SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
Cover Story
18 It’s getting hot in here Where there’s smoke, there’s the smoking hot Meesha Shafi!
Feature
26 The forgotten film-maker Camera-shy Jamil Dehlavi, maker of Jinnah, opens up about his creative process
28 Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! Tired of desi exorcists? Well, ultra-modern London has it’s own answer to our Bengali Baba!
36 Risky business Between genetic deficiencies and steroid abuse, going global is only a distant dream for Pakistani bodybuilders
18
Travel
26
32 Kingdom of Lakes A hidden paradise near the Pak-Afghan border
Regulars 6 People & Parties: Out and about with Pakistan’s beautiful people 39 Reviews: Thorny engagements and total letdowns 42 End Of The Line: Misbah joins the army!
32
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Magazine Editor: Zarrar Khuhro, Senior Sub-Editors: Zainab Imam. Sub-Editors: Mifrah Haq, Ameer Hamza and Dilaira Mondegarian. Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Maha Haider, Faizan Dawood, Samra Aamir, Sanober Ahmed. Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi. For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk Printed: uniprint@unigraph.com
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Saira Lakhani Misha Lakhani, Sana Khan and Amara
Misha Lakhani launches her fashion line at her first outlet in Karachi
Saadia Nawabi Zil Lakhani and Bilal Lakhani Sultan Lakhani
Sana Sarfaraz
6 SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
Alizeh Durrani and Madiha
Shazdeh and Neeshay Rabbani
Frieha Altaf and Huma Adnan
Amin Guljee and Marium Shams
Ainy Jaffri
PHOTOS COURTESY CATALYST PR AND MARKETING
Nida Azwer
Neshmia
Zehra, Minyl and Rabia
Seema Agha, Arsheen Premjee and Anya
7 SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Manju Ramanan and Aanya Aggarwal
Amir and Huma Adnan host Suhoor Night at the Ritz Carlton, Dubai
Faiza Rangoonwalla and Huma Adnan
Rizwan Sajan, Rinku Wadhwani and Zohaib Haider
Neha Singh, Priya Patney, Iram Khokher, and Shadaab Munshi
10 SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
Abhimanyu Aggarwal
Naureen Aquil
PHOTOS COURTESY UNIMONDE
Habib Hussain and Niharika Mathur
SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Shefali Munshi, Osier Khan and Suna Nakhare
Shweta Gill and Ms Virdi
Iman Saib and Heena Hussain
12 SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
PHOTOS COURTESY UNIMONDE
Aishwarya Ajit
Shruti, Amir Adnan and Neeil
Tasneem Daud
Sameera Sajan
SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Tara Uzra Dawood
Neera Mansoor
The Peacock Lounge holds an Eid Fiesta at Port Grand in Karachi Saira and Ghazala
Meena Shahid and Pomme
14 SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
Anam and Amel
PHOTOS COURTESY PHENOMENA
Iman, Lexi and Mishal
Zurain and Nazu
SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Monis Rahman, Zeeshan Akhtar, Zeeshan Qureshi, Omar Jamil and Imran
Sidra Iqbal
PHOTOS COURTESY LATITUDE PR
QMobile launches its first smart phone, Noir A2, in Lahore
Iman Ali Noor-ul-Ain
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Misbah Momin SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
Resham
Aliya, Natasha and Zaariya
Saira Agha and Shaghufta
SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
COVER STORY
18 SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
Meesha Shafi is one sexy b****. And I say this literally, after hours of careful observation and interaction. “Sexy” because she just can’t help it — put an attay ki bori on her lean frame and dump a pail of dirty water over her head and Shafi will still manage to look like she’s posing for a high fashion editorial. “B****” because she’s good at almost everything she does and she knows it. Also, she makes the rest of us look bad by comparison. As far as interviews go, this one just doesn’t seem to be working for me. We’re sitting on a lovely
terrace in Shafi’s Lahore home, sipping on coffee as birds chirp in the background. But in contrast to the idyllic surroundings, the chemistry between us is awkward to say the least. Our introduction
to each other does not contain any extraneous social niceties, no flowery language or compliment-
ing of each others’ clothes. She stares at me with a steely gaze as she sips her coffee, daring me to
begin questioning her. When I do, many of my open-ended questions about Shafi’s career warrant a demand to be more specific, upon which answers are produced down to the factual tee, devoid of
any funny anecdotes, endearing neuroses or silly regrets that might give me colour for my story. ‘Oh boy,’ I think, ‘this is going to be fun.’
I had been forewarned about this: her stand-offish nature, no-nonsense attitude and blunt state-
ments — an impression that doesn’t really fit in with the cute bob haircut, MnM tattoo on her arm and colorful wardrobe choices that stand out in her photographs or at social events. Apparently,
this is how Shafi is, and always has been — take it or leave it. I take it, because while this situation may be uncomfortable, it is surprisingly refreshing.
Her attitude certainly seems to have worked in her favour. Most of what she has dabbled in has
hit it big. Really big. From her first ever acting stint at 17, as Jawad Ahmed’s girlfriend in the video
“Bin Teray Kya Hai Jeena” which was nationally adored, to her singing performance in “Coke Stu-
dio” with Arif Lohar, a video that two years later remains the most watched “Coke Studio” song ever, with 10 million views crossed just last week. Her foray into modelling has resulted in countless ramp shows, a brand ambassador-ship for L’Oreal Paris, magazine covers and editorials in international publications as high brow as L’Officiel and Vogue India.
What would be a career high point for most others is only the beginning for Misha and she is now
about to appear in four (yes, four) movies. In addition to the Hollywood production The Reluctant Fundamentalist, directed by award-winning filmmaker Mira Nair, that recently launched the Venice
Film Festival, Shafi is also waiting for the release of Waar, a Lollywood film directed by Bilal Lashari. Then she is also currently filming for a Bollywood movie titled Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, directed by
Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra of Rang De Basanti fame. Here, she plays one of the love interests of leg-
endary Olympic runner Milkha Singh, who in turn is being played by Farhan Akhtar. She has also just signed on to a Hollywood production The Tournament of Shadows, a biopic set in the 1800s and directed by Jamil Dehlavi.
All this means that Shafi, a Pakistani model/singer who has just hit 30, is a mom and has never
acted in a film before is attracting the kind of attention professional actors would sell their souls for.
Best of all, these opportunities seem to have simply walked up to her doorstep and presented
themselves. “I don’t agree with the idea of approaching people and recommending myself. I think it’s kind of awkward and cheap,” she says firmly.
After hearing what Shafi had to offer during her stint with instrumental band Overload, “Coke
Studio” producer Rohail Hyatt invited her to sing for the show’s third season, where he paired her up with famed folk singer Arif Lohar. Her androgynous voice coupled with an unabashed sexuality catapulted Shafi into unprecedented fame both in Pakistan and beyond.
It is this solo success that is rumoured to have caused serious tension between Shafi and her
former Overload bandmate Farhad Humayun, which turned into an ugly legal battle and left scars that might still be a little raw. “If I’m not as experienced as you and I overtake you, are you going to hate me for that?” she questions.
SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
19
With The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Shafi was selected without
an official audition, despite not having much acting experience
save the handful of TV dramas and theatre that she experimented with earlier on. “Mira invited me to meet her when she was
in Lahore scouting for actors. At that time I didn’t even know what I was going to meet her for,” she says. But once the role was offered to her, Shafi did not hesitate in taking it up. “Opportunity comes, and I’ve been very lucky with that,” she says, “but after that your work begins.”
While Shafi lists her filmography, and I fervently jot it down
on my notepad, she pauses and then breaks into giggles. I look up in shock to find her staring lovingly at her daughter who has waddled up to a net screen partition that divides the inside of
her home from her terrace. The one-year-old is smiling at her mother, tiny hands clutching the screen. From here onwards the interview gets much easier.
The screen opens and the baby stumbles onto the terrace. “I
cut her fringe today and even all the help in the house were like
20
‘what have you done?’! She’s got a dumb and dumber fringe
now,” she says, laughing. “Sorry for making you look like a litSEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
tle idiot,” says Shafi, baby-talking to her little daughter, who giggles in pleasure. “Being a mom is
the toughest and most rewarding job,” says Shafi, holding her daughter in her arms. “But having your own baby around is the best way to distract you from anything … in a positive way,” she says.
“It’s a great pick me. It really cheers you up.” This is obvious with Shafi’s immediate shift in tone and demeanour. Her tiredness escapes her face, her stiff front breaks and all of a sudden Super Shafi starts talking about her feelings. Phew.
Leaving her daughter, then seven months old, in Lahore to film The Reluctant Fundamentalist for a
spell of three weeks was one of the most difficult things Shafi has ever had to do. “That is one thing
I’ll never forget,” she says, with a pang of sadness in her voice. It is not difficult to see that this is an issue that Shafi struggles with, especially as career demands skyrocket and new roles take her to
various parts of the globe. “No matter how hard you work, most of the time the guilt that a mother
feels when she leaves her child and goes to work … you cannot explain [that] to someone.” The fact that Shafi herself is a product of a working mother, celebrated actress Saba Parvez, makes it easier for her to deal with this situation. “My mother’s work always kept her in Karachi. She was a worka-
holic, but I know she had to do it because she was also the breadwinner. I’m not resentful for her absence at all and I never have been.”
When it came to her own childhood, Shafi found comfort in the joint family system she lived in.
She was always shadowed by her grandparents and a horde of aunts, uncles and cousins. With her daughter however, it’s quite different.
“Still, something that a friend told me a while back has stuck with me. She asked me ‘Do you
want to be the kind of mother that your daughter grows up to respect and admire or do you want to
stay at home, grow fat and hear her tell you to leave her alone and give her some space and get off her back?’. I would definitely want to be the former.”
Despite the agony of having to leave loved ones and baby behind, the experience of working with
some of the most talented and creative actors was worth the sacrifice. The cast was collecting at
Delhi, a location that poses as the Lahore in which Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist is set. Hamid worked extensively with director Nair on the screenplay, which has been adapted to
make it more exciting for the screen. The cast includes a mix of high profile Hollywood and Bollywood actors, including Shabana Azmi, Om Puri, Keifer Sutherland, Liev Schreiber and Nelsan Ellis, who plays Lafayette on HBO’s True Blood.
The movie stars Riz Ahmed, a British-Pakistani actor who also played the lead in Chris Morris’s
black comedy Four Lions. Here, He plays Changez, a young Pakistani in New York, who tries to chase
the American Dream but gets disillusioned in the process and returns to Lahore, eventually becom-
ing the fundamentalist of the book title. Shafi plays his sister, Bina, a role that fits her like a glove. “Riz was the first person I met from the cast and most of my work was with him,” says Shafi.” It
was uncanny to me how much he looked like my brother, and it was uncanny to him how much I
looked like his sister.” The two actors clicked instantly and immediately developed a weird siblinglike connect.
“That chemistry that siblings do have it’s hard to get with some random stranger but it was just
there,” she says, “and it made our jobs very easy.”
Shafi spent hours talking to Khan about Lahori culture and telling him about her family in order
to aid his research on his character. Khan, who was born in Karachi was raised in England where
he went to school and now lives, fell right back in love with Shafi: “She’s a cutting-edge, multi-
talented artist at the forefront of pushing boundaries in film and music in South Asia. She has a
huge following both inside and outside the region. As a strong woman and someone who defies
typecasting, it seems to me her success is an important indicator of the region’s continued artistic growth,” he says, “and to top it all off she is ridiculously cool, fun and smart.”
Riz may have had to do his homework, but Shafi practically played herself. “I play a Lahori girl,
very close to where I come from, so it was comfortable that way. The kind of family I belong to is
(Continued on page 24)
SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
21
COVER STORY very cultured and educated — old money but not rich, pre-colo-
nial house, lots of art and books in the home, father is a poet, thinker and intellectual. That kind of stuff was easy for me to re-
late to. The values, the environment and the atmosphere, I could understand that.”
Shafi was herself raised in true Lahori fashion by the Punja-
bi side of her family. Despite the liberal background she comes from, her family was very in touch with their Lahori roots inculcating in her a deep love for the city she grew up in. “I’m a Lahori
through and through — born and bred,” she says. “This city has given so much art, literature, theatre and music to our cultural
heritage. From midnight swims in the famous Lahore Canal to breakfast in the walled city at dawn, Lahore is my past, present
and hopefully, a big part of my days to come. Home is where the heart is. And my heart will always be in Lahore.”
The true Lahori girl in her came out during the last night of
filming The Reluctant Fundamentalist in Delhi. One of Nair’s trademark wedding scenes was being shot, this time in a Lahori
fashion. During the rehearsals for the scene, Shafi noticed the professional dancers in the background practicing their moves.
“They were very pakka and they had very pakka dance moves,” she recalls, laughing. “And it’s not like that when you go to a wedding. The dulhan’s own friends are just doing something dheela.
They’re plain simple girls just dancing for a good time.” Shafi then ended up making the dances for the scene, and helping the choreographers unlearn their skills and just let loose.
That doesn’t come as a surprise, as it is obvious from her his-
tory that Shafi is a very talented individual when it comes to art, performance or otherwise. She first tried her hand at fashion de-
signing at Pakistan School of Fashion Design in Lahore, but only briefly. “That just bored the bajeezes out of me. I like fashion
but I don’t want to make clothes for the market here. The kind of stuff I wanted to do or enjoy doing, there’s no market for that
here. I mean I’ve always wanted to go into retail. Even at this point I’m really tempted to start maybe a thrift boutique or a vin-
about The Tournament of Shadows.
into a shop, but I don’t think people will understand it. That can
only thing that bothers her is how Pakistani audiences might
After a two-and-a-half year break, she enrolled in the National
you the heroine?”, “Do you get the guy?” and “Is it a big role?”
tage thing like collect stuff from around the world and throw it be my retirement plan though,” she adds, smiling.
College of Arts and realised that that was where she was meant to be. It was also here that she met her now husband, musician
Mehmood Rahman. The two got married after graduation and a little baby girl soon followed.
“Being pregnant was a little frustrating because till then I was
just going with the flow. I didn’t imagine how overwhelming the response to those few projects I did was going to be. By the time
people started noticing and counter projects followed, I was very pregnant,” says Shafi. But after a short hiatus, she was on her
24
toes again. She is currently in the thick of filming Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in various parts of Indian Punjab and is extremely excited SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
While everything seems to be going more than perfectly, the
brush her off for the screen time she has in these films. “Are
are some of the questions that Shafi constantly gets from people in Pakistan. “Everybody is kind of stuck on these questions
and frankly it’s become a pet peeve of mine because I’ve gotten scripts for four boy-meets-girl movies which are commercial cinema from across the border and I could do those and answer these
questions with a haanji main heroine hun. But frankly, 99 per cent
of them are so mediocre,” she says. “I have no confusions or regrets of whether I would do a lead role in a B-grade movie or a
smaller role in an A-grade movie. And I do feel that people don’t that understand here. I don’t want to be a part of a movie that even I couldn’t go and watch.”
25 SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
4
5
FEATURE
who u gonna call?
ghostbusters! Meet London’s answer to Bengali Baba!
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ANAAM RAZA
“It’s almost as if they want forgiveness. They say that they are aware of what they did during their time and it probably wasn’t the best thing to do but they were acting in the best interest, and that earth was a very different place then. It’s thrilling and exciting because there is nothing like it and, although we’re delving into the unknown, when you have that first experience [with a spirit] you’re left pretty much speechless.” You’d be forgiven for thinking that this is a snippet from the lat-
est installment of Paranormal Activity or else a conversation with a ‘Bengali baba’ who claims to be able to banish evil spirits. But the
people speaking these words are, in fact, a team of ‘ghostbusters’ in London, perhaps one of the world’s most modern cities, who are chasing phantoms from the past.
Mike Gocol, Louise Rouche, Gemma Pugh and Shilan Jaff are the
North London Paranormal Investigators (NLPI) who seek out restless spirits and claim to help them ‘move on’.
We meet in a dimly-lit pub, The Gatehouse, which Mike tells me
may possibly be one of the most haunted places in Britain. Chilling apparitions have been sighted here, he says. “I can feel activity all around me. It is as if there are ping pong balls everywhere.”
I fidget in my chair uncomfortably and he senses my unease.
“Well, not all ghosts are bad, you know,” he assures me. “And not
all families want to get rid of them. Our job is to simply help the two communicate with each other and find out exactly what’s going on.”
The NLPI has been working on all things paranormal, including
witches, werewolves, demons and vampires, since 2010 and say
they have never had a negative encounter with a spirit. But their biggest claim to fame these days is that they stole the limelight away from George Michael, one of the biggest pop stars from the
28
1980s, when they recently passed by his £8 million Highgate mansion in full ghostbusting gear and reportedly gathered a crowd that SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
could put the superstar’s own fan following to shame.
Prior to meeting them, I thought ghosthunting was the domain of Asians, and in
particular Pakistanis, where phony exorcists fool gullible clients by claiming to get rid of the spirits who are the source of all their woes. Clearly, I was wrong.
I’m intrigued by what they do and ask them how they do it. “Firstly, we set some
ground rules — like they [the spirits] ought to limit their connection to the kitchen or garden and steer clear of areas of privacy such as bedrooms and bathrooms,” explains Mike, enthusiastically.
Gemma, the medium — someone who claims she can sense the presence of spir-
its — adds: “Activity usually happens when they want to be heard, and once they’ve
said it they’re at peace. The spirits are just like everyone else. Once they’ve spoken to someone, gotten it off their chest, they calm down.”
Unconvinced by their explanation, I probe further as to why the spirits would nec-
essarily listen to them? Instead, they dodge the question and tell me they can send the spirits “elsewhere” if they don’t listen to the team. And, of course, the spirits wouldn’t want that.
I want to know where they send ‘them’ and how. “At first we ask them [to leave]
politely, and if they refuse then we use our spirit guise and the energy of all our loved ones who have passed away, and give them a firm push out the door.”
The thought of someone trying to push an ethereal ghost out of the door is a little
hard to believe, so I press on. But the conversation seems to be moving in circles now as the group consistently contrives a way around my questions. I give up.
Mike is clearly the leader in this group of paranormal enthusiasts. He is charming
and very passionate when he talks about his work. It works well around his female
colleagues, most of whom are young volunteers. Every time I ask them a question, the impressionable twenty-something girls look towards Mike for an answer. That alone is enough for a sceptic like me to doubt their version of how they deal with recalcitrant ghosts.
But then they also assert that there is a scientific side to the whole nifty exercise
too. They show me an electromagnetic field (EMF) metre, a digital recorder, a thermometre and a full spectrum camera. Theories in the paranormal field suggest that
ghosts have the ability to manipulate EMF, which can then be used to document potential communication. “A spirit usually needs electrical energy to manifest itself. Otherwise, it is just there, invisible and ethereal. At times we ask them to make the
light flash, and then the EMF starts to buzz constantly, which tells us that there is some strong energy nearby,” explains Mike.
He moves on to the next gadget: “The voice recorders help us record electronic
voice phenomena (EVP) so we can ask questions and get intelligent responses. Some-
times, we ask their name and get responses like Adam, John, Peter. But other times, it is just taps or other audible disturbances.”
All those sounds and static on your radio set could give away the presence of a
ghost nearby, according to Mike, who explains how they use their digital radio device to detect paranormal evidence. “We don’t really know how it works but it simply sweeps through radio frequencies very quickly (approximately 12 radio stations
per second) and when we ask questions, we usually get a unique response,” he says. “Hearing a sentence [over the radio] would mean that somebody would have to be speaking over multiple radio stations, which is effectively impossible.” This rules out the possibility of a human voice, and establishes the likelihood of it belonging to some paranormal source.
My research, however, tells me that a radio scanner, more commonly known as SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
29
FEATURE a ‘ghostbox’ in the paranormal world, provides raw audio which
are bits of static, human speech, music and noise created by tuning the radio electronically across its range. So what you hear on
this is what you’d hear if you had an old radio with an analogue dial that you swiftly moved up and down across frequencies — and you may end up interpreting this jumble of sounds as words.
Still many like Louise, Mike’s pregnant girlfriend and fellow
ghostbuster, remain convinced. “That is when you wonder, ‘How
are they able to do that?’ You just can’t explain it!” she says excitedly.
firsthand experience. But they do this in collaboration with other
the hazardous nature of their occupation. As an untrained ama-
to rent haunted mansions for several hundred pounds. “I assure
After getting the technical stuff out of the way, I move on to
teur, it seems potentially perilous. Aren’t they scared?
“You’re scared of the unknown, aren’t you? What we’re doing
is finding out the truth and once you accept this, there is nothing
ghosthunting groups because that is the only way they are able
you if there was any money in the kitty, we’d have our volunteers wearing NLPI printed hoodies, which cost £30 each,” he says.
When asked about competitors, Mike seems crabby. “There are
left to be scared of,” says Shilan. “We know we’re not going to get
a lot of people who are making a hell of a lot of money out of this,”
So now it’s become more of a thrill, a bit like a rollercoaster ride.”
a night in a haunted house — twice or more the amount than
hurt because we’ve learnt that there is no way they can harm us.
I remind them that they had said that all spirits aren’t bad,
which means some spirits are.
“No, even the bad and negative ones can’t harm us because we
are fully protected through our minds. If you think you’re scared,
then you are. If you show your weakness then it gets to you. It’s
more about believing in yourself and being positive,” explains
he says, claiming that other groups charge £70-£100 to clients for the NLPI — and only allow them to take pictures. On the other hand, the NLPI gives their clients some training, a walkie talkie,
full spectrum cameras and lets them wander around the area on
their own while maintaining audio visual contact with them at all times.
“This is a real shame because they’re making all the profits and
Shilan.
preventing genuine groups like ours from even buying equipment
to be running this not-for-profit organisation and employing vol-
small fortune to employ ‘scientific means’ in their investigations,
All this stuff about positivity sounds great, but really, for Mike
unteers full time for next to nothing, is a bit of a stretch. After all, the pursuit of the ethereal is impossible without tending to temporal money-making concerns, and they need human resources and equipment to run their operations. They must have some means of income.
A long pause later, Mike just about manages to say that they
find a way. “We are a bit like the paramedics. If they see some-
or visiting clients,” he complains. Thus, though the NLPI needs a
they end up charging less — the only way to undercut a market
where bigger, more established groups already have an presence. “We can either stick with our scientific research and hope that
our following will gradually grow, or abandon it altogether and
just do what others are doing,” says Mike, “but I’d rather do this my way.”
I wonder if the UK government could start funding the group.
body having a heart attack, they’ll step in without any guarantee
But, of course, in times when people would much rather have the
the work we’re doing is valid, we can’t apply for any funds and
to be taken seriously. The team agrees. “Of course, there are al-
of being paid. We work in the same way. And until we can prove
that’s why we can’t afford an office. We know what we’re doing is the truth and hopefully somebody out there will notice.”
The analogy of a ghost-
buster to a paramedic is amusing, and as I get ready
to respond, Mike cheekily
adds: “The offer of a TV show
Because when we show them things, they are left speechless!” says Mike.
If that were the case, of the three girls I met that day, why are
two of them no longer associated with the NLPI (as I write this)? Mike just isn’t convincing me.
This man has spent six years in the metropolitan police, where
he always wanted to be a crime scenes officer, and is trained in
tive team runs ghosthunt-
missions, Mike is probably pursuing this lost dream. If in that,
ing events for £35 a pop and invites members of the public to haunted houses for a SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
ways those ones [who discredit us], but they are the best ones too.
will be greatly accepted.”
The paranormal investiga-
30
government furnish their retirement dues, the idea is too absurd
the art of investigative techniques. By running ghost hunting
he has to believe in the unbelievable and take it with a pinch of salt, it’s worth it. And if a few lost souls happen to find peace along the way, well, so much the better.
TRAVEL
kingdom
of lakes
Between the breathtaking beauty of 35 lakes and one of Pakistan’s highest passes, what is there to be afraid of near the Pak-Afghan border? TEXT AND PHOTOS BY M ABDUL VASIQ EQBAL
32 Surkkheng Lake — Baroghil Valley SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
Daniyah Sehar, Rahat Latif, Vasiq Eqbal and Ali Asif When the thought of travelling to the Pak-Afghan border comes to mind, it’s usually accompanied by a pervasive sense of insecurity, and more than a little fear. And right before travelling to the Baroghil Valley, located
perilously close to that selfsame border, I was most certainly afraid. After all, the journey would take us almost right up to the Wakhan corridor, that narrow strip of Afghan land that separates
Pakistan from Tajikistan. However, it took just one trip for my fear to be replaced by wonderment.
Having decided to brave it out, our little team headed for the
two destinations that were on our itinerary: the 4,272-metre-
high Qurumer Lake and the slightly shorter Darkot Mountain Pass (4,703m). The decision to make a go of it was one I did not
regret for even a single moment of our admittedly treacherous journey.
We started our journey on a 4X4 jeep from Chitral, enduring
two “epically uncomfortable” days in the rickety vehicle to get to Mastuj, on the outskirts of Baroghil. Our guide and other
crew members joined us at Mastuj, from where we drove over to Ghazin to spend the night.
The next day, we set out for the Garam Chashma campsite to
start our trek towards the “Throne Room of Lakes” — the Baroghil Valley itself. Its name is well deserved, as this is the site of more than 35 natural lakes, all in different colours, and at least five strategically important mountain passes.
The uninitiated may well imagine a desolate mountain wil-
derness, but the diversity of Baroghil is stunning. Towering mountain tracts stand guard over grassy plains, fairy meadows,
peatlands and lakes. Its ecosystem is as diverse as the landscape, and Baroghil is home to many migratory birds, ibex, snow leopards (on the nearby peaks) and marmots — the last being the particular objects of my fancy. I just had to shoot them. With my
camera, that is. Of course, that’s easier said than done, and the camera-shy marmots frustrated me to the point of irritation. Ev-
ery time I would spot one of these ground squirrels, I would walk, run and crawl, just to get ready to take that perfect picture. But
each time they would duck back into their multi-entranced burrows right when I fixed and pointed my lens towards them. But
I refused to give up and eventually, thanks to my bulky 300mm lens which was often criticised by my team members due to its SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
33
TRAVEL width and weight, I managed to get a few photographs of the marmots that are now my cherished mementos from the trip.
Our next destination was the much-awaited Qurumber Lake,
at a distance of about 250 kilometres from Chitral. On the fifth day of our trip, after crossing Ishkarwaaz, Lashkarwaaz and Ir-
git Medaan, we finally reached the lake and promptly had our breath taken away. Qurumber is Pakistan’s second-highest lake,
the pristine beauty of which defies description. The vastness of this lake can be gauged from the fact that even my vaunted wide-
lens camera could not capture the entire lake in one frame! We stepped into the lake and it was as if we had purged our souls with the “holy water” of Qurumber. This impromptu baptism
continued until the rapidly declining temperature and fast-blowing winds forced us back into our tents at dusk.
With one target checked off on our to-see list, we moved on
to our next destination-cum-nightmare — the Darkot Pass. This
pass is a connecting point between Chitral and Gilgit, and on its top you can see the lush green valley of Rawat and mountains
piercing the sky without even so much as having to move your eyes from one point to another.
But before we got there, we saw something even more fascinat-
ing: the bewitching beauty of Chikaar. This region was like a colourful painting of snow clad peaks and lush green grassy plains
with clouds hovering right overhead. That sight, which bordered on the unreal, will remain etched in our memories forever.
Every time I would spot one of these ground squirrels, I would walk, run and crawl, just to get ready to take that perfect picture. But each time they would duck back into their multientranced burrows
Baroghil Valley Then came the hard part: a tormenting hike of several hours
over steep and rocky terrain, which eventually led us to the Darkot base camp. Tired as we were, our spirits were rejuvenated as we could now see the apex point of our whole expedition. The
Darkot pass lay just ahead, beckoning to us and despite our fatigue we could not wait any longer to get to our goal.
Motivated by the closeness of our goal, our group, which in-
cluded Daniyah Sehar — the first Pakistani woman to step onto
Marmot of Baroghil Valley
the Darkot Pass — and our manager and leader Rahat Latif, all
earth embracing each other at the horizon.
are always crossed this way, in the darkness of night, as the ice is
cided to make our way down. And on our way we realised just
By the time we reached the top of the pass, the sun had just
comparison to the nerve-wracking descent, was almost gentle.
geared up to climb up the pass that very night. Mountain passes then firm enough to walk on.
started spreading its rays. Peaks draped in snow began to blush
crimson after the kiss of the dawn sunlight. It was a terrestrial paradise out of some ancient mythology, with the sky and the
Basking in the glory of our achievement, we half-heartedly de-
how quick we had been to judge the upwards hike which, in Hovering at the edge of exhaustion, we pushed through and finally reached the centre of Rawat Valley where our jeep picked us up to take us to Gupis Valley and from there to Chitral.
SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
35
FEATURE
Between genetic deficiencies and steroid abuse, making it to global bodybuilding arenas is only a distant dream for Pakistani competitors BY SHEHZAD ZAMAN
36 SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
Right after his warm-up, Manzoor Durrani sneaks into the changing room of his gym with a brown paper bag. He carefully pulls out a vial and a syringe. The needle is loaded with pure pharmaceutical grade testosterone — the dominant male hormone responsible for physical development — and Manzoor knows that it’s hazardous to inject into his bloodstream, but he is willing to take the risk. For him, the reward is worth it. Manzoor is an aspiring bodybuilder who hails from Peshawar
and for 16 years, he has been working hard to make it big in the country’s tiny bodybuilding industry — by any means necessary. “I fell in love with bodybuilding when I picked up a muscle
magazine from the ‘70s and saw amazing physiques. I wanted
Pakistani bodybuilders have it harder than most others. Like
almost everything else in the country, the profession of bodybuilding is also heavily politicised. Political parties have man-
aged to sink roots into the industry with party officials often sponsoring budding bodybuilders. Judges too usually belong to
political parties and use their authority to favour the chosen few. This politicisation has hit the sport’s growth hard in Pakistan.
Of all the Pakistani competitors and high-ranking bodybuild-
ing officials I know, Mohammad Rafiq stands out as the most dedicated and ‘unadulterated’ individual in the game. Rafiq Bhai, as we fondly call him, is not only a former chairperson of the Pakistan Bodybuilding Federation but also a three-time Pakistan national champion, which is quite a feat.
Rafiq knows the game all too well and, ironically, that is the
to stand next to them and flex my then non-existent muscles,”
reason he decided to step down as the federation’s chairman. He
Having started out on the skinny side, the journey has not been
provided to Pakistani bodybuilders, but says that rampant poli-
says Manzoor.
easy for Manzoor, despite his single-minded determination, and arranging funds to feed his passion has been a major prob-
knows that everything that is needed to create champions can be tics in the industry will not let it happen.
According to bodybuilding law, three ingredients go into creat-
lem. Manzoor’s family survives on the income earned through
ing a champion physique: dedication, genetics and money. One
the industry’s seasonal nature makes this an unreliable source of
termining constants such as body frame, width, height, muscle
a wedding lawn that they own in Karachi’s Baloch Colony but funds. “In this dwindling economy with soaring food inflation, newly-weds would rather throw a small wedding party at home than book an expensive wedding hall,” he says.
Thus, Manzoor has to work at three gyms across the city, com-
muting two hours daily, to make ends meet. He has to live an extremely simple life so that he can allocate enough funds to
his training and dietary requirements. And still, when asked
whether he is happy with his line of work, he gives an enthusi-
does not have control over genetics but they are essential in de-
shape, strength, vascularity and so on. Unfortunately, Pakistani
bodybuilders, like others from South Asian countries, have poor genetics in comparison to other races and they lose out most
points here when stepping onto the global arena in competitions
such as Mr World, Mr Universe and Mr Olympia. In fact, stepping onto the global stage at all is a distant prospect for Pakistani bodybuilders.
Dedication boils down to how disciplined a bodybuilder is when
astic nod and a satisfied smile.
it comes to training and dieting. Workouts cannot be missed,
of the sport and change in judging standards have given com-
‘bulking up’ or ‘dieting down’ and the intensity of his training
World-over, bodybuilding has come a long way. The transition
petitors a reason to push the envelope further and further. It’s
a full-time job, and competitors are forced to compromise when
calories need to be carefully counted depending on whether he’s should reflect his desire to win.
But even if you have the dedication and the genes, you sim-
it comes to their job, family, domestic responsibilities and, at
ply cannot carve a champion physique without money. Protein,
their income on food, dietary supplements, promotion, and ‘as-
build bigger and stronger muscles after an intense training ses-
times, their health. It also involves spending a larger portion of sistance’ from steroids.
The sport used to be a show of strength and aesthetics, but it
has now evolved into a display of massive, anatomy-chart-like physiques. Back in the day, bodybuilding was considered a body
sculpting art, where trainees would spend hours under the iron,
which happens to be the most expensive food group, is needed to
sion. “I make it a point to eat three kilos of fresh fish daily,” says Mr Pakistan Atif Baloch. Similarly, Manzoor consumes six eggs and one kilo of meat daily. All this on top of a regular proteinenriched breakfast, lunch and dinner.
To maintain this protein-heavy diet, money is needed for pur-
preparing and shaping their muscles for the sake of beauty, grace
chasing dietary supplements in the form of protein shakes, meal
different. Now it’s about how ‘freaky’ the competitor looks.
workout formulas. Since these supplements are all imported to
and expression. Fast forward half a century and things are quite Here, the word ‘freaky’ is a combination of sheer size, extreme dryness, road-map vascularity and popping muscle bellies. The
winning title is now awarded to the ‘mass monster’ with muscles and veins that are only witnessed in comic books.
replacement shakes, fat burners, pre workout formulas and post Pakistan, they come at a significant cost.
“If you have control over these three variables, then you can
walk out as a winner,” says Rafiq. In his heyday, there was plenty
of love for the sport, positive government intervention and pubSEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
37
FEATURE
“I fell in love with bodybuilding when I picked up a muscle magazine from the ‘70s and saw amazing physiques. I wanted to stand next to them and flex my then non-existent muscles,” says Manzoor licity but he still feels that the worst thing that happened to the industry was inefficient government involvement. When the
government intervened, it resulted in stringent regulation, red tape and party influence which were counterproductive to the industry’s growth. But there are also areas where the absence
of government assistance is sorely felt, as in financial support,
prize distribution, media coverage and global competition exposure.
Food, dietary supplements, money and steroids have
little effect on muscular development when you are
not able to effectively train your muscles for maximum
size, definition and detail. There are many training principles out there such as High Intensity Training, propagated by Brit-
ain’s six-time Mr Olympia Dorian Yates, which relies on short and intense training sessions. Then there is High Volume training made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger (a seven-time Mr Olympia title holder) which focuses on a high number of sets and
extended workout durations. Pakistani bodybuilders tend to use the HVT style, not because it works best for them, but because they usually don’t know any better. When it comes to training,
one must realise that every body is different and what works for
X may not work for Y. But Pakistani bodybuilders do not realise that — they feel that if one training method produced a winner,
then that training method will make them a winner too. And so,
for many decades, a black and white scripture has been passed
down from gym to gym that is supposed to possess the ultimate training philosophy. In fact, this is nothing but a tear-out sample workout from one of those ancient muscle magazines.
All these cases and problems paint a pretty gloomy picture for
And then there’s the dark side: steroids. It’s a sad fact that
the bodybuilding industry in Pakistan. Nonetheless, a glim-
pact in the professional ranks globally. It’s not just a Pakistani
picks up his first set of weights and dreams of standing on stage
without these dangerous substances, one cannot create an improblem, as steroids are rampant in the global body building industry — if you want to compete professionally, then you must be ready to inject yourself with all sorts of hormones, chemicals and performance-enhancing drugs.
The use of steroids, however, has been a point of consternation
among industry pundits and players alike. Controlled steroid use is not supposed to be life threatening, and it is in fact steroid abuse which gives the concept a bad name. There is a method to
ensure the right usage of steroids but unfortunately, Pakistani bodybuilders are not well versed with this method and instead rely on trial and error and use the one-size-fits-all approach.
The thirst for victory has made many competitors push the en-
velope too far and this has resulted in many complications and, at times, even death. Steroids and supplements also cost a great
deal of money, which is hard to arrange for most local enthusiasts. As a result, competitors have taken extreme measures to acquire funds, such as pulling their children out of school, selling their property and assets and even resorting to fraud.
When it comes to steroid use, competitors do not know where
to draw the line. Manzoor has himself been banned for three
years due to testing positive for banned substances when he
went to compete for the Mr Asia title. A former Mr Pakistan was
38
This is not the only area though where Pakistani
bodybuilders lack awareness and proper training.
hospitalised for three weeks due to a failing liver after he injected himself with doses that were fit only for an elephant. SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
mer of hope always shines through when an aspiring youngster
among the best the world has to offer. He knows that it isn’t going to be easy, but with a well chalked out plan he’s certain he
can create waves. But that’s only if he can avoid the traps that so many others before him have fallen foul of.
REVIEW
otherwise engaging BY AYESHA ABDUR RAZZAK
Jason Segal writes a good co-script. This was the first thought that ran through my mind after watching this particular flick. Fans of the popular show “How I Met Your Mother” know him better as Marshall, Aylson Hannigan’s fun loving and insanely devoted TV husband. In his role as Tom, Segal is equally devoted to his big-screen wife, Violet. Appropriately played by comic actress Emily Blunt (who often brings her own brand of British humour into her roles), Violet is a very British, and very intellectual, psychologist in pursuit of a doctorate. You may recall her from The Devil Wears Prada, where she played evil fashion Miranda Priestly’s ‘jilted’ assistant Emily. The dice start to roll when these seemingly perfect lovers get engaged. Unexpectedly, Emily’s sister Suzie (Alison Brie) meets her husband-to-be at the reception and her wedding bells start ringing while Tom and Violet are still in the “we shall soon get hitched” phase. Then the delays start to pile up, as Violet gets the chance to pursue a doctorate at Michigan State University, forcing to move away from Los Angeles, giving up his dreams of being a chef in the process. Naturally, the planned wedding also has to take a back seat. The film’s pivotal moment comes at a work dinner, when a large dog starts licking Tom’s face as he is answering the ‘how did you two meet?’ question. Despite the jokes and the banter, it’s now clear that she has now gained the upper hand in society — she has a job she cares about and he has sacrificed his dreams of owning his own restaurant. Instead of confessing his unhappiness, Tom goes for a passive aggressive approach by starting to plan the wedding on his own and also starts developing some fairly humorous quirks. This includes hunting like a ‘real man’ and making wine using fermented honey (I kid you not). It’s a physical transformation as well, and he also starts growing long mutton chop sideburns, in true ‘Southern Man’ style. A certain “accident” involving a crossbow and a 5-year child leads to their first disagreement, and a case of stale donuts later, Violet finally sees that she has effectively destroyed her man. All these “delays” only provoke the inevitable — the big break up happens and they both head off in different directions. What follow are new relationships and new realisations. Unlike the planned marriage itself, the humour never takes a back seat and in particular, a talk between the two sisters — an Elmo-voiced Suzie and a Cookie-monster voiced Violet — will have you in stitches. It’s
saying something that, despite the couples’ obvious unhappiness, the laughs keep coming. Naturally the ensemble of British accents also help accentuate the humour as well — a very wise move by director and co-writer Nicholar Stoller. Thankfully, this movie also does not stoop to resorting to vulgarity for laughs, an issue that plagues far too many American comedies of late. So will Tom and Violet finally tie the knot after the five-year wait? You’ll just have to watch and see. All in all, it’s a sweet trip right up until the end.
39 SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
REVIEW
flex appeal BY NOMAN ANSARI
There are two things that I must admit upfront about Magic Mike. The first is that I decided to watch this Steven Soderbergh comedydrama because, when I heard it was about strippers, I didn’t quite realise that it was about the male variety. The second is that, erm, I actually found Magic Mike to be a fairly entertaining film, which moves to a gradually darkening screenplay, is well acted, and gives viewers an insightful behind-the-scenes look at the business of being a male stripper. What also work for the film, I imagine, are the chiseled hunks who, with their gleaming rock hard abs and toned biceps, should be enough for the female readers of this review to stop reading right here and run out to the DVD store. The movie starts at the Xquisite Strip Club, where Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) works nights as their star stripper while doing odd jobs in the day. Mike has a solid friendship the club’s owner Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) who is quickly revealed to be ambitious and quite chaotic in the way he tries to achieve those ambitions. In fact, it doesn’t take long for the friction between the two friends to heat up.
total letdown BY NOMAN ANSARI
Your mileage from Total Recall will vary with how poorly you remember the details of the original. The better you recall, the lesser this film will feel. This update, of course, is a remake of the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi thriller of the same name from 1990, which engaged the mind on multiple levels with its cerebrum teasing plot, imaginative setting and fine special effects. Thus, it is unfortunate that this needless update, starring dark-haired Irish heartthrob Colin Farrell as Douglas Quaid, doesn’t quite engage the brain as much as it numbs it. Quaid, the film’s main character, is an unhappy factory worker, who is plagued by cryptic dreams and frustrated with his meaningless life. He is drawn to Rekall, a company that provides entertainment by implanting fantasies into its clients’ minds as artificial memories. After being warned that preexisting memories will conflict with implanted ones, Quaid is drawn to a ‘secret agent’ fantasy. Except, during the implant process, the fantasy is interrupted by government agents who claim that Quaid is an actual spy. At this point the film has the opportunity to tease the audience with the tantalising question of whether Quaid is actually a spy or 40 is still sitting in the chair at Rekall living out his fantasy. Regrettably, SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
Enter Adam (Alex Pettyfer), a teenaged newcomer who forges a friendship with Mike and at some point learns of his stripper job. He ends up visiting Xquisite with Mike, where one of the male strippers Tarzan (Kevin Nash) is unable to perform. Dallas and Mike convince Adam to fill in who, unsure of how to perform, drives the female patrons wild with his innocence and becomes an instant hit. At this point the film takes a darker route, as it explores the seedier aspects of the sex business. Adam becomes addicted to drugs as well as private encounters with female patrons, while Mike tries to find his way out. Although the film has most of the right moves, its story is a little thin and its finish disappointingly clichéd. The climax fails to reach the level of great behind-the-scenes films like Boogie Nights or The Wrestler. But while Magic Mike doesn’t quite reach the top of the pole it is certainly worth taking a look at.
the film leaves this plot thread fairly under-utilised, although it does feature one fantastic brainteasing sequence. After Quaid escapes the government agents and rushes home, he is attacked by his gorgeous wife Lori (Kate Beckinsale) who claims to be an undercover agent posing as his spouse. From here, he makes his escape dodging government agents, led by Lori, as the mysterious plot unravels. While the action quickly outstays its welcome, some of the visuals here are interesting, with some cool sci-fi elements. At this point, Quaid meets the beautiful resistance agent Melina (Jessica Biel), with whom he supposedly has a romantic history. But while being chased by not one but two drop dead gorgeous women would be a dream for most men, Quaid’s world transforms into a nightmare. Ultimately, Quaid struggles with his own identity and with what he should make a part of his memory. I suspect that viewers of this film should have no such problem though, as the bad memory of this unnecessary remake is quite likely to slip away on its own.
that may morning BY HARIS TOHID
Who took out the lights in the areas around Osama Bin Laden’s compound just before the US operation? Why was Pakistan’s response so late in coming? How could the US carry out such a raid based on just a hunch? These are just a few of the questions that linger after reading Manhunt. Written by Peter Bergen, one of the few journalists to have interviewed OBL, this 300-page book draws on sources ranging from US officials to retired Pakistan Army personnel. Starting with OBL’s escape from Tora Bora, which Bergen blames on US indecision, unsure intelligence and the obsession to maintain a small ‘footprint’ in Afghanistan, we move on to how the hunt for Bin Laden was conducted. By 2005, as the trail went cold, locating his “courier network”, “family members”, “communication links with senior al Qaeda leadership” and “outreach to the media” became the “four pillars” for OBL hunting. Bergen claims Obama ordered the raid against the advice of his vice president and secretary of defence based on a “fifty-fifty [chance] that Bin Laden was there,” to quote the president himself. What boggles the mind is that no satellite image or a recent photo of Osama was available with the CIA before the go-ahead for the operation was given. Bergen seems to have some backhanded praise for the ISI’s role, and he credits the spy agency with extracting “useful information [from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed] that the CIA appears to have overlooked.” Army chief Kayani and then ISI chief Pasha are shown as coy and docile in dealing with the Americans and wary of the Pakistani media. Hours after the operation, Kayani is quoted as telling Mullen: “We’re not going to be able to handle the Pakistani media without you confirming this. They need to know that it was Bin Laden and not just some ordinary US operation.” Bergen writes that in the aftermath of the raid, “Kayani worried that the army’s image could shatter, and he told his closest colleagues that this was the worst week of his life.” Although he seems to absolve the Pakistan Army of connivance with OBL, he asserts that the Pakistani response was so slow and confused that upon hearing a chopper go down in Abbottabad, Kayani ordered the air chief to scramble fighter jets in the opposite direction, anticipating an Indian strike against the nuclear facilities. Bergen also fleetingly mentions Dr Shakil Afridi, and declares that “Afridi’s team was never able to get DNA samples from the Bin Laden children.” If so unimportant, why did the Pakistan government sentence him to 33 years in prison and why do US congressmen cry hoarse over his imprisonment? We also get a sneak peek into OBL’s life, from his “frugal” diet and
Viagra-aided love life to his “delusional” terror planning. His security paranoia is vividly described, from the “tarpaulin over a section of the garden … designed to keep even the walks a secret,” to the fact that even his trusted aide Ahmed al-Kuwaiti’s wife was unaware of Osama’s presence in the house. Yet at the time of the raid, “[OBL] had no real escape plan, and there was no secret passageway out of the house.” Odd that someone so security conscious would commit such a lapse. The book lacks the investigative reporting which could have helped solve some of the riddles surrounding the death of Osama. While it’s a laudable scholarly attempt at setting the record straight, it ends up raising more questions than it answers. SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012
41
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END OF THE LINE
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42 SEPTEMBER 9-15 2012