It’s great that the HUM Awards unrolled with such fanfare and hoopla yesterday; the invites were decadent and I’m sure the event was star studded and sparkling too. But when it comes to award shows in Pakistan, one has been rooting for the Lux Style Awards for the past decade, as one of the most credible (despite regular controversies attached) and the most style savvy. As I always say, what would celebrity be without scandal or style!
The Lollywood tribal dance at the LSAs last year. Hopefully that was the last time we’ll ever have to witness it.
But three months into the year, with the global circuit of award shows over (it does end with the Oscars), we still hear nothing from the LSA office. It’s no secret that Fareshteh Aslam (formerly the Awards Manager for the LSAs) and several other experienced hands have moved on but where does this leave us with the award ceremony? So, I hear from various sources that the awards will be taking place this year. But when? No one knows for certain. There isn’t even a whisper about the jury or voting, the process hasn’t even begun. I haven’t even seen an ad inviting portfolios for nominations in the television category, voting for which precedes everything else.
It would be a pity if the LSAs decided to sit it out this year, not with several films (for a change) in the running. Television has seen a phenomenal year and fashion, of course, has also been as strong as ever. Music has seen new stars rising. We all thought that the tenth anniversary of the LSAs would set some mode of regularity and stability to the event but I guess not. They may happen, but they’re definitely travelling down a rocky road to get there.
ps. I was in China at the time of the LSAs last year (terrible timing, who schedules a high profile awards show smack in the middle of summer vacations?) but I wouldn’t like to miss another year. Can we please get a formal announcement of some sort, if anyone from Unilever is reading?
