Hum TV Telefilm Awards: Starry starry night

Broadcast community with the high and mighty of the show business industry turn out in full force.

KARACHI: If there’s one thing that the second Telefilm Awards by Hum TV proved, it is the network’s commitment to provide entertainment for every viewer.

The evening was a microcosm of the broadcast community with the high and mighty of the show business industry in full attendance. From the legendary Roohi Bano, to veterans like Nadeem, Shakeel and Bushra Ansari, to the new breed that is reigning television dramas: Ayesha Khan, Mona Liza, Faisal Qureishi and Humayun Saeed, it was a star studded affair. Even Lollywood stepped in full aplomb to show support with Javed Sheikh, Laila, Noor, Reema and the ever contentious Meera.

It was a meeting ground for all those individuals who are the real stars vis-a-vis mass entertainment, and their collective gesture of paying tribute to the woman behind their success: Sultana Siddiqui.

The evening proved to be a mixed bag of entertainment. From sophisticated and subtle humour of the hosts to the jhatkas and matkas of the Lollywood beauties, the evening show cased a whole spectrum of entertainment.

Television’s chocolate heroes, the dashing Mohib Mirza and the debonair Fahad Mustafa took to the task of hosting the event along with the ebullient Anoushey Ashraf.  After eons one witnessed a refined sense of humour by event hosts that have been going down the bathroom jokes route to incite laughter.

Given Hum TV’s general image of a family network with quality programming, it was heartening to note that they practiced what they preach and ensured that the compares were never vulgar or crass. Their constant leg pulling by chastising and relegating each other as ‘soap actors’ and Ashraf’s mimicry of Ayesha Khan’s anglicised Urdu was hilarious and would have resonated very well with audiences familiar with their plays.

The evening had its most poignant moment with Roohi Bano receiving an accolade for her life’s work from Reema Khan who rightly said, “She is an acting institute personified in her being. People still love and remember her with the same affection as before.” But like all successful award shows, the evening relied equally on ‘item numbers’ to spice up the already star blazing affair. The stage was on fire with Laila shaking a leg to “Sheila ki Jawani”, Meera’s sizzling with “Billo Raani”, Noor doing a medley on soft melodies, Mona Liza dancing to her own Bollywood film songs and the most engaging and stirring of them all, the incredibly well synchronised and choreographed “Chotay Ustad” maestros performing to the very apt youth anthem from Dil Chahta Hai.

Hasan Rizvi’s troupe also did a group performance that fell painfully short of the mark. As one person remarked, “This is the raunchiest dance that I have ever seen on ‘Dashte Tanhai’, Iqbal Bano must be turning over in her grave.” It is safe is to say that Komal Rizvi’s ‘come back’ as an effusive performer needs some work.

As an entertainment network Hum TV managed to effectively demonstrate its understanding of its market and its viewer’s tastes. One could always censure why Lollywood must dance to Bollywood’s tunes but there is no denying the overpowering influence of Bollywood in our popular culture and more so in our entertainment arenas.  The insertion of infamous yet trendy dance numbers in the show was a mere reflection of this fact.

And the award goes to…

Best Director

Sakina Sumoon for “Kaun Qamar Ara”

Best Actor (female)

Farah Tufail for “Tehreem”

Best Actor (male)

Rashid Farooqui for “Gullu Ustad”

The Bronze Telefilm Award

Shamoon Abbasi for “Daag Meray Naam Pe”

The Silver Telefilm Award

Faiza Hasan for “Kaun Qmar Ara”

Golden Telefilm Award

Irfan Khoosat for “Tehreem”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th,  2011.