Top 10 facepalm moments of 2015

Let's take a look

The year 2015 was all about brawls, accusations, hilarity, disappointments and internet memes. The Express Tribune counts down some of the ideal 'facepalm' moments from the past 12 months.

10. Down in the DMPS

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Dekh Magar Pyaar Se was beautiful and noisy. The Sikander Rizvi and Humaima Malick-starrer followed a trend common among contemporary Pakistani films where the script refuses to offer anything to a pretentious screen setting -- the one flaw that nullifies all arguments about the lack of support or money in the industry. It has nothing to do with any external forces and relies solely on the richness of the writer’s internal world.

9. Mahesh Bhatt's Daddy

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Frequent visits to Pakistan have made Mahesh Bhatt a household name in the country and his productions carry extraordinary expectations with them. Most of those expectations were left unfulfilled with Daddy, a theatre production in Karachi that turned out to be a classic example of how a brand image can be stronger than its content.

Directed by Danish Iqbal and staged in Karachi with Mahesh’s oversight, the play was a stage adaptation of Pooja Bhatt’s film debut of the same name. It revolved around the story of Pooja (Nishant Thakkar) who lives with her grandparents. The play begins with Pooja reading from the diary of her deceased mother and some key revelations about her father make her embrace a new struggle altogether.

8. Tabassum ‘Destroyer' Mughal

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What did people do when they came across a Facebook post accusing designer Tabassum Mughal of beating up a customer? They reacted, and reacted well. The social media frenzy began when a soon-to-be bride’s cousin and friend accused Mughal of mistreating the bride’s mother and getting her beaten up when she protested against the designer’s refusal to return her daughter’s clothes.

“In short, four men and Tabassum kicked, punched and slapped my chachi and threw her out of the house saying that ‘people who travel in rickshaws don’t deserve to shop at Tabassum Mughal’”, the post read.

7. Mekaal Hasan fired from I Am Karachi Music Festival

PHOTO: RANGLEE

I am Karachi Music Festival kicked off on August 4 with the aim of reviving the long-lost trend of live performances in Karachi. Where Music Art and Dance (MAD) School, run by musician Hamza Jaffri and his wife Nida Butt, and Karachi based pop-rock band Fuzon served as the co-producers of the festival, musician Mekaal Hasan was hired to helm the project. The first day (August 4) of the festival went smooth with a series of panel discussions on various topics such as music appreciation and copyrights awareness.

However, the next morning several artists — who were performing at the festival — received a call from MAD School saying that Mekaal was no longer a part of the festival.

6. Ali Xeeshan's creative concept goes awry

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

When the designer unveiled the shoot for his latest Tufaan collection, he was under the gun for featuring models whose skin tones have been darkened to counter stereotypes.

The point Xeeshan hoped to put across was that there is no one template for a bride and that people should learn to embrace their own colour, whether it is dark or fair. He shares he opted to portray his models as dusky-skinned because people are afraid of looking dark in our society. But what he has particularly received flak for is his choice of models Amna Babar and Hasnain Lehri, who are naturally fair, when he could have picked duskier faces and perhaps addressed the idea better.

“It’s not about being naturally white. It’s about how they looked in the shoot. The models in the shoot are those we have created through different techniques, such as contouring, altering features and eye colour… it’s not solely about their skin,” he explains. “I could have taken dark models and made them darker, but would that have been a problem too?”

5. Anwar Maqsood's Dubsmash



One thing that has remained constant about Anwar Maqsood, apart from his silver mane, has been the unflinching and matter-of-fact persona he has established for himself. However, it didn’t take long for the veteran humourist to shed this image as he participated in a Dubsmash dance performance, shaking a leg alongside actor Yasir Hussain to song Shakar Wandaan Re from upcoming film Ho Mann Jahaan.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Maqsood said he never expected the video to go viral and that he made it only upon Yasir’s insistence. “I am no dancer; I have never danced at parties. These kids came up to me requesting me to do this video and I thought why not,” he said.

4. Et tu, Mahira?



The past 12 months saw little activity on part of Pakistan’s controversy queen Meera, pushing her loyalists to believe the actor may no longer remain relevant. She, however, responded in fine fashion, taking a swipe at one other than Pakistan’s sweetheart, Mahira Khan. Meera said the Humsafar star knows little of acting and accused her of snatching a major Momina Duraid-project from her. “Mahira replaced me in a Momina Duraid project. She literally snatched it from me,” Meera had told The Express Tribune in an interview.

And she wasn’t done just yet! Meera said Mahira orchestrated a smear campaign against her, robbing her of work both at home and across the border. “Because of her campaign against me, I lost all my projects in India.”

3. Sapphire mass brawl 

Lahori Aunties going batshit crazy over clothes #SapphirePakistan cc @monadarling @selinarashid pic.twitter.com/T4NA4lldlx

— Chair-man (@godfatheriv) November 27, 2015

You can imagine how much a 50% off sale at Sapphire would invite attention. It actually did, but not for the reason you would think. Videos of women throwing punches, snatching, tugging and pulling kurtas at Saphhire’s Lahore outlet went viral only recently, causing a social media furore. As columnist Fasi Zaka rightfully pointed out, the Sapphire incident brought out the ‘hidden gems’ of Lahore’s aunty scene.

2. Chand Sitara

PHOTO: REVIEWIT.PK

Any guesses how rock icon Salman Ahmed defines a reunion? The coming together of him, his guitar and memories of a past he doesn’t want to let go of. Vital Signs and Junoon have had more reunions in recent times than Cadet College Hasan Abdal, starting right from an anniversary album to the 2013 track Naya Pakistan. 2015 saw the rise and fall of Vital Junoon – a hybrid of Pakistan’s premier bands conceived with help from a regular sponsor.

Released online was a track called Chand Sitara – a major disappointment that featured both Salman and Junaid Jamshed on the vocals. While there is little one can say about the lyrics, even the video was nowhere close to what these rock stars have made in the past. A hot air balloon flying over some of Pakistan’s famous landmarks, with the Vital Junoonis waving to their fans who gasped in horror.

1. Komal Rizvi selfie

PHOTO: FACEBOOK

News of philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi's deteriorating health was making the rounds earlier this year. Many from the entertainment industry showed up at his bedside to pay respects and pray for his well-being. But one celebrity's visit in particular went on to become the talk of the town. Making use of the golden opportunity, VJ-turned-singer Komal Rizvi took a selfie with the ailing Edhi and within moments of uploading the picture on her Facebook page, it spread like wildfire, inspiring the most hilarious memes ever.

PHOTO: FACEBOOK

PHOTO: FACEBOOK

PHOTO: FACEBOOK

Komal later defended her decision to take the picture. “I did nothing wrong,” she had told The Express Tribune.