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.

Speaking of small timers, it seems Nirma is still nurturing hopes of making it to superstardom. And she is hoping to do that by producing her own flick. Of course she would be playing the female lead in the venture.

She is planning to enlist the services of some Bollywood people in the project and thereby get a break there. She is said to be negotiating with Samina Pirzada to direct the film since she’s already worked in the two celluloid projects that Lisa has directed and since the lady also has good contacts in the Bollywood film world.

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.

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.

Whatever you do ,never call Nirma “aunti” or else she’ll turn the other cheek sooner than you can bat your eyelids!

The valuable lesson was learnt the hard way by a group of Nirma’s fans who recently visited her on the sets of an under production movie. Spilling the juicy details , our mole told about the visitors among whom were the parents of an adorable little girl who wanted to have her picture taken the glamorous star. And when the time came for snap , it was Nirma ’s temper which did the snapping on hearing the girl’s parents tell their daughter to stand with Nirma “Aunty” for the pictures. All huffed up , Nirma stomped out of the studios in a fit of rage , leaving everyone baffled.