Musical Notes
The low budget video to watch out for
Always shunned for being a boring city and all, Islamabad ironically has one of the most progressive and happening underground rock scenes in the country. Forget Vital Signs, Islamabad in recent years has given the Pakistani music scene Corduroy, Omer Inayat, Abbas Ali Khan and Rungg. Saturn is yet another Islamabadi band making waves these days with their single, 'Rakh'. 

How Ali Haider stole MHB's thunder
At a recent gig, Ali Haider proved that when it comes to live performances, he is still one of the best - even better than MHB
By Maheen Sabeeh
Pop wonder steals the show
Live concerts are perhaps the simplest way to understand where an artist stands amongst fans. When a band performs live, the reaction they generate reflects their standing amongst the masses. This fact came into play recently when Ali Haider proved to be the only one to make students of CBM (College of Business Management) dance at a concert. Even though, names like Aaroh and Mekaal Hasan Band were also performing and they did a fine job, it was the pop wonder of the nineties who brought life to a concert that was otherwise boring.

Rocking it in Lahore
With most live rockers being from Lahore, the last big concert featuring Noori, EP, Call and MHB was a resounding success where rowdy headbangers had a field day till security shooed them out!
By Savaiz Bokhari
After a fairly long stretch, a 'live' concert finally managed to happen in Lahore. Since it was after such a long while, it had to be BIG. It had a dream bill - the poster for the gig read: Krash & Dreamweaver Present LIVE 4 ROCK…Noori, Call, EP, MHB (Mekaal Hasan Band for the yet uninitiated). The date: Sunday September 17 2006, the venue: Alhamra Open Air.'

These are new times we are experiencing – times when the rigid conservatism of the eighties is nothing but a distant memory. Today fashion has taken centre stage, in print and all over television where channels are eagerly lapping up anything that remotely suggests glamour. This evolution has also given birth to hundreds of fashion and society magazines that are giving today's reader exactly what he wants – pictures! Pictures of parties, fashion shows, the glitterati of high society and celebrity culture. And there's one man who is riding the wave like no other.

Faisal Farooqui is one of the most valuable individuals in the fashion industry today. He is the man who comes up with those priceless photographs that grace the covers of Pakistan's many versions of Hello! GT, Social Pages, et al. It would be safe to venture that there isn't a single publication in Pakistan that has never used one of Faisal's photo shots. Because when it comes to covering what's happening, Faisal is bang on the front line, armed with a camera and an eye for capturing the moment. Be it the Lux Style Awards or the Carnival de Couture, J&S corporate events or the most happening fashion shows in the country - Faisal is the most wanted runway photographer in Pakistan. It wouldn't be wrong to say that he is responsible for giving Page 3 culture a face in Pakistan – both on the glamorous fashion runways and on the extremely exclusive dance floors where only the who's who of society rub shoulders with each other.

Ironically, Faisal's success lies in the fact that he has no desire to be part of them. It is said about art, that the best way to view a picture is from a distance and this philosophy has worked wonders for Faisal Farooqui. By maintaining a very healthy professional space between himself and the industry he works for, he has struck the perfect balance between professional decorum and technical expertise. Photography keeps him excited and he lives to capture that one million dollar moment in a chai stand off some dusty road. "Photojournalism is my true passion," he says. "I started off in magazines and newspapers. It's a field now beautifully defined by Arif Mahmood – his black and white images say so much. I love taking pictures of unaware people." While fashion and society pay the bills, that one picture, he says, is what gives him a good night's sleep.

Not that he gets much sleep, such is his schedule. It's September 4, barely one day after the year's biggest show - the Lux Style Awards – ended and Faisal hasn't slept for over 40 hours. He's been through the rigorous cycle of shooting backstage, rehearsals, the red carpet and finally the show itself. Where anyone else his age would have gladly put work on the back burner to chill out at the after show party, Faisal drove straight back to his studio to get the hundreds of images down on CD, ready for distribution to the press. That's professionalism to the max and that's what makes him such a pleasure to work with. For Faisal there are no Sundays and no fun days when there's work to be done.

"I've stopped doing parties now," Faisal comments about the assignments that got him into the business. "I hand them over to my assistants. They're just not my cup of tea. I attend corporate events and shows and work wherever I'm needed but I just don't feel the need for being at a party. Honestly speaking, one reason is that the equipment I carry is fragile and often gets damaged in the crowd. I can't afford that so even when I am attending a private event, I try to get there early to catch people fresh and sober. I always sneak out before things get too hot," he adds with a chuckle. Parties, it seems, are the dark room this photographer has no desire to step into. He's a quiet, gentle soul who knits his way through the crème de la crème of society, with absolutely no aspiration to climb the social ladder. He could be the fly on the wall churning out one mind blowing image after the other.

"Faisal's pictures are phenomenal," says Frieha Altaf, the woman who Faisal calls his mentor. "I found Faisal through Humayoun Khan three years ago and today he does all my shows. In twenty years of my experience, I've found live photography to be the most difficult thing to handle, it's just so unpredictable. But Faisal's work is stunning. He's professional and such a good human being," she adds. "And he's humble. My whole team loves him. No one else does ramp like him. He's an essential part of my shows and I fly him down from Lahore for each and every one. I just can't say enough about Faisal."

Not just Frieha, but everyone in the fashion industry holds Faisal very high in regard. That's rare in an industry that works in camps and that too for a person who is closely related to one. Not many people are aware that Faisal is related to Mohsin and Umar Sayeed and living in Lahore, has been in very close circuits with Ather and Shahzad. Yet miraculously he hasn't allowed the gene or the city link to oblige him into forming alliances of any sort. "It makes absolutely no difference whose cousin I am," he comments with characteristic coolness. "I know that everyone is involved in camps these days but I simply dislike camps. I believe in working with everyone. I want to work for the benefit of the industry and have never, ever involved myself in politics." Endorsing that is the fact that 70 per cent of the work he does is in Karachi and only 30 per cent in his hometown. But then haven't skeptics accused him of being in Frieha's ranks?

"I have been accused of being in Frieha's camp," he replies, "but my work proves that I am not. I work with everyone. I do shows with Imran Kureishi too. It's as plain as the nose on my face - I am independent and though I am frequently associated with certain people and publications, I want it to be clear that I am a free lance photographer."

Photographing live events is no simple feat and Faisal has proven with results that he has the eye and the skill for recognizing the perfect moment. Not surprising, considering the fact that he was given his first camera at the age of six and his first SLR at eleven. He comes from a family of imaging experts - his father worked in the photo finishing department of Fuji for 21 years, and his uncles put together a very solid four decades of work at Agfa, Fuji and Kodak. In fact just recently Faisal too rejoined Kodak as Product Manager, Inkjet and Colour Solutions after putting in 14 years with the company. "I've been taught very thoroughly," says Faisal with pride, remembering his ever-encouraging father who passed away several years ago. "I wish he could have seen me succeed like I have."

Though Faisal's story is fairly simple, there are moments in his career that have frustrated him. He just can't understand how people can spend millions on an event without paying attention to technical details. Badly constructed runways, poor lighting and undefined spots to photograph the ramp are just some issues, though he quickly clarifies that he rarely has these issues with Frieha Altaf. It's usually the client, he says, who jeopardizes his job to either save a buck or two from the budget or enforce a suggestion that doesn't really make sense. "I was shocked when I saw the last TRC runway last year," he remembers of the ramp that formed a C-shape with people seated on both sides. "I told Frieha that there was no way we'd get high impact fashion images but that's what the client wanted."

"I wasn't happy with this year's LSA pictures either," he confesses about photographs that seemed brilliant to the untrained eye. "The show director, Ashim Sen, let four videographers loose on the sets and they disturbed every shot of mine. I had to trash so many important images because there was a videographer jutting in one side or the other. These people, when hired should be designated to fixed spots and should never be allowed to roam around. Why spoil the show for others just to get your perfect shots for TV?"

Proper lighting also plays an important role in getting the right images. "Organizers need to understand that the T-shape runway is classic world over, though the ramp height changes every year. We need to follow these trends. And lighting and make up have such an important equation. It's not something money should be saved on." This string of discontent actually helps him get better and better with each show and only when he considers himself perfect will he consider training others of the craft. Seeing how modest he is, that may be never.

Faisal does not have much to complain about, though, as his opinion is valued and he is called in for consultation before most shows. This comes with the time he has spent in the industry and the reputation he has established for himself. "Faisal Farooqui is one of a kind," says Jalal Salahuddin, another event manager who strives for perfection. "Faisal has started a new genre of photography in Pakistan and he's extremely competent at what he does. He's one man who can walk into any party, event, show or awards ceremony and people will be comfortable with him. That's an extremely important equation he has - people trust him to take their picture."

Faisal takes pride in the fact that there isn't a single person who doesn't appreciate his work in Pakistan. There definitely are not many other people who enjoy that privilege of diplomatic immunity in fashion's highly politicized camps. Then why does he think more photographers avoid stepping into live fashion photography?

"Many people have tried it though it's not simple to catch a moving object. I work very hard and even attend rehearsals to know exactly when and where the models will stop on the runway and strike a pose for me. It's a discipline and it's all about timing. But other photographers are getting interested in the field now, like Rizwan ul Haq and Rehan Omar Dada. I'd say they're doing a pretty good job."

Faisal is known for being fair. He gets along with everybody, couple that with his competence and you have a photographer who has made himself indispensable to the fashion industry at large. And this is the way Faisal would like to keep it.

When asked whether he would be joining any of the two councils, if invited to, he has a ready answer: "It's jumping the gun since I haven't been asked. I guess associate memberships will come later, but to answer your question, no. I will not be joining any council simply because my work is distributed all over Pakistan and I cannot afford to be branded at the risk of losing work. I'm part of the fashion world of Pakistan but have no desire to be part of any council."

However he doesn't sound too hopeful about the industry whose politics seem to be going from bad to worse. As the bickering continues between various members of the fraternity and as fashion councils are made and then divided, there's only one silver lining that Faisal sees in this otherwise dark, looming cloud: fashion week. "I am really looking forward to having IMG in Pakistan," he says, unable to hide the excitement that comes with the opportunity. "I have attended LIFW and have seen how they work. They are purely professional and there's so much that can be learnt from them. Pakistan Fashion Week will be such a delight!"

As fashion weeks happen around the world, the buzz of Pakistan Fashion Week gets louder. Fashion weeks are how fashion circuits come into existence and how new designers are promoted – cities are made more lively by those fantastic hyper-real fashion-crazy days when all eyes are on the ramp. Instep introduces you to the who's who of London Fashion Week 2006

Keep an eye on the imminent release of superstar Shahrukh Khan's second film of the year, Farhan Akhtar's Don. More than anything else, it will probably deliver the answer to a question that has been dogging the more discerning among Mumbai movie industry observers for a while now: is King Khan's reign nearing its end?

Shahrukh fans might feel that this question is a tad premature because the star is still a saleable proposition. Indeed, that has always been Shahrukh's strength. More a performer than an actor, he draws crowds to the movie theatres with his innate ability to provide unalloyed entertainment within a limited, predictable bandwidth.

Therein lies his greatest drawback. Shahrukh has never shown evidence of an inclination to break free from his established screen persona and get into the skin of a character. He has never been required to go beyond set patterns because his fans seem to be happy enough with the way he is. So whether he is a lover boy, an army man or a royal figure from the pages of history, Shahrukh will always play Shahrukh.

But it's getting terribly tiresome. If his laboured performance in Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna is any indication, fatigue seems to be catching up with him. Well, it makes perfect sense for a superstar to keep repeating himself as long as the tried and tested set of mannerisms appeals to the masses, but it is time for reinvention when that stops working. Will Don, a reworking of a monster hit of the 1970s, provide that much-needed injection of novelty into Shahrukh's career?

If it doesn't and if Shahrukh comes up short in the inevitable comparison with the original Amitabh Bachchan star turn, it could spell the beginning of the end of the Shahrukh Khan era.

Surrounded by a new breed of male stars that have learnt how to downplay their established screen personae in order to flesh out clearly defined characters, Shahrukh does not have much room for complacency. For the likes of Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan (now preparing to play Akbar in Ashutosh Gowariker's next film), Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, substance has taken precedence over mere show in a series of recent films.

Shahrukh has increasingly begun to look like a bit of an anachronism, a throwback to a past when it was enough for a star to play himself, no matter what the role.

Many superstars before Shahrukh – Dev Anand, Rajendra Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna, to name the most prominent – have suffered much the same fate. Amitabh ruled Bollywood for close to two decades on the strength of his angry young man image, but by the late 1980s, that career-defining persona had outlived its utility. Therefore, when the biggest star Bollywood has ever seen sought to extend his run at the top with an ill-advised dependence on the image of the past, he came a cropper.

If the redoubtable Amitabh Bachchan is still a force to reckon with, it is because he has successfully made the transition from an all-conquering superstar peddling a saleable image to an actor of many parts taking on creative challenges.

Actors trapped in an image (notably Rajesh Khanna) are known to fade out completely once their fan support base erodes. Remember the last few films of Khanna's career as a superstar? A slave to mannerisms, he let his persona overwhelm the actor in him. Audiences lost patience with his jaded style, and the one-time box office king lost ground quickly.

Shahrukh Khan is pretty close to a situation where he seems to be acting merely from memory, not from any creative stimuli stemming from the assignment at hand. In KANK, his pronounced mannerisms kill any possibility of the character he plays, a failed footballer turned coach, acquiring a life of its own.

Shahrukh the superstar is in desperate need of resuscitation. Don, therefore, will be one of the most important films of his career. It will tell us whether he is good enough for a new lease of life at the top.

Friends with Money can be termed as one of the most quirkiest, funniest, interesting and intelligent films to come out of Hollywood in the recent past. From the star cast, it looks like another brainless rom-com flick but it's really not. The film is layered with subtexts that are not only insanely hilarious but also pinpoint at how people from different social and economic backgrounds struggle to find synergy in marital as well as single life. As it turns out, money makes for a very interesting storyline, especially if it's made without adding the usual Hollywood nuances.

The storyline involves four friends: a fashion designer on the verge of depression (Frances McDormand), a wealthy philanthropist (Joan Cusack), a squabbling screenwriter (Catherine Keener) and their neurotic single friend (Jennifer Aniston). All four of them come with their own set of diagrams - Frances is married to a man who is just too nice to be straight, Joan is married to Greg and both of them spend their days passing judgments on others while Catherine and Jason are always involved in some form of bickering at any given moment. The star of the show (popularity wise), Jennifer Aniston is stalking her married ex-boyfriend as well as having a fling with a trainer.

All four women are completely different from each other and yet, they find a common ground. This is a film about women, their problems, marital or otherwise, communication gaps, self-doubt, and a lot more.

Even though the focus of the film lies on the lives of the rich and relatively famous, it doesn't say wealth is evil and poor is noble. In the materialistic culture that we live in, it seems that money is the solution to everything. Friends with Money breaks that preconceived notion and tries to say that life has its problems - money or no money. At the same time, it also says that money is the new deal. It is more important to buy your kid an expensive pair of shoes than having the right relationship with your spouse. Well, at least in a cosmopolitan city like Los Angeles.

Throughout the film, the 'quirkiness' of each character is highlighted to a whole new level. The trainer with whom Jen has a fling with shows brand new amusing levels of how to exploit your girlfriend. But beneath all that wry humour of the film, there are questions. If cowboys can be gay, does it mean shampoo and cashmere loving men can be straight? As human beings, can we look at things without judging and stereotyping? Does wealth necessarily lead to happiness? You don't find the answers in the film. It aims only to open your eyes and leaves it at that. This plot works well. This film is not propagating anything but only showing a side of society that most American filmmakers tend to stay away from. It is not about who got the money from where but rather what difference does it make and how.

Acting wise, Friends with Money works solely on the shoulders of the four women. All of them deliver fantastic performances. As a screenwriter, Catherine is believable and as a wife, she is superb. Ditto for Joan Cusack and Frances McDormand, who is the most finicky, annoyingly ethical character in the film. Cut a line in front of her and there comes a lecture. And even though, Jen's role has similarity to her known screen character Rachel (both are shown financially struggling), it is delightful to see her break loose on the big screen. After back to back flops (Derailed, Along Came Polly and Rumour Has It), this is the one film that shows that Jen can act. It reminds one of Jen from The Object of My Affection. And it should be said that it's the director who should be applauded. The scenes between all four women together are simply amazing. It is teamwork and it shows. Men don't have much of a role in the film. However, as supporting cast, they do full justice.

Friends with Money is a film rich with wry comedy, heartbreak and gives an intimate and honest look at life and all its messy spirals. Thi down to earth quality is what makes this film, a must see. Highly recommended!

--Maheen Sabeeh

*YUCK

**WHATEVER

***GOOD

****SUPER

*****AWESOME

Oscars are not due till February 2007 but lobbying for the Indian nomination has begun in India. Speculation is rife in the film industry as to which film will be the Indian entry in the Foreign Film Category. The Film Federation of India (FFI) started collecting entries in the first week of September and the final selection will be out anytime now. Some of the frontrunners in the race are Omkara, Rang De Basanti and Lage Raho Munnabhai. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Krrish are also being touted as favourites. Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, who was upset a few years ago when Koi Mil Gaya could not qualify for the mother of all awards, is playing safe this year and has left the decision to the selectors. But actor Ajay Devgan sounds more confident with Omkara. Devgan recently came out in support of Omkara and alleged that a certain lobby was trying to sabotage the prospects of the film by spreading 'false information' about it. Though producer Ronnie Screwvala claims that he is not aware of the films in the running, he said he is "proud of producing Rang De Basanti". Now which film will cross the line and make it to the Oscars race is anybody's guess. We'll bank on either Omkara or Rang de Basanti, and if Krrish and KANK are sent, then India really doesn't have a clue about how to get that Oscar!

Paramount Pictures, which recently fired Tom Cruise, is reportedly gunning to have Brad Pitt replace him in the next installment of Mission Impossible. But Pitt apparently would not play Cruise's character. Ethan Hunt would be retired off to some sunny isle with his new wife and Brad would take over as a gutsy new head operative who puts together his own unique team of specialists. It definitely sounds like a plan. Brad is hot property after Mr and Mrs Smith and being with the beautiful Angelina Jolie in real life has added to his star power. Just like marrying Katie Holmes, converting to Scientology and acting as the cult's most high profile poster boy has cost Tom Cruise his image. Remember, Tom Cruise and Paramount ended their 14-year relationship last month, with chairman Sumner Redstone blaming Cruise's controversial behaviour for the split? This parting of ways was historic enough to be covered by hard news channels. Now rumour has it that Paramount is offering Pitt 52 million dollars for the flick, which would make Brad the highest paid actor in history. It seems like Hollywood is well on its way of creating a star couple juggernaut with double the power of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Of course so far, both Brad and Paramount have denied the deal, so here's hoping the on going rumours make this dream of a proposition in reality till umm, Brad jumps up and down on Oprah's couch and verbally assaults someone for using meds.

Shahrukh Khan, once a chain smoker is now trying to quit smoking!! At least that's what the King Khan had to say when launching a cancer drug from Biocon. SRK's new movie Don faces censor issues over a smoking scene. On quitting smoking, Shahrukh said, "I am trying my best. But it's difficult. I am trying to reduce it. I have reduced it a lot but it is a weakness." It will take him a while to succeed in kicking the habit. Shahrukh Khan was seen in a number of interviews smoking cigarette after cigarette in the past but recently when Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss announced the ban on smoking on screen, the new Don, Shahrukh Khan endorsed it completely. But now the censor board is planning to slap an 'A' certificate for SRK's new movie Don because it has a scene where Shahrukh is seen with a cigarette. Shahrukh clarifies that in Don, he "puts a cigarette in his mouth and he says 'I am trying to quit it' when gang members come to light it". Shahrukh Khan declared that smoking is a "shameful thing" and he has lost his father to cancer and his mom to a related disease. But Shah Rukh still continues to smoke. Finally it's his personal life and the King Khan is trying his best not to influence the youth into this habit. Don is set for release on October 20 and is one of the most awaited releases this Eid and Diwali. And as the days approach, the well-orchestrated hype around it is reaching heights while generating a mass hysteria in India, South East Asia, UAE, UK and USA. The last that we have heard from Shahrukh Khan about the movie will surely raise pulse beats to his die-hard fans.

SRK asks his fans to not to miss the beginning and the end of the film. He further says that the film is not exactly a remake of the 1977 blockbuster and it is quite different from the original one. More interestingly it is learnt that director Farhan Akhtar has shot two climaxes for the film, which other than the King Khan also stars Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor as lead actors.

The older as well as the new generation who have seen the film umpteenth times are eagerly waiting to see if Farhan Akhtar and Shahrukh Khan can recreate the magic on the silver screen again – and importantly, whether Shahrukh Khan successfully manages to fit into the big boot of the original Don, Amitabh Bachchan.

The other big stars of Bollywood, Ash and Abhishek, the hottest couple in tinsel town, will be seen together in Ram Gopal Varma's sequel of Sarkar. Although there are still months left for the project to go on the floors, Ramu has confirmed the presence of Aishwarya Rai in Sarkar 2 opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Sarkar 2 will also be the second film to bring Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek and Aishwarya together on the big screen. The trio previously jammed together for the song 'Kajra Re' in last year's hit Bunty Aur Babli. In Ramu's film, however, their roles will be properly fleshed out. Ramu says he has been thinking of working with Aishwarya for quite some time. But he did not jump on the decision because he wanted to cast her in a project that is "worthy of her presence". Just as Sarkar was Ramu's own interpretation of Francis Ford Coppola's movie The Godfather, Sarkar 2 will be roughly along the same lines. The film, scheduled to go on the floors in February, will show Abhishek Bachchan becoming the head of the clan. Amitabh will have relatively lesser footage. Aishwarya will play the woman who loves Abhi and opposes his involvement in underworld activities. Even before Sarkar 2 goes on the floors, we will see Ash and Abhi in Umrao Jaan and Guru. The last time, Ash and Abhi came together in a film (Kuch Na Kaho, Dhai Akshar Prem Ke), there was no chemistry between them. But now that the two are together, we wonder how they'll look onscreen! Watch out for yourself as Umrao Jaan promos are being aired.

Fifty years after Charlton Heston as Moses descended the mountain in Cecil B DeMille's Ten Commandments, Hollywood made its most direct appeal to Christian audiences last week with the launch of a new brand dedicated to producing films on religious themes. Hoping to capitalise on the growing market for faith oriented films such as Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, Rupert Murdoch's Fox film division is announcing plans to make up to a dozen major films a year under the FoxFaith banner.

The LA Times reports that in what it describes as "the biggest commitment of its sort by a Hollywood studio," News Corp's Fox Filmed Entertainment is expected to unveil plans to produce as many as a dozen FoxFaith films a year with at least six of those films to be released in theatres under an agreement with two of the largest US chains, AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas. Hollywood has a long history of movies with religious themes including The Ten Commandments and The Greatest Story Ever Told. And now these FoxFaith films, to be based on Christian bestsellers, will have small budgets of less than 5 million dollars each, compared with the 60 million dollars average. The movies will be backed by 5 million dollars marketing campaigns each. Passion grossed 612 million dollars worldwide, thanks to its appeal to Christians. Another spiritual odyssey, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, took in 745 million dollars globally. Most recently, Christians came out for the controversial Da Vinci Code, which brought in 754 million dollars worldwide. Watch this space to find out if this is another Hollywood blunder or a fantastic way of raking in more audiences from all parts of the globe! If there is money to be made from religion, even the most hardened secular capitalist will go for it.

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Don't just get carried away by the videos, grab the album. Abbas Ali Khan's Sun Re is pure listening pleasure

  By Aamna Haider Isani

Second coming: After a lukewarm response to his debut album Humsafar, Abbas has hit just the right spot with Sun Re

Album: Sun Re***1/2

Artist: Abbas Ali Khan

The warm-up to Abbas Ali Khan's new album included the release of three very ingenious videos that due to over play on music channels got imbedded in public memory – 'Sun Re', 'Teri Yaad' and 'Malal' left music aficionados in Pakistan convinced that Abbas was a talented musician with a strong control over vocals. His debut album Humsafar, though appreciated by music critics, was released in 2003 but got lost in bad distribution. To assure this didn't happen again, the talented vocalist signed up with IC and got more out of the deal than planned as he ended up with a not only better marketed album but also a better stylized self, one that helped create a new image for him. Suddenly, Abbas' music not only sounded good but looked better too. By the time his second album, Sun Re hit the market, the Abbas Ali Khan hype was built up to the maximum and expectations were high.

Success depended entirely on the merits of the album, though and Sun Re does live up to expectations, more or less. The album works its way through twelve love songs, all playing with diverse moods of well, being in love whether with memories of lost love, the beloved or even one's country. While 'Sun Re' and 'Malal' are soulful ballads, the latter a tad bit macabre yet haunting. 'Aa Zara' and 'Sanvaria' are finger-snapping beats that call out for love with optimism. 'Teri Yaad', is experimental in its inclusion of rap by Waleed but where this song pushes the boundaries of a ballad, 'Doori' falls prey to the prototype set by the beat of the dholak. If it weren't for the lyrics that dwell on the memories of lost love, this would very well serve as a dholak-luddi number often played at weddings. It's got a distinct "gagar" feel to it. Another song that falls prey to tradition is 'Des Ki Khushboo'. The patriotic track has become an essential part of every music album and it seems Abbas in a moment of weakness decided to do one too. There's no enthusiasm in either its music or lyrics to justify why exactly it was made part of the album. It's just there, hanging in a rather mediocre limbo, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the other musical gems.

The vocals on the album are what make it a cut above the other options in the market. One enjoys the ease with which Abbas goes through the songs – there are no strains or uncomfortable moments here. From quick paced to relaxed, energetic to languid; through English, Urdu and even a brief dose of Punjabi, Abbas Ali Khan indisputably has control over his voice and he puts it to good use.

'Raaton Mein' and 'Dhoondte' are the kind of mellow songs one listens to while sipping coffee and gazing out at the rain. It leaves one in a lazy, loving mood that could be happy or depressive depending upon whether you've found love or lost it. Abbas Ali Khan plays with moods the same way he plays with music. There's diversity in his album, and yet it's a cohesive piece of work that ostensibly comes from one source. The production is good and though the lyrics aren't exactly poetic masterpieces, they cannot be categorized as fluff either. Definitely not.

The album takes another brief dip down with 'Na Jane Kyun' which isn't bad but has you feeling that it definitely could have been better. A fairly long song, it gets boring and is unable to hold interest. After another bout of mellowness with 'Des Ki Khushboo' comes a much needed spirit lifter. 'Sanvaria' could have landed straight from the disco era of the eighties. With the orchestra in the background it is very Blondie goes to Funky Town via Rina Roy's Disco Station. 'Sanvaria' is a fun loving track but it's also a little pretentious. This one seems a little out of character for the vocalist who came up with the work of genius, 'Sun Re'. And yet Abbas Ali Khan endorses the song with a double. It sounds good, so who cares if its pretentious.

'Aa Zara', however, is Sun Re's piece de resistance and should easily make it to the number one spot. The song, with its pace and mood, is simply brilliant. At this point one just can't help notice that other than 'Aa Zara' and 'Sanvaria', the only songs which have high impact are those which have been released as creatively shot videos over the past few months. When a musician puts out a video that may be more appreciated than the music it is made to, he steps into risky territory and that is what Abbas Ali Khan has done but much to his luck, the strategy works in his favour.

That is probably because he knows how to sing. Indeed, the person he thanks the most on his album is his guru, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, the great kheyal gaiki stalwart. Couple that classical training with using the production talents of Sarmad Ghafoor, and Abbas has come up with a winner. Produced wholly and solely in Islamabad, Sun Re speaks volumes about the burgeoning popular music scene in capital. It's selling like hot cakes in the market, making Abbas Ali Khan a force to reckon with in the future. If he makes videos for 'Aa Zara' and 'Sanvaria', he might just become numero uno overnight.

*****Classic

****Excellent

***Good

**Fair/Average/Mediocre

*Poor/Pathetic/etctc