And The Magician Passes Away – Mehdi Hasan Voice of Pakistan

Who can forget the supper hit songs of Pakistani Film Industry from the era of 60’s to 80’s? The most prominent voice of Pakistani Film Industry (winner of countless awards including Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pride of Performance and Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the Pakistani government) Mehdi Hasan passed away on June 13, 2012 in Karachi because of failure of breathing.

I don’t consider him just an ordinary singer; to me he was a magician who used to perform magic tricks with his unmatched voice. He introduced Pakistani music to not only few countries but to the world, literally. He was considered as the institution for both Ghazal and movie singing.

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The King of Ghazal singing, Mehdi Hasan (Late), started his career back in 1956, though he also got chance to sing Ghazals and songs at Radio Pakistan in 1952, and his last recorded song for movies was released in 2000. His first breakthrough ghazal was Gulon main rung bharay from the movie Farangi. After that there was no looking back. He undoubtedly reigned specifically in 70’s because the excessive production of soft, romantic and musical Pakistani movies. 

How can people forget the magic of his unlimited romantic songs like; Hamarai aankhon main aaj tak wo, rafta rafta wo mere, patta patta boota boota, Tu meri zindagi hai, yeh tera naazuk, zindagi ki raah mein and many more. Not only these if you really want to listen to his light hearted songs then listen to “Paanday Kalayee Karalo” picturized on Shaahid. The singer was a magician by every means!

May his soul rests in peace and may Almighty shower HIS blessings on Mehdi Hasan.

Movie Review - Rowdy Rathore

“Rowdy Rathore” is amongst the most awaited movies of 2012 for many reasons. Prabhu Deva created magnanimous magic for Salman Khan in his Bollywood directorial debut “Wanted” so the expectations are high. Most of the individuals also raised questions like, how can Sanjay Leela bhansaali, after producing meaningful and critique oriented movies like Guzaarish, Saanwariya, Black and Devdas, produce a hardcore entertainer – so called typical Bollywood Masala flick? There are fans and cine-goers out there who are waiting to see Akshay (The Khiladi) Kumar back in action after a long time. Moreover there are also many people who want to see Sonakshi Sinha and her talent after appreciating her in “Dabang”. The movie is a surprise ride for every single individual. Let me first make it clear that the movie is a remake of a Telugu movie which was originally adopted from a Tamil movie. This shouldn’t be shocking as “Wanted” was also a remake of Telugu movie named “Pokiri” – so you can call it Prabhu Deva’s unique sense of creating remakes and making them box office blockbusters.

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The movie is about two Akshay Kumar(s), one is a Cop (Rathore) and the other is a con man (Shiva). Shiva performs cons with his friend 2G (Paresh Ganatra). In Shiva’s life Paro (Sonakshi Sinha) enters and they fall in love spontaneously. One day Shiva comes across a kid Chinky, who calls him “PAPA”. After some cats and dogs play Shiva comes to know that Chinky is the daughter of his look alike, IPS officer Vijay Singh Rathore (Akshay Kumar), whose life is threatened by a feudal of Devgarh (Somewhere in Bihar) named BaapJee (Nassar). Then movie transforms from a mistaken identity’s plot to a much serious and action oriented theme. I am not going to reveal the complete plot because I don’t want to kill the thrill.

If we talk about performances, Akshay Kumars bestows a splendid performance and he stands out in both roles. It is not a difficult thing for an actor of his caliber to enact both roles, as in past he has performed the same roles remarkably. Sonakshi Sinha, is a complete stealer, I personally was not expecting her to be so gorgeous, outrageous, stylish and full on entertaining actress. Watch out her dance, in every song of the movie – you will be amazed. She reminds of two gorgeous queens of Bollywood, Hema Malini and Rina Roy. 

Paresh Ganatra embarks on a role that gives him ample chance to perform his way of comedy, which is different from Johny Lever or Rajpal Yadav, but it still brings smiles and some laughter on audiences’ faces. Nassar is a very seasoned actor of south movies, and he performs top notch performance as BaapJee. I am sure every viewer will find him disgusting, ruthless and wicked in the particular role. The actor who portrayed the role of Titla (Supreeth Reddy), Baabjee’s brother, is terrifying. He is also from south movie camp. His first seen scared and disgusted many viewers. Mushtaq Khan, Yashpal Sharma and Darshan Jariwala are usual. The kid is cute wins the heart.

Prabhu Deva’s direction is excellent. He definitely knows how to make a remarkable action packed movie and he will soon be counted amongst the most accomplished and detailed directors of Bollywood (provided he continues like this). The background music by Sandeep Chowta (the “Mast” and “Satya” fame) is amazing. Songs are good for listening once or twice – they actually go with the movie for plain entertainment. Khumar Sanu’s fans will listen to him after a long time in “Chammak Challo” and will definitely go back to early and mid 90’s.

Some of the clap-worthy scenes include:

1. When Titla comes out from Raawan’s statue. He looks “HUGE” and frightening (at least in theatres).
2. When Akshay returns to Nassar in post interval by saying “I’m back” – hilarious and outstanding, am sure no one would have thought a scene like that after the interval.
3. The flashback sequence where Yashpal Sharma narrates the story to Akshay Kumar. The whole take is amazingly filmed.
4. Both the scenes between Yashpal Sharma and Paresh Ganatra are really funny.
5. When kid cries in front of Akshay Kumar because she can’t listen to the song of her mother. Very emotional.

The movie is full on entertainer, a masala and paisa wasool fare. But it does not offer anything to serious movie lovers or thought provoking audiences. At box office it will be a blockbuster, without a doubt. But getting an award for this movie is debatable. I strongly recommend it for Akshay Kumar’s (action) and Prabu Deva’s (direction) fans.

Rating: 6.5/10

Are you Jealous of their Fame? (Veena Malik / Sahir Lodhi and Meera's Fame)

If Amitabh Bachchan is known as Star of the millennium or blessed with the title of “SIR” does it mean that Dilip Kumar is inferior to him in acting or performance? It is fame and public’s liking that make one actor or performer a “star” and the other just “good”. Similarly there have been many individuals who are enjoying the blessings of stardom and public’s affection no matter how poor they perform. So at the end of the day it is their fan following that is keeping them placed above others from the lot.

Every person who witnesses Pakistan channels knows about the fame earned by Sahir Lodhi, Meera and Veena. Many individuals have the viewpoint that they don’t deserve the hype whereas TRP shows that they are bestselling stuff over the media (all forms of media). There are rumors about each and every celebrity but the kind of coverage given to their rumors or news is gigantic.

People call Sahir Lodhi as Pakistan’s SRK. Well, that’s how they make his fun, but the fact is no matter what they call him, his viewership and fan following is increasing at an exponential rate. This is the reason why every channel is interested in getting him on board. What difference does it make if 2 individuals have same styles of presenting, talking, portraying, standing, sleeping, eating and #$@#@#*-ing. At the end of the day they are providing entertainment and people love them - unconditionally.

Veena Malik is considered as Pam (Pamela Anderson) of Pakistan, if she is, then whats the problem with those who don’t like her? No matter how much hatred they show for the sensational queen, even then they watch her shows, movies, item numbers or shoots etc. So, what makes them watch her? Curiosity? Love? Or Fandom?

People make fun of Meera’s English, but they don’t appreciate that even then she tries real hard to convey her message. After all, that was the main reason why KungFu Panda was a blockbuster. The movie taught us a message of “never say die” the Duracell motto. So why do we make fun of a person who tries very hard to stay in the showbiz? 

I don’t want to call it a Desi/Paki or Indi approach but the fact is we can never digest the fame, prominence and charisma of others. May be most of us are insecure and jealous. The very first thing that people blurt out is “whats the big deal in it?” If there was no big deal in that particular thing why couldn’t they perform it and stood out? They have lame excuses to hide their jealousy. 

Bottom line, they sell that’s why they are exaggerated. They sell because people love them and want to see them. The interesting fact is that, you also want to see, hear and witness them, this is the reason why, you can’t miss them when they are tuned in.

Accept the power of fame!

Movie Review – Men In Black 3

Men In Black 3 (MIB3) is definitely amongst the most awaited movies of this year. Those who enjoyed MIB 1 and 2 have their hopes high for MIB 3. Agent J and Agent K gained overnight popularity and they provided best of entertainment to their viewers. By the way can anyone recall what were both agents doing almost 10 years ago in MIB 2? Apart from maintaining harmony on planet earth between Aliens and Humans. 

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This time the movie rolls back from 1969, the time when astronauts were trying their luck to “moon walk”. On the contrary Agent K was imprisoned by an alien called “Boris the Animal”. After 4 decades Boris is focusing on killing agent K. On the contrary, the current chief Agent O, (played by Emma Thompson), orders agent J to visit back in to time and save agent K and return back without getting trapped in time. 

The plot is brilliant, undoubtedly and so is the execution. Those who can remember Star Trek IV can definitely rejoice the idea of getting acquainted with unusually fancy yet weird characters. Etna Cohen’s screenplay and Barry Sonnerfeld’s direction provide an extraordinary and captivating experience, highlighting the evocative hopefulness of that era.

As far as the performances are concerned, so fasten up your belts to get amazed by Josh Brolin who performs the character of young agent K. The remarkable actor grips the character with both his hands. The funnier side of the character will definitely bring smile to audiences’ lips. Will smith continues to inspire and astonish the viewers with his marvelous performance. He is charming, quick witted and perfectly lovable in this character.

The movie is definitely a nice one for those who will go with “not much” expectations. But for those who have their hopes “high”, this fare might disappoint them. There are some great scenes and dialogues that will be loved by the viewers. Some highlights of the movie include:

 - Josh Brolin as the young Agent K shows a brilliant stroke. Brolin captures Jones' spirit to such a towering scale that he creates the perfect old chemistry with Will Smith. It's a great change, and gladly, the old comedy team is back.

 - Director Barry Sonnenfeld is as tremendous as ever. His frenzied manner alters between action, comedy and pathos are speedy enough to induce whiplash.

 - The movie is high on action and it offers slick humor with rasping fun. MIB 3 is the wonder of chance that makes up the cohesive fabric of the past, present and the future

It is a must watch for the fans of Will Smith, Men In Black Series, alien flicks and for those who want to discover the talent of Brolin.

Rating: 7.5/10

The Avengers - Movie Review

Marvel needs no introduction. Those who grew up in 70’s, 80’s and 90’s read and watched comics and cartoons produced by Marvel and those whose childhood belongs to 2000 must have watched some amazing movies produced by them. It is simply close to impossible to create a master piece again and again; this is the reason why most of the sequels flop at the box office. But I simply don’t know what formula lies with Marvel, from Hulk (2003) to The Avengers (2012), they continue to provide the best of experience to their audiences, including, Iron Man (2008/10), Thor (2011) and Captain America (2011). They are definitely the entertainers.

It was not a piece of cake to get all the superheroes together in any movie just like that. After all, screen play, plot, logic and script have to be extraordinary for making them stand shoulder to shoulder. Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures bang on the perfect script in which they united the amazing team of Superheroes as well as they grab the right cast. The story revolves around how the director of S.H.I.E.L.D, Nick Fury (performed by Samuel L. Jackson), gathers a team of all super heroes including, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) along with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to fight against Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who plays Thor’s father’s adopted son and threats Nick Fury to demolish the peace on earth and rule it. As Loki, just like Thor is not a human and possesses super natural powers and army there has to be super heroes against this God of evils.

The movie brings surprises in many ways, the interaction between all the characters whether in their super heroic attires or common suits is first-rate. The dialogues between Tony Stark and Captain America gives you many reason to smile and clap at many places (off the record, I managed to whistle as well). The action sequences of Hulk were worth watching again and again, just to note the expressions and daredevil stunts. Thor’s entry is a treat to watch and the complete scene is remarkable, how Thor (The God of Thunder), Iron Man and Captain America try to show their strengths – simply bravura. Samuel L. Jackson gets a much lengthy role this time, unlike Iron Man 2’s role, and he simply proves his excellence with his performance, be it the beginning of the movie, communiqué with Loki and post interval. Same goes for Scarlett Johansson, she is fast and a nice element included in the movie – it is a difficult task to get noticed as a normal human in the movie studded by superheroes. This time Hulk is much civilized, well you may say that, he knows how to control his rage and Mark Ruffalo perfectly portrays a role, am sure audience will love him over the previous Hulk(s). The only character from THE Avengers who under-performs (I am not saying that he has not performed well) is Hawkeye. In such movies where there are so many heroes it is really difficult for the villain to stand out but Tom Hiddleston as Loki excels and performs a role that is tailor-made for him. He looks comfortable and cold blooded both at the same time. 

Like all the scenes and sequences the climax is also directed very well by Joss Whedon. Characterization is strong, script is clap-worthy and there are many other surprises “action wise”. It is undoubtedly a Super Movie brought to its audience by a team of Super Heroes, called The Avengers. Watch this movie in Cinema, it is worth experiencing.

Rating: 9/10

**The Article is initially published at Dunya TV's Blog

Tezz - Movie Review

Looks like these days in Bollywood, multi cast movies are either in demand or every aging actor needs to appear on screen badly. Gone were the days when a single movie used to rest upon the shoulders of script writer, director and finally actor. But now movies rest upon four pillars, multiple heroes (characters to confuse audience), daredevil fight sequences, cheap comedy and a meaty yet saucy item number. That is how a movie becomes a box-office hit. A few weeks ago it was “Houseful 2” and this week there are “Tezz” and “Life Ki toh Lag Gayee” which have been released.

Coming back to Tezz and the controversies associated with it. Yes, the movie is a definite copy, but not only of 1994’s “Speed”, actually it is an amalgamation of many others as well. Just to quote here, “Speed” was inspired / copied from a Japanese movie named The Bullet Train (Subtitled 1975) which also inspired another director to make a Thai movie named 1 2 3 Monster Express (1977). So, connect all the points and characterizations to get “TEZZ”. But some critics are saying that the movie is original, I wonder why! Might be it is in Hindi or it has some songs – only on these grounds the movie can be distinguished.

The movie is about handful of army consisting of Ajay Devgan, Zayed Khan and Sameera Reddy, who plan to blast a train “London Glasgow Express 112”. Why? Well the reason is quite confusing, at least for me, just because one of the men was deported and sent away from his family (wife and Son) and his career vanished, he, after returning back, wants to get some ransom from the government to compensate. Strange, isn’t it? The actual reason behind was, he was supporting illegal residents by providing them work. And this is not ethical!

Anyways, as it is a movie and anything can happen. The movie revolves around Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgan, Zayed Khan, Boman Irani, Sameera Reddy and Kangna Ranawat. As far as the performances are concerned I must say it’s a decent fare. Standing out of the stockpile is undoubtedly Boman Irani, not a single scene of his is missed by him, in doing justice to his role and impressing the audiences. I would like to mention two power-packed scenes, out of few, one in which he talks to her daughter over phone and the other one when he gets a one to one argument with Anil Kapoor, his voice, his movements and his passion are all at display. Then comes Anil Kapoor, it is a treat to watch him after Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. He excels in every scene. Anil Kapoor has star power, believe it or not, his screen presence, attitude and self-obsession makes him loved by his fans. Even his silent moments are very well executed.

Ajay Devgan, after Singham, performs quite an underrated performance. Some might like his performance, but at places he appeared performing the same roles from “Khaakee” or “Qayamat”. Zayed Khan has appeared after a long time and he performs well, though his role had nothing much to offer. But it was a sincere effort by him. Sameera Reddy did leave a mark in brief appearance. Kangna Ranawat, the root cause of the movie, gets few scenes to perform and she is improving to certain extent. Mohanlal (the Amitabh of South) is totally wasted in the role of a cop. If any scene will get smile to your face then it is all because of Neeraj Vora, he is natural and flawless in a small sequence with Anil Kapoor. Definitely his fans would love to see more of him in future.

Direction of the movie is very impressive and so are the action sequences. The item number “Laila” performed by Mallika Sherawat offers nothing much, not for front benchers and not even for classes! But Sunidhi Chauhan did a great job.On the whole actors’ attempt was serious and applaud able and hardwork can be witnessed in the scenes, but dialogues and other major things simply could not save it. The only few reasons for this movie to do good business include “Masala Formula” with “Angrezi Tarka”, action scenes, watching Anil Kapoor after a long time and Ajay Devgan’s fan following after “Singham”. Logically the movie has so many flaws. If you are a movie buff who likes every single Indian movie and are inspired by desi thrillers and “Attitude stuff” then watch it, else you can miss it too!

The article is initially posted at Dunya TV's blog.

Stop blaming it on Government – Get on your own feet

These days everyone is literally barking against this government. And when I mention “Barking” it literally means “BARKING”. If you want to check this up, just roll the topic in any class, buss, market, party or TV program. You will understand what I actually mean.

Why is it always government that is held responsible for all the vexation?  After all we, Pakistanis, always unite whenever there is disaster faced by any city – PAF museum in Karachi is usually stuffed with campaigns and all such welfare based programs. Then why can’t we stand in our own territory? We can manage and raise funds for affected cities and get them every blessing of the world but we can not help our own conditions. Electricity, water supply, petrol and gas are main issues of a common man as well as for individuals who belong to elite classes. This is the reason why everyone is keeping his eyes on other’s wallet irrespective of how well or exceptional is he earning. For some it is because of nature (agreed) but for rest it is because of the conditions that are letting them follow this practice.