The Express Tribune Magazine - November 9

November 9-15 2014

A test of Ap(p)titude

Pakistan’s mobile applications industry is driven by profits but lacks innovation

November 9-15 2014

Feature

Cover Story A test of Ap(p)titude Is the Pakistani mobile application industry headed in the right direction?

In differences, we grow Inside the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

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Feature

Ribbon around a bomb Frida Kahlo embodies the struggle of women across the world

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32 Regulars

6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people

36 Reviews: Movies, TV shows and books

42 Health: Say no to smoking sheesha

Magazine Editor: Sarah Munir, Senior Subeditor: Dilaira Dubash and Subeditor: Simoneel Chawla Creative Team: Essa Malik, Jamal Khurshid, Munira Abbas, 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 Verve and Phegency hold a premiere for Operation 021 in Lahore

Jami, Seemi Raheel and Danial

Zoe Richards and Sara Bhatti Waleed, Fatima and Omer Zaman

Mariam and Amal Madiha Qaiser and Fahad Zeba Bukhtiar

6 NOVEMBER 9-15 2014

PHOTOS COURTESY VERVE AND PHEGENCY

Huma and Uzma Khan

PEOPLE & PARTIES Adil, Hina Butt and Nosheen

Fizza and Fawad

Uzma

Ahmad and Ansab

Bilal Lashari, Junaid Khan and Col Khurram

8 November 9-15 2014

Syed Noor and Baboo

PhoToS couRTESy VERVE And PhEgEncy

Bilal Ashraf, Ayesha Omar and Imtisal Zafar

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Mr and Mrs Iftikhar Baig Mr and Mrs Rizwan Bhutto

Cristina and Elena

The launch of Zong 4g at the Pearl continental hotel, karachi Faiza

Mr and Mrs Zeeshan Ali

10 November 9-15 2014

rim Kaleem

eem with Mr and Mrs Saa

Mr and Mrs Shariq Kal

PhoToS couRTESy cATwALk EVEnT MAnAgEMEnT And PR

Adnan Asdar and Dr Fan Yunjun

Uzma Alkarim

PhoToS couRTESy cATwALk EVEnT MAnAgEMEnT And PR

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Mr Faisal Qazi with family

Sidra, Nazish and Gohar

Sheldon, Usman and Wakas with

12 November 9-15 2014

a colleague

Anoushay Ashraf

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Nida Butt and Sanam Saeed

Shakeel Jaffer, Nabila,Seema Jaffer and Emu

Standard chartered holds an event to launch its worldMiles card in karachi

Shazad Dada

Rabee Arshad, Zahid Waheed and Anum Malik

Tasneem Mirza and Marcus Bailey

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Mr and Mrs Asif Raza Mir

PEOPLE & PARTIES Shujaat and Khush Bakht

Abu Bakr Mamat, Murat and Sule

Onart, Hidia Muin

PhoToS couRTESy nEw woRLd concEPTS

Naheed, Tariq Huda and Yasmin Hyder

Murat Mustafa onart and Sule onart host a reception to celebrate the Turkish national day in karachi

Buraq Balkir and Aysegul

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Guests

Sercan and Beste

PEOPLE & PARTIES

dawood global Foundation hosts an event for Educate a girl in Toronto, canada

PhoToS couRTESy ShAMEELA chInoy

Rustom, Kim and Ameer

Aileen, Laura and Tess

Shaista and Tara

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Asghar and Shireen

Sharon and Jayne

PhoToS couRTESy ShAMEELA chInoy

Nadya and Tasnim

Naheed Blackwell

Patrick Farrell Saba Shah

Nilufer

Shameela, Niloufer Zahra and Jayne

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FEaTURE

In differences, we grow The pluralistic display at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia does justice to the diversity within the ‘Islamic’ category

By Faiza Rahman Photos Courtesy: IslamIC arts museum malaysIa

Southeast asia’s biggest and one of the world’s most representative collections of islamic arts stands atop a hillock on Jalan Lembah Perdana in Kuala Lumpur. Founded in 1998, this museum, known simply as the islamic arts museum malaysia, is one of the anchors of malaysia’s muslim identity. apart from the priceless relics therein, the site itself is a prized work of art. the domes of the museum show up prominently amongst the mesh of flyovers and skyscrapers of Kuala lumpur. they are done in cobalt blue, white and turquoise to represent the characteristic bright hues of the art found in Islamic lands towards the end of the medieval ages. the rest of the façade is designed in a clean and modern scale, with squared edges, glass walls and ample windows cleverly positioned to allow for a steady flow of sunlight even to the halls located deeper inside. the roofs of the galleries are adorned with huge domes coloured in peach, light blue and cream with gold and silver embellishment. the display or artifacts and relics make it obvious that the Islamic 30 arts museum malaysia is commitNovember 9-15 2014

ted to southeast asia’s Islamic heritage, which often remains excluded from the discussion of Islamic history. “When you say Islam, you think saudi arabia, you think Iran and Iraq. rarely would you think of the malay peninsula or Indonesia,” says Christoph hills, a German researcher and visitor to the museum. the building is divided into 12 galleries, dedicated to India, China, the malay world, ceramics, architecture, holy Quran and manuscripts, coins and seals, metal work, woodwork, textiles, jewellery and arms and armour. the gallery on the malay world features pottery, manuscripts and woodwork bearing the name of the holy Prophet (pbuh) and praises of the panjatan — the holy Prophet (pbuh) and his family. there are engravings on wood of select passages from the holy Quran. most important to the collection are the many scrolls with scriptural verses done in calligraphy — an art form that thrives in malaysia but has often remained overlooked. though calligraphy originated in arabia in the form of the Kufic script, it underwent many modifications as Islam spread across different cultures. southeast asia, the most easternly end of Islam, has its

Scaled miniature models of a number of islamic shrines and mosques are displayed in the architecture gallery.

The museum displays a comprehensive collection of scale models to emphasise the importance of architecture in islamic cultural identity.

The China gallery includes the cloisonné wares that China started to create in quantity during the 15th century.

a 17th century aD iznik pottery tile from the Ottoman Empire.

The ceramics gallery displays the works of muslim potters that range from the nishaphur calligraphic bowls to the Kashan lustrewares.

own distinct style of ornate writing which is said to have originated in the 1300s and is heavily derivative of the calligraphic trend of both India and China. moreover, painted textiles, tiles and pots hailing from the malacca muslim sultanate in malaysia (1400-1511) seem distinct owing to the softer artistic themes of fruits, plants, rains, clouds and other elements of nature. Ceramics coming out of Persian lands in the same era featured more aggressive imagery, such as hunters or even dragons. the Islamic trends of malay archipelago are, curiously, more influenced by missionaries hailing from the Indian coastline than by the muslim institutions of China, despite the territorial proximity of

ottoman empires. the contiguous positioning of these texts in the gallery allows one to experience the cosmic and the pragmatic elements of Islamic heritage simultaneously. the collection from India consisted largely of woodwork — lavishly carved thrones and mimbars (a pulpit in the mosque where the imam stands to deliver sermons) from the Delhi sultanate and the mughal-era. the engravings were often praises of the ruler in urdu or Persian script or ornate patterns of leaves and flowers. a key relic of this collection is a sword and a powder flask from the personal armoury of tipu sultan (1750-1799), the muslim king of mysore. the most captivating aspect of the

When you say islam, you think Saudi arabia, you think iran and iraq. Rarely would you think of the malay peninsula or indonesia Christoph hills, a German researcher

in islam wood has been a canvas for two-dimensional creativity and used by craftsmen to render geometric and calligraphic forms.

miniature model of the ibn Tulun mosque in Cairo, Egypt.

the latter.

While giving the southeast asian muslim identity its due representation, the Islamic arts museum allows ample space to relics from other key muslim geographies as well.

While allowing for aesthetic pleasure, a pluralistic display of the sort also has some political utility since it gives a fair representation of the cultural dissimilarities within the ‘Islamic’ category. From the displays of scrolls inked with praises of the holy Companions and God in otherworldly terms, the museum visitor is able to move almost immediately towards historical tomes on botany, medicine and physics hailing from the abbasid, Fatimid, seljuk and

museum is the architecture gallery. here, scaled miniature models of a number of Islamic shrines and mosques are displayed. the accuracy of these models is startling to the beholder. everything from the famously complex positioning of the tiles of the Nasiral-mulk mosque in shiraz, Iran to the spiral minaret of the Ibn-e-tulun mosque, Cairo has been modeled, somewhat accurately, into cardboard and wood. mosques from various other Islamic lands have also been modeled, allowing for a valuable study of the similarities and differences of Islamic art to visitors. T Faiza Rahman is a subeditor for the Opinion & Editorial section of The Express Tribune.

November 9-15 2014

31

The entrance to La Casa Azul.

Ribbon around a bomb The fiery Frida Kahlo strikes a chord with many, even years after her demise

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TEXT AND PHOTOS By FArAHNAz zAHIDI DESIGN By SANOBEr AHMED November 9-15 2014

“I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you.” — Frida Kahlo

‘Frida with magenta muffle’ is a 1939 photo of Frida by Nikolas Muray.

It doesn’t make sense that I relate so strongly to her. Barring the gender, we have nothing in common. She was from Hungarian-Jewish-SpanishMexican Indian descent; I am as Pakistani as it gets. She lived decades ago in Coyoacán, Mexico; I live in Karachi, Pakistan. She was a Communist political activist; I am not. I have no uni-brow or a muralist called Diego Rivera as my life-partner. Nor do I live in La Casa Azul (The Blue House). Yet

the complex and multi-dimensional Frida Kahlo talks to me and I hear her.

Frida suffered from polio as a child, had a bus accident as a teenager that left her crippled and underwent 30 surgeries. She had multiple miscarriages and could not have a child.

Chained in that crippled body was a feisty uninhibited spirit, who said “Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?” Her restrictions were very real. But within those restraints, she lived life to the fullest and asserted who she was. And this is the bond between Frida and so many

women throughout the world who have no commonalities on a superficial level. But somewhere, in a parallel world, they hear each other. The chains maybe different, but for most women, they are there. And when they soar as high as they can, while tied to the ground, that’s the point where they meet Frida.

For art enthusiasts and Frida lovers, La Casa Azul is a must-do on the bucket list. Now that I was in Mexico City for a conference, how could I go back without visiting her home? Luckily, I met an American and a South African 33 November 9-15 2014

FEATUrE

The yellow kitchen.

An oil painting titled Marxism will give health to the sick.

An exhibit of one of Frida’s self-designed dresses.

French writer and poet André Breton had once described Frida Kahlo’s art as a “ribbon around a bomb”. That is also a very apt description of Frida herself woman who were equally eager to go there too. The eclectic nature of this troika did justice to Frida, who embodied as much diversity within herself — equal parts muse, artist, writer, fashionista, lover, activist and saint.

I tried speaking my broken Spanish to give directions to the taxi driver but he understood nothing. Eventually, I just ended up saying, “Frida” and he knew where to take us.

34 La Casa Azul is snuggled away in a November 9-15 2014

Frase celebre — a famous quote by Frida.

darling neighbourhood called Coyoacán in Mexico City. It is also known as Museo Frida Kahlo, as it was converted into a museum in 1958. Even on a weekday afternoon during lunchtime, there was a long queue of Kahloenthusiasts outside on the street. The one hour wait allowed us to explore the Colonia del Carmen neighbourhood. The vibrantly painted yellow, orange and blue homes, hand-painted addresses on heavy wooden doors, and imperfect but beautiful architecture — this had to be Frida’s street.

Our homes are places where bits of our souls rest in our belongings and our choices. The walls of our rooms witness our inner turmoil and the doors hear our laughter. A part of us lives in our homes even when we are not there. “Her feel is so much alive in this house” is what one of my two

The wheelchair that helped Frida get around. companions said as we entered. This is her ancestral home where she was born, where she lived part of her married life with Diego, and where she died.

The house, built around a sprawling courtyard, has cobalt-blue walls, small fountains and a lot of plantation. It is creative yet simple, and is very obviously conducive to art.

The museum showcases most of Frida’s work. In her lifetime, she produced over 140 paintings, and 55 of these are self-portraits. Clearly in

A prosthesis from the exhibition ‘Appearances can be deceiving’.

A papier-mache sculpture on display that symbolises an empty womb.

A display of creative footwear.

Farida’s workstation. touch with herself, she had once said “I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.” Her paintings are, thus, her biography. Some seemingly unfinished paintings show faceless children, and some almost grotesque sculptures show an empty-wombed hollow woman. Here, Frida shares her unfulfilled desire of motherhood.

While many see her work as surrealist, she had vehemently called her work her reality. French writer and poet André Breton had once described Frida Kahlo’s art as a “ribbon around a bomb”. That is also a very apt description of Frida herself.

While her art equipment have a strange glamour to them as one realises that these are the paints, brushes and canvas-holders which helped her create her lasting pieces, other belongings like her wheelchair and crutches also make one sense her disabilities. No matter how much we celebrate her disability as part and parcel of the great artist, and no matter how much she fought it with bravery, it must not have been an easy life.

No matter, how emblematic, original and ethnic her ensembles are, but at the end of the day her wardrobe includes corsets, leg immobilisers, prosthesis and special shoes. It must have been tough to be in Frida’s shoes.

Her choices were not run-of-themill either. She loved Diego for his art and his mind, and it was a difficult on-again, off-again relationship.

But they were each other’s muses.

While she and her terribly gifted husband were intensely in love, Diego could never pledge fidelity, though he promised her loyalty. Loyalty, as Frida once said, was more important to her than fidelity.

The Pakistani woman today is in a transitional flux. She admires Ismat Chughtai but is also solidly rooted in tradition, sometimes out of coercion and at others as an informed choice.

She is complex, and learning, and evolving. She is coming of age. She is paying the prices for her choices. Yet, she is living a full life, or at least trying to. Frida Kahlo, in her own unique way, did the same. She exemplified, somehow, what mystic teachings say — that none of us is perfect, yet there is so much perfect in each of us. She once said, “I think that little by little I’ll be able to solve my problems and survive.” That is what all of us are trying to do, every day of our lives. T Farahnaz Zahidi is a senior subeditor at The Express Tribune. She tweets @FarahnazZahidi November 9-15 2014

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More shows from film directors who have turned to the small screen

TV

Knickerbocker Glory Big directors turn their attention to the small screen to create a cutting-edge medical drama

BY VIVIAN J XAVIER

When cinephiles packed in an auditorium last year to hear prolific filmmaker Steven Soderberg’s keynote speech at the San Francisco Film festival they were asked not to take photos, audio or videos. However, in the days and weeks to follow, it was one of the most talked about, tweeted and shared speech that bemoaned the death of creativity in Hollywood cinematic art and discussed the true nature of storytelling.

In the fall of that year, he began principal photography on a 10-part television medical drama for Cinemax titled The Knick. The show is a fictionalised version of The Knickerbocker hospital in early 20th century Manhattan and affirms that episodic content is enjoying a burst of creativity that was often associated with 1970’s Hollywood.

The Knick stars Clive Owen as Dr John W. Thackery, a cocaine fuelled genius medical practitioner who is at the forefront of many inventions and medical procedures that were precursors to modern-day medicine.

His character is partially based on real life Dr William Stewart Halsted, a pioneering surgeon and one of the Big Four who founded the famed Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Dr Thackery’s polar opposite is Dr Algernon Edwards, deftly played by Andre Holland, an equally talented African-American doctor trained in Europe but fighting to earn his due respect at the Knick. Dr Daniel Hale Williams, who founded the first non-segregated

hospital in America, is believed to be the source of inspiration for Dr Edwards’ character. Jeremy Bobb, Juliet Rylance, Eve Hewson, Michael Angarano, Chris Sullivan, Cara Seymour and Eric Johnson round off the rest of the cast. They bring to life a hospital administrator, a representative on the board of trustees at the Knick, two surgeons, a nurse who is gradually falling in love with DrThackery, an ambulance driver and a nun that casts her habit to perform abortions.

The episodic series is written by Jack Amiel, Michael Begler and Steven Katz.

Soderberg directs, executive produces, edits and is the cinematographer under his pseudonym Mary Ann Bernard and Peter Andrews respectively. The writing, crisp and purposeful, is one of the reasons why the show has garnered critical acclaim.

The quality of episodic TV writing in recent years has thrown down the gauntlet of creativity and many cinema directors have been attracted to what was once considered a Florida of creative pursuit — you transitioned to it when you came to terms with a dying career in the arts. TV shows like The Sopranos, The Wire and Breaking Bad changed all that. Why am I gushing like a giddy schoolgirl? Well it’s simple. The Knickk is a show that is tautly written. The art direction is given special consideration with Dr Stanley Burns of the Burns Archive providing expert on-

Twin Peaks: In 1990, David Lynch decided to turn his attention to TV with the strange crime series, Twin Peaks, set in Middle America. It follows an FBI investigation of homecoming queen Laura Palmer and explores the veneer of small town America and the evil that lurks behind closed doors.

Boardwalk Empire: Martin Scorsese, who is famous for initiating some of the most revered and imitated films in motion picture history, directed the pilot episode of the prohibition-era crime drama Boardwalk Empire in 2010.

The show was then picked up by HBO and finished its fifth season last month.

House of Cards: After garnering success with narrative features like Fight Club, Seven and Zodiac, the master film-maker, David Fincher attached himself to the adaptation of the British TV series House of Cards. He and Kevin Spacey serve as producers on the show that has rewritten the rules of broadcasting in the digital age.

set medical advice and sharing the archive’s many photographs as references for medical equipment, procedures and even a prosthetic worn by a recurring character.

The detail that has been meticulously married to emotionally enrapturing writing and inspiring cinematography is what sets this show apart from many others.

The first season ended on October 17, 2014 and the show has been renewed for another 10 episodes that are scheduled to air in 2015.

Rating: Vivian J Xavier is a cinematographer.

He tweets @vivianjxavier

BOOK

A bumpy ride I am Pilgrim may not be a literary masterpiece but makes for a fun read

BY NUDRAT KAMAL

Author Terry Hayes must have had a film adaptation in mind when he wrote I am Pilgrim. Despite this being his first novel — he has previously written screenplays of several action films which comes through in the way I am Pilgrim is constructed — it’s outlandish, has a conspiracy theory-fused plot, spans over a great deal of geographic locations and has a great American hero who saves the day. Little surprise that the book has already been picked up by MGM studios for a film adaptation. So it makes sense that it has the same problem a lot of blockbuster action films have — it is engrossing and fun but it does not really make sense when you start thinking about it.

The story revolves around Pilgrim, a trained spy who once oversaw a secret espionage unit for American intelligence.

38 Author Terry Hayes.

NOVEMBER 9-15 2014

When the book opens, Pilgrim has retired from service but has arrived at a crime scene as a favour to a detective friend who wants his help in the investigation. A woman has been brutally murdered in a cheap hotel room, and the murder is an amalgam of the murders Pilgrim has outlined in a book, based on his experiences as a spy.

Meanwhile, in flashbacks, Saracen, a young boy in Saudi Arabia witnesses the beheading of his father, and then grows up to be a jihadist with a strong hatred for all things American. He masterminds an attack on US citizens, which Pilgrim must thwart before it’s too late. The two storylines converge in surprising ways, with plenty of twists and curveballs.

The greatest strength of I am Pilgrim is that it’s compulsively readable. It has short chapters that mostly end in cliffhangers and the story has enough momentum to make you keep turning the page. The stakes are high and the writing is intelligent enough to keep the reader engaged. Its lightning pace and various twists and turns almost — but not quite — conceals the novel’s various flaws, mainly that it tries to be too many things. It’s a whodunnit mystery, a spy caper, a race-against-time thriller and a commentary on the West and the Middle East. There are hundreds of pages consisting of backstories and side stories which are quite fascinating, but have nothing to do with the main plot.

Added to that, Saracen, the main

Available at Liberty Books for Rs646. antagonist is a stereotypical nutjob who is given the most predictable back story.

It’s commendable that the author tries to make a meaningful villain, but his attempt completely fails. In fact, all non-Americans in the novel, from the corrupt officials, incompetent police officers to the sleazy gigolos, are all clichés. This is in contrast to all the noble and heroic Americans.

I am Pilgrim is a fun and entertaining read as long as you are able to switch off and not think too hard about the plot and the barely suppressed xenophobia. T

Nudrat Kamal is a subeditor on The Express Tribune magazine desk. She tweets @Nudratkamal

BOOK

When giants speak Naseeruddin Shah recaps his life with the same wit and ingenuity that mark his performances

BY NUZHAT SAADIA SIDDIQI

Available at Liberty Books for Rs1,395.

40 NOVEMBER 9-15 2014

An Austrian visiting Pakistan to be with his Pakistani fiancée somehow ended up starring in a split second scene in the film, Zinda Bhaag. Sensing everyone’s nerves before the take, the good-natured young man quite innocently reminded everyone on set that acting is just like pretending you’re someone else so they should all relax. On the receiving end of his sincere pick-me-up were the novice cast and crew of the film. And Mr Naseeruddin Shah. While it must have infuriated other ‘stars’ of Shah’s standing and calibre, it is reported that he was the one who laughed the loudest, thoroughly enjoying the lack of recognition that had made the Austrian visitor so truthfully frank. Although not mentioned anywhere in his masterfully selfpenned memoir And Then One Day, this little gem serves as the perfect introduction to a man whose maddening passion for acting was ignited as a child by pretty much the same thought — it’s good to pretend to be someone else.

Naseeruddin Shah, or the “honourary Parsi Nazru Dinshaw”, as his wife Ratna Pathak’s extended family once branded him, is anything but anonymous to the three generations of fans he has spawned across the globe. In his brutally honest and sometimes salacious memoir, he shares many a laughs and some sorrows with his readers, stringing together the madness of devotion to the craft of film and theatre that has sustained him throughout life. Irreverent, boldly opinionated, somewhat condescending and at some points bordering on misanthropic, Shah’s memoir is a searing read. It chronicles with a passion the perils of a life shaped by the fading colonial mannerisms so many families found themselves clinging to at the time of Partition and the early belief that he was an “absolute idiot” and an “ugly” one at that.

Ordaining himself a spectacular failure at academics, Shah writes candidly of the constant disappointment he was to his authoritative (and authoritarian) father and a minor nuisance to his mother. Avoiding the clichéd practice of discussing a partly imagined familial linkage with some historical figure or the auspicious instance of his own birth as is the norm in many autobiographies, Shah instead recalls the finer details of the life and style of his handsome uncles and capable cousins, all the while giving the reader a taste of what he felt like as an unnecessary hook-nosed and mop-topped whippersnapper whose own father had fervently wished him to be a girl while he was still in his mother’s womb. Taking us through the Blytonesque recollection of his school days where a blessing in disguise was the weekly film screenings, and a less than comforting stint at Aligarh Muslim University, which ended in much academic heartbreak, Shah swiftly brings us to the point where, after “slumming it” he finally started getting his big breaks in theatre, and then in films.

A career spanning close to 40 years has yielded some of the most memorable performances by Shah that may not be the general masala films Bollywood is so famous for, but are from the stable stock of alternative cinema that has always existed in India with gusto. To those who are unaware of his earlier fare with

greats like Shyam Benegal, there are still staples that they can fall back on when discussing him. One may be his infuriating turn as the cheating husband who brings the living breathing proof of his infidelity, an illegitimate son, to his devoted wife in Shekhar Kapoor’s Masoom. The other is his morbidly astute portrayal of the great poet Ghalib in the eponymous drama series, directed

by Gulzar. The image of the legend played so masterfully by Shah, ensconced in winter mist, cane in hand and the fragility of age in gait, with Jagjit Singh’s baleful rendition of one of Ghalib’s most famous ghazals still has the capacity to sear itself into the heart and mind of any viewer.

The book, at 316 pages, does not record Shah’s thoughts on Zinda Bhaag or Khuda Kay Liye. There is no mention of his more mainstream roles in new films such as The Dirty Picture, Dedh Ishqiya, Peepli Live, Maqbool, or the embarrassingly terrible League of Extraordinary Gentlemen but provides plenty of insight into the mind of a committed adherent to the art of cinema who has steadfastly held onto the belief that mainstream Bollywood is basically “Follywood” and that award shows are a bunch of people patting their own backs. And while throughout the text he maintains a certain sort of high-nosed lack of interest in partaking in the rat-race many actors indulge in to secure roles, he does admit to throwing his all into lobbying to get the title role in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi. “(When) I was 14, I wanted to play Zorro not Gandhi; but now closing in on 30, I thought the prospect was worth pursuing,” writes Shah on the matter. It is revealed a few paragraphs later how the machinations of the film crew ensured his screen test in rainy London was basically a farce to appease the Indian press and give them the illusion that a “native” would be cast to play the Mahatma.

Ben Kingsley got the part, and got the Oscar for the part, and Shah, in his own words, found it terribly ironical that the one role he really truly went after eluded him.

Peppered with anecdotes about certain contemporaries, the memoir veers away from making caricatures of actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Amol Palekar and more. However, the one other actor Shah reserves his quiet admiration for is the formidable Om Puri, who was a fellow theatre student with him and was even responsible for saving Shah’s life at one jarring point. In between the “professional” narrative, we also learn how Shah married a much older Pakistani lady at 19 to legitimise her stay in India and then further complicated things by fathering a daughter with her, whom he didn’t understand or reconcile with till she turned 12. A substantial part of the book in the last half is also dedicated to “the love of his life”, his wife Ratna Pathak. His many romances and dalliances, and anecdotes of substance abuse unmask him as a human, a hot-blooded one at that, especially for this generation which has only ever seen him with the salt and pepper hair and time carved onto his face in the form of wrinkles.

The memoir is worth reading for any fan, filmmaker, theatre producer or acting student. Neither preachy nor academic, the unflinching look back at the life of one of the greatest actors alive today is a treat not to be missed. For many, a Naseeruddin Shah play, film or dramatic reading feels like a ploy to bring all these generations closer together. While the young Shah would scoff at the very idea, the older Shah we have inherited from our parents would possibly fully endorse it.

Author Naseeruddin Shah.

Nuzhat Saadia Siddiqi is a Lahore-based writer and book hoarder.

She tweets @guldaar NOVEMBER 9-15 2014

41

HEALTH

Smoke

and mirriors

Smoking sheesha is more harmful than cigarettes, than why do people still do it?

BY SAADIA KHAN DESIGN BY OMER ASIM

The geographical origin of the practice of smoking hookah might be disputed between Persia and India, but there seems to be a consensus between medical experts regarding its harmful effects on health.

Sheesha — the modern twist on hookah — found at a variety of restaurants and cafes nowadays, consists of a base, a pipe extending from the base, a bowl, a hose and a mouth piece. Flavoured tobacco is added to a bowl which is placed on top of the pipe. The bowl is then covered with aluminum foil that is punctured with small holes and red hot charcoal pieces are placed on top to heat the tobacco. Since smoke is inhaled through water in a sheesha, it is considered less damaging to the body than cigarettes. However, sheesha contains the same ingredients that cigarettes do, such as tar, carbon monoxide, heavy metals, and other toxic chemicals, which are carcinogenic.

As bad as smoking, if not worse Hookah smokers may be at risk for some of the same diseases as cigarette smokers which include: Coronary artery diseases (angina/heart attack).

Symptoms include blood clotting and high blood pressure.

Cancer of the lungs, mouth, larynx, esophagus, cervix, and bladder — this is because tobacco juices irritate the mouth and then they are swallowed and come into contact with other organs.

It does not allow bodily wounds to heal quickly and well.

Chronic lung disease Addiction Asthma — the heavy volume of smoke causes chemical irritation to the lungs leading to allergy-induced asthma.

Premature labour in women and miscarriages.

Male infertility Use of common pipes, which may or may not be cleaned regularly, can cause a number of infections and diseases such as tuberculosis.

Charcoal used to heat the tobacco produces high levels of carbon monoxide.

Second-hand smoke can cause all these above ffects to people around you and lead to upper-respiratory tract infections, pneumonia, ear infections and can trigger asthma.

Huff, puff and blow you away Volume of smoke inhaled in an hour-long sheesha session is estimated to be the equivalent of smoking 100-200 cigarettes. The amount of smoke inhaled during a typical hookah session is about 90,000 millilitres (ml). Meanwhile, 500–600 ml is inhaled when smoking a cigarette.

Factors that could potentially increase risk to sheesha smokers are the amount of puffs they take, the depth n, the the he length llen en ngth of of the th h session he ses ession and and duration dur ura a of inhalation, of smok okin ng. g smoking.

What to do?

Increase awareness about its harmful effects on health through public messages, flyers, advertisements and health campaigns.

Health education should be part of the academic syllabus at school.

Parents should keep an eye on their children’s activities.

There should be certain rules and regulations observed at cafes and restaurants serving sheesha. For e.g observing age limits and not allowing customers to smoke in small, stuffy indoor spaces.

Saadia Khan is a pediatric resident from Multan. She tweets @drkhanchc

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