There isn’t much left in the world of VJs: Anoushay Ashraf

The versatile star speaks about foraying into different aspects of the entertainment industry.

KARACHI: Starting as the prime face of IM (Indus Music) along with her puppet partner Paki, Anoushey Ashraf has come a long way. It was a fruitful mix of Indus TV’s modern approach to television and the sheer talent of Ashraf and her contemporaries that made all of them significant contributors to our entertainment industry. The channel has faded away, but they all have left an everlasting mark on the audience. Today, Ashraf doesn’t look at being a VJ with as much vigor as she did back in the day. She talks to The Express Tribune about her fading interest in the music industry, and growing passion for her clothing line.

“There isn’t much left in the world of VJs, as there isn’t much music left in the country,” Ashraf told The Express Tribune. Though it’s quite depressing to see one of Pakistan’s foremost VJs sharing such sad notions about the music industry, It makes sense, keeping in mind how many musicians are finding an escape route to Bollywood. It has also made the job of a VJ more of a compulsion than something to be enthusiastic about.

“However we are still associated with the music industry and trying hard to promote it here,” she said.

Having said that, there are still many young and upcoming VJs who’d want to have the same fame as she did, so what is the key to her success?

“Video jockeys should be more casual as presenters, and it’s a good way to make a mark before venturing into becoming a professional TV show host! That’s one advice I will give it to the younger lot.” says Ashraf

Meanwhile, her clothing line Block Seven commands most of her attention, and she is backed by her sisters Natasha and Alizeh.

The Ashraf sisters started their clothing line a few years back, but now with Alizeh based abroad, it is Natasha and Anoushey who are mainly handling the business. When asked as to when she plans on opening up her own store, Anoushey said, “Block Seven exhibitions have really worked wonders for us. We have talked endlessly about opening our own store but the idea hasn’t been put into motion as yet. We are just two working partners, Natasha and I; we are searching for a third, and we will hopefully launch a store once things settle down.”

Despite the fact that Block Seven is yet to become a store-bought brand, the clothing line has done well. Ashraf says, “The clothing line has done brilliantly and there is a lot of expansion, from our exhibits taking place in England, to others in the US. Only recently, in February, we brought our Eastern wear collection to New Jersey and the exhibition did really well there.”

Wasn’t Block Seven meant to be a primarily western wear collection? Ashraf explains, “Our Eastern wear is for the market based abroad, while our Western line caters to the Pakistani crowd.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2014.

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