SHOWBIZ PAKISTAN

Police on Thursday arrested Pakistani actress Laila in Multan, Geo News reported. The actress was arrested after a producer Sheikh Naeem lodged a complaint with Cantt Police Station that Laila gave him a Rs220,000 cheque, which was dishonored. The application stated that the actress had borrowed the money from Sheikh. Police conducted a raid at a local hotel and arrested Laila. The police said that the actress would be presented before a local court. Talking to media, Laila said she had settled the issue with the producer but he got her arrested when she came to perform in Multan. Later a verbal agreement was reached between the two parties and Laila was released from police custody.

Uzma Zafar Tahmena Bokhari, Mrs.Pakistan World 2010 has made history. On Saturday November 13th in Negril, Jamaica, Bokhari was crowned Mrs. United Nations 2010. She competed with married women around the world with strong representation from Columbia, Nigeria, West Africa, South Africa among others. In the history of the pageant industry, this is the first time Pakistan has won an international pageant title. Upon winning Bokhari stated, "I would like to thank all of those who have supported me and have worked with me to improve the image of Pakistan in the world. Being the first international title holder for Pakistan is not my victory alone and nor am I solely responsible for this win. It is because of you out there, all of my family, friends, fans, and all those who have dared to dream this new vision of Pakistan along with me. This is a victory for all Pakistanis everywhere." Bokhari opened the evening with a bang after coming in the top 5 winner’s circle for talent e...

Text: Talath Naqvi and Amna Khalique There is a fire in Emraan Rajput that drives him despite the odds that haven't always been in his favour. In fact, it seems that the difficulties he faced at the beginning of his career are what drove him to pit his all and make it in this field. Emraan, at just 24, has carved a niche for himself in the fashion industry. I caught him at a bad time. His father had fallen ill and he had to rush to Karachi after a brief visit to Lahore. Even then, he agreed to a phone interview and spoke to me on his way to the airport. Emraan tried his hand at designing haute couture for women three years ago, but found menswear to be his forte. However, being the enterprising person that he is, a couple of years later Emraan decided to venture into the world of womenswear again. The result was a successful collection of western wear for women, which received acclaim after being printed in a style monthly, and fetched him a place among the up-and-coming designer...

LAHORE: Fans of reality television were amazed when the 18-year-old Texas born Nida, of Pakistani origin, participated in Tyra Banks’ hugely popular “America’s Next Top Model”. Nida spoke on the show of her mother’s potential reservations and that she wanted to be a role model for other Pakistani girls. Stereotypes about models are commonly found in online discussions et al, and one wonders how successful “The Super Model 2011”, a local adaptation of the international show, will be in Pakistan. Producers Shoaib and Sadya Khan, who have been creating reality shows for A TV, have decided to step up to the challenge of emulating Tyra Banks’ show in Pakistan. “We are creating this show on the same lines as ‘America’s Next Top Model’, but of course we will have to tailor it according to our own culture and norms of acceptability,” explains Shoaib. The duo has recently done a reality show on a similar theme called “Beyond the Glam” that takes a close look at celebrities. The Pakistani versio...

A book on celebrated singer Mehdi Hasan will be launched at a ceremony in Karachi today. Titled “ Mehdi Hasan: The man and his music” it has been penned by senior journalist Asif Noorani. Eminent poet Zehra Nigah will be the chief guest at the launching ceremony. The book has been published by the Liberty Books in collaboration with EMI Pakistan.