay High Court was moved in order to have women-only taxis included in the pre-paid category and after three years of campaigning, the government agreed to reserve permits for female drivers. There’s still much ground to cover, however.

“The government must ensure the same process is followed when it comes to issuing licenses to men and women,” says Bharadwaj.

For initiatives such as Sakha or SheTaxi to succeed, it is crucial that the companies operate as business ventures and not social enterprises or not-for-profit organisations. It is only then that the companies may begin to campaign effectively against a lack of infrastructure holding back growth.

For instance, one critical issue that faces female drivers is the lack of public toilets in cities. “Where are these women supposed to go while they’re on duty?” asks Bharadwaj.

“If the government wants this transportation service to be organised and effective, it needs to address shortcomings such as this. Otherwise the companies will not be able to meet the rising demand for female-only transportation.”

While India has made significant headway despite the challenges, Pakistan does not seem to be too far behind.

The recently amended anti-rape laws in the country, which promise to punish even those who hinder prosecution, shame the survivor and trivialise the crime, is perhaps the first step towards securing a safe passage for women hesitant to report a sexual assault.

Shai Venkatraman is a Mumbai-based freelance journalist for print and TV. She tweets @shaivenkat MARCH 8-14 2015

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Busted!

Slow-motion knockouts and a predictable storyline make Wild Card standard action fare

BY SAMEEN AMER

Jason Statham has been stuck in the quicksand sand of typecasting for so long that by now it is fairly easy to guess uess what his new movies will be like. Sadly, his latest release, Wild Card, does nothing to alter this impression.

The crime drama finds Statham playing the role of Nick Wild, a muscle for hire who takes odd jobs, such ass accompanying people who need protection and assisting those who simply want to impress a woman. But when his friend Hollyy (Dominik wn Garcia-Lorido) asks for his help to take down a vicious gangster named Danny DeMarco (Milo Ventimiglia) who assaulted her, Nick finds himself in dangerous territory.

Holly’s quest to get revenge could prove deadly for everyone involved.

It’s hard to believe that the screenplay was penned by William Goldman, the celebrated writer who has given us classicss 69), like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), cess Bride All the President’s Men (1976) and The Princess rd — based (1987) during his illustrious career. Wild Card on Goldman’s 1985 novel Heat which was previously 986 — is a limp, adapted into a film of the same name in 1986 unfocused outing that doesn’t seem sure off its own tone ng between dull drama a and finds itself wandering aimlessly, shuffling itement. and ludicrous action sans the requisite excitement. aged to assemble an n Director Simon West has somehow managed d A h impressive supporting cast by getting Jason Al Alexander, Anne H Heche, Hope Davis, Sofia Vergara and Stanley Tucci on the roster, but

t then promptly sidelined them all, limiting their participation to on only a few lines of dialogue apiece. Mea Meanwhile, Statham does his typica typical, stoic action s hero schtick dutifully, b doesn’t quite but embrace the film’s inherent silliness or succeed in making his character engaging.

C Everyone involved in Wild Card is potentially th case, the better than this project. In this tha the sum of its whole is significantly less than conte with stitching parts. The film seems content together a handful of clichés without an as a result, bothering to be inventive and, pr ends up being stodgy and predictable.

It neither succeeds in displaying dramatic depth nor working as an exciting act action romp. Wild Card rambles on and lacks ener energy. Ultimately, it might please diehard Jason Stath Statham fans, but the rest of the viewers are very likely to find it boring and forgettable.

Rating: Sameen Amer is a Lahore-based freelance writer and critic.

She tweets @Sameen

See Jason Statham in action in The Mechanic (2011)

Safe (2012)

Parker (2013)

An elite, professional assassin trains an apprentice (Ben Foster) who has a connection to his past, while trying to avenge the death of his mentor (Donald Sutherland).

An ex-cop and former cage fighter tries to protect a gifted girl (Catherine Chan) who is being chased by the very gangsters who destroyed his life.

A professional thief forms an unlikely alliance with an unsuccessful real estate agent (Jennifer Lopez) to exact revenge after being doublecrossed by his crew.

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Glass half empty Knight of Cups leaves its viewers scrambling to find some semblance of a plot

BY SCHAYAN RIAZ

While Terrence Malick’s films have always been an acquired taste, it’s his later career that proves to be most divisive. Since The Tree of Life in 2011, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Malick seems to have seriously upped his working speed (three films in four years as opposed to four films in 32 years before that). His latest work, Knight of Cups, celebrated its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival last month. It has the usual Malick-esque themes and tropes and is, above all, an ordeal to sit through.

Christian Bale plays Rick, a Hollywood screenwriter who looks lost for most of the movie. Not all of it has to do with the plot, as Bale might just be clueless as to what he’s supposed to be doing or who he is playing in the film. Rick’s brother has died and it might be suicide. Rick’s other brother, Barry (Wes Bentley), is a violent man, constantly fighting with their father (Brian Dennehy). Cate Blanchett is Rick’s wife and Natalie Portman is someone else’s wife with whom he has an affair. Yes, that is pretty much all there is to the film.

Almost every frame with Rick is seeped with melancholy. Even when he’s drowning his sorrows with one woman after the other (this is a major point of contention with Knight of Cups, which gives one actress 10 to 15 minutes with Bale, until she is replaced by another actress), he looks sad, lost and forlorn.

And none of this is particularly moving, because Malick isn’t interested in his actors. He’s more interested in how the camera can move or capture the surrounding landscapes. Sure, Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography is commendable as always, but why should we care for the characters if the director doesn’t?

And because of that, the characters don’t ring true at all. We watch them walk around, look at each other, cajole each other and hug each other, accompanied the entire time by hushed voice-overs that one can hardly understand. And all this time, there is no real sense of a movie. There is not even a real sense of what Malick wanted to do in the first place. Did he want to show what hollow lives famous people lead? But what good can come of that when the film-making itself is so lifeless and hollow?

The Tree of Life touched upon grander themes and concerned the entire universe, hence the profundity it grappled with was justified and achieved.

Knight of Cups doesn’t require the same kind of pseudo-poetic approach, but Malick loves that. Not only does the film test the viewer’s patience, but makes Malick seem irrelevant now. That is surely the biggest loss. Once an exciting auteur, his next project won’t be met with the same kind of anticipation. And what is his next project? It’s about two intersecting love triangles. It’s about obsession and betrayal set against the music scene in Austin, Texas. It can only be better than Knight of Cups, but perhaps it’s best not to have great expectations.

Rating: Schayan Riaz is a Germany-based writer who tweets @schayanriaz

49 MARCH 8-14 2015

Legal ties Unlike the glamorous portrayal of lawyers in shows such as Suits, The Judge is a gently nostalgic courtroom thriller. Director David Dobkin is known for comedies such as The Wedding Crashers, but with The Judge, he proves that his interests as a film-maker are far more eclectic.

The intergenerational family drama, written

by Nick Schenk and Bill Dubuque, features an arrogant Chicago attorney Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr). Hank is forced to return to his hometown of Carlinville, Indiana, to attend his mother’s funeral, only to find that his father Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall), a respected, elderly local judge, has been accused of a hit-and-run murder on the night of the funeral.

When Joseph’s lawyer proves to be less than satisfactory, Hank reluctantly steps in to defend his father and remains in Carlinville even though his own marriage is on the verge of a divorce and he rarely gets to see his seven-year-old daughter Lauren (Emma Tremblay).

Downey Jr is a virtuoso character who shows his ability to switch in an instant from comic nonchalance to sarcasm and from guilt and grief to familial tenderness. After playing Iron Man in four movies and Sherlock Holmes in two, he finally gets the chance to play a nuanced character in this film. The two Roberts give us the best moments of the film with Oscar-caliber performances. Additionally, 83-year-old Duvall steals the show by beautifully conveying pride, confusion, pain and compassion and

Vera Farmiga makes a strong impression in the modest role of the girl Hank left behind in his hometown, now all grown up and working at a local diner.

The Judge is a joy to watch mainly because of the way Joseph and Hank clash over their varying defense strategies, carefully negotiating the thorny legal and moral consequences of the case.

The movie pivots on a simple yet inspiring stroke of casting, pitting Duvall’s iconic gravitas against Downey Jr’s razor-sharp wit. Given that their characters are members of a legal profession, this invites overall verbal vivacity and rhetorical showmanship that the actors are all too happy to oblige.

Additionally, there are certain scenes in the film that may leave you tearful; for instance, when Palmer tenderly bathes his father. The complexities of the father-son relationship may feel trite to those looking for a legal thriller, but for many, the strength of The Judge lies in moments when the duo draw close to each other and discover unexpected things about themselves.

Overall, the mystery of the legal and dysfunctional family drama will keep you glued to the screen. The Judge is not just about the case in question. Instead, the movie’s pleasures lie in the powerful acting and the wonderful chemistry the two lead actors share without trying to steal each other’s thunder. T

The Judge is part family melodrama and part courtroom thriller

BY KOMAL ANWAR

More legal drama: The Verdict (1982) A down-on-his-luck boozing lawyer (Paul Newman) sees the chance to redeem his personal and professional reputation by taking a medical malpractice case to trial rather than settling.

Michael Clayton (2007) A law firm brings in its ‘fixer’ (George Clooney) after a lawyer has a breakdown representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multibillion dollar class action suit.

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) Defense lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) deals with the case of a wealthy realtor accused of assaulting a prostitute only to learn that this case might be linked to his previous one.

Rating: Komal Anwar is a subeditor on The Express Tribune magazine desk.

She tweets @Komal1201

ART

An art alliance A Pakistani and an Australian artist present collaborative etchings

BY SHANZAY SUBZWARI PHOTOS COURTESY GANDHARA GALLERY

Exchanges and collaborations of any kind have their share of positive results. Sharing of knowledge and skills brings new ideas and fusions that question, alter and innovate and inevitably end in more comprehensive results. Perhaps this is something Pakistani artist Atif Khan and Australian artist Damon Kowarsky already knew when they collaborated in 2012 for the first time to create a series of hand-printed etchings, that were exhibited in Lahore.

After this successful show, the duo decided to work on their next collaboration. While the first show, ‘Hybrid I’ explored Pakistan, its counterpart, ‘Hybrid II’, currently exhibited at Gandhara Gallery, Karachi, has commonwealth as its theme and looks at the shared cultural heritage — colonial histories and the post-independence establishment of national identities and images — of Pakistan and Australia.

Both Khan and Kowarsky live in countries far away from each other.

Hence, the development of images was a back and forth process.

Each month the artists exchanged images over email that were then transformed by the other to produce a true ‘hybrid’ of ideas.

Interestingly, the only way cohesion could be maintained in this case was through adhering to pre-determined sizes for the work. Also, the back and forth negotiation led to the concepts developing and transforming along the way.

The technical printmaking process focuses on ink, paper and metal.

Damon and Atif produced the etchings by hand using local and imported materials. Luckily, chemicals and presses were easily available at the

52 Conversation MARCH 8-14 2015

National College of Arts Lahore (where they worked), chemicals and presses were easily available and Kowarsky also brought special papers and inks from his hometown to Lahore. In some stages of production, the artists took help from local technicians, but remained directly involved throughout.

The numerous prints by Khan and Kowarsky, displayed on both floors of the gallery are all monochromatic pieces; each 10x7 inches. Except for a few solo works by each artist, all prints were made in collaboration. A quick look at the pieces reveals images of urban landscapes of the two countries, coupled with images derived from Mughal miniature.

Conversation displays an aerial view of a jumble of buildings, superimposed by silhouettes of a Mughal emperor and the queen. It delves into the subcontinent’s history of Mughal rule and colonial roots of both Pakistan and Australia. The silent ‘dialogue’ that takes place between the two figures seems to be one of mutual understanding.

Balloon displays a huge balloon escaping a concrete jungle, leaving

Offerings

Putliwala

Rooh Khich

Chawk

skyscrapers far behind they look miniscule. Perhaps this reflects the sentiments of every country’s working class struggling in an increasingly robotic world. With an interesting composition, this piece is one of the stronger ones. Chawk, referred to as ‘open square’ in English, is a print depicting an open courtyard/round-about. However, at first glance, while it looks familiar, it is difficult to determine whether this chawk is located in Pakistan or Australia. This is perhaps intentional to depict the similarity of certain urban spaces. In this piece, the techniques of etching and aquatint merge seamlessly.

On the other hand, Offerings displays a stark contrast in markmaking. The fine lines etched in the background, displaying men with grim faces, are beautifully offset by the slightly blurry, concentrated aquatint of two figures derived from Mughal miniatures. The dejected expressions of men sitting in the background are in contrast to those of their stoic counterparts in the foreground. The composition of Putliwala is also interesting, as it places a historical figure out of context and gives him a new role. In this case, Emperor Shah Jehan is seen as a puppet-maker in a deserted courtyard, in contrast to a typical grand depiction in a luxurious palace. Rooh Khich is a slightly foreboding, yet interesting piece. Superimposed over a jumble of buildings, cars and people (who seem to be in motion due to their linear etchings) is a photographer with Victorian-era equipment. While the cloth on the man’s face (reflective of photography at the time) makes him look ominous, his central placement on the print puts the viewer in the spot, almost making it appear like the viewer is being watched by the photographer and not the other way round. The title adds to this as its literal translation is ‘soul sucker’.

In their solo work, Khan’s pieces appear to be constructed through dotted marks, giving an overall slightly vague, surreal feel, such that they appear to be part of a dream. In contrast, Kowarsky’s forms are more clear-cut, neat and precise. However, it is this difference in their styles that both artists have managed to use to their advantage and create delightful narratives that are humorous, realistic and sometimes harsh.

Nevertheless, they draw the viewer in and demand to be seen.

Shanzay Subzwari is an artist and art writer based in Karachi.

She tweets @ShanzaySubzwari

53 MARCH 8-14 2015

positive

PAKISTANIS

Eyes on the goal

Despite a challenging illness, Saima Rasheed sees the good in everything Saima Rasheed is a consultant dietitian at the National Medical Centre in Karachi. PHOTO COURTESY: SAIMA RASHEED

“S

uccess is readily achieved if you are born with a golden spoon [in your mouth] but it’s more rewarding when you achieve it in adverse [circumstances],” says Saima Rasheed, a consultant dietitian at the National Medical Centre in Karachi. Rasheed suffers from a genetic eye disease called retinal pigmentosa, an eye condition that slowly leads to loss of vision. “I was good [in] studies and cycling but my vision started to [deteriorate after I turned 11],” she recalls. But this didn’t stop Rasheed from being far-sighted and devoting her life to encouraging smart eating habits among others.

Rasheed always performed well in school. She was blessed with a high IQ and her siblings would often read books out loud to her. “I could have been severely depressed had it not been for the support I received from my family and friends. I never felt alone,” says Rasheed.

“I always thought I can do everything. May be I will take a little more time to achieve my dreams as [compared to others, but I will eventually reach my goal]. I never let my confidence [get] shattered,” she adds.

Although Rasheed did not secure a high matriculation score due to her impaired vision — which gets worse in the daylight and improves slightly when indoors — she did not let this discourage her and went on to complete her Masters in Food and Nutrition from the College of Home Economics in Karachi. “I never [considered weak] eyesight a barrier in 54 life [or an excuse to sit idle at home]. I even travelled using MARCH 8-14 2015

BY ISHRAT ANSARI DESIGN BY ESSA MALIK

public transport during college,” says Rasheed, currently serving as the vice president of the Pakistan Nutrition and Dietetic Society. After gaining valuable work experience at Baqai Hospital diabetic department and later from Park Lane Heart Centre, Rasheed is now busy with her own practice. She also delivers lectures on nutrition to senior doctors and consultants and aspires to earn a specialisation in her subject.

Rasheed has set a precedent that one can achieve anything with diligence and determination. “Despite [the challenges], I never lived life like a robot. I gave time to myself and learnt how to cook, bake and design jewelry and clothes during summer vacations,” she says. “I enjoy evening walks and also recommend it to my patients.”

Although she fears complete loss of vision in her old age, she hasn’t allowed this to cast a shadow on her present.

Doctors have even claimed that there is a possibility her vision might improve as she ages. This is true for those who suffer from poor eyesight at a very young age. “If it is destined to happen, it will, and I am prepared for everything either good or bad,” she shares.

Today, the 37-year-old Rasheed is not only helping others make a positive change in their lives but is also hoping “to find the right man to start a family with”. “I proved myself in education and excelled in [my] career. I now wish to get married and prove to be a good wife and a mother as well,” she says with a smile.T Ishrat Ansari works at The Express Tribune Karachi desk. She tweets @Ishrat_ansari