Rise and Fall of Pakistani Cinema

Pakistan, has a rich history of filmmaking. The historic city of Lahore was the hub of filmmaking, prior to the partition of India. It is also said, that the film industry in India was born in Lahore. After the partition, most of the industry migrated to the Mumbai. But still, Lahore was home to a significant number of actors, directors and film producers. The 50s and 60s were the peaks of Pakistani film Industry. They were in competition and at par with the Indian films of that time.

After the partition, reconstruction of the film industry in Pakistan was an uphill task but luckily we had a good number of artists here and they played a very crucial role in laying a solid foundation of the film industry in the country. The first Pakistani film Teri Yaad was released in 1948, which was indeed the first joint effort of Pakistani artists, which was successful. The first blockbuster film in the early days of the Pakistani cinema wasDo Ansoo, which released in 1950. Do Ansoo became the first film in Pakistan to enjoy a 25-week run at the box office, eventually achieving a silver jubilee status.

The early days of Pakistani cinema also witnessed the directorial debut of its first woman film director in the legendary singer and actress Noor Jahan. Released in 1951, the Punjabi film Chanwey, was directed by her.

As film viewership increased exponentially in the country during this time, Sassi,(1954) went on to become the first Pakistani film to reach golden jubilee status by  playing 50-weeks on theatres.

Around the same time, the first ever Sindhi language film Umar Marvi was released in 1956.

In order to celebrate the success of these endeavors, film journalist Ilyas Rashidi organized an annual film awards event on July 17, 1958. Titled Nigar Awards, the event has been, since then, considered Pakistan’s premier film awards event, celebrating outstanding performances in various categories of films and filmmaking.

The Pakistani film industry is also known for producing many remarkable and renowned actors, directors, producers, writers and playback singers. 1956-66 is known to be the golden era of Pakistani film industry. During this period, many classical films were made and produced in Pakistan. As of today, Aaina is considered to be the most successful and popular Pakistani film that was ever made. Released on 18 March 1977, it remains a distinct symbol which stands on the threshold between the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto years and the increasingly conservative and revolutionary Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq regime. The film stayed in the cinemas for over 400 weeks.

Not many in Pakistan know the fact that since the birth of cinema in Pakistan, only two Pakistani films had been submitted for the Oscar Awards, Foreign Language Film Awards category. Both submissions were musical-dramas in Urdu. Pakistan’s first Oscar submission was Jago Hua Swera (The Day Shall Dawn, 1959). The movie was filmed in Dhaka, East Pakistan (contemporary Bangladesh) by the East Pakistan Film Development Corporation. Based on a novel by Bengali novelist Manik Bandopadhaya, the film’s screenplay was written by Faiz Ahmad Faiz and it was directed by A.J.Kardar. Scripted in the Urdu language. the film’s storyline was about the daily lives of the fishermen of East Pakistan and won a major0 award at the Moscow International Film Festival.

Pakistan’s second and final Oscar submission, Ghoonghat (The Veil, 1963) was about the disappearance of a veiled young bride on the day she is scheduled to be married off to a rich young man. Since 1963, no Pakistani film has been submitted for Oscars.

The quality of films, scripts, music, lyics, acting and direction were at its best during the golden era of the 50s and 60s.. In the major cities of Pakistan, almost every film attracted a large audience to the movie theaters. Sadly, we couldn’t manage to continue with the legacy of the rich culture, and hence began the downfall.

There were several reasons behind the eroding away of the Pakistani film industry. One of the major reasons was the Fall of Dhaka. It came as a rude and destructive jolt to the Pakistani film industry. At the same time, the mid-70s saw the introduction of video cassette recorders in Pakistan and instantly films from all over the world were copied(pirated) onto tapes, and attendance at cinemas dwindled as people preferred to watch Indian films in the comfort of their homes. This ushered in video piracy in Pakistan. Films began to be copied on tapes on the day they hit the cinemas

After a disastrous 2010, fans of Pakistani cinema got its first Urdu language film Khamosh Raho, starring Juggan Kazim and Shaan, directed by Altaf Hussain, in 2011. Unfortunately it was a disaster on big screen and bombed at the box-office. Later in June this year, Shoaib Mansoor released his second film Bol as a director. The film, starring Atif Aslam, Humaima Abbasi, Mahira  Khan and Iman Ali in lead roles, broke all previous records and became the highest grossing movie of Pakistan. While Bol was receiving an outstanding appreciation and tasting success, two more Urdu language movies Love Mein Ghum and Bhai Log released. Both films were Eid gifts to the whole nation and were welcomed warmly by the Pakistani audience.

This year we also witnessed the release of the controversial film Slackistan. However, the film didn’t  hit the theaters in Pakistan as the director refused to make any cuts to the film as requested by the country’s Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC). According to The Guardian, the CBFC objected to the movie because it had swear words in English and Urdu, and “contains the words ‘Taliban’ and ‘lesbian’”.

Pakistan film industry is passing through a period of transition, where a whole new generation is replacing the previous one. New faces are emerging in the movie industry, which is a healthy sign. Unique and tabooed issues are being brought into the limelight via the storytelling on silver screen. No doubt it is a positive change and we can hope that within few years young Pakistani filmmakers will totally change the old concepts of filmmaking. It is too early to claim any success but at least it is safe to predict that our film industry is moving in the right direction. Upcoming films like “Gidh”,“Waar”, “The Dusk”, “Freedom Sound” and “Kolachi” can bring in  remarkable change to the film industry of Pakistan.

By :WALEED SHEIKH

     11Uo716

       Sec : “I”

Why is marijuana illegal?

Many people wrongly assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical and government hearings; meaning it was made illegal to protect society from its harmful effects. However, the truth is far from it.

First of all, marijuana has been legal for most of the time since it was discovered; in fact its been illegal for less than 1% of the time that its been in use, which goes back to 7,000 BC!

Secondly, the marijuana plant, hemp, has an incredible number of uses. The earliest forms of fabric was made out of it, not to mention it being used as food, incense, rope etc.

Then why is it that marijuana was banned in the US ages after it was introduced? The answer has nothing to do with society and its wellbeing. The answer lies mainly between two men; Harry J. Anslinger and William Randolph Hearst.

Anslinger was in the Bureau of Narcotics – a new government agency. He realized that opiates and cocaine weren’t enough of a target to build his agency so he latched on to marijuana. He drew upon the themes of racism and violence to draw national attention to the problem he wanted to create.

Anslinger also got help from Hearst, who was the owner of a huge chain of newspapers. Hearst was known to be a racist and had invested heavily in the timber industry to support his newspaper chain, and didn’t want to see development of hemp paper in competition.  

Anslinger plotted and planned for another two years before appearing before congress, where he presented his case. He was met with opposition from several medical boards who clearly blamed Anslinger of misconstruing facts.

However, after a lot of bantering, misconstrued facts and lies, on August 2 1937 marijuana became illegal at the federal level in the US. 

Waleed Akbar

Pakistan's war on hip-hop: A 'lesson in tolerance'?

In Pakistan, a country increasingly under the influence of Islamic fundamentalism, a recent attempt by the government to ban hip-hop in schools seemed like just another concession to extremists. In a twist, however, a fierce backlash ensued: Liberal critics accused lawmakers of trampling free speech rights and the ban was overturned. Here, a concise guide to what could amount to a "lesson in tolerance":

Did the ban target hip-hop specifically?
Not exactly. The law outlawed "objectionable" music concerts at private and public schools. It also called for "intense scrutiny" of those listening to music "deemed to be in poor taste." Punjab Assembly member Seemal Kamran, the conservative mother of four who first proposed the ban, told The Washington Post that Pakistan needs to ban hip-hop concerts and other "vulgar" music in order to preserve its traditional family values.

What sparked the ban?
At least two incidents were catalysts. In January, three college girls were trampled to death at a concert by Pakistani pop singer Atif Aslam. Months earlier, the Chicago-based hip-hop group FEW Collective ran into trouble with the Pakistani military, which accused the group of taking photos of "sensitive installations" in the garrison town of Rawalpindi.

Who opposed the law?
The Pakistani media took up the cause, reflecting a divide between Pakistan's internet-savvy youth and its staunchly conservative elements. Some members of Punjab Assembly itself also trashed the ban. "What's next?" one lawmaker reportedly said, "A resolution seeking a ban on wearing jeans in academic institutions?"

Will this have any effect on U.S.-Pakistani relations?
It could. The U.S. State Department sponsored FEW Collective's Pakistani tour in an attempt at cultural outreach. Described as "hip-hop diplomacy," the effort is meant to counter the deep anti-American sentiment that runs through Pakistani society. A spokesman for the State Department said its cultural exchange programs would continue.

           SHAHAN SIKANDER
            SECTION I

            I.D: 11U0354   

Imran khan all out with the shaukat khanum propaganda

Imran khan all out with the shaukat khanum propaganda

Imran khan tehreek  e insaaf leader has filed a suit of 10 billion against  League (PML-N) leader Khawaja Mohammad Asif for leveling allegations against the Shaukat Khanam Memorial Trust (SKMT).

While admitting the plea, Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi of the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the PML-N leader and directed him to submit his reply in a fortnight.

On November 16, Sikandar Khan, an additional district and sessions judge of Islamabad, had dismissed the PTI chief’s application on the ground that under section 4 of Islamabad High Court Act 2010, the lower court could not hear civil suits worth over Rs100 million.

In the application filed with the IHC, Mr Khan’s counsel Salman Akram Raja and Malik Ghulam Sabir referred to a press conference held by the PML-N leader on August 1, 2012, in which he had alleged that Imran Khan had lost a huge amount in a real estate gamble. He said the amount had been donated to the SKMT in the form of Zakat, Fitrana and other donations.

Mr Asif had also claimed that a total of $4.5 million funds of SKMT were invested abroad. “If the investment was safe, why Mr Khan did not invest his own money in the ventures,” Mr Asif had asked, seeking a reply from Mr Khan.

The PTI chief in his plea submitted to the court contended that Mr Asif had made false statements to damage his reputation within and outside Pakistan.

It said Mr Asif during the press conference had also compared Imran Khan with ‘Double Shah’, a notorious fraudster who deprived thousands of people of their hard-earned savings on the basis of false representations. “Comparing Imran Khan to ‘Double Shah’ is the worst form of defamation,” it contended.

It also attached reports of several transactions made by SKMT and maintained that all these were made by the investment committee of the SKMT board, of which Mr Khan was a member.

It alleged that in order to defame Imran Khan and the SKMT, Mr Asif had spread false information and concealed the facts.

When contacted, Mr Asif said the PTI chief had filed the suit under political compulsions. “I still stand by my words on Mr Khan and am ready to face the litigation.”

He added: “I would produce all the evidence against Mr Khan whenever the court summons me to respond to the plea.”

 Moiz Javed

We appreciate friends not masters.

The dust settled after yet another drone strike in the village of Angor Adda lying there amidst the rubble, slouched in the corner was 14 year old Gul Goti. The dim light of the setting sun showed her silhouette as she lay there helpless in the dusty and gloomy playground. As she fought for her life gasping for breath her sweat, tears and blood rolled down her face dripped onto her dress and added another stain….Another reminder. Another reminder of the life that she had spent as it flashed in front of her eyes. She was reminded of the playground in which she used to play in her childhood the same playground which would now become her burial place. She is reminded of the choices she made and the choices her government made her end up her and all she was left with was WHAT IF?

·         What if she did not hide in that playground that day maybe it could’ve saved her?

·         What if she was born in some other city and avoided this brutality?

·         What if she had not done a crime to deserve such a harsh punishment?

·         What if this death was the reward for her perseverance and patience?

·         What if her country’ government had not given consent to its master ?

WHAT IF?

Ladies and Gentlemen Gul Goti died with all these thoughts because of a decision made in a far far place with which she had nothing to do.  We are also left with what if that missile strike did not take place and an innocent life could have been saved? What if we had appreciated friends rather than appreciating masters?

CONFUSED? THOUGHT SO!!! (little giggle).

Ladies and Gentlemen, Passion, respect, understanding, guidance, trust and loyalty are all the traits that are usually referred to friendship. You may ask? What is friendship? Why do we need friends? Everyone here would have you believe that friendship can exist only between individuals or countries.(sarcastic laugh) Friendship is way more than that. Friendship in reality exists with anything that guides you, enlightens you and makes you crawl out of darkness but with the struggle of scrapping YOUR OWN KNEES. Because every individual wants to know the purpose of life and this is the need why friendship is that beacon of light which gives you hope and motivation to help you find that very purpose.

·         So Martin Luther King had passion for his friend known as Anti racism which led to the freedom of Afro Americans.

·         The judiciary of Pakistan which developed respect for its friend justice which ended the trust deficit with people

·         China had loyalty for its friend Pakistan and still stands up for us in every thick and thin.

·         Allama Mohammad Iqbal had a trust in his friensdship with poetry which awakened the muslim spirit.

·         Jony Ive had respect for his friend Steve Jobs which brought a technological revolution in the world today.

This is what true friendship is which made these people and countries struggle to be productive for the society. These friendships do exist and they are the ones which need to be appreciated.

Ladies and Gentlemen Masters are not only individuals who dictate you but it is anything that diminishes your ability to believe in your own self. Things like greed, lust for money and power, selfishness, and all these things are examples of masters who rob your conscience, who dictate you who instead of guiding you do your work instead of you, who makes you dependent! Yes ladies and Gentlemen these masters who take away your freedom of choice. Who hijack your creativity and instead of being productive and a blessing you end up being harm to the society. We don’t want these masters to dictate our life. We want to struggle with our friends to achieve our goals.

·         We don’t want masters in the form of greed which results in the tarnishing image of Pakistani players

·         We don’t want masters who brainwash their innocent disciples to carry out terrorist attacks.

·         We don’t want masters which make us accept things like the Kerry Lugar Bill.

·         We don’t want masters in the form of drugs which lead to thousands of deaths annually

·         We don’t want masters like lust for power which leads to the preposterous laws like the  NRO

We don’t want masters which dictate you and make you forget your true self. These worldly masters should never be appreciated.

Ladies and Gentlemen ask yourself is Pakistan bound to make a compromise? Pakistan being a nuclear power, having the 5^th largest standing army in the world, being the 2^nd largest muslim country, having the 5^th largest gold mine, having the largest deep sea port, having the 5^th largest coal reserves and having 7^th largest population of doctors scientists and engineers.

·         With these vast resources should we bow down to these fake worldly masters? NO!

·         Should we give in to their demands? NO!

·         Should we let them rule our lives? NO!

Ladies and Gentlemen with these resources we just need to make a choice of selecting a friend rather than a master who ruins us. And it’s not JUST about PAKISTAN making its choices but it’s about each and every PAKISTANI making and appreciating friends to be part of a prosperous society. For Ladies and gentlemen let’s answer those confusing what ifs. Gul Goti’s father an honest man and innocent man fell prey to the master of extremism and intolerance and instead had he let Gul Goti study in a good institution it might not have driven him to that tribal area it might have saved her life coupled with that the government of Pakistan had given consent to its master for the drone strike which led to her death. We don’t want another Gul Goti to be born in the society we don’t want another innocent girl being killed for a crime she never committed. So it’s not just about individualism but instead about collectivism for we need to start appreciating friends and not masters. The life we live and the death we die are dependent on the choices we make. Will you let another 14 year old innocent girl die? Will you let your country bow down? Or will you stand up on your own and appreciate friends which help you become prosperous? The choice is ours. Let’s make the right one!

Saad Sohail

Points to improve Pakistan economy

1-    Remove corruption.

2-    Encourage Education.

3-    Do something for unemployment.

4-    Change present political system.

5-    Provide necessary facilities to Rural areas.

6-    By providing electricity 24/7.

7-    Encouraging entrepreneurship.

8-    Attracting investors around the globe to conduct their business here by providing Security to their business.

BY; Rai Sohaib 

Student of the year

Something about the way love is depicted in the trailers of Student Of The Year says ‘old school’ (all pun intended). The love triangle, the songs, the overall look and feel is extremely mid-90s. The dances from the IT’S THE TIME TO DISCO -ish DISCO DEWANE to MAHI VE-ish RADHA, only with worse music, lyrics and choreography makes you feel Bollywood has gone two steps behind in using music in their films. I thought we had grown past the structured, lip-synced songs. I guess not.

The only ‘new generation’ element then that Student Of The Year can truly boast of is the fact that all characters seems to be smart alecs and they inhabit a cut-throat world. A lot needs to be said about the new age romance portrayed in the trailers though. Doesn’t look like Generation Next has moved on from the mush of Karan Johar films, except for using lousy language, I guess. ‘Ishq wala love’? Really?

And what’s old is being weaned out of its charm. Somehow, the bit you can see of Rishi Kapoor seems like a huge let down and a step back to him big a caricature.

Let’s hope there are some moments that will make sitting through what looks like puppy love worth it. Unlike what you’d expect from a Karan Johar film, the music doesn’t seem to the cut the bill though.

Hassaan Mazhar

Multiculturalism in Pakistan

The threat of extremism in Pakistan is as old as the history of the country. Since the creation of Pakistan on August 14, 1947 till today, the country has been exposed to political, religious, sectarian, social class, language and gender extremism which over the years has grown and acquired a violent and radicalized character. As a result, the country has experienced the worst form of political violence and acts of terrorism in the last three decades.

The failure of the state of Pakistan in effectively dealing with the menace of extremism and militancy can be traced to lingual, ethnic, sectarian and religious controversies. These controversies have not only caused the deepening of societal polarization but also aggravated its economic predicament.

Pakistan can successfully cope with the challenge of controversies associated with multiculturalism and multilingualism if it follows a three pronged approach. First, purge the society of elements who propagate hate and intolerance based on language, ethnicity and religion. This would require the silent majority to wake up and play a proactive role in neutralizing groups who use religion, language or ethnicity for their vested interests. Second, state institutions, should also be purged of extremist elements among them with whose unspoken support of specific languages and ethnic groups lead to provincial (ethnic) and/or lingual biases. Third, social and economic issues which are based on language and cultural barriers must be seriously addressed by the state and society because an indifferent approach would only deepen frustration and anger. The sooner these challenges are understood and dealt with in a serious manner, the better it will be for the future generations of Pakistan.

The Pakistani nation as a whole need to encourage robust economic and commercial activities which discourage those elements who want to exploit ethnic, linguist and religious sentiments of people for the fulfillment of their ulterior motives. People need to have access to the basic necessities of life and at the same time encouraging talent, merit, enterprise, motivation and challenge to ensure productivity and growth. This approach will act as a deterrent against extremist groups because the bulk of the people enjoy quality of life and reject the notion of radicalization. Pakistan needs to embrace upon the politics of pluralism and the value of modern capitalism in its economic pursuits.

The State of Pakistan needs to encourage the process of nation-building by promoting language, ethnic and religious harmony. When all the citizens of a country are provided equal opportunities and there is no discrimination on the basis of race or religion, the task of nation-building becomes easier. State policies of Pakistan should provide no space to groups trying to promote extremism and chaos in society. In order to manage lingual, provincial, ethnic and religious harmony in the country; intelligence and security agencies need to embark on a policy of neutralizing elements by monitoring their activities and detaching them from the mainstream population.

Another important component of the fight against the divide of multiculturalism and multilingualism is education. Education enables people to liberate themselves from the trap of dogmas, intolerance and social divide. Relevant, quality education is the most effective instrument to improve quality of life and self-governance. Education seeks to focus on the mind to be discerning, able to decide what is right and what is needed for self and social improvement. Along with better education, social mobilization and community work to effectively and together to deal with extremism, intolerance and radicalization based on specific culture or language, pursuing an approach which encourages multiculturalism and multilingualism is also required.

Cross cultural, lingual and religious identities in Pakistan need to be used as a source of strength rather than a weakness so as to promote merit, multilingualism and multiculturalism. The success of the country in managing numerous challenges will be in its leadership and the policies which are aimed at the welfare of the people rather than the interests of a certain class, group or province.

The most important source to counter the controversies of multiculturalism and multilingualism is the existence of a strong, competent and honest leadership which can deal with fault lines in governance, economy and politics. Today, Pakistan needs a leadership which is clear, perceptive, courageous and focused to defeat the forces of extremism in the society with confidence. But if the leadership remains indifferent, insensitive, weak and confused on tackling the threat of multiculturalism and multilingualism, the outcome may be further radicalization of society.

The leadership has to encourage grass-root activities at the community level to promote tolerance and harmony which would greatly help marginalize extremist groups. The challenge of extremism in Pakistan can be effectively handled if the leadership is able to pursue a professional approach in dealing with the menace of extremism in multiculturalism and multilingualism.

Amna Khan

Lahore School Rugby Team

The Lahore School Rugby team was established on November 25, 2011 and with almost the entire team relying on the coaching of two students ( Umair Ghuman and Wajih Zafar) , the only players to have played the sport before, have slowly and gradually risen to respectable heights. Within three months of its formation, the team claimed the scalps of notable teams and has continuously given tough contes

ts to reputed teams. 

With steady progression, the team is expected to hit new heights and establish rugby as a prominent sport at the university and it is hard to remember the last time rugby team lost a single match.

Notable achievements over the past year:

- Sair Riaz Lahore School Student selected as Pakistan National Team Captain
-1^st place LUMS tri-series – November 2012

-1st place in rugby tournament in FAST-NU Islamabad Sports Gala - November 2012
-1st place in rugby in the Lahore School Sports Fiesta - May 2012
-2nd place in DHA Rugby 7s tournament - March 2012
-3rd place in UMT Intervarsity 7s tournament - March 2012

Umair Mahmood Ghuman.

'H Block' Food Street

H block Food Street from talha on Vimeo.

We're moving closer to porn?

I am not protecting or justifying the ulema, but the institutions and organizations who regulate and control such issues are failing and have failed.
The juridiciary system can't really do anything because the big mafia running the industry have enough money to bribe the system.

From my own sources; meaning few familymembers who are members of Jamat-e-Islami, according to Jamat-e-Islami's own risala;
Jamat-e-Islami have burned so many such videos in Peshawer but, the videos are smuggled and distributed to "underground-agents", who sell them to customers.

Ulema; regardless who they were and which religious line they were from; have spoken and demonstrated against such perverted acts many years ago, but they were stamped on this issue as backwarded and primitive for the modern and progressive media by the mediachannels themselves.
Which in reality, it was a sidetrack and to manipulate the masses that vulgarity and perversion was "ok". And everyone against this were the "badguys". And if anyone was with the ulema then it meant an individual was siding with the taliban because those were early years of the war against terror so that became a mixed mess in the complicated issue.

I am confident ulemas want to get their point of views loud and clear to the masses, but they aren't getting enough airtime on the mediachannels.
E.g. in 2008, when I was in Pakistan there was a programme with Samina Peerzada; a very famous Pakistani actress and programme host on PTV; at her programme an alim was speaking about "haqq and batin", he was just to begin the meaning of his point in details about the present situation of Pakistan at that time; when she cut him off!
I clearly remember, he only got less that 2 minutes "freedom of speech" in the whole programme. He just sat there while all the other guests, who were liberal and secular in their opinions spoke out clearly. While that alim just sat there; only answered very brief like he was redundant in the show.
The host's job was to balance every point of view and getting every group in the society together, so the viewers got a clearer picture "we are all the same, we have different opnions, but we have the same basic opinion in reality".

My point is, the question should be do the ulema get enough airtime on the mediachannels, how are they themselves prepared before any interview and how are their rhetorical approach; why aren't they coming forward in the society; is it based upon the media's interest to invite them as shorttermed guests or are the media channels only interested in the opposite of what the ulemas say.

Lets all be honest, with so much porn, sex, vulgarity, perversion, under the influence of alcohol, drugs and high domestic violence and being violent against each other; which is filled in the Pakistani society - how many of the ignorant masses, the mediachannels, the politicians, the people who own the mediachannels, the people related to Pakistani showbiz really really really want to get back on the right path and track, since they know in their deep inner hearts none of such would help them in their graves or the Hereafter.

None. Period. It's all about living in a practical deception and manipulating with other peoples' minds that join "our way everything is fine, nothing is wrong or don't let your over consciousness ruin your life". "Knock yourself out and enjoy - but it's your own responsibility what you do".

Another side issue:
A big marathon for women was held in Lahore, in 2001/2002; women wore skirts or less clothes. This was the first time such event was held in the public - people from Lahore demonstrated against the marathon because it was vulgarity that was being shown, the figures of female bodies was actually to be seen.
What happend was the people demonstrating against the event, were laughed and mocked at, and many were arrested for demonstrating against the marathon.

And now in present time, every single Pakistani channel is showing women wearing less clothes and showing more skin.
For showbiz it means more viewers, the more viewers the more popularity, the more popularity the more domination in the Pakistani showbiz and domination in the minds of the masses.
The ones who are against such issue are in the minority group because everyone is manipulated; they can't be selfcritical of how the Pakistani channels can effect them in their social daily lives so they become the living example of the donkey and the carrot. it is difficult to discuss with manipulated Pakistanis. I've tried that and now I focus on myself, my family and those people who can agree that our future generations wont end up as uncritcal objects.

Ali Ahmad Malik

Unwanted history beckons Chelsea

PARIS: Defending champions Chelsea face the ignominy of becoming the first title-holders to fail to advance into the Champions League knockout stage as the final round of group fixtures takes place tonight.
A comprehensive 3-0 defeat at Juventus a fortnight ago left Chelsea’s title defence hanging by a thread and the Blues’ destiny out of their hands, as a draw between Group E frontrunners Shakhtar Donetsk and Juventus in Ukraine would consign Rafa Benitez’s side to the Europa League.
The pressure is already mounting on Benitez after an inauspicious start as Chelsea manager, with the team yet to record a victory under the Spaniard’s tutelage and the fans quickly losing patience.
“We have to improve on the pitch and the fans will be happy,” said Benitez. “The positive thing is that Shakhtar have a lot of good players and would want to finish top of the group to avoid one of the big names in Europe, so I think they will try to win.”
Victory for Juventus would see them clinch top spot, however, Shakhtar would still claim second should both sides finish level on 10 points as the Ukrainians have a better head-to-head advantage.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have qualified as winners of Group H, with Alex Ferguson likely to field another youthful side against CFR Cluj but one that may feature Nemanja Vidic, who had been sidelined since mid-September after undergoing knee surgery.
“He has started training, which is good news,” said Ferguson. “He would be short of match practice but I wouldn’t be averse to playing him.”

Post by : Saim Shah

TALAASH

Reema Kagti's 'Talaash' is a suspense thriller that not only boasts of a taut script but has a multi-layered structure that manages to pack in enough surprises to keep the viewer hooked till the very end. The storyteller's craft lies in the fact that the modus operandi of the plot seems as intriguing as the motive of the crime.
Surjan Singh Shekhawat (Aamir Khan) is investigating the death of actor Armaan Kapoor (Vivan Bhatena) whose car seems to have suddenly veered out of control and plunged right into the sea. Considering the actor was neither under the influence of alcohol/drugs nor was he suicidal, the death throws up a lot of unanswered questions. The plot thickens when Armaan's widow informs the police that the actor had withdrawn Rs 20 lakh on the day of his death, raising suspicion that he might have been a victim of blackmail or extortion.
One of the prime suspects in this case is a pimp and during the course of his investigation, Shekhawat meets a prostitute Rosy/Simran (Kareena Kapoor) who intermittently divulges credible information that helps the police make significant headway every time they seem to be reaching a dead end.
While the police are still trying to make a breakthrough in this complex mystery, we realize Shekhawat is a deeply conflicted man. He is struggling with suppressed grief and guilt since he lost his eight-year-old son. He also makes vain attempts to hold on to his troubled marriage as his wife Roshni (Rani Mukerji) tries to come to terms with her loss.
Nawazuddin Siddique stands out among the supporting cast with another compelling performance. Rani Mukerji as the bereaved mother essays an understated and convincing portrayal. Kareena is good as the flirtatious and slightly mysterious hooker. But Aamir Khan's performance stands head and shoulders above the rest. He delivers a complex role with complete ease, one moment he is a ruthless cop and in the next, he is an anguished father grappling with his son's death, vulnerable yet strong.
Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti weave an intricate narrative and deserve applause for the brilliant plot execution. For me, the success of any good film is measured by the degree to which it can engage the audience. In the climax when Shekhawat applies the emergency brakes, it is as if the viewer on their seat feels the sudden jolt, like they were on the backseat of his car.
The idea might not be strictly original but watch it for the way the story unfolds.

Bilal Choudhry