The biggest award show of the country is upon us. With one week left to the 18th edition of the Lux Style Awards, preparations are in full swing and so is the excitement and anticipation of both industry folks and their fans. After all, not many other shows bring together all the glitz and glamour of the Pakistani entertainment industry under one roof like the Lux Style Awards.

Trouble for Teefa

Covering all major fields like film, drama, fashion, and music, the Lux Style Awards are a celebration of the finest the Pakistani entertainment industry has to offer. This year, however, the Lux Style Awards have been shrouded with controversy more than ever following Ali Zafar’s nomination for Teefa in Trouble. Zafar, as is known, is accused by fellow artist and performer Meesha Shafi for sexual harassment. This has resulted in a handful of nominees withdrawing from their nominations.

To find what’s in store for us we reached out to Frieha Altaf, the show’s director and whose association with the Lux Style Awards or in short, LSAs, has been almost as long as the show has existed.

Last year’s #MeinBhi and theme for this year

Last year the LSAs had gained much appreciation with its “MeinBhi” theme and devoted the show in doing its part to bring awareness to the global #MeToo movement. While that theme did not age well with this year’s controversy involving Ali Zafar’s nomination, it does make us wonder what the theme for this year is going to be.

“Last year the mood itself was very sombre with incidents like Zainab’s case being at the forefront; everyone was disturbed and the priority was to bring awareness to pressing issues like child sexual abuse and women empowerment, which was what Mein Bhi was all about”, said Frieha. “But this year there is a different theme. LSAs don’t usually have a particular theme but this year the underlying theme is ‘love’. As it comes in different forms so this year’s LSAs are all going to be about celebrating that”.

Expect a lot of extravagance

Frieha assured that unlike last year, the event will not be modest. Instead the function will be all about the grandeur that is signature of the Lux Style Awards. Apart from the pomp, the LSAs are known for its star power line-up for performances. With the best of the industry all gathered together, it’s natural for that talent to flow out on stage and wow the audiences.

“Lux is all about celebrating those who have worked hard all year round – be it fashion, drama, film, or music. Of course, there are going to be many star-studded performances related to all these. But why talk about them now and spoil all the fun?”, said Freiha.

Final rehearsals are in order

Well, while Frieha might not give us that information but there are already behind-the-scenes pictures posted on social media that tell us who is expected to perform. Pictures and boomerang videos of this year and last year’s Lux Girls Saba Qamar and Maya Ali, rehearsing with ace choreographer Nigaah Hussain, have already gone viral. The Gangster Guriya Mehwish Hayat as well as the Chhalawa reel & real-life couple Zara Noor Abbas and Asad Siddiqui are also confirmed to perform. Rumor has it that singer-performer Atif Aslam will be also be one of the acts on the evening.

Frieha also talked about how this show is going to be different from its previous editions because of the change in the format of hosting. “The show won’t have a single host for the entirety of the event. It’s going to have a very different feel this time around”. Promising this year’s Lux Style Awards to have a “younger” feel, Frieha said that this time around the focus would be on the young generation as they are the ones who are the future. But that doesn’t mean the legends would not be honoured. This time around, like always, there will be time and segments dedicated to honor the legends of the industry.

This is surely enough to get us all excited for what the award show has in store for us. Let’s see whether the event would be grand enough to erase the stain left by its controversies or if it paves the way for more. All we know is come next week and the Lux Style Awards will be a trending discussion.

Be sure to check Galaxy Lollywood to stay updated about it all.