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Arab News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
‘The Pakistani Vibe': Inside the imagined worlds of renowned art director Hashim Ali
LAHORE: Tucked away in a quiet lane in Pakistan's cultural capital of Lahore, Hashim Ali's studio feels less like a workspace and more like a time capsule from the Mughal era. Large Persian rugs are spread out on the floors and ornate jharokhas overlook walls painted in beige and maroon and covered in wood panels and miniature paintings, creating a world suffused with nostalgia and opulence. Every corner of the studio reflects the vision of an art director who doesn't just design sets but builds atmosphere. The space is both sanctuary and stage, where centuries-old aesthetics come vividly to life in the service of modern, visual storytelling. One of Pakistan's most renowned Pakistani visual artists and art directors, Ali is a Visual Communication Design graduate from the prestigious National College of Arts (NCA) institute in Lahore. Over the years, he has come to be known for his work in fashion, film, and music and is celebrated for his creative vision and attention to detail, particularly in creating visually stunning and intricate sets. His ability to blend historic grandeur with modern maximalism has won him several accolades over the years, including the Fashion Art Director award at the 2024 Hum Style Awards and the Pride of Performance Award in 2021. In an interview with Arab News at his studio in Lahore's posh Gulberg neighborhood, Ali, 34, said his passion for visual storytelling came from a history of childhood bullying. 'When you are bullied, you have to make [up] stories, you have to read stories, so I would get lost in fairytales,' he said. 'I would just start imagining what this world is, what these people are, what is this fantasy that exists out of this world? It started from there.' The stories he read, full of mythology and folklore, led him to start thinking about his identity as a Pakistani and a South Asian. 'Then I was like, 'Why can't we rebuild these memories and these spaces and these places?'' Ali's own studio is a recreation of spaces of the past, a Mughal court in miniature — crafted not from marble and sandstone, but from cardboard, fabric, and imagination. With hand-painted arches, makeshift jalis, and richly colored drapes, the space evokes the grandeur of a bygone empire while laying bare its theatrical artifice. The illusion is deliberate: a paper palace blurring the line between history and performance and reflecting South Asia's enduring nostalgia for lost splendor and the way identity in the region is often reconstructed through fragments — of memory, of myth, of art. What one then sees is not just a recreation of the past but a reinterpretation, inviting a dialogue between heritage and reinvention: 'If Hollywood can create all of this [set design] and we think as Pakistanis that we can't do any of this, then we're at fault. Because we did create the Taj Mahal. We did create the Lahore Fort … If we could do it then, we can do it now.' 'COMBINED MEMORY' One of Ali's most cherished creations was the set for the song 'Pasoori,' the first Coke Studio number to hit one billion views on YouTube Music and the most searched song globally on Google in 2022, the year of its release. Ali, the production designer and art director of the set, crafted it as a communal space, with the bohemian aesthetic of the set, characterized by vibrant colors and eclectic elements, complementing the song's fusion of reggaeton beats with classical South Asian instruments like the rubab. Ali describes the aesthetic as 'the Pakistani vibe,' exemplified by a new generation that had grown up in the era of globalization and social media and was reclaiming public spaces and dressing up and conducting themselves in ways that merged their cultural heritage with contemporary elements. 'It's so interesting that now when I'm sitting and I'm scrolling on Instagram or TikTok and I see these reels of girls wearing either 'saris' and 'ghagras' and they're dancing in Lahore, in old Lahore,' Ali said. But the project closest to Ali's heart is hidden away in the winding, narrow streets of Lahore's historic Gali Surjan Singh near Delhi Gate. It is a concept store, Iqbal Begum, imagined as a tribute to his late dadi or grandmother, a mathematics teacher who passed away in 2014. The store has been built in a centuries-old home that Ali rented from a woman who has lived there before the partition of India in 1947 and the creation of Pakistan. The walls are adorned with framed pictures of Iqbal Begum and the shop strewn with things that belonged to her, including old table clocks and dial phones and a tub of Nivea cream, a bottle of Oil of Olay lotion, and a coin purse framed together. Ali remembered growing up surrounded by the stories his grandmother told him, including about the violence of the partition. 'She told me a story about how she lost her favorite pen and our house was burned down in front of her eyes and the sense of belonging started happening,' Ali said. 'From that story, this thing of holding on to objects, holding on to people, holding on to stories became very important.' The concept store is thus not only a way to tell the story of Iqbal Begum but also to create shared memories. 'So, for me, every time I tell a story, I'm passing on my memory to someone else, and when they go and tell someone, in a way, it's almost like my dadi is still alive,' Ali added. And the process is two-way, because people show up with their stories also and can connect with the items they see in the store: 'Then it becomes like a combined memory.' Ultimately, it all connects back to the idea of Pakistan for Ali and to preserving its national, personal and collective histories into tangible, emotionally resonant experience. 'I kind of equated it to the bigger grandparent or the larger mother, which is Pakistan, that slowly, slowly all these amazing things that Pakistanis and Pakistan has done, we're slowly letting them fade away,' he said. 'The idea from this dadi telling stories to a child has become about this child telling those stories or trying to tell those stories to the world and saying, 'Hey, we're Pakistan and we're a beautiful country and we do all these things apart from what you're used to hearing about.'.'
New Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
2020 Delhi riots: Court acquits 12 in Hashim Ali murder case
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has acquitted 12 men of all charges linked to the killing of a man identified as Hashim Ali during the 2020 North-East Delhi riots. Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala of the Karkardooma Courts cleared all allegations against Lokesh Kumar Solanki, Pankaj Sharma, Ankit Chaudhary, Prince, Jatin Sharma, Himanshu Thakur, Vivek Panchal, Rishabh Chaudhary, Sumit Chaudhary, Tinku Arora, Sandeep and Sahil. 'I find that in the name of circumstantial evidence, there are some fragments and pieces of evidence, which fall much short to point out towards any of the accused persons as member of the culprit mob,' the judge said in the order. According to witness accounts, the accused were seen carrying stones, sticks, swords, iron rods, and shouting slogans such as 'Jai Sri Ram' and 'Har Har Mahadev'. It was further claimed that these men were leading the mob and instructing others by calling out names. As per the FIR, they were allegedly involved in the murder of nine Muslim men after checking their identities. Public witnesses had reportedly seen the killing of Hashim Ali. The prosecution alleged that the group conspired to 'teach Muslims a lesson' for attacks on Hindus. They were said to have armed themselves with sticks, swords, firearms and more, and killed several, including Hashim Ali and his brother Aamir Khan. But the court found the evidence lacking in terms of identifying any of the accused as part of the mob that stopped the two brothers. 'In fact, except for PW1, no other witness claimed having seen any incident, which could be connected with incident with Hashim and Amir,' the court noted. The judge also dismissed the prosecution's claim that WhatsApp messages linked Lokesh and others to the riots. 'However, I find that this plea is just a general presumption without support of substantive evidence. It shall be matter of analysis of other piece of circumstantial evidence, to see if the chain of all circumstances has been connected, to show involvement of Lokesh and others in the incident leading to death of Hashim,' the judge further said.
Indian Express
05-05-2025
- Indian Express
2020 Delhi riots: Court acquits 12 men accused of murdering Muslim man
A Delhi court on Wednesday acquitted 12 men who were allegedly involved in the killing of a man named Hashim Ali during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. The Special Public Prosecutor in this case had relied on WhatsApp chats from a group in which the accused persons had made 'extra-judicial confessions', stating that 'your brother has killed two Muslim men'. Referring to these chats, Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala of Karkardooma Court, in his order dated April 30, noted: 'Such posts/messages may be put in the group solely with intention of becoming hero in the estimation of other members of the group and it could be a boast also, without truth.' 'The argument of Ld. Prosecutor [is] that the chats show [the accused] Lokesh and others…, who were members of that group, were involved in the riots. However, I find that this plea is just a general presumption without support of substantive evidence,' the Court said. It acquitted the 12 — Lokesh Kumar Solanki; Pankaj Sharma; Ankit Chaudhary; Prince; Jatin Sharma; Himanshu Thakur; Vivek Panchal; Rishabh Chaudhary; Sumit Chaudhary; Tinku Arora; Sandeep; and Sahil. The FIR lodged in this case had alleged that the accused persons were involved in the killing of nine Muslim persons. Of these nine, two were Hashim Ali and his brother Aamir Khan. The prosecution had alleged that the accused had conspired to teach Muslims a lesson for attacking the Hindus during the 2020 riots. Witnesses examined by the prosecution had alleged that the accused persons were carrying stones, sticks, swords and iron rods and were shouting slogans like 'Jai Sri Ram' and 'Har Har Mahadev'. The Delhi Police had filed multiple chargesheets naming a WhatsApp group, named 'Kattar Hindu Ekta', in connection with the nine murders. Lokesh was the first person arrested in the case, and during his questioning, he named the other accused persons who were a part of the group. Between February 24 and 26 in 2020, the riots engulfed the Capital, leaving 53 dead, over 500 injured, and damaging property worth crores.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Time of India
2020 Delhi riots case: Delhi Court acquits 12 due to lack of evidence
New Delhi: A Delhi court acquitted 12 accused persons of murder and criminal conspiracy charges in a case related to the 2020 . The court of additional sessions judge Pulastya Pramachala, on April 30, stated that the fragments and pieces of circumstantial evidence were insufficient to establish the identity of the accused persons as part of the riotous mob. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to prosecution, the accused were part of the mob that murdered Hashim Ali on Feb 26, 2020, in the jurisdiction of the Gokalpuri police station. The court noted that the prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence as the eyewitnesses did not support its case for identifying the accused. "I find that in the name of circumstantial evidence, there are some fragments and pieces of evidence, which fall much short to point out towards any of the accused persons as members of the culprit mob," the judge said. The judge then named Lokesh Kumar Solanki, Pankaj Sharma, Ankit Chaudhary, Prince, Jatin Sharma, Himanshu Thakur, Vivek Panchal, Rishabh Chaudhary, Sumit Chaudhary, Tinku Arora, Sandeep, and Sahil. The ASJ court, noting that the prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence as the eyewitnesses did not support its case for identifying the accused, observed, "Unless the identity of members of the culprit mob is established, vicarious liability cannot be fastened upon anyone. No presumption can be raised that some persons identified as part of some mob at some place at some other time period would also have been part of the mob, which was involved in the incident of murder." The court also rejected the prosecution's argument that some of the accused, who were part of a WhatsApp group 'Kattar Hindu Ekta', confessed to the murder during chats. "Such posts/messages may be put in the group solely with the intention of becoming a hero in the estimation of other members of the group, and it could be a boast also, without truth," said the court, adding that the posts could not be used as substantive evidence to prove murder.
Economic Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
Delhi riots: Court acquits 12 of murder, conspiracy charges
In a recent verdict, a Delhi court acquitted twelve individuals. These men faced accusations of murder and conspiracy related to the 2020 Delhi riots. The court cited insufficient evidence linking them to the crime. The prosecution's case relied on circumstantial evidence and WhatsApp group chats. The judge dismissed these as unreliable. The accused were acquitted of all charges. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Popular in India A local court has acquitted 12 men accused of murder and criminal conspiracy in a case related to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots . According to the prosecution, the accused were part of a riotous mob that murdered one Hashim Ali on February 26, 2020, in the Gokalpuri area Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala said fragments and pieces of circumstantial evidence were insufficient to establish the identity of the accused as part of the its 52-page order dated April 30, the judge said, "I find that in the name of circumstantial evidence, there are some fragments and pieces of evidence, which fall much short to point out towards any of the accused persons as member of the culprit mob."The court then acquitted Lokesh Kumar Solanki, Pankaj Sharma, Ankit Chaudhary, Prince, Jatin Sharma, Himanshu Thakur, Vivek Panchal, Rishabh Chaudhary, Sumit Chaudhary, Tinku Arora, Sandeep and said the prosecution had relied upon circumstantial evidence as eyewitnesses did not support its case for identifying the accused."Unless the identity of members of the culprit mob is established, vicarious liability cannot be fastened upon anyone. No presumption can be raised that some persons identified as part of some mob at some place at some other time period, would also have been part of the mob, which was involved in the incident of murder," it court also rejected the prosecution's argument that some of the accused persons, who were part of a Whatsapp group called "Kattar Hindu Ekta", had confessed to the murder in their said, "Such posts or messages may be put in the group solely with intention of becoming hero in the estimation of other members of the group and it could be a boast also, without truth."The posts cannot not be used as substantive evidence to prove the murder, it FIR had been registered against the accused under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including rioting, murder and criminal conspiracy.
