Pakistani teen captivates social media with intricate leaf art

Pakistani artist Kamran Khan carving the logo of Arab News on a leaf during an interview with Arab News in Peshawar on October 31, 2024. (AN Photo)
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Updated 06 November 2024
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Pakistani teen captivates social media with intricate leaf art

  • Kamran Khan, 19, specializes in making intricate designs, patterns and portraits on dried leaves
  • Artist says social media has played “huge role” in expanding his outreach, he also takes orders online

PESHAWAR: A young Pakistani artist based in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has captivated social media with his unusual canvas: plant leaves. 
From a small corner in Peshawar city’s bustling Storytellers’ Market, popularly known as Qissa Khwani Bazaar, Kamran Khan carves intricate portraits on delicate leaves, blending tradition with artistry and earning a growing online fan base.
Originally from Bajaur in Pakistan’s tribal belt, the 19-year-old artist moved to Peshawar for his education and livelihood and is now a third-semester political science student at the city’s historic Islamia College. While he has to balance his studies and a small family business he helps run, he also finds moments in between to pursue his passion.
“I have been doing art and drawing since childhood, but then I thought of taking it in a new direction to make it more unique,” he told Arab News in an interview this week. “I started practicing leaf art. I watched a video from where I decided to adopt the idea since it felt different.”




Pakistani artist Kamran Khan speaks during an interview with Arab News in Peshawar on October 31, 2024. (AN Photo)

Khan specializes in leaf carving, carefully etching designs and images into the surface of leaves, often using blades to create detailed scenes and portraits. The process requires a firm hand, patience and precision to avoid damaging the delicate structure of the leaf. He also uses a special kind of leaf that is dried for two days before it is ready to be used. 
The artist has made hundreds of portraits and designs, including images of politicians, artists, tribal elders, celebrities and world leaders.
Carving the logo of Arab News, he said, “I have sketched many leaders. I made the sketch of [Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman and uploaded its video on TikTok.”




This photo, taken on October 31, 2024, shows Pakistani artist Kamran Khan’s artwork featuring Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during an interview with Arab News in Peshawar. (AN Photo)
 

Social media had played a “huge role” in expanding his outreach, Khan said. 
“I take orders [to create art] using social media platforms, from TikTok, Instagram and Facebook,” he said. “International orders also come in, often requesting videos only. Orders are also placed for leaf art in physical frames, and we can adjust to both.”
Khan’s dedication was rewarded when a piece featuring Maryam Nawaz Sharif, a Pakistani politician who became the chief minister of Punjab after the last general elections, caught her attention.




In this photo, taken and released by Punjab Chief Minister office on October 9, 2024, shows Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz receives artwork, featuring her portrait, created by Kamran Khan in Lahore. (Photo courtesy: Facebook/Maryam Nawaz)

“I made a video of Maryam Nawaz’s sketch, and then she picked up my [work] from the social media platform and invited me over,” he added. “When we reached the CM House in Lahore to meet her, she appreciated [my work] and gave me a cash prize.”
Sharing his future plans, he said that he wanted to represent Pakistan on the world stage.
“I strive to promote our province and culture through this art,” he said, “and would love to represent my country Pakistan as well.”


‘Blitz’ and some more words that will make a great headline

Updated 16 sec ago
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‘Blitz’ and some more words that will make a great headline

RIYADH: There will be roughly 360 words in this story. Some of them will be longer, like perspicacious or unforgettably or something like that. Some will be short. But there will be just under 350 of them whatever length they might be.  

There will be roughly 360 words in this story. Some of them will be longer, like perspicacious or unforgettably or something like that. Some will be short. But there will be just under 350 of them whatever length they might be. There will be roughly 360 words in this story. Some of them will be longer, like perspicacious or unforgettably or something like that. Some will be short. But there will be just under 350 of them whatever length they might be.  

There will be roughly 360 words in this story. Some of them will be longer, like perspicacious or unforgettably or something like that.  

There will be roughly 360 words in this story. Some of them will be longer, like perspicacious or unforgettably or something like that. Some will be short. But there will be just under 350 of them whatever length they might be. There will be roughly 360 words in this story. Some of them will be longer, like perspicacious or unforgettably or something like that. Some will be short. But there will be just under 350 of them whatever length they might be.  

There will be roughly 360 words in this story. Some of them will be longer, like perspicacious or unforgettably or something like that. Some will be short. But there will be just under 350 of them whatever length they might be.  

There will be roughly 360 words in this story. Some of them will be longer, like perspicacious or unforgettably. There will be roughly 360 words in this story. Some of them will be longer, like perspicacious or unforgettably or something like that.  

Some will be short. But there will be just under 365 of them whatever length they might be. There will be roughly 360 words in this story. Some of them will be longer like perspicacious or unforgettably or something like that. Some will be short. But there will be just under. 


Northern Soul: Discovering the center of English pop culture

Updated 16 sec ago
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Northern Soul: Discovering the center of English pop culture

  • Exploring England’s northwestern powerhouses, Manchester and Liverpool

DUBAI: London might be the UK’s capital, and the center of Britain’s financial and political power, but visitors seeking the true heart of England should head to the two great northern cities of Manchester and Liverpool. Here, two of the main pillars of English popular culture — football and music — take center stage. 

As part of the British government’s attempts to raise awareness of tourism opportunities outside of London, Arab News went on a press trip in November that delved deep into the rich cultural history of both cities. The two have much in common. Each has two Premier League football teams — one red, one blue — and in each the red team has historically been far more successful (although in Manchester, that gap is narrowing rapidly). And both have been the focus of movements that have changed the face of pop music: the ‘Madchester’ scene of the late Eighties/early Nineties, and the Merseybeat scene of the Sixties, from which emerged the band often hailed as the greatest of all time, The Beatles — four Liverpool lads who grew up within a few miles of each other, three of whom, it turned out, were among the finest songwriters to have ever lived. (The other was Ringo Starr, who, to be fair, was a metronomic and creative drummer crucial to The Beatles’ sound).  

In Liverpool, our base is the majestic Titanic hotel, named for the ill-fated liner, which was registered in Liverpool. Thankfully, it lives up to that name only in its impressive scale — even the corridors are enormous — and is anything but a disaster for its guests, providing service and accommodation that would be the envy of any luxury cruise ship. 

It’s part of the regeneration of Liverpool’s docks, and sits just around the corner from Everton’s new stadium, which will be inaugurated at the start of next season (several of our taxi drivers joke that it will be the most impressive stadium in England’s second tier once Everton — Liverpool’s blue team — are relegated this year). But it’s Anfield, home of Liverpool FC, that is globally renowned. We attend the late kick-off against Aston Villa on Nov. 10, and experiencing a game live is the best way to truly understand just how much significance football holds in English culture. While you get a better view of the action watching on television, that’s more than compensated for by the atmosphere — tens of thousands of people gasping, groaning, singing and roaring in unison.  

Most English football grounds are now far more welcoming than their reputation suggests — women and children commonly attend, and Liverpool can count many from the Arab world among their supporters thanks to the impact of Egyptian superstar Mo Salah — but the language remains industrial. So if you want to experience a Premier League stadium without the man in the seat in front of you advising the referee exactly where to put his whistle, maybe opt for a tour on a non-matchday. The Anfield one offers a comprehensive journey through Liverpool’s trophy-laden history, right up to the just-ended Jurgen Klopp era, with some great stories from knowledgeable guides and ex-players, visits to the home and away dressing rooms (the away one is considerably less fancy, of course), a pitch-side wander, and a trip to the executive boxes.  

Manchester City’s Etihad stadium tour offers much the same experience, although with more focus on interactive experiences (a press conference with Pep!) — perhaps to compensate for the fact that the team’s history, until the last decade or so, is nothing like as golden as Liverpool’s. It’s an impressive setup though, and probably more fun for kids.  

Back in Liverpool — and back to music — we visit the world-famous Cavern club, where The Beatles made their name. While it understandably plays up its historic links to the Fab Four, it’s still a thriving venue today, welcoming established international stars, local up-and-comers, and veteran cover bands, and is packed out most nights (mostly with tourists). It’s just one of dozens of bars and clubs in the city center that stage live shows in a city where the music scene continues to flourish.  

To dive deeper into The Beatles’ history, Liver Tours offers a bespoke experience led by incredibly knowledgeable guides who will take you round the major landmarks associated with the band — from their childhood homes, through the church hall where John Lennon and Paul McCartney were first introduced, to places that inspired their songs (Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, and more). It’s an exhaustive venture, highly recommended for Beatles’ lovers, but perhaps a little too much for casual fans, who may prefer the excellent Beatles Story on Albert Dock — a celebration of the band’s rise to world domination, a reminder of just how quickly it all happened (less than eight years between the release of their debut single and their final album), and a statement about how much the band did for their hometown.  

In Manchester, we stayed in The Reach at Piccadilly, located just round the corner from the city’s main train station and a short walk from the Northern Quarter — home to several great independent shops and cafés and a favorite haunt of many of the city’s most famous musicians over the years; many of them are celebrated, if obliquely, in the area’s pavement art. Despite the Reach’s central location, it’s a very peaceful hotel with friendly staff and fantastic breakfasts.  

Our Manchester music tour is a more scattered affair than the Liverpool one — less-focused on a single band (understandable, given how singular The Beatles are) but exploring the breathtaking array of talent spawned in, or coming to, the city and its suburbs, from the 165-year-old Hallé Orchestra; the Free Trade Hall, where Bob Dylan famously performed in the Sixties and the Sex Pistols infamously performed in the Seventies and inspired a legion of young Mancunians to pick up guitars and form bands of their own; on to Seventies rockers 10CC, Eighties miserabilists Joy Division and The Smiths, as well as the creators of one of the all-time-great debut albums The Stone Roses, and the Nineties Britrock behemoths Oasis (plus dozens of others in between). Our guide from Brit Music Tours, once again, carries a wealth of information in his head and doesn’t just reel off a list of facts, but tells numerous insightful and entertaining anecdotes.  

And despite spending several hours on these tours over three days, it feels like we barely scratched the surface of the two cities’ culture — let alone their vibrant foodie scenes, shopping and nightlife. If you’re planning a trip to the UK and would like somewhere more relaxed than London, but with just as much — if not more — to offer, then head northwest.  


Billboard Arabia Music Awards celebrates regional music scene

Updated 12 December 2024
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Billboard Arabia Music Awards celebrates regional music scene

RIYADH: The Billboard Arabia Music Awards took place in Riyadh on Wednesday night to honor the most-streamed songs and popular artists in the region, including Palestinian Chilean singer Elyanna who is on a world tour with British rock band Coldplay.

Focusing on digital data from global music and video platforms while spotlighting Arabic music, the event attracted numerous celebrities and music enthusiasts, including Jara, billed as Saudi Arabia's first female rapper.

"Hala Walla! My name is Jara, and I’m thrilled to be at the inaugural Billboard Music Awards in Saudi Arabia. This moment is incredibly special to me, especially as I’m one of the nominees for Best Female Hip Hop Artist in the Middle East. Whether we win or not, I’m just so excited to be part of this celebration today." Jara told Arab News ahead of the ceremony.

The awards saw notable winners, including the Song of the Year award that went to “Tamer Ashour;” the Artist of the Year prize won by Sherine Abdulwahab; the Favorite Artist that was won by Amr Diab; the Best Khaliji Song prize that went to “Ayedh;” the Best Khaliji Artist award that went to Abdulmajeed Abdullah; the Best Khaliji Female Artist award won by Omaima Talib; the Best Egyptian Song nod that went to “Tamer Ashour;” the Best Levantine Song that was won by "Wain;" and the Best Female Artist from the Levant that went to Nancy Ajram. Meanwhile the Best Moroccan Song award went to Saad Al-Mujarrad’s "Guli Mata," and the Best Indie Artist nod that went to Cairokee.


Red Sea International Film Festival’s awards ceremony draws global cinema icons

Updated 12 December 2024
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Red Sea International Film Festival’s awards ceremony draws global cinema icons

  • The Golden Yusr Best Feature Film Award went to “Red Path” and the Best Director prize went to Lotfi Achour for “Red Path”
  • The Best Actor and Best Actress awards went to Mahmoud Bakri and Mariam Sherif, respectively

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival held its closing red carpet event and Yusr Awards ceremony on Thursday night.

Stars from Hollywood, Bollywood and beyond walked the red carpet at the festival’s new headquarters in Al-Balad in Jeddah.

Hollywood’s Sarah Jessica Parker walked the red carpet. (Getty Images)

The likes of British actor and filmmaker Dev Patel, British actor John Boyega and Brazilian model Alessandra Ambrosio were on the closing event’s red carpet, although the festival will continue its slate of screenings until Dec. 14.

Hollywood’s Sarah Jessica Parker also walked the red carpet as Bollywood-to-Hollywood crossover star Priyanka Chopra Jonas and her husband, musician Nick Jonas, posed for photographs alongside Mexican actress Eiza González.

Alessandra Ambrosio attends the Closing Night Red Carpet at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2024 on December 12, 2024 in Jeddah. (Getty Images)

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee — known for films such as “Malcolm X” and “BlacKkKlansman” — presided over the features competition jury this year, which awarded the coveted Yusr Awards late on Thursday night. Meanwhile, Oscar-winning actress and producer Viola Davis and Chopra-Jonas were honored at the closing event.

Eiza González and Mohammed Al Turki attend the Closing Night Red Carpet at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2024. (Getty Images)

Lee spoke to Arab News hours before the awards ceremony, saying the festival’s international slate of films impressed him.

Maria Bahrawi attends the Closing Night Red Carpet at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2024 on December 12, 2024 in Jeddah. (Getty Images)

“It’s just great. The films (that) were curated for us (were) from a lot of the countries in the region. I like to show my students at (New York University) world cinema, because everything’s not Hollywood. And that is how you learn about a culture, the stories that they tell reflect the history and the herstory — you’ve got to say both now — of the world we live in.”

ulius Tennon and Viola Davis attend the Closing Night Red Carpet at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2024. (Getty Images)

Lee kept tight lipped about the winners, saying: “The 16 films that were in competition, we had a lot of choices. So, we deliberated amongst my fellow jurors, it was hard to pick.”

Of the 14 awards up for grabs at the Yusr Awards ceremony, the Golden Yusr Best Feature Film Award went to “Red Path,” the Best Director prize went to Lotfi Achour for “Red Path” and the Jury Award was given to “Seeking Haven For Mr. Rambo” by director Khaled Mansour.

The Best Actor and Best Actress awards went to Mahmoud Bakri and Mariam Sherif, respectively. Meanwhile the Golden Yusr Short Film prize went to “Hatch” by directors Alireza Kazemipour and Panta Mosleh and the Film AlUla Best Saudi Film Award went to “Hobal” by director Abdulaziz Alshlahei.  

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas attend the Closing Night Red Carpet. (Getty Images)

The festival, which is running under the theme “The New Home of Film” this year, featured 120 films from 81 countries at the new venue — previous ones were held at the city’s Ritz-Carlton hotel — where five purpose-built cinemas and a large auditorium hosted back-to-back screenings as well as “In Conversation” panels with celebrities.


Dev Patel (L), John Boyega (R) and guest in the Green Room on Closing Night on of the Red Sea International Film Festival 2024 on December 12, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Getty Images)

Those talks proved to be the biggest draw of the festival, with leading Hollywood and Bollywood stars featured on the agenda. From Indian superstars Kareena Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor to Marvel actor Jeremy Renner and Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser, as well as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, among others, this year’s bill was not short on star power.

Johnny Depp’s film “Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness” is the closing ceremony screening on Thursday night and Depp is expected to walk a separate red carpet before the screening.


Priyanka Chopra Jonas eyeing Bollywood return in 2025, crossover star says at RSIFF

Updated 12 December 2024
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Priyanka Chopra Jonas eyeing Bollywood return in 2025, crossover star says at RSIFF

  • Misses dancing and culture, she says at Red Sea film festival
  • Feels ‘fortunate’ to work in 2 of world’s largest film industries

JEDDAH: Bollywood fans can rest easy — Indian superstar and film producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas is not yet done with India’s film industry and is planning to return as soon as 2025.

“I’ve been seeking to do something again. It’s been almost six, seven years since I’ve done a movie back in India. I’m hoping next year … I’m very close,” Chopra Jonas told Arab News.

She was speaking on the sidelines of the fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, where she was honored at the closing ceremony on Thursday.

“I like a couple of things very much. I’m really hoping next year I do an Indian movie, because I miss the dancing,” she said.

“I miss the language, I miss Indian culture. I miss working with the crew that I’ve grown up working with in the Indian film industry,” continued Chopra Jonas, who is married to American musician Nick Jonas.

“So I really never transitioned from Bollywood to Hollywood. The idea was always to balance both. I think I’m very fortunate to be one of the very few talents that can work in two of the largest film industries in the world. And I am very proud of that.”

Chopra Jonas is coming off a packed 2024 schedule where she completed filming on two massive projects, including Amazon Prime Video’s “Citadel” season two and the Hollywood swashbuckler action film “The Bluff,” co-starring Karl Urban.

The series “Citadel,” produced by “Avenger: Endgame” filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo, and also starring “Game of Thrones” actor Richard Madden, introduced two new international spin-off series this year, with two more in the works.

While “Citadel: Diana” is set in Italy, “Citadel: Hunny Bunny,” starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varun Dhawan, follows the lives of Chopra Jonas’ character Nadia Sinh’s parents.

“I think it’s the only show of its kind in the world to try to achieve that, which is having other original shows from local languages that are all connected. I don’t think that’s ever been achieved in entertainment.

“And it’s a really ambitious idea, and only, I guess, Amazon Prime Video could pull it off. I’ve worked with them a lot this year, and as a studio they just have really ambitious ideas, and I’ve had a great time working this year with them,” said Chopra Jonas.

She added: “The second season was really fun to film because we’ve now connected stories from our international shows as well. In the second season, we have a lot of new cast that’s come in.

“Joe Russo directed most of it himself, which was really cool, because he’s just incredibly talented when it comes to shooting something at that scale, but yet not losing the integrity of your characters. So that was really wonderful.

“I think this season is very grounded. It’s very about the characters and what is happening with each one of our stories, which I think people will find really, really interesting.”

Chopra Jonas also stars in the upcoming pirate flick “The Bluff,” from British indie filmmaker Frank E. Flowers. Apart from Chopra Jonas and Urban, the film also stars “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” actor Ismael Cruz Cordova.

“I mean, to play a female pirate is an incredible opportunity, and especially because female pirates actually existed. So, it was really wonderful for me to start doing research into the 1800s and 1700s and, you know, read about amazing, legendary female pirates like Grace O’Malley.

“And it was just really amazing to think that in the 1700s you have like women that were captains of pirate ships and did what we usually see men do,” she said.

“And then when I read the script, it’s a really grounded movie. So, it’s not like ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ where, you know, it’s like fun, but it’s like the serious version of what piracy actually was like, and pillaging.

“And so it’s a wonderful story about a woman trying to save her family from her past. I love that story. We shot it in Australia over three months. The story is based in the Cayman Islands, so we recreated that. And, yeah, I finished shooting that in August, and then I went into ‘Citadel’ season two.”

Chopra Jonas shot to fame in Bollywood in the early noughties and starred in several blockbusters including “Don 2” and the “Krrish” franchise before catching the eye of Hollywood casting directors, most notably with 2017’s “Baywatch” and 2021’s “The Matrix Resurrections.”