Port Grand buzzed with activity as Pantene geared up to announce its five new faces at an event held on Thursday evening.
The crowd gathered at Napier’s Tavern, a restaurant at the entrance of Port Grand’s food street. The richness in the décor coupled with wooden furniture transported one into another time. As guests strolled in and made themselves comfortable, the curious chatter about the new Pantene representatives grew.
Model Hira Tareen entered the hall wearing a gold top and black pair of jeans from Mango. Moomal Sheikh followed in a grey Ayesha-Somaya jumpsuit. A few minutes later, TV host/VJ Urwa tul Wusqua made an entrance in an electric blue top and jeans that she had put together from her own wardrobe.
Strangely enough, there was an uneasy silence after the entrance of the three representatives as they sat up on a sofa at the front. To break the awkwardness, actor Sarwat Gilani walked in, looking elegant in a cream-coloured Amna Aqeel shalwar kameez. She was clearly upset at her tardiness. “I am so sorry, I got late…I was rushing but I am mad at myself for not being on time,” she whispered softly to the others. Gilani’s late arrival was certainly a blessing in disguise, as her entrance broke the ice between the young celebrities, who then spoke amongst themselves with ease. The fifth representative, stylist Saba Ansari, could not make it to the event due to family commitments, she informed The Express Tribune.
Following the discussion about the shampoo, high-tea was served – sans tea! The snacks included pasta, sandwiches, fries, rolls and fruit tarts, but guests exchanged confusing looks as they realised that tea was not going to be 0served.
Meesha Shafi kicked off the night with her soulful renditions of “Chori Chori” and “Lambi Judaai”. Shafi, dressed in pink-orange cargoes and an indigo top paired with a colourful scarf, wowed the crowd with her powerful performance.
“What I enjoyed most is that it was a very intimate gathering and the smallest gig I have ever done,” Shafi told The Express Tribune. “Since I have gone solo, this is my first ever performance in Karachi.”
The crowd clapped and complimented Shafi as she sang Coke Studio’s “Ishq Aap Bhe Awalla” and “Alif Allah.” But what really rocked the evening was her cover of the Nazia Hassan classic, “Boom Boom”.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2012.
COMMENTS (20)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1714024018-0/ModiLara-(1)1714024018-0-270x192.webp)
@Hareem: Perhaps you need to read from the travels of Gertrude Bell and other British explorers who commented on the Arab Peninsula at the turn of the last century. Generally speaking, these Gulf Arabs are as dark if not darker than many native Pakistani races. This has nothing to do with sun exposure or pollution. Compare people in Upper Punjab, KPK, Gilgit and Kashmir to Gulf Arabs and you will see why Gertrude Bell calls these Arabs dark brown. Yes some Gulf Arabs have been the offspring of a Turkish mother or have had non Arab blood through mothers brought from other nations but the native Saudi look - even of the non bedouin type Arab is naturally dark skinned.
@Maria I have been brought up in Saudia and except the African-origins, they are VERY fair, also because of the fact that they cover their faces and people there go out for hangout/shopping only after Asar prayer at which time, there is no chance of getting a sunburn. Most Pakistani women are dark skinned because they go out in sunlight and because of all the polution too. Make women sit at home for a month and you'll see everyone's real complexion.
@Ahmadullah: You are right to say that the inhabitants of the ancient Sind River civilization were dark until successive waves of Aryans and others descended on Pakistan but you are worng when you think Arabs are darker. IN fact most Gulf Arabs I have seen are darker than many native Pakistanis, particularly native Pakistanis from Kashmir, KPK or Upper Punjab. Look at Saudis, Yemenis or Arabs from the Gulf - not the mixed race Arabs in Lebanon and Syria.
Momal looks amazing!
Afghan women are more fairer than Pakistanis!
The original Pakistanis were dark skinned, like the Dravidians who created the Indus valley civilization and the brown-skinned Vedic people who were both akin to Indians. But, our real leaders came from Arabia. Though relatively uncivilized desert dwellers compared to our genetic ancestors these lighter skinned people gave us Allah and our role model the Prophet (pbuh). So, they became our ideological ancestors. Nothing wrong with deriving our sense of beauty from our ideological ancestors rather than our genetic ancestors, is there?
@Ordinary Villager: Most models in Pakistan are relatively darker or average brown coloured. How many fair skinned models with coloured eyes do you see from Upper Punjab, Kashmir and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa? Not many at all. In India most people are darker and the models are not representative of the majority of people there but this is not the case in Pakistan.
@Ordinary Villager: Its not colonial thinking but a scientific fact the more light is emitted in monotone by ur skin the more beautiful u r gonna look on or off camera. White skin emitts more light & darker skins absorbs more also in the hot climate that we have darker skins are oiler & more prone to having skin problems these are facts contributing to less no. of dark women/men in fashion industry. Having that said Hira is of a darker complexion yet is quite attractive & pretty its a quality of the grooming & make-up that is making her appear as fair as the rest of them. Also there's Iraj & Jia Ali..
@Zeta: Depends more on ethnicity then nationality many balochis and sindhis look relatively dark. Many Punjabis are a few shades lighter but still brown with Kashmiris and Pashtuns the lightest. The girls above only represent a small microcosm of the population and typically the few that seem to look Caucasian mostly come from the elite.
@current: Agreed. One can easily differentiate between Pakistani women and bharati women. Our complexion ranges from light brown (sanwali) to pale and then almost caucasian (white).
hate to break it.. But pakistani women are generally fairer than indians.. this a well documented fact. living in dubai for years... you can spot a paki from far..
Disappointed the read the comments from these men. Its more than clear that they treat women as commodity.
Another form of WOMEN EMPOWERMENT, LIBERATION, BOLDNESS ETC. as advocated and propagated by the liberals.
@Ordinary Villager: Dude it's not racism. Tone it down a little. If you like women and not men it doesn't mean you are homophobic....I like women with fair skin but that doesn't mean I hate darker women......and to say that beauty should be associated with looks and not color is very presumtuous. How can you say that?
@ASQ: That is why i used the word Pale Complexion. We should differentiate in Brown, Dark Dusky and Pale or Yellow as in my view there is a difference. Iraj is Brown in my view but they are the Exception as in my view in our society beauty is associated in a general manner with the Color rather than with the looks and only few people prefer looks over color. I hope this trend will change in future.
@Ordinary Villager: most of the top models in pakistan are not fair example being iraj,vaneeza ayan!
Many of the Pakistani women have dark Complexion but they are beautiful at the same time. When the women of Pale Complexion are selected everytime then this leads to Racism as those girls who have a dark complexion feel inferior to the women who are fair in Complexion. Tyra Banks is black and she is the Top Model in America but I am sure If Tyra would be in Pakistan then nobody will ever give her a chance because she was Black. I hope someday I will see models with Dark Complexions in Our Industry as well. Brown and Dark Brown is Beautiful as well. Please end this Colonial thinking of worshiping the white color all the time.
Whaat . . no more katrina or shilpa?????