‘Tonite with HSY’ – shaken, but not stirred
Who better than Hasan Shehryar Yasin – aka, Shero – to host a glamorous talk show targeted towards a niche, select audience?
Shero’s certainly one of fashion’s most interesting figures; ever talkative, intelligent with a wicked, vivacious wit. He’s also a showman to the hilt, always flirting with the spotlight as he traipses down the catwalk, or shakes a leg at an awards ceremony or simply strikes a pose. Suited in a dapper suit or flamboyant in an embroidered kurta and waistcoat, he’s long been Pakistan’s very own Shahrukh Khan – or Karan Johar, perhaps?
Has Tonite with HSY turned out to be, as one may have expected, a copy of the popular Indian ‘Koffee with Karan’?
Not really, although it may look like it at first glance given that two guests are invited per episode, there’s a gift-hamper to be won and conversations in both shows are mostly in English.
Shero, though, doesn’t try to be a Karan – or anybody else for that matter – opting to bring in his own lucid flavour to his interviews. There are no awkward pauses and no bumbling questions.
There are also, thankfully, no aspirations to the nonsense one suffers through in morning talk-shows. Nobody’s broken into a sudden haywire bhangra on Tonite with HSY – not yet, at least.
Predictably, Shero’s good friends and muses, model Mehreen Syed and actress-director Reema have already made appearances in the show, but there are other guests who have been chosen very cleverly: the hit Humsafar couple, Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, in a show that aired just a few days prior to Fawad’s much-acclaimed Bollywood debut, Khoobsurat.
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Other appearances include director Bilal Lashari in a rare, post-Waar TV interview; friends and actresses Maria Wasti and Ayesha Omar; Waar co-stars Hamza Ali Abbasi and Ayesha Khan; and glib-tongued comedian Omer Sharif.
Shero knows many of them from before and shares an easy repartee with them.
But while the interviewees may look interesting, not all of the show’s episodes have been riveting.
The desultory lack of chemistry between Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan was all-too-evident in the very first episode, although given Fawad’s current popularity, the interview probably still garnered high viewer ratings.
Shero was quite clearly intimidated by the audacious Omer Sharif (who wouldn’t be?), failing to ask him the really interesting questions. His questions, in general, are fairly generic, refraining from probing very deeply. The oft-asked ‘Is there a man in your life?’ never moves to meatier matters.
The show is thankfully fast-paced which keeps things interesting, but it’s hardly a groundbreaking reveal-all of the guests. There’s hardly any talk on love affairs, rumours and scandals – instead, one hears saccharine sweet recounts of ‘favourite teenage memories’ and smiles through the game-rounds.
The show does have its many redeeming moments: Reema recounting how she flew into Pakistan for the ‘Sitara-e-Imtiaz’ ceremony only to discover that last-minute changes had taken place and the award had gone to arch rival Meera; Maria Wasti candidly mentioning a spat she had with Sarwat Gillani and Mehreen Syed explaining precisely why models end up fighting on backstage.
What works most for Tonite with HSY are Shero’s frank spurts of humour. He’s always had the gift of the gab and he works it well.
In the very first episode, he tells Mahira Khan, referring to her tryst at TUC, The Lighter Side Of Life, “You’re the first guest on my show, but you never invited me to your talk show… kya fashion industry ke log biscuit nahin khaatay (do fashion industry people not eat biscuits)?”
He also jibes at Fawad’s on-air diplomacy as opposed to his apparently much more interesting off-air conversations.
The guest-pairs Hamza Ali Abbasi and Ayesha Khan as well as Maria Wasti and Ayesha Omar were particularly fun to watch.
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The guests were already friends, all Shero had to do was sit back and enjoy the inside jokes.
He’s an insider himself – a veritable star in his own right – and guests feel comfortable with him. It was for this very reason that one had expected Shero to create waves, ask the really perceptive questions rather than revert to happy-go-lucky conversations, set new precedents instead of presenting a talk-show that entertains but doesn’t always enthral.
Perhaps this is the first season and he’s toeing safe lines. Perhaps next year, Tonite with HSY will create fireworks. Till then, the show’s a feel-good cocktail that has certainly been shaken – though not stirred.
Maliha Rehman is a fashion and lifestyle journalist with a penchant for writing, all the time! Log on to Twitter for more updates @maliharehman