Broken dreams - By Erum Alee-Adnan

Many young people harbor dreams of making it big in far-off lands. But often the dream is elusive, and reality far from what the migrants expected. Sometimes, new migrants fall into the clutches of the Mafia, which exploits them for its own profits. These desperate souls either end up in incarceration or are conveniently deported, and all the money invested into moving to their Promised Lands goes down the drain. The corollary is that the migrants' country of origin is calumniated and the hands behind the whole set-up are never exposed. Using this grim circle of events as the main theme, Qasim Jalali has produced a serial that focuses on the harsh realities that exist behind the

veneer of greener pastures. Razia Fasih Ahmed, winner of the Adamjee Award, bases Abla pa, currently on air on PTV, on the novel. The serial is different from others of the same genre in more ways than one. Firstly, all the scenes that depict the United States have been shot in America, but then re-rendered with the cast in Pakistan through technical assistance. Qasim Jalali comments in this regard.

"I shot the scenes myself during a visit to the States. When I came back, I merged them with the cast through technical assistance giving them a touch of reality. The scenes appear to have been actually shot in America!"

Most of the performers that played the roles of Americans are new faces who, despite being greenhorns, did complete justice to their roles. The most outstanding of them are Yousuf Khan, Omar, Patricia and Mama Deluxe, who played the role of a black American. The new faces worked in complete harmony with the veteran performers, namely Zeba Bakhtiar, Ali Afzal Khan, Rizwan and Tahira Wasti.

Another positive aspect of the play is that special attention has been given to costumes. The uniforms worn by the police officers seem no different than the originals. Yusuf Khan, the novice who performed the role of the inspector, wrote the English version of the play and is actually a graduate from America.

"PTV is not what I had perceived. Not for a single second did I feel I was in Pakistan and not in America while performing the role. It was my first experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it." Yusuf Khan's performance won plaudits and Qasim Jalali extended it despite the fact that the scenario was not in the original novel.

Another feature of the play is that apart from the other new faces, Zeba Bakhtiar's son Azaan is also performing for the first time. Praising him, Jalali says, "He is a talented young boy who performs like his father."

The team, which was all geared up to record the final episode of the play as it is approaching its climax, was anxiously waiting for Zeba, who arrived an hour late. The set, designed by Aijaaz Ahmed, was a complete replica of a country club rest house. The cameras were ready to roll and the performers well rehearsed, as the leading lady sat in the make-up room getting ready for the shot. When asked about her role in the serial she replied, "I am only doing it because of Azaan. He was so anxious to work in a play and when Qasim Jalali approached me, I took up the project because there was a role for a kid."

The day's work began a good couple of hours late and though the man at the helm seemed a bit uneasy, he remained calm and cheery as his serial is the talk of the town - and that is all that matters.

So much has happened in this world of countless TV channels that developing new concepts is a rare happening. With literally hundreds of family soaps being mass produced on all the Indo Pak channels especially after the popularity of Kyunke Saas Bhee Kabhi Bahu Thee and Kahani Ghar Ghar Kee, from India, the quality has suffered to the extent that most of the times you don't know whether you are watching a sitcom or feasting your eyes on a serious drama serial! But hats off to Syed Mukhtar, the man has produced some thing of note in Mera Ghar Mori Jannat, which is running house full shows in every living room and lounge these days. Directed imaginatively yet superbly by Bachchal (a fictitious title, perhaps), and acted out impressively by excellent artists as Sanam Iqbal, Akbar Subhani, Suhail Asghar, Rizwan Wasti, Mona Lisa, Imtiaz Taj, Farhan Ali Agha, Sharqa Fatima, Ishmal, Rehana Akhter, Zaheen Tahira and others, the 100 episoder is going great guns on GEO and is perhaps the most cherished serial on the tube these days.

As far as I have seen, Mukhtar is a very dedicated maker, and one thing that I appreciate with my deepest regard for this young man is that unlike other producers, he doesn't interfere in the making of the serials. He hasn't taken over direction as others of his ilk have chosen to do on impulsive propositions, with disastrous results. He respects the jurisdiction of the director and doesn't disturb him at all. While we were talking about this serial he said, "Ever since making my production house, the Gold Bridge Media, I have been very busy. You know this is my 14th continuous serial, and most of my work has been successful. The reason for this is that I have stuck to some basic principals. Direction is a full time, professional job, and I feel that suits others who have been successful directors better than me. They understand direction better, so I leave it to them to make my serial the best they can and I must look after the production details and the monetary aspects of the production. I concentrate on the test facilities and resources that I can provide to the director, so that f may never have any flaws in my ventures. Whatever the director wants from me to make the serial the best, he will always get my full cooperation in that regard. Another thing that I know is that because I am acting in the serial myself, I must concentrate on my role, instead of directing myself, which will only disturb my performance, and will also affect the overall production of the serial. So, I believe that acting and direction are fulltime jobs and need professional ethics to deal with. Moreover, I have always been prompt in payments to the artists, and lnsha Allah I will always strive to remain so. With the artists totally relieved from the tension of getting their dues, they do the best on the screen, which is evident from the work you see in Mera Ghar Meri Jannat and that’s why we are getting such an excellent response from the people.

(By ZULQARNAIN SHAHID)

Lab-e-Darya - A Sensitive Drama




There's glory for those who work on creative scripts still, although such people are few and far between in this lopsided commercial world today. Ali Rizvi is one such person, whose contribution towards the individual plays on PTV cannot be forgotten. His work stands alone in the fact that he treated intellectual material with brilliance, which is unique. While it can be said that there are many directors on television, who have created powerful serials, Ali Rizvi has made himself prominent with thought provoking single plays. Apart from that, his name in recent times became known for such big budget serials as Des Pardes and Aansoo, constructed in foreign countries. Nowadays, he is busy shooting Lab e Darya, a studio based KTV serial, which looks like sensitive drama. I attended its shooting recently, and had the pleasure of talking to the unit people and the artists, amongst whom; Sadia Imam and Saqib Sheikh were prominent.

Sadia is now a much mature and versatile actress than what she was some five years back, and canned her scenes brilliantly. Of course, Saqib Sheikh is a seasoned artist, whose life has been spent working in theatre and television. He has performed brilliantly on many occasions. In the scene they were doing, Saqib was needed to portray a fickle married gentleman, while Sadia was reacting strongly on his pleadings, saying that he could not change his attitude no matter what happens. After a few takes, the scene was completed and I had a chance to talk to the artists. Sadia felt that good scripts are hard to come by and not many roles come up for detailed performance, which is very frustrating for the artists. Saqib Sheikh told us that he has done TV serials before but his experience on stage is way ahead in satisfaction percentage than what he achieved on television. I still remember his early work in Khuda Kee Basti with Zooni Butt and Raju Jamil.

A part from Ali Rizvi, cameraman Haseeb, Tanvir Malik and others were on the set too and it was nice to meet them and observe them while working after a long time.

(By ZULQARNAIN SHAHID)

Jaisey Jantey Naheen - Silver Myths On Reality TV!



If ever two silver screen giants came together in a TV serial, it is Jaisey Jantey Naheen, a new serial by that man with the magical wand, Javed Fazil. Moreover, it is being run on GEO channel, which also sounds a jay! So, with all the Js in the top burner, there is every possibility that the jaunty jalopy will drive quite joyously. Javed Fazil is the one man in this arduous channel circuitry, whose work speaks for itself. He is a brilliant director, and there are no two things about it. With channels desperately peering down creative corridors to find a winner amidst dozens of dull, unimaginative episodes, Jaisey Jantey Naheen is a surefire formula for success. Although there have been many instances in which a producer and director has collected great names of TV drama and have put them together to churn out a big budget drama serial, but there have been few instances when that has necessarily brought out the real drama of life around us. That's the reason that most such serials have dropped down the ravine of hopelessness and corporate bankruptcy. Yet, Javed Fazil is amongst those chosen few in this land of private enterprise, who has always brought forth a champion image whenever he has cast top names together. Chandni Ratein, with Javed Sheikh and Faryal Gauhar together, was the top digit of the local channels, and now he comes up with another scorcher, Jaisey Jantey Naheen, with giants of the silver screen, Javed Sheikh and Nadeem in collaborative drama sequences for the first time in almost a dozen years of private productions.
It's the Silver myths on reality TV!

Javed and Nadeem have worked in quite a few films in the past, with massively popular results. Hardly a couple of those movie bombed on the box office. They make a great combination. Probably, Javed Fazil’s own rehash of the famous English film, Duel In The Sun, called Lazawal in 1984 was the first such film, where they got together with Ghulam Mohiuddin and Shabnam to create what is known as one of the most viewed1980s. Then they joined hands in Faisla, which was also Fazil’s direction, and it is still considered the most stunning action film from the two masters of the silver screen. Faisla is an evergreen film indeed. Although Fazil’s next movie with the two, Ustadon Ke Ustad, Syed Noor's pen staking reinvention of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels wasn't as successful as Faisla, they again hit the popularity switch with enough volts to fry the screen for Sajjad Gul’s trend- streakier, Jo Dar Gaya Who Mar Gaya. So, there's lots of encouraging history behind their coming together. This re union promises to be celebrity stuff all the way.

Written by Seema Ghazal and produced by Shamim Khursheed, another film man himself, things couldn't have been better proportioned than Jaisey Jantey Naheen. The factor of competitive egos between these two giants only stokes the embers, and doesn't really create the negative usual stuff with other film actors. That's why JJN could spell great things in favor the local channels. The other cast includes Humayyun Saeed, Shugafta Ejaz, Laila Zubeiri, Qaiser Khan, Naheed Shabbir, Zaheen Tahira, Amna Hussain, Natasha D'Souza, Aneei Chaudhry, Mubassar Khanum, Bheroz Sabzwari etc.

(By ZULOARNAIN SHAHID)

When I barged into Sultana's dramatic hideout recently, to witness how she is faring after doing a superb serial with Hasina Moin, called Bahaar Aaney Ko Hai, I found her in the grip of inspirational creation. "Good scripts still spur you on, despite having done so much production," Sultana told me. "This is how Noorul Huda Shah unfolds her story. It's incredible how her gradually revealed details can create such an impact. There are various climax points in her work. It gives you quite a bit of room for treatment as a director. This one is also full of intense frames."

Sania Saeed was pacing the floor with a view to go over a few lines that she had to deliver in front of the camera, along with Javed Sheikh. While the director of photography, Mehmood Mirza focused his camera, Sania indulged in a bit of low humming and singing in the hall. By Jove, she seems to have a decent voice. But acting is her passion, and she excels in it, as she shows in Bahaar Aaney Ko Hai. In this particular scene, she and Javed traded dialogues and expressions in a very well done take. I must admit that Javed has improved over the last couple of sensitive serials. He seemed a little stony in Haider Imam's Dhool, but his powerful work in Javed Fazil's Chandni Ratein proved that he was coming around to the small screen once again, and here, in Thori See Mohabbat, he okayed a superbly done scene. His expressions were so natural and relaxed that one feels Javed is evolving into one of the best in the game now. But, there's one thing that always perturbs me, and that is the average notion to cancel a take when an actor has missed a single gesture or dialogue during recording. I thought Javed was brilliant in the first take, talking with the natural flow of a guy in his living room one fine afternoon, but just at the end of the scene, he stuttered on a sentence, and that was stopped midway and done again. I felt the second take wasn't as relaxed as the first one, but it was okayed because it was done in one go. That, I thought, has been the outcome of so much work crammed in a small time space.

Thori See Mohabbat is a Moomal Production, and it is written by Noorul Huda Shah, after a good lapse of some two to three years, and her masterpiece details and the building up of climax is undoubtedly a thing of wonder.

Umrao’s feet danced on the glazed floor of the kotha, as well as the carpeted farsh of the durbar. She danced on the head-nodding rhythms of the table and the heartstrings of the sarangi. With her lithe and Lustrous movements, and her golden-laced dresses of pleasant hues, she caused a commotion amongst the pleasure islands of gao- takyas. The mujra she performed won over the hearts of nawabs and the tajdars with a flourish. Her tinkling ghungroo, her perfectly aligned nirit bhav, her irrepressible nakhras, all made her a riveting object of fancy. Her thumkas made tremors rise in the courts of the kings and the hearts of men alike, and her salams and Kornish were the country tantrums designed to disarm. Ti was a face that launched a thousand ships of dreams and desire in the hearts of men. Her magical eyes denoted stars in motion and her eyebrows corresponded with the tradition of royal courts and the waves of arches. Her soft and poignant voice left the words and musical notes aloft in the sunlit domes full of flamboyant colors and pigeon flights. The songs remained in the atmosphere for weeks, lilting tsarinas of romance and royalty odes to her own finesse and her peacock pirouettes.

But hwy did the men come to watch her sing and dance?

Whether they admitted it or not, their appreciation of Umrao’s dance prowess, her perfect flourish her ideal manners and her overwhelming beauty was on indication that the royal gentry saw her as somebody with a modicum of freedom in her movement. Unlike the formally turned out begmats of the, all full of the high-browed splendor and impeccable manners, Umrao was a woman, who attempted wilder movements and complicated, yet heart arresting twirls. Wasn’t it ironic? A woman so chained in her existence, and yet thought of as more free than the well-to-do, authoritative begmats of the court? So, then, there was another woman residing in Umrao’s bosom. Was she? Yes.

A poetess, an artiste, a sensitive and emotional woman. A woman full of sorrow and love. That was a treasure she shared with only a few.

Mirza Hadi Ruswa’s classical tale, Umrao Jan Ada is something that has had many adaptations and several films and TV serials made out of it. It is, literally, an evergreen novel. It’s beauty and its longevity is its language and its atmosphere. Now, GEO TV has tele-ported the tale on to the small screen with enough research and enough efforts to make the classic alive again on TV, something that the coming generations will savor with every passing moment.

After watching in unfold, one serial, Umrao Jan Ada, have not just scratched the surface, but went deeper to the heart of treasure. The language, the mannerism, the dresses, the make-up, the whole paraphernalia of the royal durbar. It all adds up to history. It is not just a tale of a girl forced into prostitution, but the saga of a crucial period in the history of the sub-continent, hemmed in from both sides of the divide by such heart-rending events as the struggle of independence in 1857 that eventually led to bigger consequences.

The serial has been directed by Rana Sheikh, while the dialogue and language department has been in the very able hands of a woman steeped in traditional culture of Lucknow and Oudh, Zehra Nigah. Her research has ensured that the idioms and the characterization remain true to the period. Amina Bano, a girl selected from amongst many aspirants, plays Umrao. She was given lessons in elocution by Zehra Nigah for almost a month, while Nighat Chaudhry worked on perfecting her dance movements. Other artists in the serial include humayyun saeed, Bushra Ansari, Shabbir Jan, Faisal Qureshi, Adnan Siddiqui, Sadia Imam, Mehmood Aslam, Jamshed Ansari and Badar Khalil. Apart from them, such arc lights as Meera, Resham, Gia Ali and Nighat Chaudhry have been included in classical mujra items that are the high points of Umrao’s saga. Shakeel saigol and Naheed Azfar have been assigned the research consultants, their project started 14 months before the actual start of the recording of the serial. Their research was then supplemented by the actual costume designing by Asma Akbar and the jewellery designing by Rehana Saigol. The seta have been designed by Asma Akbar in consultation with the renowned architect, Habib Fida Ali, the concepts and features of these sets were derived from the miniatures and other paintings of the period called the Company Period in the history of the subcontinent. The make-up was done by Tariq Amin.

The music has being composed by the Sanjan Nagar Institute of Musicology, established by Raze Kazim, who is himself a living heir of the Avadh culture. This institute conducts the undergraduate classes of musicology at the National College of Arts (NCA). Mehnaz, Frieha Parvez, Iqbal Bahoo and Sara Zaman. Nighat Chaudhry has choreographed all the 18 dances in the true kathak traditions of the period called the Wajid Ali Shah period. As far as the script is concerned, for the first time the story is told by Umrao to Mirza Ruswa. Mirza Mehmodd, the cameraman and the lighting director of the serial has concentrated on the soft and mellow moods and ambience of the era. He created the atmosphere with the help of soft-focus filters, gels and range of other techniques. The Making of Umrao, a documentary to show how the whole effort was in place, was managed by Server Moosavi. The story is seen every Monday, only on GEO. Let’s see hoe is unfolds.

The script written by Seema Ghazal, Humayun Saeed is playing dual role for the first time in his life. Other notable actors are Atiqa Odho, Vaneeze Ahmed, Nabeel, Shafi Mohammad, Uzma Gillani, Shahood Alvi, Sajid Hassan, and amny more.

Most of filming of the serial has been completed in Karachi, but it also has picturesque scenes of Malaysia, Kualalumpur, Lankawi & Ganting Island. The latter is the site where the famous Hollywood venture titled “The king & The Anna” filmed.

The story is such that producer and director had to go to Malaysia. The story revolves around love & hate, and brings a bad turn in Atiqa Odho’s life, for which her father sends her to Malaysia where she meets Humayun Saeed. It is Humayun Saeed (in double role), who has snatched joys out of Odho’s life. But she finds that Humayun Saeed of her present are totally different persons. But, again she finds that both are similar and that they are just deceiving her by acting differently and thus getting rid of his past personality.

Atiqa Odho’s curiosity persists while Humayun Saeed is unware of her past, but due to her odd questions , she about to leave her past, but due to her odd questions, she is about to leave her and this is where the story takes a unique turn.

Bay Say Bachiay is a comedy where there are two families whose lady folks are friendly with each other, but the men don't get along. Their children one's daughter and one's son get along so well that they have plans to many, but end a hard time convincing their dads. Shafi plays Bush a person who strongly believes in Stars and Palmistry.

Cameraman Lala has done a good job and seems to have the required talent to win successes in this world of showbiz.

This sensitive script is .penned by Seema Ghazal, and directed by the well known Mohammad Jawaid Fazil, while Ejaz Nazeer Warriach, Sher Asfand Yaar and Fawad Raja are the producers. Beychain includes names like Mustafa Qureishi, Saleem Shaikh, Vaneeza Ahmed, Humayun Saeed, Aisha Khan, Sana Ali, Zeenat Mangi, Qazi Wajid and Raja Ghazanfar.

Salaam Shaikh and Vaneeza Ahmed portray a happily married couple, but Saleem Shaikh's father, Mustafa Qureishi is a billionaire, who never accepts his daughter in law. He plays the dirtiest of tricks, and at this point the story takes a turn for the suspenseful climax. Beychain is a riveting examination of a man in crisis.

The characters are all strongly defined and nearly all the performances are great with Saleem Shaikh, Mustafa Qureishi and Vaneeza Ahmed.

Beychain is ready to go on air soon.

imagine. Director/writer Naveed Umar Thanvi has used, what he calls "a realistic double role technique" by virtue of which the twin characters

can appear on the screen with as close a proximity as the viewer would require to believe they're actually two people and not one. Meaning: the drama lovers could see in Bus Phir Piyar Ho Garya the twin characters of Babar Ali touching and crossing one another as one could witness Mark and Steve

Waugh patting each other's shoulders during a long and unending partnership between the brothers. The real stuff, that is. According to Naveed Umar Thanvi, the technique that he has employed has been in use in Bollywood and Hollywood for long. Hence, it is very important to highlight this accomplishment in the best possible manner.

Bus Phir Piyar Ho Gaya has a mul tidimensional story. The chief track of the tale revolves around the friendship of retired Colonel Wajahat Ali Khan (Munawwar Saeed) and barrister Jehangir Saif (Khayam Sarhadi). As the play begins the barrister is seen living in Shogran with his wife (Saiqa Khayam) and a grand daughter (Mona Lisa). Reason being he had, by a tragic quirk of fate, lost his son and his wife (daughter in law) to an accident. Adding woe to Jehangir's already grief stricken life, Samaan (Mona Lisa) is infected with an illness related to kidneys called PKD. The only cure is to find matching kidneys for them.

Barrister Jehangir Saif has an old friend Colonel Wajahat Khan, played by Munawwar Saeed with his trademarik panache. Owing to some domestic issues Colonel sahib decides to sever his ties with his family and shift to Shogran. He brings one of his twin grand sons (Sohail) along.

On the other hand Sohail's judwan brother Rohail lives with his mother and is diametrically opposed to Sohail in disposition. He's more flamboyant and a compulsive flirt. His antics and youthful activities add a different color to Bus Phir Piyar Ho Gaya. As the story unfolds, the serial takes one interesting turn after another, and the viewers, as the makers say, will be glued to their seats in anticipation of next incident.

Most of the shooting of Bus Phir Piyar Ho Gaya has been done in the breathtaking locales of northern areas.

So far as the cast of the play is concerned it comprises stellar names such as Babar Ali, Mona Lisa, Veena Malik, Khayam, Sarhadi, Munawar Saeed, Saiqa, Qaiser Naqvi, Aslam Latar, Kamran Jeelani, Khursheed Shukat, Aslam Sheikh and Nargis Rasheed.

He has started producing and directing plays after giving a couple of hits as an actor. Naturally his experience as an artiste is helping him create a real neat and highly absorbing play. He is a dynamic person and knows the art of extracting the best from his players. His team members say that working with him is undoubtedly an exhilarating experience.

Khalid Anum in the title role has done a wonderful job. He is undoubtedly one of those versatile artistes who can perform any kind of role with equal expertise. He has proved his worth in a variety of roles. Be it a serious, comedy, children's programme, singing or even compering. He is one of those artistes who are genuinely versatile.

Up and coming Zafar Jaferi is the executive producer of this serial. He is being assisted by Allah Bachaiyo. The team is energetic and has a commitment with art. Thus this serial is bound to create waves in the coming quarter.

The crisp script of this serial has been written by Sharjil Ahmed. The cast include Tamanna Begum, Khalid Anum, Saima Qureshi, Ghalib Kamal, Saima Tahir, Agha Sherai, Sabahat Bukhari and Aijaz Buriro.

Diwaney boasts of tried and trusted artistes like Shahid, doing a vital role in the serial, Afzal Ahmed, a master at using words to pump emotions, Khayyam Sarhadi, another stalwart on the small screen, Sohail Ahmed, the versatile caliber and Mehmood Aslam, the fabulous face changer with the hero’s swagger. Apart from these character-artistes, we have younger Smart Alecs like Kashif Mehmood, whose projection to the top raft has been pretty, quick Faisal Qureishi, the darling boy of PTV these days, and Saleem Sheikh, the ever-pleasant kid broterh of Javed Sheikh. The sniff-e-nazuk department is with Janan Malik, Raheel Bati’s delectable daughter, and Saira Khan, the delicate tuberose of LTV.

Naghma Begum, Kodo, Neelam Chaudhry, Kamran Mujahid and oterhs are also in the cast. The insiders, who have seen the glimpses of this drama serial, are all praise for it. Its sole producer in Adnan Khaliq, while the team of twin directors, Usman-Zulfiqar always delivers, as it has shown in the past.

Diwaney has been written by Dr Abdul Khaliq, the camera-man is Suhail Hussain, while the musical score has been provided by Jawad Ahmed.

Since the son remits almost every penny to his father, he is left with no choice but to apply for some advance from his organization to meet the fresh demand of his father. This time he applies for a loan on the pretext of getting married.

The head of the organization is a very dignified lady and has a soft corner for this man. Thus, she instantly approves the loan. But when his lady boss wants his wife, he gets confused and presents one of his neighbors a girl called Maheen as his wife. The story moves on with a neat situational comedy and comes to an end with the marriage of this man with Maher. The script is very crisp and has all the ingredients to keep the viewers' interest alive, till the last frame. Both the lead characters have a done good job. It seems that they have all the potential to grow into stars. All they need is some assistance from good directors.

Shajil Ahmed has penned the story, while S.A Hussain! has directed the play. The cast includes Faisal Qureshi, Arooj Chawla, Sameera Hasan, Pervez Siddiqui, Saeera Moghal etc.

Hawa Pe Raqs is a 26 episode serial, directed by the veteran actor/director Abid Ali. The play is about a journalist who never succumbs to any kind of temptation. His sincerity to his job is exemplary. During the course of the play, this imandaar sahafi, owing to his uncompromising disposition, undergoes a lot of turmoil which is but natural. At the same time, Hawa Pe Raqs is also the story of an actress who falls for a politician cum landlord. In order to save him from many a legal woe, she goes out of the way and herself gets involved in a crime. As the tale unfolds, she's finally able to redeem herself.

But that's not it. Hasan Nisar has played with multiple plots here. His story also delicately handles the tug of war between a wadera and his revolutionary son. Ail in all, Hawa Pe Raqs tries to cover most of the sensitive subjects that one confronts while living in a society like ours. How successful the team behind the serial has been can only be gauged once all of its 26 episodes hit the small screen.

For the very first time, it has been reported, that a concerted effort has been made to bring actors from the world of film and television together. If on one hand there are names like Momy Rana (appearing for the first time on TV), Humayun Qureshi, Deeba and Naghma representing the silver screen, on the other, the TV celebrities comprise of Abid Ali, Firdaus s Jamal, Shagufta Aijaz, Savera Nadeem, o Mehmood Adam, Ghuyur Akhtar, Rasheed fa Naz and Azra Aftab.

A couple of weeks ago, the premiere show of Hawa Pe Raqs was organized. Luminaries from the world
of politics and showbiz attended the high profile event The invitees included former Prime Minister,
Malik Mairaj Khalid, former Governor Punjab Mian Azhar, Nazim e Ala Lahore, Mian Aamir Mehmood, Javed Iqbal, Munno Bhai, Mohammad Ali Durrani, film pro ducer Mian Amjad Ali also the producer of (HPR) and Asif Ali Pota.

The sitcom, which is under production these days, delineates the uncertain ups and downs of life. At the same time it also discusses issues that confront the upper stratum of society But the basic premise of Hum Hain Tumharey Rishtadar pivots around people who want to become filthy rich overnight.

Danish lqbal has written the crisp script of the sitcom, whereas Asif Jamal has held the reins behind the camera.

The casting of HHTR has been done rather meticulously. Parts haven't been offered to the first set of actors and actresses that came across the director and producer of the play. Rather, actors who fit the bill have been chosen to do the job. For instance, Qazi Wajid has been assigned the role of a witty fellow who can take anybody for a ride at the drop of a hat. The rest of the cast is Faisal Qureshi, Shehla Qureshi, Mubasir Khan, Adman Jilani, Naeema Garj, Aftab Alam, IGran, Tabassum and Barkat Ali.

Humsafar is a very touching story of girl’s struggle against the restraints of the society. The backdrop of this serial is the country of hevenly beaches, Sri Lanka. Well-known model, Suneeta Marshall plays the lead charrole in this serial.

Complete with social issues and hidden agendas, “the story is based on an ordinary plot, which is brought alive by brilliant dialogues and dramatic sequences,“ says Najam Saeed “Adnan and Sunita have done a good job,” he replied.

Humsafar has a cast that looks invincible from all angles, and interestingly, the colourful characters contribute to the situation. Afshan Abbasi says: the drama is a mixed bag in terms of performances”.

Jeet has a cast that looks invincible from all angles. Mustufa Qureishi and Tanvir Jamal lock expressive horns, while Tahir Kazmi, Aiman, Shagufta Bhutto, Hum Mir, Ayesha Khan, Qaiser Naqvi. Yaar Mohammad Shah, Qamarunnisa and others are the remaining cast.

Khushboo is directed by Veteran Director Qasim Jalali, who has a long list of successful television serials, series and solo plays to his credit. The cast includes; Izhar Qazi, Sewera Nadeem, Adnan Siddiqui, Farhan Ali Agha, Maria Jalali, Aslam Latar, Uzma Tahir, Mohammad Zaidi, Ayesha Khan and many more.

Khushboo is a gripping story set in the heart of Germany. It explores the richness of love between two people coming from different worlds, though the emotions involved are love hatred, jealousy. These are the same every where on Earth!" explains Qasim Jalai.

Khushboo is Qasim Jalai's first drama serial shot outside Pakistan. The serial is penned by Farheen Choudhry who is a new screenwriter. But she is a renowned author of short stories under the name of Shahaiia Gillani. The serial is produced by Nasir Danawala and S.M Zaidi intends to be another sensitive and simply story.

S.M Zaidi himself is among the cast along with co producer Nasir Danawala. Danawala says, "2002 is the year Great Poet Allama Iqbal which is why Khushboo's story is of an intellectual touch of Iqbal mixed with Goethe. It is a tribute to those who believe in the "Khushboo" (fragrance) of love irrespective of race, sects, nation and humanity. Khushboo is scheduled to aired very soon on PTV 1.

This drama serial has a mixture of young and old stars, which will give the viewers some new faces to see and their tent. Beet is an MK Production, with a cast comprising Sanam Igbal, Jamshed Ansari, Ghazal, Mubassir Khanum, S. M. Ejaz, Shehzad Mughal, Akhter Hasnain and others. This serial brings into focus the unholy traditions that only create chaos in the society and make the youngsters part ways with their elders, breaking the family and the house that their elders took so much pain to build and establish. Sin is a seasoned artiste and she has acted very well, with Jamshed Ansari also doing his role wisely. Mubassir Khanum, who hams also worked in, a number of serials, has written the story with logy of one situations. It will have to be seen if the direction hate done justice to the sensitive script. The serial will sin appear on PTV.

But, wasn't that what the director wanted to show?

One of the plays of a new drama series, Sahar Ke Seher Mein was a Nomi Khan Production, which was an otherwise clean production, but Kamran and Vinny just couldn't match looks or the expressions. Kamran is just another sort of chap, with another set of expressions, while Vaneeza is now in the top category. In the lingo of the showbiz, Kamran is a much better actor. Vaneeza's face has lesser reflection potential, but the whole thing is that today, showbiz is a game of category. One artiste, who is in the 'A' category, doesn't come anywhere near the artiste of 'B' category. It is undoubtedly, very sad, but there it is. It has come to such a pass that now there is a definitive margin between the two categories, and producers and directors don't cast the two types of artistes together. That's why the two artistes have grown complexes about the categorization.

And what's the reason behind this accursed type fiction? It is due to the new channel hierarchy. Richer channels have payed artistes on a bigger scale and the other artistes, who may be better artistes, aren't able to compete due to this classification. Therefore, the categorization has taken shape.

The story of Sahar Ke Seher Mein is about a romantic boy, Kamran Jillani, who is obsessed by this pretty model, Vaneeza. He finally wakes from his open eyed dream, and he confronts reality. Apart from Kamran and Vaneeza, the play had new artistes, Zeba Ali and Imran Khan. Sharjeel Ahmed has written the story, while the producer is Sarfaraz Hussain. M. Hantf is the cameraman.

It is interesting to note that while most critics haven't been convinced of Vaneeza's caliber as an emotive, artiste, but she continues to be included in emotional episodes. The reason for that could be her good pairing with Humayyun Saeed, which producers claim that have been liked by the viewers. Only God knows if that is true, but Fazil definitely brought out the best in her and other such artistes. Both Saleem Sheikh and Humayyun did their jobs well, although, Saleem himself is not considered a perfectly emotive artiste. It is Fazil's calibre that drew out the best from the artistes. The serial is the most viewed one in recent times, while its rating is liable to increase once its re run for the international 24 hour service. Humayyun and Vaneeze have a romantic equation, which could also be seen in other serials previous to the transmission of Singhar. They gel perfectly in this serial too, although one feels that Saleem does better than what was expected of him in such an emotionally charged serial. That shows that Fazil has a grip of the whole serial from the very beginning. The others in the serial are Mustafa Oureshi, Badar Khalil, Qazi Wajid, Dr S. N. M. Shehzad, Sadia Imam, Zeenat Manghi, Mohsin Khan, Uzma Gillani, Farah Shah, and Ayesha Khan. Seema Ghazal has written this impressive story.

In a recent conversation, Fazil Sahab told me that "it pays to be original in various aspects of the serial. If you discuss the script with the writer and then embark on the making, it is always a fine beginning. In Chandni Ratein, in the very first episode, we saw Javed Sheikh's second marriage with Mahnoor. Most people were outraged and asked me as to what is left in the serial. All climax points have been reached in the first episode? taut, the viewers saw that the serial was an unmitigated success. It pays to give unpredictable scripts.

Well, Gulab Chandio is again playing the villain, with Urooj Chawla being his victim, in Sikander Shah’s Tum Mere Ho. In Chand Girhan, if you remember, it was the ravishing Faryal Gauhar, who got hit by Gulab’s queer demeanour. Here, is Tum Mere Ho, he makes life miserable for Urooj, with all his trickery and ambitdextrous skullduggery.

The serial has been written by that most powerful pen-weilder, Khan Asif. He seemed to have gone into his shell for sometime, but I am sure no rust can roughen up his ink prowess.

Beautiful Aiman, though trimmed down too much, plays a vital character opposite Saleem Sheikh. Apart, form them, the artiste in the cast are senior film actor, Kamal, Mubassir Khanum, Akbar Subhani, Mahjabeen, Badar Khalil and Shah Mohammad.

This serial comprises of a fabulous cast namely, Talat Hussain, Sania Seed, Humayun Saeed, Jawaria Jalil, Jana Malik, Sajida Sayyed, Nayyer Ejaz, Faisal Oureshi, Rubina Ashraf, Mahmood Aslam, Farhan Ali Agha, Shamil Khan, Sabhat Bukhari, and Zaheen Tahira, and artists from Lahore and Karachi, including TV Producer Tariq Meraj's daughter Hina Meraj, who is making a debut in this serial. The serial is written by Fasih Bari Khan, and produced by Hasan Zia.

"it took us four to five months only for finalising the script, while we completed the drama itself in minimum recorded time." says Nabeel who looks very excited about his serial. "Instead of filming abroad, we shot at locations in Hyderabad and Karachi, and I'm sure this drama will touch the hearts of viewers.

Zindagi Khubsurat Hai, is another serialon the sort of repressed life that men impose on women. Most women lead lives in this country, which doesn’t free them from the bondae of household, and their inner voice don’t find any expression anywhere. This leads to complications and then separation or divorce. But, most women don’t realize throughout their lives would be much more meaningful and goal-oriented.

Director Jarrar Rizvi has been known to delay the launching of his productions. One just hopes that this serial, Zindagi Khubsurat Hai, sees the light of day sooner than most of the others serials that he promised in the past, including a big-budget serial, Rait Ka Mehal.

Shayad Ke Bahaar Aaey is a story of three women, Bibi Jan (played by Parveen Malik), Sarah (portrayed by Sania Saeed), and Sasha (handled well by Tuba), who are faced with different sets of circumstances, which are not only exploitative, but also crushingly monotonous: Ever since Aahat, Hasina Moin has angled her scripts on the reflection of the aspects of female exploitation and suppression. At first, she wasn't thought to be a natural in that field, but over the years, Hasina Moin has made her mark for the better, and her work in this serial takes her to the top of her caliber, with such a talented director as Rana Sheikh with her. It is quite obvious that Rana is an intensely creative director, whose forte is generating the atmosphere, which can be viewed so movingly in Umrao Jan Ada. It is also quite evident that this type of script from Hasina needed Rana's involvement, as against the type of commercial scripts that she wrote for Zulfiqar and Tasmina Sheikh in Des Pardes, Aansoo and others, or Janey Anjaney, which was done by Javed Fazil, for that matter. When it comes to delivering this kind of social drama, with values that differ from the commercial canvas, Rana Sheikh seems just the right person for the job.

It is a story of three generation of women, which is imploringly fascinating and touching. The script pits Bibi Jan with Baba Jan, done by Shafi Mohammad, shown to be a rich and arrogant landlord. Bibi Jan doesn't have those romantic emotions for this strict man, whose world is driven by the sole element of narrow mindedness. Sarah emerges out of a cocoon of love and harmony to enter the life of Humayyun Saeed, who is the second son of Baba Jan, and has come down from foreign lands to practice his surgical skills. Sarah is a lawyer. They fall in love and marry. But, as tides turn, Humayyun has to shoulder the responsibilities of her father, Baba Jan, when he dies. Things become ugly for Sarah, because she sees her husband change his lifestyle and take on a mask that doesn't become the modern concepts that he used to have. Sarah's dejected life takes on another aspect to be happy, and that is her daughter, Sasha. Like her mother, Sasha is also a lawyer, and starts a war against injustice with victimized women. She extricates her mother from the network of deception and suppression, and delivers her in a situation where breathing freely is easier. It is an engaging story and its treatment will hopefully interest the viewers.

The script of this serial has been penned by somebody called Ghulam Mohammad with someone named Syed Ansar: Aik Aur Aik Gyarah has been produced by Tahir Younus and Production Manager is Asif Kalam. The Associate Producer is Noman Khan.

The story revolves a two families, who have humble beginnings, but re aces of prominence while going through different se
of circumstances.

From 20th August, Filmex (Pvt) Ltd has introduced a slot entitled Family Time on PTV World, every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 4.00 pm to 5.30 pm. Two soaps and quiz show for children will be shown during the slot.

On August 16, the launching ceremony of these programs was held at a local hotel, in which many a showbiz person, pressmen and officials of Filmex took part. Actress Sadia Imam and a new entrant Kashan hosted the show.

First of the two plays that were introduced was Sheeroza. Sheeraza is a tale of a man who becomes wealthy using all kinds of means. In order to build upon his capital he takes certain steps that prove counterproductive. During the course his friends let him down and he confronts many difficult situations.

The cast include the likes of Shakeel, Sajida Sayyed, Saleem Sheikh, Behroz Sabzwari, Akbar Subhani, Zahin Tahira, Ayaz Nayek, Qazi Wajid, Latif Kapadia, Ayesha Sana, Shazia Akhtar, Humayun Saeed and Nahid Shabbir. The story, which will cover 200 episodes, has been penned by a team of four writers (something that has never happened in Pakistan before) headed by Amjad Islam Amjad. Haroon Rashid, who was also one of the speakers on the occasion, has helmed the Sheeraza.

The second play is called Apney Apney Khwab (spelt Khawab in the leaflet). It is a story of the ambitions and dreams that often drive the youth of Pakistan. Written by Shariq Naqvi and directed by Rubina Haroon, this soap, one feels is inspired by a play once shown on Zee TV, called Campus. The cast boasts of seasoned performers like Sajid Hasson, Noman Ijaz, Rizwan Wasti, Sadia Imam, Farheen Raja and Rosheen Raja.

The third show that was launched on the occasion was Quizzery. I’m still trying to figure out the meaning or the implication of the word 'quizzery' the show anchored by Behroz Sabzwari, is a quiz competition between various children, representing different: hoots. Well I wouldn't like to comment on that because one look t the clips of the show only brought one word to my mind: tacky. Perhaps the program is inspired by Bourn vita Quiz Contest. Naql ke liyey bhi uql ki zuroorat hoti hai.