LSA 2019: Few celebrities and even fewer moments to remember

While we think the performances were a bit better than the last year, nothing groundbreaking happened at the show

KARACHI: Like every year, LSA 2019 had a bit of drama, a bit of goof and a whole lot of steering clear of topics that ought to have been mentioned but would make the evening unnecessarily controversial.

To me, it felt all too rehearsed and all too cautious. There were blunders, as always. For instance, Uzma Khan announced the winner of the Best Drama Actor category before the nominations were announced, or when Momina Mustehsan named the wrong category, sending the audience into fits of laughter.

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Overall, there were some moments that we're going to remember, some we wouldn't be able to sit through again and others we wished had happened. Here's a quick round-up of all that went down at the LSA on Sunday night.

The ones we'd like to remember:

We couldn't have thought of a better way to kick off the evening other than Atif Aslam spontaneously giving us a glimpse of his much-awaited performance on the red carpet.

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Then, the first host of the night, actor Fahad Mustafa, paid homage to all the women of the Pakistani film industry. "There cannot be an industry without these women's stellar contributions," the Load Wedding star said. "They are our backbone; they are the pillars. We need to empower them, as much as we can."

It was a great night for Iqra Aziz, who bagged two awards for Suno Chanda. But before she accepted one of them, the starlet spoke about how she believed in herself and that is what turned her life around.



"Before I thank anyone else, I would want to thank myself on how I never gave up on myself," Iqra stated. "I believed I could do this and I did. I would also like to thank my love (Yasir Hussain), who is prepping for his segment backstage. I love you!"

Another particularly touching moment was when Feroze Khan was named the Best Actor for his performance in Khaani and dedicated the award to veteran star Qavi Khan.

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Later on, when Dar Si Jati Hai Sila writer Bee Gul went on stage to receive her accolade for Best Writer, she spoke of how Pemra had told her that her show would be an uncomfortable watch. "I responded, 'Well, I hope it's never a comfortable watch, sir," she shared. All we can say is, you go, girl!

When Mehwish Hayat took the stage as the other host of the night, she made sure to take subtle digs at intolerance and how she hopes Pakistani society will become more open in the future. "I wish we live in a space where there would be a little space for my Billi (her item number) and my Tamgha-e-Imtiaz," the civil award winner joked.

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Speaking of Mehwish, another memorable moment of the night we definitely support was when her Chhalawa co-star Zara Noor Abbas joined her onstage and the two talked about women supporting each other. "We worked in a film together and are the best of friends," the two revealed. "Women need to lift other women up. That's how we'll grow. That's how it should be and that's how it is!"

Then came the segment we, frankly, had been dreading: Yasir Hussain but this time, with Bulbulay star Hina Dilpazeer. We were pleasantly surprised at how the former didn't say a single problematic statement throughout his set, unlike his previous appearances at the award functions.

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Hina, as always, stole the show with her wit and charm. But nothing comes close to the moment when Yasir went down on his knee and pulled out a ring for his lady love, Iqra. Overwhelmed with emotion, the starlet said yes and the couple embraced amid crazy cheers from the crowd.

The ones we couldn't sit through again:

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While there wasn't much that went wrong last night, there were still few 'jokes' that seemed a bit too outdated and offensive. Here's hoping we better sense prevails as of next year. Ahem, Sheheryar Munawwar and Feroze Khan take notes maybe?

The ones we wished had happened:

Following all the controversies that have marred LSA 2019 since the nominations were announced earlier, with many of the original nominees bowing out of the running, no one really mentioned the root cause of the problem.

No one highlighted the #MeToo movement at the event and we really hoped someone would. In a time when issues such as sexual harassment are taking centre stage globally, it looks like Pakistan is still lacking a bit.

Though the show went quite smoothly, it was a bit tedious and forgettable overall.

Also, a lot of Lux darlings were missing from it entirely. There was no Sanam Saeed, no Ayesha Omer, no Ahad Raza Mir, no Sajal Aly, no Adnan Siddiqui and no Aamina Sheikh.

But oh well. You win some, you lose some.

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