The Hot Spot brings Lollywood kitsch to t-shirts

September 4, 2009

With slogans that will strike a chord with everyone such as ‘Loadshedding Blues’ and ‘Chaudhry’s Angels’,
this new range of t-shirts is as witty as they come.

Hani Taha Salim
Lahore

Style_Omar-KhanTStyle_Maula-Jutthis season, many a designer has latched onto the t-shirt wagon. But while most offerings this season have lacked punch and creativity, that may be set to change with the offerings by Omar Khan, whose dessert shop has always been a gallery of paraphernalia on desi goth and global gore: “The Hot Spot has unashamedly been Lollywood kitsch. Now the next step is to celebrate the pulpy wonder of Lollywood and Bollywood with some t-shirts that are not designed to be specifically ‘patriotic’ or political in any way. It’s just a little tongue in cheek attitude, which in my opinion never did anyone any harm.”

Style_loadsheddingStyle_Chaudhrys-AngelsAnd as he held up his latest fares, with the excitement of a ten year old eager for a approving response, one glimpsed at the one captioned ‘fundo – mental’ with spectacles and a beard drawn in the centre-mental” in irreverent glee. Our eyes meet and we collectively burst into laughter akin to that of little kids when they know they have done something really naughty but are so proud of it nonetheless. And so Omar pipes in, in full grown pride, “I designed this one all by myself! So am I also a designer now?” he chimes in innocently.

Hardly prone to slandering others work, even Omar Khan though, had to concede in full dramatic aplomb, “Tapu (Javeri) turns designer! Oh lord for crying out loud! ‘Oye Mithoo!’ What the hell is that?”

And Omar’s latest offerings don’t disappoint: hard hitting, funny and erudite featuring captions such as ‘Loadshedding Blues’, ‘Chaudhry’s Angels’,’Daddy Kewl’ and the crassly hilarious ‘Kiss my Chudees’, which Omar mentions he received a full on lecture from an ex-first lady of Pakistan who condemned it as “rude, cheap, immoral and vulgar” – golden words that he cheekily used for his advertising posters.

But the apparel probably should come with disclaimers since t-shirts like the fundo-mental one might generate some unwanted attention and censure considering that it is reinforcing stereotypes. The advert for the t-shirts does precisely that: boldly declaring that the ‘Hot Spot proudly presents its line of deranged tee shirts not meant for the establishment’. But Omar has always been good with stereotypes; it has been his forte to take Lollywood and turn it into something cool: “The bottom line is to celebrate some vintage Lollywood pulp, to get kids to realize how cool our filmi history is and to indulge in the purely whimsical just for the heck of it! In the coming weeks we intend to introduce the first wave of 11 tees in two shades of grey in addition to the white. And as we are currently missing out on the Goth/Metal/Rebel crowd, we need to get working on a black option as well.”

How well he manages to avert danger and rancour after the launch of this particular line of tee shirt only time can tell. One only applaud the efforts of man refusing to bend on his principles and do so with wit and punch alongside creating affordable and incredibly soft tees in organic cotton that even have a slimming effect! Now that’s ‘reel fashion’!

Source: Instep Todaya