Game-changers of 2016

Six ways the entertainment industry was reshaped for the better

Things were on the cusp of change this year with a series of occurrences turning the tide in music, film and fashion. Here are a few significant indicators that things will continue to look up for the local entertainment scene.

PIA Fashion Show takes flight

National flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which once had Pierre Cardin design uniform for its cabin crew, roped in designer Nomi Ansari after he won a fashion face-off for the top honour. The showcase took place in Karachi with some of the country’s top designers presenting their prospective uniforms at what was dubbed the ‘Runway Collection 2015’. Among those participating were designers Maheen Khan, Shamaeel Ansari, Misha Lakhani, Sonya Battla, Amir Adnan, Nida Azwer, Ismail Farid, Omer Farooq, Fahad Hussayn, Maheen Karim, and Hassan Sheheryar Yasin.

Patari streams into mainstream

The reemergence of music in Pakistan over the last few months coincided with the founding of Patari, an online music-streaming portal solely dedicated to local content. This and the release of the Patari application are signs of life being breathed into local music. Three months into the portal’s official launch and Patari was ready with paychecks for registered artists, just when getting royalties for their hard work had become a long lost dream of Pakistani musicians. This wasn’t the first time royalties were afforded to local musicians, but the nature and scale of the pay-out bodes well for the industry.

Moor than just another film

Jami managed to pull off the impossible with Moor. He gifted audiences with an out-and-out Pakistani film without being pretentious or preachy and made the essentially rural concept of ‘love for your motherland’ moving for urban audiences. This breathtaking, emotional journey not only highlighted tales of lost livelihood in Balochistan but also gave hope that Pakistani cinema won’t be deemed as an extension of Bollywood.



Revisiting Jawani Phir Nahi Ani

While films such as Moor broke new ground with their gripping storyline, ‘paisa vasool’ entertainers such as Jawani Phir Nahi Ani (JPNA) were a refreshing addition to the local film scene.  Where the plot of the film is similar to that of Bollywood film Masti, the humour in JPNA was quintessentially original. Vasay Chaudhry’s socially relevant yet politically incorrect one-liners were bound to make you break into fits of laughter. It is no surprise that the film went on to become the highest-grossing Pakistani movie of all time, earning around Rs400 million.

3 Bahadur’s brave attempt at children’s films

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s 3 Bahadur was a step in the right direction and if watched on the right screen, it could exceed expectations as Pakistan’s first animated feature film. Despite being a surface-level attempt at the art of animation, 3 Bahadur’s post-production team deserves credit for creating a guinea pig that is going to test the courage of other animation houses in Pakistan. It went on to become the highest-grossing animated film in Pakistani cinemas, with a sequel already in the works.

Be afraid of the tax raids

The Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) sealed several fashion outlets in Gulberg and Defence Housing Authority areas of Lahore for non-compliance over the year. A PRA team, headed by Additional Commissioner Ayesha Ranjha, sealed 13 fashion design outlets in the city for non-payment of taxes. Among the outlets sealed were those of Zara Shahjahan, Mini Bindra, Sania Maskatiya, Nida Azwer, Ayesha Imram, Shirin Hassan and Ammar Belal. The PRA held these raids would lead to reduction in tax evasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2016.

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