Celebrity in focus – Mehreen Jabbar

Mehreen Jabbar is a filmmaker, at a very young age, has an extensive portfolio. After directing her first play in 1994 she went on to create work which ranges from short independent art films to commercial serials for television. Her success as a director can be assessed by the fact that her work has appeared in many film festivals around the world including The Hong Kong International Film Festival, The San Francisco Asian-American Film Festival, and The Leeds Film Festival in U. K. to name a few. At home, Pakistan, her exceptional style of story-telling has earned her much praise and several awards.

Mehreen grew up around Pakistan's show business. Her father, Javed Jabbar, is also a filmmaker himself. He has also been running a highly successful advertising agency for about 30 years where she got her first exposure to the television world. Further she went to the United States in order to study film and completed a two year program at University of California Los Angeles. She describes this experience as a crucial part of her training because her teachers were working professionals from the film industry who were able to provide real insights on the art and business of film making.
Mehreen returned to Pakistan to practice her skills professionally. Her first play in 1994 was called “Nivala” which was based on a short story by Ismat Chugtai, one of the foremost authors in the Urdu language. Unfortunately, the decision makers at the state run television of that time declined from airing “Nivala” because it was based on the work of an Indian writer and, subsequently, the idea for the entire series was cancelled. Though this was a hinder but it did not deter Mehreen from doing what she loves. She continued to make short films, feature length plays, and drama serials.
Due to the low quality of films being produced in Pakistan and the shady atmosphere at cinema houses, going to a theater is not a feasible form of entertainment for the mainstream public. Thus, television remains by and far the most popular source of family entertainment. So that has been the industry to which vast majority of writers, producers, directors, as well as, actors turn who wish to polish their expertise and create work with depth and meaning for the audience.

Much of Mehreen’s work has focused on the everyday lives of average Pakistani women and the conflicts they experience from day to day. On the other hand, several directors have created fine plays which are obvious in their attempts to raise awareness of women's rights; Mehreen enjoys the challenge of applying nicety to get her message across. Her viewers often find themselves immersed in the minds of her characters in order to fully understand the characters’ motives. Her telefilm, “Putli Ghar”’ is an example of such work. Another telefilm “Farar” is about three friends, a widow, a working woman, and a third woman who is a student of classical dance. The play shows the struggle of each woman to sort out her life and find a unique identity for herself.

To Mehreen experimenting with a story is one of the most interesting parts of creating a play. She believes that producers are playing it safe and are flat to take on projects which are based on a proven storyline for success. The result is that the same basic plot is repeated over and over again in different plays or films such as - Ramchand Pakistani.

Nevertheless, commercial Pakistani films remain largely unpopular on the conventional side; hence several independent filmmakers have emerged in recent years, such as, Shireen Pasha, Farjad Nabi, Hassan Zaidi, and Mehreen Jabbar herself, who seem to be breathing a new life into the Pakistani art films.

Celebrity in focus: Vaneeza Ahmed

Vaneeza Ahmed nicknamed Vinny born on June 29, 1971 is a Pakistani model and actress. She has earned a reputation of being the most famous female model and celebrity in Pakistan. Initially interested in medicine with a degree in psychology, she joined modeling as a casual hobby only to be become the face of some of the leading brands in Pakistan.
She graduated from Kinnaird College with a bachelor's degree in psychology. In her brief stay at the college, she started to model casually. Not much interested in modeling as a career option, she was showered with offers from various fashion designers, some of which were notable in the Pakistani fashion industry including the likes of fashion designer Nilofer Shahid with whom she did her first shoot, and photographer Khawar Riaz. She is a close friend of the makeup duo Athar and Shahzad, as well as designer Umar Syed. Her initial walks at fashion shows led fashion critics to praise her elegance on the cat-walk. 

Over her fifteen year reign in the fashion industry her business etiquette has helped her to survive her chosen career and win all hearts too. In a country where women are not expected to be make smart and calculated decisions in business matters of monetary concerns Vaneeza always stayed with the career for the sake of money. 

She made her acting debut in Jamal Shah's controversial saga Kal and has since acted in Marina Khan's Tum Hi Tau Ho, Janey Anjaney and Tum Say Mil Ker; Armaan; and Talaash. Most famous role to come her way was that of the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah's daughter “Dina Wadia” in Jamil Dehlavi's 1998 “Jinnah”. Another notable thing about her is that she is a women entrepreneur. She has designed local lawn fabric collection by her own.  The first launch of her collections, also called V9 lawn prints was in March 2006. They were sold-out in a series of exhibition held in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. Her efforts on the V9 prints were highly appreciated by her so many fans, media persons, and among general public as well. 

She is also well-liked by others in the fashion and showbiz industry because of her nice and friendly nature. She helps her colleagues and guides her juniors in a very friendly way. She is not only soft spoken but also a soft hearted person. She is a very down to earth person. She is more common than any other common girl in her real home life. 

Appropriate attire for a Pakistani working lady!

In Pakistan too much fabric likes a large dupatta and too many accessories which seem totally impractical for the office environment. It is distracting for clients and no one wants to be taking care of outfit all day. However, its alternative can be conservative but very smart and perfect with a tailored outfit and a scarf. When the outfit requires too much maintenance it is not comfortable for a working lady or the people dealing with her. It is important to look good and have people concentrate on work activities rather than the person. Until the job scenario itself requires from oneself to be the center of attention at workplace.
Looking good is very crucial. However, the key is to balance look. Since in Pakistan the summer is so long thus lighter colors are preferred. One can go with bright but just be careful not to blind people with colors. Over-accessorizing and too much color or embroidery, badly stitched ill-fitting clothes are obviously not go with the office requirements. Smart and professional people are always taken more seriously that how they looks in any environment.

However in some environments one can be himself/herself and have the ability to express others through his style probably in personal presentation of any particular project or the business parties. Sweaters provide color and variety to woman's clothing, but they should be appealing rather than revealing. Inappropriate necklines and waistlines can give the wrong impression. When it comes to accessories and jewelry, less is once again more. Keep it simple: one ring per hand, one earring in each ear. Accessories should reflect your personality, not diminish your credibility. Faces, not feet, should be the focal point in business so chose conservative shoes. A low heel is more professional than flats or high heels. In spite of current fashion and the sandal rage, open-toed or backless shoes are not office attire. Not only are sandals a safety hazard, they suggest a certain official agenda. 

In a nut shell the same overall rules apply to women's work attire as apply to men's. Business clothing is not a reflection of the latest fashion trend. A woman should be noticed for who she is and her professional skills rather than for what she wears. Her business wear should be appropriate for her industry and her position or title within the industry. Investing in a good business wardrobe is an investment in your professional future. For those who think it's not what you wear but who you are that creates success, give that some more thought. Business skills and experience count, but thus does personal appearance and that all-important first impression.

Deliverance of women in Pakistan!

Women whether working or not working as professionals are not placed only as label of custodian of family but should be responsible of character building of the whole society. Societies are built on the personalities of women which superficially look under control of men in Pakistan. A capable woman act like backbone of any family, if one of her disqualifies comprising of her values, character, hardworking and devotion for her family and surroundings slips, all matters shatter around men of her concern according to the men dominant culture here. Except in feudal culture her liberation is any way disturbed by the system itself. Women are dominant in all matters of her interests. If she has a wish to exceed in any matter she has lot of opportunity to excel depending upon her devotion, commitment and passion for that particular goal.
In Pakistan the girl’s brought up matters automatically is developing her sense of liberation. Some woman love to behave like childish nature and some families’ groom their girl child as confident and equal sharing person. They are picked by their spouses for their qualities. If Parents themselves degraded their girl child and let them down in front of a male partner she would naturally lose her sense of liberation or might react opposite to this and become disobedient and reactive to hold her importance in this system in which she was first disregarded by her parents.
Those women accept rudeness of men who take it normal from their family life styles and this trend is common in our lower, middle and so called top elite class with the same intensity in the whole Pakistani families no matter resides in whatever country. For lower class it becomes obvious to all as they are in majority and live in open spaces as compared to enclosed elite class who before coming out polish their traces of abused behavior in artificial get up.
The Pakistani women of today enjoy a better status than most Muslim and Middle Eastern women. However, on an average, the women's situation as compared to men is one of systemic subordination although there have been attempts by the government and enlightened groups to elevate the status of women in Pakistani society. In late 2006, the Pakistani parliament passed the Women's Protection Bill, repealing some of the Hudood Ordinances. The bill allowed for DNA and other scientific evidence to be used in prosecuting rape cases. The passing of the Bill and the consequent signing of it into law by President General Pervez Musharraf invoked protests from hard-line Islamic leaders and organization. Some experts also stated that the reforms will be impossible to enforce. President Asif Ali Zardari on January 29, 2010 signed the “Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Bill 2009” which the parliament adopted on January 21, 2010. These are steps have been taken to give more freedom to the women of Pakistan so that they can play a vital role in nation building with ease but it needs true implementation from other ends of parties.

Ambreen Bukhari- Menika Mines

An entrepreneur needs special skills and confidence either male or a female and belongs to whatever country land. But, on the other hand it is quite true that in developing countries he/she has to face more than the developed one. In Pakistan, as in many other developing countries, women are handicapped in society. Therefore they face many challenges, as they do not enjoy the same opportunities as men. They are not only deprived of financial resources but also lack access to basic needs such as education. Limited access to the essentials of life undermines their capabilities, limits their ability to secure gainful employment, and results in low income, poverty and social exclusion. Their ambitions and aspirations are suppressed.
Gradually things are improving for women, which have been caused by their tremendous determination and courage. They are entering in the field of education, health, engineering, IT and active participation is seen in the sports and politics arena. About 60% of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan have opted for traditional business such as parlors, bakeries, boutiques, but the largest number is employed in the garments and handicrafts sector. One example of such a nice and encouraged lady is Ambreen Bukhari; she is running her jewelry showroom named Menika Mines in posh area of capital city Islamabad.
Ambreen Bukhari faced numerous challenges and criticism when she dared to enter into the difficult business of collecting, cutting, and exporting precious stones and preparing studded jewelry for the domestic market. Nobody believed she could succeed when she decided to open for business 11 years ago. The precious stone trade was considered a purely male domain, as one is supposed to travel to the mountains, interact with male entrepreneurs to manage the inner and outer workings of the business, and to actively explore for niche markets. Many of her colleagues thought that it would be insulting for men to have a female entrepreneur in their sector, but she has opened her doors and done very well.
Ambreen Bukhari completed her post-graduate studies abroad, specializing in geology, after which she returned to Pakistan with her two daughters to start a stone trading business. She soon found herself in very difficult circumstances. Yet, she took stock in her business and strove to be able to support her children and strengthening her resolve to fight against all odds. Today, she has full floor showroom for her jewelry in a business center in the most famous market of Islamabad. She also arranges exhibitions in Islamabad and Karachi and has participated in international events. She is a leading exporter of precious stones and has represented Pakistan at international forums. She also works as a consultant and imparts training in stone-cutting techniques.

 

Atiqa Odho, an Entrepreneur - New trends in cosmetics business in Pakistan!

Happily, there are many examples of people in Pakistani show business who appreciate and recognize the virtues of their hard work and ingenuity. Such an example is Atiqa Odho, who is amply gifted with numerous qualities; she is a make-up artist, a hair stylist, a model, a TV star, a film star and now an entrepreneur as she moves to her own business of a cosmetic company- Atiqa Odho. Born to a liberal family, she received the best possible education and upbringing in the U.S.A. Though initially she gives the impression of an ordinary child but later on her zeal set her apart from her peers.

Additionally the vivacious and vital Atiqa had her own position from her earlier days. Atiqa was persuaded by Pakistani television in 1990 to work for a drama serial. Her acting appealed to the masses and one can easily remember her great performances till now. She was highly successful in modeling as well. After nearly a decade, Atiqa grew too tired of travel between U.S. and Pakistan. Hence, she decided to make Pakistan her permanent residence. She has a keen desire to provide an amiable atmosphere to her two children, and her husband, Javaid, in Pakistan.

In fact, Atiqa stepped into her working life as a make- up artist and got training in England. Later, she moved to Pakistan and practiced her profession as a beautician. She started her own beauty parlor and appropriately named it “Cuts and cappuccino”. Since returning back to Pakistan after years in the States, Atiqa Odho is proving unstoppable she is all set to make a difference and has already realized her vision of launching own cosmetics line.

She had several reasons for launching a color cosmetic range in the market but the two main ones were my belief that a woman understands another woman’s needs and that she was simply tired of seeing what was available in the marketplace. Either very substandard products were on the shelf in retail or alternately extremely expensive imported products that were not affordable to the Pakistani women. 

 The product has beautiful and glamorous packaging color that is “Red” which makes consumers exciting. The unique coding of lipsticks makes it easy for consumer to remember like for pink lipstick “AP” and for brown lipstick “AB”. The code automatically tells about the lipstick shade.

At present Atiqa brand consists of 35 Lipstick colors, 20 Loose Eye-shadow colors with applicators, 25 Pressed Eye-shadow colors with applicators, 10 Blush-on colors with applicators, 8 Cake Face Powders colors, 8 Eyeliner colors, and Mascara. Atiqa says that the market is still abundant in opportunities for new entrants and that she likes healthy competition.