Most often when you watch award shows you are bound to forward a few bits here and there because they tend to be boring otherwise. I remember forwarding a lot of dance performances in particular in the past few award shows which I watched mainly because of the fact that watching Pakistani stars dance on Indian music in a Pakistani award show was actually extremely disappointing. Well, that was most certainly not the case this time. Pakistani film music of all kinds was highlighted in the performances. Overall, the way the whole affair was conducted was absolutely phenomenal. Great camera work, perfect editing, good hosting, a very intelligent script and impressive performances by everyone involved made this whole show the best one I have seen so far. There were few weaknesses here and there but since the show as a whole was a success therefore one can easily ignore these shortcomings.
Here are my thoughts on the 14th Lux Style Awards 2015:
The Stage:
The Stage was beautifully set up and captured brilliantly by the cameraman as well. The floor and the lighting on the roof stood out more than anything else but I must say that the screens in the background could have been put to even better use had the different nominations categories been displayed on it while the awards were being given. Although the nominations are announced and shown on screen before the award is given but displaying the category in the background makes the whole presentation even better.
The Hosts:
The show was hosted by Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan with Yasir Hussain adding his own comic element to it. Like all the hosts at these award shows Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan obviously had to stick to their script and they did so with great confidence but I felt like Fawad Khan was too stiff at times and he could have smiled a little more. I have no idea why our hosts have to stick to English while hosting these shows. Although Fawad and Mahira both are very fluent in the language but even then when they make it look like they have to put in an effort to speak Urdu it isn’t impressive but it is disappointing. Mahira Khan looked beautiful but her hair needed a little more styling.
While Fawad and Mahira played their part to the best of their capabilities, it was Yasir Hussain’s jokes and the way he presented them on the stage which were the highlight of this award show. Unlike Ahmed Butt and Vasay Chaudhry he covered practically every celebrity and controversy without overdoing it. The camera man deserves special credit for capturing the reactions by all the celebrities while Yasir Hussain was cutting jokes about them.
The Script And The Camera Work
The script was to-the-point and definitely very creative, especially the jokes. Unlike all the past award shows and every other talk show Hamayun Saeed was not targeted for his flirtatious nature but for something entirely different. The jokes about Ijaz Aslam, Umair Jaswal and everyone involved were absolutely spot on. These jokes will be the main reason why I will be watching this show one more time. Usually there are few people who are the target of the jokes in these shows but the way everyone was ‘covered’ was absolutely refreshing and hilarious.
The way the camera crew covered reactions from the audience and the dance performances from different angles was absolutely brilliant.
Dance/Singing Performances
I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to watch the performances on Pakistani songs unlike the last time. While Ayesha Omar, Urwa Hocane and Amna Illyas’ performance were decent enough. The highlight of the show was the tribute paid to Ali Zafar in particular; the choice of songs, the singers and the performance by the man himself was brilliantly choreographed, captured and performed. Uzair Jaswal, Jimmy Khan, Sara Haider and Farhan saeed gave stellar performances.
The tribute to Rahat Fateh Ali was the best way to end the show. The performances included a lot of celebrities from different fields of showbiz and the presence of Rahat Fateh Ali himself was a great addition to the presentation.
The way the progress of the Pakistani cinema was highlighted in this award show was a great way to pay tribute to all those people who have contributed to the revival of Pakistani cinema. This award show would have been picture perfect if our hosts spoke a few lines in Urdu as well. While Yasir Hussain’s jokes were in Urdu, Fawad, Mahira and all those people who got the awards and were giving them seemed to be duty bound to speak English which is actually unfair with a lot of people who I am certain would feel much more comfortable speaking Urdu.
Since there were a lot of positive aspects to this show and only a few which need to be improved therefore this show was clearly a huge success. A very entertaining show as a whole which deserves to be appreciated.
Sanam Jung got married yesterday in a grand ceremony which was attended by family and friends. Imran Abbas, who is a very dear friend of Sanam Jung was missing from all the previous ceremonies but he can be seen in these pictures. Sanam decided to sport a heavy look unlike the look she carried in her Mehndi function. She looked like a traditional bride. Most celebrities want to do something different on their wedding day but Sanam did not experiment with her hairstyle or dress a lot. The traditional look suited her a lot. (Alprazolam)
Here are some pictures of Sanam Jung with her friends and family.
Gul-e-Rana and Adeel continued trying to put each other down all through tonight’s episode like it was a competition and whoever won was going to get a special award in the end! The only award these two deserve is one for being extremely immature. This is not the first time in a drama that a very serious and sacred relationship like marriage has been turned into a child’s play. If the writer’s intent is to show a newly-wed couple who does not understand that relationships don’t last the way these two are taking things forward then he is spot on but since this drama has absolutely no depth therefore I doubt that the writer had some higher purpose in mind. While I was happy after watching the last episode because it looked like Gul-e-Rana was not going to let Adeel have his own way, I was extremely disappointed to see her playing games to displease Adeel in this episode. If she does not want to compromise or go out of her way to make this marriage work then that is her own choice but resorting to childish tactics to get Adeel ‘in trouble’ was extremely foolish of her.
If Adeel is at fault for not respecting his wife and for forcing this marriage on her then Gul-e-Rana is to be blamed for treating this relationship in an equally casual manner. While she never had the courage to talk to her Taya about the more important things in life, she had no problem telling Taya Abu about Adeel’s outing with Maria which she planned. She knows what Adeel is capable of doing terrible things therefore instigating him in this manner is nothing but foolishness. Every time Rana has tried to put Adeel down, he has done something even worse than before to make Rana’s life miserable therefore it would have been more realistic if we saw her trying to keep herself out of trouble. I understand that Rana is too young to deal with this man tactfully but she is smart enough to know that provoking him will only land her in more trouble. Rana got married to this man thinking she could continue living her life the way she wanted once Adeel got the satisfaction of marrying her but it was most certainly not an intelligent move. While I think that Rana’s character is very immature, I must say that I can relate to the way she feels about Adeel. It is very difficult to respect someone like him but then a girl should never get married to a man she hates! If this drama is sending out any message at all then it should be that marriage is not a joke and marrying someone like Adeel will make you miserable for the rest of your life but I wonder how many girls Rana’s age would look at the story with this perspective.
Munira made an appearance today to serve the purpose she is there to serve – making sure that her daughter does not get an ounce of understanding or support from her. It is really sad how the mothers in our dramas are ‘used’ to make matters worse for their daughters. Adeel openly flirts with his cousins, something Munira somehow fails to notice and thinks he is the ideal match for any girl.
I must say that Gul-e-Rana’s character did remind me of Rameen’s character in tonight’s episode. Firstly because just like Rameen she is helpless, no one will believe her even if she tells her mother or Taya something because Adeel is too clever, just like Numair. Secondly because Rameen too used to threaten Numair a lot verbally but in the end things used to happen the way Numair wanted them. And most importantly Rana too has a mother who could not care less about her daughter’s happiness.
It would have been great to see a story of a young couple struggling through the first few years of their married life if it did not involve a forced marriage and a husband like Adeel. I wish that the writer did not show Adeel as a womanizer but as a man with some serious weaknesses in his personality (stubbornness, ego) which he ultimately managed to overcome with time. It would also have been good to see Rana’s mother guiding her daughter through this phase of her life to make this marriage work! Well, as the preview of the next episode showed that is most certainly not the case here therefore we will have to do with watching another husband on screen who thinks he can get away with anything and a wife who really does not have a choice but to put up with it all!
Did you watch tonight’s episode? Do share your thoughts about it.
The video of the homeless man who spoke English with perfect fluency and had a vey tragic story to tell went viral hours after Ahsan Khan posted it on his facebook and twitter page. Ahsan Khan urged people to help this man find a job and a place to live in. Only days after the video went viral the homeless man who moved everyone who watched his video has a job and a place to live.
Yesterday Ahsan Khan posted a status update in which he thanked people for their support and said a lady had taken the homeless man with her.
Talking to Dawn Images Ahsan Khan said,
“I feel that a lot of actors use social media to publicize themselves or bash the political parties…..But I feel social media also has a huge positive side. We should do something for humanity.”
We wish Ahsan Khan more luck, we hope he gets more done with the fame and influence he has.
Babul Ka Aangna (بابل کا انگنا) is a new drama on Geo Tv starting from 13th January every Monday to Thursday at 7:30 pm.
As per the promos of this drama, it is the story of a girl who is leaving her parents home due to her marriage but before the marriage she is sensing some fear. ( بابل کا آنگن چھوڑنے سے پہلے ۔۔۔ اندیشے کیوں دے رہے ہیں دستک) Why?? anyone interested can watch this drama to find out the answer.
Cast:Saleem Shaikh, Maham Amir, Mohsin Gillani, Ghazala Butt, Sumbul Shahid, Sophia Ahmed, Shan Baig, Ikram Abbasi, Aruba Mirza, Hiba Aziz, Sajid Shah, Sami Sani, Farzana Thaeem, Majida Hameed, Saba Khan, Anas Yasin, Nadia Kanwal, Ahsan Shah, Humera Arif, Huma Rehan, Asiya Naz, & Others
The combination of Nabeel Qureshi (actor) and Fizza Ali Meerza (producer) provided us the super hit film Namaloom Afraad in 2014. Both have joined hands again for the next film named Actor In Law. The shooting of the film has started in Karachi.
Its lead pair was Fahad Mustafa and Mahira Khan, but later due to conflict over the scheduled dates Mehwish Hayat has been roped in for the Mahira Khan. Mehwish also appeared in the song Billi of the Na Maloom Afraad earlier. The film also features Ally Khan.
Indian artist Om Puri is also working in this film.
Aqleem Akhtar (اقلیم اختر) is one of the forgotten characters in the history of Pakistan. She was a power broker and had access to the power corridors of Pakistani decision makers from 1960’s to early 1970’s. Especially from March 1969 to December 1971, she was considered one of the most powerful lady in Pakistan politics without serving at any key position.
Why Aqleem AKhtar is being discussed on this showbiz portal, the reason is few of her family members later excelled in the showbiz. This article discusses all the famous persons related to the family of Aqleem Akhtar. Two names in this article i.e. Tariq Mairaj and Naseem Tariq are no more related to this family, but their names are mentioned for reference only.
Aqleem Akhtar Raani
Aqleem Akhtar
Aqleem Akhtar was from the city of Gujarat, Punjab. She was married to a Police officer and the couple has six kids. The marriage ended in divorce in early 1960’s due to disagreement between this couple. After the divorce, Aqleem Akhtar started a social club arranging dance parties from her apartment in the Rawalpindi with her nickname Raani. Her social club was regularly frequented by top government officials from military and bureacracry and thus she get acquaintance with officials serving on the key posts. During one such meeting around 1967 Aqleem Akhtar got introduced to General Yahya Khan, the then Commander Inchief of Paksitan Army. General Yahya Khan is famous as a drinker and womanizer and thus was a regular part of social gatherings in Rawalpindi.
Both Aqleem Akhtar (Raani) and General Yahya became good friends. It is said that Aqleem Akhtar Raani also introduced the General Yahya Khan to many other ladies than active in the social circles. Their friendship and association has been discussed widely in the Pakistani and International press. In 1960’s Pakistan was ruled by the military dictator General Ayub Khan who faced a violent agitation movement in 1968 and 1969 by the leftist student and labour organizations. As a result of this agitation, General Ayub Khan resigned in March 1969 and the Commander In-chief of Pakistan Army General Yahya Khan imposed the martial law in Pakistan. With the martial law of 1969, General Yahya Khan became the president of Pakistan as well and announced general elections in 1970.
Aqleem Akhtar Raani became the closest friend of General Yahya Khan suddenly gained importance. Due to her closeness with the General, she was being called as General Raani in the press, an identity which over shadowed her actual name Aqleem Akhtar. It was famous that Aqleem Akhtar Raani or General Raani can influence the decision of the President General Yahya Khan on politics and key political matters. With such reputation, Aqleem Akhtar Raani gained the status of a power broker. She was regular visited by politician, officials (civil or military), businessmen who want favor from the Yahya Khan regime. One such famous name is Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who later also served as the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Being active in politics Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto also targetted the association of Aqleem Akhtar Raani and Yahya Khan in his electoral movement, and thus the name of General Raani gained popularity with the commoners as well. After the election of 1970, Sheikh Mujeebur Rehman from East Pakistan got the absolute majority in the parliament, however Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto the head of the second largest party from West Pakistan refused to attend the parliament due to reservation on the manifesto of Sheikh Mujeebur Rehman. Unable to resolve the differences, in March 1971, the president Yahya Khan cancelled the parliament session a decision which resulted in a violent uprising in East Pakistan. The uprsising ended in the war of December 1971 and East Pakistan eventually became an independant country of Bangladesh. Badly defeated General Yahya Khan left the presidency and handed over the powers to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.With General Yahya the role of Aqleem Akhtar Raani as a power borker in Pakistani politics also ended forever.
General Yahya Khan
In 1970’s under the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto government, General Raani was widely targetted in the press especially in the Urdu Daily Musawaat, run by the ruling party i.e. Pakistan Peoples Party. She was accused of being part of the 1971 defeat with General Yahya. She was also put under house arrest for much of the Bhutto government until 1977 when Bhutto was overthrown by General Ziaul Haq. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto also setup a fact finding commission known as Hamudur Rehman commission on the 1971 war. The report of the Hamudur Rehman commission was not made public until 2001, which has widely discussed the association of General Yahya and Aqleem Akhtar Raani. The association of General Yahya and Aqleem Akhtar Raani can be considered as a dark part of our history.
Aqleem Akhtar
In 1977 General Ziaul Haq came in to power by over throwing Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and it also ended the difficult time for Aqleem Akhtar Raani. She gradually disappeared from the print media. In 1981, General Yahya Khan also passed away. Aqleem Akhtar Raani again became a subject of the press due to her involvement in a drugs smuggling case in 1980’s. But like no other charges proven on her previously this case also ended eventually.
Since 1980’s till her death in 2002 Aqleem Akhtar Raani or General Raani spent a quiet life at her home town Gujrat. She is mentioned in memoirs of many military and civil officials who have worked with General Yahya Khan. Interestingly a Punjabi film loosely based on her character was also produced in Lahore in 1990’s named Madam Raani. Anjuman, the most successful artist of the Punjabi cinema played the role of Madam Raani (General Raani).
Anjuman in the film Madam Raani, the film was loosely based on Aqleem Akhtar Raani or General Raani
Though largely forgotten, every year in December when on the 16th December, on the anniversary of the 1971 war the name of General Raani does appear in press and media.
The legacy of General Raani is not ended with her death. Her next generation also got fame in different fields of life.
Aroosa Alam
Aroosa Alam is the daughter of Aqleem Akhtar one of the six kids she had from her marriage with a police officer. Aroosa Alam married a civil officer. Aroosa also started her journalism career and is a prominent journalist working in English newspapers.
Aroosa Alam
In mid 2000, Aroosa Alam became the subject of Indian media over her association to Captain Amrinder Singh a prominent sikh politican from the Indian state of Punjab who also served as the Chief Minister of Punjab. Aroosa has denied all such news and maintained the stance that she is only a good friend of Captain Amrinder Singh. As per journalist Hamid Mir, since 2004, Aroosa Alam mostly stays in India instead of Pakistan. Aroosa Alam’s son Fakhre Alam gained fame in the field of showbiz.
Capt. Amarinder Singh and Aroosa Alam
Fakhre Alam
Fakhre Alam is the son of Aroosa Alam and the grandson of Aqleem Akhtar. Fakhre Alam recieved his education from the United States and there he developed an interest in the rap music. In early 1990’s he released his urdu album consisting of rap music. The album became successful and his song rap bhangra became widely popular. Fakhre Alam also hosted various programs. He also ventured into acting and worked in the film Very Good Dunya Very Bad Log in 1998 opposite Resham. VGDVBL was an average hit and failed to establish the acting career of Fakhre Alam. By late 1990’s his singing career also ended, as the short lived rap style of singing also faded. He also worked in another film No Paisa No Problem in 2001 which proved unsuccessful at the Box office.
Fakhre Alam
Fakhre Alam continued hosting of the various shows and was a regular entry in the shows hosted in the presidency during the Musharraf regime till 2008. In 2012 he was appointed the chairmen of Sindh Board for Film Certification (SBFC) and is still serving on this post. He occasionally also works as a sports host for the sports channel Ten Sports.
Fakhre Alam married twice. Her first marriage in 1998 or 1999 with a lady named Nadia ended within two years. His second marriage was with Hina Mairaj who is the daughter of the famous Pakistan Television director and producer Tariq Mairaj. Both Fakhre Alam and Hina Mairaj also separated ways. Now Fakhre Alam is married to an Arab lady and has three kids from this third marriage.
Fakhre Alam, Hina Tariq Mairaj
Tariq Mairaj
Tariq Mairaj is a famous director and producer of Pakistan television serving at Islamabad center. He direced many famous television dramas. Bandhan in 1998 is his most famous drama from PTV Islamabad centre. Tariq Mairaj is the father of Hina Mairaj and was thus father in law of Fakhre Alam.
Tariq Mairaj
Naseem Tariq
Naseem Tariq is the wife of Tariq Mairaj. Naseem Tariq is a prominent news caster of Pakistan in 1990’s and 2000’s. She regularly appeared at the 9 PM news bulletin called khabarnama at PTV. Naseem Tariq is the mother of Hina Mairaj and was mother in law of Fakhre Alam.
Naseem Tariq
Apart from Aroosa Alam and Fakhre Alam, another grandson of Aqleem Akhtar also gained fame in showbiz.
Naureen Sami Khan – Arshad Sami Khan
Naureen Sami Khan is the niece (sister’s daughter) of the Aqleem Akhtar. In relation Aqleem Akhtar is the khala of Naureen Sami Khan. Unlke her khala Aqleem Akhtar, it is said that Naureen Sami Khan is an Indian citizen with British nationality. Naureen Sami Khan was married to Arshad Sami Khan who served in Pakistani Air Force and also participated in the 1965 and 1971 wars with India as a fighter pilot. After leaving the air force Arshad Sami Khan also served at key positions in Pakistan foreign office as well as ADC to three Pakistani presidents. Arshad Sami Khan served as ambassador in fourteen different countries from 1970’s till his retirement in 1990’s. As per the journalist Hamid Mir he was diagnosed with cancer in 1989, and his expensive treatment was financed by Pakistani government on the public funds or tax payers money. Arshad Sami Khan and Naureen Sami Khan settled in India and passed away in 2009.
Arshad Sami Khan
One son of Naureen Sami and Arshad Sami Khan actively pursued music which is Adnan Sami Khan.
Adnan Sami Khan
Adnan Sami Khan is the son of the Naureen Sami Khan and Arshad Sami Khan. In relation he is also a grandson of Aqleem Akhtar, where Aroosa Alam is his khala and Fakhre Alam is his second cousin.
Adnan Sami Khan is brought up in Europe where Arshad Sami Khan was serving as ambassador of Pakistan. Adnan Sami Khan has an interest in music and he returned to Pakistan in late 1980’s. In 1989 he started a music program Behta Darya on the state run Pakistan Television (PTV) from Islamabad center. It is common in Pakistan that persons of influential families waste tax payers money, in the name of showcasing their talent. Behta Darya was not much successful. Adnan released his first music album Raag Time in 1991 which recieved moderate success. He also secured a commercial contract with the Coca Cola. In 1992 during a television show he announced he is leaving Pakistan. However he was again in the news when famous film director Syed Noor signed him for his film Sargam. Adnan Sami Khan composed the music as well acted in this film with Zeba Bakhtyar in the opposite lead. Both Adnan and Zeba got married during the shooting of Sargam. Sargam was released in 1995, though praised by critics it was not commercially much successful. The success of the music of Sargam bring Adnan Sami Khan in the limelight. After Sargam, Adnan Sami Khan and Zeba Bakhyar signed another film Mausam to be produced by SB Hussain (Late). By then both Zeba and Adnan had a son Azaan Sami Khan.
Adnan Sami Khan, Arshad Sami Khan, Azan Sami Khan
Around 1997-98 Adnan Sami Khan composed the music of Mausam in London with Indian signer Asha Bhosle. In the meanwhile his marriage with Zeba Bakhtyar ended. Their breakup made headlines when Zeba filed a kidnap case against Adnan Sami Khan, who kidnapped his own son Azaan and fled to Canada. After the intervention of then Home Minister Ch. Shujaat Hussain, the case was resolved Azaan Sami Khan along with Adnan Sami Khan was brought back to Pakistan, where Azaan was handed over to his mother Zeba Bakhtyar.
Adnan released the music of film Mausam in 1998, though he did not own the rights of the music but the album was not much successful. The album has songs like Kabhi To Nazar Milao, Mujh Ko Bhi To Lift Kara De. In 2000 he moved to India and re-released the album of Mausam, with the name Kabhi To Nazar Milao and it proved a massive hit in the Indian market. We Pakistani have a strange habit, many times we do not acknowledge our own artists, but when the same artist gets recognition in India or west we suddenly remember how valuable the artist is for Pakistan. It happened in the case of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and similar to this Adnan Sami Khan also became very popular. The same album of Mausam which proved unsuccessful in 1998, became a superhit one in Pakistan once it is endorsed by the Indian audience as Kabhi To Nazar Milao.
Adnan Sami Khan prolonged his stay in India and composed music for few Bollywood films as well. He made the headlines again when he filed for Indian citizenship. His first request was rejected, and he filed the second request in 2015. The second request was accepted by the Indian government and on 1st January 2016 he was granted the Indian citizenship after surrendering his Pakistani passport.
So it ends a quite lengthy description about Aqleem Akhtar and the other famous names directly or indirectly related to her.
Nadia Khan has been inviting guests to her show lately who are in some way associated to Imran Khan. She invited Sheikh Rasheed and Waseem Akram to her show and besides talking about other things she also talked about Imran Khan’s decision to get married and his divorce. She also said that she did not like the way Reham Khan was talking about her divorce on the media even though Imran Khan had said that he does not want to talk about the matter because it was something private. Nadia Khan wanted Sheikh Rasheed to say something against Reham Khan but he refused to say anything because he did not want to be part of any controversies. Nadia Khan also said that she will never invite Reham Khan to her show because she respected Imran Khan.
Nadia Khan also asked Waseem Akram what he thought about the divorce and how he felt about Reham talking about it on every forum. Imran Khan has made it very clear that he does not want people to talk against his ex-wife and people who know him are not willing to talk against her either but Nadia Khan is instigating people to say something against Reham Khan. Waseem Akram praised Imran Khan, showed his respect for him but he did not say anything against Reham Khan although Nadia Khan tried her best to make him say something.
Fariha Pervaiz has a beautiful voice and she has a lot of hit songs to her credit. Nouman Javed is also a singer and actor who is very well known not only in Pakistan but also in India. He has a different style which makes people stand up and take notice. Both of them have also sung a song together. They are also known to be seen with each other very often.
Express News reported that these two singers decided to tie the know last week in a very private ceremony. The newspaper reported that the couple had done the nikkah but they did not want to disclose the news yet. They wanted to make plans for the future before they hold a proper ceremony in which they invite everyone.
In this day and age it is very difficult to hide anything from the media because someone leaks the information and then it gets spread everywhere. We hope that the couple will make a formal announcement soon so that everyone can congratulate them openly.
Oh well, just imagine the amount of torture I must’ve went through by putting an amazing Korean drama on hold to watch this crap in order to review it. I am sure the whole not-so-creative team behind this project must be having a celebratory party in order to enjoy their success at torturing people to the core! I must say, hats off to the producers, the director, the writer & the actors for working on such a pathetic serial & also for proving their dhitai by stretching this hideous hideous hideous drama till 20 episodes!!!
I think what Naani did should serve as a lesson to Samra as well as other parents that smartphones shouldn’t be handed over to their kids & definitely not in such a case where your kid is more pakka than it is required for him/her to be. I guess Samra told her daughter off but in stead, she chose to call Rania Aunty to submit the report of the day. Also, it was hilarious that after Naani did her work, Samra then realized that she had to snatch her phone away from her daughter. Like seriously!!! Also, Rania thinks it is Naani who needs love & attention, that’s why she thought it was her duty to remind Samra that she should do all that for her daughter but I pity Rania for sympathizing with the wrong person over there because in Samra Naani duo, it is Samra who yearns for love & attention, that is why she was arranging some of it for herself using her Aazar Bhai!
It is so funny that Aazar hit a jackpot where Rania herself allowed him to be with his new found love Samra, but just because he didn’t want to show the amount of laddu that were phooto-fying in his heart, he put up a GREAT act in front of his Biwi # 1 that this is something that he doesn’t want. The 10kgs of pain along with the makeup that Aazar carried on his face made him look like such a big loser & also a liar because he was lying about his true feelings. What has transpired between Samra & Aazar isn’t a secret anymore, so it is amusing to hear him say that he doesn’t want to be with Samra & that he only wants to give her some time so that Samra gets emotionally prepared for the divorce. I hate the way Aazar is trying to make himself look like a masoom gugu who doesn’t know what life is all about whereas each & everything is working in his favor.
I had a great time watching Rania giving lectures & lessons about life, sincerity, compassion to Aazar while being completely oblivious of the fact that both Aazar & Samra played a joke on her while she was away. Rania felt guilty for harbouring grudges & ill feelings towards Samra but little does she know that Samra isn’t sooo bechari & masoom to begin with because Aazar is not her Bhai anymore & that relationship status has been upgraded long time ago!!!
The word Faisla was used so much that I felt like packing them all in a carton & ship them to Faislabad!!! Bara hi koi FAISLA kar liya hai jee Rania bibi ne!!! I swear, I really hope that these guys know how pathetic they look by trying to insert emotions & feelings & seriousness in such a pathetic script. So, Rania being all philosopical & pious believes that Samra needs Aazar’s support & Aazar is not the first person in the world to have married twice. Samra also went on a NO NO spree where she kept on insisting that she doesn’t want to be with Aazar Bhai, whereas her lungs & heart were screaming YAAASSSSS at the opportunity that knocked at her door!!!
Also, I am amazed that the Aunty who made such a dhamakedaar entry is someone I’m still wondering about. Who is she by the way? Because now when the episode has ended, I still haven’t figured that out, lol!!! Also, Tania & Baber struck again with their miserable-selves. It was hilarious to see them fighting over Rania & Aazar’s situation & discussing ifs & buts, as if what they say is only something that Rania & Aazar follow, so that is why they were brainstorming to come up with a solution that is so not needed!!! Rania & Aazar have both told them off a million times that they should stop interfering in their lives but they don’t seem to register the loud & clear message in their empty heads! I believe if in terms of Dhitai, there’s someone that will conitnue the legacy of this team, it would be either Tania & Baber or rather Babbar Sher! Also, the whole emotional speech that Tania delivered in front of her Bhai Jaan to show how much she wants him to be happy with Rania & Daada seemed so forced because she has hated Rania to the core & now to see her lying about what Rania’s happiness means to her makes her look jhooti!
This drama is past the tolerance stage & I think they should end this crap ASAP. The writer should be ashamed for coming up with such a hideous drama & all these actors should be ashamed to have worked on it & also, the admins at HUM should be ashamed too for putting this crap at a Friday night slot. Pleaseeeeee end it ASAP & please guys, share your thoughts!
Maula Jatt is the undisputed over the top, larger than life hero of Punjabi films. His image is associated with Sultan Rahi and gandasa but the talented young director Bilal Lashari is all set to revamp this hero. Bilal Lashari announced a long time back that he was going to remake Maula Jatt but this remake of the Punjabi films hero will be entirely different from the original hero. So much so that he refuses to call it a remake altogether. While talking to Express Tribune he said,
“It’s a gamble but it’s not a remake… It’s a new interpretation of the gandasa genre, which is why it was very important to reinvent characters. There’s no point in imitating Sultan Rahi. There has to be a completely new identity.”
Now that the cast is final we can have a fair idea that Maula Jatt will for sure be something new. Fawad Khan will be playing the role of Maula Jatt and Hamza Ali Abbasi will be playing the role of Noori Nath. While talking to Express Tribune Bilal Lashari said,
“Our Punjabi hero has always roamed around Chaati phula kay, aasstenain charha kay (with his chest puffed, sleeves folded) and that has become our style. And I felt that we were trying too hard to make a hero.”
The film has a big budget. In one of his previous interviews Bilal Lashari said,
“Gandasa genre was a missed opportunity for Pakistani cinema, and what better choice to utilise it then by paying homage to the cult classic Maula Jatt.”
Bilal Lashari also added in his recent interview,
“It has to be a lot more than just physical exaggeration and that is why Fawad as Maula Jatt and Hamza as Noori Nath will come as an amazing shocker for the audience.”
Talking about that side of Fawad Khan’s personality which not too many people know about Bilal Lashari said,
“People may have gotten a glimpse of his other side in EP (Enitity Paradigm) or a small cameo he made for Mekaal Hassan Band video that I directed. But I always knew kay yeh tau bara wehsi aadmi hai (he’s wild) and I am surprised that no one has ever explored him that way.”
This film will naturally cater to a completely different class of people and not the ones who went to watch Maula Jatt when it was originally screened in cinemas.
There was a time when Pakistani drama writers used to come up with story lines which attracted the attention of people of all age groups. There was something for everyone in these dramas whether that person was 15 or 50. A young person could enjoy watching characters like Kabacha and Saniya in a drama and the older lot could relate to the struggles of Zara and Uncle Farhan’s character. Others enjoyed watching characters like Bibi and Aapa begum. That is most certainly not the case any more and we will probably never go back to that period now. Most of our dramas nowadays bank largely on highly dysfunctional marriages and twisted relationships to take the story forward. Most often we see complicated people on screen who have issues which of course exist in our society but which most people cannot relate to – people like me and many of you. Therefore most of the times people like me – a normal person with their every day struggles – do not get to see their own stories unravel on screen.
We talk all the time about things we do not want to see in dramas and also that we want to see strong female leads in our dramas but here are some other things which I think most of the viewers out there would like to see in Pakistani dramas.
Most of our producers and writers insist that large majority of women who watch Pakistani dramas are housewives therefore marriage and issues related to marital life should be the topic of discussion in dramas. Even if that is true then I must say that not every housewife has problems like the ones we see in our dramas. Most marriages are not forced on women and even if some are, not all of them end up like the ones in our dramas. Abuse is not a normal part of every relationship and there are plenty of husbands who do not cheat on their wives. Many of the marital couples have misunderstandings (which do not involve another woman!), communication problems, differences and other problems which do not involve abuse or cheating. Therefore a lot of these women who are watching the dramas nowadays want to see couples with these problems in which both parties are partially to be blamed and gradually they understand each other and manage to develop a relationship which is healthy. Doesn’t this sound like a story which can be interesting? It would involve marital issues and in the end when we see a happily ever after, it will be more relatable!
The viewers I am certain would also love to see a husband who understands his wife and goes out of his way to support her. Some good male role-models are being badly missed in our dramas. While we have a long list of females who have compromised to make their marriages work in the dramas there is hardly a male character who has gone out of his way to do the same. Our dramas insist on teaching women to compromise but we hardly ever see a man who can be a role model for all the husbands who watch these dramas. I am sure many wives out there would feel much more comfortable watching a drama with such a role-model while they sit with their husbands and watch these dramas instead of husbands who treat their wives like they are their property and threaten them of divorce every chance they get!
For once the viewers would like to see a man who loses everything because he decided to marry for a second time even though he had a perfect relationship with his first wife. Every time a man gets married to another woman, he is never the one who loses his relationships in the end but it is always one of the wives (usually the first one) who is somehow turned into the villain in the end. Can our dramas please show that men can be punished for their mistakes as well? Mera Naam Yousuf Hai has to be one of those very few dramas in which a husband did lose everything because he decided to get married for the second time even though his wife had always been loyal to him. Other than that I can’t think of a single drama in which a man had to pay for taking a wrong decision.
Raising kids is yet another important aspect of a woman’s life. Being a mother might be a natural instinct but anyone who has children would know that it is something that requires a great degree of commitment and there are many mothers out there who have to struggle with a lot of things on daily basis. I would love to see a few mothers in our dramas who raise their kids in a way which gives women who are watching these dramas the right kind of guidance. Dramas that emphasize how important it is to trust your children, to teach them right from wrong and most importantly to have a healthily relationship with them could actually be very helpful to a lot of women out there. We see struggles of mothers on screen all the time but how many mothers can actually relate to these characters?
Pakistan’s political history might be turbulent but it is very interesting as well. If our intelligent writers taken even one phase out of all these years and write a story on it, many people will get a chance to watch something different and appealing. The way history is taught in our schools and colleges is quite boring but making a drama on it would not only teach people about Pakistan’s political history but could also help us see the mistakes we have made in the past which might help shape up a better future.
Although our drama makers insist that housewives are the only ones who watch Pakistani dramas, I know for sure that there are many college going girls who watch these dramas as well. It would be good to see a drama based on girls that age but not one in which they dream of finding a rich suitor some day but one in which we see a girl who has a real purpose in life. I am quite sure that there are a lot of young girls out there who can get inspiration from such characters. There are many girls who come from low income households but they work hard to achieve something big in life. Surely, a struggle of such a girl if translated intelligently on screen can be a source of inspiration for many and will give other girls like them something to relate to. Our dramas insist on showing only those young girls who are forced into getting married or who are struggling to get the love of their life, when actually the focus of such a girl’s story should be her education, her family and perhaps her friends!
I strongly believe that dramas have a big impact on people. Apart from being an entertainment medium, dramas can also play a pivotal role in breaking stereotypes (instead of promoting them) and in educating the masses. Every society has a dark side but that does not necessarily mean that we completely stop showing the other side of the society and focus on the negative alone. Pakistani dramas are being watched all around the globe now therefore it is more important than ever that we show something other than women getting abused in our dramas and our men acting like they are the final authority!
What do you want to see in Pakistani dramas? Please feel free to share your thoughts.
Ahsan Khan is well-known for playing the hero in dramas. Now this man is on a mission to play a hero in real life too. All of us can make a difference in someone’s life if we try and Ahsan Khan is urging people through social media to do whatever they can to make a difference in someone’s life. Yesterday Ahsan Khan came across a beggar on the street who had a story to tell. There was a time when this man used to work in the Middle East, had a wife and seven children but all of that came to an end when his car crashed and he lost his entire family. His brothers made him sign on a blank paper and took everything he had. His story is very saddening. Ahsan Khan made a video of this person who speaks very fluent English and wants to earn a decent living because he does not like what he is doing. Even in these trying times, this man has a strong faith that God is on his side. Ahsan Khan asked people to help him make this person’s present and future better.
Watch the video here:
Ahsan Khan also started the day today with this statue update.
It looks like this year Ahsan Khan wants to do everything he can to make a difference in someone’s life.
Few lines of the ghazal which Reham Khan sang in Shaista Lodhi’s Morning Show have received different kinds of reaction from people. Some people see Reham Khan as a strong woman while others think that she is a drama queen who is trying to get attention from people. What anyone thinks does not matter much but what matters the most is what Imran Khan thinks about her song. Imran Khan was invited in a talk show On Samaa TV as a guest in which he talked about many different things including politics and his divorce. When the host asked him if he had heard Reham Khan sing and what he thought about it, he said,
“I have heard that people cried a lot and she sang very well. I was thinking I can also sing and make people cry but for a completely different reason! People will cry because they will do anything to make me stop singing. Divorce is very painful for anyone who is involved in it. It is a kind of a death of a relationship.”
Imran Khan made it very clear before too that he was not going to malign his ex-wife’s reputation in any way and in this reply he made it clear once again that he was not going to say anything against Reham Khan.
Sanam Jung made her Mehndi ceremony memorable not just for herself but for everyone when she danced with her husband on the occasion. This was not the usual dance which people do on Mehndis but the couple decided to do something different by doing a slow couple dance instead of the bhangra which we see people doing on mehndis very often. Dance is an important part of all mehndi functions but the bride and groom never used to dance themselves on their mehndis few years back, it was usually the friends and family members who used to make the evening colorful with their dance and the bride and groom just used to watch. This trend has certainly changed in recent times. We see almost all the celebrity couples dancing on their weddings which makes the event more memorable. Here are some pictures of Sanam Jung with her family and friends on her Nikkah ceremony:
Here is the video of Sanam Jung’s Nikkah and Mehndi function in which we see Ahsan Khan along with other celebrities dancing on the occasion and Sanam Jung and her husband are seen dancing too.
2015 may not have been a great year when it comes to dramas in general because we got very few super hits & memorable dramas, however, 2015 proved to be a turning point in a lot of actors lives because they rose to prominence through the dramas that aired last year as they ended up getting considerable roles to play & great characters to enact. Our drama industry got a few new faces that marked their presence & convinced the viewers to notice them with their stellar performances. Even though a few of the actors mentioned in the list first appeared in 2014, but the roles they played back then didn’t earn them much recognition as compared to the work they did in 2015, that is why they are being added to the last year’s list.
Here’s a shout out to the amazing new comers that proved their mettle & grabbed the viewers attention:
Iqra Aziz:
Even though Iqra first appeared in Hum Tv’s drama serial Kisay Apna Kahein in 2014 & Express Channel’s Ishq Mein, she actually rose to fame after appearing as a main & central lead in Hum TV’s soap Muqaddas in 2015 which did really well in terms of ratings & was followed by a great number of audiences. Iqra Aziz grabbed viewers attention with her character Muqaddas as the whole drama revolved around her journey. Being comparatively new, she really didn’t let the fact hinder her from performing confidently & she did really well as Muqaddas. In the second half of 2015, she was seen as Sajjal in Hum TV’s Mol, which also did well & made her presence a bit more noticed.
Zahid Ahmed:
Zahid Ahmed’s first ever drama serial in 2014 was Hum TV’s Mehram, where he was a second lead. Even though Mehram had a bit of the following, it didn’t bring much attention to Zahid Ahmed. In 2015, he was seen throughout the year because he appeared in one drama after the other. Hum TV’s Alvida gave him the opportunity to show his potential & he was phenomenal as Rameez. Where he got to portray a psychotic husband in Alvida, he then appeared in Hum TV’s Jugnoo & played a totally different character & got to showcase his talent in comedy as well. Then he also appeared in Hum Tv’s Tum Mere Pass Raho & the year ended with his negative role in Hum TV’s Sangat. Zahid Ahmed has done a considerable work already in such an early stage of his career in Pakistani drama industry & he has turned out to be one of those actors who actually make the viewers look forward to their work.
Imran Ashraf:
He first appeared in ARY Digital’s drama Kala Jadu but what got him the viewers attention was Hum TV’s Sadqay Tumhare where he played the character of Mushtaq who wants to get married to Shano & is a spoiled brat as he happens to be Police Officer’s son. His timing & expressions were phenomenal & that was the first time he got the recognition because he truly deserved it. He was then seen in Hum TV’s Mohabbat Aag Si as Arshad & had a considerable role to play because he contributed a lot in the story. Currently, he is being seen in Hum TV’s Gul-e-Rana as Asher. Imran Ashraf has really proved himself over these projects & he surely comes across as one of those who despite the nature of their character stand out the most in the lot. With his amazing performances, he surely makes everyone look forward to what more he has to offer & let’s hope that he is seen in major roles this year too.
Ahmed Zeb:
A VJ turned actor who first appeared on screen in 2014 in ARY Digital’s Band Baje Ga, Shukk & Aitraaf. Even though he got a considerable amount of work in the very beginning of his career, 2015 really turned things for him. He was then seen in Hum TV’s Diyar-e-Dil as Moeez Tajjamul & ended up becoming one of the most talked about & hated characters of the famous drama Diyar-e-Dil. It is definitely because of his performance that everyone hated the character, which actually is a winning point for him as an actor. Despite being new in the drama industry, he doesn’t let it affect his acting & does complete justice to his characters.
Mariyam Nafees:
She started off her career as Zarmeenay Suhaib Khan in Hum TV’s Diyar-e-Dil in 2015. Even though she had a limited role to play, she gave her 100% & proved her acting skills as an adorable younger sibling of Wali Suhaib Khan. She added a charm in all her scenes & didn’t come across as someone who was appearing on the TV for the first time. With her great performance, she definitely is someone to look out for as she will do wonders. Currently, she is being seen in Ishq-e-Benaam which also airs on Hum TV.
Faria:
She first appeared in HUM TV’s drama serial Shanakht in 2014 as Ayesha, which was a beautiful character of a girl who inspires Annie to work on her shortcomings. She had a limited role to play but she did really well. Faria later appeared in HUM TV dramas like Muqaddas & Diyar-e-Dil in 2015 & that’s when she got recognition that she deserved for her good acting skills. She was mistaken to be Maya Ali’s sister or even at times her twin sister because of the resemblence. Well, now we know that if there happens to be such a drama where Maya Ali needs a sister, Faria definitely can play that role.
So, these were the new faces that rose to prominence in 2015. Please share your thoughts about all these great new comers & their acting skills, also please feel free to add more names to the list too. :)
Ayesha Sana is in the spot light for all the wrong reasons nowadays. When two of her videos in which she is seen badly insulting her crew members and hairstylists for making her look dark and messing up her hair came out, people were enraged to see how wrong her attitude was. Many top celebrities made fun of the actress by making dubmash videos of her. In one of the videos Ayesha Sana asks the man in charge of light to brighten her face more. When he says that he cannot do it because of technical reasons, she starts shouting at him.
Nadia Hussain, Sunita Marshall and others made a dubmash video in which they showed the extreme attitude of Ayesha Sana with the crew members.
Ayesha Sana has finally decided to talk about her behaviour. Here is what she had to say:
Sumbal Iqbal has been attached to the Pakistani entertainment industry for a long time. She is one of those very few actresses who have survived the tough competition in showbiz and have made a strong position for themselves in the industry. Sumbal Iqbal is on holidays nowadays. She decided to visit US to give herself a break where she is enjoying visiting different places and spending time with people she loves. Sumbal Iqbal shared her pictures from the holiday in which she is seen with wax statues and with the statue of liberty.
Sanam Jung is officially married now. Although the functions of her wedding started few days back but the Nikkah took place yesterday and the Rukhsati is on the 9th of January. Sanam wore a pink and gold dress on her Nikkah which was coincided with another Mehndi function because Mehndi is considered the most fun of all the wedding functions. Sanam Jung did not wear a lot of make-up or jewelry on her Nikkah, maybe because she wants to save all the grand jewelry and make-up look for her Baraat. Sanam’s husband Qasam Jafri wore a white Kurta Shalwar of the occasion.
Here are some pictures from the Nikkah/Mehndi function.
Ohkay so, this episode of Mana Ka Gharana was interesting. I am glad that they decided to change the plot & introduce new faces at the right time because otherwise, it wouldn’t have taken too long for it to turn a bit stagnant & boring.
This episode was all about Mana & Shehryaar. The moment Mana sensed that apart from her mother, everyone else was against the proposal that was put forth by Gul Bahar, she decided to seek Khizer’s help as she shares everything with him easily & she knew that he would do anything for her.
The thing that I found totally odd was that Gul Bahar hasn’t left a good impression on the whole family but all of a sudden, she is being welcomed into their household like a family member who never left & was their well-wisher. We have always heard Saleha speaking about what Maalik means to her, so when it comes to Mana, how can she, being a mother, not get skeptical or conscious of the decisions that Gul Bahar is making for her daughter? I really found it odd that not only Gul Bahar has started running things there, she is being entertained by each & everyone, Maalik excluded of course.
Both Ghalib & Maalik want Mana to get married to Khizer but when Khizer himself decided to support Mana, both of his uncles were shocked as they then had no grounds to object Shehryaar’s proposal because Khizer didn’t show any interest in Mana in front of them. I really liked the fact that there was a time when both Mana & Khizer used to be worried about Maalik & Zarri, but the tables have turned & now it is Maalik & Zarri who’re worried about both Mana & Khizer.
I really thought Saleha was wise enough because she spoke about missing compatibility between Khizer & Mana, but now after seeing her support for Shehryaar really made me question her farsightedness. How can she not be worried about the class difference & the difference in the upbringing that persists between Mana & Shehryaar. She has seen the fate both Maalik & Gul Bahar met just because they both had different mindsets, so how can this aspect not bother Saleha at all? Just because Saleha saw her daughter’s forlorn face, she agreed to this proposal & what made it even more hard to absorb was that it was Gul Bahar who suggested it & still Saleha had no issues & in fact she thought the fate was being too kind on them by sending Gul Bahar to their home once again!!!
Oh well, even though Mana is different from the girls we have seen in our dramas before & she has a sense of responsibility & maturity that really sets her apart from all those character & not to forget that I like her character, having said that, I so wish Mana had shown some signs of self-respect & substantial dignity because these two things were clearly missing from her in this episode. Gul Bahar kept on putting Mana, her lifestyle & her whole family down in front of her but she chose to stay aloof & in a self-created happy bubble that she is meeting the man of her dreams very soon. Just when Khizer tried to tell Gul Bahar off, Mana swooped in & agreed to whatever Gul Bahar was saying. Yes, I do understand that she comes from a very small town & her exposure is limited, but that really doesn’t mean that just because she dreams big, she can compromise on a lot of other essential aspects like dignity & self-esteem to be with someone she ‘thinks’ is her prince charming!!!
As expected, Shehryaar surely is Gul Bahar’s nephew. He was just as self-centered & egocentric like her. He smiles & sweet-talks but knows exactly how to put someone down. He did the same with Khizer & also Mana but sadly, Mana is behaving immaturely to even take a stand against a guy who is belittling her. I so wish they hadn’t made Mana’s character so typical that her only dream is to get married so that she can achieve her goal of living in a city. She could’ve chosen an entirely different path where in order to educate herself, she had asked to be sent to a closest big city to her town & live in a hostel, at least that would’ve made her look independent & different.
Amidst all this, I really like the relation that Maalik & Zarri have built. They both have grown to be comfortable with & around each other & not only that, they both have started to confide in each other as well which is really interesting. I am sure Gul Bahar is not going to go easily & why not, considering the way she is being treated as a royalty & how she is being entertained more than required, soon enough she will turn Zarri into a vamp & will blame her for wrecking the non-existent relation that Gul Bahar & Maalik have! This episode was interesting & the preview looked good too. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Mana Ka Gharana.
Reham Khan was a talk show host only until she got married to Imran Khan. Once she was in the spot light the media dug up her past and her character assassination started without giving little consideration to how this might be effecting her and her children especially. Reham Khan always protested against this insensitive attitude of the media but we never saw her breaking out in public. She has always kept a very strong demeanor through everything and even when the divorce took place and there were all kinds of accusations she refused to play the victim.
Reham Khan was invited by Shaista Lodhi as a guest in her Morning Show. She was given a very warm welcome by the hosts and the guests. Reham Khan had a heart to heart talk with Shaista in which she discussed everything relating to her life. Reham Khan also sang few lines from a ghazal which summarized why she was never seen crying in public. She said that people always asked her how she was so strong and the answer to that was that people who want to work to make something out of their lives do not have time to cry. Shaista Lodhi could not help crying when she heard Reham Khan singing perhaps because she could also relate to her situation.
This was another episode of Beqasoor with a lot of rona dhona, sad background music and one which promised very little character development for our scapegoat Hira in particular. While it was great to see Sadaf taking a stand for her daughter, it was just plain annoying watching Hira play the victim when she had the choice and the perfect opportunity to live a happy life! Hira’s obsession with making her father happy is like a mental block which she needs to get over if she wants to be happy.
In one of the previous episodes we saw Hira telling her mother that she will not tolerate it if her step-father made her mother suffer but in this episode she completely lost track of who she wanted to please! Her insane decision to get married to Amin was meant to make her father happy at the cost of her mother’s happiness. Hira obviously has complexes, she wants a father figure in her life at all costs even if it is someone like Waseem but making this kind of a ‘sacrifice’ when she knows that it will only bring more pain to her mother is not in line with her character. Maybe if she stops crying and sobbing, makes herself a cup of tea and sits down to reflect upon things, she can reach a better conclusion! Waseem knew only too well that the ‘divorce card’ was bound to work in his favor therefore he used it over and over again.
Sehr on the other hand takes her phupo’s advice and is happy with her luxurious life even if that means putting up with a husband like Shehryar. Sehr like her phupo does not think much about the past or the future and likes to live in the present. She wants to be happy and does not really care about anyone’s happiness. The phupo is as negative as a character can possibly get. Even though Hira’s future husband is clearly a nightmare come true but even then she makes sure he knows what Hira’s ties with Babar were like to make matters worse. We also found out today that even though Hira and Babar spent a lot of time together in the office but Babar knows nothing about Hira’a family dynamics.
I must say that the director has definitely banked on Hira’s becharapan a lot. The flashback scenes have been used extensively and the sad background score just makes it look like the director is trying too hard to make people feel for Hira’s character. Hira’s obsession with pleasing her step-father does make sense but the way it has been translated on screen has killed any sympathy that it could have generated from the viewers. Afia Begum and Zulekha’s circumstances in the play Mera Naam Yousuf Hai were somewhat similar too but everything was shown in such a way that you couldn’t help but feel for the characters. At this point there is absolutely no hope for Hira and I can’t even imagine how her life would be with that man. Honestly speaking the very thought of it makes me sick! Saboor Ali’s acting remained quite unimpressive in this episode as well. Samina Peerzada was absolutely brilliant tonight and I must say, so was Waseem Abbas.
Beqasoor is getting even more depressing with every passing episode. The only good thing about tonight’s episode was the way Sadaf put her foot down otherwise all the characters remain black and white.
Did you watch tonight’s episode of Beqasoor? Do share your thoughts about it.
Adnan Sami Khan’s Indian nationality and his attitude towards the country he was raised in is being questioned by many people nowadays. Adnan Sami fought a long battle to get this citizenship and the day he got it was the best day of his life. He called this day re-birth. People on both sides of the border are questioning his overall attitude. Some Indians are surprised that he supports India more than Pakistan and Pakistanis of course do not like that Adnan has totally disconnected himself from his country.
Recenlty Adnan Sami shared Junaid Sami Khan’s tweet in which he bashed Pakistan. Here it is and you can see Adnan Sami’s comments too.
Hamza Ali Abbasi was quiet about the issue till now but now he decided to break the silence. He posted this status on his facebook page along with Adnan Sami’s status.
He also expressed his sentiments in another status update.
Actress and host Mishi Khan was indicted for a charge that was registered against her by Dr. Afshan Khan. The actress pleaded not guilty but a court in Rawalpindi indicted her today after looking at the evidence.
Dr. Afshan Khan said that she hired the actress to run an advertising campaign for her clinic for which she had paid her Rs450,000 in the form of a cheque but Mishi Khan did not keep her end of the bargain. An FIR was registered against the actress in July 2015 in New Town police station.
Mishi Khan is currently hosting a Morning Show on the channel K2. She is also going to be part of the film Janaan.
Sarah Khan is the latest sensation who was brought to the limelight in the year 2015 although she started her career long before that. Sarah was invited to Shaista Lodhi’s Morning Show in HUM Sitaray in which she shared many details about how she entered the field of acting and what her future plans are. Sarah Khan said,
“I used to do voice-overs for Turkish dramas, that is when I got to know some people in this field and they suggested that I should start acting. That is when I was selected for the play Bari Apa and that is where my career in acting started from.”
Sarah Khan is currently studying to get a degree in textile designing and after that she wants to study film making. This young actress has big plans for the future. She said,
“I really want to be a director. I want to be a lot of things – singer, director, actor and what not! I don’t want to be a host though!”
Sarah Khan also said that she was offered many films but she made it clear to the directors and producers that she could not wear revealing clothes and she could not do item numbers. Talking about what kind of films she would like to do she said,
“I got offers for a lot of movies but I feel that we should work according to the social environment of our country. I can never do an item song. I cannot dance in revealing clothes. When I meet someone to talk about a film project I tell them that I don’t wear a sleeveless, I don’t wear short sleeves and I will not wear backless and deep necks. If someone can cast me with all these requirements then well and good.”
Sarah Khan said that she is waiting for a film project which she can do without compromising on these principles and whenever something like that is offered to her, she will take it up for sure.
The news of Mathira’s marriage was revealed last year and it was only then that people found out that Mathira and Flint J had been in a relationship for a long time before they decided to get married. The couple was also invited to many shows and they regularly post pictures together on different Social Networking Sites. Both of them have a beautiful baby boy now and Mathira leaves no stone unturned to let her husband know that she loves him. Here is a recent post of Mathira that says it all:
Mathira loves spending time with her husband and son but she has to spend a lot of days away from her husband because he is based in Dubai. When that happens Mathira posts how she feels when she is away from her husband. She also says that her son Aahil always puts a smile on her face whenever she is sad. Here are some beautiful pictures of Mathira and her family:
Adnan Sami Khan is very happy to get Indian citizenship. He feels more confident than ever after getting this new recognition. He hoisted the Indian flag at his residence to show how proud he was to be Indian and in every other interview he has been expressing his utter joy over the new development. Adnan Sami Khan had no problem renouncing his Pakistani citizenship to get an Indian citizenship.
Hamid Mir in his talk show showed how happy Adnan Sami was to get the citizenship and how prominent Indians were criticizing and ridiculing him.
Hamid Mir in his show pointed out that Adnan Sami Khan wrote an article in Times of India in which he tried to prove that he was always Indian. One of the journalists from India Shehar Gupta also talked about the whole issue on the show. He said that it is nothing to be proud of that Adnan Sami is an Indian citizen.
He said in the show that many people get different nationalities every day but Adnan Sami Khan was overdoing it.
Syed Noor was the person who introduced Adnan Sami Khan to the Pakistani film industry so Hamid Mir talked to him too about Adnan getting Indian citizenship. He said,
“Zeba Bakhtiar was a simple woman, I told her not to fall for this man. He was always a very greedy man. He used Zeba Bakhtiar to make a place in India. He was always under Indian influence and wanted to go to India.”
Hassan Nisar also said that he had no issue with Pakistanis accepting citizenship of other countries but surrendering Pakistani citizenship should never be an option. He said,
“I swear if someone gives me the ownership of moon and not just the citizenship I will be very happy but if someone puts the condition that I have to surrender the citizenship of Pakistan then I will most probably slap a person who gives me such an offer. Surrendering Pakistani citizenship is like surrendering your own mother.”
Hassan Nisar’s emotional statements about the issue make every Pakistani think how anyone can give up the citizenship of their country for another one.
Mohib Mirza and Sanam Saeed’s film Bachaana has been in the pipeline for a few months now. People were eagerly waiting for the film’s trailer which is likely to be launched this year in February. The film will be a romantic comedy with some action. It has been directed by Nasir Khan and produced by Big Film Entertainment. The film is being distributed by HUM Films. Sultana Siddiqui was present at the launch and the leading actors looked very excited too. Aamina Sheikh came to support her husband. She also posted a special message for her husband on her facebook page along with the trailer of the film. The film is all set to be launched in February 2016.
Aamina Sheikh and Mohib Mirza are one of those couples in the industry who have always supported each other. This is also one of the main reasons why they are so successful today. Bachaana will mark the film debut of Sanam Saeed and Adeel Hashmi.
Here are some pictures from the launch of the trailer of the film Bachaana:
The news of Canadian based Pakistani Youtubber/Comedian Zaid Ali’s marriage took all his fans by surprise today when the pictures of the grand ceremony started circulating on the social media which showed Zaid in a groom’s getup posing with a bride on stage, but as it turns out, it was a huge misunderstanding because Zaid was putting his heart & soul in the upcoming video, hence the get up. The news circulated on the social media in a jiffy mistaking it to be his real wedding.
Here’s what both Sara Sarfaraz & Zaid Ali had to say about the pictures that were circulating on the social media that implied they were actually getting married:
Share your thoughts on it & tell us if you’re eagerly waiting for the video that already has created so much of hype before its release.
Oh wow, this was yet another exciting episode of Preet Na Kariyo Koi. Even though the pace has slowed down, I absolutely love watching this drama because the story is interesting & intense, therefore I totally think that the writer & the director needed this pace to take the things forward. I also believe that the dialogues have been written intelligently because the note at which the episode starts, by the end it is justified what was said & they play along those lines as well to put things in perspective.
This episode was all about Shagufta’s growth & Suleri’s interest in her. Even though Yazdani doesn’t believe in going out of the way for Shagufta, deep down he is her well-wisher & that is why he believes in reminding her of her responsibilities & more importantly, what’s right for her. Yazdani wasn’t too satisfied with the way Suleri was showing interest in Shagufta because Yazdani knows his friend in & out, so he was sure that he wouldn’t allow Shagufta to choose a course of her life & complete her degree, which actually is something that she eagerly needs to get a hold of, in order to help her husband.
Suleri is a thorough politician that is why he only believes in seeing his own benefit, which is why before handing over such huge responsibility to Shagufta, he didn’t even think about her 1 year old daughter Noor ul Ain. For Suleri, his only concern is Shagufta & Noori is only Shagufta’s responsibility. The way they showed how Suleri played with her helplessness was quite interesting actually. He started off by offering her a favor & Shagufta accepted it without even knowing what was in store for her just because Shams ordered her to stay by Suleri’s side as he has a lot of faith in him. Shagufta was so eager that she chose to medicate her daughter just because she was keen to please Suleri so that he can do something for Shams.
Shagufta’s guilt when she returned home at night & the struggle to buckle up the very next morning was shown perfectly. Shagufta made a point to Suleri that she wouldn’t let Noori come in her way & this is exactly what she was trying to prove. Each & every one of them is dependent on one another, that is why they all are doing what is in their best interest. Shams has told his wife to be by his mentor’s side as he believes that way Suleri will always be reminded of him by Shagufta, Shagufta is following her husband’s orders that is why she is doing everything to please the man she thinks can help her family & then comes Suleri, who is only helping Shagufta because he knows she will prove to be a very important pawn in his political game. Sadly, both Shams & Shagufta are so blinded by their desires that Noori isn’t their priority anymore but at least Shagufta isn’t as guilty as Shams because she is doing everything for him whereas he is being unreasonable. Shams tried to put a blame on her for medicating Noori but the moment he heard that Suleri ordered Shagufta to leave Noori behind, he didn’t retaliate at all. Also, I think Shams himself doesn’t understand that he is needlessly pushing Shagufta towards Suleri & this is not going to benefit him at all. Shams seems to be living in a fool’s paradise because it was so hard for him to absorb that Shagufta has outbid him & Suleri has offered her such a good post, that is why he tried to leave an impression on her that she was getting everything from Suleri only because she happens to be Shams’s wife & not because she is qualified enough on her own!
So, Suleri had huge plans for Shagufta, he offered her to become the President of Women’s Wing, that too in such a short span of time, whereas, Shams worked with Suleri for years, but he only used him as a goon & never really believed in raising his position. Shagufta obviously was skeptical but just because she was following Shams’s orders & also just because she believes that Suleri is doing everything for their well-being, she chose to accept everything that Suleri offered. Sadly, Shagufta can not see that Suleri is in no mood to help Shams & he is directing all his attention only on her. Even though she has such a resourceful man like Suleri by her side, she still is alone in her battle of freeing Shams from the prison.
The whole scenario where Suleri kept Shagufta occupied while Shams was going through his final hearing was done perfectly. Shagufta definitely wanted to be with her husband to support him, but Suleri made sure to keep her busy as he doesn’t want her focus to deviate. Suleri has very cleverly used Shagufta’s predicament against her & in his favor because the moment he saw Shagufta was thinking only about Shams, which Suleri actually didn’t want, he reminded her that she has to have a strong back to be able to help her husband, which again turned things in his favor & Shagufta ended up agreeing to his proposal as she believed in his advice.
Suleri knows that Shagufta is very ambitious & knows how to use her brains, that is why he has created this bubble of false hope around her where Shagufta is now so dependent on him to believe that he is the only one who is going to help her & Shams, which definitely isn’t something that Suleri wants to do at this early stage of Shagufta’s political career. The conversation between Yazdani & Suleri was a clear evidence of Suleri’s intention where he hinted that the moment Shams will come out of jail, he will force Shagufta to take a back seat & this is why he is not helping Shams because he has caught Shagufta’s Achilles Heel & he knows that as long as Shagufta will stay in tough circumstances, she will be fierce & will ruthlessly do what Suleri will order her to do.
Shagufta’s depression & her defeat was given a proper coverage too where they showed that Shams’s life sentence took a toll on her but then Mushtaq’s message that was conveyed through Zareena sparked a fire in her where she once again picked up the pieces & made herself strong because she knows that she has a battle to win against Mushtaq & prove him wrong by bringing Shams out of the prison. Sadly, nothing in Zareena’s life has changed though & she is clueless about what she is supposed to do, that is why she is just being used as a messenger as no one sees her to be capable of doing anything else. I so wish, Shagufta had told Zareena to stay by Noori’s side while she was fighting for Shams, at least they both would’ve gotten some sort of emotional support from each other, that they both at this point of time are in need of.
Anyhow, I loved seeing Shagufta’s transition from a simple girl to a refined politician & this once again convinced me that Hira is well-suited for this role because the way she has embodied the character of Shagufta, no one else would’ve been able to do that. The episode ended at a very interesting note where now Shagufta is being forced to contest in the elections that will create such a scenario where she will come across her estranged family. The preview of the next episode seemed very very interesting & I can’t wait for it already. I must say, I am totally impressed with the way the director has executed such a powerful story & also, I am glad that the writer has come up with something so different & intense. This drama for sure is the best drama that’s airing on Hum TV these days. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Preet Na Kariyo Koi.
Famous internet comedian Zaid Ali (ZaidAliT) tied the knot with model Sarah Sarfaraz (Sister of super model Sanah Sarfaraz). Here are some exclusive pictures from the wedding day. Stay tuned for more details and pictures.
Sarah’s costume was designed by MNR.
Where positive characters easily make their mark because all the aspects work in their favor, it is equally difficult to give a stellar performance when you are playing a negative character & not only that, making it the most talked about character is also an art. Last year we came across a lot such negative characters that had us all talking & the actors succeeded in making us all hate those characters because of the negativity they embodied while performing those negative roles. A lot such actors who were seen in a positive light before took us by surprise due to their phenomenal portrayal of completely different characters, so it is our duty to acknowledge those brilliantly written & enacted negative characters.
Here’s the alphabetically ordered list of the most memorable negative characters of 2015:
Aatir (Muqaddas):
A disturbed child who later became a man with serious psychotic issues with the only motive of avenging his mother’s death. Aatir went ahead & decided to ruin Muqaddas’s life because he thought just because her father was guilty of creating a rift between his father & mother, he thought of coming back at him by ruining his daughter Muqaddas’s life. He created a perfect trap for her to believe that he loved her & just when she started trusting him, he turned her life upside down by putting her through mental trauma. Aatir’s character was a one of its kind because such a character wasn’t seen before where at one hand he would pose to love his wife & on the other, he’d be the one planning to traumatize her even more. Later when the nature of Aatir’s character was revealed, he managed to grab a lot of attention towards him & succeeded in turning viewers against him. Noor Hassan did a fantastic job by creating a mysterious aura about Aatir, his contained expressions & smirks really made him one of the most mysterious & talked about negative characters of 2015.
Farisa (Alvida):
Farisa’s character stood out in Alvida because of two reasons. Firstly because her complexes were shown in a way that the viewers had no problems relating to her selfish and manipulative ways. Farisa always envied Haya and when she got the opportunity to get the love of Haya’s life, she left Saim without even giving it a second thought and tried her best to make sure Haya never came home. The second reason why this character deserves to be in the list is the way it was translated on screen. This was the first time Sarah Khan gave a performance which was flawless. Many viewers who doubted Sarah Khan’s acting abilities were pleasantly surprised and were convinced that she had worked hard to polish her acting skills.
Moeez Tajjamul (Diyar-e-Dil):
A very calculative & clever person who only desired his own benefit at the expense of hurting those who trusted & loved him the most. Moeez was his aunt’s favorite & she always thought of him as the son she never had & even though Moeez loved & respected her a lot, he sadly paid more heed to the planning & plotting his parents did & ended up trying to take a jump higher than it was required. Moeez’s twisted plan included getting Faarah divorced from Wali to bag the property she will get from her affluent Grandfather. Unfortunately for him, he ended up abducting Faarah which ended things for him as he was found out by Wali & handed over to the police. The most interesting thing was that you really couldn’t judge what was running through his mind & the attention he showed towards Faarah actually seemed genuine but it was not. I must say, Ahmed Zeb was a perfect choice for Moeez’s character as he acted that character really well.
Noor Muhammad (Mera Naam Yousuf Hai):
Waseem Abbas has played the role of an irresponsible and abusive father many times but what sets this role apart from others was that Noor Muhammad was a true depiction of the hypocritical face of our society. He was a man who used religion to meet his own ends and never followed any of the religious teaching while dealing with his immediate family. Noor Muhammad continuously judged his wife and daughters but never sat down to think about the flaws in his own personality. He was the perfect example of a self-righteous man who loses everything in the end because he did not value people who truly cared for him.
Rameez (Alvida):
Rameez kept the viewers guessing for the longest time; his real intentions and personality wasn’t revealed until he got married to Haya. This was the first time Zahid Ahmed nailed a negative character. There were many episodes in which his character and acting stood out more than any other although he was playing a negative character. Just like Farisa, the viewers understood the reason behind his mistrusting nature and the way he abused his wife. Whatever he did of course was not justified at all. His character just like that of Farisa’s got exactly what he deserved in the end. Zahid Ahmed made the viewers relate to his character and there were times when the viewers felt for him.
Rasheeda (Sadqay Tumhare):
Rasheeda’s character was brilliantly etched-out; it was complex and intriguing. Sammiya Mumtaz’s effortless portrayal made Rasheeda’s character the highlight of Sadqay Tumhare. Rasheeda was someone who never got over her past and her past made her so bitter that she was incapable of loving anyone at all. The insane hatred which filled her soul made it impossible for her to make a fresh start. This character had to be one of the most powerful negative characters of this year not only because it was brilliantly etched-out but also because the viewers got to see Sammiya Mumtaz at her best in a completely different avatar.
Ruhina Behroz Khan (Diyar-e-Dil):
An egocentric lady who lacked wisdom & farsightedness. Even though Ruhina changed in the end but she spent her whole life harboring grudges for one single incident that didn’t affect her life directly. She never had an emotional connect with her husband even to ask him what he was going through or what he went through for 20 years after not being in contact with his family. She had no insight or wisdom to differentiate between right & wrong, that is why she hated her well-wishers & loved her own enemies. Ruhina was always on a winning end because her husband guarded her his whole life & gave her the the life she never could’ve imagined but when he needed her support the most, she ended up hurting him too. Sanam Saeed did ohkay & sadly she didn’t shine as much as the audience expected from her, may be she had a hard time playing the role of a mother but overall her performance was average in comparison to the strong character that she was assigned to portray.
Rukhsana/Apa Jee (Mohabbat Aag Si):
A hypocrite who would use her piety to fool people whereas in reality, she didn’t even have a basic fear of God because of which she exploited everyone’s trust & love they had for her. Rukhsana saw herself as a victim & she was indulged into this sense of self-pity that forced her to turn against those who she thought lived a happy & fulfilling life. She was clever & shrewd because she would come up with such dangerous plans in a jiffy without even thinking about the consequences. She ruined not only others but her own life too because of her unrequited love & in the end, after getting the love of her life, she still wasn’t at peace because by that time, she had turned into a psychological patient. Iffat Omar was phenomenal as Rukhsana/Apa Jee. She literally carried the whole drama on her shoulders & did justice to the character every step of the way. They showed different phases of Rukhsana’s life & Iffat Omar excelled in portraying Rukhsana’s journey throughout without any difference in her acting.
So, with this, we conclude our lists of memorable characters that were both positive & negative. Please feel free to add more names to the list & do share that in your opinion, which was the most hated character of 2015. Hope you guys enjoyed reading these articles as much as we enjoyed compiling them for you. Thank you so much for keeping the discussions so active & happening, it means a lot to us.
Bachaana (بچانا) is an upcoming Urdu film shot in Mauritius and Pakistan and is under production for past two years. The film stars Sanam Saeed in the lead role with Mohib Mirza. Sanam Saeed is playing the role of an Indian girl named Aaliya, while Mohib Mirza is appearing as a Pakistani taxi driver.
The trailer of the film is released today i.e. 5th January 2016 at 7 PM in a ceremony at a five star hotel of Karachi. Its first official poster is released last week. The film is releasing on 26th February 2016.
Cast: Sanam Saeed, Mohib Mirza, Adeel Hashmi
Written By: Saad Azhar
Director: Nasir Khan
Produced By: Rizwan Saeed for Big Films
Distributor: Hum Films and Big Films
Bachaana is one of the five films featuring Sanam Saeed but are due to release sometime in 2016. The other four films are Mahe Meer,Azaad, Rehm and Doobara Phirr Se. Seeing the progress so far, Bachaana might be the first released film for Sanam Saeed.
Bollywood films have a universal appeal in Pakistani cine-goers. These films are extremely popular in all the segments and classes of the Pakistani society. For this very reason, Bollywood films regularly do very well in all types of the cinemas, whether it is a multiplex in a posh area or a single screen circuit cinema in the old city areas.
Dilwale, a Bollywood film released on the 18th December 2015 is also proving very successful. Till date, it has earned in 19.25 crore within two weeks, and with the third week in progress it is expected to cross the figure of 20 crores on upcoming weekend, a landmark only four other Bollywood films has achieved.
Dilwale is also the most successful film of Shahrukh Khan in Pakistan surpassing the record of Happy New Year (2014). Dilwale’s business is slightly impacted by the release of the Urdu film Ho Mann Jahan on the 1st January 2016 as it is resulted in less number of shows. Still the film is registering favorable occupancy and is expected to continue its run for at least two more weeks. However it might not reach the all time Bollywood record in Pakistan of Dhoom3, which earned 25 crore in 2013.
Ho Mann Jahan is the first Pakistani film of 2016 released on 1st January 2016. The film is facing a stiff competition from the two giant Bollywood films Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani. Though released on two weeks ago both Bollywood films are still earning decently especially Dilwale is proving a grand success.
Ho Mann Jahan thus has to share screen space with these two Bollywood films. The film was allotted 160 shows on the very first day i.e. 1st July 2016. However after seeing an increase in demand, more shows were allotted on the Saturday 2nd January 2016 making it to 195 shows.
The manager of the Super Cinema in Gulberg, Lahore confirmed increase in the shows on Saturday and Sunday in his tweet.
The film earned 1.40 crore on the very first day (from 160 shows), and due to increased number of shows (195 shows) it earned 1.55 crore on the Saturday 2nd January 2016. The film earned 1.20 crore on the Sunday 3rd January 2016. So the overall collections of the three day weekend is around 4.15 crore which is a very good earning on Pakistani box office.
The weekdays from Monday – Friday and upcoming weekend will decide the trend of the final earning of the film. The stated budget of the film is 10 crore and it must perform well on the upcoming weekend to recover its expenses and enter into the double digit earning.
The film is also released in countries like UAE, UK and USA but collections from these countries are not available.
HMJ being an urban story with subtle treatment was expected to do well only in the multiplexes of the big cities Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad/Rawalpindi. The film lacks the loudness and glamour which is attributed towards the mass appeal of a film and is therefore not expected to do well at small urban centers like Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Gujrat, Multan and the circuit cinemas (single screen cinemas) of Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad/Rawalpindi. However its weekend performance has exceeded the more commercial films like Wrong No. released last year on Eidul Fitr.
Source: The box office collections mentioned above are taken from the websites www.galaxylollywood.com and www.boxofficedetail.com and tribune.com.pk
Hamza Ali Abbasi and Maya Ali will be playing the lead roles in HUM TV’s upcoming drama serial Dil-e-Janam which was previously titled Tera Ghum Aur Hum. The play has been written by Samira Fazal and directed by Haseeb Hassan who was behind HUM’s recent hit serial Diyar-e-Dil. This drama is also much anticipated by the people because it marks the comeback of Hamza Ali Abbasi after he won a lot of admiration from people for his performance in super hit drama serial Pyare Afzal.
Hamza Ali Abbasi and Maya Ali in separate interviews talked about the overall experience of working together. They told a little bit about the main plot and their characters while talking to Dawn News. Maya Ali hopes that her on-screen couple with Hamza Ali Abbasi will be as big a hit as her recent on-screen chemistry with Osman Khalid Butt. She said,
“I know Osman will kill me for saying this, but Hamza is very comfortable to work with, so you automatically give a good performance. I was too nervous to look at him straight in the eye, but he always insisted that I do. I feel that people will like our performance together.”
Talking about whether Salahuddin (Hamza’s character in Dil-e-Janam) and Haya (Maya’s character in Dil-e-Janam) will make the same place in people’s hearts Wali and Farah did, she said,
“Just like hashtags such as #Osmaya (Osman and Maya combined) and #Wafa (their characters Wali and Farah combined) are established, I now hear of #Sanu (Salauddhin and Manu) and #Haya (Hamza and Maya). That’s a good sign, right?”
Talking about his character in the drama Hamza Ali Abbasi said something that will interest his fans a lot. He said,
“The character I play is very close to who I actually am, so that’s nice….I would describe it as a sweet and nice love story, like most of our dramas. It is something I personally experienced too, which makes it special for me.”
Although Hamza Ali Abbasi wants to do more films in the future but he thinks doing work on television is very important. He said,
“Our first strength has always been TV. I am what I am because of TV. If we drift away from TV entirely TV will sink. So actors who are making films, that’s great, but they need to do at least one TV serial a year. Even Humuyun Saeed is appearing with Mehwish Hayat in a TV serial with that intention.”
The way the camera crew covered reactions from the audience and the dance performances from different angles was absolutely brilliant.
The tribute to Rahat Fateh Ali was the best way to end the show. The performances included a lot of celebrities from different fields of showbiz and the presence of Rahat Fateh Ali himself was a great addition to the presentation.
