Lahore (Online): Larki Punjaban (Punjabi Girl) is the story of a Sikh girl from India’s north who falls in love with a Pakistani from over the border - directly against the tradition of demonising each other’s country in film.

Traditionally, Pakistanis do often turn up in Bollywood films - and Indians in Lollywood ones - but as the bad guys.

It’s a straightforward, run-of-the-mill eastern musical - with a bit of romance and drama thrown in,” South Asian film expert Neehar Bushan told.

“If you were to compare it with any other film made in India or Pakistan, I don’t think the storyline is any different.

Lollywood is a rough place to be in, especially if you are looking for a quick break. But once every while one comes across a success story that defies the rules of the film industry. Actor Shamyl Khan is one such example. It’s almost unheard of for a newcomer to make the kind of impression he did in Larki Punjaban in Britain where it has been released. But the actor has discovered that not all is as it seems in the land of make-believe.

The show got bigger this year. Not only did the organizers fly out to Dubai, giving the local entertainment industry much-needed international exposure, they also collaborated with a television network, ensuring a much wider audience than our local channels could ever pull off.

Indian talent, comprising professional dancers, stage designers and technical assistants, was flown in to fill the gaps, but this year’s Lux Style Awards could easily have been better executed than last year’s programme had the picture not been overexposed to the glitter and gaudiness of Bollywood. The India-based Sony TV channel, as director and producer of the show, was perhaps given too much freedom to project it as it wanted, right from the poster at the front desk down to the silver and gold tinsel on stage.