As the socio–fashion calendar stirs up busy excitement, the need for event managers in Pakistan is being felt like never  before. Instep chronicles the movers and shakers who make Pakistan a happening country

Frieha Altaf

Frieha Altaf is one of Pakistan's most prolific event managers today. She handles the biggest bulk of fashion shows, product launches and corporate events and as far as professionalism is concerned, Frieha's is unmatched. From press releases to management of the event to getting photographs out by the next day, she operates with expertise. After all, she does have the experience. She works with everyone and has excellent PR around town. Frieha has been managing Catwalk for the past 18 years and has been involved in everything from fashion shows, model hunts and television programs to weddings and private parties. Her most high profile projects would be the annual Lux Style Awards and Lux Carnival de Couture - the most eagerly awaited events on the socio–fashion calendar. Frieha is known for conceptualizing her shows, presenting them with a theme or twist. The Lawrencepur Anniversary show is one example. She planned the show at the Railway godown and recreated the ambience of a railway platform. The show is still remembered for its uniqueness. However, at times she is accused of giving in to corporate sponsorship and sacrificing aesthetic rules of the thumb in the process – we'd rather not remember her for the Almurtaza or Veet show.

Instep verdict: If anyone can do it, Frieha can. She works with volume and has changed the way mainstream marketing works in Pakistan. Frieha connects the classes and reaches out to all categories of consumers - from the fashionistas who relate to Lux to the thousands of school children who enjoyed the recently held Lifeboy Germcity experience in Karachi.

J&S

Jalal Salahuddin and Omar Satti started the trend of lounge parties in Lahore when they launched their company with a New Year's Party on 31st December 2002. A Valentine Ball followed and that put J&S on the map for putting together the best bashes in town. They have come a long way since then and have extended their business from Lahore to Karachi and beyond. J&S today is about 'experiential marketing, events and entertainment' and they know how to mix them well – shaken, not stirred. They are very selective about the projects they take and are certainly not inspired by volume. About 80 percent of their work is corporate and they have proven themselves as smooth operators with the way they planned the Dunhill launch that got chefs from Paris and the Porsche launch that imported light and sound engineers from Germany. Jalal and Satti work in style and manage to pull off an A-class act with everything they do. Whether it's a Bryan Adams concert, a Shaukat Khanum fundraiser with Liz Hurley, Rizwan Beyg's show for Cherie Blair and her Breast Awareness campaign in Lahore or a simple PSFD graduation show, they are always impressive. Ambience is there forte. If there is one thing J&S specialises in, it is setting the mood. Fashion is something they handle sparingly, with caution. They claim it doesn't excite them enough. "Doing the Karma show was fun," says Jalal, "but we strictly believe that fashion should not be the solution to entertainment." Indeed, J&S have redefined an event as an evening out where everybody has fun.

Instep Verdict: If there is a claimer to the throne Frieha Altaf is sitting so comfortably on, it is Jalal and Satti.

Imran Kureishi 

Imran stepped into event management in 1980, almost 27 years ago. Since then he's been a vital part and parcel of Pakistan's fashion industry. Apart from fashion shows, Imran handles corporate events, gala nights and more. Though he has coordinated the unavoidable sponsored shows, Imran has always been a keen advocate of keeping sponsors strictly out of the forefront of fashion, at least where themes and presentations are concerned. He mostly sticks to the straight and fashionable ramps – truly Paris style. Imran is a one man show and has managed to impress with events like the Motorola show and Wedding Asia. He has also been open to working with new models, designers and photographers, sometimes a bit sooner than they are ready for it, and the quality of his shows have suffered because of this. Also, he goes terribly off track when handling variety programs and volume – the Expo 2005 show called 'Shaadi and Shehnai' was a big oops.

Instep verdict: Imran is a great choreographer but he needs to stop lending his platforms to newcomers. He needs to bring the slick back to the flick.

Asimyar Tiwana

Fairly new on the scene and very sheltered as far as coverage and critique is concerned, AYT still hasn't made his mark in the world of event management. He has landed some very high profile shows like the one he organized for President George Bush at the Presidency, the Taj Mahal premiere Red Carpet (Lahore) and the Silver Jubilee celebrations of CNN at the Lahore Fort. He also claims to have done a show with Vidal Sassoon in New York. But by using mostly substandard designers and models (mostly blue eyed, blond unknowns) in Pakistan, he has proven that he's either not quality conscious or that his preferances are warped. Some of the industry's top models have now stopped working for him because of the mediocrity of his shows despite the fact that they admit he's one of the best paymasters around. "I believe in giving newcomers a chance', says this young entrepreneur. But from the way we see it, he's a newcomer himself. Asim needs to establish his own reputation before he can think about assisting others. For some strange reason he dominates the scene in Islamabad, and has managed to establish a partnership with PNCA. That is perhaps the reason that he lands all government–related shows and events. However, Asim can take events to Malaysia, Dubai or Brunei but until he shows a little class, he's going nowhere in Pakistan.

Instep verdict: Asim has wowed the big guns in the government; but that's easy to do as they're clueless about the way fashion works. To actually make his mark, he needs to concentrate on class and quality.

Perfectionists to the core when it comes to planning their own events, Nabila, Rizwan Beyg and Hasan Sheheryar Yasin are forces to reckon with in the fashion industry of Pakistan. Nabila's shows come few and far between but they always leave an everlasting impact – remember the hair show she hosted in the then newly made Dolmen Mall? The partnership she had with Rizwan Beyg was a winning combination and they made magic together.

Hasan Sheheryar Yasin, gave up choreographing shows as a profession when he stepped into fashion designing. But choreography was his forte and that fact surfaces every time he manages his own or his friends' fashion shows. They are simple, elegant and move with clockwork precision. However, the sad fact for both Rizwan and HSY is that no designer will use another to choreograph their show!

Feroz Khan has only harmed his own image in Pakistan by his words, but this attitude shows the neurosis in the Indian psyche when it comes to Pakistan

By Muniba Kamal

Feroz Khan's drunken diatribe is the myth of legend now. After shocking the select audience invited for the premier of Taj Mahal and embarrassing even the Indian team, things took a turn for the worse when Feroz's entry into Pakistan was forbidden by President Musharraf himself.

Most people think it's the right thing to do. What Feroz Khan said got everybody's back up. But it doesn't look good, a President banning the entry of a has been actor and an unsuccessful filmmaker to boot. After seeing the asinine Janasheen, one really doubts whether his remarks should be given much credence. Feroz Khan seems to be a man who is somewhere out there, but exactly where? Nobody knows.

However, what Feroz Khan said expresses a deep rooted neurosis many (I stress not all) Indians have  vis a vis Pakistan. Shabana Azmi on her last trip here also said something about there not being terrorists in India because it is a secular country. It  seems that Indian Muslims who have their backs up when they come here. Both Shabana and Feroz Khan's comments show that they end up comparing Muslims in India to those in Pakistan. This is when they put their foot in their mouth.

Why do they end up doing it? Well, Shabana Azmi is a politician and she is a mouth piece for the state of India. She wears her secularism with pride along with the bindi on her forehead. However, Feroz Khan was drunk and shot off the mouth. Of course, even though he's not a politician – such an artless, tactless man would never make a very good one, his comments have been hijacked by the BJP, whose Vice President has lauded Feroz Khan for being a true nationalist. This has made Akbar Khan even more furious. In order to pacify the controversy that has broken out, their media machine has gone into overdrive and is trying to shift the blame of the fall out onto Fakhr e Alam.

"'When I did my research, it came to be known that the origin of the story of this so–called ban was from none other than Mr. Fakhr e Alam, the compere of the Press Conference in Lahore," said Dale Bhagwagar, Akbar Khan's PRO. " I'm told, Mr Alam is a fading actor in Pakistan, who is 'using' this incident to gain mileage for himself through fiery interviews in the Pakistan media. In his quest for his two minutes of fame, he is forgetting and ignoring the fact that he is responsible for raking up an unnecessary 'nationalistic' debate between the two countries. ''

This is damage control at its best. However, when it comes to propaganda, we are not far behind. According to the strangest paper on the net called Pakistan Times. Here are some excerpts from the site:   

"After finishing interviews, Fakhar (sic) went back on the stage and while concluding said "I am proud Pakistani, I love Pakistan, Pakistan is a great country, we are Muslims and our culture and religion teach us that even if our guest says some unpleasant words, we ignore and forget with a large heart".

The moment Fakhar-e-Alam said these words over 1200 guests who were otherwise in state of shock and anger over Feroz's remarks stood up and clapped for 10 minutes. This once again made Feroz more annoyed and he started abusing Fakhar and tried to assault the Pakistani artist. The security people had to remove highly intoxicated Feroz to the back stage where he did not stop abusing Pakistan and Pakistani people. He broke plates and went out of the premises calling names. Later Feroz again tried to attack Fakhar in the lobby of the hotel. The incident drew huge media attention both in Pakistan and India. Invariably everybody blamed Feroz who fell from grace and admired Fakhar-e-Alam for remaining composed and also protecting his country's image."

Fareshteh Aslam, who covered the premier for Instep in great detail insists that none of this fracas happened.  This is spin that is patriotic to the point of blindness and highly inflammatory to boot about a very sensitive issue.   

The ban on Feroz Khan has been termed a "personal issue" and government officials have hinted that the ban will be lifted if Feroz Khan apologises, but no apology has been forthcoming. On the other hand, both his brother Akbar Khan and Pakistan's best friend in Bollywood Mahesh Bhatt have expressed their apologies. Even Fardeen Khan, who one hears is often embarrassed by his father's shenanigans, tried to stop FK Sr. 

Now that peace between Indian and Pakistan is an increasing reality, be prepared for a war of words. Indian celebrities will come and they will make faux pas', some innocent, some pointed and others too ridiculous to be taken seriously. It is healthy that the peace process is continuing and that five films Syed Noor's Majajan and Daku Rani, Javed Sheikh's Yeh Dil Aapka Huwa, Reema's Koi Tujh Saa Kahan and Salakhein will be shown at a film festival in India soon.

The exhibition of Indian films in Pakistan and Pakistani films across the border is hugely important with the potential to revolutionise relations between the two countries. Feroz Khan's diatribe exhibited the lack of understanding Indians have about us as a people; as did Yash Chopra's well–meaning film Veer Zaara that still hoisted a stereotype on the character of Pakistan. Similarly, there have been many Pakistani films that have spewed venom against India. This has started changing. The normalization process will not be without hiccups, but the dialogue that comes out of it is what is important. The reaction of Pakistani media, both print and electronic showed that government watchdogs are not needed to put an inebriated actor in his place – the independent press is both patriotic and savvy enough.

Feroz Khan has not harmed Pakistan by his words. He has only harmed himself. This would have held true even if President Musharraf had not blacklisted him.

Nadya Mistry believes in spreading awareness of fashion and setting trends through her unique design sensibility. Instep chats with this designer who has always worked against the norms

Tell us something about this collection?

This is my couture/wedding wear collection. It is inspired by the arts and folk motifs of various cultures. It takes inspirations from China, Tibet, Thailand, Pakistan and India. I have selected popular folk motifs and woven them into my line. I like to call it pop art collection because folk motifs are popular everywhere. It's not the regular bridal collection. The fun element is there and so is the experimentation that I call signature Nadya Mistry.

Is this a completely new collection or you have shown it before?

I have shown this one at Bridal Waves. I never put it up in my store as I wanted to do shoots with it first and then stock it.

You have been designing for more than five years, what segment of the market are you catering to?

I am here to make people aware of fashion and I have been saying this from day one. Therefore, my market is anyone and everyone who appreciates fashion and likes to buy something experimental. I have never designed for one body type or certain kind of people. I like to have fun with my fashion and I want people to do the same.

So do you think after all those years you have made the difference?

I think that I have done something. Nobody had the concept of a high fashion store at that time especially in a mall. I opened up my store and it set the trend of high fashion boutique and many people followed it. I want people to feel fashion, not just buy fashion, and that was the concept behind my store. I have always experimented and came up with different stuff. I even put a twist to the regular shalwar kameez and never followed the norms. I opened my store at a mall for the sole reason that mall is a place where everyone comes from all sections of the society and it's more important to see fashion to buy it. That also makes people conscious of fashion and new trends regardless of the fact that they buy it or not. Whatever I make has that Nadya Mistry twist.

What's your take on Fashion Council, which way are you going?

I am Karachi based and I have been in touch with Maheen so I am with Karachi. The fact is that we don't have an industry which is big enough to have two councils. But I think if the industry likes it that way, its fine. They have egos and issues and if one doesn't get along with another, then they should part ways. My loyalties are with Karachi, but I would like the council to be fair and just, with no hierarchy.

You were doing a small show – 'Lolita' each year, why have you stopped showing?

I haven't done any Lolita shows but I have done a few others. The problem is that I am very busy in exporting my garments right now. Then I have my handloom units to take care of as I started manufacturing my own fabric. I have also re–introduced my men's wear line so that's taking some time as well.

What are you exporting and are you stocking in shops abroad?

I have started exporting high fashion and ready to wear clothing to Milan, Los Angeles and Dallas, and I have been sending them to UK for quite some time now. I am doing this through buyers under my own label. In Milan, there is this Italian buyer who is buying my garments, for them i get a brief on colours, etc. In UK and USA, I export whatever I am making here. They are retailers and wholesalers, who sell it further to stores all under my label.

What you are working on? Any shows?

Next month I am doing a show Dallas. I just did one here for the Expo 2006 in April, where I presented my Spring/Summer collection based on floral prints. I used a lot of chiffon and worked with florets and ruffles. I am also working on a line for Bridal Asia this year.

--Nadya Mistry was talking to Ahmer Ashraf

Men are becoming more and more fashion conscious with every passing day. So, for all those fashion savvy men out there, here's what the fashion experts say. The conservative look is out. Drop those standard white and dark, dull blue shirts. Go for much more funk and glam. Replace those whiteys with bright striped shirts. However, it should also be remembered that a subtle shade is the 'in' thing. For instance, instead of bright lime green, a lighter shade will be considered a lot more stylish. Ties are another hot accessory for men and some can never rid themselves of it. So go for shirts that will blend perfectly with your ties. Spruce up those gray and brown suits with colourful socks. It is perhaps the funkiest way to break away from tradition. Classic styling in suits is inevitably back. A more slim silhouette in suits will give those dull drabs that quintessential edge over other suits. And finally, for casual evenings or beach parties, shirts with African motifs are another punch to go for. 

She's savvy, she's stylish, she's a hit on TV and she is coming into designing. An interview with fashion graduate Sanam Agha

By Ahmer Ashraf

Sanam Agha is not your typical Pakistani beauty a la Reema – she's not fair, doesn't have the kohl– lined classic eastern looks and her eyes don't twinkle with aspirations for fame.  And yet she's climbing the ladder to popularity real fast. With an utterly stylish persona that comes with a distinct femininity and a British accent that makes her slightly intimidating to the desi types, Sanam is not your standard TV actress either. She is not even attempting to be one.

Sitting in friend Ayesha Toor's lounge, she is dressed in a brown gypsy skirt and a striped top. Her usually unruly curled locks are tied up at the back, allowing just a few strands to wisp around her face. She isn't wearing any makeup and she usually doesn't.

The girl is style savvy in one word – she is that street smart Jane who has much more to offer than her looks. What adds to her knowledge of clothing is her degree in fashion, from the prestigious London College of Fashion. This young, vivacious girl, whose first love is fashion, is least confused about her life or her career as a matter of fact. The reason – she takes it as it comes. When it was getting the hang of event management through fashion shows, she joined Frieha Altaf's Catwalk. When it was appearing in a music video, she did Ali Zafar's 'Rangeen.' When it was acting, she went ahead with it and did a sitcom. Now she has plans for getting into fashion designing, something that she has been qualified to do. And you never know, tomorrow she has a store on Zamzama – Sanam Agha. Media is easy for her, fashion perhaps even easier.

The two years that Sanam spent in Karachi were sort of a transitory period. She never intended to stay back. "It was this association with Frieha. I stayed back for more than I thought I would," says Sanam who was working with Frieha Altaf and helping her out in her event management concern, Catwalk Productions. She had flown down from UK for her vacations. At that point she was doing it as a hobby as she wanted to utilise her spare time. But little did she know that this is going to open a whole lot of opportunities for herself. What does she feel about it? "I take it as it comes," she says. Sanam's association with Frieha goes back a few years when she was working with the Pakistan Embassy team on the Rhythms of The Indus show staged at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

 "I had this knack for fashion, I was always into art and fashion," says the girl who joined the Wimbledon Art School before she ended up in LCF. For Sanam, fashion is paintings and sculpture coming together, "Sculptures are my passion and paintings my obsession, and for me, fashion is the combination of both," she explains. It is fashion which pushed her to come onscreen, she hosted a show called Style Update for a local channel when her friend Fariha Chapra called her. Then did the video of 'Rangeen.' "It came to me as a surprise when they told me to act in 'Rangeen', they had decided it already," referring to Frieha who was styling the video and Ahsan–Amena, the directors. She tried her hand at event management, acting and working for a local TV channel.

It was a roller coaster ride for Sanam afterwards when she was invited to appear in a cutting edge sitcom, directed by Najaf Bilgrami, "I had a lot of fun working, it was like working with my friends, there was Ali Kazmi, Faisal Shah, Rubya Chaudhry, Sarwat etc," says Sanam cheerfully. She has a good rapport with almost all the industry people, whether she worked with celebrities when at Catwalk or her personal friends from the industry like Deepak Perwani, Tariq Amin, Ayesha and Uns, Rubya Chaudhry, Sarwat, Ali Kazmi, Faisal Shah and the list goes on.

Sanam is every inch a party girl, from being spotted at the French Beach on Sundays to being seen hanging out at her friend, Shahbaz Sumar's joint, the Basement. "I like to have a good time," she says with a smile. Sanam usually finds her friends to be the best party people as she shares a great relationship with most of her social friends. "Weekdays are with friends at small GTs or chilling at their places and Saturday is the big party," she adds. Sometimes Sanam lazes at home and spend hours in front of TV, "But I never see what I have done, I do it very rarely," she laughs as she says this. Instead she goes for movies and at times, she likes dine out, "I love eating, I am crazy about Sushi and Mr Burger," she lists her favourites in eating.

Sanam is a shopaholic – she says that she spends a lot of time shopping. She loves to dress up, and when you tell her to sum up her dressing sense in one line, she confidently comments, "I can wear anything that looks good, I'm wearing a Zainab Market skirt paired with a branded top. Its about what looks good and how you wear it," she says. Though she says that she has done everything, "Everyone goes through phases, I went through many as well, but you can say I have an eclectic style. I was inspired by bohemian trends at one point. I also like dressing up to the nines, complete with the stilettos and halters," tells the future designer who is ready to venture into fashion designing. After getting a hand of how things work in the industry and working with others in the field, Sanam is all set after the two–year fun experience in the local industry. And that wouldn't be difficult for her at all…

Witnesses disappear from Salman Khan case

Salman Khan is indeed one lucky guy – he keeps running into bad luck but also keeps escaping unscathed. Four key witnesses, the men he actually run over in the 2002 hit and run case, have mysteriously disappeared. These men were vital for the prosecution but went missing from their homes and as a result were not available for deposition. These witnesses are the backbone of the case as Salman injured them and killed another, when he banged in his car into a bakery in Bandra. According to Salman's lawyer, Dipesh Mehta, the trial date has now been moved to June 29, 2006. So far, the prosecution has had an extremely strong case. Does it mean a possible conviction for Salman Khan? Our bet, unless the witnesses are found, the case will remain in the limbo and Salman outside the bars. For now, keep guessing how four key witnesses disappeared into thin air. It smells fishy but there's never a dull moment where Salman Khan is involved!

Gurinder Chadha moves on

The last production by Gurinder Chadha, The Mistress of Spices, starring Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai and American actor Dylan McDermott failed miserably at the box office, even though we hear it's a great film to watch. But Gurinder Chadha hasn't let that fact get to her. The Bend It Like Beckham director has quickly moved on to her next project, which will star none other than Grease hero John Travolta and singer/actress Jennifer Lopez. The script is an adaptation of the hit television series, Dallas. Dallas began in 1978 and was aired for 13 years. Luke Wilson and Shirley MacLaine are also roped in for the project. Gurinder shot to fame with Bend It Like Beckham and her film Bride and Prejudice did very well at the UK and USA box offices. Dallas will be her third directorial project.  John Travolta and J.Lo will come together onscreen for the first time and that fact in itself makes the movie worth a watch.

Can(nes) Bollywood do it?

The red carpet has finally rolled for international films at the Cannes Film Festival. Bollywood actors frequent their presence and topping the list is Aishwarya Rai. Since 2002, the year of Devdas, Aishwarya Rai has become a regular at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival and has also served as a jury member. This year Ash attended as the Face of L'Oreal, posing with another L'Oreal girl Andie McDowell. She also promoted her new film, Provoked, which also features Naveen Andrews (Bride and Prejudice, Lost) and Miranda Richardson (Chicken Run, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) in pivotal roles. Ash plays the role of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, a battered wife, who kills her husband. And while the spotlight is most certainly on Ash, other Bollywood biggies aren't far behind. Screenings of the Salman Khan–Ali Larter film Marigold, superhit Rang De Basanti, The Last Monk by Sudipto Sen, Mixed Doubles by Rajat Kapur and Nine Emotions by Santosh Sivan are also scheduled for screening. Karan Johar and Preity Zinta also mark an appearance with the screening of Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. Ajay Devgan is said to be accompanying his film Omkara, the adapted version of Shakespeare's Othello. The only question is: with 35 filmmakers showcasing Indian films in various languages, will Bollywood really make a mark at Cannes or go away without a buzz? Watch this space for more on it…

Nicole Kidman engaged

With the birth of Suri and his unbearably love sick behaviour of recent, Tom Cruise has proven that Nicole and he are over. Nicole Kidman, on the other hand, has maintained a very dignified silence. Now, after months of speculation and rumours about Nicole's love life, she has finally come clean about her relationship with country music star, Keith Urban. At a recent UNDFW gala that she hosted in New York, Nicole told People Magazine, "He's actually my fiancé, I wouldn't be bringing my boyfriend." Since July 2005, the two have been seeing each other and until last week, Nicole was adamant on not commenting to the press and the world around. But that's not all, in a very recent interview, where Kidman spoke of her marriage to Tom, she said, "He was huge; still is. To me, he was just Tom, but to everybody else, he is huge. But he was lovely to me. And I loved him. I still love him." If that isn't confusing, nothing is. Meanwhile both exes are rumoured to be in a race to the alter. Whether marriage is in the cards for both couples, we really can't say, but Tom should be happy with Nicole's declaration. After having lost fans over his loopy behaviour and after failing at the box office, he can be happy over the fact that one fan remains loyal.  Perhaps, Nicole's statement might put the stark raving mad Tom back in the hearts of fans.

Brangelina's charitable ways

Angelina Jolie is one woman who can raise money for charity in the most odd ways possible. The Brangelina duo, currently residing in Namibia, have sold the first picture of their unborn child for a whopping 2.6 million dollars. They have sold it to an American weekly magazine and the money will go directly to UNICEF's children charity. A source close to the couple stated, "Angelina's very private but they figured they might as well use the opportunity of one child being born to help a lot of others." Meanwhile reports of Pitt being angry with his mom are also flying around. Apparently, the ex–wife Jen and mom are still on really good terms and talk often. While Brad has made no comments, his brother Doug told Star magazine, "Brad is not happy about mum talking to Jennifer. He feels that mum should move on now and cut the link that was there. But mum is in a difficult position - she has great affection for Jennifer, born out of the fact that Brad once loved her and did marry her." Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi! The story's the same around the world, eh? But right now, hats off to the gorgeous Angelina and consequently Brad for raising money for the needy.

'Mahiya' is selling like hot cakes but with a debut album that fails to impress, Ainee threatens to be a one–hit wonder.

By Nadeem F. Paracha

Artist: Ainee

Album: Princess**1/2

There's an explosion happening in the local pop scene. A boom, so to say. This has made a number of Pakistani pop enthusiasts very happy. A tad too happy, really. Because what they are failing to realize is that this boom has no method, vision or direction. It is loud, ubiquitous and easily noticeable, but chaotic and rather disorienting.

It is chaos being fed upon by hoards of desperate 24 hour TV and FM channels and a highly impressionable audience. They have no sense of history (and thus no inkling as to what the future might look like). All that there is, is a today … or an understanding of a today peddled to them, on one hand by the channels and their corporate patrons, and on the other, by an army of dramatic evangelists and moralists to whom both the future and the present belong in a desert stuck in a time warp of fourteen hundred years ago. 

Fine, but what on earth has all this got to do with Ainee's Princess? Nothing and everything. Nothing because Ainee surely doesn't want to be a Suzanne Vega of Pakistan. And everything because Ainee is about to go down in history as yet another one–hit wonder. She is an artist of today, for today, by today. Her album may be selling in great numbers, but do remember dozens of all those multi–selling boy bands who vanish from history like the acne that vanishes from your face the moment you exit puberty.     

So this is how I am going to treat Lady Ainee. Here today, gone tomorrow. But as a consolation, I must add that this is how a chunk of artists in today's music scene should be treated as well.

Some six months ago, Ainee arrived on the land's television screens with a song and video called 'Mahiya'. Everything about the song and video was so awfully formulaic, that it sort of went unnoticed by most viewers for a good month or two… until many of us suddenly found ourselves actually humming it on our way to work. Something was on. Ainee's lil' tune was sprinting in recall value past the jungle of pop and rock videos that grace the music channels everyday.

As far as frivolous, Johnny–come–hastily commercial pop tunes are concerned, 'Mahiya' is quite a cracker really. Don't bother about the truly bad lyrics. Instead stick to the curiously catchy beat and Lady Ainee's euphoric, one dimensional, teen Utopia vocals. This song's hit credentials left many among us waiting patiently for a full length album from the singer. And this month it came.

Kicking off with 'Mahiya', it maintains its promise with 'Taweetri', another curiously catchy and meaty bhangra ditty with illusionary house music undertones. So far so good, enough to forgive Ainee's unrequited desire to impersonate Britney Spears on the title track, 'Princess'. Not that she does such a bad job of it, because  Spears ain't no Steve Nicks, is she? But a singer trying to become a Britney Spears of the east is not such a pleasant thought, really. Well, as we move on, it becomes apparent that by the time 'Princess' fades out, Lady Ainee's crown starts to slip.

Actually it's more than a slip as Ainee folds all ends up with a pretty pitiful piece of bhangra slop, 'Deewani'. Awful!

An energetic, sub techno reworking of old Punjabi chestnut, 'Assan Jaan Ke Meet Lai', tries valiantly to settle the mess created by the two preceding songs only to be thrown back in the looming bin of bad pop with the tuneless 'Aankhon Sey Chori'. By now 'Mahiya' is a distant memory and Ainee is hopping about hopelessly like a crownless, make–believe princess blowing kisses to frogs!

However, the next two numbers, 'Chori, Chori' and 'Nachna' do manage to somewhat clean up the mess with their generic Bhangra–meets–disco whippings and on which Ainee sounds like a queer cross between the '70s kitsch of Tina Charles and the filmi disco of Nazia Hassan. Rather entertaining listening, but nothing to write home about.

This pretense too ends up wobbling into creaky bhangra/disco minimalism on 'Koka' which really is no more than a tune made solely for mehendi night desperados. A regulatory remix version of 'Mahiya' works as an unsuccessful redeeming factor to the bad pop bashing your ears have suffered, but one can then take the headphones off to actually thank Ainee for making this album that finally rid our heads of 'Mahiya' once and for all.

Alas, I'm back to humming Ravel's 'Bolero' and the Signs' 'Jaana'. Good frog.  

  *****Classic

 ****Excellent

  ***Good

**Fair/Average/Mediocre

     *Poor/Pathetic/etc.

- Najam Shiraz is going border–hopping once again – this time to perform live with Hari Haran. This event, organized by Pakistan Times Group, will raise funds for the earth quake survivors. "I am excited that I've been paired up with such a wonderful artist like Hari Haran. It will be an amazing jam session because we both have different styles of singing," said Najam on his collaboration with the Indian singer. If you remember, his first venture into India went somewhat sour when he composed the song for Mahesh Bhatt's movie, Murder and the credit for that ended up in another singer's lap. Better luck this time! Hari Haran has already collaborated with Strings on the song, 'Bolo Bolo'. One might add that the exchange between both the countries is going strong in entertainment. Taj Mahal and Mughal–e–Azam are being screened in Pakistan and while they're not doing so well, the music industry dances to another tune altogether. Our musicians certainly have made their mark across the border and surely the Najam–Hari collaboration will follow suit too…

- After 'Bachpan', Kaavish is back with another video called 'Chotee Khushiyaan'. Directed by Umar Amanullah, the video features the band and local music channel's VJ Natasha and Zara. Shot primarily at beachside among other locations , the video is quite simple and shows the story of a few friends who live life to its fullest and find happiness in the smallest of moments. The storyline compliments the video. However, it could've been executed better. The song is a slow, mellow number with nothing new to it. It is mundane and quite ordinary. But keep watching the video and the song just might grow on you!

- Some of the world's best musicians are also some of the world's best philanthropists. Take Bob Geldof or Bono, for example. It's good to see our desi artists following the same trail to charity. Ali 'Channo' Zafar may be the hottest heart throb around, but he recently decided to celebrate his birthday with the children of the SOS Village in Lahore. Following the footsteps of his fellow musicians Abrar–ul–Haq, Jawad Ahmed, Shehzad Roy and Fakhr–e–Alam, he lent his evening to social work.

- Babyshambles' lead man Pete Doherty always finds a way of rubbing the press up the wrong way. After his last cocaine sniffing stunt while being interviewed, he recently horrified a TV crew member when he squirted blood from a syringe onto a camera. He initially refused to be a part of the interview and instead hid in a corner. When he finally sat down with his band mates for the interview, he aimed at the lens and led the blood out.  Unfortunately, Babyshambles' bassist Drew McConnell was not amused by his friend's rather crazy antic and stated to the MTV crew, "I think the interview is over. I'm really sorry mate." Pete on the other hand was quite pleased with himself and said to his band mates after the squirting episode, "That was wicked," as they looked at him in shock. Crazy, but a fabulous singer and songwriter, that is Pete Doherty for you!

"I can't stand to sing the same song the same way two nights in succession, let alone two years or ten years. If you can, then it ain't music, it's close-order drill or exercise or yodeling or something, not music." - Billie Holiday

Pakistani

1. Be The One

- Omer Inayat

2. Princess

- Ainee

3. Sagaar

- Fuzon

4. Jalpari

- Atif Aslam

5. Social Circus

- Ali Azmat

Billboard

1. Stadium  Arcadium - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

2. Let Love In  - Goo Goo Dolls

3. Ten Thousand Days - Tool

4. Switch - Inxs

5. Final Straw - Snow Patrol

Indian

1. Fanaa

2. Rang De Basanti

3. 36 Chinatown

4. Aryan

5. Parineeta

Courtesy: Laraib Music, Clifton Shopping Centre, Boating Basin, Karachi.