Pakistani entertainment industry has progressed with leaps and bounds in the past few years. There was a time when being associated with the world of entertainment was not enough for people to earn their bread and butter. Things have changed a lot and not only can the celebrities earn their bread and butter with this money but also afford a very luxurious lifestyle. Waqar Zaka in his latest video gave detailed information about the highest paid celebrities in Pakistan giving definite figures about how much they earn from different projects they do.

While pointing out who these highest paid celebrities were, he made it clear that not everyone in media was or could earn this much. These people who are earning so much are obviously gifted but people have no idea how much a gifted celebrity can earn in Pakistan.

He started off with giving the list of top 3 male celebrities who were the highest paid in the industry for commercials. Here is the list:

3. Hamza Ali Abbasi (Around $40,000 for commercial)

2. Atif Aslam and Ali Zafar (Around $80,000 for commercial)

1. Fawad Khan (Around $150000 for one commercial)

Then he gave a list of female celebrities who charged the most for a commercial. The list contains these names in this order:

3. Mawra Hocane ($25000 for one commercial)

2. Mehwish Hayat ($40,000 for one commercial)

1. Mahnoor Baloch and Mahira Khan ( Around $100000)

He also talked about talk show hosts who get paid on monthly basis. He also said that they get perks like car and house to live in in some cases. Here is the list of top 3 highest paid talk show hosts:

3. Mubashar Lucman (Monthly $20,000)

2. Waseem Badami (Monthly Around $40,000)

1. Shahid Masood and Kamran Khan (Around $45000)

Waqar Zaka also revealed how much the singers charge for doing concerts. As mentioned by him in his video, the top 3 highest paid singers in Pakistan are:

3. Ali Zafar ($70,000 for one concert)

2. Atif Aslam (Around $90,000)

1. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (Around $90,000)

He also listed the highest paid Morning Show hosts. The list is as follows:

3. Sahir Lodhi ($20,000 Monthly)

2. Nida Yasir ($25,000 Monthly)

1. Aamir Liaquat ($45,000 Monthyl)

Watch the video here:

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this episode. Ahsan Khan is a very talented actor, and after Udaari, I greatly admire and respect his work. I am glad that Sarmad Khoosat asked Ahsan Khan to explain how he initiated the Dewar-e-Mehrbaani project in Pakistan. He revealed that through an inspiring video, he came to know about the project Dewar-e-Mehrbaani or Wall of Kindness initiated in Iran. He took it upon himself to bring this project to Pakistan. He joined hands with a bunch of friends to repaint the walls of Karachi. This was quite a positive step in the right direction that encouraged people to help the poor and needy.

Here are a few pictures of this project:

Dramas Khoosat asked Ahsan about his big screen projects. He revealed that he is currently working on two film projects, one of which has been completed. The name of the film is Chupan Chupai and it boasts a big cast including Jawed Sheikh, Rehan Sheikh, Sakina Samo and Ahsan Khan himself among other names.

Ahsan Khan also spoke about typical saas bahu sagas with disdain; he believes that people associated with the industry are in the position to direct people’s attention towards important, relevant issues, so it’s high time that we broke free of done-to-death storylines. 

It was very nice to watch this episode, oh and I almost forgot: Sarmad cooked Thai curry today.

Aiza Khan and Danish Taimoor are…pretty much everywhere. Be it Ramadan transmissions, Maria B campaigns or Eid shows, you simpy cannot ignore this star couple.

Aiza and Danish, arguably the most photographed couple in the industry, will be seen in Mazaak Raat’s Eid Show. This is a pre-recorded Eid show.

The two look absolutely beautiful. Here are the pictures:

Recently, the Indian High Commission hosted an Iftaar in Islamabad. This was a grand, star-studded affair where celebrities like Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Imran Abbas, Maya Ali, Meera, Sadia Khan, Ali Saleem were present.

Here are some of the pictures from the event:

From veteran actresses like Sania Saeed and Nadia Jamil to budding new actresses like Mehar Bano – I certainly appreciate the variety of guests that make an appearance on Star Iftaar. Mehar Bano made her TV debut with Sarmad Khoosat’s Daagh which aired on ARY. We also saw her in Uff Yeh Muhabbat on Geo, but apart from that, we don’t see her much on TV. The other guest, Sonia Nazir, her name didn’t ring a bell but according to Sarmad, she is the face of numerous campaigns. Sarmad also announced that the two are a part of a drama he has directed, but I honestly have no idea which drama he was talking about.

This was a different episode because there were two guests but I enjoyed it.

Here are some pictures from the episode. I think both the ladies looked really nice and simple:

Mahira Khan is one of those very lucky actors that got to work with two of the finest in the industry – Shoaib Mansoor and Mehreen Jabbar – at the very beginning of her acting career. She made her big screen debut with Shoaib Mansoor’s powerful movie, Bol, and TV debut with Mehreen Jabbar’s Neeyat which aired on ARY.

A few days back, Mahira posted on her instogram that it’s been five years since the release of both Bol and Neeyat.

She has come a long way, hasn’t she?

The Indian High Commission in Islamabad hosted an Iftar dinner for Pakistani celebrities. The Iftar dinner was a grand affair with some of the top celebrities enjoying themselves at Monal restaurant Islamabad. Celebrities like Imran Abbas, Atif Aslam and Meera who have worked in India were invited to the dinner. Maya Ali was also seen at the function. There has been news that Maya Ali is thinking about working in India. Sadia Khan was also seen on the event. Imran Abbas and Sadia Khan are busy shooting for the sequel of Khuda aur Mohabbat nowadays. Shafqat Amanat Ali and Rahet Fateh Ali Khan were also part of this event.

Here are some pictures from the event:

Fawad Khan has reached new heights of fame with his work not only in Pakistan but also in India. He is one of those very few Pakistani actors who got so much fame and recognition across the border. Fawad Khan is not only known for his talent but also for being a family man. He has said it many times that he loves his wife a lot and she has a big role to play in his success.

Fawad Khan and his wife Sadaf  Khan are parents already, they have a son named Ayaan Khan. Fawad Khan and Sadaf Khan got married in 2005. Their love story is known by everyone who knows them or has seen or read Fawad’s interviews. The latest news circulating the web is that Fawad Khan and Sadaf Khan are expecting another child. Fawad Khan does not comment much on his personal life on social media but the sources close to Fawad confirmed the news. Fawad Khan is in Lahore nowadays so that he can spend some time with his wife.

We are very happy for Fawad and Sadaf.

The public has not recovered from the killing of famous Qawal Amjad Sabri and now there is another shocking and tragic news from Karachi. According to reports famous actor and singer Nadeem Jafri was shot multiple times when suspected robbers opened fire at him in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal area today in early hours of the morning.

Fakhr-e-Alam who is very close to Nadeem Jafri informed people of this sad incident via twitter. It is a huge consolation that Nadeem Jafri survived the attack.

Artists in Pakistan have been feeling very insecure after the killing of Amjad Sabri and they asked for more security from the government few days ago. Fakhr-e-Alam also said in his tweet that Nadeem Jafri’s family was shaken up after this incident.

We wish Nadeem Jafri a speedy recovery.

The Jaswal brothers are super talented, that’s for sure. Uzair and Umair Jaswal are awesome singers, the latter best known for Sammi Meri Waar and his main role in Sarmad Khoosat’s Mor Mahal.
Yasir Jaswal is multi-talented – he is a singer, film and music director, writer an photographer. He is best known for writing and directing film Jalaibee starring Danish Taimoor, Ali Safina, Adnan Jaffar, Sajid Hassan among others.

In a recent interview with BBC Urdu, Yasir Jaswal talked about his upcoming venture. “It’s an action-thriller this time and the story has been finalized, but we’re still working on the script.”

“It is based in Pakistan but some sequences will be shot internationally, because it’s difficult to shoot action sequences here. We tried doing that with Jalaibee, to have teams come from abroad and shoot here but that didn’t happen.”

“Because of Pakistan’s conditions, people are scared to come here. However, it’s not like that, it’s safe, and good work is being done here. It’s the idea people abroad have of Pakistan, and we can only change that through films.”

Yasir Jaswal doesn’t want Pakistani films to go the Bollywood route. “You either make it for the audience or you do it because you want to deviate from the norm, towards a new cinema. Most films from Bollywood are for money-making and it’s important that we bring something ‘Pakistani’ to our ideas and films. But that can only be done by staying unique, “not by following Karan Johar or copying their films. We’re copying an existing industry; ours will exist if we bring our own ideas to the table.”

“Our audience is very smart — even though we believe otherwise — we think that we can show them anything, but a lot of films have flopped because of that. By thinking of putting an item song or showing girls dancing in a film, it will be hit, but many a times they are a flop, that’s because that doesn’t resonate with the audience.”

This was quite an engaging episode and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it.

Adnan Malik agreed with Sarmad about the dearth of well-written and well fleshed-out characters, and revealed that people had been telling him to make an acting debut for quite some time, but he was waiting for the right character. When he was offered the role of Khalil in Sadqe Tumhare, he was sold! He talked highly of Khalil ur Rehman’s dialogue and the sincerity with which he translated his own story on paper. Adnan confessed that Khelu’s character had such an impact on him that it stayed with him long after he was through with the shooting. Adnan Malik is also thinking of writing a film and wants to complete his first draft.

Adnan’s shout-out to his grandmother and Aya was really sweet.

Today, Sarmad prepared Burgers coupled with a coconut drink.

In the event of the trailer launch of Actor in Law, there was a question and answer session in which Fahad Mustafa, Nabeel Qureshi, Fizza Ali Meerza and Mehwish Hayat talked about the film.

There is a scene in the trailer where Fahad Mustafa’s character says something like, ‘‘Quaid-e-Azam bhi actor banna chahte thay.” The journalists present at the event found this to be a bit offensive. Fahad Mustafa responded by saying that it’s a film, and the line was part of its content. He said in films such things came up and he would like all to see it first. He assured the media that there’s nothing offensive about the film, so people should watch the film and support Pakistani cinema.

Nabeel Qureshi explained that the media had seen the trailer in a ‘scattered’ way so they didn’t know of its [line’s] background. He said he hadn’t included the line out of nowhere. He said it was based on facts and actually the idea for the film generated from it. He reiterated that the Quaid-i-Azam wanted to be an actor because when he went to London to study law, he had tried to do Shakespeare. He said the Quaid wrote this to his father in a letter, to which his father said he couldn’t betray his family. He said that made the Quaid into a great lawyer and he helped us gain independence.

Fahad Mustafa emphasized that this [project] was all entertainment.

Fizza Ali Meerza said that the film is a product of a lot of hard work and is made with the ‘right intention’. She said they had tried to entertain the audiences, adding that only after watching the film (which is set to be released on Eidul Azha) one could tell how successful the team was in entertaining cine-goers.

Nabeel Qureshi said earlier in the day when he logged onto his Facebook page he realised that it was on June 27, 2014 that the trailer of Namaloom Afraad was launched. He called it nostalgic. He said the last time he was very ‘confident’ but this time round he was ‘conscious’, because previously no one knew him.

Actress Mehwish Hayat, who plays the female lead in the story, said her experience of working in Actor-in-Law was very good. She said it was a privilege for her to be a part of the venture. She said hers was a challenging character for which she had to rehearse many times. She said her role had quite a few ‘shades’ and the movie was a ‘social comedy’.

Fahad Mustafa  termed the film a ‘brave attempt’ saying that it wasn’t the conventional comedy. He said it touched upon social issues that we all wanted to speak about but couldn’t. He said the characterisation was good and probably the audience would leave the theatre after watching the story with a message.

Source: Dawn Images

Actor In Law, produced by Fizza Ali Meerza and directed by Nabeel Qureshi is all set to be released across cinemas in September.

Here are the pictures from the trailer launch:

Hamza Ali Abbasi’s controversial questions and statements in his Ramzan special show have received many reactions from the public and celebrities. Most celebrities till now have supported Hamza Ali Abbasi because they believe everyone has the right to freedom of expression and Hamza Ali was only exercising that right. Waqar Zaka is the first celebrity who has come out and expressed openly how he feels about Hamza Ali Abbasi’s actions. In a long video Waqar Zaka discussed the issue of Ahmedis and the duty of the state towards non Muslims. Later on he went on to share why this whole thing was wrong.

Waqar Zaka said that Hamza Ali Abbasi could have discussed this issue behind the scenes and then asked a question. But what he did was not ask a question but share an opinion which was totally contrary to what most people believe in, which proves he was doing it all to get attention and publicity. Waqar Zaka apologized to Hamza Ali Abbasi before hand and said that he should admit that he was wrong.

Waqar Zaka supported PEMRA’s ban on Hamza Ali Abbasi and also criticized his stance after Jawani Phir Nahi Aani. He also requested Hamza Ali Abbasi to stop insulting his religion and understand it first and then talk about it.

Watch the video here:

Qandeel Baloch has done many things to gain cheap popularity but this time what she has done is bigger than anything else she has ever done before. Her scandal with Mufti Qavi did not only make her very popular but also effected Mufti’s reputation and career in the worst way. In the latest Press Conference today Qandeel Baloch said that she was getting many life threats ever since she revealed the real face of Mufti Qavi. She said that she needed security because her life is in danger.

Qandeel Baloch was very emotional all through the Press Conference and almost cried when she revealed,

“My sources have told me to stay underground. I have been confided within the four walls of my house, I have lost my peace of mind, I feel like a prisoner.”

She said that she was being punished like this because she brought the truth forward. She added,

“I have sent a written notice to the interior minister in which I have requested him to provide me security and protection. My life is in danger, my family’s life is in danger.”

Qandeel Baloch also said that she registered a complaint with FIA because her passport and identity card was being shown freely on social media. She said,

“No one has the right to show my legal documents on social media like this. Who are these people who are after me? I want to find out.”

Actor In Law is an upcoming Urdu film but with an English name. The shooting of Actor In Law commenced in start of this 2016 and completed as per schedule. The film will be released on upcoming Eidul Azhad,on 13th or 14th September 2016.

Audience have high hopes from this film as the same team of Nabeel Qureshi (director), Fizza Ali Meerza (producer) and Fahad Mustafa (lead artist) provided the super hit entertainer Namaloom Afraad in 2014 on Eidul Azha.

Actor In Law has Fahad Mustafa in the lead role like Namaloom Afraad paired with Mehwish Hayat. Mehwish Hayat also played a cameo appearance in Namaloom Afraad in the item song of Billi. Another highlight of Actor In Law is the presence of acclaimed Indian artist Om Puri.

Film: Actor In Law
Starring:Fahad Mustafa,Mehwish Hayat,Alyy Khan,Om Puri,Saboor Ali,Irfan Motiwala,Rehan Sheikh,Lubna Aslam,Saleem Mairaj,Saife Hassan,Rashid Khawaja
Written by:Fizza Ali Meerza
Directed by:Nabeel Qureshi
Produced by:Fizza Ali Meerza, Mehdi Ali
Music by:Shani Arshad
Cinematography:Rana Kamran
Production company: Filmwala Pictures
Distributed by: Urdu 1
Relese Date: Eidul Azha on 13th or 14th September 2016

The poster of Actor In Law was released last week and now today its teaser is also released.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlQB_40JGFk

Rashid Nazir Ali

Armeena Khan is a Pakistani-Canadian film and TV actress. She first starred alongside Azfar Rehman in comedy sitcom, Happily Married. Her drama serial, Shab-e-Aarzoo Ka Alam didn’t receive much attention but her acting in Muhabbat Ab Nahe Hogi was appreciated and although she played quite a flawed character, it was difficult for viewers to completely hate her. We saw her play a supporting character in Momina Duraid’s Bin Roye,where she appeared alongside two of the biggest names in Pakistani entertainment industry – Mahira Khan and Humayun Saeed. We will be seeing her in Reham Khan and Hareem Farooq’s Janaan pretty soon.

In a recent interview with Express Tribune, Armeena talked about working in Pakistani dramas and films.

Talking about the kind of characters she wants to do, “I have refused 10 dramas and three films this year. I don’t want to do the bechari aurat role.”

She shared that she can relate to her character in Janaan because she is like her in many ways. “Meena, in Janaan is a lot like me — a young girl who has just returned to her roots and is rediscovering them from a fresh perspective. It talks about the relationships you didn’t nurture and the beauty of the area you originate from. Meena is empowered, ambitious and ultimately falls in love with Pakistan like I did.”

Osman Khalid Butt has penned the script for Janaan. Armeena sat with Osman Khalid Butt while he was finalising the script for Janaan. “My habits were incorporated into the script like how I laugh and my expressions so you will see Meena in all of Armeena’s shades in the film.”

Armeena confessed that for her, playing a typical housewife in dramas can be a bit of a challenge. “My upbringing is not in accordance with the local culture or the daily activities of Pakistani housewives; so I had to study it — it’s not something that came naturally to me.” She also shared that she took acting courses at Pinewood and Ealing in London. “My shortcomings came to light but I realised that acting schools are great but ultimately it boils down to how centred you are in your character.”

Armeena refuses to endorse whitening products. “I can’t go down the Kim Kardashian route or endorse things that hurt people’s self-esteem because many of my fans are young women.”

She has already made her Bollywood debut with a film that didn’t receive much attention. “I am not averse to Bollywood because I’ve done that already but I have a strong sense of social responsibility. I am the first girl in my family to enter the media; so they have expectations of me as do my fans.”

In the latest episode of Star Iftaar, we saw the very beautiful and jolly Jana Malik. Sarmad Khoosat praised Jana Malik for being very hard-working and dedicated to her work.

I remember Jana Malik mostly from her PTV days. She also played the extremely conniving and scheming sister-in-law in Ek Tamanna Lahasil Si. Currently, viewers can see her in Sarmad Khoosat’s Mor Mahal. Again, this was one of those episodes where the main focus was on the dishes being prepared. I am disappointed that we didn’t get to learn much about Jana Malik; she has been associated with the industry for quite a long time so it would have been interesting to see her share her experiences. Khair…

Sarmad Khoosat prepared Quick Qorma (Shahi Style – reference to Mor Mahal, maybe? ;) ).

Umer Naru is a talented young actor, best known for his role in Pyare Afzal, where he played the gullible Mehtaab. He also played the very sweet and sensitive brother-in-law in Durr-e-shahwar and these days, viewers can see him take on the role of Shehzada Taimoor in Sarmad Khoosat’s Mor Mahal.

In a recent interview with Dawn Images, Umer Naru talked about his character and his experience working in Mor Mahal.

When asked about the most challenging thing about working in Mor Mahal, Umer answered, ”Shooting through the brain-melting summer, dressed in thick layers of clothing, whilst maintaining game face.”

The characters in Mor Mahal have to speak khalis, saqeel Urdu. Umer Naru was asked if that was a challenge. ”By the time we went into shooting, I was well prepared. And yes, I did learn quite a few new words along with their historical context. Words like saazindey, aseelein(female guards of the harem) and kornish…but mostly I picked up on the right pronunciations of words.”

He played the nice guy in Pyare Afzal, Durr-e-shahwar, Mirat-ul-uroos. Why is that? ”It so happened that those scripts passed the bare minimum standard I had set for myself. I don’t know if there is a trap and even if there is one I ain’t falling for it.”

Talking about his character in Mor Mahal, ”Prince Taimoor is an idealist, who wears his heart on his sleeve. He is a good-natured, naive young nawab who finds himself caught in unusual set of circumstances. His parents’ political disagreements and life choices have a direct impact on the course of his destiny.”

Umer Naru admitted that essaying the role of Shehzada Taimoor gave an opportunity to discover his strengths and limitations as an actor. ”I haven’t exposed myself like this on screen before. Sometimes, in emotionally charged or physically demanding scenes, the line between restraint and over emoting seemed thin.”

Umer Naru has done a lot of theater work. In 2012, an international Shakespeare festival was held by the prestigious Globe Theatre were 37 countries took part to perform Shakespearean plays in their native languages. Umer Naru went to England and got to perform in Taming of the Shrew. This was one of his most cherished experiences that helped him gain confidence.

PEMRA has issued many notices recently to different channels. In another move PEMRA issued another notice to Geo Entertainment and also banned Aamir Liaquat’s game show Inaam Ghur which airs in the month of Ramzan specifically. The show has been banned for 3 days from 28th June to 30th June. After that the host has to apologize on the show which will air on 1st July for all the mistakes which have been pinpointed by PEMRA in the notice. The host Aamir Liaquat will apologize to all the viewers in the beginning of his show and will follow the code of conduct from now on.

The reasons for banning the show for 3 days and asking for a live apology on television were many. Firstly, the reason was that Aamir Liaquat pretended to be a woman who was trying to commit suicide by hanging from the fan. Secondly, a man was shown cursing on live TV after he won a prize. Thirdly, a woman who called on the show used foul language. Fourthly, the host Aamir Liaquat danced holding a pole in one of the shows which was considered obscene by the members.

The representative of Geo TV asked the council to give him 15 days to give a reply to all these complaints. PEMRA has asked Geo to give an answer not later than the 3rd day of Eid.

PEMRA also said in its notice that next time anyone wants to use the uniform of the armed forces for commercial purposes, they have to take permission from ISPR first. They also asked game show hosts to follow the rules set by the society and adhere to the cultural values of the country.

The supporters of the show condemned this action on twitter.

When drama serial Khuda Aur Muhabbat first aired on Geo TV back in 2011, viewers fell in love with the heart-achingly sad love story, the beautiful characters and the poignant dialogues that left a deep impact. The first season was directed by Anjum Shehzad, written by Hashim Nadeem Syed and it featured Imran Abbas and Sadia Khan in the lead roles.

Now, fans are promised that Khuda Aur Muhabbat Season 2 will hit their screens very soon. It is a much awaited and anticipated sequel. Imran Abbas too is very excited about this project which is why he keeps his fans posted through instagram.

Have a look at the BTS pictures:

Fahad Mustafa, the host of the very popular game show Jeeto Pakistan celebrated his birthday today.

His family came to Jeeto Pakistan to surprise him. Ali Kazmi, who is Fahad Mustafa’s good friend and partner (the two own Big Bang Productions) can also be seen in the pictures.

Here are the pictures:

Here are a few pictures of Fahad Mustafa celebrating his birthday with his wife and daughter: