The Lux Style Awards committee this morning announced the final categories for the grand annual event, which is scheduled to be held on July 7 next year. This time around the awards feature excellence in 28 genres from fashion, music, film and television, reflecting the changing dynamics of our entertainment industry.
The first surprise is the date set for the 18th annual Lux Style Awards. This year the event was held in the last week of February, which fell in sync with award shows worldwide. Award shows are generally held earlier in the year so that the previous year’s content is still fresh in peoples’ minds. This time, however, the LSAs will be held in the third quarter of 2019.
We spoke to LSA Award Manager Fareshteh Aslam, who thinks that there is no fixed time selected for these awards. “It depends on different variables; one of which is the availability of a venue,†she said.
Let’s look at the changes in the categories…
Film & TV: Critics versus Viewers’ Choice Awards
This year sees a clear bifurcation between Critics Awards and Viewer’s Choice Awards for Best Actor/Actress in Films as well as TV respectively. This is a great addition because it establishes an artistes’ popularity versus critical acclaim.
Read: LSA’18: The highs, the lows and the simply awkward moments
Punjab Nahi Jaungi swept the film awards last year but there’s no room for Best Supporting Actress (last won by Urwa Hocane) this year.
Film: No more supporting actors or actresses
Trophies for Best Supporting Actor/Actress in Films have been eliminated this year and the category is under review. This may have been done to reduce the timing of the already long show but we’re not sure it was the best decision to take. What’s good is the addition of Best Emerging Talent in Television as a new category; that’s a nod to the growth of television in Pakistan.
Fashion: Best Designer Lawn slashed
In fashion, the Best Designer Lawn category has been removed. “There are too many similarities between designer lawn and prêt wear collections nowadays, therefore two separate categories are not required. Though we have upgraded bridal design category to Bridal Couture to reflect the flourishing couture work,†Fareshteh explained the reasons behind the decision.
Music: No room for Best Album or Best Music Video Director
While musicians are always centre stage at the show – we’ve seen Atif Aslam, Ali Zafar, Ali Azmat and many, many more perform at the LSAs over the years – there’s no denying the fact that the Music Awards are considered quite limited in their approach towards musicians; we’re not just saying this, musicians feel this way. This year things have gotten a little weaker, with the elimination of two strong categories – Best Album and Best Music Director. Also, the categories for Best OST and Best Playback Singer surely belong to film and TV and the only reason to throw them in music is because separate awards could not be given for film and TV.
- Submissions for nominations in respective categories are open now and must be uploaded before midnight on January 20th, 2019.
