LAHORE: The annual awards night, regarded as one of the country’s most prestigious and coveted award show, was held in the city of Lahore this year. A controversy had surrounded the event with ace designer and choreographer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin suddenly distancing himself from the show citing reasons that read, “budget considerations against his creative vision”. Despite that, Team Lux executed a star-studded night, rich in performances, awards handout ceremony and various tributes. These are some of the plusses and minuses of the event. STRENGTHS: Despite hurdles as faced by many event organisers, Lux has kept it an annual tradition of holding their event. They have managed not to miss out a single year and have now set a precedent in how entertainment and lifestyle awards should be held. One can expect, the host’s script of the Lux Style Awards to be always fun and comic, especially when singer and actor Ahmad Ali Butt is hosting. LSA’s decision to stick with the famed comedian has done it more right than wrong – he is factually correct, an expert with his comic timings, not the least bit offensive and keeps one on their toes. In short, there is never truly a dull moment when Ahmad Ali Butt is hosting. The survival kit coupled with delicious mouth-watering delicacies being served throughout the event, kept the audience, especially the first four rowers, full. The items were exquisitely prepared to perfection and were served in little portions every 10 minutes. The #MainBhi segment was perhaps the highlight of the event. An anthem for the #MainBhi movement was performed by a combination of young and old singers, rappers, rockstars and qawwals who took the stage to emulate exactly what the #MainBhi movement stands for: togetherness. It was extremely heart-warming and overwhelming to see veterans such as Abu Fareed Ayaz and Humera Channa sing alongside Kashmir, Sounds of Kolachi, Lyari Underground, Abid Brohi, the Viccaji sisters, Natasha Baig, Aima Baig, Mussarrat Misbah and her many acid burn survivors, Mukhtara Mai, Ansar Burney, Maheen Khan, Zurain Imam and many others, recreating Shahzad Roy’s “Kya Darta Hai”. The evening began with a rendition of classical music and dance, and since it was a very unique concept, it stayed with the audience. Actress Mahira Khan was the narrator for the opening act. One of the highlights of the event was when Wasay Chaudhry and Ahmad Ali Butt, held an accountability segment, where they called upon the leading actors and asked them questions regarding both their personal and professional lives. Actress Mawra Hocane, actor and filmmaker Humayun Saeed, veteran actor Nauman Ejaz and Mahira Khan were just some of the celebrities they called over. It was a hilarious and a much-needed Q&A session, that kept everyone highly entertained. The second opening act, featured a dance performance by acclaimed actor Ahsan Khan and model-turned-actress Amna Ilyas, flanked by a lot of children. They danced on a track by the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, composed by the legendary AR Rahman. The segment aimed at highlighting the issue of child abuse in Pakistan. Top model Amna Babar got on stage to receive her award for Model of the Year (Female). A very teary-eyed Amna Babar expressed how this was a special year as she had purchased a house for her mother and dedicated the award to her. The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to choreographer and entrepreneur Frieha Altaf, who thanked veteran designer Maheen Khan was standing with her through thick and thin and also lauded the efforts of women rights activist Mukhtara Mai, who was present on the occasion and had handed out Frieha Altaf’s award to her. Another well-deserved awards were given out to drama serial ‘Baaghi’ and romantic comedy ‘Punjab Nahi Jaungi’. The track ‘Tinak Dhin’ also won much to our cheer and applause, the LSA for Best Singers – Ali Hamza, Ali Sethi and Waqar Ehsan. WEAKNESSES: The event was supposed to begin at 4 PM, but it started at 9:15 PM. However, the issue of late start to award shows is but a norm. The LSAs lacked music performances like last year, when Atif Aslam and Ali Zafar had enthralled the audience with their songs. Although, the who’s who of the event had turned out, some prominent media did remain absent. Top model Rabia Butt, got on stage to present the award for Achievement in Fashion Design – Bridal. Right before she announced Sana Safinaz as winners, she said, “Should I announce the deserving winner or the one written on the card?” A moment, that became quite awkward, Rabia Butt did not stop there. While handing out the award, she said to the designer duo, “You so deserve this.” The event lacked dance performances which are enough to entertain the audience for a long time. Perhaps some lame skits could have been avoided and replaced by dance performances. WINNERS FILM Best Film – Punjab Nahi Jaungi Best Actor – Humayun Saeed in Punjab Nahi Jaungi Best Actress – Mahira Khan in Verna Best Film Director – Nadeem Baig for Punjab Nahi Jaungi Best Supporting Actor – Javed Sheikh in Na Maloom Afraad 2 Best Supporting Actress – Urwa Hocane in Punjab Nahi Jaungi Best Singer (Male) Film – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for ‘Sawaar De’ from Arth 2 Best Singer (Female) Film – Aima Baig for ‘Sadqa’ from Chupan Chupai MUSIC Album of the year – Wajd by Hadiqa Kiani Singer of the Year – Ali Hamza, Ali Sethi and Waqar Ehsan for ‘Tinak Dhin’ from Coke Studio Best Music Video Director – Raza Shah for ‘The Sibbi Song’ Best Emerging Talent – Kashmir for ‘Kaghaz Ka Jahaz’ TELEVISION Best TV Play – Baaghi Best TV Actor – Ahad Raza Mir in Yakeen Ka Safar Best TV Actress – Saba Qamar in Baaghi Best TV Director – Saife Hassan for Sang E Mar Mar Best TV Writer – Mustafa Afridi for Sang E Mar Mar Best Original Sound Track – Shuja Haider for Baaghi FASHION Model of the Year (Female) – Amna Babar Model of the Year (Male) – Hasnain Lehri Achievement in Fashion Design – Pret – Sana Safinaz Achievement in Fashion Design Luxury Pret – Sania Maskatiya Achievement in Fashion Design Bridal – Sana Safinaz Achievement in Fashion Design Lawn – Elan Best Menswear Designer – Republic by Omar Farooq Best Hair & Make-up Artist – Qasim Liaqat Best Fashion Photographer – Rizwan ul Haq Best Emerging Talent – Saheefa Jabbar Khatak – Model Lifetime Achievement Award – Frieha Altaf Published in Daily Times, February 22nd 2018.