News

Kesa by Lala’s debut summer collection will be available at stockists on Tuesday the 24^th of January 2011.

“Kesa by Lala  takes inspiration from the richness of Japanese culture, with the name being derived from the prayer robes of Japanese Buddhist monks which they designed with utmost care and finesse in patterns reflecting Japanese subtleties and design aesthetics. The House of Lala interprets this heritage within a Sub Continental Context with their brand “Kesa”, which combines the intricacies of art and design while retaining the best in fabric and embellishment. Indeed the latest summer collection from Kesa represents Islamic and Oriental art presenting designs in floral and geometric patterns in a variation of colours accentuated by embellishments, panels and embroideries.

Having started as a simple trading house in 1947, the Lala Textile brand has today grown to encompass four diverse retail brands providing accessible summer; midsummer and winter fabric ranges to ladies across Pakistan; these include Lala classic, Kesa, La Femme and Sana & Samia. Today, with over 39 years of seasoned experience, the Lala brand continues to provide quality material through custom prints throughout the year.

Currently Lala is available nationwide in all leading cities of Pakistan and their lines, collections and brands are  known for its versatility of design and price range, ensuring the brand is always accessible to a large diversity of women.

For more details do check out the official Lala Facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/lalaprints

‘7 Welcome To London’ will be premiering its official theatrical trailer alongside four other Bollywood films this week. The trailer will be attached to the UK print of the much awaited Agneepath, which is expected to have a grand opening. The placement of the trailer is part of the marketing team’s strategic plan to ensure the film gets maximum exposure. Premiering the trailer with one of the most anticipated films of the year will guarantee this.

Distributor Joe Mirza said “Attaching our trailer with a movie that is eagerly awaited is the right thing to do especially, as our movie also lends itself to the action genre, which will help it stand out amongst the other films. In three days alone the first look video has over 35 thousand hits on YouTube which suggests that the Bollywood loving audience is already excited about this forth coming release.”

Bafta and Oscar winning editor of Slumdog Millionaire, Chris Dickens, the creative producer of ‘7 welcome to London’, has seamlessly blended the Bollywood style with international techniques to give a contemporary look yet retaining the Desi edge.

‘7 Welcome to London’ is a breath taking, stylish and gripping thriller, which has been crafted in a gritty style that further accentuates the film’s edgy vision. The visually stunning film explodes onto the screen with multiple layers of depth, tone and mood to get your mind engaged like never before.

The slick fast paced trailer is set to show the good, bad, and ugly realities of an immigrant living in Britain and how he is compelled to take a drastic life threatening decision to help his family living in India.

‘7 Welcome to London’ marks the debut of British Asian VJ Asad Shan.

Acclaimed Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and her film “Saving
Face” officially nominated for Best Documentary, Short Subject for the
prestigious Academy Awards

: Saving Face, directed by Pakistani investigative
documentary filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and Daniel Junge has been
nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary, Short Subject as announced by
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

The film chronicles the work of acclaimed British Pakistani plastic surgeon,
Dr Mohammad Jawad as he travelled to Pakistan and performed reconstructive
surgery on survivors of acid violence. Acid violence, an extreme form of
physical abuse, is systemically underreported in Pakistan; official figures
state that a hundred cases of acid violence are filed every year, though it
is estimated that the actual figure is far greater. This is caused in part
by structural inequalities that make it difficult for women to access the
judicial system in addition to longstanding cultural practices that support
gender discrimination. Saving Face is an account of such violence told by
survivors through their personal journeys of endurance, recovery and
reconciliation. Saving Face is equally a story about the ways in which women
continue to struggle for justice in Pakistan as it is about their resilience
and unwavering strength in overcoming difficult circumstances. The
observational documentary was filmed entirely in Pakistan, primarily
in the Seraiki belt in addition to Rawalpindi, Karachi and Islamabad.

Speaking about this unique achievement, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy said: “I am
speechless. An Academy Award nomination is stuff dreams are made of. It has
reaffirmed my belief it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from,
if you put quality work out there, it will be appreciated. I hope I can make
Pakistan proud by bringing home an Oscar.”

Renowned for producing hard hitting character driven content, Sharmeen Obaid
Chinoy continues to set new standards for documentary films that address
cultural and political inequality. With a formidable list of awards under
her belt including a coveted Emmy Award for her film ‘Pakistan’s Taliban
Generation’, this Oscar Nomination comes as her most prestigious career
achievement yet.

Saving Face is set to air on America’s premier television cable network HBO,
on March 8, 2012.

Following on from the huge success of ‘Jaaneman part 2′, Kee returns with a romantic track this Valentine’s, which is sure to melt your heart.

After an amazing year with two releases, Kee has quickly made a name for herself within the music industry. From releasing her hit single ‘Jaaneman part 2’ to singing her first ever Punjabi track ‘Nai Nachna’, she rocked 2011 and is now all set for her first release of 2012 – ‘Pyar Hai’

Kee has collaborated once again with talented artist Arjun for the romantic track, with a a melodic composition that is not only mellow, but upbeat too, and showcases Kee’s sweet vocals that she is renowned for. Written by Kee, produced by Arjun and Mixed & Mastered by Vgrooves, ‘Pyar Hai’ is just the start of a very exciting 2012 for this talented lady!

The video will see Kee in a girl next door look with a romantic story line set in the heart of London, releasing over the next few weeks on www.youtube.com/keeartist

Speaking about the song, Kee said: “I am a real softy at heart and I absolutely love romance!  I think this is probably my favourite song from all of my releases.  It really represents Kee – soft, melodic and romantic.  So enjoy and let the love takeover!”

This year promises some more exciting music and videos from Kee and we can confirm her next single will feature globally talented producers Tigerstyle.

‘Pyar Hai’ is set for iTunes release on 14th February 2012.

DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE: http://www.mediafire.com/?9n1457cxibve63o

Qatar based company KZ Entertainment brought A-list Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan to London for two special events that took place earlier this month. Held at top London restaurant Chak89, the first was a press junket that saw Bachchan meet the biggest media organizations in the UK and the second was a special event at the Cineworld Cinema in Feltham, where the actor met thousands of screaming fans eager to meet him. Some lucky competition winners were also given an opportunity to meet the actor.

“Our aim is to get fans and media closer to the biggest stars in the world. Abhishek Bachchan is one of the biggest Bollywood stars in the world, so it was a really cool to get him to take time out of his busy schedule to meet fans and media in the UK,” explained KZ Entertainment, Managing Director Kaser Mehmood.

Abhishek is the latest big named celebrity KZ Entertainment has worked with. The Doha based company is now planning to bring stars from the world of film, music, fashion and television to Qatar with similar events that will enable Middle-Eastern fans a chance to get closer to their favourite stars. “We are pleased to make the dreams of fans come true by introducing them to their favourite celebrities at zero cost. With support from the public and sponsors in Qatar, we are hoping to bring A-list stars to the country. We are hoping that the global coverage these events will generate will subsequently show the world how great a place Qatar is and that it is culturally very rich,” said Kaser.

KZ Entertainment is hoping the planned events will draw fans from surrounding Middle Eastern countries to Qatar and give them a destination where they can meet their heroes. “We have spoken directly to big stars like Abhishek Bachchan and they would be delighted to visit Qatar, and meet all the fans. Join our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KZEntertainmentQatar for more information. In fact we will be arranging for British fans to meet global pop sensation Atif Aslam in April and hope to do the same in Qatar if given the support. We also hope to work closely with organizations like Katara cultural village in the future, as they are already doing amazing work.”

Looking ahead, KZ Entertainment is already in negotiations with production houses to shoot high profile movies in Qatar and will be holding some high profile concerts in the country later this year. “The Pearl Qatar would be our favourite place to shoot Bollywood Films as this will encourage tourists to fly into Qatar”.

January 17, 2012 – Raghav has redefined the term joy ride with his latest video, “Top Of The World”, which is the third single to release off his forthcoming album, The Phoenix.  “TOTW” has impacted heavy on Canadian radio and now Raghav follows up with a stellar video to match the celebratory vibe of this latest smash.

“Top Of The World” was shot in Vancouver and directed by S6 Boy.  Raghav says that he had a very specific vision in mind for the video:

“With “TOTW” we wanted to capture the essence of feeling passionate and excited about life.  Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, you always want to have that sense of elation.  I’m fortunate to love what I do and with the start of 2012, I wanted to share that message with the fans.”

“Top Of The World” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKv28jHdqwQ&list joins Raghav’s YouTube page, which has over two million views.

“Top Of The World” available for iTunes purchase here: Purchase “Top Of The World”

London:

New Year and a brand new Bhangra artist is set to take Bhangra music on another level!

Introducing…  ‘Banger’, signed to Realtone Records , he is gearing up to make his debut in the music industry with his single, Soorma. He’s is not a newbie to the industry by any means, he is a part of the hit making MoneySpinner team.  He has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry Banger is already loved, supported and performed with many artists like, Late Kuldeep Manak, Jazzy B ,Nachda Sansaar, B21 , Gurcharan Mall, Malkit Singh, Master Saleem, Sardara gill, PBN, Suki Chand and Cloud 9 to name a few.

Soorma is set to release 26^th of January with a special appearance by one of the biggest names in the music industry, Late Kuldeep  Manak. Soorma is a traditional Punjabi song produced by UK’s finest producers MoneySpinner & Time Productions. After the success of ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ and ‘Poetry’  Banger is now embarking on his new musical journey. While still very much a part of Money spinner music team, they have now produced another masterpiece  ’Soorma’-  bringing a folk Punjab essence to the song.

Bangers music will bring back the true essence of Punjabi music, with this unique artist being able to sing live and play a number of traditional instruments Banger aspires to do what his inspirations Kuldeep Manak Ji and Jazzy B  have done, ” I want to take Bhangra music to how it was, raw, desi and folk. The Punjabi culture is so rich and so deep i want to teach young kids about our music and language. I can’t wait to play and sing live on stage shows and bring back the real essence of our culture”

Born and raised in Birmingham, after his debut stage performance playing Dholki at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham at the age of 14, Banger has never looked back. He has toured the globe with MoneySpinner,  B21 and was a core member of Nachda Sansaar in his late teens. Possessing a rare musical talent, Banger is able to play almost any musical instrument from the baja and algoze to the tumbi, dhol .

WEB TEASER  - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSP_AV4q47U

Shining on cricket sky for youngsters is not impossible

BY RidaWaris

Cricket is not only a game for Pakistani’s; it is the heart of every Pakistani. A cricket match turns into a war once the green shirt’s men appear on the pitch. People in Pakistan consider it as a matter of their respect and disrespect. In every nuke and corner of this country, in every street, big or small, we see boys playing cricket with great enthusiasm and passion. It has encompassed our mind, blood and soul. Love found for cricket in Pakistan cannot be found anywhere else on this planet. Pepsi has decided to sponsor, intensify and support this passion and love for cricket in Pakistan.

Pepsi has shake hands with PCB and is now on a mission to hunt down the talented people across the nation. It aims at giving opportunity to those people who not only have potential but incomparable talent in playing cricket. Many talented boys who should be playing on a national or international level and bring back medals and laurels for Pakistan, are playing in small streets and grounds-why? Because they have not met a chance to reach the place which deserves them. Pepsi is going to provide that opportunity, that one break through to all those boys out there who should be representing Pakistan out in the world.

If you chase your dreams till they become reality, then success is inevitable. There may be lack of opportunities but if dreams are pursued with passion then they are reachable. Past year, Pepsi has joined hands with PCB and started a Pepsi PCB Cricket Star campaign. The campaign is commissioned to select 20 talented players and give them official coaching by PCB. The selected players are sent to National Cricket Academy (NCA) for training. The polishing of their talent is done through giving them training by an official PCB coach who is also responsible for training our national team players.

These players are now unleashing their talent at PCB U-16 or U-19, are eyeing a place in the national cricket team as most of the boys are performing amazingly brilliant in the U-16 circuit. Their passion, loyalty towards their country and determination to represent Pakistan across the world like other cricket stars can be seen by their vivid and splendid performance in tournaments like U-16 and U-19. Top performer of the Pepsi PCB Under-16 was Khushdil Shah from Abbotabad. Other players that came under the eyes of everyone were Mattiullah Khan from Peshawar who was awarded with the best wicketkeeper, Muhammad Afzal from Karachi who was named the best batsman, Khalid Kail from Peshawar was the best fielder and Sharfuddin Khan from Quetta was declared the best bowler of the year 2010.

After the tremendous success of Pepsi PCB cricket star campaign in 2010, Pepsi is once again launching its campaign in 2011 so that the growth of cricket doesn’t comes to a halt. Pepsi do not want to miss out any boy who has the potential and therefore is going to 50 cities and 100 towns in search of the cricket star. It is an unbiased competition where everyone will be given equal and fair chance to display his talent. The selection will be wholly made on the merit. The capabilities of every player will be analyzed and examined carefully before selection. These selected boys will be sent to NCA which has a history of producing legends in cricket.

Over the past few months, few unfortunate events took place which has highly demoralized the youth who were compatible for playing in the national team. When Pakistan lost the chance of hosting the World Cup due to its political instability and security reasons, many youngsters felt humiliated as their country’s reputation was shattered. Similarly, the spot-fixing case incurred unhappiness and hopelessness among many cricket fans, as they believed that their feelings and country’s respect are being sold by their ideals. Moreover, the passion of youngsters is stubbed down due to the lack of resources, platform and direction. The corruption that is practiced nationwide in every profession in Pakistan further demoralizes the teenagers who believe nothing can be done without unfairness. Pepsi wants to bring such youngsters on the forefront.

An illustrious and comprehensive campaign is being launched by Pepsi Cola to create awareness about this campaign to the youngsters so that more and more talent joins in. Advertisements are being given on almost every famous television channels, sport magazines and newspapers. The best part is the that this campaign is being launched and endorsed by everyone’s favourite and ideal- Shahid Afridi. His endorsement and support to the campaign has pulled many youngsters in this campaign from all over the country.

Our youth is our strength. Prosperity can only be bring about by the youth of Pakistan. Thanks to Pepsi that our youth who was thirsty for just one break or chance can now reach their goals. Cricket will experience the growth which never has been seen before.