An exhilerating, enlightening and exhausting trip to Hua Hin, Thailand -- Part VI

After eating at Why 76 at Asiatique Waterfront which had a great ambience, live music but slow service, Sarah and I decided to stay on and shop for a couple of hours more at the market place. We had also spotted a massage parlour there, so when we were finally done we treated ourselves to a foot massage. We had our first experience of being taken for a ride -- excuse the pun -- by taxi drivers looking to trap innocent tourists but our Pakistani street smartness prevailed and we managed to fob off all offers to transport us to at 'bargain' rates till such time that we hailed a taxi that was willing to go by the metre -- and take us at a fraction of the price being quoted by the others.

Reaching the hotel past midnight, I quickly packed my shopping as we were to check out the following day, and then had a friend who had arrived from the US just that day, drop by to see me. We chatted till 2 am and finally called it a night.


The next morning after breakfast we left to see the Emerald Buddah Temple -- which is actually made of jade! Located in the palace premises there are no monks or priests at this temple which is used only for ceremonies. Comprising many buildings within a compound the temple monuments are all handmade. Interestingly enough, in Buddhism there are no gods, but they believe in Hindu gods, which is why statues and paintings of Hindu deities such as Ram and Vishnu are found at the temple.

The Grand Palace complex, established in 1782 and consisting of the royal residence and throne halls, government offices, and the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddah (Wat Pra Kaew), Thailand’s most revered temple.

Temple of the Emerald Buddah – photography not permitted within.

Chakri Maha Prasat Hall, Rajkaranyasapha Hall, Dusit Maha Prasat Hall

 After the exhaustive tour on a hot day, we were all ready to cool off so went to the shopping mall, MBK. After shopping for an hour or so, we made our way to very interesting eatery by the name of Fifth Avenue located at the mall. Comprising large stalls selling food from different countries, it has an interesting concept. You get a credit card with 1000 baht credit when you enter and you use it at any of the stalls you wish to purchase an item from. After you have eaten you take your credit card to the cashier and they charge you for the sum total you have used up at the stalls. We had a field day trying out the different foods. Rejuvenated, we went back to the hotel where we were due to check out. Our bags packed, we met the hotel marketing communications staff at the foyer who gave us a tour of the highly impressive Thai Heritage Suites and Ratanakosin Suite at the hotel.

luxury suites and bathroom!


The tour done, we were all set to say our byes to the wonderful team at Dusit Thani and were once again on our way -- this time for the airport. But our unexpected pleasures hadn't come to a complete halt yet, for we discovered at the airport that courtesy the Thai Airways country manager, Polapat, who was travelling with us we had been upgraded to business class! A relaxing wait at the lounge and a delightfully restful night on board the aircraft brought our hectic tour to a perfect end.

An exhilerating, enlightening and exhausting trip to Hua Hin, Thailand -- Part V

Our stomachs full, and bodies rejuvenated we went off to a night market where we spent an hour and a half picking up bargains.
The next morning we were down for breakfast again at 7 am and checked out after breakfast to head for Bangkok. Enroute, we stopped at Plearnwan – a Living Museum. A reproduction of life in Thailand more than half a century ago, the amusing aspect of the Museum is that much of the quaint items on display are still in use in Pakistan! Divided into four sections, it comprises a coffee shop, retail shops and hotel rooms, games and movies, and the west of the ‘60s. With music from the ‘60s blaring as one takes a leisurely stroll, it is de ja vu all the way.

Retail shops of the days of yore

                                                   selfies galore!          

Coffee shop of the sixties


After a tour of all the sections we were on our way again and reached our hotel, Dusit Thani in Bangkok. A Japanese chain the hotel is luxurious and just what the doctor ordered if one wants to indulge and pamper oneself.

After being presented with welcome drinks, nuts and fresh flower bracelets, we unpacked in our respective rooms and reappeared to leave for Siam Paragon where we ate a massive American-size lunch at Sizzlers .way. Then we were on our way to the adjacent building of Siam Discovery which houses three attractions -- 5-D movie, Siam Ocean World and Madame Tussaud's.  After watching an enjoyable 15-minute 5-D movie we spent a relaxing time at Sea World, the largest aquarium in Southeast Asia and an entertaining hour or so at the wax work museum, taking photographs with our favourite celebrities while donning costumes at hand.

Back at the hotel we had enough time to change and freshen up before leaving again for Asiatique, a shopping centre that is highly recommended for tourists. We found it offered quality products at affordable prices and in an ambience that was clean, wholesome and upbeat.

An exhilerating, enlightening and exhausting trip to Hua Hin, Thailand -- Part 1V

Our next stop was Santorini Water Park. The only digital controlled Water Park in Asia to date, it offers amusements ranked among the top three in the world. Visitors are given a digitally-controlled wristband at the payment of a 100 baht deposit, which serves as a credit and can be used at all the rides. Also if you have a Facebook account and wish to upload pictures of yourself while you are in the water you just have to click on it, scan the wristband on their scanner, and upload pics instantly for free! Rooms can be rented for the day too, if one want's privacy. 


 

                                                                Santorini Water Park

 As usual, I was the most fascinated by the bathrooms at the park. There was not one public spot that I visited during the trip that didn't have a bathroom worth taking a picture of. Every restaurant and every hotel and shopping outlet had the most delightful nature-inspired washroom, complete with plants and pebbles.

 Cool washroom facilities at the Water Park.


Across the road from the Water Park is Santorini Park which boasts the recently opened Korean Trick Art Museum and Haunted House. It houses some quaint shops, lots of photo op spots and some wonderful attractions including a 7-D theater, ferris wheel, merry-go-round and flying swinger.

 Exhausted, we decided it was time to treat ourselves to a traditional Thai body massage -
after all, how could we go back without one?! So at the recommendation of Thai Airways country manager Polapat, we went to a massage parlour which was conveniently located at a stone's throw from where we were scheduled to have dinner. After four from our team of five availed the body massage -- not content with getting our whole bodies pressed Sarah and I also followed it up with additional foot massages as we had a half hour to spare! -- we made our way to the jetty where our restaurant Sang Thai was located. Teeming with people the open-air eatery was huge, and seemed to be immensely popular. We soon discovered why as the sea food was scrumptuous -- crabs, prawns, lobsters, oysters, the works. And of course, coconut juice served in its shell, and sarika, a lychee-type fruit served over ice-syrup. Joining us were Sareeya, assistant director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, who we had met the first day at lunch at Hua Hin Hills and instantly hit off with, and a few other officials.

An exhilerating, enlightening and exhausting trip to Hua Hin, Thailand -- Part 111

We were then ready to leave for the day and left for Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park which houses the King's palace built by King Rama 1V, atop a 92 metres high hill way back in 1859, now serving as a museum, with his statue in it. The King would stay there in the rainy season, every September. Located at an hour’s drive from Hua Hin, Phra Nakhon Kher Historical Park in Phetchaburi province, can be accessed by foot with monkeys greeting you as you climb up the walkway, or can be approached by cable car.

Wichien Prasat on the western peak, where the statue of King Rama IV is situated.

The palace is a confluence of European, Chinese and Thai architecture as King Rama IV(he ascended the throne when he was 44) had been exposed to Greek, Latin and English while studying to become a monk (he was the inspiration for the film The King and I), and comprises three main sections – a temple or Wat Phra Kaew in the east, the main stupa or Phra That Chom Phet in the centre and the residential grand palace in the west, each located on the peak of a hill and connected by a walkway.

Ratchathamma Sapha on the western peak, used as a ceremonial hall in the reign of King Rama IV.

 Phra That Chom Phet on the middle peak – the chedi containing relics of Buddha


 Stopping for lunch at what could easily pass for a Thai dhaba, which specialised in just one item -- khow man gai -- rice cooked in chicken stock and eaten with chilli sauce, we could understand why it was so popular. Washing it down with Thai iced tea, which was most refreshing we walked across the road to our next tourist attraction Wat Kampang Lang Temple – a Buddhist temple made from laterite (stone made from lava, so a highly porous rock). The temple comprised a number of buildings used for various ceremonies.

Traditional Thai architecture – used by monks for various ceremonies

An exhilerating, enlightening and exhausting trip to Hua Hin, Thailand -- Part 11

Our next stop was Hua Hin Railway station, a state enterprise

Hua Hin Railway Station is a sight for sore eyes. A state enterprise, its first building was constructed in 1911 during the reign of King Rama VI who had studied at Sandhurst and Oxford, and emulated many of the colonial symbols in the architecture of the station. Still retaining its original architecture,

its most attractive feature is the Thai Royal Waiting Room constructed in Thai architectural style. King Rama VI also built a golf course behind it.
 We finally reached our hotel, Escape, a quaint boutique hotel, in the evening around 4pm, and with an hour and a half at our disposal to unpack and shower before we set off again, we quickly got our act together.  As is my wont, I immediately called for an iron, unpacked, and ironed my clothes for the next two days. After a quick shower, prayers and a cup of tea, I was once again in the foyer, waiting for the others to join. 

Our destination was a factory outlet that we had passed on our way to Hua Hin. Not a very large outlet, it had some reasonably priced clothes of second-tier designers, so we spent an hour browsing and shopping before setting off once again, this time to satiate our appetites.

The restaurant that had been selected for us was Living Room Bistro and Wine Bar, a premier restaurant which used to be the colonial beach house of a member of the Royal family; it was recently rented out by them to people who have converted it into a restaurant but have retained all its original elements.

After dinner, our energies renewed, we went to a weekend night art market, Cicada Market, which boasts contemporary art including handmade decorative items and fashion clothes displayed in an innovative style in open air. Creative activities such as performances, dance, music and community theatre as well as workshops also take place at the premises. 

Back at the hotel we had a 'goodnight ginger drink' courtesy the hotel and packed in for the night. The following morning after a shower, and an early breakfast at 8 am we went for a stroll at the beach which was a brief walk away from our hotel.

An exhilerating, enlightening and exhausting trip to Hua Hin, Thailand -- Part 1

I am finally managing to get my breath back! Have just returned from a trip to Thailand as guest of Thai Airways -- part of a media FAM tour of Hua Hin and Bangkok -- a trip that I welcomed with open arms as I hadn't travelled to Thailand in a long while, and had never been to Hua Hin.
The briefing at the Thai Airways office the day of our departure helped the media group travelling together to get to know one another and become familiar with the itinerary. We were five of us including the country manager of Thai Airways -- Shirjeel from FM 107, Sarah from She magazine, Ali Imam from Express Tribune and myself from GLAM.
The flight to Bangkok was packed and the seats we got not the most comfortable so that the night was spent pretty much awake. We landed early morning in Bangkok and were greeted by our able and articulate and guide, Saung, who remained with us till our departure. After the four of us had purchased local sims from the airport, we set off for Hua Hin which is 200km south of Bangkok. Had we gone there directly we would have probably reached there by 10.30 am, but since we had scheduled stops en route, we didn't reach till 4 pm.
Taking the 168 km long ring road which connects to highways and suspension bridges and avoids city traffic, we made our first stop at a small fishing town to pick up breakfast and answer nature's call. We used public toilets, and to my utter surprise, not only were they clean, they were simple Indian toilets with water troughs and a mug -- something we in Pakistan could so easily emulate without incurring any great costs or worrying about maintenance. Fruit vendors were selling cut pineapples and rose apples neatly packed in cellophane bags with a couple of wooden skewers thrown in to assist in eating them hygienically, neat packet of sugar and salt mix stapled to them -- a far cry from the fly-infested fruits sold by our vendors -- and we happily helped ourselves to them. I also had my first exposure to orange tea; sadly, much as I love to experiment, it was not to my taste.
As we resumed our ride Saung kept up his non-stop flow of information and informed us that 95 per cent of the population in Thailand is Buddhist while 4 per cent is Muslim, making them the second largest religious force in the country. There are 5000 temples throughout Thailand, which comprises 77 provinces including Bangkok which is a special province with administrative powers.
We reached Hua Hin Hills, where we were to break for lunch, at noon. Located on a height, it enjoys a cool breeze in any season, and made us forget how hot and humid Thailand can be. The Hills is home to the largest vineyard in South East Asia and was an elephant corral where wild elephants were domesticated. To date it offers elephant rides through the picturesque vineyard to visitors.

 The Sala Bar and Bistro situated here which operates from morning till evening is a delightful eatery with a great view and equally great food. I ordered grilled salmon, and can state with confidence that I have not tasted a more succulent and juicy grilled fish to date. The appetizers, comprising  fish balls, prawn balls and spring rolls, were all delicious as well as was their signature grape juice.
 The award-winning Monsoon Valley Wines, produced from the grapes grown here celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2012. Proud of their product, the owners have recently opened a high-tech green house that allows visitors to see the grape plant in all its glory no matter which season they arrive in, for otherwise, it is pruned before November and also uses the space to grow Italian tomatoes and the most amazing Japanese strawberries.

LESSONS IN VALOUR

I wish our electronic media would learn a lesson or two from our resilient public. Instead of painting a pathetic picture and hounding the bereaved families and asking them ridiculous questions like what they are feeling, and in so doing giving the terrorists the satisfaction they crave, they should proudly stand tall and strong, and announce from every pulpit that no amount of sacrifice will make us bow our heads before them. What the Lahoris have done today deserves a royal salute -- in spite of government directives disallowing public viewing of change of guards at Wagah border for three days, they showed up in full force, passion and patriotism to make it clear that they feared no one. If that wasn't a slap on the faces of the terrorists, nothing is. This attitude is more likely to daunt their spirits than seeing a family agonising over the death of their loved ones, which is what they want to see in the first place. Let us show our solidarity and may our enemies cringe at our show of strength.

HAIR SPA DAY

HAIR SPA DAY

“Great hair doesn’t happen by chance, it happens by appointment”
                                                                                                -L’Oreal Professionnel

Last month spent a great hair spa day at Nadia Hussain's new salon hosted by L’Oreal Professionnel. I was one of the select few editors, bloggers and socialites that had been invited to try the L’Oreal Professionnel range of products that are exclusively available at salons and needless to say was impressed by the treatment Nadia gave me after examing my hair texture, and by her spacious custom-made salon. 

The Lotus team was present to make us feel at home. Nadia, looking like she  was ready to deliver any day, was at her active best and graciously took me around the the three-storey salon where she also house a boutique in the basement and plans to open a dentist's clinic on the top floor. 

 Two of L’Oreal Professionnel Hair Care lines were highlighted at the event: Serie Expert and Mythic Oil. Nadia recommended the former for me and used their Pro-Keratin Refil from the line, which acts on hair to repair strands from the centre to the surface making it much more manageable. All I know is that by the end of the treatment and the blow-dry I was looking ready to go to the Oscars!Too bad I had to rush off for a dentist's appointment instead!! Now, once Nadia has her clinic running, that should also not be a problem. Thanks guys for a great evening!

Chinese menu for Pakistani palate

Chinese menu for Pakistani palate

PC Hotel’s marketing and PR departments seem to be keeping themselves busy as every few days there is some promotional activity or the other taking place.  If it is not a regional week they are celebrating, then it is an international one, and each is accompanied by great fanfare that includes inviting dignitaries and the media at their inception.

A case in point is the recently concluded Chinese Food Festival.  With all the Chinese consulate representatives present including their CG, not to mention the Consul Generals of Switzerland and Russia, and the cream of the media industry, the Festival opened with a bang. Tai Pan, PC’s Chinese restaurant where buffets are served regularly, had undergone a transformation of sorts with an LCD TV playing images of Chinese, cultural, architectural and historical importance. Special spices and vegetables had been flown in to facilitate the chef in preparing mouth-watering dishes that had been given a Pakistani twist to appeal to our palate.

The meal, comprising around 30 dishes or so, was delectable to say the least and boasted a vast variety of starters, entrees and desserts. Beginning with Chinese Gruel, the only soup on the menu that day, and an unusual offering in a country where Chinese soup normally spells ‘chicken corn’ or ‘hot and sour’, there were the usual array of tantalizing starters like freshly fried jumbo prawns, chicken and egg rolls and dim sum. The entrees included chicken string with spicy Schezwan sauce, Hong Kong fried noodles, fried rice, fried crab with garlic, prawns with orange sauce, dry beef with chillies, and pancakes stuffed with marinated mutton, all of which were delicious.

As for the desserts – not all of them were Chinese which was just as well, as we still have to develop a taste for authentic Chinese sweet meats. Among the non-Chinese array on offer were the most delectable leechy and cherry tarts, red velvet cake, chocolate cake, banana fritters and ice cream among many other items. 

It would perhaps be a good idea to extend these festivals over longer periods so that more and more people get the chance to avail of them.  Having them for a few days or at the max one week doesn’t give enough time to foodies in Karachi, who normally have their social calendars brimming anyways, to experiment at such festivals.  Maybe the next one could go on for a fortnight?

   Translation to appear in next month's issue of Masala TV Food Mag

An eatery with a difference

Published in Newsline

An eatery with a difference

By Shanaz Ramzi

   Tucked in an obscure street off Chaudhry Khaliq-uz-Zaman Road, surrounded by apartment buildings on either side and with a huge parking area in front of it, is the newly opened East End, an eatery with a difference – in more ways than one. Although not located in one of the popular food streets of Karachi – in fact, the location seems to be a highly unlikely one for an eatery – it has already become pretty popular with foodies.

   The name of the restaurant too, belies its ambience, and for that matter the genre of food available within. For while East End seems to suggest a restaurant catering to English cuisine, the rugged décor of the eatery with its mosaic, ethnic tiles giving way to a pebbled flooring, low wooden roof, large indoor plants, walls boasting rickshaw prints, jharoka windows acting as partitions, and dim lighting courtesy low hanging lamps over each table loudly proclaim the restaurant to be every bit Pakistani.

   Hardly does one recover from taking in the elegance of the rustic décor that the menu takes the first-time visitor by surprise. Limited in its selection, and basically comprising Bohra specialties, the restaurant offers a choice of three basic kinds of five-course menus – and within each kind or group one can choose from a selection of three to four entrees. Our party of four decided to order three of the five-course meals to share among us: two belonging to the same group but with different entrees, and one from a separate group. Basically, each of the five-course meals comprises a drink – served in miniscule glasses, but you can ask for refills – with two types of starters, an entrée, another drink, and a dessert followed by tea.

   With complementary detox water – for the uninitiated, this is the latest rage among health-freaks, comprising water that has lemon wedges and mint leaves floating in it – setting the tone of our meal, we were individually presented the first course consisting of mirchi and ghatia served with imli aur gur ka pani. Unusual to say the least, the appetizer was appealing with the ghatia fresh and crisp and the mirchi surprisingly not chilli. The drink on the other hand was a little too sweet for all our tastes. The second course in two of our orders comprised Dahi Wagarh which was basically a delectable potato and eggplant dumplings dish with mint yogurt, chutney and paprti, while from the other order it consisted of aloo papri with imli chutney. The latter, far from the aloo chaat we were expecting, comprised mashed potatoes sandwiched between papris and served with tamarind chutney. Needless to say, it was consumed in no time. The third course that came with our menu selections comprised aloo chops (mashed potato cutlets stuffed with mince), shami kebabs – both served with green chutney – and stuffed puris. The latter were small puris with three different fillings – jaggery, potato and tomato. While the latter two were appetizing enough, the former was too rich for my blood.

   The main courses we opted for were prawn karahi served with garlic naan, Bohra biryani meeri gosht, and raan roast in dry red baste with daal chawal and palida. While the prawn karahi was delicious, we wish the service of the naans could have been more efficient for although we had been assured that we would get as many hot naans as we required, they took so long in coming in spite of our constantly asking for them, that the karahi got cold. In fact, if we have to pin-point the weakest link in the set-up, it would have to be the service, for we found we had to repeatedly ask for things and wait endlessly to be served.

   The Bohra biryani was a delicious chicken biryani dish with lots of saffron to enhance its flavour, while the meeri gosht was liver and kidney masala. While I personally found the raan not tender enough, the others enjoyed it. However, the daal chawal served with it was delicious and reminiscent of home-cooked masoor pulao -- with just the right amount of chillies and masala. The palida was a thin lentil dish akin to sambhar, with pumpkin chunks floating in it, which was also tasty.

   The next course comprised a different set of drinks, again served in miniscule glasses, so we managed to get a taste of all that was on offer. From among the three that were served to us – namkeen lassi, mint shot and a coconut-cream drink – we found the latter two very refreshing.

   The dessert choices were surprisingly limited and not too exciting. There was a choice of two – kulfi/falooda, and ghandum halwa with cream, nuts, and pineapples – need I add that they too were served in small glasses?  While the former was nothing to write home about, the latter turned out to be more appetizing than it sounded, but still not really what we were looking for to end a good meal.  

   The final offering in our wholesome meal was a choice of kehwa and tea served in their quintessential glasses, which brought an overall pleasant experience to a warm end. Definitely worth a try, so go for it!

Far from a horror-filled experience

Far from a horror-filled experience

By Shanaz Ramzi  (published in Dawn Images last Sunday)

  

   Attending a press conference held in Dubai for the film ‘Creature 3D’ starring no other than our very own Imran Abbas opposite the sultry Bipasha Basu, for which HUM Network is the Pakistani media partner, I couldn’t help but feel proud at being a Pakistani. For the first time, I was actually witnessing a home-grown star that could sit next to a Bollywood established actor, and not only manage to hold his own, but even steal the show!

   For what transpired at the press conference, which began two hours after its scheduled time and had more star-struck fans wishing to take pictures with the duo than journalists present, was an impressive display of confidence, showmanship and genuineness on the part of the debutant film actor, Abbas.

   The conference started with a short promo of the film and comments from Bipasha Basu, Bhushan Kumar (music and film producer) and Imran Abbas on their experiences of being part in a 3D horror movie. Replying to a query on why she was taking up horror films which still don’t have a sizable audience in our part of the world, Basu responded “Well, supernatural and horror is a genre that is a multi-million dollar industry world-wide, particularly for Hollywood films.  Admittedly, in India it is a relatively new genre but for that very reason it is also very exciting, because it means you are doing something different, and if it is lucrative, then why not? Also, I felt this genre could be explored in many ways. It offers a lot of scope to actors, so it’s a win-win situation for me.”

   I wondered how Imran Abbas would respond when asked if he felt he was directly competing with Pakistani television super-hero Fawad Khan rather than with Bollywood heroes since both their debut films were being launched practically simultaneously. Thank God for this new crop of young, educated stars that the response was a far cry from one Meera would have given. He calmly replied that the genre of his movie is completely different from that of Fawad’s – as his is experimental while Fawad’s is basically a rom-com – so there is no question of competing with each other. In fact, he did not feel he was competing against any of the umpteen established Bollywood heroes either as very few had taken on such a role. He adds “This is something so new for me that I am just excited about it without worrying about anybody else!”

   We have frequently heard Indian celebrities visiting Pakistan speak of our warmth and hospitality, and how much they were made to feel at home here, so it was refreshing to hear Abbas speak about a similar experience in India. “I was made to feel so comfortable both on and off set, especially by my co-star, Bipasha Basu, from day one that I felt like I was in my home-town. We enjoyed great chemistry both on-set and off-set and she made me feel like a friend from the word go.”

   Speaking about her satisfaction level with regard to where her career has taken her in these last 14 years, and whether these are the kind of movies she had wanted to do, Basu states, “I am extremely happy with my progress and the fact that in spite of having being around for well over a decade, my audiences still like to see me is highly gratifying. I had never had a plan in place, but also never wanted to be part of a stale system of work that people keep doing. That is not to say that I haven’t ever done those kinds of films, but the excitement level has to be there for me. I have found that whenever I have done work that is removed from the norm, it has always worked for me. So, yes, I love the way my career has shaped.”

   Notorious for her heavy-work out sessions Bipasha Basu admits she has had to work out a lot more for this film, because of the demands of the role.  She reminisces laughing, “I used to get up at five am every day to work out for two hours, and keep hoping that my hero would join me but no luck! Also, because the movie is action-packed and the role a highly energetic one, there was a lot of running, falling, cutting and bruising on a daily basis. It was freezing and drizzling all the time; we would have to do the same shot over and over again so we would have to be very patient and focused and just follow Vikram’s instructions as everything was in his head, and we had to just trust him.”

   When asked if he had ever imagined in his wildest dreams that he would launch his film career with a bombshell like Basu, Abbas replies candidly and without any airs “No! I had been expecting someone new to star with me, not someone so established like Bipasha who is loved round the globe. When I found out she would be my co-star, I was really excited, and still am!”

   Basu chips in “He is really sweet! I must tell you, the first time we met was on Skype. He mentioned our on-set and off-set chemistry; well, let me tell you we used to be like kids off-set, playing Ludo – very mature! Vikram used to insist I was winning by cheating, which was not true!”

   When I ask her if she would be interested in acting in Pakistani movies, and if she had seen any, Basu responds “I watched a lot of Pakistani serials when I was growing up but I have to admit that all the information I have about Pakistan is thanks to my friend Imran. He told us how deeply we are loved there. And he found out that I love mithai, so he would keep sending them to me to putao me! So, yes, I would love to come to Pakistan and work there if there is an opportunity, but my only point of contact at this point in time is Imran Abbas.”

   Responding to my query of whether she feels at all scared when acting in horror films, considering her reputation of watching this genre with her eyes shut pretty much through the film, she responds “I get sleepless nights and feel scared in my own house. Every time I take on a role in a horror flick I think it will help me overcome my fears like the character I portray, but it never happens!”

   Abbas chips in “The challenging thing about this movie though, was that the Creature was never there before us on the set – we always had to imagine it, and keep our eye-line at a level that would make the viewer feel we were actually staring at him. I am sure you won’t feel at all when you see the movie that the Creature wasn’t in front of us!”

   Nodding her agreement Basu adds “Yes, this is one of the most difficult roles to perform, when your protagonist is not before you. We had to show fear of the same magnitude and react to what we imagined it would sound like, look like and do.”

   The conference, organized by Dream Advertising and Ministry of Events ended with Imran Abbas singing live a song from the movie, leaving everyone totally floored and mesmerized. A proud moment for Pakistanis, indeed!

Fight for your rights

The dharnas for the last couple of weeks resulting in the new confessions of election rigging emerging from various quarters reminds me of what an old school friend of mine used to say. She studied with me for just one year -- in class seven -- and hailed from South Africa. Her cousins had been hanged during apartheid and she was mature way beyond her years. When she was leaving I asked her to write in my autograph book as was the norm those days, and she wrote 'Shanaz, in life always remember: Fight for your RIGHTS!' I never really understood what she meant as my sisters and I had grown up in such a protected environ where everything was handed to us on a platter, that the question of having to fight for our rights had never arisen.
In fact, I sailed through the major part of my life without ever having to fight for my rights -- perhaps until I joined the professional world, when it finally dawned on me that every good thing in life doesn't come easy, and it is important to assert oneself in order to get, or at least create an awareness, of what is one's due.
But, coming to the two rallies, and especially that of PTI's -- they have really reinforced the importance of fighting for one's rights. Whether Imran emerges victorious or not after this valiant battle, one thing is for sure. He believed he had been wronged, and he had the courage to fight for his rights -- as did his supporters.I feel our country is better for this entire exercise and our silent majority has also finally woken up from its slumber and learnt to have a voice. This can only bode well for the future.