Truly one of the best video directors in Pakistan, Sohail Javed has come a long, long way. His videos have left a mark in the Pakistani pop music industry, and have been an inspiration for the new generation of video directors.

How many years have you been in this field?

It’s been eleven years. I started out in 1993 as a director, borrowed money from somewhere and made a programme.

Were you assisting someone?

Nope. I’ve never assisted anyone. I am not the sort who would assist someone. I know people who were assistants eleven years ago and are still assistants, or are trying to figure out what they want to do or have changed their profession. They’ve been let down and mistreated.

Under which banner are you working?

My company is called Saya films. It’s an independent film company. We ‘ll be starting a film this January.

Film as in film?

Yes. It’s basically a 100-minute English film. The script is 70% in English, 20% in Urdu and 10% in Punjabi. It’s called Baavan (52). Shahzad Nawaz is producing it, and I’m directing it. We’re making it on 35 mm.

Highly depressed Ali Haider, one of the top pop singers of Pakistan, said he had decided to leave the country following his abject defamation by police, who have immediately denied the accusation.

“I was utterly shocked when police, without any proof, barged into the house where I was a guest and just sitting with other people,” the versatile and highly prolific young singer told.

“I am highly depressed and have decided to leave the country as well as music forever following my spotless

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the reigning sexiest super model of them all? Chances are, the mirror would reveal Neha Ahmed, The pretty brown girl from Lahore with the gorgeous brown eyes, a perfect ten figure and the pair of lips that can’t decide if they want to pout continuously

Let’s start with a bit about how you started out?

Around four years ago I got my portfolio done from Ather Shahzad. It turned out to be better than I had expected and it was the first time that I realized that I might have some potential as far as modeling was concerned. Shahzad seemed to agree with me and I showed the portfolio to Tariq Amin. He really liked it and offered me a photo shoot.

Laiqa Hasan is not a fairy godmother who can turn an ugly duckling into swan with her magic want but she can turn an average looking girl into a goddess with a touch of her pancake and brush. A magician of the modern world. Fascinated with the way hair is cut and layered Laiqa had been keen to learn the technique since her childhood. And the passion nurtured with the passage of time. Today Laiqa Hasan is a name to reckon with in the field of hair & makeup. She’s the one who gave Sadia Imam a new image, Humaira Arshad a new look, made Jaffrey lose weight and she is also the first female make-up artist from Pakistan to have done the make-up of many Indian stars… From Bombay Vikings to Meera Johnson to Sushmita Sen’s… If this is not success then what is?

Karachi rocked with Sushmita Sen, Saif Ali Khan and Malaika Arora who flew in exclusively to perform here.

With the latest wave of cultural exchange between India and Pakistan a number of Indian actors have flown in to Karachi and Lahore, either to perform or to promote their films, and of course the message of peace.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest man of all?” Ali Haider of course! A name that needs no introduction… One of the biggest singers in the Pakistani music industry, he is what the youth of today grew up listening to. Tracks like ‘Purani Jeans’ - that every school and college-going person could identify with - made him a household name. Here we ask Ali about his Purani Jeans, his new album and make him clear out a few controversies. Here he is uncensored.

The next best things are not some secondary alternatives to the real things. These are the real things! They are the next generation of superstars. Perhaps the term “generation” would not be applicable here since the world of showbiz seems to lie in another dimension where time moves a lot quicker and a “generation” often passes in a matter of seconds. After all, as everyone knows, fame is fickle! Not so with this talented bunch. Though they might not be household names yet, each and member of this chosen elite has what it takes to make it in the big bad world of showbiz. Their staying power is exemplified by their accomplishments so far - accomplishments which might not have been vast in scale, but were definitely ample in quality. We predict great things for them, and don’t hesitate to tell you that they will soon graduate from being the next best things, to the best of the best.

Indus Music (IM) will hold the first pop music awards ceremony in Pakistan at the Alhamra Arts Centre on July 24.

The channel has also signed an agreement with MTV whereby IM will broadcast old English songs in a show called ‘MTV Classics’, presented and produced in Pakistan.daily Times reported.

The IM music awards focus exclusively on the popular music scene in Pakistan. The awards target two specific areas of Pakistani music: the history of pop music in Pakistan and the new groups and singers that have performed on IM and new albums that have been released.

New year’s start for Ali Haider was not very impressive. The singer was in “thana” recently because of drinking alcohol. It was very unfortunate that propaganda was started against him in newspapers. We admit we did something wrong but we also believe that this is not the right way to deal with such incidents. Ali was really upset in start but now he has managed to bring things under control. He is also working in Tele drama for Geo TV’s Valentine Day transmission. You can also watch his new video “Dil Jan Sadqay” these days on various TV channels. All our wishes are with Ali for his music career in year 2004.

The music boom of 2002 lived up to its hype and exceeded expectations in 2003. All it needed was the steely resolve of underground musicians, the mushrooming of local music channels, and the dependency of drama oriented TV channels to fill their empty time slots with music videos. All in all, the stage was set for the emergence of the third generation of artists in 2003 such as Fuzon, Noori, Ahmad Jehanzeb, Aaroh, EP and Ali Zafar, all of whom have helped drag the industry through its latest phase of evolution.