Bollywood is hard work, says Ali Zafar

KARACHI: 

After his energetic performance with actor Humaima Malik at the Lux Style Awards Tuesday night, The Express Tribune caught up with actor-singer Ali Zafar for a quick chat backstage.

He was sitting with his wife Ayesha Fazli while he watched clips from his LSA performance of “Madhubala”; he shook his head disapprovingly as he spotted some mistakes in the routine, acknowledging that the performance would have to be re-done for recording purposes after the guests had left.

The star said that his upcoming Bollywood flick, Chashme Buddoor,which was all set to be released during Eid, has now been delayed. “There are a couple of good films coming up during that time and this one is a very special one. We don’t want it to lose its special place, so its release has been re-scheduled for December this year,” he said. Directed by David Dhawan, who also directed Bollywood flickPartner, Chashme Buddoor is a remake film of a 1981 film of the same name and also stars veteran Indian actors Juhi Chawla and Anupam Kher.

Bollywood is not easy, he said.“Does anything come easy in this world?” he asked. “It’s (Bollywood is) a lot of hard work.”

Zafar’s journey has indeed been long. From his days of painting portraits as an artist at the Pearl Continental hotel in Lahore, he has undergone a complete metamorphosis. “It’s all been very rewarding. I worked hard, gave a lot of time to music and I am grateful that people really appreciated my work.,” Zafar said with pride. “Although more of my work is now concerned with Bollywood, I never let go of a chance to perform here in Pakistan!”

“I do stuff here, like the LSA performances, because my true identity comes from Pakistan.”

When we asked the actor what his plans in the near future are, he surprised us by saying “In three to five years, it’s definitely going to be Hollywood.” We wish him the best of luck!

Lamha to premier at NYC Fest 2012

KARACHI:On July 3, Bodhicitta Works, in association with Ice Animations, announced that the world premier of Pakistani feature film Lamha will take place at the annual New York City International Film Festival (NYCIF), being held in Manhattan’s Time Square from August 9 to August 16. The Pakistani feature film, produced by Meher Jaffri and Summer Nicks, has been officially selected to screen in a competition taking place at the festival.

This year, the NYCIF committee received 2,500 film entries from across the globe, out of which 178 will be screened; only 20 of those films will take part in the competition. “The entire team is extremely thankful and excited about their chances,” said Jaffri.

Lamha (publicised as Seedlings in English internationally) is a Pakistani feature film starring Aamina Sheikh, Mohib Mirza and Gohar Rasheed. The film, which completed production in Karachi in June 2012, has been directed by newcomer Mansoor Mujahid and revolves around the lives of three individuals bound together by a devastating accident. An intricately woven story of loss, forgiveness and redemption, Lamha explores the terrifying prospects of piecing together a broken life.

“As French poet Lamartine wrote ‘There is one missing and the whole world is empty’: the movie is about how to overcome this emptiness,” said Festival Director of NYCIFF Roberto Rizzo about Lamha.

The music of the film, composed by musical prodigy Usman Riaz is said to be a work of art in itself. The 21-year old, fresh off the 2012 TEDGlobal Conference, composed the musical score of the film, featuring vocals by Zoe Viccaji. The rest of the film comprises of classic songs by the renowned Mehdi Hasan in tribute to the late ghazal singer. The young musicians working on this film, Usman Riaz and Zoe Viccaji, have both been nominated in the musical categories of the Lux Style Awards this year.

Lamha, which will have its world premiere at the NYCIF, is intended to release theatrically in Pakistan later this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2012

Veena Malik halts traffic in Bangalore city

Pakistani actor Veena Malik recently caused a traffic jam in Bangalore when she stepped out to shoot her debut Kannada film, Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Maga on Friday. When the beauty appeared on the sets, the gathering crowd caused a traffic jam, affecting several of the neighbouring business districts.

Although Malik’s presence was kept secret by film-makers, the masses caught a glimpse of her when she first arrived. Around 20,000 screaming fans started congregating around the area, making it impossible for security personnel to manage the crowd or control the traffic. When the solution got completely out of control, the film’s producer called in the police to handle the fans.

Despite the hoards of people surrounding her, Malik seemed to be in high spirits, enjoying all the attention coming her way. The actor, who first became famous from a stint on the Indian version of “Big Boss”, made her way around the crowd gracefully, waving to all her fans and signing autographs.

“This response is unbelievable. I am sure the movie will be a hit,” she later commented.

The film, which also stars Akshay and Anitha Bhat, is a regional remake of Milan Luthria’s blockbuster Dirty Picture released in 2011. Shooting for Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Maga officially began in studios last week.

This was the second time Malik has been mobbed by her fans. Before this, the actor attracted a large crowd on Fiji Beach, Australia, proving that she has a great fan following all over the world.

Her crazy fans

“I think I have been appreciated a lot. A Pakistani guy wanted to kidnap and marry me – but he was a kid back then,” Veena told The Express Tribune.  “Another Pakistani fan used to send me flowers every day. There’s a  guy on Twitter who calls himself Mr Veena Malik; I consider him a psycho, for he has hacked my Twitter and email account,” she said.

Additional reporting saadia qamar

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2012.

Veena Malik beat Anjelina Jolie and Megan Fox on World Sexiest Women List

Lollywood / Bollywood starlet Veena Malik leaves behind Hollywood hotties in world sexiest women list. She broke all the past record and makes her mark in the list. She beat Hollywood Babes like Kim Kardasian, Britney Spears, Anjelina Jolie, Camaron Diaz, Megan Fox , Paris Hilton as well as her bollywood contemporizes like Poonam Pandey , Sonam Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty in a magazine poll.

Veena Malik said, “I am really excited with the news since it means people are not voting for me only based on my physical looks. They are looking at me in entirety”.

Bollywood Bombshell Veena Malik fans from across the globe have voted to make her the sexiest woman in the world. She has been crowned the sexiest woman in the world by a leading men’s fashion magazine.