November 30-december 6 2014
Portfolio
Red Earth
Cover Story No place to call home The displaced population in FATA struggles for survival
When the leaves change colour in Kashmir
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Feature
Leading the pack Reminding the world of Pakistan’s cricketing glory
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38 Regulars
6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people 42 Reviews: Movies 46 Green thumb: Making trees a part of the urban infrastructure
Magazine Editor: Sarah Munir and Senior Subeditor: Dilaira Dubash Creative Team: Essa Malik, Jamal Khurshid, Mohsin Alam, 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 Adnan, Aliza Imran and Imran Kayani
PhoToS couRTESy REzz PR And EvEnTS
Espresso Lounge opens up in Islamabad
Saad Qureshi and Sarah Raza Mr and Mrs Haseen Haider with Mrs and Mrs Haroon Naseer
Mr and Mrs Ikram Ul Haq
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Amir and Sara
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Dania, Qurat, Natty, Farwa and Anum
Nadia Tahir and Abida Noman
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Ayesha, Muflea and Samiya
Sabeen and Juju Haider
PhoToS couRTESy REzz PR And EvEnTS
Saira and Fahad Khan
Sobia Nazir and Hamood Shaikh
PEOPLE & PARTIES
PhoToS couRTESy nEw woRLd concEPTS
Nashmia Ahmed, Cyra Ali and Naheed Huda
Yurdemi
The consul General of the Republic of Turkey Murat Mustapha onart hosts a reception to celebrate Turkey’s 90th national day Sercan Celik and Beste Celik
Murat Onart, Yasmin Hyder and Abdullah Hamed Al Shamsi
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Faiza Samee
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Seemi’s Salon & Studio opens up a second outlet in Islamabad
Fatima
Kiran, Jazmin, Mishi, Beenish and Irum
Saima
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Shanzay, Sonia and Lubna
PhoToS couRTESy AKASh MEdIA GRouP
Laila and Seemi
Tamoor Ali and Maria Ali
Mona, Bushra, Rabia, Javeria and Kiran
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Sara
PhoToS couRTESy AKASh MEdIA GRouP
PEOPLE & PARTIES
PEOPLE & PARTIES
The cIMA Business Leaders Summit 2014 in Sri Lanka
Farid
Javaria
Dulith Herath
Sajjad Ali
Zunaira
Osama
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Faraz Farooqui and Mehmood Ashraf
Bradely Emerson
PhoToS couRTESy dAffodILS coMMunIcATIonS
Ali Jafar
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Ahsan
Manaal
Asif and Nadia
Ekra
Anita and Pinky Durrani
Fauzia
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Mahi and Humaira
Sikandar and Ayesha Omer
Saman Abid
PhoToS couRTESy cATwALK EvEnT MAnAGEMEnT & PRoducTIonS
club catwalk hosts ‘The zoo factory-halloween night 2014’ in Karachi
PEOPLE & PARTIES A new restaurant Lebanese Lounge opens up in Lahore
Juggun and Faisal
Sehyr Anis and Hina Butt
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Haseeb and Nickie
Naveed Saeed and Hassan
Junaid and Nina
Sophiya Khan
Najia, Maria B and Uzma
PhoToS couRTESy BILAL MuKhTAR EvEnTS & PR
Javaria and Amna
PEOPLE & PARTIES
PhoToS couRTESy BILAL MuKhTAR EvEnTS & PR
Farzeen Malik and Shazme
Faisal and Nazi Hina and Kashif
Anusheh Asad Alyzeh
Shoaeb and Anny
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Madiha Qaiser and Hamza Tarrar
Sam Ali Dada
Monica Paracha
NO PLACE TO CALL HOME The IDPs in FATA have escaped the violence but are confronted with greater challenges BY SHAISTA AZIZ PHOTOS BY NOOR PAMIRI
“Home is a precious place. I would give anything to return to mine,” says 65-year-old Gul Bibi, as she gently rocks back and forth on a hospital bed at the facility set up by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders — an NGO that provides free healthcare to people affected by conflict — in Sadda, the second-largest town in Kurram Agency, FATA. The hospital is full of women who have babies and children in their arms or sleeping by their feet. It is hard to tell the children’s ages since most of them are malnourished and look much younger than they are. Most of them are between the ages of six months and five years and are being treat-
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ed for measles and dehydration. Their parents have to travel long distances to receive the required medical treatment as the ongoing violence in the province, especially in militancy-hit areas such as Kurram, has taken a strong toll on the healthcare infrastructure in the region.
DESIGN BY MOHSIN ALAM
COVER STORY
An attendant sitting in the waiting room of the MSF Women’s Hospital in Peshawar.
Human rights specialist Nizam Khan Dawar
A large numbers of the visitors at the Peshawar hospital are from the neighbouring Khyber Agency and other areas.
The other side of war So far this year, MSF has treated 213 children for measles at its hospital in Sadda, which specialises in children’s healthcare. In most of the cases, the children had developed pneumonia and meningitis and needed urgent medical care. “What is upsetting is that so many of the conditions we see here are preventable,” says Dr Rahman Sakhi, one of the senior doctors at MSF who sees dozens of such cases every month. “The community is suffering unnecessarily because of the militarisation in the area.” Since health workers’ access to the community is restricted, diseases are magnified and the patient ends up facing a lot more pain which could have been prevented if diseases like measles are tackled in the initial stages. “There is no reason for a child to suffer like this,” he says. “We are part of this community and we feel the pain of their parents and loved ones. Nobody wants to see a child in pain like this.” More than 175 healthcare facilities and 500 schools have been targeted and destroyed by militants across FATA since 9/11, according to Nizam Khan Dawar, a human rights specialist and CEO of the Tribal Development Network, a network of local organisations working for peace and development in the province. “Even in war zones, hospitals and schools should be neutral places and shouldn’t be attacked,” he says. “The ongoing violence is weakening the health system and disproportionately impacting women and children.” Nizam elaborates that female doctors and health workers continue to face the brunt of violence and intimidation from militant groups who question women’s right to access healthcare, especially reproductive healthcare. “There is a 28 shortage of women health workers and women doctors who NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 6 2014
can provide healthcare for women,” he says. “Many are pregnant and especially vulnerable as they are displaced by ongoing military operations and fighting in the area,” he says. Women doctors, nurses and health professionals continue to be targeted by militants and put under pressure to give up their work and stay inside their homes. “The threats and feeling of intimidation is increasing in many areas,” he says.
More than just a number The Kurram Agency in Pakistan’s tribal belt sits on a political fault line. It borders the conflict-ridden areas of K-P and Balochistan on its east and south respectively and also shares a boundary with Afghanistan on the north and west. Since 2007, large swathes of the tribal belt became a battle ground as the conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan spilled over into Pakistan’s soil with militant groups unleashing a bloody carnage and chaos to take control of the area. Schools, hospitals, homes and even entire villages fell victim to the war,
208,000 was the estimated number of displaced families in FATA in 2013.
SOURCE: FATA DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
Women doctors, nurses and health professionals continue to be targeted by militants and put under pressure to give up their work and stay inside their homes killing hundreds and displacing many others. The area was a stronghold of the Taliban until 2008 when the Pakistan Army ordered a military operation in the region to flush out the militants. The region has also experienced sectarian violence as tensions grew between the Sunni and Shia groups. An uneasy calm has been established in the area for the past three years, following the end of the military operation Koh-e-Safaid, which resulted in the lower and upper subdivisions of the agency falling back under government control. The fragile peace was shattered once again earlier this month when a school van hit a roadside bomb in Nasti Kot, Parachinar, and killed a child and the bus driver while injuring many others. As the United Sates gears up to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan next month, people in the area also fear an increase in violence. Even though the residents of Kurram and other militancyhit areas have survived death, disease and terror, their suffering remains alien to the rest of the country. They either remain largely invisible on news channels and newspapers or their names, faces, daily realities and struggles are reduced to a number that either announces their death or displacement.
Leishmaniasis is a sand-fly induced skin dis ease which leaves scars on the body of its victims.
No country for old women Gul Bibi, who belongs to a village in Upper Kurram, which was home to nearly 20,000 people, is one of the faces behind that number. As she waits for an MSF doctor to examine her eight-month-old granddaughter who is suffering from dehydration, she recounts her story. “We lived in peace. We lived good lives,” she says about her life back in the village. “We had a lot of food and land and we didn’t need anything. We had been blessed with a lot — our health, our children and our grandchildren.” She pauses for breath, closes her eyes and continues. “Then three years ago everything changed. ‘They’ came to the area and nothing was the same again,” she elaborates without ever naming the militants. At first, the women were told not to leave their homes. Then people began being kidnapped for ransom. “There was fear everywhere,” she says. “We went from living in a happy and peaceful place where everyone knew everyone to not knowing who we could trust or who was
The victims of Leishmaniasis are often excluded and mistreated. The treatment options now available at the MSF hosiptal in Sadda are expected to improve their condition.
Gul Bibi came to the MSF hospital in Sadda, Kurram Agency, with her daughter, grandson and granddaughter, who is suffering from dehydration. living amongst us.” Gradually, the violence picked up momentum and the militants started burning down houses and schools. “I still see our village burning when I close my eyes and try to sleep,” she says. Her voice begins to crack but she doesn’t want to take a break. She says she wants to be heard and wants people to know what she has been through. When things showed no signs of improvement, Gul Bibi convinced her husband to leave the village. Her husband was frail and unwell at the time but they knew their options were limited. “We left with nothing but the clothes that we had on,” she says. “We walked for five hours. I found a donkey cart on the way and asked the man to help me lift my husband on to it so that he could complete the journey.” For the past three years, Gul Bibi has been living in a tent in a camp near the hospital. “This is not where a woman of my age should be living,” she says. “I have a home and a village and a country, yet I am
living in this tent with my daughter, her children, her husband and other members of my family.” According to Nizam, most IDPs are in Bannu while a significant number is also living in tents in Peshawar and along the road to Bara. Those displaced from Kurram Agency are concentrated near Dera Ismail Khan, Sadda, Hangu, Tal and Nowshera. He explains that the number of IDPs living in the Durrani Camp (where Gul Bibi lives with her family) is hard to estimate due to the loopholes in the registration process — people without identity cards or women who have been widowed cannot register. However, the terrible conditions that these families are living in are quite clear. Large families are cramped into small tents and are dependent on government aid or NGOs for basic necessities such as food, medicine and clothing. Those who are unable to register themselves also face difficulties in accessing aid. Poor living conditions, lack of clean drinking water, poor healthcare facilities and malnutrition has led to the death of dozens of children from curable diseases such as gastroenteritis, typhoid and respiratory infections. Amidst this chaos, Gul Bibi yearns for a safer future for her grandchildren, preferably back home. “I find it hard to sleep at night; I spend most of the night thinking about everything I’ve seen,” she says. “I yearn to return to my village.”
The elderly, women and children who have been displaced in FATA have to travel long distances to get basic medical treatment.
This is not where a woman of my age should be living. I have a home and a village and a country, yet I am living in this tent IDP from Kurram Agency Gul Bibi
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Restoring dignity
Attendants at the waiting area of MSF Women’s Hospital in Peshawar.
Female patients are the most vulnerable when it comes to healthcare since their mobility is limited and the region suffers from a lack of female doctors and healthworkers.
MSF operates a health facility in the Alizai area of Lower Kurram Agency, catering primarily to mothers and children
Living conditions for the displaced in FATA show little signs of improvement. The IDPs’ health issues are secondary to the security concerns of the region, says Dr Javed Ali, MSF’s medical coordinator responsible for running health projects in FATA. “The north western [region] of Pakistan has traditionally been victimised by sectarian violence, militarisation and mass displacement of the population because of the war on terror,” he says. “All of these factors have had a repulsive impact on the health policy and healthcare at the regional level.” Healthcare has suffered extensively due to the conflict in the area and has led to a shortage of medical staff and medical supplies and there is no system in place to monitor and evaluate, strengthen and support a coherent health policy in the area.” A senior official in FATA’s Health Directorate who spoke on the condition of anonymity says that the security conditions are not the sole problem. “Even when people risk their lives to access healthcare in the area, most hospitals don’t even have the basics such as doctors, medicine and electricity,” he says, adding that medical facilities are not functioning even in areas where there is no violence. “Corruption and mismanagement of medical budgets is exacerbating people’s misery and there has to be accountability for things to improve,” he adds. Dr Javed also emphasises the need to go back to the basics where there is one functioning health facility for every 5,000 people and they can access medical facilities without fearing for their lives. Even though organisations such as MSF,
Even when people risk their lives to access healthcare in the area, most hospitals don’t even have the basics such as doctors, medicine and electricity A senior official in FATA’s Health Directorate
Ehsaan Foundation, UNHCR and CAMP are striving to fill the vacuum in healthcare facilities in the area, a far more integrated and consistent effort is required at the provincial and national level for those whose lives have been uprooted to feel at home again. Shaista Aziz is a freelance journalist based in Islamabad, Pakistan, and is a communications advisor for MSF, France. She tweets @shaistaAziz NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 6 2014
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PORTFOLIO
a view of the Chinar trees at Kashmir University in srinagar.
Red Earth Autumn in Kashmir is synonymous with harvest and glorious Chinar trees TexT and PhOTOs By hazIq qadrI
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desIgn By sanOBer ahmed November 30-december 6 2014
Autumn, also known as Harud locally, is the annual harvesting season in Kashmir. As the leaves in the valley turn yellow and golden, the farmers return to their fields to harvest paddy and saffron and pick various varieties of apples for export. The entire valley is bathed in different hues of red, orange and gold during these months and a large number of tourists visit the area before the weather becomes excruciatingly cold. Children run around excitedly, trampling leaves and playing cricket under the shade of the mighty Chinar — which is considered a sign of resistance in the area. It is said that during the Mughal era in Kashmir, one of the kings stepped over the Chinar leaves during autumn. Fascinated by their bright red colour, he asked one his ministers, “Chi Naar”, which translates to, “What is this fire?” And during these few months, right before winter in Kashmir, it seems as if the flames are touching the ground.
a girl walks on fallen Chinar leaves at Kashmir University in srinagar.
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Children play cricket in the outskirts of srinagar.
36 a girl rides a cycle in srinagar. November 30-december 6 2014
It is said that during the Mughal era in Kashmir, one of the kings stepped over the Chinar leaves during autumn. Fascinated by their bright red colour, he asked one his ministers, “Chi Naar”, which translates to, “What is this fire?”
Haziq Qadri is a Kashmir-based photojournalist. He tweets @haziq_qadri
a boy rides a cycle in srinagar. Locals burn Chinar leaves at Kashmir University in srinagar.
FEATURE
Leading the pack The author of The Wounded Tiger Peter Oborne takes it upon himself to remind the world of Pakistan cricket’s roaring successes By EmmAd HAmEEd PHoTos By ATHAR KHAn
Even by the substantially chequered years of yore that have witnessed player revolts, match and spot fixing scandals, brawls between team members and ball tampering accusations, the last five years have been the darkest for Pakistan cricket. Since the March 3, 2009, attack on the Sri Lankan team outside its headquarters in Lahore, international cricket has remained off-limits for Pakistan despite being one of the leading members of the International Cricket Council (ICC). While the ICC and leading teams continue to shun travel to Pakistan, there are a few passionate cricketers and fans of the mercurial cricket-loving nation who are still willing to undertake the ‘risk’ to travel to cities like Karachi and Lahore and remind the world of Pakistan’s potential.
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Misbah is a hero. He deserves great accolades for his captaincy and the fact that in such turbulent times for the country and the game he has led from the front with such determination Journalist and author Peter oborne The author of The Wounded Tiger Peter oborne. Peter Oborne, journalist and author of The Wounded Tiger — which recaps the history of Pakistan cricket — recently took it upon himself to paint an accurate picture of the sport in the country. During his latest trip, he brought with him a team of veteran journalists, businessmen and university professors on a 10-day cricket tour of Karachi and Lahore, aptly naming the team ‘Wounded Tiger XI’. While on field the team was bowled out repeatedly by the brilliant opposing teams, off the field it was the traditional Pakistani hospitality that bowled them over. “We have been extremely well received in both Lahore and Karachi. We lost all seven games against some good opposition but the tour has been a great success,” says Oborne, insisting that international cricket needs to return to Pakistan at the earliest. “The upside for the cricket board these days is that they have a capable and top quality diplomat Shaharyar Khan heading them. He was the force behind the Indian tour in 2004 and certainly has the pedigree to do the needful again.” According to Oborne, the country’s cricketing The mascot for Wounded Tiger XI cricket team that toured Karachi and Lahore last month. November 30-december 6 2014
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The Wounded Tiger XI cricket team comprising of British journalists, businessmen and university professors lost all the matches during the tour.
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achievements and the emergence of talent from the depths of despair is simply remarkable. He cites the example of spinner Tauseef Ahmed, who turns up to bowl in the nets and practice with the players and then goes on to play a test match the next day. “One gets transfixed in recounting these accounts,” he says. “Cricket in this part of the world is magical, and there is no other way to put it.” Oborne has always been awestruck by the abundance of cricket talent in the country. From his early days he was captivated by the brilliance of star batsmen like Hanif Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad and the all-rounding capabilities of his old friend Imran Khan. “Some of the great names of the game have been November 30-december 6 2014
brought up in the environs of Pakistan cricket,” he adds, also mentioning more contemporary players such as Inzamamul Haq, Misbahul Haq and Younis Khan who have contributed to the game with their skill and craft. “Misbah is a hero. He deserves great accolades for his captaincy and the fact that in such turbulent times for the country and the game he has led from the front with such determination,” he says, adding that the world should acknowledge his achievements and give him the credit he rightly deserves. The Wounded Tiger project also attracted businessman and cricket enthusiast Charles Alexander, who was also one of the contributors for the book. “During my work for The Wounded Tiger, I visited Pakistan
During my work for The Wounded Tiger, I visited Pakistan and realised that cricket was deeply embedded in the culture here and that feeling has re-emerged as we play here Businessman and cricket enthusiast Charles Alexander Players from The Wounded Tiger XI strategise before the start of their innings in a friendly match at the historic Karachi Gymkhana.
Charles Alexandar, a contributor for The Wounded Tiger. and realised that cricket was deeply embedded in the culture here and that feeling has re-emerged as we play here,” he says, adding that the tour was all about developing and nurturing friendships. He believes that resuming Indo-Pak cricket — a rivalry bigger than the Ashes (a Test cricket series played between England and Australia) — can improve the game further. Richard Heller, also a contributor for The Wounded Tiger, has great hopes from the tour — especially after they made an appearance at the historic Karachi Gymkhana ground. “This is the venue where the newly-born Pakistan defeated the Marylebone Cricket Club and earned their due by getting the Test status shortly afterwards,” he says, hoping that their tour to Karachi,
The Wounded Tiger XI batsmen confront the experienced Karachi Gymkhana bowlers. especially here at the Gymkhana, is effective in paving way for the return of toplevel cricket in the country. Echoing his expectations, Oborne, who is confident about the resilience of Pakistan cricket, adds, “Throughout their history Pakistani players have shown great courage to come back despite some deep-seated controversies and intrigues and due to their efforts cricket is still alive and kicking here.” One hopes that the Pakistan Cricket Board builds on this humbling gesture by the Wounded Tiger XI and makes an equal effort to put this cricket-deprived nation back on the pitch. T Emmad Hameed is an editorial consultant at The Express Tribune. He tweets @Emmad81 November 30-december 6 2014
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An explosive act FILM
Keanu Reeves bounces back in form with his latest action thriller BY NOMAN ANSARI
Although Keanu Reeves has a very loyal fan following, the Canadian actor has had an uneven career at best which hasn’t quite reached the dizzying heights promised by his role in the 1999 action/sci-fi The Matrix. Perhaps that is why it is such a pleasure to find him in what is by far the best action film of the year. John Wick is so good that it is most likely to earn itself a cult following. It is as if the titular role in John Wick was tailor-made for Reeves. He plays an exhitman with a legendary reputation who earned the nickname Boogeyman while carrying out assassinations on the directions of Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), an extremely powerful Russian criminal from New York. Reeves is an ‘ex’ hitman because he abandoned his criminal ways after falling in love and marrying a woman named Helen (Bridget Moynahan). Sadly, when the film begins, we learn that Helen passed away after battling cancer, leaving Wick with a broken heart and only a puppy to mend it. Unfortunately, for Wick and his puppy, he crosses paths with a spoiled young thug who not only steals his car and beats him up, but cruelly destroys the last precious memory left behind by his wife. Soon Wick investigates the identity of his assailant and discovers that the attacker was his former boss’s son, Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen). Meanwhile, when Viggo learns that his son made enemies with John Wick, he realises that no matter what
he does, Iosef is a dead man. Although the narrative featured in John Wick is a tale of simple revenge, it is highly compelling due to a fantastic performance by Reeves. His quiet intensity and calmness make the nature of his character feel very believable. Reeves’ fascination with Buddhism is also well-documented and his spirituality seems to add a peaceful aura to his screen presence. At the same time, the natural vulnerability displayed by him helps us sympathise with Wick in a way that might not have been possible with any other action star. The storytelling in John Wick is made all the more interesting with a smart script that allows its star to deliver some amusing one-liners. The film also shows a delightful self-awareness by featuring some tongue-incheek humor. The biggest star of John Wick, however, is first-time director Chad Stahelski, who created the film with beautifully choreographed action sequences. The gun battles sequences are so stylish that it is almost like watching poetry in motion. The artful nature of the action is especially remarkable, considering the film is extremely brutal and features bone-crunching violence. The secret is in Stahelski’s skill at finding the right aesthetic balance by not overindulging in the production room. Regrettably, the final act in John Wick is standard action movie fare and doesn’t match the rest of the film in terms of either creativity or intensity. But apart from that, the film is certainly worth the admission fee, especially in the age of Michael Bay where obnoxiously loud action films are the norm. Rating: Noman Ansari is a freelance writer. He tweets @Pugnate
More movies featuring Keanu Reeves
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Bill & Ted's Bogus Excellent Adventure (1989):
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A young Keanu Reeves stars alongside Alex Winter in this sci-fi comedy where two average high-school students travel through time to complete a history presentation. NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 6 2014
2
Devil's Advocate (1997): Keanu Reeves plays a young lawyer who has never lost a case and has earned a reputation of compromising his morals for success. He is poached by Al Pacino's law firm which slowly but surely reveals some worrying signs to the lawyer.
3
Man of Tai Chi (2013):
This martial arts film stars Tiger Chen and Keanu Reeves and is Reeves’s directorial debut. Although the film suffers from flaws such as genre cliches, the thrilling action sequences score enough punches to be worth a watch.
A natural disaster The tornadoes are the only heroes in Into the Storm By Sameen amer
Disaster movies often seem to be an excuse for filmmakers to splurge millions of dollars on elaborate special effects, expending more effort on computergenerated imagery (CGI) and less on script and character development. This is the very problem that befalls Into the Storm, a disaster thriller that is visually impressive but leaves much to be desired in every other department. Employing the found footage trope to tiring effect, the film comprises of intertwined segments, following the arcs of different sets of characters that cross paths as the movie progresses. Each team is forcibly given a reason to carry a seemingly damage-proof and perpetually charged camera. A group of storm chasers — filmmaker Pete (Matt Walsh), meteorologist Allison (Sarah Wayne Callies) and their cameramen — are working on a documentary, trying to shoot footage of an elusive tornado. A high-school vice principal (Richard Armitage) has asked his teenage sons (Max Deacon and Nathan Kress) to make video time capsules and to film the school’s graduation ceremony. And a bunch of daredevils (Kyle Davis and Jon Reep) are intent on behaving like an amateur version of the Jackass crew, taping their crazy antics and eager to become the next YouTube sensations. Then the tornadoes strike. Some of the players willingly venture into the danger. Others inadvertently end up in the path of the disaster. Ultimately, they all find themselves caught in a struggle for survival. Unconcerned with plausibility and consistency, Into the Storm shows us na-
ture’s wrath through the lens of people who keep filming when both instinct and logic would tell them to forget about the video and focus on staying alive. The characters are dull and generic since their dialogues are mundane, their actions absurd and their relationships clichéd, while the acting is mostly serviceable. The cast may not comprise of Hollywood’s biggest names, but you can still tell that these performers have been in better projects. The real stars of the movie, though, are the tornados — spectacular, fierce, horrific and beautifully rendered. Visually, the film is a sight to behold and one will come out of the theatre grateful that they haven’t had to experience these forces of nature themselves. But director Steven Quale doesn’t succeed in complementing the visual spectacle with compelling human drama. And you know something has gone amiss when the weather patterns have more personality than the characters. Ultimately, Into the Storm comes off as bland and vacant as it fails to make much of a connection with the viewers. The one-dimensional characters don’t give one a reason or the chance to be invested in their storylines or their ultimate fate, which strips the movie of emotional weight and suspense. Watch it for its special effects wizardry and you will be impressed. But if you try to look for something deeper underneath its shiny CGI surface, you will be left disappointed. rating: Sameen Amer is a Lahore-based freelance writer and critic. She tweets @Sameen
Get more of disaster films 1
Twister (1996): An estranged couple (Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton) team up to perfect a tornado research instrument in Jan de Bont’s disaster epic.
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The Perfect Storm (2000): In Wolfgang Petersen’s film The Perfect Storm, George Clooney stars as the captain of fishing boat Andrea Gail as an intense thunderstorm puts the vessel and its crew in peril.
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Sharknado (2013): In a confusingly popular, made-for-television film Sharknado, starring Tara Reid and Ian Ziering, a freak hurricane floods a city with shark-infested water.
No country for humour, or truth Jon Stewart’s directorial debut is not bad but could have been so much more BY SCHAYAN RIAZ
While watching Jon Stewart’s debut feature Rosewater, one can never really forget that the film has been made by the renowned American talk show host himself. Stewart has wit and charm by the bucket, as he proves night after night on The Daily Show. And it’s precisely that image that does the film and its subject matter no good. Stewart’s intentions are unquestionably noble and Rosewater is by no means a terrible film. But there is no real sense of what we are supposed to be watching. Is this a harrowing prison drama? Or is it a black comedy? Clearly, this would have been a much better film in the hands of a much better director. Rosewater is an oddity — two worlds colliding in the most unnatural way. The film is based on the true story of Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari (played by Gael García Bernal), who was imprisoned by the controversially re-elected Ahmadinejad regime in the aftermath of the 2009 election protests. Bahari — who comes from a family of dissidents with his father being imprisoned under the Shah in the 1950s and his elder sister Maryam under Khomeini in the 1980s — had come to Iran from London and was covering the events leading up to the election for BBC, documenting views from ordinary citizens and party members. During the Green Revolution, when countless Iranians took to the streets and demanded a revote, Bahari’s brave video reporting caught the attention of the authorities. He was held in the notorious Evin prison for almost four months, where he was interrogated and accused of being a Western spy. The reason for that being, that he had given a satirical interview to
— hold your breath — The Daily Show. The re-creation of that scene (with Jason Jones playing himself) is the funniest part of the film. And it truly is an absurd moment, because the captors genuinely think that Bahari is a spy, since he took part in that humourous, almost trivial sketch. For a story this bizarre, Rosewater has too many stuffy, serious moments. A chance has been missed to go all-out, over-thetop comic on this kind of narrative. Some elements are in place of course. For example, when the guards come to take Bahari away for the first time, they hold up items such as a box set of The Sopranos. Porno, they ask him? Bahari declines. Then they hold up a British film magazine and Bahari thinks this could be porn. It is so simple and yet so funny. If Stewart had sustained this tone throughout, the film would have been a more compelling watch. Bernal is excellent in these moments and the Mexican shares great chemistry with Danish actor Kim Bodnia, who plays the rosewater-scented interrogator. In the case of Bahari’s story, Stewart should have taken a clearer approach, a more sure-footed treatment of such sensitive material. There have of course been films critical of the regime too, devoid of any humour. Last year’s Manuscripts Don’t Burn, about writers’ oppression and suffocation, is one such example. And The Green Wave is an eye-opening documentary by Ali Samadi Ahadi. Unfortunately, Rosewater pales in comparison with other films about the same topic. Rating:
For more revolutionary drama, watch
HUNGER Steve McQueen, who won the Best Film Oscar for 12 Years a Slave, stunned everyone with this feature-length debut Hunger — a shattering biopic on Bobby Sands. Michael Fassbender stars as the leader of a hunger strike in a prison in Northern Ireland.
NO Gael Garcìa Bernal is no stranger to playing characters who challenge the status quo. In Pablo Larraín’s Chilean drama he plays René, an ad-man in the late ’80s, who campaigns against dictator Pinochet staying in power for another eight years.
FOUR LIONS Four British jihadists (one of them played by Riz Ahmed) train for a big suicide attack. The film’s hilarity ensues from the fact that these terrorists are incompetent. They have one job and they are terrible at it. Not even crows, who they are using as bombers, can help them.
Schayan Riaz is a writer based in Germany. He tweets @schayanriaz
45 NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 6 2014
Green up the concrete There is an urgent need to incorporate trees into the urban infrastructure BY KHAKSAr Ali HYdEr
dESiGN BY ESSA MAliK
Human beings may no longer be as dependent on their natural surroundings for survival as they were a couple of hundred years ago but closeness to the natural world is still critical for their psychological well-being, stated American scientists Edward Wilson and Stephen Kellert in their 1993 ‘Biophilia Hypothesis’. As more and more trees are razed to the ground to make space for homes and industries in urban centres, it may not only harm the environment but also lower the quality of life for the general community. The best way to counter this damaging trend is through urban forestry — the plantation, care, management and harvesting of trees in an urban setting. Pakistan, which has only 5.2% of its area under forest cover and lost a total tree cover of 10,022.4 hectare (ha) between 2000 and 2013, while gaining only 847.3 ha, can benefit particularly from urban forestry. Some of the different ways in which cities can be made green are: Avenue Plantation A major component of urban forestry is avenue plantation, which consists of roadside, canal side and rail side plantations. These plantations are visually pleasing, provide shade to pedestrians and help generate revenue for the concerned governmental organisations, such as the Forest Department or National Highway Authority. The plant species, however, should be selected according to the environmental conditions such as the soil type, temperature, precipitation, humidity, canopy cover, aesthetic value, availability of breed, rotation age and economical value.
The following species are most suitable for plantation along national highways since they provide shade and curb air pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide: — Peepal — Paker — Mango — Neem — Imli — Jamun — Shisham (used in loamy soil) — Shisham (suitable for sandy soil)
— Neem — Kanji — Arjun (suitable for alkaline soils) — Jamun, Arjun and Gond/ Safaida are the best choices for water logged areas.
Open spaces/parks Urban parks, hanging gardens and wildlife parks are also important as they not only help in reducing air pollution but also provide recreational spaces for the community. The following tree species are most suitable for these purposes: Crimson Bottlebrush — Kingaroy Bottlebrush — Weeping Bottlebrush — Glory Bush — Cross Vine — White Sky Vine and — Wisteria Floribunda Rosea.
There is a pressing need for the government and public to realise the socio-economic benefits of urban forestry and to initiate projects for expansion of roadside, canal side and rail side plantations on a governmental as well as nongovernmental and community basis. Along with the concerned departments, such as the TMA/Contonment Board, City Development Authority, Forest Department, Highway Authority, investors and businessmen who are launching mega-scale residential colonies across the country should also include urban forestry practices in their plan. Instead of limiting their focus to the capital and metropolitan centres, a separate office should be set up under the municipal administration that can work in collaboration with the Forest Department to set up green cities across the country. Khaksar Ali Hyder is currently pursuing his Bachelors in Forestry and Wildlife Management from University of Haripur.