“Beauty is only skin deep” — the meaning of which I’d say is lost in the majority of South Asian society. In fact, if a person was a scorecard, which is usually the case when it comes to our hypercritical brigade of desi aunties, skin and its appearance would probably have the highest weightage of marks. Any sort of deviation from their standards, and you are forced to believe that your future holds no promise whatsoever. The standard being: fair, unblemished, porcelain white skin. Over the yea

The world of fashion is as fickle as London weather and a designer — once out of sight, it can easily be out of mind. Hence, you rarely find designers going rogue and treading on the thoughts of a possible hiatus. Unless, of course, you are Thakoon and third time lucky; sabbaticals and relaunches can especially be dangerous if your target market is the local population and your revival dependent largely on nostalgia. Yet, Pakistani designer Ammar Belal, now based in New York City, took a break f

"I had an edge... I don't generally have a filter. I say whatever I want to say without any inhibitions" Sadia Siddiqui is the mother of Laila Naim – the Pakistani child model who took the world by storm with her Burberry ad campaign. But it will just be too unfair to make this the central definition of her existence. Sadia is very much on her way to becoming the doyenne of fashion production. She is the brains behind Fashion Parade London that brings some of the best from the industry to Lond

"it was a very brave adaptation of a great novel" A film about love, ageing, and a lost sense of belonging seems right up the alley for Indian director Ritesh Batra in The Sense of An Ending . His debut offering, was all that and more – a whimsical journey about discovering a glimmer of hope amidst the loneliness that comes as part and parcel of living in a busy metropolis. However, a purely British movie adaptation of Julian Barnes’ wry book on a moaning old divorcee’s recollection of boyhoo

Sharon Wauchob has a tomboyish femininity to her designs – whimsy and often slouchy yet elegant. The Irish designer’s new collection echoed her very contemporary modus operandi and was an engaging narrative of her love affair with unique fabrics, folds and textures. Sharon once again showed at a resplendent church setting like the past two seasons. Breezing through the circular runway were loosely structured overcoats and softly sculpted sling dresses with feathers accents. The relaxed silhouet

Though a month full of blessings, Ramazan unfortunately did not begin on a blissful note this year as more than a handful of Pakistanis unleashed the devil within them, enshrouding the country in disgust and despair, once again. Undignified behaviour by clerics and politicians alike, discrimination and abuse against non-Muslims as well as women, assault of a minor and murder made for only some of the news on national media within just the first 10 days of Ramazan, literally ripping the spirit an

Mocked and humiliated at every instance, transgenders to date have not been fully embraced by our society. Attitudes towards transgenders range from the confused to the hostile and though gendered inclusion is one of the most popular debates of our times, the trans-community is conveniently ignored as part of the bracket. In 2012, transgenders experienced a tipping point in Pakistan when the Supreme Court recognized the ‘third gender’ and entitled them to all basic rights enjoyed by any other c

In what was a candid conversation right after his Ramazan show, singer-turned-entrepreneur-turned-televangelist Junaid Jamshed spoke to Instep about his entrepreneurial dreams, Ramazan show formats and his moment of enlightenment. It was an easy interview to prepare for given the wealth of information available on Junaid Jamshed’s transformative journey online and the number of controversies he made headlines for over the past couple of years. Adding to the advantage was the fact that it was th

"They [filmmakers] know me for crying really well and if someone calls me for my USP, I should utilize it," actress Mawra Hocane told Instep in an earlier interview, post the release of her Bollywood debut, Sanam Teri Kasam. The fact that an actress of her caliber considers her tears to be her USP is a point of concern. There is no need to read between the lines here because the statement is as blatant as a knock between the eyes. This is in no way intended to undermine Mawra’s acting skills; in

It was only recently that I came across an article by a fellow writer that reflected on musician Ali Noor’s tweet on how "audiences were getting dumber" in Pakistan. This was in relation to Taher Shah’s rather mindless second single ‘Angel’ that became a viral sensation overnight in comparison to a plethora of credible, exciting music that gets lost in all the distraction caused by social media gimmickry. Like the writer, the thought also stayed with me but in my case, the focus was on how relat

There is one thing common between the Pakistan of the 1950s and the one it has developed into, post-millennium. And that is its level of popularity. Back in the ’50s, the new nation was of interest to a global audience and leaders for its culture; its rich heritage; its potential and promise, which was subsequently highlighted in Time Inc’s infamous documentary, The March of Time. However, Pakistan of the recent past has become popular for reasons completely opposite to those in its hey days - s

Objectification of women and gender disparity are the entertainment world’s harsh realities. Despite cinema and television’s best efforts to disown discriminatory practices, inequality forms the crux of their existence, highlighting the entertainment industry’s hypocritical nature. Actresses, especially in Bollywood, are often relegated to playing subservient roles alongside male leads in big budgeted projects or simply projected as sex symbols, wearing skimpy clothes and shaking more than a leg