Thursday, September 23, 2010

Late Night Show with Begum Nawazish Ali

The television channel “Aaj” which broadcasts the show never could be possibly seen outside the country.  But the name of Pakistan's rising star “Begum Nawazish Ali” is very well-known abroad. Overseas Pakistanis and even other communities like the show and watch program off satellite! It is in itself a great success story.
The talk show host making waves in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is purportedly a stylish, middle-aged, socialite widow of an army colonel. Her monologues are often laced with sexual innuendo; she flirts openly with her guests, and sometimes by finding opportunities embarrasses them with sensitive questions about their private lives but in a very candid way. Her guests include some of Pakistan's most well-known personalities: the urban elite, film and television stars and even some top politicians.
Astonish thing here is that Begum Nawazish Ali is actually a man. Ali Saleem, the 28-year-old man who done lipstick, mascara and a wig to appear as Begum Nawazish Ali. Certainly no Pakistani woman on television could get away with the kind of double entendres she gets away with. Female guests often find themselves comparing wardrobes and jewelry with her, while male guests have had to bear the brunt of a suggestive proposition from her. Genuinely Begum Nawazish Ali is too sophisticated as compared with other popular industry stars. 
Due to her popularity and the show grooming the fact is that advertising rates during its weekend prime time slot are triple that of other shows in similar slots. Saleem is now one of the highest paid television hosts in the country and is constantly receiving offers from rival channels to bring the show to them.
According to Saleem the success is not an arduous three-hour hair and make-up session before the recording of a show. It can be one philosophical minor reason about why the show has clicked with audiences. But on a broader level "Begum Nawazish Ali inspires women in particular because she is a strong, glamorous, opinionated woman who is unafraid of saying what she thinks and of flirting with men if she feels like it" and "Men, on the other hand, find her intriguing because she transcends all kinds of restrictions and plays with their imagination."
Saleem got his first big break famously impersonating former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in theater and on television, but says it's the Ali character that brings out the real woman inside him. He claims he has "only received love, adoration and respect, never anything evenly remotely negative." Moreover, he wants to be the voice of the youth and for all of Pakistan. The idea was always to break barriers and preconceived notions, of gender, identity, celebrity and politics and to bring people closer. In any case, truly Begum Nawazish Ali is the strongest woman in Pakistan!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Luxurious Shopping Mall in Pakistan: Mall of Lahore

The Park Lane Tower, also known as The Mall of Lahore is located at the heart of city's cantonment area. With an excellent architecture, mall has a look of royal building of present. Mall has all niche brands one may be looking for some absolute shopping fun. At first, mall gives quite a rough look from outside, but it is much sophisticated and luxurious than imaginations from inside. At the entrance, security checks will welcome twice, anyone may be amazed by the organized parking lot. Entering the building, Gloria Jean's Cafe gets the attention. Fashion designer's has occupied most of the shops as mall's niche look suits glamorous product showcase. One can find Iram Imran, Ali Ijaz, The Designer, Ritu Kumar, Khaddi, and Junaid Jamshed dominating here. For food lovers, Gloria Jean's Cafe, Casa Bakery, KFC, McDonald, Dunkin Donets, Boulevard Express, Espresso, Mövenpick are there to satisfy customers’ taste.
From fashion to lavish food, "Mall of Lahore" at Park Lane Tower promises a great shopping experience for the whole family. With international brands and local high-end fashion, the world of retail gets closer to one’s finger tips. Featuring quality stores Mall of Lahore offers an array of shopping options for men, women & children. Further, where every ones’ looking for stylish, fashionable, and new attire or a simple unique accessory. It is best place for hanging out with friends, although, the prices seem a bit high but considering the place and the setting it’s worth it.  To go there according to consumers are fun, shopping, eating, and enjoying the games there, it is really fun. 
The Mall of Lahore is Pakistan’s first ever high street shopping destination and a project of Bahria Town.  At every special event like Eid MOL celebrate activities that include carnival food, entertainment, puppet shows, and a wide assortment of prizes all geared towards providing a colorful atmosphere and a day of vibrant festivity. The amusement continues with dazzling magic shows, mini circus and puppet shows which a large number of families enjoyed throughout night.
The Mall of Lahore promises to be a hub of high end lifestyle brands in gold, electronics, textiles, haute couture and designer boutiques and signature brands from all over the world. It is designed to be a prestigious shopping destination catering to quality conscious residents and consumers of Lahore. It offers a comprehensive shopping and entertainment experience within an aesthetically stimulating ambience.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Celebrity in focus – Mehreen Jabbar

Mehreen Jabbar is a filmmaker, at a very young age, has an extensive portfolio. After directing her first play in 1994 she went on to create work which ranges from short independent art films to commercial serials for television. Her success as a director can be assessed by the fact that her work has appeared in many film festivals around the world including The Hong Kong International Film Festival, The San Francisco Asian-American Film Festival, and The Leeds Film Festival in U. K. to name a few. At home, Pakistan, her exceptional style of story-telling has earned her much praise and several awards.
Mehreen grew up around Pakistan's show business. Her father, Javed Jabbar, is also a filmmaker himself. He has also been running a highly successful advertising agency for about 30 years where she got her first exposure to the television world. Further she went to the United States in order to study film and completed a two year program at University of California Los Angeles. She describes this experience as a crucial part of her training because her teachers were working professionals from the film industry who were able to provide real insights on the art and business of film making.
Mehreen returned to Pakistan to practice her skills professionally. Her first play in 1994 was called “Nivala” which was based on a short story by Ismat Chugtai, one of the foremost authors in the Urdu language. Unfortunately, the decision makers at the state run television of that time declined from airing “Nivala” because it was based on the work of an Indian writer and, subsequently, the idea for the entire series was cancelled. Though this was a hinder but it did not deter Mehreen from doing what she loves. She continued to make short films, feature length plays, and drama serials.
Due to the low quality of films being produced in Pakistan and the shady atmosphere at cinema houses, going to a theater is not a feasible form of entertainment for the mainstream public. Thus, television remains by and far the most popular source of family entertainment. So that has been the industry to which vast majority of writers, producers, directors, as well as, actors turn who wish to polish their expertise and create work with depth and meaning for the audience.
Much of Mehreen’s work has focused on the everyday lives of average Pakistani women and the conflicts they experience from day to day. On the other hand, several directors have created fine plays which are obvious in their attempts to raise awareness of women's rights; Mehreen enjoys the challenge of applying nicety to get her message across. Her viewers often find themselves immersed in the minds of her characters in order to fully understand the characters’ motives. Her telefilm, “Putli Ghar”’ is an example of such work. Another telefilm “Farar” is about three friends, a widow, a working woman, and a third woman who is a student of classical dance. The play shows the struggle of each woman to sort out her life and find a unique identity for herself.
To Mehreen experimenting with a story is one of the most interesting parts of creating a play. She believes that producers are playing it safe and are flat to take on projects which are based on a proven storyline for success. The result is that the same basic plot is repeated over and over again in different plays or films such as - Ramchand Pakistani.
Nevertheless, commercial Pakistani films remain largely unpopular on the conventional side; hence several independent filmmakers have emerged in recent years, such as, Shireen Pasha, Farjad Nabi, Hassan Zaidi, and Mehreen Jabbar herself, who seem to be breathing a new life into the Pakistani art films.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Obesity and Pakistan!

Prevalence of obesity (BMI or Body Mass Index) in 25-44 year old in rural areas was 9% for men and 14% for women; in urban areas, prevalence was 22% and 37% for men and women, respectively. For 45-64 year old, prevalence was 11% for men and 19% for women in rural areas, and 23% and 40% in urban areas for men and women, respectively. Information resource is the National Health Survey of Pakistan. In South Asia, including Pakistan, social and environmental changes are occurring rapidly, with increasing urbanization, changing lifestyles, higher energy density of diets, and reduced physical activity.
Obesity is a medical problem that kills thousands of people each year, results in more chronic illnesses than smoking cigarettes and can contribute to heart disease and diabetes. Food is the vital source of energy necessary for the human body to survive, all types of which with the exception of water contain calories. If the calorie intake exceeds the amount required for the body to function to optimum levels, the body chemistry converts and stores unused energy as fat. Obesity is calculated using a formula known as the Body Mass Index (BMI). It is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both men and women. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight and one of more than 30 is considered obese. Being significantly overweight is linked to a wide range of health problems including, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, indigestion, gallstones some cancers, snoring and sleep apnea, stress, anxiety and depression, to name but a few.
According to the World Heart Federation obesity is alarmingly appearing amongst the younger generation; an estimated 22 million children under the age of five are now severely overweight. However, the fast-food industry has come to be held as one of the main culprits. Indeed there has been a real shift of change in the human diet during the last century since the advent of snack food chains such as McDonald's and KFC. Homemade food has given way to convenient high-energy or high calorie food rich in fat, salt and sugar. On the other hand, the fast food industry has become a huge international business. With a multi-billion dollar turnover in the global fast-food industry, it is no surprise that such international companies will do all they can to keep people eating and the profits rolling in, attempting to convince the public that their products are healthy.
The food marketing industry that stands accused of targeting in particular young children through provocative adverts and incentives such as free gifts with kids' meals or inside cereal boxes. Also blamed are endorsements from celebrities such as pop stars, sports personalities and TV presenters who all have considerable influence on the choice of food of both children and adults. The nature of desire as a criterion for controlling actions is such that it is constantly fluctuating, with the individual being torn between varieties of differing pleasures. The aim of satisfying desires will never bring peace and contentment to an individual and comes at great cost to both body and soul. When this concept is applied to food and drink, it leads to people enjoying these things to excess; obesity can be considered a natural outcome.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Whoosh impact of flood in Pakistani vicinity!

As the summer season moves during July to August that comes up with environmental ruin sometimes in affected areas. Pakistan becomes normally recognized as a rapid heating country. The key cause of monsoon seasons lies in the difference of temperature trend and other factors like emission of certain gasses, deforestation, increasing population, industrialization, that all occurs because of lack in following “the rules of Environmental Protection Act 1997”.
Monsoon blows from cold to warm region and change of temperature bring rain and catastrophic floods. The intensity and duration of monsoon is not uniform from year to year. This time monsoon rain raised water level of rivers overflowing to cities and villages, threatening the people from Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province to the people of Sindh and Baluchistan. Melting glacier and global warming raised the rage and fury of floods breaking all previous records in the history of Pakistan. In this misfortune of flood, standing crops of rice, cotton etc were destroyed, “20 million” people are affected, above “1500” dead and more than “9 million” are homeless.
The extent of losses of these floods is 500% higher than the earthquake of 2005. Many villages were stuck and houses were destroyed and damaged. The international community is responding. Now Pakistan is at war with terrorists and at the same time facing overwhelming floods. The war between natural shocking forces and human beings is old history but with experience, courage and scientific progress to a great extent damages is reduced. After effects of flood are visible like destruction of crops, houses, lives, and belonging of people, rises in prices, and unemployment. This devastating catastrophe of floods was unexpected and sudden. There are remote areas which are surrounded on all side by water, making it not immediately possible to communicate, rescue and provide relief. Relief to the affected with the help of the army is being provided. Such type of a national disaster brings unity and courage among the people.
The way provincial government and federal governments, and aid donation collecting organization in all the provinces will cover a way for unity and solidarity. It is the best way to help ourselves instead of looking to others. This is a time as a nation to face disaster with courage and set up an example in history. Since government has experience to provide relief to internally displaced persons during the earthquake of 2005, therefore, rehabilitation of flood affectors will not be a new experience. Aid to flood affectors should be well planned. It should be organized like the internally displaced persons of 2005 earthquake. Some negative indicators are also seen, like the stealing of the belongings of the flood affectors. In Karachi some immoral persons on the appearance of flood affectors tried to occupy a vacant building against basic human rights, under section 24 of the constitution of Pakistan. It is necessary to keep observation on illicit.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Celebrity in focus: Vaneeza Ahmed

Vaneeza Ahmed nicknamed Vinny born on June 29, 1971 is a Pakistani model and actress. She has earned a reputation of being the most famous female model and celebrity in Pakistan. Initially interested in medicine with a degree in psychology, she joined modeling as a casual hobby only to be become the face of some of the leading brands in Pakistan.
She graduated from Kinnaird College with a bachelor's degree in psychology. In her brief stay at the college, she started to model casually. Not much interested in modeling as a career option, she was showered with offers from various fashion designers, some of which were notable in the Pakistani fashion industry including the likes of fashion designer Nilofer Shahid with whom she did her first shoot, and photographer Khawar Riaz. She is a close friend of the makeup duo Athar and Shahzad, as well as designer Umar Syed. Her initial walks at fashion shows led fashion critics to praise her elegance on the cat-walk. 
Over her fifteen year reign in the fashion industry her business etiquette has helped her to survive her chosen career and win all hearts too. In a country where women are not expected to be make smart and calculated decisions in business matters of monetary concerns Vaneeza always stayed with the career for the sake of money. 
She made her acting debut in Jamal Shah's controversial saga Kal and has since acted in Marina Khan's Tum Hi Tau Ho, Janey Anjaney and Tum Say Mil Ker; Armaan; and Talaash. Most famous role to come her way was that of the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah's daughter “Dina Wadia” in Jamil Dehlavi's 1998 “Jinnah”. Another notable thing about her is that she is a women entrepreneur. She has designed local lawn fabric collection by her own.  The first launch of her collections, also called V9 lawn prints was in March 2006. They were sold-out in a series of exhibition held in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. Her efforts on the V9 prints were highly appreciated by her so many fans, media persons, and among general public as well. 
She is also well-liked by others in the fashion and showbiz industry because of her nice and friendly nature. She helps her colleagues and guides her juniors in a very friendly way. She is not only soft spoken but also a soft hearted person. She is a very down to earth person. She is more common than any other common girl in her real home life. 

Monday, September 6, 2010

Ramadan merriment of Pakistani inhabitants!

The holiest month ninth at number on the Islamic Calendar is “Ramadan”. It is a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset and self discipline. It is widely observed in Pakistan. Muslim in Pakistan is about 97% of the whole population. They fast, attend mosques with increased frequency, and recite Quran during the entire period of one month in Ramadan.
After completing the fasting month on the first day of Shawwal all the Muslims celebrate “Eid ul fitr”. Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fitr means "to purify"; and so the holiday symbolizes the purification. Eid-ul-Fiter Salat or Namaz is a Sunnah strongly recommended, just short of obligatory of Muhammad PBUH. The Salat comprise of two raka’ah Namaz which generally offered in an open field called Eid-gaah and also known as “Namaz e Eid”. This Salat should be performed with Jama’at with extra six Takbirs, three of them in the beginning of the first raka'ah and three of them just before ruku' in the second raka'ah. 
Eid ul-Fitr lasts for one day of celebrations. Yet, it is celebrated for two or more days in some countries. It is sometimes also known as the "Smaller Eid".
As daylight begins to fade, Muslims await the Muezzin's call to perform the Maghreb prayers. Once the call is heard they may break fast called Iftari in Arabic. Most will first take some form of thirst-quenching drink. This varies not only by individual preferences but also but local customs. It is quite common in the Middle East to breakfast with water and dates. But in Pakistan it is more common to drink a local fruit juice or rose syrup water with some dates. Then they have a lot of food variety in Iftari such as smosa, pakora, chicken roll, fruit chat, channa chat, and dahi bahlay. And finally after offering prayer they go for their regular evening meal. 
Chand Raat occurs the night before Eid day celebrations commence. It is actually marking the end of the month of Ramadan. In the night known as Chand Raat all people celebrate by various means such as girls putting henna on their hands. People buy gifts and sweets that will be given to friends and families who come over to celebrate the end of Ramadan. The streets, major building and landmarks, even outside of malls and plazas, put on displays of elaborate decorations and colorful light shows. There are large crowds in the city ready to celebrate the beginning of Eid and it is a boom time for business in all essence.