26 countries partake in Loudoun's International Youth Leadership Summit

https://www.loudountimes.com/news/countries-partake-in-loudoun-s-international-youth-leadership-summit/article_ef8d1c2a-5ad8-11e9-a330-1b59c861a051.html

A Place to Be performers let Leesburg students know 'it's OK to feel'

https://www.loudountimes.com/entertainment/a-place-to-be-performers-let-leesburg-students-know-it/article_2b4e0722-4bcc-11e9-bad2-83d15a06f4fe.html

Kadurat for Daily Times /published 7th Aug

 

Kadurat means grudge. And who can hold one better than Sanam Saeed, the famous star from HUM TV’s latest so-called blockbuster drama that didn’t quite bust-the-block as opposed to its previous success with ‘Humsafar’. Nevertheless it confirmed identity to actors for the roles they suit best. The spotlight shines on the sky-soaring Sanam to justify her grudge in this brand new drama crossing its 3^rd episode, in which her war this time is against a father, step-mother and step-siblings for taking the place of the little princess she was, just a while after her mother (played by Zhalay Sarhadi) left the world. They keep showing a shot of the mother-daughter in which Zhalay praises her daughter for having an amazing memory “meri beti kuch nahi bhoolti” and that becomes the flashback-dialogue of the episodes to come. The flashback accompanied by the fiddling of her eyebrow!

Most of the first two episodes span across Minah’s childhood, the girl who enacts this role made an outstanding performance with her angry little face and the tussles between her father played by the award-wining ‘Best Menswear Designer’ Deepak Perwani, whose Guinness record for the world’s largest kurta is what he should really be excelling in, until his dialogue delivery is worked upon further. Without prior warning or preparation to his daughter, he imposes his second wife Atiqa, the plum-lipped, deep soothing voice and tight frizzy curls played by Angeline Malik, who assures her husband that she’ll eventually get accepted by Minah but instead gets to hear in every new scene “ap meri mama nahi hein”. Incidents occur and Minah goes to the extent of hurting and pushing her and twice, has locked up each of her step-siblings in the store room, which is far away from this big posh house with shiny marble floors to its interior. Her new siblings Alina and Asad once all grown up are played by Momal Sheikh, the Tapal girl and the recent award-winner of the Best Actor, Imran Aslam.

The stubborn little girl is sent to live in a hostel but pleads to her father to be kept at home. There, girls her age pick on her but she befriends one girl, Shaheen. In the meanwhile back home, Atiqa one day drops into Deepak’s office to remind him of her degree in Business Management and suggests joining his office. Upon hearing this he immediately offers her his chair, while his daughter is shown in the hostel poking needles in pillows, stuffed toys and her roommates, and getting deeper into finding resentment with everyone there. 

Crops harvest and time is shown to have passed by and finally Minah comes home all grown up (into Sanam Saeed) but she doesn’t respond to greetings. She only sports a superficial smile and offers Alina Pringles, but the box pops into her face as a prank. That’s where you see her long, evil fit of laughter with everyone else’s poker face staring back at her and she asks, “kesi lagi phir meri entry?”  Soon after her settling in back at home, Atiqa tries to make efforts of clearing the air but instead Minah snubs back rudely and even tells her to ‘get out’!

The 3^rd episode thickens the plot as Minah goes to meet Asad who has climbed the ladder to CEO of her father’s company and seeing eyeball to eyeball she leans in and tells her step-brother that she wants his chair and takes on the dare to snatch the position he has earned. Asad/Imran owns up to his award of being the best actor and his mini-role in the first two episodes was almost a replica of him. But that suave businessman role didn’t quite befit him naturally as opposed to the recent drama he was cast in, as a gambler and drunkard. Overall he’s impressionable and grows on you.

Alina is shown dining at Zouk with her Raj-Kumar, as she’d like to term it. Danyal is the guy, played by Junaid Khan, who is now unfair to be defined as just the former-vocalist of CALL the band, because he’s made a strong presence in the drama circle with one project after the other; dramas and telefilms both. He’s also leading a solo singing career with two video releases. Rumour has it that he’s also about to host an Eid Show! Cute smiles, sparkly, love-struck eyes and protruding biceps through stark white shirts; he’s the stuff silver-screens are made for. But for now, he pursues Alina for marriage. Oddly enough, she resists because Minah the troublemaker has come home and more odd is the fact that the guy is more keen to get married in this case as opposed to the majority of girls trying to find themselves suitors, and what a suitor indeed! Is Alina’s too-good-to-be-true set up also going to be jinxed by prying eyes? 

Deepak’s earlier thick black beard is now shedding weight and colour both and he as character is also shedding patience for his daughter, for whom he had claimed to remarry in the first place, so that she’d have a mother again. He grows intolerant towards her pranks and resentments and decides to show her to a psychologist. Minah initially runs away from him but lands at that doctor’s clinic the day her father has kept a dinner reception for Minah, telling one lie after the other about her step-siblings.

The direction by Aabis Raza is definitely worth praising and the story written by Zoha Hassan has strong grounds for a grudge of this sort to have matured into something seemingly dangerous and psychotic. The soundtrack is just ordinary but the story and casting make up for that gap. Sanam’s tall, slouching and square-like physique really help define her personality and she does great with those head-down, closely set, piercing eyes to convey across her anger. Now whether the audience goes completely against her, stereo-typing her as a jealous and resentful girl, or whether they find sympathy and understand the root-cause of her situation, is yet to be seen.

Keh Do

I was never a fan of CALL the band, but deep in my heart I admired what its members produced individually. Something in me knew that this was going to happen. Nescafe Basement came out so beautifully...and so has Junaid's new solo.. Keh do..worth a listen https://soundcloud.com/calljunaidkhan/junaid-khan-keh-do

 

Lahore!

Karachi 12th May

Having studied civil society and social movements at SOAS, I was hoping eagerly that something of the sort would happen in my country too...where one could see some solidarity coming from the people for a cause they believe in. Then the chief justice episode took place and as a result, a huge community of lawyers took to the streets. Being unable to bring a substantial change, the movement continued. And today has got to be the worst day in my newly-found career in journalism. As I had dreaded yesterday when our ex-prime minister Jamali advised the government to not let MQM rally out in Karachi the same day the chief justice was arriving there, a clash was bound to happen. But to this severity, where someone as political and ardent like myself, would have to start switching channels, its just becoming impossible to watch the blood anymore. Showing close-ups of bullets in the flesh, ambulances being burnt up – in fact I was just wondering – who would those people be, who would not be harmed in the streets? Maybe journalists..who could communicate the message carried in this violence? But no! I was wrong. If an ambulance driver could be shot and the ambulance carrying passengers, burnt up, then who is safe on those streets? No one!

Halloween

Fine! Not interested in politics? Then let me blabber on about nothing. Well I’m in New York City – the big apple as they say. Last night was Halloween. I’m glad I didn’t get onto the train straight home like I have been doing. I instead went to Broadway to return a bag I had gotten for my mother. She loves Coach, speaking of which, I also treated myself to the legacy stripe pouch multicolored one – yes go check it out! Why did I return my moms? Because she saw it on the internet and thought it was too big for her, so now I’m thinking of a medium sized one.
The streets were full of people, of all ages, dressed in funny costumes. No hang-ups whatsoever! The Manhattan Mall though had its restriction sign up that no one above the age of 10 could trick or treat in costumes. And no one with weapons in their costumes could play either.
I bought my favorite Cinnabon! Packed a box and ate some with my friends back home. These are the best baked items ever – after those of Masoom’s of course.

In the Line of Fire

Yes the quote is David Brower’s. SOAS taught us strictly not to plagiarize. SOAS taught us more than I thought it would and you slowly see me drift away from pop journalism to the United Nations peacekeeping operations. Have I bored you already? For those who previously visited my blog, you’d be glad to see it’s not pink anymore. It’s green like the color of our flag that waves outside the UN Secretariat every morning. Through this blog I wish to establish a light political debate.. light because we're still learning and light so that it doesn't scare you away.. similar to the new wave of bloggers from Iran. Whether it makes any sense or not, let’s carry on and see. For starters, who’s read: In the Line of Fire? I was amazed to see it standing on a center stall at the UN Bookshop... Musharraf saluting! I'm trying to upload a picture.. pls help..