LSA 2016: Glamour overdose, entertainment deficiency

Fifteenth edition of show revisits bittersweet year in entertainment industry


Rahul Aijaz July 30, 2016
Apart from performances by Mahira Khan and Ali Zafar, many industry notables joined the Sabri family for a tribute to Amjad Farid Sabri. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY

KARACHI: The year 2016 saw Lux Style Awards (LSAs) complete 15 years of celebrating Pakistani talent. However, the ceremony on Friday night may have lagged with its overly-long and poorly-rehearsed segments.

Ali Zafar opened the show with his energetic performance to get everyone into the mood for what was to be a long evening. Mainstay names such as Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan and Ahmed Ali Butt entertained with their doses of dance and drama.

Butt, at first, tried hard to be entertaining on his part when he brought Hamza Ali Abbasi and taped up his mouth in a reflection of him being banned from TV and Facebook. The ‘Best Dressed Man of the Evening’ took the joke in his stride, as everyone cheered him along and stood by him to support his cause for freedom of expression.

While Humayun Saeed sold a bar of soap in his heavy, romantic voice to Vasay Chaudhary, garnering chuckles, it was Osman Khalid Butt who cracked the audience up when he sang Diyar-e-Dil title track in his Chipmunk voice after inhaling a Helium balloon.



During and after Farhan Saeed and Urwa Hocane’s very forgettable performance, one was left wondering what they wanted to achieve. With a lacklustre effort, the couple did not add anything worth remembering to the show.

Thankfully, Sohai Ali Abro became the saving grace of the performances and re-energised the audience that was dwindling into boredom. Impressing everyone with her infectious energy and catchy moves on an upbeat tune, Abro deserved every bit of the huge applause that she received.

Zafar won Song of the Year for Rockstar and subsequently won hearts by paying tribute to the late Amjad Farid Sabri, as other stars of the night joined him and Ali Sethi on stage, along with the Sabri family.

What was perhaps the most entertaining part of the show was a special video segment that saw Fawad, Butt and Abro poke fun at hairstylists.

However, if anything, it was Mahira’s night. She not only won three awards but also closed the show with her ever-popular Shakar Wandaan Re, with her father in attendance.

On the contrary, the show was filled with technical glitches, retakes over incorrect award announcements, rude comments and even plain lack of awareness of what was going to follow. Butt brought on stage a dwarf couple who were supposed to be Aisha Khan’s famous character Jeena’s parents, Yasir Hussain’s jab at Deepak Perwani, Zafar announcing wrong categories and presenter names throughout the show hurt its pace and led the energy of the show to fluctuate.

When it came to awards, perhaps it was a given that most would be swept away by popular choices.



Saeed (for Jawani Phir Nahi Aani) and Mahira (for Bin Roye) won the best actor male and female, respectively.

What came as pleasant surprises were the top two wins secured by none other than Moor. It won the Best Film Award and also the Best Director Award for Jami Mahmood. Actors Hameed Sheikh and Shaz Khan accepted the awards on the team’s behalf.

Fifteen years and more to come, LSAs still have to learn how to balance the entertainment and glamour quotient.

And the winners are…

Best TV Writer – Khalil ur Rehman Qamar for Sadqay Tumharay

Best TV Actress – Mahira Khan for Sadqay Tumharay

Best TV Actor – Faisal Qureshi for Rang Laga

Best TV Director – Anjum Shahzad for Rang Laga

Best TV Play – Diyar-e-Dil

Achievement in Fashion Design (Lawn) – Faraz Manan

Achievement in Fashion Design (Pret) - Generation

Achievement in Fashion Design (Luxury Pret) – Shamaeel Ansari

Achievement in Fashion Design (Bridal) – Faraz Manan

Model of the Year (Female) – Fouzia Aman

Lifetime Achievement Award in Fashion – Nilofer Shahid

Unilever Chairman’s Lifetime Achievement Award – Sabri Family

Best Film Actress – Mahira Khan for Bin Roye

Best Film Actor – Humayun Saeed for Jawani Phir Nahi Aani

Best Film Director – Jamshed Mehmood Raza for Moor

Film of the Year – Moor by Jamshed Mehmood Raza

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31st, 2016.

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