This week, we bring you eight fantastic females who made it big enough to enter the LSA by making a mark both in the field of acting and direction …

Music, drama, theatre, plays… our entertainment industry is growing day by day. What began as one TV channel way back in the ’60s, airing everything from news to dramas, now has turned into a scenario where we have a separate channel for every genre of entertainment - be it music, drama, or simply news. Of course, it brought forth a lot of artists amongst which women carved a niche of their own. Now, they are not just confined to acting but have ventured into film making and production as well.

Spunk and bold moves. That’s the new mantra of the Pakistani ramp. Models from Lahore and Karachi are wooing the world of international fashion.

Meet Neha Ahmed. At 23, she’s already catwalked in Paris and Dubai. Next month, she’ll do a show in London for designer Hasan Sheriyar. “We’re getting a lot more international exposure now. I’m listed with agents in Paris and Dubai and keep going for shows there,” says Ahmed. But entry into modelling wasn’t easy. “My father, an armyman, was furious. But that was then. Now, he’s cool about it.”

Sunita Marshall, having done ramp shows in London, Sri Lanka, India, Singapore and Dubai, is one of the most sought-after models on the Pakistani ramp. “Though modeling is seen as a short-term profession in Pakistan, there’s a lot happening in the industry: we’re looked upon with respect and the money is amazing,” says Marshall, set to make her acting debut in the play Sukhay Patay, which has been shot in Canada and co-stars Suresh Oberoi.

Yousaf Salahuddin’s Haveli oozes cultural magnificence on this cold wintry evening. An unassuming façade, which could easily be missed from the road, opens into a wonderland of history and tradition. Cradled in the glory of the brilliantly lit-up Fort, it basks in the wonders of two worlds: the traditional, which encourages the use of old oil lamps in a power breakdown as opposed to a generator and the modern, which inspires him to build a comfortable living area in his bedroom and bathroom both. His rooftop springs color for Basant and his basement has become the breeding ground for many well-known musicians today. His courtyard is open to public, whether to host a mohallah wedding or shoot a Zille Huma music video. And he’s incomparable as a host, the courtyard becoming an impressive welcome mat to dignitaries from all over the world-Mick Jagger, Madhu Jaffery, Aamir Khan and Boney M included. Yousaf has led many celebrities to stardom, especially musicians and though he as won a bit of inevitable infamy on the way, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Mian Salli embodies the Power of One.

What is power? Who has it? How can you tell? These are questions that have no easy answers. Ask an assertive journalist, and you’ll hear a vehement dismissal of all glamour types and the list of powerful people whittling down to a stodgy industry bigwigs. Ask a starry-eyed showbiz fanatic and you’ll hear a bubbly eulogy for all the hot starlets who in reality would not even have the clout to wangle a solo project. So the dilemma remains.

It is not clear whether the enchanting story of Anarkali is a myth or reality, but the fact is that this tale has captured the imaginations of nearly all the subcontinent’s big names in the performing arts for the last 100 years. It began in the first half of the 20th century when famous drama writer Agha Hashar Kashmiri wrote his masterpiece for the stage about the dancer who fell in love with Mughal Prince Saleem.

Some women are determined to write their own fate. Like Helen of Troy or Marilyn Monre or Cleopatra or our very own Rani. Controversy dogs beauty and no one knows better than Vaneeza Ahmed. Her erratic lifestyle, her clandestine affairs, her phenomenal asking price, her politically correct mantra, her highly professional antics have all brought her more than her share of flak. When inquired she held head high… like all beautiful women do and took every query chin-up. And gave scathing replies of her own. In inimitable Vinny-style.