What have you enjoyed the most in your three-and-a-half years of working life - acting, modeling or direction?

I don’t enjoy catwalk modeling. I had a very different impression of it earlier, but now that I have done it. I felt like beef in a cattle show. I admire the women who can model in this society. As for acting and directing, both have their own appeal. Normally, I like to work under pressure and my best work has been under stress. But, what I hate is acting and directing at the same time. I am a director’s actor and when I land up acting for my own plays. I feel at a loss. Handling a series like ‘Ambulance’ every week for instance, I know that I can always fall back on Angeline Malik if one of my actors doesn’t show up. But, it’s a matter of convenience - I know I won’t be able to perform.

Loving every minute of the fame and fortunes that have come so early to her in life, Anoushey Ashraf is geared to meet new challenges and make her mark in the world of show-biz. The youngest presenter to have been selected for the Lux Style Awards held in Dubai last year, she is going places with her bubbly personality and touch of panache. She shares her glories and dreams with Fashion Collection.

How did it feel being the youngest presenter at the LSA last year?

It was quite an honor for me being there with the cream of the industry, and I had a great time.

Charged with verve and ambition, Quratulain Khan, better known as Annie, has all the ingredients needed to take her to high places. Soft spoken and lady like she commands respect as a producer at HUM TV, and glamorous and confident, she is a woman to be noticed on the catwalk or on the mini-screen when comparing a show. Fashion Collection speaks to her about her past achievements and future plans.

Did you start your career with modeling or production or as a host of TV shows?

I started with modeling but prior to that I had been approached by Telebiz for their BBC programme ‘Face to Face’. I didn’t get the programme but I ended up doing lot of different news anchor jobs for them, such as for Business Round-up, Business-Links and Business Breakfast, as well as helping out with overall production and generally learning the ropes. So it was a simultaneous entry into two fields, more-or-less.

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.

Whether you know her as Nida Pasha or Nida Yasir, there is no denying that this young starlet has made a name for herself not because of her illustrious show biz background but by dint of her own talent and hard work. Fashion Collection chats with her about her transition from a budding TV artiste during her carefree days as a single woman to her present position of celebrity married to a colleague.

Do you feel being Kazim Pasha’s daughter facilitated you in joining the acting profession?

I hardly think so. I had never thought of acting, but my friends were after me that I am photogenic and should try my luck in plays. So, I finally took part in one directed by my father, in which I had just two scenes where all I was expected to do was cry. My father was quite impressed with my crying abilities, but didn’t want me to pursue a career at that point as I was still studying. After I graduated he caste me in another play, ‘Daji’ but after that he gave me no more breaks as he felt people would think he was promoting me. He wanted me to make a name for myself on my own merit, without his support. It did bother me initially, especially because I know he gives other girls such opportunities that they become famous after a serial, where as I had to make it on my own. So it was more a disadvantage having parents in showbiz. It was only after I worked with Yasir Akhter in ‘Mera ghar aik whirlpool’ that I gained recognition and after that got a lot of offers for commercials and dramas. I started comparing and modeling too, after that.

Pop music is rapidly taking over the Pakistani music scene, despite the moral brigade and diktats of the clergy. “Pop, along with soft rock, is growing in popularity. It has developed in a very short span of time and shows more promise than even Indian pop music,” claims Saadia, 19, a student of business studies. Most of the songs are in Urdu set to western music. There is a lot of talent coming here. Music experts say there are about 15 established music bands and a dozen pop music stars in Pakistan today.

A far cry, all agree, from the early 1980s, when during President Zia-ul-Haq’s regime, listening to or creating pop music was aggressively discouraged. However, after the Music ‘89 show, aired on the government-owned Pakistan Television (PTV), who was also the official sponsors, things appeared to change. At the show, 30-somethings danced to the music of the then pop idols - Nazia and Zoheb Hassan, Ali Azmat and bands like the Vital Signs.

It appears as if the floodgates have been opened for foreign entertainment and news channels. The last couple of years have seen an invasion by cable channels, which can be seen wherever you go, from restaurants and homes to shops. This is all part of the phenomenon called ‘globalisation’. Pakistani viewers, noticeably, are losing interest in local channels because of the glitz and glamor of the foreign media. It is easy to see that the majority of images beaming out of television sets are of foreign films and shows. Viewers countrywide prefer Indian music, films and Hollywood flicks and this has resulted in the local channels being relegated to the background.

Actress turned director Sawera Nadeem, after passing out from the NSD, Delhi’s National School of Drama ,is on her new project these days which is based on Thomas Hardy’s novel “Far From the Madding Crowd”, written by a new talent Ali Arif.

According to the Daily Times, Sawera also plans to direct a production of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, a new adaptation to be written by Karachi-based artist and author Khurram Ali Shafique.

Both adaptations were still in progress so she could not give a definite date for completion, she reportedly said.

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.

Unilever Pakistan formally announced , that the prestigious LUX Style Awards 2004 will be held on the April 24, 2004 and revealed the Viewers’ Choice Nominations.

LUX is a leading Pakistani soap brand. An icon of beauty, LUX has always been associated with film stars, style, and skin care. The LUX Style Awards is a logical continuation of LUX’s close association with glamour and allows it to strengthen its image in an exciting and involved way.

In 2004, the total number of awards is 15, out of which seven are “Viewers’ Choice Awards” and eight are “Judges Choice Awards”.