SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
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SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
Feature
Tainted love
Cover Story
War Of Indie-pendence Inexpensive equipment means local bands can now record and release music without giving in to popular trends
Never get high on your own supply, warns a famous naswar maker in Karachi’s Jackson bazaar
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Feature
Peshawari Pizza Pizza is becoming more popular in Peshawar, but only two major joints offer it
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34 Clarification In The Express Tribune magazine’s September 15 cover story ‘The Dawoodi Bohras: Cut from the same cloth’ designer Aquila Aftab is quoted as saying: “It is worn to a masjid… and it’s a very personal thing.” Her words were referring to the design of the rida and were not a comment on whether it was compulsory to wear it or not. EDITOR
Magazine Editor: Mahim Maher and Sub-Editors: Dilaira Mondegarian and Sundar Waqar Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Essa Malik, Jamal Khurshid, Samra Aamir, Munira Abbas & S Asif Ali Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. 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
Asim Jofa brings his bridal and couture studio to Karachi
PHOTOS COURTESY SAVVY PR AND EVENTS
Zhalay, Amir, Mul and Tauseef
Uzma and Sarah
Sarwat Gillani and Ahsan Khan Ayaan
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Imran and Nazia Malik SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
Angie Marshal
Salwa Magsi, Asim Jofa and Sasha
SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
PEOPLE & PARTIES Fifth Avenue opens its outlet at Ocean Mall, Karachi
Fatima and Nausheen
Zhalay and Sanam
Iqra and Sehrish
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Areeba SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
Bushra
Anaas and Hira PHOTOS COURTESY TAKE II
SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
PEOPLE & PARTIES Khanz stocks up at multibrand store, Cocktail, in Karachi
Iraj
Mariam and Shaheen Khan
Naveen
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Sophia SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
Sadaf
Shumaila PHOTOS COURTESY SHAHEEN KHAN
SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
PEOPLE & PARTIES
PHOTOS COURTESY ANASTASIA PR
Moddi, Huma, Asma and Emanne
Asma Sohail Omer and Huma
60 Second International Film Festival hits Karachi Hira
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Laiqa and Ayesha Mian SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
Zainab
Hasina Khanani
SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Sana, Saba and Ayesha
Erum and Mufleha
Peri Peri Original opens its doors to food lovers in Lahore
Sherry and Waleed
Annie and Hassan
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Zainab and Osman SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
Uzma and Xille
Aliha PHOTOS COURTESY VERVE PR
SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Faisal and Abeer
PHOTOS COURTESY VERVE PR
Charlie, Sundas and Sara
Maleeha
Qurat and Rafia Shazme and Farzeen Zainab and Raza
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Sangeeta SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
Arun and Rachel
Zain and Hina
SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
PEOPLE & PARTIES L’Oréal Professionnel opens its first Professional Products Academy in Karachi
Amber, Tanzeela and Aalia
Samina Khan
Hina Lubna
Zaira, Arshy and Asmat
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Nada and Hina Farid SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
Arshy, Sehar and Ambreen
Musharaf Hai and Christian Ramage PHOTOS COURTESY LOTUS PR
Sadia Shah
Kiran Haroon
Huda and Saira
Daulat Rehmatullah with her daughter
PHOTOS COURTESY LOTUS PR
Hina Yousaf
Sadaf Asad
Beenish Parvez
Ujala Zia
Hafsah
19 SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
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SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
COVER STORY
a Mandar Sikandar k
Inexpensive equipment means local bands can now record and release music without giving in to popular trends or demands of major record labels BY IMAAN SHEIKH DESIGN BY MUNIRA ABBAS
The younger breed of indie bands is an eccentric lot, painstakingly tiptoeing away from any hints of mass appeal.
The word ‘Indie’ comes from ‘independent’. And while such musicians in other parts of the world do manage to make a decent income without the help of major record labels, most of them in Pakistan are shelling out money from their own pockets to make music. But that doesn’t keep these 20-somethings from recording and releasing their tracks, especially when elaborate studio equipment or acoustically treated rooms are not necessarily required to create a great sounding record. No label required either; upload your songs on to one of the popular musicsharing sites such as SoundCloud, or better yet, shoot a video with your inexpensive DSLR camera.
Saad Nadir Ali from Sikandar ka Mandar
“It’s about doing something in the day for work and doing what makes you happy at night,” says doctor-slash-musician Salman Younus Khan. Younas and Saad Munzar, who together form Basheer & The Pied Pipers, went to medical school. But they couldn’t resist the lure of a good tune. Their dense, hypnotic music illustrates why these two chose the profession they did — ghastly sounds don’t make their stomachs churn. They have two EPs under their belt, ‘Basheer’ and ‘Paperclouds’. Both exhibit a fair bit of musicianship and computer trickery. Most ‘underground’ bands in the past have relied on an overdose of guitars, but the trend is now changing. The guy with the acoustic guitar around
//Orangenoise
a bonfire isn’t attracting a lot of attention from the girls, because frankly, there are very few bonfires. With all the musicians and music enthusiasts huddled up in front of their computers, a strange blend of electronic and organic sounds is brewing. //Orangenoise presents a problem before a listen. How do you pronounce a name that begins with two forward slashes? These selfproclaimed ‘psychedelic chappalgazers’ (a throwback on the term ‘navel
gazing’) need a manual to explain the quirky references they throw out. Shoegazing is a sub-genre of alternative rock. It often includes an army of stomp boxes and effects pedals that the musician may set foot on at his discretion; hence, the term shoegazing and ‘Chappalgazers’. //Orangenoise performed in Uth Records, produced by Pakistan’s ace drummer ‘Gumby’, in 2012. They also get regular airplay on local and international radio. The band was even featured on social news and entertainment website Reddit’s Listen To This Best of 2012. The noise in their album A Journey to the Heart of Matter is quite agreeable. Most effects are wrapped over live instruments, indicating that the band is not using them as a crutch but as an extension of their ideas. They may be fond of creating a racket, but some
Basheer & The Pied Pipers
ring hearts with their hummable songs and poignant lyrics. Those who give them a listen are bound to be smitten. Comprising, among others, teachers of music and literature, the band Poor Rich Boy possess a rare finesse. As a result, the insight reflected in their songs is hard to miss. This band tackles complex subjects with simple earnestness and its work is layered with messages of love and politics. For example, the song Fair Weather Friend is about our relationship with China. Unfortunately, they have chosen to write their songs in English, and that too using metaphors and vocabulary most will frown upon. ‘Silvertongued seraphim circling the spire’ being a case in point. But not all bands are consciously trying to dodge fame or stand out. “I’ve never thought of what sets my music apart from everyone else’s. That doesn’t matter much
Most underground bands in the past have relied on an overdose of guitars but the trend is now changing sing-along moments ensure it’s not all orange: the blues peek through, albeit briefly. Unsurprisingly, frontman Talha Asim Wynne points out that his band is not looking for superstardom. “A small label is all right, but as an indie band, a big*** label is just not us,” he says. P o p u - larity is a strange thanksgiving, often finding refuge in the unlikeliest of places. And Lahore-based Poor Rich Boy might have seen a glimpse of this, dare we say, fair weather friend. Plucking the ukulele strings, this folksy outfit is stir-
to me,” says Shajie Hassan, frontman of indie-rock band ‘Shajie’. “All that matters, is [that] it leaves me content and that’s about all I expect from it.” Shajie’s three singles — Dosti Pyar, Oonchay Dost and Battakhain — are already doing the rounds on social media and radio. They also released a new song called Hockey on an episode of City Sessions FM89. Judging by his songs, Shajie does not seem averse to the idea of mainstream appreciation. Another talented musician who plays for a number of bands echoes the sentiment. “We have no reservations over the idea of going commercial as long as the suits aren’t asking us to do a rock rendition of Billo de Ghar,” Muhammad Ali Suhail says of one of his ventures called Jumbo Jutt. He is, however, as terrified of the idea of having to compromise on his music for commercial gains as the others. “With all
my projects, you can tell I love and play all kinds of music. But I’m ‘indie’ by default. Not many people help independent musicians grow here. We have to do things on our own.” And the 24-year-old is doing many things. He plays a number of stringed instruments (ukulele, banjo, guitar and bass) for a number of bands — Jumbo Jutt, Sikandar ka Mandar, The Joomie Experience and Shajie. Suhail’s solo expedition in the form of an EP titled Words from Boxes shows he will continue to make music, with or without a little help from his friends. But music loves company. And Nadir Shahzad Khan from Sikandar ka Mandar is adamant about providing indie musicians a platform to perform and collaborate. His initiative ‘Lussun TV’ is a music and skit show featuring lesser known bands experimenting with all sorts of sounds. The idea for the project came to Nadir in 2010 when he began to make funny videos for YouTube with his friends. He later added a
song here and a song there and the whole thing came to life. Eventually, with the help of music producer Rohail Hyatt, Nadir was able to turn it into a regular show. //Orangenoise, Mole and Basheer & The Pied Pipers are some of the bands that have featured in the first two seasons while the third is set to be released in about a month. After the YouTube ban was imposed last September, Nadir had to find another forum for his show. Undeterred, he chose video-sharing site Vimeo to release the episodes, using Facebook and other social networking sites to promote the music. The ban on YouTube has been a huge loss for musicians in terms of outreach. The video-sharing site allowed virtually unknown artists such as Ali Gul Pir and Beghairat Brigade to go viral. But just like the latter’s song Dhinak Dhinak has indicated, censorship in the country is an arbitrary affair and if musicians are to continue making music they need to be prepared to suffer more than a few setbacks. Some have not relied on videos at all. Bambu Sauce came up with a grinding rock tune Mojambo that caught attention as soon as it hit the airwaves across the country. Abundant airplay on radio helped the band attract fans and soon the word caught on. Replete with driving guitar riffs and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, Bambu Sauce got young listeners scratching their heads asking, ‘what is the scene?’ The scene, however, is serene. There are few concerts and even fewer for bands making the kind of music most indie musicians do. In the absence of having the opportunity to play in front of an audience, the art of performance has suffered a significant blow. Only a handful
of places such as The 2nd Floor and MAD School in Karachi and The Guitar School in Lahore allow musicians to perform in front a select but appreciative audience. Of course those who do come to listen to these bands love the music and their support keeps the musicians going. “We perform once a month on average and our audience is about 150 to 200 people. What matters is that it is a very loyal cult of people,” says Nadir. Being loyal to their music is what these bands consider a sacred vow. None of them are willing to ‘sell their soul’. Unconsciously or otherwise, these musicians are relentlessly swimming against the tides of conformity. They insist on creating what is to them an expression of their selves. But the music is not always inaccessible — the hipsters on the other side are as unconventional. And the language is universal. T With editing by Ali Haider Habib
FEATURE The sun-dried, sometimes only partially cured, powdered local tobacco is crushed between two big curved stones fixed to the floor
Tainted love
f Oil, flavouring agents c (eg cardamom, menthol), colou colouring agents (indigo or yellow are added to the yellow) tobac and then water and tobacco guar gum
Never get high on your own supply, warns a famous naswar maker in Karachi’s Jackson bazaar BY SOHAIL KHATTAK DESIGN BY ASIF ALI
The funny thing is that most people who use it think that Naswar is a safe drug. They are perhaps not aware that the WHO found this smokeless form of tobacco has a minimum of 28 cancercausing agents. They include compounds such as arsenic and nickel, plus radio-elements such as polonium, uranium, beryllium. Right at the end the and lime or calcium carbonate is added and it is left in the open to air a bit before it is packed
32 SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
Naswar is a mixture of sun-dried, sometimes only partially cured, powdered local tobacco, ash, oil, flavouring agents (eg cardamom, menthol), colouring agents (indigo or yellow) and lime or calcium carbonate, water and guar gum. Ammonium chloride is added as a preservative and to give it bite. It is usually sold in round or square plastic packets held with a rubber band to keep it from exposure to the air. A single packet costs Rs10 and can yield up 20 pinches. Unlike chewing tobacco, naswar is taken as a pinch and packed into the jowl. It used to come in special steel snuff boxes but those are rare these days. The tins would come fixed with a vanity mirror men used if they wanted to fix their comb-over. The Yousufzai dialect speakers of Pashto call it naswar and the people in the southern districts of KhyberPakhtunkhwa and Waziristan refer to it as kap or nasor, however, in Karachi where the largest population of Pakhtuns are said to live, it is naswar no matter what size or shape it comes in. It is a common misperception that only the Pathan is addicted to naswar. It has not spared any ethno-linguistic group, from the Sindhi- to the Hindkospeaking populations. Karachi is also among the biggest markets for naswar where tons of it are consumed daily. One of the best places to get some is Keamari but it is also sold in Banaras and old Sabzi Mandi.
Namus Khan is famous for supposedly being the first man to make naswar with a machine in Karachi’s Keamari three decages ago. Today he supplies the whole city
Namus Khan, originally from Bajaur Agency, has earned a bit of a name for his supply at Keamari’s Jackson Bazaar where he is assisted by his 20-year-old son Ayub Khan. Their naswar is said to reach almost every part of the city and their daily sale comes to about Rs20,000. One of the reasons for their popularity is experience. Khan is said to be the first man in the city to install a naswar-making machine around three decades ago. The entire street is now infamous as Naswari Street. But Khan even owns a ‘branch’ at Empress Market. “Four people, including me, work from morning till night making and packing the packets of naswar,” says Khan. “We produce around 300 kilograms a day but this is still not enough to meet demand.” The tobacco and ash, particularly from the sheesham tree, comes from Swabi district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Jampur of Ranjanpur in Punjab. The other ingredients are available in Lea Market in Karachi. A supplier of the key ingredients to Karachi, Khalid Khan, says that he brings tobacco in a 50 kilogramme sack for Rs7,000 and the same quantity of Swabi ash costs Rs1,200. The tobacco is crushed between two big curved stones fixed to the floor. A pair of wooden hammers run by an electric machine hit it for 10 minutes. “The hammer hits the tobacco so hard and fast that it burns and their colours turn black,” explains Lal Jahan, who has prepared naswar in Keamari for over 30 years. Then the ash and guar gum come next. The calcium carbonate, colour and ammonium chloride (locally called naushadar) are added right in the end. The more you crush the tobacco the stronger the naswar. It takes about two hours to make a batch. This is all hard work, however. Namus Khan says the average man can’t do it. The constant smell of the tobacco
At Namus Khan’s shop in Keamari, Karachi they make about 300kg a day of naswar. PHOTOS: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS makes you vomit, gives you headaches and leads to skin rashes or itchiness. “Those who make and pick it can’t be addicted to it because of their exposure to it all the day,” he says. “But for those who are hooked on naswar it is impossible to go a few minutes without having some or ensuring there is some in your hand or pocket.” Naswar, much like smoking, has a disastrous first encounter. “Almost everyone vomits with the first intake and swears that they will never touch it again,” says Abdul Majid, a young man who came to buy some at Namus Khan’s at a half past midnight. “But if they take it again, they will be addicted. At least it is better than cigarettes.” His habit is so bad that he starts to feel anxious if he doesn’t have it in his pocket or somewhere close by. He warns that if your supply runs out you start to get irritated and angry and get a headache. That’s why he was there in the middle of the night to score 33 some more. T SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
FEATURE
I R A W PESHA
A Z Z PI
war, a h s e P ar in l u p o p g morets offer it n i m o c be in Pizza isly two major jo but on
BY MUHAMMAD IRFAN & KAMRAN KHAN DESIGN BY SAMRA AAMIR
Peshawar is a city where food is only considered food if there is plenty of it, it is well cooked and it is not spicy. The less complicated the better. This would, in part, explain why you will be spoiled for choice when it comes to tikka, mutton chops, karhai. Try Namakmandi and the Charsi Tikka on University Road or Taraskoon Restaurant a bit farther down. But you will be hard pressed to find pizza in Peshawar — there are only two major places that make it. 34 SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
The very first pizzeria is generally said to be the famous Sultan Golden Pizza House near Army Stadium. It is believed to have been named after (and run by) Sultan Muhammad Khan Golden, the great motorcar and motorcycle stuntman and jumping specialist. Rumour has it, however, that he packed up his pizzeria after 9/11. This left Peshawar with Pizza Hut at Captain Karnal Sher Khan, Stadium, Shami Road in the cantonment and Chief Burger on Jamrud Road.
Quetta’s fastfood joints A quick look at where you can go: Pizza Hut declined to speak to The Express Tribune, but Chief Burger was more than happy to tell its story. The brains behind this business venture is Muhammad Mumtaz Ilahi. He trained for six years as a chef and administrator at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad and opened Chief Burger in 1984. They started out with just 20 customers. Then, Mumtaz Ilahi persuaded his brother who worked as a chef at a three-star hotel, to come back from the UAE. “I behaved like a big brother and brought my younger brother Babar Hussain Ilahi back to Peshawar to give lessons to our staff at Chief Burger on how to make pizza,” he explained. Babar Hussain came up with five different recipes and within three months, eight of their staffers had learnt how to make them. They added it to the menu in 2001. This really helped business grow to about 150 customers a day. They were able to expand to four large halls and today they get about 500 diners daily, tended to by a staff of 90 which includes 13
RV Pizza, Chilton road Rahat Bakers. Arts School road Baig Snack Bar, Jinnah Road Pizza Point, Churmal Road Dalan bakers Serena road Palace bakery, Mission road Dolphin bakery, Jinnah road Cakes ’n cookies, Archer Road Jan Broast, Prince Road Khadim chaat house Hot ’n spicy, Shahbaz Town Hot ’n Chili, Shahbaz Town QFC, Jinnah road Kamal Chargha Usmania restaurant, Jinnah road Noorani, Airport road Zamzama superstore, Airport road Student Biryani, Shahwaksha road Master Biryani, Shahwaksha road Karachi Biryani
PHOTOS: MUHAMMAD IQBAL
35 SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
FEATURE
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dishwashers, 38 waiters, 14 helpers, and four supervisors. Demand is so high that Muhammad Tahir, who has given 15 years of life to Chief Burger as a waiter, said he didn’t even have time to stop to breathe. There used to be a time when he could complete his sentences with coworkers, he says by way of example. But now there are nearly always 15 people waiting in line. “We get happy when we receive more and more customers which is a sign of living and not just being alive,” he said before rushing off to get the next order. While they have 16 different kinds of pizzas, Mumtaz Ilahi says the Pakhtun prefer their chicken tikka one. Some of the choices are pure Italian, such as the Bologna, you’ll get the very American Hawaiian Delight and even the Four Seasons or the Mexican Chilli. It appears, however, that the exotic don’t necessarily appeal to the K-P palette. “I would JANUARY SEPTEMBER 27- 22-28 FEBRUARY 2013 2 2013
While Chief Burger has 16 different kinds of pizzas, Mumtaz Ilahi says the Pakhtun prefer their chicken tikka one say that people here love their own traditional food so much that they want its flavour in their pizza, burgers and even in Chinese and Thai dishes,” Illahi adds. The Chief Burger owner knows that the secret to his success is giving people what they want. And if you are finding it hard to decide, someone like Tasleem Khan, who has been working at Chief Burger for 12 years as a waiter, is happy to help. “It’s like feeding and serving humanity,” he says. Indeed, food is a serious business. T
BOOK
JK Rowling returns but this is no child’s play BY MASHAL ABBASI
Joyland
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Joyland, set in a small town amusement park in 1973, revolves around college student Devin Jones, who comes to work there that summer. Jones gets more than he bargained for however, when he is dragged into a homicide case which occurred four years ago. SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
The cuckoo’s calling, and Strike is listening If this book were written by a real Robert Galbraith, the pseudonym used by JK Rowling, it would have made a great debut. However, it isn’t, and Rowling, of Harry Potter fame, once again takes centre stage as the author of The Cuckoo’s Calling, a crime fiction novel set in the heart of London. Rowling’s style gives her away throughout the book, right from the very beginning, with vivid descriptions and a particular attention to detail. It is rather unnerving at first, to see the author of a beloved children’s series transition so easily into adult fiction. Her new protagonist is practically a chain smoker, and her writing is peppered with swear words, making the language different from that of the Goblet of Fire. The story centres on Cormoman Strike, a private investigator called in to explore the apparent suicide of Luna Landry, a famous supermodel. While police reports state that her death was purely an act of self destruction, Luna’s brother, John Bristow, has serious doubts, suspecting foul play, and thus hires Strike. The son of an infamous rockstar, and a war veteran, Strike is a charac-
ter beautifully constructed by Rowling. One would immediately draw physical comparisons to Rowling’s lovable Hagrid, but mentally, not so much. Strike would be best described as a man whose life is falling apart. He lost a leg during the war in Afghanistan, had to leave the love of his life, and is in severe debt. Enter Bistrow, who provides not only a financial lifeline, but a distraction of sorts for him. Another significant character is Robin, a young woman who ends up working as Strike’s secretary. With a new case to crack, and a faithful sidekick (note how her name is Robin), Strike sets off to find out whether Landry committed suicide or was murdered. The plot evolves rather slowly, as Strike interviews various people who may or may not have been connected to Landry’s death, with the occasional field assistance from Robin. An intricate web of clues is woven from a variety of different sources, with Strike carefully dissecting each and every hint. Mentions of the most miniscule details throw the reader off, but are just as essential to the case as other findings.
Murder, they wrote
There is an evident contrast between the life of the detective and that of the former supermodel. Throughout his work, Strike is thrown into a word of lavish homes, drugs, and money. Socialising with supermodels and rock stars, producers and fashion designers, Strike is clearly drawn out to be an impressive character, not falling prey to all the glitz and glamour around him. In fact, Strike manages to use the opulence of their lives against these celebrities, taking advantage of the copious amounts of alcohol to elicit sensitive information from them. It becomes clear at one point that Strike has solved the case, but Rowling keeps the reader in suspense, revealing little as the story progresses. As for the significance of the title, Cuckoo was a nickname given to Landry by her friends, and the title suggests that in a way, Landry was calling out to Strike, edging him on, pushing him towards the truth. Strike relates to her death in such a way that he becomes almost obsessive in his search for justice. T Available at Liberty Books for Rs1,395
Confessions of a Murder Suspect
The 9th Girl
When Malcolm and Maud Angel are murdered, their daughter Tandy is on the list of suspects and she can’t trust anyone, including herself. As she sets out to clear her name, Tandy discovers secrets, dangerous secrets better left hidden, and invites more danger into her life.
A young woman’s body is found, so badly damaged that she is given the nickname zombie doe. She is the 9th female victim of the year and detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska are called in to investigate the crimes.
Lost in the darkness Vin Diesel is too silent to be interesting in Riddick BY AIZA NASIR
Vin Diesel is back as cult favorite for the third installment of the intergalactic, survivor series — Riddick. From the get-go, the movie assumes our familiarity with the character; he is a wanted convict being hunted by bounty hunters across galaxies. He has the ability to see in the dark, his CGI night-vision eyes constantly glistens as he puts his head down and gets the job done. In a fairly straightforward plot, the movie picks off where it left off in The Chronicles of Riddick. After being betrayed by the Necromonger Vaako (Star Trek’s loveable doctor Karl Urban), who had promised to help him return to his home planet, Furya, in exchange for the throne, Riddick is left for dead on a barren broiling planet. He calls it Not Furya in a flash of uninspired humour. The first half of the movie is painfully slow and is mostly sans dialogue, filled with flashbacks of how Riddick got there, and his efforts to adapt to the bizarre surroundings. The opening sequence includes his fight for survival against various creepy crawlies, such as alien hyenas, giant slimy eels and vultures. An imminent deadly storm prompts him to head to an abandoned post, where he transmits an emergency beacon to
secure transport off the planet. As he’s a wanted fugitive, this prompts two groups of mercenaries to come running after him. He plans to wait, and between himself and the creepy crawlies, kills enough pursuers to steal their ship. Obviously, neither side finds it easy to locate Riddick, and when they finally do, they have to team up to battle the onslaught of vicious creatures that are brought in by a storm. Santana, played by Jordi Molla, is the odsleazebag who leads a group of bloodddick’s thirsty bounty hunters who want Riddick’s head as a trophy. Boss Johns, played by enda Matt Nable, has a more personal agenda and leads a more refined crew. Dahl,, played by Katee Sackhoff, is Boss’s sidekick, e of and an expert sniper. She is also one estar the highlights in the rebooted Battlestar Gallactica. In Riddick, being a strong female tering character means constantly encountering iddick sexual harassment, at times from Riddick nly himself. More disappointingly, this only ends up making her fall for Riddick. d After seeing Diesel in the Fast and wed Furious franchise, in which he’s allowed els to smile and actually act, Riddick feels more like a sack of potatoes. The funny-looking glasses that he wearss to protect his sensitive eyes from the sun
don’t help and thus, in this character, he is a far cry from the charismatic and at times sensitive Toretto, the masses love. Only Riddick’s loyal fans will enjoy this movie, which has been upped to an R rating. The movie is nothing you haven’t seen before and lacks the whirlwind energy that has made Diesel’s recent projects successful. But if you want to watch a brooding, overly macho Diesel, then this is the movie for you.
FILM
Fantasy film backfires with weak character development BY MARIAM GABAJI
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is adapted from the first of the series of books by Cassandra Clare but hardly does justice to the text. Its makers should have tapped into richer human stories that we, mere mortals, can relate to. Directed by Harald Zwart, this 130-minute box office failure is set in present-day New York City and stars Clary (Lilly Collins), a young girl who discovers, after a murder at a pub, that she actually belongs to the clan of shadow-hunters, half angels, who kill demons. These supernatural beings cannot be seen by ‘mundane’ humans. A subplot is the love story: Clary’s best friend Simon (Robert Sheehan) secretly harbours feelings for her. After the discovery that she is a shadow-
hunter, Clary’s primary agenda is to search for her mother, also a shadow-hunter, who has gone missing. Her mission is to find the magical artifact, the mortal cup, which her mother had hidden to protect it from the villains. As Clary embarks on the journey, she is constantly shielded by a fellow shadow-hunter Lace (Jamie Campbell Bower), who needs her for his own motives. With Lace in the picture, the love triangle is completed, as Clary is attracted to Lace’s flirtatious yet insensitive nature and his expertise at combat. Even though Clary plays the role of the protagonist with punch, her supporting cast fail to back up the plot, and the lame, supposedly witty comments, fall flat. You will be, however, taken in with the action, which the movie wastes no time in introducing right at the beginning. However, the back-story is clumsily managed with thin characterisation. And thus this soppy love story masquerading as a fantasy flick fights its way through attacks from monsters. Shadowhunters would not suffice, which is why
werewolves and a witch are also part of the picture. The Mortal Instruments fills your appetite with a platter full of otherworldly characters. Clary does her best to emotionally anchor the movie in some kind of reality, but her transition from an ordinary girl to a vehement fighter does not ring true. Furthermore, the villains seem far too ordinary to make an impact, and the tension between the characters seems remote. For example, Valentine (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), the evil shadow-hunter searching for the mortal cup to further his wicked plans, struggles to bring his supposedly frightening character to life with silly speeches and little pigtails stuck to the back of his head. The first initiative of the successful book series has definitely backfired, and now the producers must go back to the drawing board, having put the second sequel on hold, in order to save the franchise. T
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film
AR BY SUNDAR WAQ
In The Bling Ring director Sofia Coppola takes us into the wardrobes of celebrities and the glamorous world of Hollywood. If you are a fashion fiend or a celebrity-worshipper, this movie will leave you awestruck throughout. Far from other cinematic interpretations of celebrity lifestyles, Coppola’s film is based on a true story. Coppola was inspired by a 2010 Vanity Fair piece ‘The Suspects Wore Louboutins’ by award-winning journalist Nancy Jo Sales. The article unveils the suspects and their motivations behind burglaries at celebrity homes. And so, from a distance Coppola shows us how a group of club-hopping teenagers in Calabasas, California, cat-burgle more than $3m in jewellery, cash and high-end goods. The group of seven teenagers (popularly known as The Bling Ring) — Rebecca (Katie Chang) the mastermind, Marc (Israel Broussard) the new student at the high school, Rebecca’s friends Chloe (Claire Julien) and Nicki (Ema Watson), along with Nicki’s adopted sister Sam and Chloe’s friends Rob and
Ricky — use the internet to track the whereabouts of their targets. Breaking in is easy as doors and windows are almost always unlocked. Once inside their homes, we are dragged into designer heaven — their victims’ wardrobes, stacked with Chanel, Hervé Leger, Louboutins, Birkins. Paris Hilton let Coppola shoot her wardrobe and night club room. Endless rows of shoes open into a room full of diamonds that opens into a room flowing with clothes. Paris has so many items in her wardrobe that she doesn’t even notice when her things go missing (the group breaks into her house five times). After robbing their celebrity victims, the group members don the stolen items and upload photos on social media sites, posing with cash which later becomes evidence. This is strange, as normal robbers don’t show off their spoils. But these teenagers are different criminals, driven by celebrity-worship and consumer-culture. They actually belong to wealthy families and do not need to steal. They do it because each shoe and shirt they nick brings them one step closer to the high-
profile people they adore and their perfect life. Their vanity and desire to look and dress like the rich and famous drove them to rob the homes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson, Audrina Partridge and Megan Fox. When they break into Orlando Bloom’s house, after finding out that he is in New York for a shoot, they steal his wife Miranda Kerr’s lingerie. Stealing lingerie may seem absurd but as Sales points out in her piece, “they wanted to look sexy.” Coppola assumes a distant position and shows us the events of the crime. She dwells on the subject but does not commit to a moral lesson. The narrative is a flashback of confessions, rendering the movie devoid of suspense. Despite this, Coppola has managed to keep the story interesting. She keeps us far from the characters (does not focus on family backgrounds) but close enough to realise that they have been corrupted by the seemingly glamorous and glitzy world of celebrities. Overall, the success of the movie lies in highlighting the irony that being ‘burglars’ makes the teenagers ‘celebrities’ — the thing 41 they truly desire. T SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
Fifty shades of CNG Lahore has converted to CNG, but this isn’t always a good thing OUR CORRESPONDENT
Developing countries like Argentina are getting rid of their compressed natural gas (CNG) and switching to bio fuels. But Pakistan can’t seem to get enough of it — indeed, we are importing the CNG kits that Argentina is getting rid of. In fact, people here have switched over so rapidly to CNG that today we have the highest number of CNG vehicles in the world. But is this a good thing?
Researchers from the Sustainable Development Study Center at GC University, Lahore decided to compare how much pollution is emitted by fuel type. Their findings were just published in a report titled, ‘A Comparison of Engine Emissions from Heavy, Medium, and Light Vehicles for CNG, Diesel, and Gasoline Fuels’ appeared in the Polish Journal of Environmental Studies. The experts checked how much sul-
fur dioxide (think acid rain), carbon monoxide, smoke, nitrogen monoxide and hydrocarbons were produced. They were worried because Lahore has an estimated five million vehicles. As it turns out, using CNG is generally good but only depending on the type of vehicle. “It is not as clean as people think,” cautioned Dr Abdullah Yasar, the primary author of the paper. It tends to produce some emissions more than diesel and gasoline. So for example, when heavy vehicle engines switched from diesel to CNG, their harmful emissions went down. The same happens when diesel cars start using CNG. But when cars on gasoline start using CNG, they ended up producing more harmful nitrogen monoxide. The experts found the same problem with 4-stroke CNG rickshaws — they produced more nitrogen monoxide than a gasoline rickshaw. Carbon monoxide %age emissions in Lahore
CNG
42
Diesel
Bus
2-stroke LPG
4-stroke CNG
4-stroke Gasoline
Rickshaw
2-stroke Gasoline
4-stroke Gasoline
Motorcycle
CNG
Diesel
Gasoline
Car
SOURCE: POLISH JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013
Tractors Taxis
Trucks
Buses Delivery vans Rickshaws
Cars, jeeps, vans Motorcycle
Lahore’s vehicle population is 5m The experts also found that CNG engines produced nine to 20 times of another harmful gas, carbon monoxide, than diesel engines. For example, the CNG van engine added 8.7 times carbon monoxide to the air compared to the diesel van engine. The problem is that CNG engines work at temperatures that convert the atmospheric nitrogen gas to nitrogen monoxide. Aside from these technical aspects of using CNG, experts like Dr Yasar are concerned about the stay orders CNG stations have acquired in Lahore to operate in residential areas. “In many cases they share walls with schools,” he said, citing hazards in cases of explosions. For now, though, despite shortages, it seems that Pakistan can’t seem to kick its CNG habit. The future is, according to Dr Yasar, hydrogen gas that is being tested in Japan. “For the last 20 years or so they have been making prototypes and testing for safety,” he said. And if it works out, well, all our cars will produce is steam. T