Mehreen Raheal has taken a break from showbiz because she wants to give all this time to her children. Mehreen has a son who is one year old and a new born daughter who is a few days old. Mehreen has always felt pride that she left her work for her children. She keeps on expressing her feelings on her facebook page.
Here is what Mehreen recently had to say about her son’s arrival in this world:
Mehreen Raheal has named her daughter Jahanara. Here are some pictures of Mehreen with her children:
Naraz is an upcoming play in which the viewers will see the very talented and versatile Faysal Qureshi playing the lead role. The play has been produced by Showcase Productions and it stars actors like Faysal Qureshi, Sara Khan, Fahad Ahmed, Muzna Ibrahim and Javeria Abbasi. The play will air on ARY Digital some time in December.
Just like the viewers the actors are also tired of playing the same kind of characters in stories that are also not much different from each other. Faysal Qureshi while talking to Hip said, “It’s a very different serial, not like any other dramas that we see often. No saas bahu issues or other conventional conflicts.”
The writer of the serial Mohsin Ali also wrote the script for the film “Wrong No”. The play has been directed by Najaf Bilgrami. The young budding actress Sara Khan will be playing the leading role with Faysal Qureshi.
Here are some pictures from the sets of “Naraz”:
After watching, or I should say, struggling to keep my eyes open throughout the episode, I can’t even think of a tamheedi statement, so I’ll just get straight to the point: how on earth do I watch and discuss and analyze a character that simply needs mental help? I tune in every week, hoping to find something sensible and relate-able about Emaan and her faislay, but sorry, I just don’t get this girl. And I think what makes it worse is the fact that we are supposed to believe that its Emaan and her decisions that make sense whereas Sheheryaar’s decisions are impractical? All of a sudden, it’s Emaan the Dreamer who’s being ‘haqeeqatpasand’? When did dusri shadi become a pragmatic solution to marital problems? A few weeks back, when I was actually enjoying and looking forward to Mol, I remember mentioning how the best thing about Emaan and Sheheryaar is the fact that their problems are very real and 21st century-like. Emaan’s character was anything but typical, but to see her considering dusri shadi to be the only solution to her problems, I just feel disappointed. I wish they realize that when viewers sit down to watch a drama, they like to see something they can identify with. But, tell me, how can I possibly relate to a woman who gives a set of chooriyan to her prospective sautan to thank her? As a female viewer, I find it demeaning the way a girl is perfectly fine with getting married to an already married guy who even rejected her once. And more than that, I find it demeaning how a woman is coercing her husband into dusri shadi.
I felt for Sheheryaar all through the episode. What Sheheryaar valued and wanted all his life was his personal space and freedom, but the fact that someone as unyielding as Sheheryaar is going ahead with dusri shadi against his will just for the sake of Emaan goes to show that she is a lot more than a mere commitment to him. I was shocked to see Emaan calling her relationship with Sheheryaar, ‘maalik naukar ka rishta’ – that’s taking it too far. I think Sheheryaar has always seen her as his equal so this dialogue of hers actually made me cringe.
This episode brings another character into the mix; Rohail’s estranged wife, Sanober (Zainab Qayyum) has finally made an appearance. From what little we have seen, separation didn’t suit Sanober; she is miserable and broke. Sanober is not exactly what you’d call a concerned mother, so her return doesn’t have much to do with Shannaam. Sanober shows up after all these years because she is struggling financially and other than her rich husband, she has no one to look to.
What’s your take on the latest episode of Mol? Are you looking forward to the next episode? Share your views!
Maryam Mehdi
“Words are magical,” say some people.
That’s true. Words really can cast magic on anyone. By twisting and replacing different words, we can entirely shake the interior of a person, infuse happiness in him or make him cry. I have read many novels, novellets and short stories that’s why I know that stories are all about words. People like me who want to write are faced with unavailability of topics. But a week or two back I read an article which encouraged new writers like me to write.They said that it is useless to complain that everything worth writing has already been written. The summary of the article was that ‘The writing style cannot be neglected!’After reading it, a new window of thoughts opened in my mind.
I believe, that’s true! If we have a look at all stories hitherto written, we see that these stories are very similar. Emotions are always the same as they are but it depends on writer how he/she pens them down. Out of all stories being written, only few are liked by readers and get their writers a big name. Ever thought of the reason? The writing style! A story can engross you if its beginning is good. Also, the events are also the same as they are but again, the writing style matters more than anything else!
Simply, we all know how an egoistic person is expected to react when he is being rejected. The scenarios created in all such cases are very similar with a little change of words. But how Farhat Ishtiaq wrote it in case of Khirad shows that she knows where to put which word and how to grab the attention of viewers/readers.
What was so different in ‘Jannat Kay Pattay’ except that writer had written down each and every moment and emotion accordingly? The scenes, the reactions of characters on different situations, the portrayal of every character, all was normal and simple. But what made it special was that she had made us understand and love each and every character from Haya (protagonist) to even Fateh (side character). While reading, we could feel the characters breathing near us. My brother said, there’s a lot of difference between writing ‘she was crying’ and ‘she was crying her eyes out’. Or ‘wo ro rahi thi’ and ‘aansu us ki ankhon se tap tap gir rahe the’ I read a novel of Saira Raza ,a part of which I want to share with you:
“نانا اب نہیں رہے نانو!” نوال نے سر پیٹ لیا۔
“تو؟” نوین نے یکدم سر اٹھا کر سوال جڑ دیا۔ اور اس ‘تو’ کے اندر بہت کچھ تھا۔ جتاتا، پوچھتا، بتاتا، دھمکاتا۔
Impressed, right?
If I would have written it, it would be like this:
“تو؟” نوین نے کہا۔
“وہ آفٹر آل میرے باپ ہیں۔ زندہ نہیں تو کیا؟”
I hope by now you must have understood my advice. Don’t always look for ‘different’ storylines but also look for ‘differently written’ storylines.
Waiting for your comments,
S. Hasan
While some celebrities nailed looks that made their fans fall in love with them all over again there were others who were total fashion disasters. The sad part is that some of these celebrities are considered fashion icons and others have a very good reputation of dressing up well but guess what you can’t always have the perfect look you want especially when you decide to go overboard.
Here is the list of the celebrities who did not look their best at the Lux Style Awards:
Nadia Hussein
Nadia Hussein deserves to be on top of this list because her dress is not only revealing but the color and the style does not look elegant or pretty. This look is not a step forward in fashion but a big step backwards!
Momal Sheikh
Momal Sheikh’s dress and her overall look did not suit her. The make up and dress both are overdone.
Sarwat Gillani
Sarwat Gillani has more or less the same look as Momal Sheikh and it looks equally bad on her. Sarwat looks great in light colors and light make up. This look is not for her.
Ali Xeeshan
I am not a fashion expert like one of our leading designers but even Ali Xeeshan cannot justify this look and that too in summers!!
Meera
We didn’t expect Meera to carry the perfect look but the worst thing about Meera’s look is her make-up which makes her look much older than many of the other actresses who started working with her and the color and the cut doesn’t suit Meera too.
Waqar Zaka
Waqar Zaka’s outfit speaks for itself, one doesn’t need to stay much to prove why he should be in this list!
What do you think about the dressing of all these celebrities?
Ohkay so, Production of Six Sigma, Direction of Nadeem Baig & Writing of Vasay Chaudhry; Jawani Phir Nahi Aani hit the cinema screens on 25th September, 2015. As suggested by the trailers, it’s a comedy movie that revolves around 4 childhood friends & their lives. I must say, it took a lot of recommendations from friends & family for me to watch it & now that I am done with it, I must say I enjoyed the movie solely for the fact that it was filled with Pakistani humor that I could relate to & have a good laugh at.
The movie is all about Sherry (Humayun Saeed) a USA returned, unmarried divorce lawyer who comes to visit his 3 childhood friends; Saif (Hamza Ali Abbasi) who is married to Kubra (Ayesha Khan), Sheikh (Vasay Chauhdry) who’s married to Gul (Sarwat Gillani) & BB (Ahmed Ali Butt) who is married to Lubna (Uzma Khan), only to find out how miserable their lives with their wives are. Sherry feels bad to see that his friends have lost the entire spark that they used to have back in the day & takes it as his duty to revive some fun & thrill in their lives. Sherry thinks that he & his friends should have an all-boys trip to Bangkok because he feels that’s exactly what they all need at this point of time.
A little background knowledge about the characters is given in the initial few minutes of movie where BB is miserably lonely because his wife is a working woman. Saif; a young director turned Casanova who gets a kick start at his career because of a heavy financial support from his father in law believes in lying to his wife as he thinks she is too dominating & doesn’t give him the space he needs. Sheikh, a very mediocre policeman who hardly has any achievements to his belt, because of which gets looked down upon by his wife who is a fierce Pathan lady that comes from a very well-reputed family too is also quite unhappy with the way his life is turning out to be. After seeing forlorn & bored faces of his friends Sherry comes up with a plan & eventually succeeds in tagging his friends along to Bangkok for a whole week by using shopping spree & a made-up story about his fragile health as a bait to get permission from the ladies & that’s where the story begins. While Saif, BB & Sheikh believe that they are having a great time, it is actually Sherry who introduces them to what actual fun is & that’s when he comes across Marina (Mehwish Hayat) who’s a daughter of renowned Don of Thailand named Bichchi Don (Ismail Tara) who is named like that because wo jahan jatay hain bichch jatay hain. Bichchi Dons suggests that Sherry should get married to Marina because he’s the first guy she has ever fallen in love with, forcing Sherry to come up with desperate measures of fleeing from Thailand the very next morning. That’s when the three wives jump in to find out that their husbands lied to them about their whereabouts & they didn’t ever go to any remote area in the Northern Pakistan for Sherry’s medical treatment but instead came to Thailand to cheat on them. Sherry tries hard to save the day but eventually due to a heated debate between Saif & Sherry, he decides to leave his friends in the lurch & go back to where he came from.
Saif, Sheikh & BB’s lives take a halt because their wives abandon them. While the three boys meet to lend a shoulder to each other to cry on, BB reads an article about Sherry marrying a Billionaire Mr. & Mrs. Mehboob Khan’s (Javed Sheikh & Bushra Ansari) daughter Zoya (Sohai Ali Abro) in Lahore, that’s when they decide they should go pay their friend a visit & also pay him back for wrecking their stagnant, fun-free but peaceful marital lives. That’s when fate plays a trick with Sherry as Mehboob Khan happens to be a friend of Bichchi Don who also comes to attend Zoya & Sherry’s wedding along with his daughter Marina. Who eventually becomes Sherry’s life partner is what you have to see this movie for but all in all it is a fun-filled ride with tummy-tickling humor.
What I loved the most about Jawani Phir Nahi Aani is the fact that they have blended so many flavors of humor in 2 and a half hours of movie that you start laughing at the very first scene & leave the theater with a big smile on your face. Yes, there are quite a lot of adult themed & dual meaning jokes in the movie which I feel could have easily been avoided because the way they extracted humor out of Punjabi, Pushto, Politics, Current Happenings of Social Media, Bollywood & Gossips about Pakistani Celebrities was absolutely spot on & served the purpose of making this movie a great entertainer without the need of relying on any bold content. References like ‘piece bara tight hai’, ‘CIA agent’, ‘gulllu butt’, ‘tabdeeli aa nahi rahi, tabdeeli aa gai hai’ were used so aptly that you actually easily relate to each & everything because it looks like it has been derived out of the regular conversations that you have on daily basis over a cup of coffee with your family or while watching TV & surfing Facebook!
Usually when there are a lot of characters in a story, one way or the other someone at least gets ignored but it wasn’t the case in Jawani Phir Nahi Aani. Each & every character got the time needed to establish grounds for itself & it never felt like someone lost the purpose in the course of story-telling. All the characters were relevant in the story & they needed to be there to complete the whole picture. I must say, I loved how each & every character was assigned to elaborate the clichéd flavor of comedy but in a very good way & I must say they all did a wonderful job. Sherry was there to provide a situational comedy, Saif derived the fun out of his confused mental state, BB & Sheikh did an amazing job in the background because their expressions never failed to leave a mark & they completed every situation without even having a say in the matter. Bushra Ansari’s character was there to let us know no matter how rich one becomes, they can never let go of certain habits which included her fluency in Punjabi irrespective of the fact that it made her husband & daughter uncomfortable. Bichchi Don that later reappeared as an Arabian Sheikh gave a whole new dimension to the comedy because we’re ourselves are immune of trying to merge Arabic with Urdu & that combination of both the languages stirred a lot of laughter throughout his part. Zoya’s character allowed us to have a laugh at those ‘burger’ girls that we often interact with. I loved how the flow of comedy never stopped in between the situations & when one stepped back, another took the altar & did the honors of making us laugh. I must also admit that every time these 4 boys got together, their conversations were hilarious & they never allowed us to stop laughing.
Before talking about any other actor, I will take a moment to praise Sarwat Gillani for looking like such a cute doll throughout the movie. I loved loved loved her & she absolutely looked gorgeous, literally like a porcelain doll & honestly speaking, she is one of the major reasons why I am writing this review because I felt like I had to get it out there how adorable Sarwat looked throughout the movie. She not only looked beautiful but she acted brilliantly too because her Pushto accent was really cute & she did a phenomenal job in delivering it properly. Ayesha Khan looked perfectly comfortable in her character; she looked quite young, gorgeous & was a perfect match for Hamza Ali Abbasi. I for a second confused Uzma Khan to be Mahira Khan’s younger sister because the resemblance is uncanny & she was quite good at the job that was assigned to her as well. I found Bushra Ansari to be hilarious because the command she has over Punjabi is phenomenal & she made it all look so effortless & it’s a known fact that she is naturally gifted when it comes to comic timing; no one can match her level & she proved it once again. Javed Sheikh was amazing & he made the whole cinema hall laugh out loud at the Gullu Butt bit – to see such energy & such vibrancy coming from him was absolutely refreshing. Ismail Tara, another great great actor with a phenomenal comic timing & command over humor made his scenes a treat to watch too. I must say, all the boys looked graceful but Humayun Saeed stole the show. He looks way younger than he did in Bin Roye & even smarter too. There’s no doubt about the fact that he is a great & seasoned actor but the way he molded himself as Sherry, I never expected that Humayun could be so good & effortless at comedy as well. Sohai Ali Abro was very cute & she did the whole American Urdu accent very innocently & I will mention that the way she has groomed herself is commendable too. There was something very childlike about her & she gave the hashtag & pouting fever a very cute face. Hamza Ali Abbasi, Vasay Chauhdry & Ahmed Ali Butt, all of them seemed comfortable in their characters & did a commendable job too. Honestly speaking, Mehwish Hayat was least impressive, not in terms of acting but in terms of styling, she tried really hard to look glamorous but somehow I couldn’t see the femininity in her which was the missing key factor given the major role she was playing. Also, I think I should put it out there that the rest of the ladies like Sarwat, Ayesha & Lubna didn’t look any less glamorous in decent clothing in comparison to both Sohai Ali Abro & also Mehwish Hayat. Yes, I get it, Mehwish Hayat is confident & she has polished herself but I think she is trying to achieve a very debatable image of some glam-girl & it is off-putting to say the least.
I must say the direction, the editing, the screenplay & the story, each & every aspect of the movie is brilliant but the one that won me over was Pakistani humor which made this movie work for me completely. It was good to see actors like Mohammad Ahmed, Bilal Lashari, Gohar Rasheed & ZQ making guest appearances as well. The makeup artists & the dress designers have done an amazing job for sure. I loved how the dress designers gave age appropriate ensembles to everyone. I was impressed by Bushra Ansari’s dressing the most because she carried herself so gracefully. Sarwat Gillani’s bright ensembles referring to her Pukhtun origin were beautiful & Ayesha Khan’s clothing also gave her the look of a modern urbane lady. Humayun Saeed carried himself really well & even the men’s clothing was designed perfectly too. The camera work was brilliant throughout the movie & the quality was speaking for itself. Songs were good & so was the choreography & Sohai did a great job in both her songs. By the end of the OST, Fahad Mustafa hinted about part 2 of the movie & I must say, if they are planning it, they should go for it but I feel now when they have gotten such a great response, they should respect the liking of the viewers too & that is why I feel they should keep in mind to cut down on those suggestive jokes a bit & also the song that marked the arrival of boys in Thailand could’ve been easily edited out too. The storyline was similar to Bollywood’s ‘Masti’ & ‘No Entry’ but I hope & wish that they’d come up with a completely different story for its sequel. Overall, it was a great movie that delivered what it promised & it was ‘comedy’. Are you guys planning to watch it or have you already done that? What are your thoughts on it? Please share your say with us in the comments section below. :)
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
The Pakistani stars got together under one roof because of the Lux Style Awards. They enjoyed and participated in the awards but the party didn’t stop there. Most of these stars from the award show and even some of them who have not been seen in the Lux Style Awards pictures got together to have a good time. Here are some pictures from the party which show how much fun these celebrities had.
Whenever there are Award Shows especially the big ones in the country all the celebrities who attend the show try their best to look different and good at the awards. Different celebrities go for different looks, some like traditional looks and others prefer contemporary designs. It isn’t only the dresses that make them stand out but also how they carry themselves and which accessories they use to complete their look.
Here is the list of 5 celebrities who looked the best at the Lux Style Awards 2015:
Ayeza Khan
Ayeza Khan looked elegant and pretty in white. Ayeza Khan is known for sticking to traditional look whenever there is an award show which suits her a lot.
Mahira Khan
Mahira Khan wore three different dresses on the award show all of which were different from the other. The Saree and the two dresses looked great on the actress and her tied hair look gave a good effect overall. Golden, blue and white all three colors brought out the best in Mahira Khan.
Fatima Ahmed
Fatima Ahmed left acting long time back but she will always be someone who was once part of the showbiz industry. Fatima looked stunning in a golden dress.
Ali Zafar
Ali Zafar looks great in his new haircut and his beard shaved off. He rocked the tuxedo more than any other male star present at the event.
Fawad Khan
Fawad Khan wore a different color this time and sported a beard. Both of these changes made him stand out in crowd.
Honestly, this drama is the funniest drama ever. I enjoy watching it because it’s one of those serious dramas that you derive comedy out of because otherwise this drama serves no purpose of entertainment whatsoever. This drama is good to be watched if you have like a 100 messages on Whatsapp to reply to, because trust me it will run in the background & won’t disturb you or get in your way & I say this because trust me, I know, Whatapp messages are more important than concentrating on Tumhare Siwa.
These two episodes were hilarious to say the least because they defied common sense, logic, direction, acting & basic story. Tumhare Siwa is a drama that has 3 miserable families that are dealing with each other. Two families are miserably dependent on one & another & the third family keeps on backbiting about them miserably too. I really think Tania & Babar need to get a life or if not, they should actually go somewhere far away from Aazar & Rania because all they do is talk about how ignorant Aazar & Rania are. Honestly, if Tania would’ve said all this about her brother & sister in law, it would’ve made sense because 1) she can be a typical nand & 2) she is pretty idle these days but to see Babar having a say only about his wife’s brother & his wife while sipping a cup of tea or coffee makes him look like an agony aunt who only cares about family politics but is not even an iota worried about how batameez his son is growing up to be & also not about the hideous shade of foundation that differentiates his face from his neck that too miserably as well.
Rania goes like ‘dunya mohabbat karne walon ko ye saza deti hai’, she asked such a deep (coughing sarcasm) question to Aazar because she thought whatever their miserable couple was doing for another miserable couple was right but then, this says the lady who herself is involved in a medical insurance fraud by getting her husband married to her friend, lol! I mean Rania really needs to wake up from her deep slumber because things normally don’t roll that way where people get their friends & husbands married every single day. What they did is something stupid & if people are passing comments on it, then she should just accept all the hate gracefully!
Funny thing is, Samra waited for her Iddat period to get over making me think that Iddat khatam ho gai lekin Samra khatam nahi hui. I really think when she had this much of time remaining, then why couldn’t they come up with a better plan or option like let’s say making a Facebook Fund Raiser Page for Samra with the title reading ‘Save Samra’s Life’, because trust me, that would’ve earned them enough amount in a very little amount of time as well (& trust me I have seen that happening too). The doctors clearly said she hardly had 2 months left but funny is, she survived the mental trauma, a divorce, an iddat, a re-marriage to Aazar ‘BHAI’ & also survived through the time period that the UK consulate must’ve needed in order to process her & her ex-husband Arsal’s visas!!!
Oh, I learnt new details in the previous episode where Molvi Sahab did mention stuff like ‘Samra Ahmed WALD Jameel Ahmed’, showing that Samra does have a father named Jameel but where is Mr. Jameel? Why is he so oblivious of his daughter’s medical condition? I really fail to understand why these 6 people namely Aazar, Rania, Arsal, Samra, Tania & Babar have no relatives to turn to at all? No Chachi, no Pupho, no Maamoon, no Taya, forget about these no Ammi Abbu? :/
Honestly, when they know that Numair’s a goon in disguise, why can’t they supervise their kids’ every time they are ‘playing’ together? How much time does it take to just keep a check on them? Sorry to say but to see Samra & Neni in the hospital at the same time made me think that the writer’s too much in love with the idea of beemar mareez & beemaris. The conversation Tania had with Babar about Aazar being infuriated over what happened with Neni was just so bizarre because it actually told us that the writer & the director had no content to add in this episode therefore they told Tania to come up with whatever dialogues popped in her mind to actually cover a few seconds of this content-free episode. I really think they are pushing their luck by giving coverage to Neni & Dani thinking that would stir some emotions or sympathies in us but sorry to be bursting the bubble here, those macro-shots of Neni with the ketchup-clad face made us feel absolutely nothing for her & oh, I wonder when Samra & Arsal went to UK, why didn’t they tag Neni along? At least she wouldn’t have been used so casually by the writer to move the story forward & more like filler in this episode.
Oh, the preview of the next episode was hilarious. I hate to say but this star-crossed couple has failed to stir any sympathy at all. I am sure Arsal will leave Neni & Samra on Aazar’s mercy because he is done with his part & then the actual drama will begin where we will witness some cat fights between the love & misery struck trio of Aazar, Rania & Samra. Oh well, as much as I have seen of this drama, I am sure those cat fights would be more interesting than to listen to baseless & meaningless conversations (if they even qualify as conversations) of Babar & Tania!!! Please share your thoughts about this Friday Masterpiece of HUM TV namely Tumhare Siwa & let me know how eagerly are you waiting for the next episode. ;)
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
This episode of Farwa Ki ABC focused on the changing trends in Junaid’s house and Farwa’s desperate attempts to get a divorce from the person she married out of desperation. Gogi’s character just like always gave me something to laugh about. I found it hilarious and ironic at the same time that when this guy wants to insult someone he refers to that person as ‘jahil’ – so what if that person is someone like Professor Mustansar! Until now I thought that Ahmed Hassan’s character’s name was Changez but somehow we saw him introducing himself as Jahangir in tonight’s episode therefore I am sticking to referring to him as Gogi at the moment. Terms like ‘orange milkshake’ make you question this man’s intelligence but make you laugh at the same time! Farwa’s conversations with her husband were also very comic. Sir Mustansar has tried every trick in the book to make Farwa understand that Gogi might not be the perfect match for him but Farwa refuses to be the helpless bird who needs to be taken care of – Farwa on the other hand is bent on proving that she is a free bird and nothing that Sir Mustansir does will change that.
Asma’s sudden plans for honeymoon went to show that this woman does not believe in facing a situation head on and that she can be just as big of an escapist as Farwa when there is need! Junaid’s father’s sudden decision to live independently also comes after he has realized that living with Asma might not be such a good idea after all! It was good to see Farwa’s mother feeling bad about how she had wrongly judged her daughter. Farwa’s father however has a long way to go! I am glad that he decided to pay Farwa a visit but at the same time we saw him defending Asma. Johnny Lever happily played second fiddle to Asma in this episode too, I am waiting to see if his character will also change at some point.
Sir Mustansar has managed to get past the hurt he felt when Farwa broke the news to him that she loved someone else and he is not willing to let go of Farwa at any cost. Farwa and Gogi’s attempts to ‘persuade’ him to sign the divorce papers had me in fits! The new character that was introduced in tonight’s episode seemed interesting and something tells me that Sir Mustansir might meet Safia at some point. It is refreshing to see actresses who are always seen playing the roti dhoti bechari aurat playing these roles but I must say that I am surprised to see Sonia Hussain playing similar characters in two of the telefilms I watched recently and in one of the other drama serials as well! It is sad that when an actor is able to portray a different character flawlessly on screen producers start casting him or her in the same kind of roles in every other drama. I also hope that Sonia Hussain will stop here and we won’t be seeing her playing the careless yet bubbly roles in every other drama.
Farwa Ki ABC is not like one of the more deep and meaningful plays which we are used to watching but it is always entertaining. So far we haven’t seen Farwa learning anything from her life’s experiences and I am not even sure if her relationship with Gogi will last for much longer too but overall watching these two plot and plan together has been fun. I must say that Gogi’s friend’s character is sticking out like a sore thumb mostly because of the actor playing the role. I would give full marks to the writer for penning down a very witty script – the names Gogi ‘invents’ for Sir Mustansar are pure genius and absolutely hilarious. I am looking forward to finding out more about the two new characters in the play and I must say that I won’t miss Asma at this point. This play can do without her negativity for a while! All the actors except the one playing Gogi’s friend’s character did a commendable job as usual. It is refreshing to see these actors in roles different from what they have done so far especially the women because mostly our writers our bent-on cashing in on the leading lady’s becharapan!
How many of you watched this latest episode? Which was your favorite scene from tonight’s episode? Do share your thoughts about it.
Fatima Awan
Ohkay so, these two episodes of Mohabbat Aag Si were interesting too & revealed some more truths about Apa Ji which were absolutely shocking & sickening. I really am interested to see how the writer will bring justice to those who have been wronged by Apa Ji because right now she is in such a mode where she doesn’t see anything wrong in what she does & doesn’t even for a second feel guilty to be ruining so many lives which makes her the ultimate villain in the story!
I think it was very intelligent of Saba to arrange everything on her own once again to show it to Wajahat to make him believe in her. Even though I wasn’t sure about Arshad’s involvement in the matter but the way they linked their paths made it look very convincing. World can be small at times & that is why, Taufeeq fell for Arshad’s sister & Saba came to know about the CCTV Camera through the man responsible himself. Arshad also got his questions answered about Sharifa & Saba learned the truth about Apa Ji’s low caliber. I really believe Saba should’ve understood by now that Apa Ji is not an easy contender to bring down, therefore without giving any hints to her she should’ve told Wajahat about what she found out. I think the time Saba took between threatening Apa Ji & waiting for Wajahat gave Rukhsana the edge to come up with a new plan & brew a storm in Saba’s life & oh, the victory dance that she did later was hilarious.
To be honest, it was shocking to know that Apa Ji crossed all boundaries & limits just because she was in love with Arshad. I think this has always been her problem that whenever she loved someone, she didn’t care about the consequences at all. Apa Ji also loves Sidra & she would go through the pain to meet her every single night putting her image at stake but again, Sidra’s all that matters to her. This refreshed the point that I made in my review last week too that Apa Ji needs someone to channel out her affection at as first it used to be Arshad, after him, it was Sidra & now when Arshad’s back, she promised she wouldn’t meet Sidra again. I think it was quite evil of her to get Arshad involved in her family politics. This brings me to Bee Jaan’s notion of how Rukhsana would be the one who would ruin everything in her life because of her own self. Rukhsana is living in a fool’s paradise if she thinks she can make Arshad feel bad for her miserable life by exposing him to these petty issues in her life.
Witnessing Rukhsana’s evilness served as an eye-opener for Arshad because the things he later said to his wife made it look like he regretted making a promise to Rukhsana. I am sure Arshad could have never imagined how bitter she has become & to see it all himself shocked him too. I am sure Arshad is also going to be the one who would testify in favour of Saba because he wouldn’t allow the guilt to destroy the peace of his mind. Arshad did seem eager to earn her apology & that is why he made a promise to her but now I am sure it wouldn’t take him long to back out because he can see that Rukhsana’s up for no good & she is deceiving her own brothers. I am sure Arshad would soon understand that she is not the same person he loved before & she has come a long way in her hatred that she has no turning back, which will compel him to cut ties with her once again leaving Rukhsana empty-handed once again!
Honestly, as much as I do understand that Saba’s keen on making Wajahat understand & getting him introduced to the real face of Rukhsana, as much as I also am with her in this battle, I really think she should do it without the motive of winning Wajahat over because he is not worth it. It has happened multiple times that Wajahat didn’t stand by his wife & made her face the brunt for being the one who is questioning Apa Ji every step of the way. It’s the same Wajahat right, who took a stand & fought with everyone for the sake of getting married to Saba, so now when she has become his wife, why is he taking her for granted? I really don’t understand why does he put Apa Ji ahead of Saba? Yes, he loves his sister & respects her the most but I think he needs to have a balance in his life & if he can’t have it & loves being in his own Lala-land built upon the bed of misunderstandings then he for sure is not worth it. It was sad to see Saba being blamed for the things she had no idea of. At least Saba is trying to talk about the things that do exist & are a part of Rukhsana’s life & personality but the way Rukhsana comes up with one lie after another seamlessly makes me feel she should really have a very tragic ending.
I am not too sure what to make of Sharafat & Samia’s track. I really think if they will lose their baby it would only be because of Sharafat & his blind shareef belief on Apa Ji & her dam darood. I accept that couple for being simpletons & slow but that doesn’t mean Sharafat has to defy the basic logic & need of doctors & medication every time Samia’s not feeling well. Honestly, when I think about how Apa Ji has succeeded in fooling her brothers through all these years, it seems unrealistic because it’s a known fact that boys have all nighters when they’re studying & also if someone listens to songs that too in the middle of the night when there’s hardly any noise outside, boys do tend to notice. I really now think the mental state & attention span of both Wajahat & Sharafat is questionable because respecting someone is one thing but being blinded by someone so much that you can’t put two & two together is another.
The preview of the next episode didn’t give away much but I am sure Arshad is going to play his game. Oh, the way Apa Ji helped Sharifa in mending her broken ties with Arshad went to show that if there’s someone that Apa Ji feels bad for & loves is Sharifa because she has been with Apa Ji for a long long time. I think Sharifa will get deceived too because Arshad doesn’t seem that serious about her. Please share your thoughts about these two episodes of Mohabbat Aag Si.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
Ayeza Khan has been in the showbiz industry for a very long time now and in this time she won many fans too but she never had the starry tantrums which other actresses who are as popular as her have. It is also a fact that Ayeza Khan did not modernize herself like many other actresses in order to make herself more glamorous. Ayeza Khan has always been seen by people as the girl-next-door which makes it easier for the women watching her dramas to relate to the characters she plays.
Ayeza Khan after winning the best actress award for her super hit play Pyare Afzal decided to thanks all her fans and supporters in a very simple way which touched the heart of many people. Ayeza Khan’s message shows that even after spending so much time in the entertainment industry she still considers herself like any other girl. She does not think that she is special in any way except that people love her.
Here is what she had to say:
Sangat is getting more interesting with every passing episode. There was a great deal of development in this episode just like all the previous episodes of Sangat. This time around the focus was more on Shahwez’s character and on showing how he is gradually getting closer to Ayesha’s mother. Professor Zubeida obviously has no clue that this is the man who ruined her daughter’s life, on the contrary she looks at him in a completely different light; he is the boy who thinks of her as his mother and he is the one who rescued her when she needed help. Professor Zubeida feels that she needs to help this young man find his way and at the same time she also thinks that she can rely on him whenever she needs assistance. Although, Ayesha’s mother’s character is not one of my favorite ones in the drama and I don’t like the way this mother is bringing the rapist closer to her daughter over and over again unintentionally but I could relate to why someone like her would like to play the role of a mentor in a young man’s life.
Ayesha’s conversation with the psychiatrist and the flashback scene when Shahwez is thinking about his past revealed that even though Ayesha does not remember ever meeting Shahwez there was a time in their childhood when these two met each other or perhaps Ayesha reminds Shahwez of someone in his childhood. Shahwez’s conversation with his friend also showed that he knew Ayesha beforehand. I am sure all the viewers like me are waiting to find out when did Shahwez meet Ayesha, how does he know her? And howcome Ayesha does not remember him at all?
Shahwez ‘s chance meeting with Adnan was covered really well; the conversation and the guilt pangs were shown flawlessly but I could not help but wonder how Adnan knew that Shahwez was the person who came to meet Ayesha. In the last episode I thought that Adnan made up a lie to cover for his wife but apparently Ayesha did tell Adnan this story about Shahwez which also makes everything more believable but at the same time I was disappointed that Adnan did not really let his wife keep this one secret. She could have been worthy of his love and trust even if she did not tell him who this man was. Ayesha’s ‘sessions’ with her psychiatrist have to be the worst part of every episode. The psychiatrist never has a sound advice to give Ayesha and their conversations do not have a professional touch to them.
This episode belonged to Zahid Ahmed from the beginning till the end. He manages to give the perfect expressions every time. His acting has been effortless throughout and he has made me forget Rameez altogether because he owns this character just as much as he owned that one. I must also give credit to the director for not making the happenings over-dramatic but still managing to keep the emotions in all the scenes alive. All the characters have been brilliantly etched-out, even Salma’s character has been superbly written and acted-out. Her infatuation with this man and her desperate attempts to get closer to him might reveal something about him which she does not want to know. I have a feeling that she might have a bigger role to play in the story. The story of the play is unpredictable and every episode makes you look forward to the next one. Usually stories based on such tradegies are either disturbing or they don’t resonate with the viewers but this one actually has a very strong storyline, some very interesting characters and the play has been very intelligently directed so far. Mikaal Zulfiqar performed well too in tonight’s episode therefore for the first time I have no complaints about his acting.
How will Ayesha react once she finds out that the man who raped her donated blood for her as well? This will lead to even more trauma. Will she ever be able to tell her mother the truth? I would love to see Ayesha mustering up the courage to put this man behind bars where he belongs.
Most of our readers were absolutely right about the scene in which Adnan yells at Shahwez in the hospital – it really was a dream sequence so keep the guesses coming, you guys were spot on!!
Don’t forget to share your thoughts about this episode in the comment section below.
Fatima Awan
Ahmed Bashir was a famous writer, journalist and intellectual of our country. Ahmed Bashir was a progressive writer; he faced hardships for his writing and thinking during martial law of general Zia in 1980’s. In those days he even wrote in newspapers under some ghost name to avoid censorship and ban by government.
Ahmed Bashir has written many books and used to regularly write columns in newspapers. He received training of film making from UK and produced/directed one film Neela Parbat in 1969 starring Taalish, Husna and Mohammad Ali. Neela Parbat was written by famous Urdu writer Mumtaz Mufti. Neela Parbat is considered one of the few art films made in Pakistan and it was also second Adult Only (18+) film of Pakistan due to its sensitive and unconventional storyline in which an elder man (Taalish) falls in love with her adapted daughter (Husnaa), whereas Husna was in love with son of Taalish (Muhammad Ali). The film was a bold experiment by Ahmed Bashir and made well ahead of its time. Neela Parbat failed at box office and Ahmed Bashir never made any other film afterwards.
Ahmed Bashir passed away in 2004. For current generation Ahmed Bashir maybe an unknown name, and he is more known due to his talented daughters the famous one of which is Bushra Bashir (now Bushra Ansari). Ahmed Bashir was married to Mehmooda Bashir and they had four daughters and one son, his son lives in United States while all her four daughters are active in the field of arts and literature.
Here are details of famous members of Ahmed Bashir Family
Parveen Aatif: is sister of Ahmed Bashir, she is a columnist and fiction writer in Urdu and Punjabi. Parveen Atif has also written few dramas on PTV. She also produced one drama in which Humera Arshad (singer) appeared in leading role for the first and last time. Parveen Aatif was married to Brigadier Maznsoor Hussain Atif who is a famous hockey player of Pakistan. The couple has two sons and one daughter.
Brigadier Manzoor Hussain Atif: is the husband of Parveen Atif and brother in law of Ahmed Bashir. Brigadier Atif served in army and later played hockey for Pakistan. Brigadier Atif was part of Pakistani hockey team in the Olympics in 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964. Brigadier Atif passed away in 2008 aged 80. Brigadier Atif also served in Pakistan Hockey Federation as an administrator for a considerable time.
Neelum Ahmed Bashir: is the eldest daughter of Ahmed Bashir. She is a fiction writer and poet, she writes in Urdu and Punjabi. Neelum mostly resides in USA where all her three kids are living.
Sumbal Shahid: is the second eldest daughter of Ahmed Bashir, she is a singer and actor. She has also hosted famous show Golden girls on Geo television. Sumbal has appeared in numerous serials in supporting roles like Takay ki aayegee barat. Though a talented artist, sumbal appeared on screen quite late. Sumbal is married to a military officer and has two sons.
Bushra Ansari: is third daughter of Ahmed Bashir and is most famous of all. She started her career from Kaliyan a famous puppet show on PTV, Uncle Sargam fame. She is famous for doing comedy roles, but has equally proved herself capable of doing tragic and serious roles. She is also a fine singer. Bushra has also written some dramas like ‘Meray Dard Ko Jo Zuban Milay’ on Hum TV and ‘Neeli Dhoop‘ for PTV. Bushra Ansari is married to Iqbal Ansari who was director in PTV; he is now a director in Geo Tv. Bushra Ansari has two daughters Nariman Ansari and Meera Ansari.
Asma Abbas: is also an actor and singer. She is the youngest daughter of Ahmed Bashir. She was seen on PTV in program kaliyan and also in famous parody of ‘Haye Meri Angoothiyan’ as ‘Malika Pukhraaj’ (and Bushra Ansari as Tahira Syed) on PTV in 1984. After which Asma took a long break and returned to acting in early 2000’s Famous serials of Asma are ‘Akbari Asghari’, ‘Saari Bhool Hamari Thee’, ‘Mann Ke Moti’. Asma is also married and has two sons and one daughter.
Iqbal Ansari: is husband of Bushra Ansari. He was a producer/director in PTV. Iqbal Ansari has produced many remarkable plays on PTV like Karawaan and Ajayeb Khana.
Nariman Ansari: is elder daughter of Bushra Ansari and Iqbal Ansari. She worked as a director for TV. Her famous play as director was tele-film ‘Neeli Dhoop’ on PTV which was also first play written by Bushra Ansari.
Meera Ansari: is younger daughter of Bushra Ansari and Iqbal Ansari, she has done modeling and appeared in various commercials of some big brands, like Pampers, Head and Shoulders, Pert Plus, Olpers
Shahood Alvi: can also be added in the list. He is a relative of Iqbal Ansari. Shahood is a top performer and has appeared in many dramas on TV.
On ending note, here is a Punjabi poem by Neelum Ahmed Bashir a satire on current political situation
Do share your thoughts.
Thanks for reading.
Rashid Nazir Ali
It was only a matter of time before television’s favourite damsel-in-distress, Sajal Aly, made her way to the big screen. And we hear she’s signed her debut film already.
The project titled Ishq 2020 is being produced by Crew Motion Pictures, the production house behind the movie Dukhtar.
Sajal Aly and Muneeb Butt — recently seen in Halla Gulla —will star in lead roles, whereas Sanam Chaudhry will also be appearing as a prominent character.
Butt gives us some insight into the plot of the movie: “It’s like a hodgepodge of a number of different flicks such as the Ranbir-Deepika starrer Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Jab We Met. I wouldn’t restrict it to one genre; there’s romance, action, comedy but at the heart of the story, there is a love triangle.”
The movie will be shot in many different parts of the country, including Lahore, Bhawalpur, Naraan, Kaghan, to name a few.
He adds, “Since the movie revolves around two characters eloping and chronicles that journey, in the process, we see lots of different parts of the country.”
Will there be an item number?
Muneeb laughs, “Of course there’s an item song; a movie doesn’t work without any item number these days it seems. There’s a song in the movie, which will be shot at a palace, where two ranis have a dance-off so the team is in talks with Madhuri and Resham. Let’s see how it pans out!”
Shooting for Ishq 2020 will begin next month and a tentative release date has been set for Eid-ul-Azha next year.
Acknowledgement : Whole content is borrowed from dawn.com
Source: http://images.dawn.com/news/1173944/sajal-aly-to-make-cinematic-debut-with-ishq-2020
Rashid Nazir Ali
After making new records of business on a single day, now Jawani Phir Nahin Aani (a film released on Eidul Azha) has also exceeded the all time one week collection record. The film has earned more than 13 crore in the first week, leaving behind Furious 7 which earned 12.5 crore rupees in the first week of its release in April 2015.
The film has also the highest earning Pakistani film in a week, leaving behind Waar which earned 9 crore in its opening week in October 2013.
The records of top three films highest earning in a week are now as follows.
1- Jawani Phir Nahin Aani (2015,Urdu – Karawood) – 13+ crore
2- Furious 7 (2015, Hollywood) – 12.5 crore
3- Dhoom 3 (2013, Bollywood) – 12 crore
Seeing this trend many filmi pundits are predicting the film could be the highest earning film on the Pakistani box office. Currently the record of highest earning for a single film in Pakistani rupee is held by Bollywood’s Dhoom 3 which earned between 24 crore – 25 crore in 2013 followed by Pakistani film Waar which earned nearly 23 crore in 2013.
However the film is expected to face a stiff competition from upcoming Bollywood films like Singh is Biling which is releasing on 2nd October 2015.
Rashid Nazir Ali
Maan (مان) is an upcoming play on Hum Tv starring Meekal Zulfiqar and Kiran Haq in the lead roles. The OST is in the voice of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
Cast: Meekal Zulfiqar, Kiran Haq, Seemi Raheel and others
Director: Amin Iqbal
Producer: Abdullah Kadwani, Asad Ali Qureshi for 7th Sky productions
Rashid Nazir Ali
The ceremony of Lux Style Awards 2015 was held yesterday in Karachi. Here are the name of the winners in different categories.
Lifetime Achievement Reward: Mussarat Misbah, Syed Noor
Drama:
Best Drama: Pyare Afzal
Best TV Actor (Male): Hamza Ali Abbasi
Best TV Actor (Female): Ayeza Khan
Best TV Director: Nadeem Baig
Best TV Writer: Khalilur Rehman
Best Fashion Lawn: Sana Safinaz
Fashion
Best Fashion Design – Bridal: Nomi Ansari
Best Emerging Talent in the Fashion: Sadaf Kanwal
Best Menswear Designer: Ismail Farid
Best Fashion Design – Pret: Sana Safinaz
Best Fashion Design – Luxury Pret: Sana Safinaz
Best Hair & Makeup: Nabila Maqsood
Best Fashion Photographer: Nadir Feroz of NFK Photography
Nadir Feroz of NFK Photography
Best Female Model: Amna Ilyas
Best Male Model: Shahazad Noor
Music
Best Album of the Year: Zoe Viccaji
Song of the Year: Farhan Saeed for Royiaan
Best Original Sound Track: Billi of Na Maloom Afraad
Emerging Talent: Sara Haider
Best Music Video Director: Adnan Kandhar for Josh’s ‘Dil Main Chumke’
Film:
Best Film: Na Maloom Afraad
Best Director: Nabeel Qureshi for Na Maloom Afraad
Best Film Actor (Male): Javed Sheikh for Na Maloom Afraad
Best Film Actor (Female): Saleha Aarif for Dukhtar
The nominations for this year are as follows
Best Film
Best Film Director
Best Film Actor
Best Film Actress
Album of the Year
Song of the Year
Best Original Sound Tracks
Best Music Videos
Best Emerging Talent (Singer)
Best TV Play
Best TV Actor
Best TV Actress
Best TV Writer
Best TV Director
Model of the Year (Female)
Model of the year ( Male)
Best Fashion Photographer
Best Hair & Make-up
Best Emerging Talent
Best Fashion Design (Pret)
Best Fashion Design (Lawn)
Best Fashion Design (Luxury Pret)
Best Fashion Design (Bridal)
Best Menswear Designer
Rashid Nazir Ali
Neela Parbat (نیلا پربت) is an upcoming play on Hum Sitaray. The play is shot in Azad Jammu Kashmir and its story is also about local Kashmiris as evident from the promos.
Cast: Affan Waheed, Mumtaz Gohar, Sumbal Iqbal, Usnah Shah, Samina Peerzada, Naeem Tahir and others
Director: Adnan Wai Qureshi
Rashid Nazir Ali
This time people were expecting Lux Style Awards to be a ceremony which they will enjoy watching and attending. The feedback and photos from the Awards show that it was a star studded affair and the stars who attended the ceremony enjoyed every minute of it.
Different stars posted pictures of themselves of different social networking sites and the LSA too posted the pictures of the celebrities present at the event. Here are some of the pictures from the awards:
It does not come as a surprise at all that the play Pyare Afzal was a clear winner in the Lux Style Awards 2015 that were held last night. The entire team of Pyare Afzal got the recognition and appreciation from the people and the judges which they deserved.
Pyare Afzal was awarded the best drama award, the actor Hamza Ali Abbasi who played the lead role in the drama got the best actor award, Ayeza Khan got the best actress award for her role in Pyare Afzal. Nadeem Baig won the best director award for the drama and Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar bagged the best writer award.
Hamza Ali Abbasi thanked Allah and all those people who have always supported him.
Ayeza Khan’s facebook status also showed just how excited she was to get the award.
We congratulate the entire team of the play for winning these awards.
Mathira was out of the limelight for a very brief period of time when she was expecting her first baby and then busy with him in the initial months. Now Mathira is back in action covering all the different areas of showbiz which she was working with before. Mathira sings, she is a model, she has done hosting and now Mathira will also be seen playing a more active role in Pakistani films.
With the Pakistani film industry flourishing there is something for every performer who has something to add to the films. Mathira has signed two Pakistani films, one with Moammar Rana and the other with Madam Sangeeta in which she will be playing the role of one of the leading ladies opposite Danish Taimoor.
Mathira believes that a star’s screen presence is more important than anything else. While giving an interview to a local newspaper Mathira revealed that she was offered several projects from Bollywood but then she was expecting her baby. Talking about leaving those offers to start a family she said, “I won’t lie. When my baby was born, I was made to cancel my Bollywood projects. It wasn’t an easy decision but it was worth every moment. I decided to back out from those films and they got others in my place. Film projects may come and go but one’s family life must remain constant.”
Mathira wants to make a name for herself in Pakistan before she joins any venture across the border. “I believe you should start from your country, work harder in your home, and only then can Bollywood happen,” stated Mathira.
Lux Style Awards are one of the biggest entertainment awards of the Pakistani showbiz industry. All the stars always make sure that they attend this ceremony and we always get to see different dance performances from the actors and actresses we see on our television screens all the time. With the Pakistani film industry blooming now there are more chances that the performances this year will be better than ever. The nominees are excited now that the ceremony is just around the corner.
The stars who are to participate in the award show are very busy in the rehearsals. There is also news that Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan will be seen hosting the show among other people who will host the ceremony. Meera and Resham are also very excited about the awards and are taking an active part in the rehearsals. There is going to be a dance performance by Ayesha Khan on the show. Urwa Hocane will be doing a dance performance too. Fawad Khan can be seen busy reading his script in the pictures. While talking to his fans he said, “we are trying to put together a great show for your this year.”
The audience should also expect a dance performance from Resham and Moammar Rana who were once the most celebrated filmi jodi of their time.
Here are some pictures from the rehearsal of the show which will give people an idea what they should expect from the ceremony:
OMG! This episode was soooo special & nice. I awed throughout the episode because once again it was filled with such emotional dialogues & scenes that it took me to the beautiful world of its own. :)
‘Dil suboot aur gawwah nahi mangta, jahan aqal khatam hoti hai na beta, wahan se dil ki dunya shuru hoti hai’. Isn’t it nice to see that every time Faarah & Agha Jaan talk about something, they end up helping each other one way or the other? Just when Faarah was feeling low & guilty, just a single statement from Agha Jaan helped her get back on her feet & forgive herself. I loved the way Faarah came to terms with her past & her feelings. She is done blaming herself because she now understands that she isn’t such a bad person to begin with, why, because she always followed her heart & it never lied to her. Faarah now knows that every time she followed her heart & everything that her heart told her was right & that’s the way it should be & this is exactly something that gave her the confidence to share her innermost feelings with Agha Jaan. I love how gradually Faarah has developed a confidence that allows her to discuss almost any & everything with Agha Jaan & she isn’t ashamed to admit to him that she has hurt him & how apologetic she is of her past. I love how they have showed that it took her sometime but now when she has started following her heart, Faarah knows she cannot live without her father’s family, her Agha Jaan. I lovedddd how Agha Jaan could see that even though Behroz was not in contact with him, he never let go of the things he was taught by his father & that is why, Faarah knew exactly what Agha Jaan was telling her because that wasn’t something new for her as she had heard all of that from Behroz. The sense of satisfaction that Agha Jaan achieved after that conversation showed that somehow Faarah perfectly compensates Behroz’s absence from his life & he looks at Faarah with a very different perspective because through her, he feels strongly connected to his son; Behroz.
Isn’t it nice to see Zarmeenay helping Faarah with her relationship goals? Zarmeenay obviously knows that Faarah is in love with Wali & she also knows that Wali is in love with Faarah too but there are some misunderstandings & a communication gap that is hindering them from working out their differences. I thought it was very sweet of her to break the ice & take the initiative to help Faarah because she knows that Faarah is all alone & she actually has no one to talk to & no one to rely emotionally upon. I love how intuitive & fair both Wali & Zarmeenay are & I say this because Zarmeenay knows how hard Arjumand is being on Faarah & she admitted it too. Even though she tried to make Faarah understand Arjumand’s reasons, she never once tried to rationalize her mother’s behavior. Zarmeenay knows that Faarah is having a hard time because of Arjumand but she is optimistic that once Faarah will sort out her differences with Wali, Arjumand will accept her because for Arjumand, Wali’s happiness matters the most.
Oh well, Wali Suhaib Khan ke chehre pe muskurahat aa hi gai Faarah Behroz Khan ke khayal se. I think there is something very sweet about how Wali is keeping his feelings to himself. He has always loved Faarah but now he knows that the whole situation is quite complicated & it can further complicate things because where on one hand Faarah wants to be with him, on the other hand Arjumand wants her gone. I loved Wali’s balanced approach where he tried to make Arjumand understand that no matter what transpires between him & Faarah, it will never take away her right of being in this Haveli because it belongs to Agha Jaan & she is as much a part of a family as the rest of them are. I respect Arjumand for the fact that she always respects Wali’s decisions & his approach that is why she exactly knew what Wali said wasn’t wrong & he wasn’t being biased too. I know it’s random but just when Faarah was telling Zarmeenay about how she feels for Wali, I wished Zarmeenay had recorded all of that on her mobile & Whatsapp’ed it to Wali, haha! :)
Honestly speaking, I had a giggle spree during Moeez & Ruhina’s confrontation, lol. Too bad that I didn’t feel bad for Ruhina at all because this is exactly what she needed to wake up. Moeez has taken desperate measures because Imran is giving him a hard time & it was shocking to see that even Tajjamul couldn’t do anything to control Moeez’s rage. It still looked like Tajjamul was feeling bad for his sister but sorry; he is the one who started this game, so now he should bear the consequences too. Tajjamul now can’t stop or blame Zohra or Moeez because he is solely responsible for all this & what Moeez is doing is exactly what he learnt from his parents & his father in particular. BUT, I will say that again, no sympathies for Ruhina, right!
Oh well, the preview of the next episode was super enticing & it got me excited but, let me just say, I am not making it as a separate note but adding it in the review itself to make my point very clear. First off, I thank all the spoiler alerters (if that’s not a word, I am inventing it) for bringing it to my attention in the previous review that Wali is teasing Faarah & what not, I let it slide because it was something that didn’t matter much but, I am very nicely & politely letting you all know that if I come across any such comment that would discuss or give spoiler alerts for the next episode, those comments will be removed. Please, let those who have not read the novel enjoy the drama as it is & keep it in mind that we’re not in a hurry to discuss what is yet to come. ;) Thank you!!!
Anyways, this is it from my side for this week’s episode of Diyar-e-Dil. I loved loved loveddd it & I must say Maya Ali looked absolutely gorgeous during the engagement scene. Hareem Farooq is such a strong actor & I really wish she opts for more such characters that allow her to elaborate her acting skills like this. I loveddd all the scenes of Agha Jaan because Sir Abid Ali makes sure we enjoy his conversations with his family. I know it’s a bit random but I love the way Faarah has made shawls/scarves a part of her attire after Wali brought it to her notice, I know they have depicted a change of weather through that somehow but it also reflects how much Faarah respects Wali & what his words mean to her. Maya Ali perfectly described Faarah’s excitement when Wali started a conversation with her; those minute expressions told the story of her excitement & disappointment at the same time that he had nothing to say to her, about her. I absolutely love the way their relationship is being told, it’s absolutely sweet & spicy at the same time. :) Please share your beautiful thoughts about the beautiful episode of Diyar-e-Dil & oh, let’s congratulate Zarmeenay on getting engaged, haha! :)
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
ps: Well, I know that a lot of people read Diyar-e-Dil’s reviews, that is why I am using it to convey my message to HUM TV that where we all know about Bin Roye’s success, we also know that it’s been more than 2 months since its release so to see its trailers almost 100 times a day is now taking a toll on me (& I am sure on others too). So, I think it’s a high time to put a kibosh on its trailers because let’s admit, it’s almost a history now aur abb to dono Eids ghuzar gain! Please HUM TV, move on & start promoting some other movies & if not, at least stop promoting Bin Roye post-release because it doesn’t make much sense! Thank you!
The past six episodes seemed to drag on forever. Atiya cautioned Nafeesuddin that Jaani is on the verge of making a blunder and she hinted at Mehtaab being the cause of his Deewanapan. Jaani made a dash to express his undying love for Mehtaab but that resulted in her getting tossed out of the house and Jaani was beaten up by his crazy father until he bled. Mehtaab found her way to her friend Rehana’s home. Rehana is a nurse and is married to Shakoor who works in a morgue and on the side, he practices dark magic using dead bodies. I don’t get why Shakoor and Rehana’s story is given such importance that much of the previous few episodes were about their lives.
Nurse Mehtaab has finally managed to get settled and even has a home now- one that she used to live in with her ex husband. Again, I fail to see the relevance in this. Tauseeq and Atiya continue consoling each other giving the family an opportunity to question their relationship. Nighat is divorced and is now living in Nafeesuddin’s home and is determined to be a part of his life. The storyline was all over the place almost as if the writer asked for volunteers to contribute a short story and finally consolidating them into the main one.
The only constant remained Mehtaab’s red lipstick! Yes, rain or shine, Mehtaab doesn’t shy away from that luscious red. Jaani managed to track her down and now sits by her door and watches her come and go… Shakoor Bhai has his eyes on Mehtaab too! Will Jaani win his love back by saving her from the evil clutches of the dispecable Shakoor Bhai? Will Mehtaab ditch her 11 year old tube of lipstick and replace it with a new shade? Will Rakshanda finally do the naagin dance? Will Atiya ever get a break from the kitchen and those rotis? Oh, I almost forgot to mention, Nafeesuddin took Jaani to see a psychiatrist- I think pretty much everyone is in household is in need of some serious help!
Kanwal Murtaza
Namlians received their Eid gift in the form of an early episode, and what an episode it was! Number 15 of Naml (or should I say Nahl) once again made us cry, laugh and ponder simultaneously all through its 55 pages.
****SPOILER ALERT****
Summarizing the story, we got several major developments. I would list them in bullets for your ease and mine:
“So when you recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaitan. Surely, he has no authority over those who believe and rely on their Lord. His authority is only over those who befriend him and those who associate others with Him.”
Surah Nahl 98-100
For me, and I am sure for most of you, the best scene was the Tafseer one. As I read the translation of the ayahs, some connections were being made in my mind to Haneen’s present situation too. But the way the whole concept was explained was awesome. Only this powerful reminder from Allah (SWT) and an explanation from her brother could snap Hanna out of her disease. The way it was showed that your good deed comes back to you was amazing as well. Saadi never would have imagined that he would help his sister and himself by a good deed done so long ago. But Allah (SWT) always remembers and returns the favours multiplying manifolds.
The pace was fast as usual and character development was exemplary as usual too. The episode had all the elements tied together like a wonderful necklace. I would rate this episode as 5 out of 5 because for me it was flawless.
Share your own review with us please:)
Eagerly waiting for the next installment.
Noor-us-Saad
Like every other person who thinks that our talented Bushra Ansari can do it all I also thought that she will nail hosting her own Morning Show too. I was also very happy to see stars from the past being invited in her shows because all the other Morning Show hosts focus more on young actors and actresses. While attempting to watch a few episodes of her Morning Show I have come to the conclusion that Bushra Ansari should not host any shows at all. Rest of the Morning Show hosts are typical and they also show the same old things but there are some things about Bushra Ansari that are especially irritating and more importantly it looks like she might be setting a few very bad precedents which other hosts might be tempted to follow.
I think that when someone is hosting a show they should be decent and they should encourage the guest to talk about themselves but Bushra Ansari overacts and does some things which are not very decent.
Talking More About Her Own Experiences Than Letting The Guests Talk!
Bushra Ansari always brings her own experiences related to work and family both in all her shows. There is nothing wrong with that as long the guests get to share their thoughts with equal freedom too. She asks a question but does not wait for an answer from the guest and starts saying things on the topic herself! We understand that Bushra Ansari is very experienced but she should understand that this show is not about advertising her own self but about getting to know more about her guests. Whenever I watched her show at the end of the show I realized that I found out very little about the guest and a lot about what Bushra Ansari did in her life!
The “Evil” Laughter!
Bushra Ansari’s laughter would fit perfectly in any animation where there is a wicked witch who has succeeded in accomplishing her evil plans but it is not fit for anything else. Her laughter is strange and evil, she really should work on it! It suited Shazia Chaudhry’s character but it does not suit Bushra Ansari the hostess!
Flirting With Her Guests
Nida Yasir, Shaista Wahidi and Sanam Jung are not perfect hosts too but at least they have enough integrity to not flirt with their guests. Sometimes it looks like Bushra Ansari takes undue advantage of her age and thinks people will excuse her for flirting with actors who are young enough to be her sons because she is old enough to be their mother! The flirting is uncalled for and it doesn’t fit in at all.
Greeting The Guests With Hugs And Kisses
Whether it is one of the old actors or the young ones Bushra Ansari’s way of greeting them is highly unpleasant. Their personal ties aside, Bushra Ansari should keep things decent on television. I hope that other hosts won’t be following her footsteps.
Dressing Up Like A Teenager
Bushra Ansari carries herself and dresses up like she is a teenager. I would say that younger hosts of different Morning Shows do not look so inappropriate when they wear fashionable clothes or do not wear a duppata but such clothes and the absence of duppata does not suit someone who people want to respect because of her experience and age.
Bushra Ansari does not make her guests play silly games on her shows but she has not been able to host the show with the grace with which the viewers wanted her to host it. Bushra Ansari is very good at doing comedy but this comedy is somewhat inappropriate for a Morning Show. I wish that Bushra Ansari showcased her intelligence more than her comic skills in her show. Bushra Ansari concluded her last Morning Show this week and with this show it would be really good if she concludes her hosting career altogether.
What do you think? Do you like Bushra Ansari’s hosting skills?
Saud
Mawra Hocane has been keeping her fans updated about how busy she has been shooting her Bollywood film. She is trying very hard to make people understand that a lot of hard work is going into what she is doing. She has been having sleepless nights and she also sprained her ankle while she was busy training before the shooting started.
The poster of Mawra Hocane’s first Bollywood venture titled “Sanam Teri Kasam” is finally out. In this poster we see Mawra wearing the same dress which she was criticized for earlier and she is lying down in amtub full of rose petals with her hero sitting down helplessly beside her. Here is the poster:
Mawra hasn’t talked much about the story of the film but she has revealed that it is a love story. The line “A love story sealed with a curse” suggests that this love story is going to be a serious one and one without a happy ending. In one of her interviews given when her first photograph from the film came out Mawra said, “Now that I have entered Bollywood, I have to explore new horizons as an actor. Our people always take time to adjust whenever something new is done and that’s exactly what happened with my shoot.”
Mawra is confident about her work and has been asking her fans to support her. The film is going to be released on January 8th. Mawra is very excited for her film.
Indian and Pakistanis always have wonderful experiences with each other whenever there is people to people contact at any level at all. All the Pakistani celebrities who have gone to work in India always say that Indians are very supportive and Indians who come to Pakistan are very often shocked by the love they get here.
Ayesha Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif met while they were all in London. Ayesha Khan posted her pictures with these two actors. We don’t know yet what conversation took place between them but seeing them in the same frame is most certainly something pleasing. It was also Ranbir Kapoor’s birthday when Ayesha Khan met him.
Here are some pictures which were also there on Ranbir’s fan’s twitter account:
Ayesha Khan’s status suggested that this was a chance meeting and she was star struck!
Pakistani drama has grown a great deal of progress since it first started. There was a time when there was only one channel airing Pakistani dramas and a handful of writers and producers. Even at that time Pakistani dramas were considered the best in the region but now there is more variety and while we see many people complaining that the dramas in the PTV era were better than the ones which are airing on different channels nowadays there is no doubting the fact that even today Pakistani dramas are much better than dramas that are being made in many other parts of the world. Pakistani drama industry is flourishing and there are variety of serials which give everyone something to watch.
Here are top 5 reasons why Pakistani dramas are the best:
Impressive Scripts:
The scripts of all the Pakistani dramas are not impressive which is something natural when so much work is being done. There are some dramas that are average, some below average but some that blow the audience away. As long there will be writers who keep on giving us dramas like Pyare Afzal, Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Diyar-e-Dil, Manjali and many other hit dramas of recent times we can be sure that there are writers in Pakistan who can write scripts which can impress the audience in and outside the country.
Immaculate Direction:
Pakistan is home to some of the best directors in the drama industry. These are the people who have made Pakistani drama what it is today. These intelligent directors present the script written by the writers in such a way that the viewers get hooked to the dramas. These directors are not big in number but they do exist and whenever they direct a drama it is sure to be a hit.
Flawless Performances:
Pakistan actors, old and new are powerhouses of talent. They have impressed the viewers with their performances number of times. These actors are versatile which is why we see them in different avatars. They take up challenges and never fail to depict all the different shades of their characters. A drama can never be a hit or a success if the actors who act in it do not do their job properly. The new blood that has been added to the drama industry will only take it further.
Close To Reality:
Another reason why Pakistani dramas are the best is that they are close to reality. The happenings and the characters are real so people can relate to them. They see their own stories being played in these dramas very often. The dramas are not over dramatic which also makes them more real.
Variety Of Topics:
Most of the Pakistani dramas are women centric but they deal with different topics related to women. The sitcoms and other plays also give the public variety of topics to watch in these drama. The dramas also touch social issues of different kinds. These dramas are not all the same, some show young people dealing with different problems and there are others which show different generations.
Apart from these five big reasons why Pakistani dramas are the best there are also other reasons like lately there has been a lot of focus on the locations and some dramas have breathtaking locations. So these dramas also show people that side of Pakistan which they have not seen even living in Pakistan.
The production values of these dramas and the money that the producers are investing have made the drama industry what it is today. The biggest production houses of the country which are also making films are actively taking part in financing Pakistani dramas.
We wish the Pakistani drama industry all the best in the future too.
Saud
Latest Pakistani film Jawani Phir Nahi Aani has taken the box office by a storm. It is getting positive reviews from the critics and the general public showed its support for the film by helping it break all the previous records.
Fawad Khan happens to be in Pakistan at this time so he also watched this film. His comments after the film showed that he thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Talking about the film he said, “I was so excited after watching Jawani Phir Nahi Aani that I did not have words to express just how good this film was. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Fawad Khan also said that he does not feel that there is a competition between Pakistani films that if one does well the other one lags behind but all of these films are adding to the progress of Pakistani cinema in some way. Fawad Khan mentioned all the cast members individually and appreciated them for their superb performances in the film.
“All the actors performed their respective roles terrifically. I felt envious that why was I not a part of this film.” Fawad Khan asked people to watch this movie because he found every joke funny and the movie very entertaining.
Mehwish Hayat has recently shifted her interest from dramas to films. After performing an item number in Na Maloom Afraad Mehwish Hayat is proud that she has an important role to play in the new Pakistani film Jawani Phir Nahi Aani. Talking to a local newspaper about her experience in the film Mehwish Hayat said, “After Na Maloom Afraad I got a lot of offers to work in films – even from India – but I wanted to make a proper film debut in Pakistan first. The story of Jawani Phir Nahi Aani appealed to me that is why I decided to be a part of it.” Mehwish Hayat thinks that the film has a lot of potential and it will be a blockbuster.
When asked how Mehwish Hayat felt about her sequence in a bikini in the film she said, “First of all let me clarify one thing: what I am wearing in that scene is not a bikini. If you look at it, then you will know that it is a sarong and trust me we made sure to avoid a bikini. The sarong is a local dress and covers most of your body. I think it should be acceptable to the audience. People love to make issues out of nothing and then they go and watch the movie as well!”
Mehwish Hayat said that her first song is due to be released soon and she is very excited about that. She also said, “I have offers from both sides of the border. I am not revealing anything as yet because I am a big believer in one should only talk about things once they are confirmed. I might go to India – if need be.”
Mehwish Hayat mentions offers Bollywood offers repeatedly in her interview which gives us a feeling that she might be the next Pakistan actress to be seen in a Bollywood film.
After making the record opening day business record in Pakistani cinemas of 2.07 crore (20.7 million), now Jawani Phir Nahin Aani, has surpassed its own record of a single day business. On the second day of the Eidul Azha (Saturday, 26th September 2015), the film has earned 2.68 crores (26.8 million) which is an all time record for a single day of business on Pakistani box office surpassing the 2.5 crore record of Furious 7 which it made in April 2015 (Saturday, 4th April, 2015 to be precise). The film JPNA has more than 200 shows daily which surely helped in making this record.
Though producers of Pakistani films seldom shares the revenue figures officially, the producers of JPNA the ARY Films has shared this information in a tweet on their official twitter account.
Seeing this trend the film is now expected to earn further on the third day of Eid (Sunday 27th September, 2015) and challenging the record of highest weekend collection of 7.25 crores made by Hollywood’s Furious 7 in April 2015.
Hollywood films are released on latest technology screens like IMAX and 3D and therefore that ticket price is quite high ranging from 700 – 1500 or even higher. So the high price of tickets results in high revenue collection of Hollywood films even if a Hollywood film is released on less number of screens. As compared to Hollywood films tickets of Bollywood and Urdu films start from 200-400 rupees.
JPNA is also released simultaneously in many countries like UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, UK, Canada and USA. On the whole it is an encouraging sign for Pakistani film industry that cine goers are now also watching local Urdu films in huge numbers, along with the routine activity of endorsing Bollywood films.
The market of Hindi/Urdu films as well as Hollywood films in Pakistan is limited to the provinces of Punjab, Sindh and Federal capital Islamabad. In the other two provinces namely Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa only Pashto films are released due to limited demand of Hindi/Urdu films. The market of Hollywood films is mainly restricted to big multiplexes cinemas in the urban centers.
Rashid Nazir Ali
Our country is blessed with many heavenly locations which exist in all the federal regions and provinces. However our media seldom pays attention to this aspect of our country, perhaps too busy in promoting negativity which brings more ratings as compared to promoting positive aspects. There is a distinction and one such program was aired on Geo News named Geo Ajooba few years ago which shows some breath taking scenery of Pakistan.
However soon multiple channels will air a show which covers many beautiful locations of Pakistan. The reason for this is not the TRP or goodwill on part of the management of our channels, but the handsome revenue which these channels will earn by airing this program. Totally Right! it is a program sponsored by OLX, means a paid program rather than any initiative of a channel.
Baazi Off Road Ki (بازی آف روڈ کی) is a travel show which will focus some prettiest locations of Pakistan like Deosai located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region. The show will be hosted by Nomi Qamar and directed by Yasir Nisaar. Nomi Qamar has been a leading model of our country who have also hosted a talk show All About Men on Style 360.The show will be aired in coming weeks.
Here are the promos and clicks of this show.
Rashid Nazir Ali
Jawani Phir Nahin Aani is a film released on Eidul Azha on 25th September 2015 and distributed by ARY Films. The film also has few preview shows on 24th September 2015 at selected theaters. 25th September 2015 has passed and now the statistics of revenue earned by JPNA are being consolidated.
Normally in Pakistan distributors and producers of Pakistani films seldom make the earning of their film public. All the figures and statistics which are quoted and maintained are unofficial based upon the figures shared by different multiplexes. However a rare occasion, the distributor of JPNA i.e. ARY Films have officially shared the business of the film on the opening day in a tweet.
As per the tweet JPNA has earned 20.7 million rupees (2.07 crore) on its opening day, which is a record opening day business for any film in Pakistan. Before JPNA, the highest opening day business was 20.5 million rupees (2.05 crore) by the Hollywood film Fast & Furious 7 released in April this year. Hollywood films are released on latest technology screens like IMAX and 3D and therefore that ticket price is quite high ranging from 700 – 1500 or even higher. So the high price of tickets results in high revenue collection of Hollywood films even if a Hollywood film is released on less number of screens. As compared to Hollywood films tickets of Bollywood and Urdu films start from 200-400 rupees.
Here are the top 5 films with their opening day revenue.
1- Jawani Phir Nahi Ani –2.07cr (2015- Urdu – Karawood)
2- Furious 7 2.05cr (2015 – Hollywood)
3- Dhoom 3.. 1.8cr (2013 – Bollywood)
4- Welcome Back.. 1.6cr (2015 – Bollywood)
5- Happy New Year.. 1.5cr (2014 -Bollywood)
Analyzing these statistics it is quite obvious that before 2015, Bollywood films were ruling the charts with highest opening day collections proving the widespread appeal of Bollywood films among Pakistani cine goers. However in 2015, Furious 7 took over the chart. Furious 7 tremendous success is mostly attributed to the untimely death of its leading actor Paul Walker.
Just few weeks ago (September 4th to be precise), another Bollywood movie Welcome Back received a grand reception and the film also jumped in the list of top 5 films. Now JPNA which is the first local film to appear in the top 5 list has jumped to the No. 1 spot.
The next record which JPNA might break is the highest collection on a weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Currently the record is also with Furious 7 with an earning of 7.25 crores.
JPNA is also released simultaneously in many countries like UAE, UK and USA. On the whole it is an encouraging sign for Pakistani film industry that cine goers are now also watching local Urdu films in huge numbers, along with the routine of endorsing Bollywood films.
The market of Hindi/Urdu films in Pakistan is limited to the provinces of Punjab, Sindh and Federal capital Islamabad. In the other two provinces namely Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa only Pashto films are released due to limited demand of Hindi/Urdu films.
Rashid Nazir Ali
Halla Gulla is an Urdu film released on Eidul Azha Friday 25th September 2015. Termed as romantic comedy the film stars many new and relatively un-famous artists in its cast. The tagline of the film is “Pakistan first solid entertainer”. The film is produced in Karachi (Karawood).
Starring: Javed Sheikh, Ismail Tara, Ghazala Javed, Asim Mehmood, Muneeb, Sidra Batool, Ashraf Khan ,Zara Gul Jasmeen Adil Wadia, Maryam Ansari, Hina Rizvi, Hunain Maniar, Bilal Yousufzai, Jasmeen
Director & Screenplay: Kamran Akbar Khan
Writer: Raheela Mushtaq Shah
Producer: Hamid Mohammad
Designer: EDGE (Men)
Composer: Saahir Ali Bagga
Studio: MFN (VFX Director-1stop Studio)
& Social Media
DOP: Asif Khan
Editor: Nasir Inayat
It is the story of Saahil (Asim Mehmood) who is the son of the a Don named Golden Bhai played by Javed Sheikh. The second hero Udaas (Muneeb Butt) is stuck in a problem which is the cliched theme of two weddings (do shadiyan), both his wives (Zara Gul and Jasmeen) are unaware of each other’s presence and thus Udaas is getting more udaas (sad) due to this. Both heroes are linked via the heroine of Saahil (Asim Mehmood), Muskarahat (Sidraa Batool) who is the sister of Udaas (Muneeb Butt). The tussles and friendship of Udaas and Saahil and settling of their issues is the whole story of the film. In between their are also sizeable performances from veterans Javed Sheikh and Asim Mehmood.
The film has a total of five songs. Out of these four are item cum dance numbers. Infact all four can be classified as item numbers. All the four songs are filmed on a different artists. The film starts with a steamy performance, ‘Zero Meter‘ shot on artist Rubab. Apart from zero meter the other item/dance number are filmed on Mahnoor (song: Thumka), Rachel Gill (song: Halla Gulla) and Mariam Ansari (Ishq Kamla). The dance of all the artists was mostly in sync with the music.
The only soft song is Suroor De in the voices of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Afshan Jawwad is filmed on the heroine Muskarahat (Sidrah Batool) and Saahil (Asim Mehmood). Suroor De though pleasant to ears, is the most weak song in terms of performance in this film.
Seeing this film reminded of Urdu films made in 1990’s like Munda Bigra Jaye, Muamla Garbar Hai, Miss Istanbul. The Urdu cinema declined in 1980’s while Punjabi and Pashto cinema progressed quite steadily.Thus the majority of few Urdu films made in 1990’s were made by the producers of Punjabi films and the Punjabi touch or influence of Punjabi cinema was also reflected in these films be it dressing or dances. Till 1980’s Urdu cinema had a clear distinction from Punjabi cinema. Even the actors of Urdu and Punjabi cinema were separate. While Sultan Rahi/Anjuman were hit in Punjabi films, Nadeem/Shabnam and Babra Sharif were the leading stars of Urdu cinema. Films of both language have visible differences in songs, dressing, story, dances (Urdu films have very few dances) and performance.
But in 1990’s the distinction gradually faded, the artists of Punjabi films started working in Urdu cinema like Neeli, Reema, Saima, Shaan. So in many Urdu films of 1990’s it was common to see the daughter of an urban Seth wearing traditional punjabi laacha kurta. Also dances of Urdu films became more and more sleazy like Punjabi films, while acting got louder and louder like Punjabi films. But that was a memory of the past which has passed a decade ago. Seeing Halla Gulla reminded me of the same feel of the Urdu cinema of the 1990’s which infact was the lowest point of Urdu cinema in our cinema history. Despite produced in Karachi, the film has a feel of Urdu film produced in Lahore in the 90’s.
Though I watched the film in a multiplex, the film suits more for the audience of traditional single screen cinemas. So it might do well in the single screen cinemas, as compared to Multiplexes.
Here are the high and low points of the film.
Highs
The picture quality or the production quality of the film is quite good. Different locations of Karachi are shot skillfully.
The music of the film is also a plus and consists of five songs. Suroor De in the voices of Rahat Fateh Ali is soft and pleasant to ears. While the rest of the four songs which all are dance numbers are also well composed.
The film has four item/dance numbers, and dances on these songs is another highlight of the film. Anyone fond of loud dances on silver screen will like these performances. (Especially the followers of dance perfomances in Punjabi stage shows). Also as compared to the item/dance numbers released this year like Selfiyan (in Wrong Number shot on Sohai Ali Aabro), Tooti Frooti (in Karachi Se Lahore shot on Ayesha Omar), Jawaani (in Jalebi shot on Zhalay Sarhadi), dances here are in sync with music.
The film has many new faces, introducing young blood in the films is a couragous act which should be appreciated. It is the first films for Sidrah Batool, Muneeb Butt, Marium Ansari, Rachel Gill, Hina Rizvi and many others.
Veterans Javed Sheikh and Ismail Tara have performed well as usual and tried to add life to the film, despite weak script.
Lows
The backbone of a film is its script, and it is the weakest point of Halla Gulla. The plot of the film is supported by a disjointed and crippled script which in turn badly impacted the performance of the artists as well. The dialogues are also lifeless not providing the desired comic feel.
Major attention or budget of the film is spent on filming the songs, similar attention on the script and screenplay could have also provided a better cinema experience to the viewers.
There are far too many characters in the film, which appear and disappear without leaving any impact. At times even the leading characters feel as side characters.
The dances which I have mentioned as a high point of the film are also a low point of the film for anyone not a fan of Punjabi cinema styled dances. As the songs Zero Meter and Thumka have the influence of traditional Punjabi film. The latka, jhatka and thumka a signature trademark of Punjabi cinema and stage shows is also in these songs.
Performance wise, all the new comers despite their efforts are not able to leave any impact. The moment your are out of cinema, their performance is also out of your mind like the money you spent on the ticket is now out of your pocket.
Conclusion
On the whole Halla Gulla, is a weak and unimpressive effort from Kamran Akbar Khan. Advertised as Pakistan’s First Solid Entertainer it is neither solid nor much entertainig. After Dekh Magar Pyaar Se (released on 14th August 2015), Halla Gulla is another disappointment. The claimed budget of the film was 5 crore, which is enough to make a quality entertainer, but Halla Gulla has not justified its budget. The film might attract viewership at single screen cinemas, but will surely face a hard time at the multiplexes.
Rashid Nazir Ali
