Pakistan’s night of awards celebrations, at the 7th LUX Style Awards, kicked off on a high note with blockbuster wins for Jal and Khuda Kay Liye in the Music and Film categories. And even as Fashion threw up some new winners the old guard continued to rule the roost. And Unilever Pakistan honored Reshma the singer and couturier Mrs. Sughra Kazmi for their tremendous contribution in their respective fields with Lifetime Achievement Awards.

The LUX Style Awards has long set the standards for excellence in on ground ceremonies and for honoring Pakistan’s greatest talent during the past seven years. Every year the event is an extravaganza that culminates in a grand finale involving film, music and high fashion. This year the event was more somber, almost sober and intense in nature. The red carpet if anything was even more fashionable with Pakistan’s top designers showcasing their latest collections. The Festival area of the Golf Club was almost designed to host a stupendous red carpet; with beautiful gowns and elegant jewellery, plenty of cameras clamoring for time and Pakistan’s most loved celebs on view, it was a glittering moment.

Tariq Amin stylist par excellence and Zeba Hussain the moving force behind LUX Carnival de Couture gave Sunsilk’s Best Dressed Male and Female Awards to Atif Aslam and Tooba Siddiqui wearing Sanam Agha. The hosts duties for the evening was shared by Shaan, Ali Azmat and Fawad Khan.

The mood inside the marquee was black and white and sober and low key. Shaan began the evening by leading everyone in the National Anthem. It was a poignant start to the show and alluded to the tough times Pakistan has faced at the moment and giving a nod to the unity that’s needed to get through it. Soon after the music awards started and it was a big night for Jal who swept with three out of four wins. Boondh won Best Album and Sajni collected Song of the Year as well as honoring Bilal Lashari for Best Music Video Director for Sajni. Strings won Best Live Act but chose not to accept the Award.

The Music Awards were divided between Hum TV (Man o Salwa for Best Play) Geo (Anjum Shehzad for Best Director and Bushra Ansari for Vanee for Geo) and Humayun Saeed for Koi Tau Barish on ARY. Lyari Express was a big winner for PTV with Asif Raza Mir (Meray Dard ko jo Zuban milay) and Beenish Chauhan (Pehli Boond) picking up awards for Best Actor and Actress.

The Fashion Awards were a mix bag with the usual suspects walking away with some awards leading many to wonder about the stultification in the Fashion Industry. There were repeat wins for Rizwan Beyg (Best Couture Designer), Deepak Perwani (Best Menswear Designer), Khawar Riaz (Best Hair and Make-up Artist), Khaadi (Best Retail Brand), Neha (Best Female Model) and Ameer Zeb Khan (Best Male Models). New winners were Rizwan ul-Haq for Best Fashion Photographer, Maheen Karim for Best Pretwear Designer and the Emerging Talent was the lovely Rabia Butt. The Design categories were represented on stage by one model walking out on to the ramp for every designer who sent an outfit. Mrs. Sughra Kazmi who pioneered intricate wedding finery many many decades ago was the Lifetime Achievement winner in Fashion. Her daughter in law and couturier par excellence herself Bunto Kazmi accepted the award for her.

The tribute to Reshma by Atif and Shehzad Roy and Saima was definitely the high point of the evening. When Atif and Reshma sang Lambi Judaii and she blessed him it was a touching moment. Shehzad Roy also sang with her and together they created a magical moment in Pakistan’s music history. Reshma was also the recipient of the Unilever Chairman’s Lifetime Achievement Award

Fawad Khan is known to the millions who watched Khuda Kay Liye as the confused Sarmad who spurns music. At the LUX Style Awards he was the performer who stole hearts by his measured, matured performance that signaled the start of an artist who is born to shine. Pappu Samrat choreographed the segment for both Reshma and Fawad.

The 7th LUX Style Awards ended on a high note with live performances by Jal and Atif who electrified the crowd with some of their recent hits. The event was produced and directed by Frieha Altaf at Catwalk Productions and directed for by television by Team NJ. The 7th LUX Style Awards will be on air in the second half of November on Geo and PTV.

"Ten years ago when I made Ram Lakhan, times were different. Jackie Shroff and Anil Kapoor played brothers who were ready to die for one another. Now Anil who was the chota bhai plays the eldest brother. Now the brotherly ties are more businesslike. I wouldn’t say the sibling relationships are all about money. But commerce has definitely crept into our lives in a big way and it shows in Yuvvraaj."

A not-so-secret formula of Subhash Ghai’s long-standing success is his ability to change with the times. "Makeovers are very important. We all have to do it." Yuvraaj is the first Subhash Ghai film with elements of classical western music. Ghai grew up listening to the musical classical greats from both India and the West. "Do you know when playback music was introduced into our cinema, Western classical music was also incorporated into. Look at ‘Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh‘ in Shri 420; it’s as jazzy as a Hindi song can get. Somewhere down the line, Hindi music lost its connection with Western music. I’ve tried to re-establish that connectivity in Yuvvraaj."

For the first time we get to hear the cello in a Hindi film. "My film opens with a long passage on the cello. Rahman, Gulzar and I sat over every note trying to get the music right. Yuvvraaj is my first full-fledged musical since Taal. And I can’t think of anyone except A. R. Rahman who could’ve given me this score."

The elaborate choreography comes from years of Western influences. "I love watching Broadway shows, operas and theatre whenever I’m abroad. Those visuals have stayed with me .And I’ve used them in Yuvvraaj. Sadly today choreography is not what it used to be. When Vyjanthimala or Madhuri danced, the shooting went on non-stop for 7-8 days. Nowadays it’s done in 2-3 days and the editing takes care of all the dance movements." The choreography in Yuvvraaj is inspired by the big extravagant musicals of the West. "I’ve poured my heart and art into making this film. I’d call it a musical in the truest sense. People are looking at the film as some kind of clutter-breaker. It’s a responsibility that I’m not a stranger to such responsibilities."

Next, Ghai goes into a film starring Dilip Kumar. "Again, a huge responsibility. I’ve finished the first draft of the script. I’ll get to work on that project as soon as Yuvvraaj is released."