“I still remember that shoot, I still remember every step and every moment and it just makes me smile,” the 39-year-old says. The song went on to become a super hit and is still the favourite of many across the globe, for who can forget Shahrukh Khan and Malaika Arora, dressed in a ghaghra choli and wearing minimal make-up, dancing on top of a moving train in the phenomenal number.

“Chhaiya Chhaiya” is the joint venture of film-maker Mani Ratnam, music composer AR Rehman, lyricist Gulzar and singers Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi along with the hard work of choreographer Farah Khan. The song has even bagged the ninth position in a poll conducted by BBC Worldwide Service International in 2003, even though the movie itself failed at the box office.

The six minute and 54 second long song that took four-and-a -half days to complete is actually based on a Sufi folk song “Thaiyya Thaiyya” by poet Bulleh Shah. The train track where the song was shot has become a tourist attraction and the train ride through the Blue Mountains in the Ooty hills is famous for it too.

“Since the terrain was dangerous and the train was moving, we made sure we were harnessed, so we would not have an accident. Of course, there were times when people did fall off the train,” said the item girl in an interview with the Times of India.

Choreographer-turned-actor Farah Khan, who has recently debuted in the lead role as Shirin in Shirin Farhad ki Toh Nikal Padi, says that Malaika’s sense of rhythm is remarkable and so are her inputs in terms of costumes and moves. It’s very easy to conceive an item number for her.

Malaika was also all praise as far as the production of the song goes. “I think the manner in which the song was shot was a novel experience. Farah is a brilliant choreographer and she gave me steps that complimented me. Mani Ratnam is a brilliant director, the music by Rahman was great and having Shahrukh for a co-star was a definite bonus!”

The item girl has gone on to do several more numbers, so when asked about her personal favourite, she said: “I would definitely say ‘Munni Badnaam Hui’ from Dabangg.”

In conversation with The Expresss Tribune, he gestures to his eyes and says that he takes pride in staring down some of the greatest ‘heroes’ in the subcontinent.

Cheema graduated from the Jamia Naeemia religious school in 1974, and says that he stumbled into acting when he walked into the Shahnoor Studio by chance and decided on a whim that he wanted to be an actor. He struggled for nearly 12 years before being offered a lead role in the 1989 film Kalka, which also starred Sultan Rahi.

Today, he prides himself in his ability to reinvent any role. “No matter how redundant the role is I am able to reinvent it and bring something new to it,” says Cheema. “All that I have achieved has come after a 20-year journey. I would take a 25 mile tanga ride to studios, but when my first film came out, I never looked back,” he adds.

Elaborating on his acting career in negative roles, Cheema states, “The art of being a villain lies in maturity and the willingness to immerse yourself in a role, so that the hero can feel your presence.” He further elaborates that when a writer provides him a role, his goal is to immerse himself in it. His mentors always told him that no one would make him a ‘hero’ but if he worked on several small roles then directors may give him a lead negative role.

“When I started negative roles, my mentor showed me clips of an Anthony Quinn film, and I learnt that the trick was to focus on the eyes,” says Cheema who has about 80 films to his credit. Talking about an on-set experience, Cheema proudly reminisces, “I looked into the eyes of Sultan Rahi, and he told the director to take me out of the scene because he was afraid of my eyes.”

Film-making today

Turning to the issues faced by the film industry today, he says that directors and producers are timid and bound by conflicting interests. There is also lobbying in the film industry, which as a result restricts the freedom of directors and on the acting front, limits key roles only to certain actors.

“It’s really no one’s fault, it’s actually a mindset,” says Cheema. Elaborating on the restrictions faced by directors he further states, “Producers seem to have become gods because they say they have invested their money in the film, which was never the case in the past. It used to be a more collaborative process in which the director would have discussions with the producer— but now the producer comes with a story ready from home.”

Along with the directors, Cheema explains that actors also face a hard a time. For instance, if a producer comes up with another Gujjar film, most of the times actors are left without any options.

“Look at Shaan, he is the hero of our industry, but he is pushed into a corner where he is forced to be a Gujjar Da Kharak,” says Cheema. “These same producers cursed at Shoaib Mansoor, who really pushed for a new sort of film-making,” he adds.

Cheema has several projects lined up for the near future. He will have a key role in Humayun Saeed’s Boom Boom, the lead in Muhammad Hamza’s Kambakht and also star in Chameli, directed by Salman Jilani.

The shooting of the film — which is Bhatt’s son Vishesh Bhatt’s directorial debut — is already in the production stage in South Africa. The parties involved have not released the synopsis of the film but The Express Tribune got the chance to talk to Loren who confirmed the news. “I have been approached by Bollywood film-makers for quite some time now.”

“Bhatt sahib offered me this leading role and I couldn’t refuse after reading the script.” The actor also adds that she is enjoying the experience of working with Vishesh.

“It’s a thriller and definitely there are bold scenes in the film,” Loren explained in a telephonic interview. “But I will definitely avoid ‘the thing’… people must realise [that] as an actor I have to justify my role. So it’s not all about sex.”

The cast and crew are currently shooting in South Africa after which they will fly down to Delhi and Mumbai to complete the film.

Loren’s co-star in the film, Hooda, is also excited about the response of Pakistani fans to his upcoming film and said that he is thankful to people on other side of the border for liking his performance in Jism 2.

Loren made her debut in B-town with Indian movie Kajraare, in which she starred opposite Himesh Reshammiya. She was signed by Bollywood producer Bhushan Kumar for the film, which was directed by Pooja Bhatt.

Her upcoming film, Murder 3, is set for release in 2013.

While the winner of the award was Thelma Schoonmaker, a three-time Academy Award winner, for her work editing Hugo, the nominees for the second edition of the prize were Colleen Atwood for costume design in Snow White and the Huntsman, Nadine Labaki, director of Where Do We Go Now?; Brit Marling, actor in Another Earth, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, director Saving Face.

“The best woman won today!” Obaid-Chinoy posted to Facebook. “Thelma the editor for Hugo! 40 years of experience editing films like Avatar! What an honour to have been nominated alongside her! What a night!”

What we love

We love that Obaid-Chinoy dons the funkiest and most fashionable outfits by Pakistani designers at international red carpet events. Not only did was she wearing a Bunto Kazmi outfit when she bagged an Oscar, she carried a bright Mahin Hussain flag-inspired bag from her August 14 collection “Hum Zinda Qaum Hain”. She also rocked another bright orange Maheen Karim ensemble on awards night. We love the Pakistani pride!

The video will be released on September 3, according to Veena’s twitter account.

In July, Veena revealed her ambitions for singing in an interview to IANS. She said that her “ultimate dream” was to become a singer but she was always suggested to take up acting because of her looks.

Veena had changed her Twitter name to “Drama Queen” and her official Team Veena account’s name to “Team Drama Queen” to promote her upcoming song. Both the accounts have been tweeting posters of Veena in her new look and other related videos.

“We need the pain…because somewhere in that pain… lies the person that we have lost…and without it…we lose them completely.”

And that’s exactly when I teared up; tears not caused by sadness or grief — tears full of hope!

I really can’t remember the last time I cried in a film. However, last week, I was moved by an independent film from Pakistan called Seedlings (Lamha).

An avid indie movie aficionado, I was excited to hear about a local film from Pakistan playing at the New York City International Film Festival. I bought tickets for myself and a co-worker just in the nick of time because they were soon sold out thanks to all the DAFNYs (Desi Artsy Fartsy New Yorkers).

There were a handful of celebrity sightings at the venue, which included leading stars from the film. We stood in a corner for a few minutes to gaze over the bulky cameras of Geo and Voice of America to spot any red-carpet faux pas or cute outfits. One of the male stars from the film was brave enough to sport a military-esque sherwani with a Jinnah cap and I thought that made a pretty solid and impressive fashion statement. After a decade in the city of rebellion, I am a sucker for avant garde fashion!

As the lights dimmed and the opening scene began, I was immediately engrossed. The first scene was simple yet beautifully shot. As the camera zoomed up on the female lead, I too found myself being pulled into Maliha, Raza and Anil’s world. Let me add, if you’re expecting a film with a plot rich in twists and turns, this may not be for you. Yet for me, that’s exactly what made the film so enjoyable — its realistic simplicity, the simplicity of the story, the simplicity of its execution and dialogues.

Raza (played by Mohib Mirza) and Maliha (Aamina Sheikh) are husband and wife, who once probably lived the blissful life of a love-struck Karachiite couple. Their world was probably once full of artistic effervescence; as vibrant as the painted strokes on Maliha’s canvas or the colourful images from Raza’s creative photographs. But when the movie begins, you are introduced to them a year after their son’s unexpected death. All the imaginative colours and the inspiration from their lives have since perished and been replaced with heart-wrenching pain.

There is no heavy make-up to take away the credibility of their present lives. You see every blemish, every crater and every imperfection. Despondent hues and dimly lit scenes help validate the morose tension that has permeated into every crevice of their house; their awkward and almost painful interaction with each other is convincing — exactly how it must feel when faced with the uncertainty of holding on but not knowing whether to let go. All of this is shown brilliantly through carefully crafted scenes remaining true to the visual versus verbal aspect of good film-making.

The performances of all the actors — not just the leading three — are extraordinary. Special mention should be made about Gohar Rasheed who played Anil, the frustrated rickshaw driver. There are also some other noteworthy scenes in the film like the part where Maliha finally vents out her anger at Anil not just with rage but in cathartic hopes of closure and resolve. However, my favourite scenes came at the end of the film: the ones that carried a message of optimism. And amazingly those were also the moments that made my vision blur up with tears. The movie ends on a very uplifting note and that is when I realised that in the past two hours, we have not only been introduced to but have connected with more than just the three main characters in the film. Everyone searches for closure in the end — all the characters in the film, even the members in the audience.

Lamha could initially be perceived to be about how lives can change for the worst in just a moment. But by the end, one wonders if the “lamha” in the film is the one within our control, the moment we finally take the first step to moving ahead and moving on.

Read more from the writer at iampadash.blogspot.com

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26th, 2012.

Ruling millions of hearts with her modeling and acting skills, Pakistan’s well recognised fashion model-turned-drama artist Sadia Imam will tie the knot very soon. After Reema Khan and fashion model Aisha Linnea, Sadia is also to get married. Sadia Imam’s to-be-husband belongs to a well known family in Karachi and Sadia’s family is also happy with her decision. Sadia started doing radio shows from Islamabad and later appeared on TV. She was earlier married in 2005 to Pakistani-Australian Aslam Khan.

After her brilliant renditions on “Coke Studio”, Sanam Marvi has proven that she has a timeless and legendary voice. In a small home on the periphery of Lahore, Marvi is only concerned about one thing – music. In an interview with The Express Tribune, she shares some insight about her music and the message she aims to spread. Marvi sees herself as a crusader of the Sufi tradition, lending a voice to it through her songs.
“My goal is to spread the message of Islam and truth,” says Marvi. Lately, her Sufi-qawwal music has spread far and wide with vocal appearances in Bollywood films such as London Paris New York and The Dirty Picture. She is also routinely invited to Sufi festivals and has toured France and Morocco with plans to go to the United States as well.

Sufi music seems to be entering the mainstream today and the reason for that, Marvi explains, are initiatives such as the popular classical music show “Virsa Heritage Revived” broadcast on PTV and “Coke Studio” which have spread awareness and sparked an interest among the public for Sufi music. Marvi says she holds immense respect for Rohail Hyatt, whose work she feels has been mystically inspired.

She also has great admiration for the host of the “Virsa Heritage” show, the well-known socialite and cultural icon from Lahore, Mian Yousuf Salahuddin. Marvi refers to him as a father figure who she feels has done a lot to promote the Sufi tradition.

“I think the most important thing is spreading the Sufi kalam,” says Marvi, explaining that her father was a Sufi singer. “That is my focus – spreading the kalam to all corners of the world wherever my voice leads me.”

Recent projects

Marvi recently collaborated with Lahore based pop-rock band Symt on “Coke Studio” and tested her vocals in a more modern sounding track, “Koi Labda”. The single has become one of the most addictive tracks of the season.

“Koi Labda” is an intriguing track as it portrays Marvi in a completely different kind of vocal light and style, accompanying the vocal prowess of Symt’s Haroon Shahid. “I didn’t know I was going to be in the song, so it was kind of a surprise,” says Marvi. “It was very different, Rohail bhai told me to try singing this song and try singing it in a new style and make it seem as my own, so I tried to show that I could do these songs too.”

Speaking more about the importance of her venture, Marvi states, “Modern music is how younger audiences will connect with the Sufi kalam. My son who is quite young is already singing ‘Koi Labda’, and that’s what this is all about – having music for all ages.”

Her more recent project is a collaboration with Mekaal Hasan, which is scheduled to release soon. Hasan is producing a song which will feature Marvi alongside a group of international musicians.

She has also lent her voice to songs in various collaborative Sufi music albums released in India. One such popular track is “Mera Tumba” by which Marvi contributed to the album Teri Rehmatein.

“In India, there was not much interest in Sufi music a while back but that has changed. People there now enjoy this music so much that each song of mine is stuck in their minds,” says Marvi. “I think that it’s a positive thing that interest is growing,” she concludes optimistically.

When they came together to make Zinda Bhaag on a burning issue in Pakistan, they had to seek help from across the border, as the Lahore-based film industry is in tatters and there was no technical help they could fall back on.

“It was a challenge to go for a feature film in Pakistan. The whole film industry has collapsed. No technical facilities are available. Nor are actors available,” said Zaidi, the film’s producer.

He was speaking at the Pakistan Studies Programme in Jamia Millia Islamia in the capital.

Besides seeking technical assistance from India, Zaidi and director Nabi roped in Meenu Gaur, an alumnus of Jamia’s Mass Communication and Research Centre (MCRC) and a PhD in film studies from London, as co-director.

As acting talent was not handy, they invited Naseeruddin Shah to conduct workshops with non-actors.

The film, to be released in December, takes up the sensitive issue of illegal immigration, a burning topic in Pakistan.

As the team researched on the reasons for youngsters taking the risk of illegal migration and visited neighbourhoods in Lahore to meet such youngsters, they realised that there were areas where each family had a story to tell.

The topic was too close to these youngsters and their families and thus it made sense to cast these youngsters in the film, aided by some training in acting.

They zeroed in on one such neighbourhood as the location for shooting.

Zaidi says that as shooting began, “we were stopped on the streets… People congratulated us for shooting in Lahore. One gentleman claimed it was after 20 years that a film was being made in Lahore.”

Describing the bold content of new Pakistani cinema, the trio said that themes like Bol, Khuda Ke Liye and Ramchand Pakistani were equally popular as any mainstream entertainment film and these bold subjects were, in fact, financially viable.

Also, the categorisation between multiplex audiences and single-screen audiences was not as stark as in India, they said. They, however, admitted that in the absence of organised financing for new cinema, it remained to be seen if this movement could sustain.

An interesting aspect of filmmaking they highlighted was a vibrant trend of very small budget movies in regional languages like Saraiki and Pashto, shot on small digital cameras and released in neighbourhoods.

Nabi emphasised that as state support for the film industry dried up over the decades, something else emerged: A thriving DVD and CD industry showing regional films to families at home.

Improvisation was the key, Gaur said, narrating an incident in which a small group of filmmakers descended on a courtroom, shot a few scenes without prior permission and departed.

“It is guerilla filmmaking at its best,” Gaur said.

Claiming that government apathy, excessive taxation and strange censorship laws had led to the downfall of the Pakistani film industry in the first place, the team claimed that new funding was coming primarily in the form of family investments and foreign investment.

Also, new TV channels are coming in to finance the new film ventures.

“A number of TV channels evinced interest in our movie too,” Gaur said.

Seedlings (Lamha) is Mohib’s second film to be screened globally. He was awarded the Best Supporting Actor in the first one (titled InshAllah) at the International Filmmakers’ Festival in Kent in 2008. The rest are yet to receive international recognition for their work. The team tells us they are overwhelmed by the nominations and are looking forward to the festival.

Mohib Mirza

I’m glad to bag the Best Actor nomination for the second time as well. It’s Lamha I truly hold dear to me and look forward to with sheer gratitude,” Mohib says, adding that he is more confident about his wife Aamina’s nomination and has high expectations from her. “I was sure about Aamina

’s nomination on whichever platform Lamha was screened at. Her role was extremely demanding and having seen her work on it, I strongly feel that she truly deserves to bring home the NYCIFF Best Actress award,” he said.

Aamina Sheikh

How would a person feel when she is nominated as the Best Actress in a Lead Role in her debut performance and has gained international recognition? Quite simply I’m on top of the world! I feel honoured, blessed and immensely grateful to be acknowledged and given this opportunity!” says an ecstatic Aamina Sheikh.

Meher Jaffri

The nominations in almost all the categories are fantastic news. I am floored that the talent that is bubbling up from every corner of Pakistan is getting its well deserved attention.” Meher Jaffri, the producer of the film from Bodhicitta Film Works, is happy that Pakistani talent is finally being recognised.

Summer Nicks

The notion of winning something so prestigious is something I’ve only dreamed of. I’m so happy to be a part of the team who collectively made this a reality and am proud to be able to pay my adoptive country back and assist in bringing the culture of cinema at par with the rest of the world,” says Nicks, Pakistan-based Australian film-maker, who is overjoyed at the thought of being nominated for Best Original Screenplay.