Hollywood’s hottest new heartthrobs

Pitt, Cruise and Clooney are old! From television to films, these are the ‘it’ actors of the new generation. Instep takes a closer look……

By Maheen Sabeeh

Robert Pattinson

Before Twilight, Robert Pattinson was not a global icon. His roles varied – from Mira Nair’s Vanity Fair to Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and recently as Salvador Dali in Little Ashes. But its Edward Cullen, the 17-year-old vampire, immortal and in love in Twilight and its upcoming sequels – New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn – that has turned 23-year-old Rob into a worldwide phenomenon. And it wasn’t just Robert’s dangerous, isolated and romantic portrayal of Edward that did the trick.
The 23-year-old British actor also sang on two numbers off the Twilight sound track, ÔLet Me SignÕ and ÔNever ThinkÕ, which he co-wrote with Sam Bradley.
Even though the upcoming Twilight sequel, New Moon, is slated for a release this year (November), the Twilight franchise will continue till 2010. Or maybe even longer considering the fact that Stephenie Meyer, the author behind Twilight novels is insisting on two films for Breaking Dawn.
And if by then, the phenomenon that Robert has created subsides, he always has music as a back up plan.
“I’ve never really recorded anything – I just played in pubs and stuff”, Robert once said in an interview. And music just might work. Considering the fact that Twilight is one of 2008’s biggest soundtracks and has spilled into 2009, that isn’t a bad plan at all.

Megan Fox

She is 23 years old but to legions of fans worldwide, Megan Fox is etched in memory as the super hot girlfriend of Shia LaBeouf from the Transformers movies.
Megan Fox has been around for quite a while. Her roles have varied from the comedy show Two and a Half Men to films like Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and How to Lose Friends & Alienate People but her breakthrough came with Transformers. And since then, Megan’s graph has been on the rise. With the new Transformers film out and running to packed houses, Megan has arrived big time. According to a new survey by Heat magazine, Megan has the best body in showbiz.
Her tattoos and sex appeal have led the media to dub her as the next “Angelina Jolie” and “Angelina Jr”.
Megan was even offered the next Lara Croft film but she turned it down, saying, “There have been a lot of films I’ve had to pass on because I don’t want people thinking I’m trying to emulate her.” Not afraid to speak her mind, Megan further commented that Angelina “is a powerful person and I bet she would eat me alive.”
Other than Transformers 3, Megan has other films that include Jennifer’s Body (2009), written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody. Jennifer’s Body will mark Megan’s first lead role in a film.

Ed Westwick

British actor Ed Westwick, 22, is one of the most interesting young actors to have sprouted out in recent times. He seems to have captured the hearts of millions. Love him or hate him but the man definitely leaves a mark. Since his debut on American show Gossip Girl as the calculating, shrewd womanizing, sexy and wired billionaire Chuck Bass, Ed Westwick has been proving his mettle as a pure actor. His training at the National Youth Theatre in London has not gone to waste. The ever snobbish Emmy Awards may never nominate him – much less award him – but to teenagers born in a world where the internet is a source of media, twitter, blogs, facebook and blackberry, Ed Westwick has a massive following.
Gossip Girl may be his trump card but it is not his only card.
This year alongside the return of Gossip Girl, Ed will also guest star in the slightly twisted and entertaining show Californication.
Ed has also signed on for the role of Heathcliff in Peter Webber’s adaptation of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, which is in production stages. From Chuck Bass to Heathcliff to an indie rock band – which Ed hopes to form in New York if he gets the time – this is a star for a new generationÉ and from a new generation.

Blake Lively

Before Gossip Girl, Blake Lively was one of the many young actors testing their ground in the world of Hollywood. Blake Lively started out with Sandman and then jumped to the film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in 2005. For Blake Lively, Gossip Girl was ÒtheÓ breakthrough. Not since Sex and the City has a show arrived on television with such concentration on fashion and Blake played her role of Serena van der Woodsen with such style that she landed covers that range from Vogue to Cosmo Girl and Seventeen to name a few.
Her depiction of Serena, the super rich ‘it’ girl from Manhattan’s elite, is spot on. Even though shows like Gossip Girl don’t get acknowledgement from Emmy Awards but Teen Choice Awards (which nominates the most popular of shows and actors) is a different story altogether. In 2008 alone, Blake picked up two awards – Choice TV Breakout Star-Female and Choice TV Actress Drama, both for Gossip Girl.

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus is a multi-talented American singer, actress and author. Top that off with the fact that she is just 16. Her career took off after Miley landed the lead role in Hannah Montana series on Disney channel.
The show was such a huge hit that Miley released a soundtrack CD and it went on top of the charts. And from there, Miley Cyrus took to the world of showbiz like a charm. She then began her solo music career with the release of her debut record, Meet Miley Cyrus in 2007. Her second album, Breakout, landed in markets worldwide last year and for the first time, the album had nothing to do with the Hannah Montana franchise.
Music from the show opened doors for a musical career and Miley took the bait. Miley is often credited for creating the transition from another Disney artist to branching out.
Miley also starred in the film Bolt and also recorded the tune, ‘I Thought I Lost You’ for which Miley earned a Golden Globe nomination. From movies to television and films, Miley Cyrus has left her mark in every field and she is just getting started. In 2008, Cyrus was listed in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in The World while Forbes magazine ranked her on number 35 in their “The Celebrity 100″ list with earnings of over 25 million dollars in 2008.

Live wires in the studio

Zeeshan Parwez and Adnan Malik had a significant role to play at Coke Studio this year. Zeeshan switched from a performer from Season One to Producer, Videos this year while Adnan Malik took on the reigns of Associate Producer Videos and Producer BTS (Behind the Scenes). Before Coke Studio hits airwaves tonight, Instep talks to Adnan and Zeeshan about the technical side of Coke Studio, the shooting process, the equation they shared, the music and the madness.…
By Maheen Sabeeh

Instep: Tell us about the training of the cameramen.
Zeeshan Parwez: We (me and Adnan) trained and tested about 18 cameramen over a stretch of two weeks. Eight of them were finalized after extensive evaluation and two were fixed to be jib operators. That’s a total of 10. Some of them were seniors who’ve worked with television for a lot of years and some were young with limited experience but their dedication and command on the camera got them in.
Adnan Malik: I had been shooting the behind the scenes a few weeks before Zeeshan showed up, and was developing the aesthetics of the final show while shooting daily rehearsals. When Zeeshan joined the rehearsals we both realized very quickly that we shared a sense of how we wanted to shoot the program. Rohail (Hyatt) showed us some references of how he wanted the show to look, and that combined with our individual predeictions for close ups, capturing raw emotion and developing a visual harmony, led to a selection process for the 10 cameramen who would shoot our show.
We auditioned over 20 camera men over the course of two weeks and had each one come in and take directions as we directed them through CCU headpieces.
We came up with a rating system for each camera man which included their framing (close ups, long shots, etc.), panning, confidence with the camera, natural intuition and rhythm, and ability to take directions etc. obviously, a lot of these camera men were very experienced in their own right and brought a lot to the table as well. Our selection process was just based on whether they were in synch with our vision, and how passionate they were about this project. Because at the end of the day, for everyone involved, Coke Studio was a passion project. And that passion starts right at the top with Rohail and Umber.

Instep: What was the technical infrastructure like? How difficult was it recording live music while taking care of the visuals?
Zeeshan: Having made performance based videos in the past, I tried my level best to capture as much instrumentation as possible.
Technically, I can write a whole case study book on this matter. I’ll say that we had about 45 people dedicated only for video, of which approx twenty were on the floor, three on the studio roof, ten were in the video room and the rest in the waiting room who came in between songs. Our video equipment came from Videotech (Ahmar Raza) and it consisted of computers, television monitors, recorders of all sorts, cables running everywhere, waveform monitors and etc.
Shoot wise, we’ve tried our level best to capture a lot of instrumentation.
We were looking at a zoomed up feel rather than making the whole thing wide. You also see the amalgamation of track and hand held shots going side by side.
Every shoot required me to yell, asking if everything was rolling. When the shooting days were finally upon us, I had completely transformed into this guy who was yelling left and right. I was Amjad Khan from Sholay! I had made the whole video team’s lives miserable.
It was even funny to see a ‘cool’ model like Adnan Malik turn into a screaming Tazmanian devil. But I’m happy to see that cameramen, engineers and assistants call me to this day and they tell me they loved working with us.
And then, just when we thought it was over, post started. I spent about two months, editing all the videos. I had to unlearn my previous style of editing to learn a new way suggested by Rohail and the results came out good Mashallah.
Adnan: Zeeshan was much more in tune with the technical angle, whereas I was more focused on the aesthetics and the behind the scenes. Zeeshan worked incredibly hard on the technical side to make sure there were minimal slip ups, especially since we shot the whole thing on a tapeless format – A first for Pakistan!
Both of us divided up the cameras on the day of the shoot, and controlled them through mouth pieces. We had hand placed each camera man according to his individual strengths and had given them very specific areas to cover on the floor. Each song had a different camera configuration, and it was our job to direct the camera man to shoot in harmony with the song being played.
Of all the five months or so that I have worked on this project, those days of shoot were by far the most exhilarating.

Instep: Coke Studio was a multi-camera shoot on a massive scale. What difficulties did you face?
Zeeshan: A multi-cam shoot of this level brought with it a lot of challenges. And a lot of headaches and sleepless nights. But in order to attain this sort of standard, you have to go through this.
The first challenge was the size of the video room inside the studio. To load massive equipment for a 10 cam shoot inside a room that only fits… well… only me… was an impossible task. So the careful loading took five six nights by itself.
During work, I like to give myself headaches because that’s how I stretch boundaries, or at least I try to. Even though I had a huge team under me, I checked and supervised every little thing; every little cable was working fine. As a producer, I found it only fair not to just command cameramen and assistants, but to get behind every technical detail and to make sure we won’t be having many headaches during shoots and in post.
The other difficulty was choosing positions for the cameras. We were working around the respective positions of the musicians and the main stars. So that meant limited space, both of us came up with good strategies. At the end of the day, we were looking at camera changes after every song played.
In the post stage, Rohail had a terrible time backing up all the footage which took him days. And on the other hand, it took me even more days to align all the footage together so I could get ready for edit.
Adnan: The toughest part was trying to make sure that we captured every note of music played since the videos were shot live. We didn’t have backup takes to cover us in the edit if we missed a specific solo or bridge. And considering that we shot about 30 videos, we couldn’t memorize every part of every song, so we had to really go by intuition. I dare say, when we re-saw what we had shot live on that day, Rohail pointed out quite a few places where we missed the musical parts! Even with numerous cameras, you can never capture everything as it happens! And especially since the cameras were divided between Zeeshan and I, there were times where we were overlapping on the same artist, while completely ignoring another! These are all learnings, however, and we hope to improve on them in the future.

Instep: Both of you have worked together for the first time. What was the equation like between the two of you?
Zeeshan: This is the first time we worked together. It was great working with Adnan. I had a lot of fun being with him. Even though he was in charge of BTS (behind the scenes), he stepped in to help me in the video shoots by taking care of four cams, and he did a good job. In short, I was very comfortable working with him. We were also partners in foosball (a foosball table was present in the studio) playing against the musicians teams. Damn you musicians! I kill you!!!! I physically keel youuu!!!!
Adnan: We worked together for the first time via Coke Studio. I had heard that Zeeshan was a terror to work with, which is not true at all. And he had heard that I was just a pretty ‘mawdel’ and socialite, which is partly true.
Both Zeeshan and I share a very strong, yet distinct, aesthetic vision. We both brought a lot to the table as the eyes of Coke Studio and our combined aesthetic is apparent in the way the videos look. Zeeshan has a very edgy, raw and dynamic sensibility that comes from his experience in music videos, and mine is a confluence of years of documentary work, photography and dabbling in fashion. But our sensibilities gelled really well, and we actually had a blast working together. We both shared a passion for what we were doing and there was absolutely no ego involved. We shared responsibilities according to our strengths and it all worked out quite organically at the end. It was a pleasure working with Zeeshan, he’s very talented, focused and quite hilarious! We have even discussed collaborating on more projects together in the future. And with Rohail at the head of the totem pole, we were very much part of a holistic, supportive team.

Instep: How was the experience of working together with producers Rohail and Umber Hyatt, the artists and the house band?
Zeeshan: For me, Rohail, Umber and Gumby are family. Rohail is by far one of the most competent people I’ve ever met. I am in awe of this guy, for the person he is and how technically superior he is. His way of looking into things is an inspiration for me altogether and his skills of solving problems are amazing. With Coke Studio, he provided a platform for not only me, but countless others, where we could work our own way, the way we wanted to. He believed in us as much as we have faith in him.
Umber is the other reason why Coke Studio is so successful. Many managers and producers can’t pull off half the things she can do. She is too organized and I’ll never forget all the advice she’s given me that’s helped me work so efficiently.
This time around, I would be texting her messages, writing to her about funny conversations between me and the engineers… we had a few characters who used to crack us up.
As for the house band, this is first time I interacted with Jaffer Zaidi and Assad Ahmed and they were great. Jaffer and I shared a secret Sanskriti language made up by us. Assad and I would incorporate rock n roll terminologies to every small thing. Omran Shafique and Kamran “Mannu” Zafar are great. And Gumby is Gumby. That’s my Coke Studio experience.
Adnan: My gig with Coke Studio has been the best thing that has happened to me in Pakistan. Rohail aka ‘Pa’, is a wonderfully magnanimous, insightful, passionate and absorbingly intelligent human being, and being under his wing has been a fantastic learning experience both in the professional realm and on the personal growth front. Umber, aka ‘Ma’, is the rock behind Coke Studio and made sure that everything ran smoothly and seamlessly. Together, Rohail and Umber created a wonderful familial vibe on and around the set, and it is one of the most pleasurable playgrounds I have ever been on!
Working on this project has reaffirmed my belief that good things can come with pure intentions and dedicated hard work. In fact, I walk away from this season of Coke Studio as a richer, more evolved, and spiritually ignited human being than when I entered it because of the dynamic created by Rohail, Umber, the production team and the supremely talented musicians.
I would always anticipate the arrival of a new character or artist on to the Coke Studio set and would be amazed at how their egos would vanish in seconds after interacting with the aura of the place and its people. The energy of Coke Studio is much greater than the sum of its parts!
– Photos by Kohi Marri and Rizwan ul Haq

Reinventing the Hadiqa wheel

Hadiqa returns with an experimental, trendy and catchy new record, Aasmaan that picks up from where she left off. Instep lends an ear…

By Maheen Sabeeh
Artist: Hadiqa Kiani
Album: Aasmaan****

Where did you go?
Hadiqa Kiani has been away for six years. It is a big break for a mainstream artist like Hadiqa. And now she has returned. But one wonders, did Hadiqa really ever leave? And the answer is no. This is no ordinary artist. She is the ultimate female diva to the classes and the masses. And Hadiqa never truly disappeared from our psyche.

Amidst the three studio records – Raaz, Roshni and Rung – Hadiqa went on a different tangent altogether and teamed up with one of the most reclusive, elusive yet brilliant musicians Pakistan has produced Aamir Zaki on a full-fledged album, Rough Cut. It was a far more restrained, mature and powerful record Zaki had done than his debut Signature. Hadiqa let go of her reservations and joined him on the musical quest even though she is a star of the masses and English remains a niche market. She knew it, even then. Whether fans digested Hadiqa in English or not is irrelevant at this point. For one thing, she is a big enough name to experiment at such a degree. And secondly she never really went away. The singles from Hadiqa Kiani were continuous. From ‘Iss Bar Milo’ with Aamir Zaki to ‘Yeh Hum Nahin’ with Shuja Haider, ‘Zindagi’, ‘Mehr Ma’ with Khiza, Hadiqa kept giving us a glimpse that she was still out there.

She didn’t stop making music. She went around the world, toured and in between listened to the sound stemming out of new places, trends that have shaped the new musical order, at least on the chart-thumping world charts.

In between, her personal life went through a colossal change. She got married, became a mother, got divorced and for the last three years – Khawar Kiani, Hadiqa’s mother, whose name always finds a place on most of her albums – was diagnosed with paralysis. That and the country changed too. We became labeled ‘the most dangerous nation on earth’ and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

But none of those reflections come through on Aasmaan. It is a record that celebrates love, life, music, sounds and the producers – Irfan Kiani, Hadiqa’s brother/manager/musician, Hadiqa herself and JKD, a British-based producer – have fun on the record. The refuse to budge with the bounciness of the record and at the same time, celebrate the genres that have blazed charts around the world. To add more punch, those trends of R ‘n’ B that have turned names like Rihanna into icons, have been mixed with other sounds, influences that range from local Punjabi bhangra to Arabic and Persian music. Collectively, it is a well-rounded even if slightly patchy album.

Nothing dampened Hadiqa’s spirit because when you listen to Aasmaan, you can’t end up but smile at what Hadiqa has attempted and gotten away with: a groovy, R’n'B record that is slick in production, fun in wordplay and hip in music.

Reaching for the skies above
This record is team work. From its protagonist that is Hadiqa Kiani to Irfan Kiani who plays producer to this album to the plethora of names that write lyrics, musical arrangements – the list is pretty long.
But it comes together well – the direction of this album is clear – it is dance and R ‘n’ b but there is also an underlying current that makes this record inherently Eastern.
It is because of songs like ‘Az Chashme Saqi’ – a poem penned by Allama Iqbal – where Hadiqa not only sings but also speaks in haunting tones via the English translation, making it so smoky and hazy that it makes our patient wait for Hadiqa worthwhile. She can blend East and West with individuality and a signature that is truly her own and one that has developed over the last decade.

There are other gems to prove her mettle as a singer: ‘Sajna Sajna’ which moves and swells slowly and is merrily atmospheric. The lyrics are nothing extraordinary (“Mein Sajna Sajna Tera Naal/Pyar Tu Hai/Iqrar Tu Hai/Mera Dil Ka Ek Taar Tu Hai) but it’s the authority with which Hadiqa delivers the words that makes it unique and a raging hit in waiting.
Hadiqa admits that she pulled all the stunts she could. “This is the best we could do. We’ve been at it for six years,” she had said to Instep at the press launch of the record.
It is palpable in the lead single, ‘Sohnya’ featuring Nas-T, a percussion heavy number where Hadiqa croons for her beloved and in the next vein, capturing the ‘I-will-do-anything-for-love’ emotion well, caters to a generation of youngsters that will relate to these lines. Nas-T rapping in the mix takes the song to another funky level and Hadiqa sweeps in again with meticulous timing.

‘Tuk Tuk’ is a tongue-in-cheek, satirical tune about staring, falling in love and being annoyed by conspicuous behaviour, it seems all together. “Tuk Tuk Mujhe Dekho Na Aisa Saawariya/Dil Mein Utarti Hai Teri Yeh Nazariya” – and the music is just as bouncy, almost reminiscent to a Bollywood song. It’s a little over the top with the arrangements ranging from synthesizers to tinkering bell sounds, a pounding beat and more. But for a concert, ‘Tuk Tuk’ should be a phenomenon. It is so culturally relevant for us as a nation. We love to stare… at everyone.

Back to the record, there is ‘Chankata’ which is perhaps a bit too chaotic and holds some similar notes to ‘Sohnya’ in terms of sound. It’s average.

‘Zara Zara’ is intoxicating. It’s drenched in eclectic, wired techno beats and addresses the issues of self-control as Hadiqa sings, “Zara Zara Aayega Nasha/Dil Tau Hai Anjana/Hota Hai Deewana/Dil Ki Nadaniyon Ko/Iss Ki Batabiyon Ko…”
This is a trippy one from Hadiqa but it’s nowhere near the sphere of morbidity. It’s passionate, honest and almost questioning. An interesting tune to check out. The remix, however, is just an unnecessary addition and can be skipped.

The real power-packed numbers are ‘Wanjhli’ and ‘Jab Say Tum’.
On ‘Wanjhli’, Baqir Abbas (the flutist whose magic has been resonating out of Coke Studio this year as a guest musician) gives a silky soft, sonorous yet controlled sound with his playing. Hadiqa grooves meanwhile with “wooooo” and it works. She can pull it off. It’s her fascination with other languages – Punjabi, Persian, Turkish, Sindhi, Chinese – it’s continuous and Hadiqa tends to explore as many on her albums and live shows as possible. These factors help elevate the album.

On ‘Jab Say Tum’, Irfan Kiani sings like a broken man. It is just that sincere and Hadiqa compliments him, bringing in desperation and longing to give it such a sharp edge. Together the brother-sister duo has given ‘Jab Say Tum’ the perfect merger of man-woman duet, tackling loneliness and loss with skill and a lot of heart.

The world is my oyster
Hadiqa Kiani herself confesses that Aasmaan had a lot of input from many people. Ali Mustafa, Baqir Abbas, Kashif Iqbal, JKD and a few others. But what keeps this vehicle going is Hadiqa for her vocal range that can take on Persian and Urdu with stylish command. She can flirt with a song like ‘Tuk Tuk’, be smoky on a tune like ‘Jaanan’ where every beat is intense and every guitar strum is tragically beautiful. She can yearn with loss on ‘Jab Say Tum’ and make you want to groove with ‘Sohnya’.

The timing for this album also shows courage. Musicians are afraid of releasing records for the timing never seems right. This was also a case with Hadiqa but she decided to plunge and it was perhaps for the best.

In contrast to the melancholic and beautiful Gunkali from Kaavish and punk-funk fiesta from Mauj (both records should release physically somewhere in this century), and the ongoing fusion of Coke Studio that has seen Atif sing Amir Khusro and Ali Zafar break down with Bulley Shah’s poignant words, Aasmaan is radically different and the big plus is that it is not juvenile. The album oscillates from guitars to steely eclectic synthesizers and some tormenting and beautiful vocal work.

The production is slick, crunchy and crisp. It flows through the album with perfection. For Hadiqa, this record was about taking on world trends and making them her own. She managed just fine with Irfan Kiani – who establishes himself as a fine producer on Aasmaan.
In the end, only when acts like Hadiqa Kiani continue with colourful experimentation and covering new musical territory, will a way be paved for new acts to follow. The fact that she is still standing with a dance record, is an achievement. Our music industry is still very much dominated by men and Hadiqa’s consistency will motivate and blaze a trail for other female upcoming acts. Zeb and Haniya are already here. And many more will hopefully follow. So here’s to the return of the most loved female pop singer of the country and her groovy comeback.

*****Get it NOW!
****Just get it
***Maybe maybe not
**Just download the best song
*Forget that this was mad

From emotional madness to pure fantasy

Hollywood’s hippest trailers
A throwback to the ’50s, brazen gangsters and conflicted cops, the return of the world’s favourite wizard, a life on the edge, hitting rock bottom, fire fighting, technology gone right – Instep gives you five trailers that will leave you inspired, surprised and provoked.

By Maheen Sabeeh and Saba Imtiaz

Public Enemies

*ing Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard

Directed by Michael Mann
The trailer for Public Enemies looks like a 1930s era Ocean’s Eleven combined with a quissential 21st century tale of good v/s evil – a theme that seems to have reflected in a number of movies post 9/11, particularly last year’s blockbuster The Dark Knight. The trailer sees Johnny Depp and a number of gangsters breaking into banks – replete with the female attraction in the form of French actress Marion Cotillard – and the quest of the Feds to take them down, helmed by Christian Bale. Depp appears rakish and gleefully criminal, quoting the line “We’re here for the bank’s money, not yours” with confident abandon. Set to a resounding theme song ‘Ten Million Slaves’ by Otis Taylor, Public Enemies has already garnered some considerably praise-worthy reviews – but this trailer proves why Depp can carry off a film with such flair!
– Release: July 2009

The Time Traveler’s Wife

*ing Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams and Ron Livingston

Directed by Robert Schwentke

Based on the best-seller novel of the same name, The Time Traveler’s Wife has been in the works for quite a while, with rumours that Jennifer Aniston had bought rights to its cinematic adaptation. This poignant, romantic tale based on a man who is afflicted with a strangely uncontrollable problem – that he travels through time – was a tearjerker in print, and if the trailer is anything to go by, the film will be too. Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams star in the leads as the star-crossed, fated lovers. While one would have thought the tale would be very difficult to film, in the trailer it seems to have been done with a surreal special effect to show Eric disappearing suddenly. The trailer is made even more poignant by the choice of background music: Lifehouse’s ‘Broken’ plays as the score, a song that talks about broken clocks and vanishing time. This will definitely be worth watching!
– Release: August 2009

Veronika Decides To Die

*ing Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Thewlis and Melissa Leo

Directed by Emily Young

Author Paulo Coelho has sold millions of books around the world and this film is an adaptation from one of his most successful books, ever. But this really isn’t about the author and his capability as a storyteller. Whether you are a Coelho fan or not is irrelevant to this film or the trailer for that matter.

For one thing, the film follows the subject of madness, which, let’s face it, is always intriguing or so is the human condition and mind. The clincher is the opening of the trailer which is a far cry from the mundane action/adventure sci-fi gone overboard one catches on the tube these days. It’s subtle and hits slowly quite like the subject itself.

“At 28, Veronika had everything but the will to go on. She never expected to find it with only days to live.”

It’s shot with such torment, mystery and hope that it makes one want to watch the film irrespective of taste for actors, directors and genres. Plus this may be the most definitive and challenging role Sarah Michelle Gellar has taken on since her cult hit show

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) and her previous breakthrough flick Cruel Intentions (1999).
– Release: 2009

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

*ing Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman

Directed by David Yates

JK Rowling’s Harry Potter is a phenomenon. The franchise has spanned five films so far and with every film, its actors, Daniel Radcliffe (who plays Harry Potter) alongside his loyal friends Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) have grown up, as individuals and more importantly, as actors.

Even those who don’t identify with the books/film will be blown away by its jaw-dropping majestic theatrics and universal storyline. By now, the story is out but its the
potions of emotions of the story mixed with the cinematography, aerial shots, flashes of lake of fire, of friendships and survival, death and loss – all encompassed together that makes this trailer such an incredible watch.
“This place has known magic. Very dark, very powerful. This time, I cannot hope to destroy it alone. Times like these, dark times, they can bring people together. They can tear them apart.”

Even though Harry Potter’s name itself is enough to set the global box office on fire and still captivates millions around the world, the trailer, for the latest in the series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, deepens the magic of the wizarding world.
– Release: July 2009

Shutter Island

*ing Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams and Emily Mortimer

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese teams up with his favourite actor Leonardo DiCaprio after working with him in The Aviator, Gangs of New York and The Departed to make Shutter Island. Set in the 1950s, the film sees Leo don the same look and accent as he did for the 2008 film set in the same era, Revolutionary Road. But Shutter Island looks like a departure for Scorsese from his brand of mafia-centric films. The trailer is inherently creepy and mysterious. Shutter Island sees Leo – playing a US Marshal – go to an eerie psychiatric facility to investigate how a patient escaped but the trailer depicts him entering into a bizarre world where he may end up becoming a patient himself. If the trailer is anything to go by, this may turn out to be one of the most talked-about films of the year. But will it garner Leonardo the elusive Oscar nomination? Time will tell.

– Release: October 2009

The great gig in the sky III

The first two episodes of Coke Studio celebrated individuality and harmony. This week as the show returns with artists Ali Zafar, Zeb and Haniya with Javed Bashir, Noori, Josh and Atif Aslam, the third episode is called equality. Instep gives you a sneak peak…

By Maheen Sabeeh

Yaar Dhadee
Ali Zafar with Ali Hamza on banjo and Baqir Abbas on flute

Ustaad M Jumman’s ‘Yaar Dhadee’, which reminds one of our rural deserts, gets a resurrection that is stunning and surprising. It brings together Ali Zafar with Baqir Abbas and, one part of the Noori brothers, Ali Hamza alongside the Coke Studio house band.

“I chose ‘Yaar Dhadee’ because I wanted to introduce our youth to the great treasures of our music. The music of this soil and its people and make them realize what they’ve been missing out on. It’s my tribute to Jumman Khan. I want them to know more about these people who gave us so much but left with very little,” says Ali Zafar about singing this ultimate classic.

His equation with Baqir Abbas is fluid. The two have worked together since the days of Huqa Pani and if ‘Dastaan-e-Ishq’ was tortuously beautiful, ‘Yaar Dhadee’ is celebratory and straight from the heart and this is why it will stay in your head.

Plus watching Ali Hamza strum banjo for one of the country’s biggest pop stars without hesitation – that is a reflection of the unified spirit behind Coke Studio.

Chal Diye
Zeb & Haniya and Javed Bashir

This song released over the Internet while Zeb and Haniya were still working on their debut Chup. It remains one of their most gorgeous tune. Zeb and Haniya brought their A-game and united with Javed Bashir whose passion and aggression as a singer mixed with Zeb’s tipsy vocals has made ‘Chal Diye’ stand out.

And Javed doesn’t just plug in alaaps in the song for the sake of ‘fusion’ but takes the song to another level.

“Javed introduces the song and sets the mood with an alaap in raag aimen and then participates very intelligently so that the essential meaning of the song is not lost. He joins in for some sargams and towards the end they conclude with a rather beautiful and short jugalbandi,” says producer Rohail Hyatt about the song. If ‘Paimona’ reminded one of green lakes and hills, ‘Chal Diye’ will set the mood on fire without little effort. And that kind of musicianship is extraordinary.

Jo Meray
Noori with Rakae Jamil on the sitar

One of the most underrated Noori songs, ‘Jo Meray’, the bluesy yet hopeful tune off Noori’s last record, Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jaani Ki Gol Dunya goes for a revamp. And brothers Ali Noor and Ali Hamza give it their best. With cousin Rakae Jamil on the sitar, ‘Jo Meray’ sounds more haunting, sharp and hypnotic.

“Noori brothers are family. Music runs in our family,” says Rakae to Instep. “They wanted someone to fuse this song with and that is how I came. I see ‘Jo Meray’ as a feel-good pleasant song with room for improvisation.” Indeed, it was improvisation at its finest.

The song gives Noori enough room to play around. And that was what Rohail Hyatt set out to do.

“This song – ‘Jo Meray’ – still doesn’t have any proper lyrics. I was not consciously avoiding completing this song by writing proper words to this melody, but now I get this feeling that the lyrics too will be completed with the completion of my own personal journey,” says Ali Hamza, who first wrote this song in 2000.

Bari Barsi
Josh with Gurpreet Channa on the dhol

If ‘Yaar Dhadee’ takes you away to the deserts, ‘Bari Barsi’ is the song that echoes the sound of Punjab with its meaty dhols and rustic feel that gets a slick and soulful makeover at Coke Studio.

“We were requested to sing a song that represented Punjab. We used to sing ‘Bari Barsi’ when Josh had first started out as a live cover band back in Montreal. For us, it not only represents a true Punjabi folk track, but also connects us with our humble beginnings,” says Rup of Josh while speaking with Instep. “We had a blast singing it with the Coke Studio house band and I had a blast playing live dholki for the first time while singing.”

This song is truly a blast and when it comes to raw energy, Josh creates it magnificently with Gurpreet Channa who flew out with the band to be a part of Coke Studio.
“We wanted to add an element of fusion to our set. Gurpreet brings creative and innovative ways of playing tablas and dhols,” says Rup about Gurpreet.

For folk bhangra fun and nostalgia tied nicely together, keep an ear out for this tune.

Wasta e Pyar Da
Atif Aslam

Atif Aslam brought the house down with ‘Kinara’ in the second episode of Coke Studio. This week, he takes a swing and delivers a six again.

“‘Wasta e Pyar Da’ is fusion but it’s not random. There is a section where I improvised on the floor and came up with lyrics. It’s a blend of two cultures, varied sounds and at the same time, it’s a lot of fun. I wasn’t trying to be intentionally Western or otherwise. Just myself,” says Atif who also belts a cover of a very popular song in the middle and then lands back into ‘Wasta e Pyar Da’. Its musical experimentation and new horizons for Atif and Coke Studio is a platform where he is exploring it fully.

“We were just sitting around and goofing and next thing I see Atif is singing ‘Wasta e Pyar Da’ and it sounded good so I suggested we do it in a bluesy kind of way. Innovations are welcome and no idea is ever a bad idea!” says Rohail Hyatt about the song, which is a brand new composition from Atif Aslam.

Presenting the Coke Studio house band

They are the players who help create the sound that echoes out of Coke Studio and beams into our homes via television screens, radios and the Internet. These are men and women who may not be in the starry spotlight but without them Coke Studio would be incomplete. Instep gets to know the faces behind the sound…

By Maheen Sabeeh

Assad Ahmed (guitars)
Assad Ahmed is a new addition to the house band this year and what a fantastic call to make. His reputation precedes him as a rock guitar giant to be reckoned with but Assad is easily as at home making his acoustic guitar weep gently. “

He is such an exceptional player,” says Coke Studio co-producer Umber Hyatt.

“I couldn’t do the show last year but this year I could so here I am,” he told Instep as Coke Studio was being recorded. Assad Ahmed’s name needs no introduction. Coke Studio is the latest for him in a career that spans working with the likes of Awaz, Vital Signs, Sajjad Ali, Najam Shiraz and not to forget, the highly underrated and volatile Karavan, which Assad Ahmed plays guitars for.

Babar Khanna (percussions)
Coming back from season one to season two, Babar has grown more relaxed as one of the members of Coke Studio house band. His dholaks bring mystery, might and passionate beats that make you tap your feet every time or skip a beat with intensity.

“It is challenging playing with some of the biggest pop and folk artists of our country but I have never seen or been part of something as extraordinary as this place,” said Babar while recounting his days at the studio.

Dholaks belong in his family and Babar has taken to it instinctively.
Other than Coke Studio, Babar has played with the likes of Jal, Raaga Boys, Jawad Ahmed, Humaira Arshad and has been awarded by the BBC for his performance with the Shola Music Group.

Jaffer Zaidi (pianist)
Jaffer Zaidi made his debut as a pianist at Coke Studio and despite being the new kid on the block; he was thoroughly professional as he let the player in him shine. Soft, morbid, celebratory, drowning and heartwarming – Jaffer can play magic with his fingers.

“It was an excellent experience for me. I was given a chance to rediscover the musician within me. I’m grateful to Gumby for believing in my skills and putting forward my name for this massive production. I’m also grateful to Rohail bhai for taking this huge risk by taking Gumby’s word for it.

Initially I was a little apprehensive about being a part of it. I, being a nobody, was in the middle of all the best musicians the country has to offer. But what comforted me was the support I got from everyone, the house band and the entire Coke Studio

family. To envision me as a permanent member of the Coke Studio team is something I would leave for Rohail bhai to decide but if given a chance, I’d love to offer my skills again,” said Jaffer while speaking to Instep.

Besides being a pianist, Jaffer Zaidi also fronts Kaavish, an upcoming band. Their debut album, Gunkali, is currently awaiting release.

Javed Iqbal (violin)
He can make mournful notes stretch in new dimensions and in equal grace add flavour and festivity when required. Just hear him on Atif Aslam and Riyaz Ali Khan’s ‘Kinara’ as one example. At Coke Studio, he was fondly known as ‘Jay Uncle’ but Javed Iqbal is so much more than just another violinist. He is one of the finest we have today. For the last four decades Javed Iqbal has been a violinist and at Coke Studio, his sheer authority of the instrument and musicianship makes him stand out.

“I can play notes and I can write them just by hearing a song once,” he explained while speaking with Instep.

Javed Iqbal landed at Coke Studio on the recommendation of Jaffer Zaidi who worked with him on his own band’s album. “When you give others a chance to bring someone to the studio, it gives them a feeling of ownership,” says Rohail Hyatt, who was happy to add another layer of sound with the violin to Coke Studio.

Other than Coke Studio, Javed Iqbal has played with names like Farida Khanum, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Noor Jehan, Nayyara Noor, Abrar ul Haq and on Kaavish’s upcoming record Gunkali among others.

Kamran “Mannu” Zafar (bass)
Kamran “Mannu” Zafar is a silent striker. He proved his mettle as a soothing bass player last year at Coke Studio and this year Mannu is back in action like never before. Mannu doesn’t jump on the limelight. He lets his bass do the dance, purely haunt and send a shiver down your spine and impress us all, whether it is a glorious song like ‘Aj Latha Naeeo’ or a gem like ‘Ankhon Kay Sagaar’.

Coke Studio maybe the biggest project for Mannu but he has many other projects to make him command respect and love. They include Ali Azmat’s Klashinfolk, Zeb and Haniya’s Chup as well as live sessions with Mekaal Hasan Band and Abbas Premjee to name a few.

Louis J Pinto aka Gumby (drums)
Much has been said about his talent but nothing comes close to justifying it. Pakistan’s premier drummer returned to the heart of Coke Studio, leading the rhythm section with his drums. Gumby sat surrounded by a glass-like “cage”, played not just with sticks but with an actual brush (to keep the sound from overpowering other instruments and sounds) and did so with a smile on his face and a wisecrack cooking in his head.

“Some songs were rearranged and some were just free form. I love both seasons of Coke Studio. It has been one of my best experiences ever,” said Gumby.

He was the prankster on the set, the one who set the laughter rolling when breaks were on. But when playing, Gumby is restrained yet poignant like ‘Dastaan-e-Ishq (Nachna Painda)’ or wild with certain tunes (surprise, surprise) we won’t mention just yet.

And before Coke Studio began, Gumby was already on a roll; recording in studios with artists like Ali Azmat, Strings, Mekaal Hasan Band, Zeb and Haniya, Jal, Abbas Premjee, Kaavish – the list is pretty long. Suffice to say, he is the best we have in the business and at Coke Studio, the lord of the drums loads up the power once again.

Natasha De Sousa (backing vocals)
Last year Natasha De Sousa joined Coke Studio as an assistant video director and this year her role has changed. While Zeeshan Parwez and Adnan Malik take on the foray of visuals, Natasha joined the house band and has been a suitable replacement to Selina Rashid – who was one of the backing vocalists on season one but took on Public Relation (PR) handling of the show via-a-vis her company Lotus PR this year.

Natasha is full of spirit. At the studio, she was happy to be amidst the biggest musicians of the country. And the high point for her came when she got to sing with Saieen Zahoor who she describes as “iconic” and “awe-inspiring”.

Natasha added that extra zing to songs with her soulful voice and didn’t mind sharing the limelight with others.

Other than Coke Studio, Natasha is also an actress and has been singing for a while, all the way out from church choirs to opening shows for Sukhbir and Stereo Nation.

Omran “Momo” Shafique (guitars)
Omran “Momo” Shafique is the cool, laid-back dude on the sets of Coke Studio. Now in his second year with the show, for Omran there is no going back.

“Within five minutes of narration, Omran was onboard with Coke Studio,” recalls Rohail Hyatt about Momo’s entry into the studio last year.

If last year Omran made us groove with the sound of ‘Paheliyan’ at Coke Studio, this year he simply let his instrument speak for him. And despite doing so, Momo was still very much in the spotlight for his groovy tunes. There was none of the overbearing guitar solos bit that one finds monotonous. It was just beautiful, the aggression and the passion. Omran Shafique’s career graph will further rise with Coke Studio but he is already on his way with Mauj’s debut album, Now in Technicolour on the verge of a physical release (it’s already out over the Internet).

Other projects include Koastal, Co-VEN as well as playing on studio albums of Ali Azmat (and live shows as well), Zeb and Haniya and the upcoming albums of Kaavish and Maryam Kizalbash.

Saba Shabbir (backing vocals)
From season one to season two at Coke Studio, Saba Shabbir has come into her own as a singer. For her singing has been a hobby and Coke Studio is “a learning ground. New energies are created and you find yourself learning so much from it,” she said to Instep.
For Natasha’s soulful voice, Saba brings a distinct flavour of smoky, sultry voice that gives this show such a strong texture.

Saba Shabbir isn’t in it for the fame or money. Born in Britain, raised in Islamabad and having lived in Lahore, Saba’s day job is of an event manager but whenever Coke Studio comes calling, she is always open to it.
Her other credits also include a performance at the Alhamra Auditorium in Lahore where she performed an original song with band Knumb, after which she went on to record single ‘Akhri Baar’ with Shehryar Mirza.

Sikander Inam (percussions)
Yet another new addition to the percussion line-up this year, Sikander Inam brought his dholaks to colour the surface with his beats to Coke Studio this year and was blown away by the kind of musical environment he felt and became a part of.

“This is true fusion and it’s the best. Rohail Hyatt is meticulous with sound and for me this is a big honour,” he said smilingly to Instep in between recording sets.

Sikander’s meaty dholaks have earned him shows with the likes of Ustaad Javed Faiz, Abrar ul Haq, Jawad Tariq Tafo and Nisar Butt.

Waris Baloo (percussions)
“I have played live all over the place. I have learned under the tutelage of Ustaad Ejaz Hussain Baloo but Coke Studio is perhaps the first show of its kind in Pakistan and that makes me very happy and pleased to be a part of it. Different schools of music have come together and it’s a great place to meet and discover new sounds and learn,” says Waris to Instep.

For Waris, it was hard to decide who he enjoyed playing with most. But the respect he garnered “was unprecedented. Everyone was very kind. We’ve all been calling Ali Hamza, ‘Halwa Noori’ – it was so much fun,” he said.

Coke Studio is one accomplishment in his long career. Waris has been playing dholaks and tablas for the last two decades and has

worked with the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ustaad Salamat Ali Khan, Malika-e-Tarannum Noor Jehan and has even directed music for Arif Lohar, Shafqat Salamat Ali and Sher Miandad. Waris has also taught his instrument – the dholak – at a university in Denmark.

Zulfiq “Shazee” Ahmed Khan (percussions)
After a successful stint on season one, “Shazee” is back at Coke Studio with his multi-percussion instruments including the earthy matka that has given the percussion set such a strong and remarkable feel.

“It’s hard work for everyone and this house band has been a fantastic team to work with. Everyone at Coke Studio has been incredible. Coke Studio is a breather for the music industry. A sense of unity has come out just like last year and this time its bigger I think,” said Shazee who smiled his way through the rehearsals and the recordings.

“Through these songs, if Eastern instruments and players come into the spotlight, it will be an accomplishment,” says Rohail Hyatt. And this is where men like Shazee stand out for their skill, verve and vigour.

Other than Coke Studio, Shazee has worked with iconic names like Hadiqa Kiani, Ali Haider (who is now no longer making music), Sajjad Ali, Jawad Ahmed and both nationally and internationally with his band We-Five.