Exploring Pakistan - Karachi UnCovered Part 1 of 3

Scottish Actor Atta Yaqub, star of Ken Loach's controversial film Ae Fond Kiss, goes on a journey to discover the cosmopolitan city of Karachi in Pakistan. Immersing himself in the glamorous world of supermodels and slick TV shows, he finds his misconceptions about the country his parents came from challenged and his opinions changed.

Arriving in the country for the first time in 20 years, Atta gets himself into a press conference for the Lux Style Awards -- Pakistan's equivalent of the Oscars. Befriending A list stars, he finds a country in the grip of a television boom.

At one of the myriad satellite stations broadcasting a diet of music, fashion, and drama he sees how television is influencing the aspirations of modern urbanites. To get in on the act, he tries out for a part in a top drama, but in a toe curling audition, finds his Urdu is not up to scratch.

He meets some young men obsessed with modifying sports cars and asks they think of the more traditional art form of truck modification. Culture, they say, is not interesting for them. Dazzled by the highly skilled workmanship that goes into truck decoration, Atta begins to suspect that modern Pakistan is out of touch with its own traditions.

To investigate further, he tries his hand at modelling. Eager to find out exactly how far girls will go when it comes to flesh content, he meets the country's top models. However, even the most modern Pakistanis, it seems, are not willing to bear flesh. Being modern he learns, does not mean being western.

Courtesy: BBC Documentary

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Pakistan
• Karachi
• culture
• Lahore
• Islamabad
• Quetta
• Peshawar
• Rawalpindi
• Swat
• Lollywood
• music
• movies
• modern Pakistan
• artists
• soap opera
• Islam
• modernity