What makes a woman truly sexy? Is beauty lies in the eye of the beholder? Are voluptuous curves of sex sirens enough to get them in to the list of the county’s sexiest women? Does showing skin in movies of four dimensions transform many a woman in showbiz or modeling world into a goddess overnight? Check out Diva’s pick of five knee-weakening, lust-worthy, desirable divas of fashion & entertainment industry. You just might go crazy from the heat.

Forget the behind-the-scenes drama, the Zee Cine Awards in Dubai last weekend truly rocked. More than anything else, it made a genuine effort to cement the Indo-Pak relations further, which have been on an upswing in the recent times. Simply put, Bollywood and Lollywood were akin to the ambassadors of peace that night.

Hosting a majestic show not in India, not in Pakistan, but in a third country (Dubai, U.A.E.) and assembling the biggies of Bollywood (Big B, Dharmendra, SRK, the Roshans, Preity Zinta, Urmila, Sushmita Sen, Saif Ali Khan, Randhir and Kareena Kapoor, Shahid Kapur, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi) and Lollywood (Reema, Resham, Jawed Sheikh, Umar Sharif) was an effort in the right direction and the management of Zee deserves bouquets for it.

The overt feeling of loss and longing as captured in the currently running video of Khammaj’s living testimony to Saqib Malik’s clarity of vision as a director. Not to forget his earlier masterpieces the sardoni Mr. Fraudiye and the seductive Behti Naar. With a fascination for Pedro Almodavar and Guru Dutt, Saqib has always something to startle his audiences with Bet Deewaney would be the Next!

Few, dare to be different. Especially, in an extremely conservative society. Even fewer, find acclaim in doing so. She’s one of them. Nabila. Rebellious and revolutionary. Known for defying conventions, Nabila’s ventured into uncharted terrain and walked her way to victory as Pakistan’s top hair stylist and make-up artist. Today, she’s a name well-regarded in the international fashion scene for her unique work.

For a person whose made her mark in the make-up business over an impressive 20 years, Nabila comes across as rather soft-spoken and unassuming. Pride is a thing that’s not on her palette. A rare virtue in the world of high-fashion, where people wear ego on their sleeve. She allows her work to speak for her. Work that’s visionary, and challenges all that’s in vogue. An attitude, that’s way ahead of times.

Your love story with Mehmood Bhatti seems quite puzzling. A few months back you were screaming from your rooftop that you were tying the nuptial knot, but then recently we heard that you have backed off. Is the party over?

Marriage is not just a word; it is a sentence. It’s a lifetime commitment and one should not make hasty decisions. There were certain cognitive factors like age difference, my permanent settlement in Paris etc. that made me change my mind. And I have no regrets.

It is a hot and humid Saturday afternoon when one reaches a local salon to meet Maria Wasti, who happens to be in Karachi for a drama serial she’s shooting. Dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans, her hair all over the place, we settle in comfortably, she with her cup of chai and me with my tape recorder, notepad and pen. The conversation begins with the much clichéd query: how did she come into acting?

And then we have Resham who is one catty, no-nonsense gal and gave a visible display of this in the cool climes of Murree recently.

Reports say that the silken lass who was shooting for a film in the queen of hills and along with some members of the unit went to a local restaurant to grab a bite. But a group of pesky lads upon recognising her began to misbehave and hurl snide remarks at Resham and her entourage.

She came, she saw and she conquered. We are talking about Bollywood belle Urmila Matondkar and her whirlwind visit to Lahore. She rightly termed her trip as dosti ka safar since she was friendship and amity personified, calling for greater sports and cultural ties between India and Pakistan and rightly declaring that this would bring the two estranged neighbours together.

Urmila came to Pakistan for the video of rock band Fuzon that has been directed by Saqib Malik from Pakistan and P. Kakar from India - another dosti venture that might hopefully open the doors to such more ventures.

Moving Closer, a 40-minute documentary by Serendip Productions, was screened at Alhamra Hall-II.

The documentary will also be shown in Bombay and Delhi and later screened on Pakistan Televison, Star Plus and Doordarshan.

Moving Closer is about Indian actress Urmila Matondkar and director Prahlad Kakar’s visit to Lahore earlier this year. The two joined Pakistani actors Resham and Shamyl Khan and video director Saqib Malik to make a music video for the Fuzon song Deewanay.

A period movie is a daunting undertaking, even for experienced and accomplished directors and financially profitable production houses. In Laaj, former civil servant Rauf Khalid has ambitiously selected a true story from British India (1936) for his debut as a producer, writer and director. That made the production a multiple challenge. The film starts with love blossoming between a rich Hindu girl and a poor Muslim boy, which culminates in an armed clash between the British colonial rulers and the Pathans. How has he fared?

It is an offbeat movie, but nothing should detract from the fact that it is an important effort that tries to break fresh and extremely difficult ground. In our times of absurd local cinema, distinct from cinema of the absurd, Laaj should be welcomed as a breath of fresh air.