Tuesday, September 14, 2010   Shawwal 04, 1431 A.H

Pakistan’s Most Wanted: Beautiful people
Aamna Haider Isani
The kind of attention beauty draws is unparalleled to anything else.

Had there been no Hollywood, there would have been no Angelina Jolie. And without Angelina Jolie, or the coterie of international artists (like Ewan McGregor) who have been bringing attention to Pakistan's current crisis, we would have continued sounding like the same old poor third world desperate nation, complaining about one thing and begging for another. Putting an international superstar in this floody situation we're in puts it in another perspective altogether; it blurs the lines that separate 'us' from 'them' and kind of builds an aura of oneness with the world. No matter how supernatural that may sound.

Celebrity, stardom and the whole razzle dazzle associated with entertainment may be termed frivolous by skeptics but truth is that nothing compares to the massive fan following these guys have. There is good reason why Lady Gaga has more fans on Facebook than President Obama. There is reason why agencies sign up celebrities for various humanitarian causes.

Celebrities are, in general, better people for the job as they are tuned to connect with a cross section of people. They usually have no apparent racial or religious prejudices. Those who do are taken to task. And the benefits of involving them are two fold: a) stars get the job done effectively and b) they carry with them a quotient of beauty and glamour that puts every situation in a flattering spotlight.

Without intending to belittle flood relief efforts made by local groups, I have to say that nothing has been as effective in getting the world's antennae up for Pakistan than Angelina Jolie's visit. Pictures of her wearing the black shalwar kameez have been splashed all over the world, extensive interviews have been running on important news channels and social networks and in a nutshell, people all over the world are held arrested in awe. The United Nations had raised only two thirds of its $460m target for Pakistan and donations had come to a dead end before Angelina's visit. Having donated $1000,000 from her personal account (twice as much of what the President gave), there is hope that she will be able to motivate people to give more.

She is Hollywood's most highly paid female actress and her high-power-action-packed movies are where she made most of the money she spends on causes she believes in. That alone, I feel, merits going to the cinema this weekend and watching Salt. I beg to differ with people who insist on cutting back on life and donating whatever they can. We donate from our savings, cut back on 'excesses' and live life as it deserves to be lived.

And back to celebrities, is the liberal arts - music, painting, dance, poetry and literature amongst others modes of expression like sport or even fashion - that speak a language that diffuses borders. These are rivets that connect people to one another while politics and religion (as we know it today) do nothing but alienate them. And its from these realms, often carelessly scoffed as being flippant in Pakistan, that some of the world's best ambassadors arise.

We need to build platforms to nurture similar ambassadors amongst ourselves. One Salman Ahmad (who is a UN Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS) or Ali Zafar (who is attempting to raise funds via his newly acquired gust of popularity in India) is not enough. One Imran Khan is not enough, especially when you have a team of thugs and goons corrupting the game he left at "the zenith of his career”. I do feel we need to pitch the beautiful and the glamorous to counter all this ugliness accumulating around us. And when I say beautiful, I refer to the ethereally, subliminally attractive inside out.

Pakistan needs celebrities. But where are we to nurture our own stars if all platforms are wiped out, one by one? We judge too easily. Condemn too easily. Disregard too easily.

Pakistan's misfortune is that economic instability has ensured that multi-nationals pump money into artistic institutions for them to be sustainable. That leaves music, cinema, fashion etc in a very vulnerable spot because no one is willing to invest in them, certainly not at a time of crisis. At any hint of criticism, a spot of debate scares potential patrons off. Because at the end of the day they are peddling their corporate causes, not carrying out a community service to build artistic platforms for Pakistani celebrities.

This can be the only reason why a multi-national corporation, after ten years of promoting Pakistan's only style awards, is silent on its future. An international bank, planning to bring two of Pakistan's biggest music sensations together in concert this month, is having second thoughts despite the event being a fund raiser. A conglomerate, after having announced ambitious plans of holding Pakistan's very first Excellence Awards, has not given a deferred date after several postponements of their launch.

While there is nothing that Pakistan offers as a whole, individuals remain busy doing whatever they can. Ali Zafar, who's film Tere Bin Laden was shamelessly denied release rights in Pakistan, is appealing for a Live Aid concert these days. According to news reports he is attempting to rope in Bono, Sting and Bollywood celebrities for the cause.

"People in Pakistan really look upto Bollywood celebrities and any help from them would be great to boost everyone's morale in such desperate times. I have already contacted Bono and Sting through their managers and am hoping for a positive reply,” said Zafar to Indian Express.

Atif Aslam has released 'Haath Uthao' that encourages fans to donate and 'Ab Khud Kuch Karna Paray Ga' with Strings. Hadiqa Kiani and many other artistes are working with the Pakistan Army while several chose to participate in the MKRF and Imran Khan telethon for fund raising. It is not enough.

We need stars, we need platforms to endorse them and we need to be open to events and programs that facilitate their rise. We need to stop running everything down.