Recently Maya Ali was on a trip to Malaysia and Thailand where she visited Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She also visited Phi Phi Island and Island of Phuket in Phuket, Thailand.
Here are some photos of Maya enjoying her trip.
Zidd – Episode 11!
Ohkay so, I don’t know why but even though this episode was good, it didn’t offer much & was just so slow that it tested my patience once again. That has been the case with most of the episodes of this drama; they do try to give you something but may be due to the direction or lack of depth in a script, they really don’t strike a chord like they should.
I just don’t understand one thing, why is it that the women in this drama don’t really know how to be happy? Saman has been in this never-ending pain that she really ticks me off. She wanted independence & she didn’t want to compromise so now when she is getting to live a life on her conditions, what’s making her sad? Then there’s Rukhi, who fought hard with her father for the sake of her happiness; her ‘David’ & now when she has got him, she’s sad. I just don’t understand the point that the writer here is trying to prove? She is eventually going to tell us that both these girls had to give up on their ‘zidd’ in order to find happiness, which actually is a good message but may be the path that the writer has opted for in order to reach to the message is really bizarre because most of the time in fact all the time, all the characters look so clueless & the whole ‘zidd’ issue seems very much forced which gives a message that they could’ve done well without it too but then they couldn’t because that’s what they were focusing on, sounds confusing right? To be honest, this is exactly how this drama & the characters come across; confused & confusing!
I really expected better from Rukhi. I thought she’d be on top of the world after getting married to David but then that just didn’t happen & now seems like Qasim’s phoola hua muh is taking a toll on her & David’s relation. David is trying hard to make her happy & like a good husband, he is doing everything he can to support & encourage her but seems like ever since she has gotten married to David, Rukhi only has one topic to talk about & that is Qasim. The point is, being his daughter she definitely would’ve known that Qasim won’t forgive her so easily, so either she should’ve strengthen herself or she should’ve expected him to react this way. Rukhi actually came across as a very carefree person who knew how to mend things & situations, so why it is that Qasim’s temporary vexation is causing her so much trouble? She knew he didn’t jump with joy when she told him about David, so when she could ignore him & go against his wishes to marry him, she should now just be normal with his attitude as well & that reminds me about how repetitive her scenes, conversations & dialogues were because she hasn’t spoken about anything else at all.
So, Zainab told Saman about what her marriage was like which goes to show that Omar wasn’t at fault & it was Zainab who ruined everything that they both had. The way Zainab described her marriage was enough to know that they both had a very good relation but it was Zainab who didn’t want all that, she hated seeing how stagnant her life had become so in a quest for an adventure, she decided to get divorced but she is still exploiting Omar & he is so shareef that he is allowing that to happen after knowing Zainab in & out. He still financially helps her & doesn’t seem to question her. I kind of understood Omar this time around a bit better because he never got married to ‘mentally stable’ & ‘normal’ women so maybe that’s why he seems so immune & comfortably numb after how Saman has left him.
I just can’t seem to tolerate Saman & her painful expressions. What she wants out of life? No one knows? What she’s trying to achieve? No one knows? What makes her sad? No one knows? What’s the point she is trying to prove? No one knows. Well, the only thing that’s left for Saman is to go back to Omar because now she has learnt pretty much everything about his past & now there will come a time when she will realize that he wasn’t the one who was wrong & she will go back to him. I really didn’t understand her reaction after she learned the truth about who Zainab was married to? She says she doesn’t love Omar so why did she seem so lost after Rukhi’s phone call?
I don’t know why but this episode was a hit & a miss too. Development in the story was fine but the scenes seemed so stagnant & repetitive. The only good thing about this episode was the locations that they chose to shoot the scenes. Another amusing thing about this drama is that all these ladies are only seen roaming around the streets carrying their handbags & I must say, all of them really have a bad choice because all the handbags that they’ve flashed in this drama are hideous. Anyways, share your thoughts about this episode please.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
Chup Raho – Episode 27
Rameen Rameen Rameen…..there is no hope for you!! Yes! Rameen’s faith in Allah might be very inspiring for some but what happened to using your own wisdom to choose what is best for you? God helps them who help themselves and I am not sure if Rameen did anything to help herself until now except shouting at few people every now and then. On the contrary she is her own biggest enemy! Which is really sad because I wanted to see Rameen evolve into a hero…to save herself and many others like her in whichever way she could but Rameen instead needs a hero – which would be any man at all even if it is Azar. Rameen is not only living with her rapist out of her own free will but as it turns out she has absolutely no issues sitting down with him and having conversations like nothing ever happened. Not only this she trusts him as well and what was even more shocking was watching Rameen plead Numair’s case in front of Manal. How naive can you be?? Rameen’s character is a complete failure. Our main protagonist has failed to set an example of any sort at all for any other unfortunate girl like her out there who might be watching this play. The play does not give hope to the victims out there other than this that eventually a prince charming will come and rescue them.
Numair is convinced that Rameen’s presence in his house alone can ensure a happy ending for his daughter which is another development which is outrageous. I do not expect someone like Numair to do anything out of love for anyone but we all know that he is a very “smart” man and someone like him should be able to realize that setting Rameen free will put an end to all his troubles, lying to Rameen and giving her false hopes will only land him into more trouble. I am saying this because what we saw today clearly indicated that Numair is only doing all this for Naila’s well-being and he has no ulterior motives for making Rameen stay in his house.
I personally know women who have been in abusive relationships. Such women usually shy away from commitment and it takes them a very long time to trust any man at all. Shiraz has provided Rameen the feeling of security which she needed but has Numair done anything to prove that he has truly changed? I hope that Manal decides to speak up in the next episode and Numair either ends up in jail or in the mental asylum where he belongs. It is very upsetting how “casually” rape has been dealt with in this drama. Everyone who knows about it including Shiraz, who is Rameen’s well-wisher has swept the issue under the carpet as if an apology changes everything! Not once has he mentioned that Numair could harm Rameen again and no one has ever asked Rameen to file a case against Numair because rape is a crime right?
I am glad that this episode really was the second last episode. We have watched the past 10 episodes or so in the hope that Numair will finally pay for his mistakes but now no punishment seems big enough for what he has done. We were also hoping that Rameen will grow into a strong person who can make a difference but that is not going to happen because a woman’s “happy ending” is always with a man and a few kids even if they are not her own!
Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.
Fatima Awan
The Shooting Of “Mera Naam Yousuf Hai” Comes To An End
It looks like Imran Abbass thoroughly enjoyed shooting for his upcoming drama “Mera Naam Yousuf Hai” which has been written by Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar and directed by Mehreen Jabbar. Imran Abbas shared his feelings about how the whole experience with the team of the drama when the shooting concluded. He also shared pictures with his fans with the team on the last day of shooting.
Sharmila Farooqui’s Wedding Pictures And Dance Video
xSharmila Farooqui’s wedding was a grand affair. The functions covered a time frame of 15 days. The wedding was held in Karachi in which Sharmila Farooqui tied the knot with Hashim Riaz Sheikh who is a former banker and currently he owns Capital TV.
Here is a video of Sharmila Farooqui dancing on her Mehndi and many more wedding pictures:
Kis Se Kahoon_ Episode 11-13
A lot happened during these three weeks in KSK. The story is getting more interesting by the minute.
Hadiqa and Fahad:
Hadiqa started to trust Fahad a lot and fell for him. She thought about him day and night, spent time with him at college and talked to him through social networking sites when she was at home. Fahad enjoyed the fact that his bet was nearing completion. He read her messages aloud in front of his friends and laughed. I was a bit disappointed in Hadiqa. She didn’t think twice before going to his house with him, and could not detect his lies about his parents being out of country.
She even followed him into the bedroom, but left before any real harm could be done to her. Even so, Fahad got the video footage he wanted. A little blur and editing here and there, and he had proof of Hadiqa doing what she had not done! Spreading it all over social media was easy.
Next day, Hadiqa noticed the whole college giving her weird looks. She was mocked by her friends as well, and she could not undestand why, until she looked at the video on Facebook. She was shocked and felt cheated thus she locked herself up in her room for the whole day. Her mother tried to talk to her but she did not, infact could not tell her anything. The emotional gap between the two forced her to remain quiet. Her parents have been away from her all her life, and even now, she spends less time with her mother.
Talking to her mother about such a big problem was not possible, but talking to her grandmother was. Dadi boosted her spirit and helped her face her problems. Hadiqa changed her decision of leaving the college forever and went back.
Mehreen, the girl who had been previously cheated by Fahad, confessed to Hadiqa’s friends that she had lied to Hadiqa about Fahad and that he really is a bad guy. The good guy cover was just to lure Hadiqa in. The group of friends felt sorry for what they said to Hadiqa, and took her back in when she came to college.
The moment she entered the college, Fahad was there to mock her. Tum ne abhi tak khudkushi nahi ki? Buhat dheet ho tum! He told her about the bet and gloated. Tum ne jis din mujhe basketball ka match haraya thha na, uss hi din shart lagai thhi mein ne. Meanwhile she got summoned to the principal’s office about the video issue. The principal (to mu relief) dealt her with kindness, and after knowing that she has learnt from her mistakes, put her on probation. Apne aansoo saaf karke jayein.
When Hadiqa stepped out of the office, she was a changed girl. She told her friends that she will not let any other girl be fooled like this. Mujhe kuch aesa karna hai jo iss qism ke neech larkon ka rasta roke. All of them decided to devise a plan to teach people like Fahad a lesson.
Salma and her stress reliever:
Salma on the other hand, suffered under stress. She started to lose her sanity and used to have panic attacks. Her mother had to get her admitted to a mental hospital, and there Salma met Asfand. Asfand told her to draw her worries away, just like he tells other mentally disturbed people. Agar ghussa hai tou iss canvas pe nikal do, yeh canvass sab kuch samajhta hai. He told her to explore her “andar ki dunya”.
Firstly, she just drew lines, but then she started to paint, and discovered her hidden talent. Her own mother was surprised with her progress. Just like Asfand, Salma found her stress reliever in painting.
The big plan:
Hadiqa’s friend Noor decides to operate an underground radio channel. Aese larkon ko expose karenge aur baqi waqt mein gaane chalaein ge. Her brother can help them operate it, and they’ll even let a teacher in on their plans, so that they don’t get caught.
The plan is, to place microphones near the place where the loafers sit. The antenna will be placed on the roof, and then the girls can deliver their message to the college. Cool!
Fahad’s friend Akbar is friends with Noor and really likes her. Since Fahad has left the college, she offers Akbar a bully’s protection in return for his friendship and help. Naye friends milne par puranon ko bhool jana chahiyeh.
Personally, I loved the messages that were delivered. Girls are targeted like this by boys. They lose their reputation and then decide to commit suicide or escape from their old friends. They don’t stay and fight. Hadiqa did, and I hope she is successful. Salma’s case is also interesting. Finding a hobby is a good solution to a stressful life. KSK has been successful in completing its purpose so far. With talented actors, director and great story line, it is definitely going to leave its mark.
What did you guys think of these episodes?
Areeba Mohsen
Dusri Biwi Episode 14- FARAHH becomes FARHII
Yaar aap sab kuch chorain, bus yeh sunain: Farah is no longer ‘just’ Farah- she is Hassan’s Farhi!!! I have to recover from a laughing fit and you might think I’m overreacting here but trust me, the way Hassan (Fahad Mustafa) said ‘aap meri Farhi ka khayal rakhay ga’ was soo nauseatingly comical that once again I had this, ‘what-on-earth-am-I-WATCHING&HEARING feeling! I was about to have my ears checked but Hassan said it AGAIN and that’s when I had one of my rare Eureka moments- I have finally discovered the wisdom behind Hassan’s logic of nicknaming his wives! As far as I can figure, whenever Hassan feels like his wife is being extra supportive and nice, he changes the ending syllable of her name from ‘a’ to ‘i’- you see, Aishaaa became Ashiiii and right when he saw that his Biwi No.2 is not only going to give birth to his child but is also selling her gold kay kangan for him, helping out his excruciatingly irritating daughter with her homework and sharing some romantic moments with him when Biwi No.1 isn’t around, he realized that its only fair to alter Biwi No.2’s name and lo and behold! Farah becomes Farhii! Chalo, ab batanay mein bhi acha lagay ga: Hi guys, this is Hassan here and here meet my begmaat, Ashiii and Farhiii!’
Pheww, thanks for bearing with me guys, the thing is that this episode was just soo pathetic that I had to struggle to regain my composure and now that I am back to normal, let’s just say that each and every character from this play must be locked up inside a mental asylum starting from Bhai, Bhabi, Hassan, Aisha, Farah right down to Saman! I haven’t come across dialogues as disgusting as the ones I came across here. I mean, Hassan ‘promises’ Saman that she will ‘receive’ a bhai as her Bday gift and his actual words are: aunty aap ko bhai daingi?!! What’s the writer’s point here- Aisha and Saman are ‘lucky’ enough to have Farah in their lives because only she will do the honours of completing the family frame? And I may be wrong but I couldn’t help but wonder that Saman is probably in class 2 and the maths exercises of her grade can’t be that hard but it’s strange how Ashi (who is most certainly NOT an illiterate/uneducated person) didn’t know how to help her daughter out which again seemed to be one of the writer’s attempts to show how ‘badly’ Aisha and Saman depend on Farah for the simplest of things and they just can’t do without her! Yes, Saman ‘abhi sirf bachi hai’ but it’s the 21st century and even children are very smart these days so it is extremely unnatural that Saman is accepting all the abnormal explanations & dilasay so happily & wholeheartedly. Sometimes it almost seems kay even if Ashii leaves Saman someday, it’ll only take Hassan’s sweet talking and Aunty’s puppet mimicry to make Saman forget all about her mommy dearest!
And I don’t think I disclosed the most shocking part yet: while these ‘bday par Aunty bhai gift karain gi’ talks were going on, Aisha was listening but not reacting! I mean, tell me, where in the world does THAT happen? You know, that’s exactly why I don’t feel anything for Aisha anymore because as much as I can understand what she’s going through, the truth is that she is the one making all the wrong decisions for herself.
Have a look, jis ki wajah say ro rahi hai, ussi kay kaandhay par sar rakh kar rorahi hai! (see below)
Alright, that much expected ‘Aisha ya Farah’ ultimatum has been issued to Hassan but remember, our hero, nope- villain is in love with both his wives so he can’t think of leaving either of them. Hassan is so dheet that since the day he got nikkah-fied, his justification has been: BAS sab kuch aisay hi hogya aur mein nay kuch bhi soch samajh kar nahe kia! Look bhai, you weren’t a moppet, you weren’t drugged, no one pointed a gun at you or threatened to pull the trigger so HOW do you explain, ‘bas hogya’?! By the way, I loved the way Aisha corrected him when he was continuing his ‘I love you Ashii’ ki rutt! Throughout tonight’s episode, Aisha was in this queer state of confusion. She is an educated mother of one and I guess at this point, she should be able to trust her own instincts & judgement to make the right decision but no no, even though she’s well aware that Hassan doesn’t deserve her, she still relies on the advice of the Socrates of the family- her Bhabi Jee! Bhabi is the aunty agony of the family and according to her, jis tarah Farah nay Hassan ko ‘pyar’ say tumse cheena, tum bhi Hassan ko ‘pyar’ say hasil karlo! And lo and behold! Aisha is following her advice too! My point is, why can’t she think for herself and why does she allow a third person’s advice to alter the course of her life? On a serious note, it’s good to see that Aisha is not acting as if things are perfectly normal with Hassan which is actually a good sign warna I was thinking kay Aisha isn’t even a human being!
A moment of relief: Farah’s parents are finally back so I GUESS we won’t be witnessing the two-biwis-living-under-one-roof scenario next time so congrats! By the way, Ashii’s life turned upside down, she just found out that she has a sautan and she has to witness her daughter-sautan’s bonding scenes too but isn’t it ironic how din ho ya raat, her blush-on, lipstick & eye-shades suggest that she gets ample of time to take care of her make-up?
Share your thoughts on this episode, please!
Maryam Mehdi
Aik Pal_ Episode 15: The message comes through!
Wow! This is the kind of episode that a reviewer likes reviewing. :P I must say, this show is getting a lot better. The message is clear and the story is making a lot more sense than it did a few weeks ago. The writer’s creativity is shining through. Aik Pal, is about students from different backgrounds, studying together, interacting with each other, making some mistakes, achieving some goals, then going in different directions and years later, getting back together and figuring out how much they made use of their lives, and where they were right and wrong.
Before they met, there were a few developments in the story that I would like to discuss. Firstly, Omair’s acceptance that the only reason he stayed with Bareera all these years was her money. He doesn’t have an ounce of love and respect for her in his heart and will never have it. Not only has he made her useless, but doesn’t seem to (ever) realize it. I will love to see him suffer.
On the other hand, Bareera kept doing to herself what she did in the last episode. This time, she went further ahead and tried to kill herself, but she was saved, and when her friend, Naila, tried to talk some sense into her, she didn’t seem to care.
Sharjeel got to know more about Mus’haf. He had never tried to understand the guy he called “molvi”, and simply used the beard to judge him. But Mus’haf’s kindheartedness forced him to change his opinion. I loved how he remembered the pain he had inflicted upon Mus’haf during the university days, and felt guilty.
Noor Fatima kept wearing the scarves at home. I really don’t get her. She walks slow, talks slow, turns slow. Basically slow is what she lives on. Shaista and moad-dab guftugo is music to people’s ears, but her tone is robotic! Anyways, in a flashback, it was revealed that when Noor Fatima asked Mus’haf about the reason why he married a lower class girl like her, after trying to gol gol ghumay-ing the question a lot, he answered that it was Bareera who told him to marry her. I have liked Mus’haf all along. Whether it was him ignoring the bullies at the university, ignoring Chauhdry Ashraf in the village or his forgiving nature when it came to Sharjeel. But I do not understand why any man, especially Mus’haf would say this to his wife.
After this, came the “meeting”, more like aamna samna of our two female leads. Naila invited Bareera to a dars. Unbeknownst to Bareera, the woman giving the dars was Noor Fatima. Bareera slept in that day, and was woken up by Naila’s call who reminded her her promise and forced her to come. Bareera dressed up in a short dress without a dupatta, while Noor Fatima got ready in her regular Shalwar Kameez, with a shawl and covered her head. I liked how they simultaneously showed both of them getting ready but showing Noor Fatima’s car ride was too much.
Bareera arrived before Noor Fatima and didnot notice her when she came in. It was the words of the dars that touched her heart. Noor Fatima recited the verse of Surah Noor, which says that impure men are for impure women, and impure women for impure men. Bareera had committed emotional suicide and had accepted her situation. She might have even considered herself right and Omair wrong, but when she heard the verse, she got to know that she is also responsible for what happened to her. She immediately got up and rushed out. This made Noor Fatima notice her.
Bareera went to the club where Omair was present with his girlfriend (apparently there is just one club in the whole of Karachi). I really wish her reaction could have been censored. :D However, the uncensored reaction led to Omair dragging Bareera back home.
Overall, it was an enjoyable episode and it gets a 9/10 rating from me. :)
What did you guys think of the episode? Did you enjoy it?
Areeba Mohsen
Mathira Supports Zimbabwe
Mathira has proved in this Cricket World Cup that she is a big fan of the game. Mathira has been losing her sleep and changing schedules in order to watch all the cricket matches especially the ones which included Pakistan. She has always been hopeful that next time Pakistan will win unlike many other celebrities who show their anger over the team’s performance openly.
In the match that was played between Pakistan and Zimbabwe Mathira had a difficult choice to make because she is living in Pakistan right now but she was born and raised in Zimbabwe. When the match started Mathira wished both teams all the best but as the match progressed Mathira showed her support for Zimbabwe. Unfortunately this time when she was supporting some team other than that of Pakistan that team lost and this was the first time in this World Cup that Pakistani team won a match.
Goya- Episode 16 Review
Do adad marey huwey logon ki shaadi par bhi armaan hai ke ubhar ubhar ke bahar arahey hein… Omar and Zara succumbed to the powers that be and decided that they couldn’t continue retaliating and for the sake of their sanity, they jointly agreed to the marriage. Both of them see it as a marriage of convenience here they support each other as friends and in turn gain freedom from being micromanaged by their parents.
Zara had yet another meltdown- she is finding it very hard to cope with Adnan’s death. Her mother offers little comfort- she’s just in a hurry to marry her off so she can be free from the torture of putting up with her relapses. Zara was neglected as a child and grew up in a volatile environment where her parents were constantly at loggerheads and her father was busy womanizing. I think it’s easy to see why she not only detests the idea of marriage but wants to escape from the hellhole that is her home.
Omar’s plight is no different. He was never allowed to grow as an individual since his father controlled every breath he took. As much as Omar would like to believe otherwise, he’s distraught over Mohini’s disappearance and silence and he can’t help but wonder if there is an ounce of truth to what Rahat is saying. Rahat hands him the khula papers- Mere naam ki saath jee toh nahin saki lekin marey gi zaroor…
Haniya is fully aware that Rahat is growing increasingly suspicious of her so she tries to get Omar to help her run away. She’s afraid for her life and that of her unborn child. I have a feeling the Doctor friend helping her out will suffer the same fate as those that dared to cross Sr. Hashmi. I think Rahat has a pretty good idea that Haniya is pregnant but he doesn’t want to take any chances and wants to get some tests done before he can decide what he needs to do next.
The highlight of today’s episode was Ali’s return and revelation that it was indeed Sr. Hashmi who forced both Ali and his father to relocate to Dubai. I like how he always manages to lighten the mood in an otherwise grim story. I laughed when he called Zara filmi aurat. Mohini was MIA today and I hope she’s managed to pick herself up and working to improve her life. I would love for her to return before this wedding takes place because the last thing I want to see is a situation involving a dosri shadi even if Zara has agreed to exit the scene once Mohini returns.
The brief scene of Zeb was a relief although she knows Haniya is planning something. Will she tattle once again or will she keep her mouth shut remains to be seen. The wedding preps are in full swing and both parties want pomp and circumstance. Haniya is planning her escape on the night of Omar’s Valima but Rahat already has his Head of Security following her and reporting back. Let’s see how this ends!
Yours in watching,
Kanwal Murtaza
PTV, the tussle of managing director and employees union
PTV is our national institution which is backed by public funds. Every year more than six billion rupees collected from PTV license fee are allocated to PTV but still it lags far behind in the current competitive world.
Despite huge resources, buildings, an army of producers PTV is struggling with financial crisis. Despite injecting billions every year, it is running in a loss of 60 million rupees each year.
Recently MD of PTV appeared before standing committe of senate where he explained the sorry plight of this national institution.
As per Muhammad Maalik who is the Managing Director of PTV, out of the six billion (recieved as TV license fee) 5.25 billions are spent on wages and 40 million are consumed by medical bills. To overcome the deficit PTV is now taking a loan of two billion rupees from commercial banks, while many of its buildings are already mortgaged
PTV has more than six thousand employees. As per Muhammad Maalik, he wants to fire 4990 employees out of these 6000 provided he has the authority to execute the plan. Many of PTV officials are incompetent and cannot check their emails and the national television is running solely by the backing of ALLAH. One centre of PTV has seventy producers whereas it only airs daily programs of two hours. Recently PTV has sacked nearly 80 employees with fake degrees.
The militant organization of Taliban is also causing damages to PTV’s installations in the region of FATA thus resulting in recurring expenses in that region.
Here is the reference excerpt from Urdu Daily Jang
This is the one side of the story, on the other side are the employees of PTV who have their own reasons. As per PTV Employees Union, the cause of PTV’s Financial crisis is the high salaries of Managing Director and other high officials. The monthly salary of PTV’s managing director is 3 million (30 laakh) rupees. The MD has hired incompetent producers either on some reference or his own friends. PTV Karachi center has about thirty five producers, who are paid in laaakhs, only for producing commercials for few minutes. on MD’s order PTV is also paying massively to few lawyers regarding the cases against PTV in courts. The employees have announced a series of protests against the Managing Director.
Reference news from Urdu Daily Naibaat
Rashid Nazir Ali
Digest Writer – Episode 22!
OH MY GOD! It was such a beautifulll episodeeeeeeeee eeeeee I am so excited LOL! Yes, I am so so so glad that they’ve taken us back to that signature Digest Writer experience that we all used to love this drama for. I just can’t not emphasize enough on how beautiful this episode was & how perfectly it was pictured.
So, finally, our Fareeda got to meet her hero Shehryaar. Their meeting & that whole scene was directed so brilliantly that it just didn’t matter how much Fareeda’s fan overacted or how loud the acoustic guitar in the background was, I forgot all of that just because we got to see Fareeda & Shehryaar in one frame, having a conversation face to face which was just so special. I really liked Shehryaar’s approach where he just didn’t beat around the bush & went straight to the point in order to ask what went wrong back then. Yes, even though Fareeda lied at first, she understood that this was her time & now there was no point in concealing the truth because she has finally found the one who’d understand her, who’d listen to her & the one who will heal all her wounds. ‘Tum hi rehne dain, app kehne walay to bohat mil gaye’, yes, Fareeda now knows that it was only Shehryaar who made her feel special & who connected to her on a different level; something she had long forgotten but just a sight of him was enough to resurface all the feelings she had ever felt for him.
Ohkay so let me just confess, I take back whatever I said about Shehryaar being Mr. Traveller or conceited & what not, haha because he deserves all the respect for being sincere to Fareeda – again which is something that she didn’t get but totally deserves. I like the fact that they showed Shehryaar married someone as well because it makes it a lot more realistic. He got married but just because he couldn’t form an understanding, he parted ways with his wife but all this while he was in love with someone he fell in love with for the very first time. So, yes, Mr. Shehryaar you’re entitled to our respect & we’re extending it towards you. :)
‘Mujhe aj samajh aya hai ke jannat aur jahannum ka intekhaab insaan khud karta hai’. I just loved this dialogue, it’s simple but it covers so many aspects in so many different ways. Yes, it was nothing short of a hell for Fareeda to live with such a husband & coexist in such a family but I am glad that both Shehryaar & Fareeda have met at such a point in their lives where they have matured enough & they have gone through a lot to understand that what they had wasn’t just an infatuation, undoubtedly it was nothing but love & because of that, I feel they will now cherish each other’s presence in their lives. Shehryaar has understood that he loved Rushk-e-Hina no matter who she is & is ready to accept her with all her strengths & weaknesses whereas Fareeda now knows as well that she has nothing to hide & lie about, so she stands there with her head held high because yes, she has earned Shehryaar’s love too.
Oh so Aqeela thinks Fareeda ain’t tolerant, that’s rich! She should be the last person saying all that because if she starts counting the favours Fareeda has done for her keeping her dear brother’s attitude in her mind, she won’t be able to because that’s how much Fareeda has helped her all these years. It’s pretty clear that no matter what Fareeda’d do for them, it will never be enough. The freedom that they’ve allowed Fareeda to enjoy is actually a measly compensation for what they are getting in return from her so yes, these people can never change & the only & best way to deal with them is to pack them in a suitcase & throw them all in a sea, but I do agree with what Shaukat said to his mother, no matter how much support Sajida extends towards Fareeda & no matter how much she’d remind Shaukat to be nice to his wife, she is the one who planted a seed of hatred in his heart, so she is also responsible for ruining his relation with his wife & now there’s nothing that could undo that.
I was surprised to see Rida Anmol again. I love this drama because they never fail to surprise us, no matter how long or short a scene might be it shows how much the writer has paid an attention to detail, which makes the experience of Digest Writer completely amazing. Finally, what Shakeela said to Fareeda has come true, Rida Anmol is a nobody now & she must thank her ego for what she has gone through. I loved their meeting scene as well because without saying a thing, Fareeda said a lot & that’s the difference between Fareeda & Rida, she obviously didn’t forget what Rida did but she knows there’s no need of saying anything anymore.
Even though Fareeda & Shehryaar didn’t have a lot of scenes together, I loved the writer & director’s approach in taking it slow. They’ve reintroduced their track at a right time & they are dealing with it intelligently. I loved how Fareeda’s eyes brightened up when she saw Shehryaar & how her smile widened. I must say Saba Qamar has acted brilliantly in this drama because she portrayed all the emotions of Fareeda to perfection. It was so evident that Fareeda wanted to jump with joy after meeting him but she was trying so hard to control herself. ‘Mama sirf apne bachon ke liye kamati hain’, yes, Fareeda should know that this is exactly what’s fair, enough & needed because she has responsibility towards her kids & nothing else in fact no one else matters anymore. The preview seemed so interesting but I am surprised that her mother will try to talk her out of her decision of going for a second marriage whereas she knows Fareeda was never happy with Shaukat.
Well, before I conclude I must commend the makeup artist for keeping Fareeda’s makeup simple but giving her face a freshness & vibrancy. I couldn’t help notice how different Fareeda (Saba Qamar) looked in the flashback shots which goes to show that a lot of effort was also put in to portray how all the characters looked & a special attention was paid on them in order to match the age, circumstances & phases of their lives that they were going through. Saba Qamar looked absolutely beautiful & Agha Ali looked nice & decent too. This episode for sure belonged to our ‘kahaniyon aur deeramon ke hero heroine ki jori’. :) Share your thoughts about this episode of Digest Writer please & let me know how special it was? :)
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
Screening of old Indian films
Seeing the overwhelming and record breaking success of Indian films in Pakistani cinemas, now Indian film distributors are also planning to release three old Indian films.
The first film in this list is Sholay which was released in India in 1975. The second film is Dilwale Dulhania Lay Jayenge released in 1995 and then Devdaas released in 2002. The first film Sholay is expected to be released on 20th March 2015.
Talking to Voice of America Urdu,head of Mandwiwala Entertainment and film distributor Nadeem Mandwiwala told that ‘Public in Pakistan always wanted to watch these films in cinema’. As per Nadeem Mandwiwala, the screening of old films is limited to these three films for the time being.
Beyond any doubt Indian films have massive following in Pakistan, a fact fully supported by back to back success of Indian films in cinemas. It will be interesting to see how the Bollywood crazy cine goers react to screening of old Bollywood flicks. Indeed screening of Indian films is emerging as a lucrative business, so based upon the outcome of these films, other distributors might also export other old Indian films.
Full content from VOA Urdu
کراچی—
پاکستان کی بڑی اور کامیاب ترین فلم ڈسٹری بیوشن کمپنیز میں شمار ہونے والی کمپنی ’مانڈی والا انٹرٹینمنٹ‘ کے روح رواں، ندیم مانڈوی والا کا کہنا ہے کہ ’بالی ووڈ کی بلاک بسٹر فلم ’شعلے‘ کی پاکستان میں ریلیز کے بعداگلہ نمبر ’دل والے دلہنیا لے جائیں گے‘ اور ’دیوداس‘ کا ہے۔‘
وائس آف امریکہ سے خصوصی بات چیت میں ان کا یہ بھی کہنا تھا کہ ’یہ تینوں ایسی فلمیں ہیں جنہیں عرصے سے لوگ بڑی اسکرین پر دیکھنے کے خواہشمند تھے۔ مارچ کی 20تاریخ کو ’شعلے‘کی ریلیز سے یہ سلسلہ شروع ہورہا ہے۔‘
’شعلے‘ کی خاصیت
فلم ’شعلے‘ کو ہی سب سے پہلے ریلیز کرنے کی کیا وجہ ہے؟ ۔۔اس سوال پر ندیم مانڈوی والا کا کہنا تھا ’شعلے‘۔۔ کی کامیابی کے چرچے 15اگست 1975ء کو اس کی پہلی مرتبہ ریلیز کے وقت شروع ہوئے تھے اور آج 40 سال گزرجانے کے بعد تک جاری ہیں۔اس کی لازوال کامیابی کا ہی نتیجہ ہے کہ اسے گزشتہ سال ’ری ماسٹر‘ کیا گیا ۔۔خاص طور سے نئی جنریشن کیلئے اسے ’ٹوڈی‘ اور ’تھری ڈی‘ ٹیکنالوجی میں منتقل کیا گیا۔ یہ پاکستان میں ’شعلے‘ کی ریلیز کا پہلا بڑا سبب ہے۔‘
دوسرے سبب کے حوالے سے ان کا کہنا تھا ’شعلے بلاشبہ ایک منفرد اور کلاسک فلم ہے جو پہلے کبھی پاکستان میں ریلیز نہیں ہوئی۔ بہت سے لوگ اس فلم کا لطف سینما کی بڑی اسکرین پر اٹھانا چاہتے تھے اسی لئے فلم کی ریلیز کا فیصلہ کیا۔‘
ندیم مانڈوی والا سے سوال کیا گیا کہ ’کیا شعلے کے بعد دیگر بلاک بسٹر بالی ووڈ فلمیں بھی پاکستان میں ریلیز کی جائیں گی؟‘ ۔۔ تو ان کا کہنا تھا، ’جہاں تک میرے علم میں ہے شاہ رخ خان کی دیواس اور دل والے دلہنیا لے جائیں گے بھی پاکستان میں ریلیز کئے جانے کا پورا ارادہ ہے۔اس کی کامیابی کا میں کیا تذکرہ کروں سبھی جانتے ہیں کہ ممبئی کے ایک سنیما پر ’ دل والے دلہنیا۔۔۔ مسلسل 20سال سے دکھائی جارہی ہے۔ تاہم، میرا نہیں خیال کہ باقی فلموں کو پاکستان میں ریلیز کی ضرورت ہے۔‘
Source: http://www.urduvoa.com/content/sholay-set-for-first-ever-release-in-pakistan/2634970.html
Aashiq Hussain (عاشق حسین), first promo
Aashiq Hussain (عاشق حسین) is an upcoming drama on ARY Digital. Starring Faysal Qureshi and filmstar Saima the queen of Punjabi cinema.
Cast: Faysal Qureshi, Saima Noor, Saboor Ali, Moomal Khalid, Afshan Qureshi, Zhalay Sarhadi and others
Writer: Sana Fahad
Director: Anjum Shahzad
Produced By: Dr. Ali Kazmi and Fahad Mustafa
Production House: Big Bang Prodcutions
https://vimeo.com/120887588
The play is expected to replace either Chupp Raho (on Tuesday) or Khatta (on Wednesday), both of which are concluding in coming weeks.
Rashid Nazir Ali
Jackson Heights – Episode 24 (Tauba)!
Oh, they promised us something else but went out of the way to ignore it because they thought they were giving us some out of the world sort of a drama that they didn’t want to end too soon, LOL! Aur kitna khoon choosna hai bhai hamara?
So, supposedly Jackson Heights had 24 episodes but they decided to drag it because they wanted to show us a tundi selfie of a tundi family after 23 weeks as if our life wasn’t complete without it & we were missing out on something huge!?!?! Like seriously, after 23 episodes where they should’ve been ending this drama they thought we’d rejoice by seeing that Michelle mommy is taking good care of her son-like husband-to-be Jamshed by cooking his favourite dishes like Pulao jiss ka swaad us ne kharab kar diya ye bol ke ke mummy mummy mujhe aur bhi cheezain khani hain. Yes, I will admit that I have no complaints whatsoever when it comes to their performances but the execution of the play & story has been so bland, boring & mediocre because of which we haven’t been able to enjoy this drama as we thought we would.
Once again the whole tu illegal Pakistani mai Amreekan citizen Indian debate was forced into this episode whereas when the drama began we saw all the Indian & Pakistani cabbies co-existing so well with each other & they all shared a great bond which I thought was a good way of telling that Pakistanis residing outside Pakistan get to share a good wavelength with people of different ethnicity, so to give that touch of Indian/Pakistani animosity to this drama is such a childish approach. So, our supposed Indian Rizwan says ‘sir pe talwaar latak rahi hai’ & last thing I know no Indian from Bombay is so profound in Urdu & I say that after a personal experience because I know their linguistics, their tone & their accent exactly.
The episode had so many repetitive scenes where Imran was crying because of his mother’s condition, Jamshed was trying to trick Michelle, Rizwan was trying to put Jamshed down & what not. Just when I thought Salma will finally take a plunge out of this hell-hole, she was seen there, embodying a pain on her face (which I can’t stand) with a side braid (which I can’t stand either) telling Aliya how hard Sikandar was making it for her to leave? Like seriously? This lady ain’t going to come out of her deep slumber so we shouldn’t expect anything better or good to happen to her because she doesn’t want it herself.
Michelle (read Marina Khan) seemed so opri (Punjabi word for odd) when she was yelling & telling Rizwan as to how much he has hurt her because he was supposedly her friend & that’s when I wanted to say to Michelle that Mummy jaan, jaag jayein, sehri ka time ho gaya hai, pulao to bana liya abb parathay bhi bana lain. She has also gone on a dream trip & she ain’t waking up. Jamshed was lucky like always because things got favourable for him & he finally managed to part Rizwan from Michelle. Ohkay so, your kal ka aya hua boyfriend files a case against your bachpan ka yaar & you stand there like a statue thinking things aren’t under your control anymore. Michelle has put all the newborns to shame when it comes to IQ & that’s a shame.
Chalo jee, Imaan ke khulle baal aur 2 3 ansoo were enough for Salma to unpack her bags & tear her ticket to Pakistan. She just couldn’t see Imaan all teary & sad so hmmm how about Salma should’ve grabbed Imaan’s hand & had tagged her along because anyways, her Daadi is despicable & her father is useless, so instead of staying there to bear their expenses, she should’ve convinced Imaan to come with her because seems like Imaan can’t stay without her mother so yeah, why not? Anyways, share your thoughts about this blunder oh I mean blockbuster please.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
Sadqay Tumhare – Episode 21!
OMG! Such a beautiful episode filled with amazing performances & dialogues. This is what Fatima & I discussed last week that we’re done with 20(+1) episodes of this play & every episode has been as interesting & as complete like the preceding episodes. Sadqay Tumhare has been such an amazing journey that has given us so much to cherish, starting from the story to characters to their chemistry to direction to screenplay to the feel of the era that they’ve drawn & to the illusion of a fantasy world they’ve created for us; everything related to this drama is beautiful. They’ve justified the notion of less being more because no matter how simple the execution of this drama has been, the attention to detail & quality speak for itself.
Finally, Shano came back home but she knew Rasheeda would do everything in her might to make her regret the decision of coming back to her parent’s home. Rasheeda actually sighed with relief because she thought her plan has once again been executed according to her commands but what caught her off guard was Amin’s take on this whole situation. Rasheeda in her wildest dreams would’ve never thought that a loyal & sincere husband like Amin, who she has been puppeteering for years will go against her wishes. ‘Meri jaisiyaan to bohat hain ammi jee, par app jaisi aik nahi puray ga’on mai to kya puray jagg mai nahi’. Shano has always reasoned with Rasheeda for being unfair but this time, the focus of Rasheeda’s wrath shifted from Shano to Amin & luckily Shano was spared for a little while.
Amin has always been very likeable for who he is but what he did this time made him earn extra points. He stood by his decision because it’s pretty evident that he has had enough of Rasheeda’s scheming & plotting. He has done everything he could to please her, he has always tried to assure her that he loves her a lot thinking this would be enough for her to stay content & happy. He has always ignored Rasheeda’s irrationality thinking she will understand on her own but Amin has pretty much understood that she is someone who cannot change & who will not change therefore Amin allowed his fatherly instincts to rule his verdict & that is why he decided he wants to put an end to Shano’s suffering because deep within, he has also suffered seeing Shano in pain. I loved the way Amin tackled Rasheeda because this is exactly what it takes to deal with such a rigid person. Rasheeda had never thought in her life that she’d live for a day to hear Amin say he doesn’t care about what she wants anymore. ‘Beghairiti se behtar hai ke mar jao, mere liye itna hi kaafi hai ke tumhari qabr pe zoja Mohammad Amin ka qatba lag jaye’. Sadly, Amin was pushed to the limit where he had to take such a firm step because he is well aware of the fact that Rasheeda is unstoppable & there’s no point in beating around the bush because she has been very vocal about her deepest darkest secrets, so there was no need of sugar coating things while conversing with Rasheeda too.
‘Tujhe nahi poochna chahiye ke imtehaan kab hain, tu de to rahi hai imtehaan, aik parcha khatam to dusra shuru’. I loved the conversation between Humaira & Shano but the tangent at which a few words of Shano took Humaira to, was something that I never expected. ‘Tum kar lo na us se shadi, muh choom loongi mai tumhara’, with so much ease & in a moment of oblivion Shano said such a thing that she wouldn’t have thought would actually provoke a thought in Humaira’s mind. Khalil & Humaira are two people that Shano trust blindly & that’s why she didn’t think much before uttering anything because Shano knows that Humaira is well aware of what Khalil means to her & Shano believes in Humaira too. It was a bit uncomfortable to see Humaira not being herself after she heard those words. I can understand Humaira’s feelings in a way that she has been a strong support system for Shano & God knows for how many years, Khalil has been the only man Humaira has heard things about, has spoken about, has thought of so I guess it’s imperative that she unconsciously developed some feelings of love & possessiveness for Khalil too. Humaira has seen Khalil through Shano’s mind & eyes, & Shano; through her words, has painted him with perfection & I believe this is what kind of makes it understandable where Humaira’s coming from. She couldn’t resist falling for such a man who is just so perfect. It looked like she just wanted to hear Shano say all that because instead of reading between the lines, she took it as an approval & let those words sway her from being a lifelong trusted friend to someone who is ready to betray her best friend.
‘Appki beti se purana pyaar hai mera, bees saal purana, do Amin Janjuay ke bachay paida kar lene se khatam nahi hota’; Rasheeda took despicability to another level. Yes, even though she just wanted to make Amin understand what he has done is wrong, she was kind of pleading in front of him to let go off her so that she can be with Abdur Rehman. With so much ease & without much effort she confessed her only desire that has been garnering in her heart & mind for years. She left no margin in stooping absolutely low to demand what she wants. Even though she might say that the only reason for her rejecting Khalil is because of what his father Sadiq & mother Inayat did to her, that’s definitely a lie because she has been so engrossed in her one-sided love with Abdur Rehman that she doesn’t care about anything or anyone; from society to family to relatives to her children to her husband; absolutely no one & nothing at all so Khalil is just another pawn that she is using to get what she wants. I actually want to see what will put an end to Rasheeda’s fixation of Abdur Rehman because she has crossed all the limits & it won’t be an overstatement but seems like it will take a miracle for her to let go of her past.
‘Paar laganay walon se dubonay walay ziyada takatwar hain’. I felt for Shano so much. Her happiness has finally made an appearance after so many obstacles that her hesitance in accepting it wholeheartedly seemed justified. She still has some inhibitions that are holding her back because she knows despite being so close; Khalil has always been so far. I loved the scene & conversation between Abdur Rehman, Naani & Tangay Wala, it seemed heartfelt & it was quite overwhelming too. People around Shano & Khalil have prayed for them every chance they got so after getting to know that they both are finally going to be together, they all have a right to rejoice over it because they have played an important role in their lives too.
As much as I want to believe what happened between Humaira & Khalil was a dream sequence, the preview suggested something totally opposite but I am still reserving my judgement & won’t resort to assumptions until I get to see what they have in store for us. This episode was complete in so many ways. I loved how beautiful Shano (read Mahira) looked in a simple white dress. She has given a perfect face to the character of Shano but without a doubt, this episode belonged to our dear Amin, who has finally taken a stand for his daughter & I give him an extra credit for saying ‘ma ban Rasheeda, baandri na ban’, haha!!! Share your thoughts about this episode of Sadqay Tumhare please. :)
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
ps: Covering for my dear friend Fatima Awan this week but like always, keep an eye on the comments section for her say. :)
Aashiq Hussain (عاشق حسین) coming soon on ARY Digital
Aashiq Hussain (عاشق حسین) is an upcoming drama on ARY Digital. Starring Faysal Qureshi and filmstar Saima the queen of Punjabi cinema. From the pictures shared on its facebook page, it appears to be a story of a middle class Punjabi family.
Cast: Faysal Qureshi, Saima Noor, Saboor Ali, Moomal Khalid, Afshan Qureshi, Zhalay Sarhadi and others
Writer: Sana Fahad
Director: Anjum Shahzad
Produced By: Dr. Ali Kazmi and Fahad Mustafa
Production House: Big Bang Prodcutions
Rashid Nazir Ali
Danish Taimoor works for a clothing brand
Spring has arrived, and retailers and designers are coming up with their collections for this new season.
Danish Taimoor has worked for mens wear spring collection for a retailer brand Charcoal.
https://vimeo.com/120812414
https://vimeo.com/120812416
Rashid Nazir Ali
Armeena Rana Khan, interview for an English Daily
Interview of Armeena Rana Khan, from English Daily The News by Aamna Haider Isaani
Pakistan’s entertainment industry is in reverse tide. While actors and singers are still moving out and crossing borders in search of quality and consistent work,
an equally common phenomenon is the influx of young, enterprising young actresses who have been making trips to Pakistan for projects. We’ve seen Kubra Khan (Na Maloom Afraad), Sabeeka Imam (Welcome to London and the upcoming Jalaibee) and we will be seeing a lot more of Armeena Khan, who is already on air with television series Ishq Parast. Armeena will be making her big screen debut with Bin Roye, alongside Mahira Khan and Humayun Saeed and she plays Bilal Ashraf’s love interest in Yalghaar.
The Canadian born, UK based actress is making a foray into Pakistani films with Bin Roye, Yalghar and now Reham Khan’s first movie project.
“I think I have the only glamorous role in Yalghaar,” she smiles when speaking to Instep in a brief conversation. “Both of my films are slated for Eid releases this year and I would like both of them to do well.”
Already covered in Pakistan’s glossies, Armeena is a relatively new face to Pakistan’s entertainment industry but a very pretty one at that. It’s no surprise that she has been dabbling in modeling as a hobby but it would take many of her admirers by surprise that she is a business graduate with a mainstay in property development in the UK. Acting is something she fell into and discovered an immense love for, after which she trained in London to perfect the skill.
“I started working in Pakistan with a music video (some time back) and I did some shoots with Khawar Riaz,” Armeena shares, “but back then it wasn’t viable to travel from London to Pakistan for modeling work. And I was more interested in acting anyway, which is why I chose to pursue acting. Having done television and now working on film, one of the things I really want to do is theatre if the right play comes along.”
Armeena signed up for Bin Roye two years ago and as she jokes, it was meant to be her debut in which she plays the role of Humayun’s first love interest. “It’s the parallel lead,” she says, adding that she can’t give away too much. Unfortunately, an extensive delay in filming resulted in a prolonged (and endless) shooting spell and the film has still not released. Keeping herself busy, the young actress took on TV serials Mohabbat Ab Nahin Hogi, Karb and Ishq Parast that is on-air these days.
Why does she think there is a sudden surge in casting actresses from abroad for Pakistani films and plays?
“I feel there’s a huge demand for new faces because there is foreign investment coming into films,” she responds. “There are more plays and literally no new actors so there is a demand and supply cycle, which is why producers are looking abroad.
The industry is operating on a bigger level, which is why it needs to be represented on a bigger, more international scale too. Plus producers are more broad minded now. You’ll see a bigger influx now that Pakistan is opening up.”
Do you think you have an edge over local actresses?
With Bilal Ashraf, on the sets of Yalghaar
“If anything, I’m at a slight disadvantage,” Armeena replies honestly. “There have been apprehensions about my accent but I hope I can dispel them with Karb, in which I am playing a Lucknowi girl. But I do have an international advantage. I can operate in UK and America; I don’t need work visas. It’s easy. I have to admit that I do plan to work all over the world. I’ve been told that my looks can transcend beyond one nationality and I intend to explore that. But Pakistan has been very welcoming.”
So far Armeena Khan has been very selective with her work. She has undertaken a couple of projects in the last two years that she counts as “full time work” and she’s content that she has been slow and steady in inching her way into the public eye. The projects that she’s been working on – mainly Bin Roye and Yalghaar – are supposed to release this year so 2015 holds a lot of promise for her.
The one thing she is most excited about, however, is the recent and undoubtedly most exciting project she has just signed the dotted line for. Armeena Khan has just been signed on to play lead role in Reham Khan’s film; it’ll be the first film that Mrs Imran Khan will be working on as producer.
“This untitled film is being produced by Imran Kazmi and Reham Khan,” Armeena shared the information exclusively with Instep. “Through this film, which is a romantic comedy, they want to portray the Pakhtun community in a fresh and positive light. They feel that all news around the Pakhtuns is Taliban related and hardly anything positive evolves from the region. I’m very, very excited to be working on this project.”
Unable to share too much, Armeena does offer some facts regarding the film: The story and script is ready and the director will most probably be foreign. Two male leads are being searched for right now; they have to be Pakhtun looking and the producers want new faces. This film is in pre-production phase and shooting is scheduled to start after Ramzan. Given the nature of the project, things certainly are looking up for Armeena Khan as well as films in Pakistan this year!
– See more at: http://magazine.thenews.com.pk/mag/detail_article.asp?id=10261&magId=11#sthash.LERCl8ll.dpuf
Acknowledgement: Whole content is borrowed from English Daily The News
Rashid Nazir Ali
Aye Zindagi (اے زندگی), coming soon on Hum TV
Aye Zindagi (اے زندگی) is an upcoming drama on Hum Tv which will soon replace currently aired Mehram (محرم)on Thursday’s evening at 8 pm.
The new drama serial has been written by Saira Arif and is a production of M Entertainment. The serial has been directed by renowned director Adnan Wain Qureshi. The cast of the serial includes notable stars like Sakina Samo, Manzoor Qureshi, Sidra Batool, Affan Waheed Qureshi, Zarnish Khan, Hassan Ahmed, Hassan Niazi, Mosin,Gillani, Syed Mazhar Ali, Shamim Hilaly, Khalid Ahmed, Nida Mumtaz, Ali Abbas, Manal, Humaira Zahid, Sundas Tariq, Naushaba Javed,Sabahat Bukhari, and others.
https://vimeo.com/120806932
https://vimeo.com/120806934
https://vimeo.com/120806935
Rashid Nazir Ali
Ho Mann Jahan (ہو من جہاں), chilling after packup
Ho Mann Jahan (ہو من جہاں) is an upcoming film currently being filmed in Karachi. Starring Mahira Khan, Sheharyar Munnawwar Siddiqi and Adeel Hussain in lead roles the film is also produced by Sheharyar Munnawar Siddiqi. Ho Mann Jahan is the working title of the film and is expected to be changed upon release of the film.
Directed by: Asim Raza
Story by: Asim Raza
Screenplay by: Rashna Abidi, Imtisal Abbasi & Asim Raza
Dialogues by: Yasir Hussain & Asim Raza
As per its facebook page the team is “chilling after packup”. Its unclear whether the pack-up is after the complete shooting or after the shooting of current spell.
Here are some further pictures shared on the facebook page. A glance at the pictures gives the impression that the story revolves around a three member musical band who are also friends, where Adeel Hussain is a drummer, Sheharyar Munnawwar Siddiqi is a guitarist and Mahira Khan is the main vocal.
Here is one video shared earlier by Team Ho Mann JahaN
https://vimeo.com/119771689
Rashid Nazir Ali
Mera Naam Yousaf Hai ( میرا نام یوسف ہے), from Friday on APlus
Mera Naam Hai Yousaf ( میرا نام یوسف ہے) previously Yousaf Bina ZulekhaaN (یوسف بنا زلیخاں) is a new drama starting from 6 March 2015 on APlus
Starring Imran Abbas, Maya Ali, Mansha Pasha, Hina Bayat, Wasim Abbas, Taqi Ahmed, Ali Sheikh
Written by Khalil ur Rehman Qamar
Directed by Mehreen Jabbar
Produced by Aplus.
Here is the OST in the voice of Rizwan Anwar composed by Saad Sultan
https://vimeo.com/120818495
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2h9y40_zulekha-bina-yousuf-ost-title-song-on-aplus-audio_tv?start=28
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2h5k7g_zulekha-bina-yousuf-promo-3-new-drama-on-aplus_tv
Rashid Nazir Ali
Mehwish Hayat photshoot for a Lawn brand
With the arrival of Spring all famous brands are launching their lawn collections.
Mehwish Hayat works for Origins Read To Wear spring collection
Rashid Nazir Ali
Khuda Dekh Raha Hai – Episode 1 & 2!
Ohkay so, when I asked my awesome readers to suggest me a good drama to review, I got a lot of recommendations for Khuda Dekh Raha Hai & surprisingly, I found it pretty interesting. Writing of Shahzad Javed & Atifa Mohammad, Production of Sadia Jabbar & Direction of Sabiha Sumar; Khuda Dekh Raha Hai airs on Aplus & it deals with a very different subject. For now, you really can’t figure out what message are they trying to convey but after watching the first two episodes, I have a feeling that they’ll definitely live up to our expectations because till now they’ve very intelligently dealt with such a complex subject that often rules people’s lives.
The story is about Khalida (Bushra Ansari) & her family that consists of her husband Akhtar (Qazi Wajid), son Moeez (Asad Siddique) & her daughter Zoya (Sajjal Ali). Khalida runs an Istakhara Centre where she thinks she is helping people by listening to their sufferings & advising them about how they should deal with such issues. Khalida is very passionate about what she does because according to her, she is conducting a good cause by helping people & she believes she shows them the right path through her Istakhara according to the hints she gets from The Creator. The setup of her family is completely different to how it should be, given how religious Khalida supposedly is. Akhtar doesn’t support what his wife does because according to him, she is just running a business & is earning through people’s problems. Moeez is an obedient son who looks after his father’s business but at the same time, he’s stubborn enough to get what he wants. Zoya is also obedient & does what her mother tells her to but she’s a lot more logical & is more like a voice of reason in that house which is ruled by an orthodox & staunch Khalida.
I found it pretty interesting that where Khalida has engrossed herself into other’s problems & gives a considerable amount of time to her welfare activity, she is oblivious to what her kids are up to. Both Moeez & Zoya are two decent people but they’ve found a way to break the rules Khalida has set for them. Moeez happens to be in a relationship with a very liberal & independent girl Sanam (Sana Askari) who doesn’t believe in compromising when it comes to what she wants. She has Moeez wrapped around her finger because she knows that he loves her & would do anything for her. Zoya is also involved with her batch-mate Junaid (Agha Ali) who happens to be a musician. Zoya is still a bit more considerate to her mother’s wishes in comparison to Moeez because he has made it very clear that no matter what happens, he will only get married to Sanam but Zoya on the other hand keeps on telling Junaid that her mother will never approve of their marriage until he stops being a musician.
I think they gave a very realistic picture to a personality of such a woman who has made a name in her circle because of her religious inclination. There are people who depend on her verdict more than they would depend on their own instincts. Khalida is more like a decision maker in the lives of those people who follow her & believe her verdict without a doubt. The way Khalida painted her activity actually made me believe that she was doing it all without expecting anything in return but the decisions she made deciding the fate of two of her followers actually showed another side of the picture. It’s still a mystery as to why Khalida does it but going by what was shown, it’s hard to believe that she could be responsible for ruining so many lives just by exploiting those who put their faith in her. She’s more like those typical peer fakirs who believe to have some super-powers but are misapprehended that they can shape up people’s lives because what she orders others to do & what happens under her own roof right under her nose are two different stories. Khalida’s character is very complex because there are a lot of shades that she embodies. She is religious but on the other hand she doesn’t treat her husband with the respect he is entitled to. She thinks carrying on with a wazeefa is more important than to tend to someone who might be suffering with serious health issues.
I liked Zoya’s character a lot because she questioned her mother & tried to mend her perspective rightfully. She seems rational & logical because she just doesn’t believe in following her mother blindly. Yes, Zoya is conscious of her mother’s likes & dislikes & gives her that much respect that she is entitled to but on the other hand she lets her feelings get the best of her & she often deceives her mother because she knows that no matter how hard she will try, she won’t get an approval of her mother for the things she likes & enjoys. I don’t say that I liked Moeez’s character but I found him interesting in a way too, in fact I like how both these siblings are different yet similar to each other. Zoya at least tries to make Junaid understand what her mother expects & what her family background’s like but Moeez conveniently resorts to hiding the truth from both; Sanam & Khalida. As much as he might say that he supports her mother, but when it comes to Sanam, he makes it very clear that even though Khalida might not like Sanam for a lot of things, he will stick to his decision of marrying her because she makes him happy. As much as I want to believe that Sanam is as sincere to Moeez as he is to her, I feel she isn’t because she doesn’t love him unconditionally as she has decided to get married to him after giving consideration to a lot of other things that she might be able to benefit from, through Moeez.
So, my verdict about Khuda Dekh Raha Hai would be; so far so good & I just so hope that it stays that way. The drama has had a good start & I am glad that even though the cast might not be a biggie, the story seems to be different & the characters are nicely etched out too. I found the chemistry between all the characters really good & they all seemed very comfortable with each other which actually gave a good feel to the drama. The acting has been good & so has been the direction; however I do feel that the production value could’ve been better but never mind, as far as we’re going to get a good drama & a good story, rest of the things don’t really matter. Share your say about first 2 episodes of Khuda Dekh Raha Hai & yes, I thank all those readers who suggested this drama to me. :)
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
Ishq Parast- Episode 1-2
Written by Mohsin Ali, directed by Badar Mehmood and produced by Big Bang Entertainment, Ishq Parast is a play you should tune into if you’re sick of watching plays revolving around dusri shadi, saas bahu rivalry and gender discrimination. After Muhabbat Ab Nahe Hogi, I was looking forward to seeing more of Armeena Rana Khan because I remember how she had managed to own quite a challenging character. Two episodes down and Ishq Parast has kept me hooked! Even though our farigh Amir (Ahmed Ali) from Dusri Biwi is back in action with flaring nostrils, I must say his character in this play makes a whole lot more sense :).
Hamza (Ahmed Ali) is an immature and short-tempered guy who comes from a broken family. His world shattered after his parents’ divorce- both his mother & father turned over a fresh leaf with their ‘new’ spouses but Hamza, on the other hand, was torn between the two people he loved the most. He moved out and he now lives on his own. Since he witnessed his parents’ marriage crumbling while he was very young and couldn’t get the right time and attention from either of his parents, he adapted a pessimistic perception of relationships in general but there’s just one person who means the world to him- Dua!
Hamza is truly, MADLY, deeply in love with his class mate, Dua (Armeena Rana Khan). Dua is your usual pretty, loving and caring young lady who wants her impulsive lover to take control of his life. Hamza believes in living for today while Dua is foresighted enough to realize that for the sake of a stable future, Hamza needs to have a more responsible attitude towards his life. Hamza is extremely possessive about Dua because his relationship with her has been the only ‘solid’ relationship he has ever had and he’s too afraid to let it slip through his fingers. This guy has some serious anger management issues but what I am liking about this play is the fact that there’s a solid background and reason as to why the characters are behaving the way they are. Jin jin rishton par mera haq tha sab cheenay gaye mujh se! I had no trouble at all in relating to Hamza’s short temper, frustration and impulsiveness. I think I mentioned somewhere in Dusri Biwi’s review that every time I see Ahmed Ali onscreen, I hear ‘Chahay mujhay koi junglee kahayyyy’ in the background. If there’s an award for ‘Junooni of the Year’, he most certainly deserves it!
Hey, did Hamza mention exactly ‘how’ does he manage on his own considering his job-nahe-karni-attitude?
The other side of the story deals with Zohaib (Syed Jibran) and Arsala (Arij Fatyma). Zohaib and Arsala are a rare pair of siblings and they love each other to bits. They lost their parents when Arsala was only six and since then, Zohaib has been her protector, confidant & best friend. Arsala has always been the apple of his eye and she is portrayed as an outspoken and daredevil teenager with a happy-go-lucky attitude towards life. I am finding it a little too hard to like Arsala because she is spoiled rotten and I think she gets plain rude without even realizing it- at least that’s what I can gather. I may be wrong but Arij Fatyma’s dialogue delivery sounds a bit artificial, like, she is trying too hard or something.
There are a few developments I found a bit OTT. I mean, the part till Zohaib developing a liking for Dua the moment he sets his eyes on her in the mall was alright but Arsala’s lame & desperate attempts to get her brother married are a little too far-fetched to digest. I mean, I was amazed how casually Arsala could get all the ‘important’ info about Dua’s best friend, Rida and I guess any sane person would’ve (and should’ve) given a shut-up call to a chirpy girl acting so over-frank+over-smart. By the way, doesn’t Arsala go to university, I mean, all I’ve seen her doing is shopping, bhai ko tang karring and repeat!
Hamza finally gets a decent job offer only to find that his employers want him to work in Islamabad which is something he can’t think of because he can’t afford to live miles away from Dua. Dua’s dialogues when she tried to explain the gravity of the situation to Hamza were really nice, ”Main samajhti thi meri muhabbat nay tumhe mazboot bana dia hai magar nahe, meri muhabbat nay tou tumhe kamzor kardia hai”. I guess Hamza’s decision to leave for Islamabad will lead to many changes in Dua’s life so I am really looking forward to it.
You know, Waseem Abbass and his naak-par-ghussa-rehna walay roles are ticking me off big time!! I wanted to cover my ears to escape from the torture of his repetitive taunts and after Main Bushra, I don’t think I can take his temper any longer!! Khair, Dua’s father, Saif Mushtaq ”PASHA” (Waseem Abbass) is a strict father whose taunts can drive any sane person nuts! How does his wife (Saba Faisal) tolerate him? Aap kay sabr ko salaam!
Armeena Rana Khan looks pretty as a doll.<3 Her wardrobe has always been very impressive and those headbands look adorable on her! Arij Fatyma looks stunning too and I wish Ishq Parast’s makeup artists could teach a thing or two about ‘keeping things natural’ to Aik Pal’s makeup team too!
What are your thoughts on Ishq Parast? Share your views, people!
Maryam Mehdi
Sarwat Gillani Is Going To Be Mommy Soon
Many of our celebrities have been blessed with beautiful babies last year and this year promises a lot more celebrity babies with Ali Zafar and Shehzad sheikh‘s babies already making their arrival in the world and Moomal Sheikh expecting her first child now there is news that Sarwat Gillani who also got married last year is expecting her first baby.
Sarwat Gillani has not been seen on TV much for the past few months but a picture of her posted on Twitter by Mathira’s sister Rose shows Sarwat Gillani with a baby bump. The picture was taken at an event which was arranged by ChenOne Pakistan.
Sarwat Gillani looks beautiful, we are waiting for her to share her good news with her fans soon. We wish her all the best.
Veena And Asad Have A Great Evening With The Kaptaan
Veena Malik and her husband Asad Khattak met Imran Khan and his wife Reham Khan at a dinner in Dubai this Tuesday. Asad Khattak and Veena Malik also donated money for Shaukat Khanum Peshawar. Veena Malik was very happy with the visit. She and her husband posted pictures of the visit on their twitter page.
Shehzad Sheikh Becomes A Dad
Shehzad sheikh and Moomal Sheikh got married in the same year and these siblings are going to be become parents in the same year too. Shehzad sheikh was blessed with a beautiful baby boy on Wednesday 25th February and Moomal Sheikh is also expecting her first baby. Shehzad has named his son Shahmir Sheikh.
Friends and family threw a grand baby shower for mommy-to-be Moomal Sheikh. Moomal wore blue on her baby shower which could suggest that she too is expecting a baby boy. Moomal Sheikh got her make-up and hair-do for the baby shower done from Palwasha Yusuf.
We wish the Sheikh siblings and their families the very best.
Alvida – Episode 3
This was the best episode of Alvida so far; every scene was beautifully directed and I could totally relate to everything that went on in Haya’s life except for the last part of course which was too sudden and shocking! The wedding ceremony was beautifully covered with short and to-the-point scenes and attention to detail. I never thought that brown color could look so good on a Mehndi function but it did. Haya’s attempts to miss the Mehndi and then making sure that she sits with her back towards the stage were details that made the viewers relate to how difficult this was for Haya and how hard she was trying to be “brave”! Farisa’s insecurities got the best of her and she decided to share her “true feelings” with Haya who was shocked to hear all that coming from her best friend. Saim reminded Farisa that this was a very difficult time in Haya’s life therefore she should be there with her but Farisa was too scared of “losing” Saim therefore she decided to leave Haya alone at the most difficult juncture of her life. Haya’s character is shaping up to be interesting. Haya might be a teenager who likes to get what she wants but she also knows when it is time to make an exit from someone’s life. Farisa is an insecure girl who might accuse Haya of being self-obsessed but she is quite self-centered herself.
When Haya decided to flee the house and she actually had a plan to go ahead with her decision I was really surprised. Was she planning to leave the house any way after Haadi got married? Because no one could have made these arrangements in such a short span of time. Naveen Waqar looked beautiful as a bride and the scene in which Haya walks in Haadi’s room to talk to Aroosa was a visual treat. The decor of the room was very different from what we usually see in our dramas and the candles in the background looked very pretty. Haadi’s reaction and his conversation with Haya showed how different he is from Haya. He is mature enough to handle the most difficult situations without losing his grip, Haya on the other hand lets her emotions guide her.
Aroosa is very sure that Haya will get over Haadi soon enough and things will be back to normal. Haadi knows Haya more than anyone else and he thinks that Haya might never come back. Aroosa kept her cool after finding out about Haya’s feelings for Haadi, she knew that she had to handle the situation wisely. Imran Abbas and Sanam Jung were flawless all through tonight’s episode just like the previous one. The chemistry between these two actors coupled with their brilliant performances made their scenes an absolute treat to watch. There were times however when I felt like Naveen Waqar could have delivered her dialogues more convincingly especially when she told Haadi that everything was going to be okay on the night of their wedding. Sara Khan’s performance has not given me anything to complain about so far, she fits perfectly in her role. Sanam Jung looked adorable in every single scene. She has beautiful eyes and she knows how to put them to good use!
I watched the episode online therefore I missed the preview of the next episode. Will Haadi go and talk to Haya so that he can bring her back? I am definitely waiting to find out. Alvida is definitely a good play to watch on a week day but I am not attaching any high hopes to the drama yet – once bitten twice shy!!
Do share your thoughts about tonight’s episode.
Fatima Awan
Dil Ka Kiya Rang Karun on Hum TV
Dil Ka Kya Rang Karun (دل کا کیا رنگ کروں) is a new drama on Hum TV starting from Sunday 1st March at 9:10 pm.
Cast: Noor Hassan, Sana Javed, Aijaz Aslam, Sidrah Batool and others
Writer: Khurram Abbas
Director: Saife Hassan
Production: Gem Stones Production
https://vimeo.com/120593651
https://vimeo.com/120595325
https://vimeo.com/120593594
Rashid Nazir Ali
Chup Raho – Episode 26
Shiraz aik “kamina” mard hai aur “Azar character ka bura nahi hai”! No! I am not saying that but these words of wisdom were uttered by our heroine when she told Shiraz off for letting Numair use his apartment for molesting girls. So basically Rameen would much rather trust and stay with the person who raped her then put her trust in Shiraz who might have given Numair the keys to his apartment many months back but did nothing to harm Rameen when she stayed at his house. Rameen thinks she is better off with Azar because he might be a coward but he is not characterless!! Rameen needs a wake-up call! I am beyond disappointed in her character. The main protagonist who could have played a very important role in telling the story of rape victims and could also have been the ray of hope for girls who have been molested by providing them some kind of an inspiration has been reduced to this pathetic character who does not even think before acting. The fact that Rameen was looking for another sahara was bad enough, things are even worse now because she is once again putting her trust in Manal and Numair.
I was speechless when I saw Manal’s reaction on finding out that the apartment Numair took the girls to belonged to Shiraz. That scene proved two things; one that Manal knows that Numair is a rapist and second that Manal is even more dumb than we imagined she was!! The sad part is that both these women are educated and very well aware of how they are being exploited yet they find it impossible to make one phone call to the police and get this man behind bars. On the other hand both these women are like puppets who dance to whatever tunes Numair plays. Manal’s dialogue “Numair ka dost hai Numair jesa hi go ga na” was another “masterpiece”!!
Rameen ne Saeein Ji ka dil tor diya…..I find it very hard to relate to the way Rameen is constantly compared to Shiraz’s dead wife. The woman probably spent more than 10 years of her life with this man and Rameen hardly spent some months with them yet somehow she is supposed to be equally important! Someone please tell Shiraz to find his kids a good nanny – I am sure he can afford one or even two!!
This drama has innumerable flaws but the biggest flaw in this drama is that most of the problems which almost all the characters have are self-created. Rameen can easily move to a shelter but she would much rather not! Shiraz can hire two maids for his kids, pay them well and I am sure they will as happy as a hippo! Manal should leave Numair and half of her troubles will be over! But the sad fact is that somehow these women are convinced that even if your man is a rapist or someone who has abused you without end in the past he deserved to be forgiven like nothing ever happened. I always had a problem with the men in this drama being obsessed with holding Rameen every time they talk to her but it is simply illogical the way Rameen lets Numair touch her even now and Manal stands by and watches while he is at it! This episode had a lot of unnecessarily long conversations – a good example of a lot of talking and very little story development.
The preview of the next episode showed that the drama is not ending any time soon. Rameen will get flowers from “Azar” but somehow she will not talk to him therefore she will not find out that he is dead! ARY claims that Chup Raho is the most watched drama of 2015 – kya khayal hai aap ka is bare mein;)
Fatima Awan
Zidd – Episode 10!
My goodness! I can’t believe that this drama has become such a mind-teaser. I am completely speechless & mind-numbed after watching this episode. What are they trying to show is what I am not understanding? The purpose of this drama, anyone? What’s there to get entertained with, in this drama? If you guys can find an answer to that, I’d appreciate if you share it with me as well.
As much as I was looking forward to Qasim’s character & his scenes, he has been so disappointing. His typicality is ticking me off big time because that’s fine, he’s a father & he’s over-possessive about his daughter but if he had paid an ounce of attention in upbringing Rukhi rightly, he wouldn’t be facing all this. Very conveniently he blamed Saman for what Rukhi’s doing but as much as this notion didn’t make sense, it made me understand that Qasim is not only misapprehended but he is deluded too. Saman just came to America & Rukhi has been dating David since months. He said Rukhi followed Saman’s footsteps but how is the situation of these two girls similar? Saman married an already married man & she decided to leave him, Rukhi is dating a gora, so? Any similarities that I couldn’t pick? Chalo if Saman & Rukhi would’ve been life-long friends, it would’ve made sense that Rukhi got influenced by Saman but she has been head-strong & stubborn on her own & if Qasim loves to play the blame game, he should hold himself responsible first, for supposedly ruining Rukhi’s mindset because he wasn’t clearly paying enough attention to his daughter & he didn’t do his job well.
Can someone also tell me what’s the ‘purpose’ of Omar’s character in this serial? If they hadn’t hired him I am sure the makeup guy would’ve saved heaps of foundation, eyeshades, lip-glosses & the hair guy would’ve saved 10 cans of hairspray. His character is so useless that it’s not even funny. He just wears fancy coats, roams around the streets & the funniest is, he goes around giving people advices on relationships, that too after he has failed at two of his own. How rich is that? LOL! Poor guy. I am glad he is there to provide some entertainment in this otherwise boring drama.
Oh looks like I hit the bullseye last week when I already deduced that the way Shazia spoke about her husband went to show that he didn’t exist & I was so right. He passed away a year ago & she was just faking his presence. Chalo, she wanted to lie to stop her MIL from getting onto her nerves, that’s fine, but how can she go around inviting people over for lunches & dinners when she knows that her husband’s not going to be a part of it? I really like Shazia’s character & even sympathize with her but dudette, you made me terrified because of your mental state. Sorry but looks like all the ladies of this drama are either half-mad or clueless!
I did enjoy Rukhi & David’s scenes. Not sure if they’ll be able to get married but for now, something in this drama that’s appeasing to see is their relationship. Is it just me or most of the conversations that happened between Saman & Zainab didn’t make sense? Yes, Zainab’s annoying but why is Saman always so ticked off at her? The whole ‘tars’ scenario was way too pushed in this episode. Saman’s speaking about ‘tars’, Zainab’s seeking for some ‘tars’ but she ain’t getting any. I find Zainab & Saman’s friendship completely forced. Yes, Saman is staying at Zainab’s place but she is the one who is known for changing places the moment anyone utters a single word in her shaan ki ghustakhi, so it just doesn’t seem right that she has been tolerating Zainab for so long. She has easily been able to find jobs for herself so why can’t she live on her own? I completely find Omar & Zainab’s characters meaningless in this drama.
Oh! That whole crying-on-Omar’s-shoulder scene was so disappointing. I really thought Saman would break down but it was only Rukhi’s condition that reduced her to tears & made her go all inclined towards Omar but then she just left as if something bit her & she wanted to hide it. I really can’t understand Saman either. She is so unhappy that she makes my blood boil. Anyways, share your thoughts about this episode of Zidd please.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
ps: I’m in a market for any other drama to review as I can’t continue with Zidd due to obvious reasons, so if you guys have any suggestions for good dramas that are about to commence or have just started airing, do let me know. I will review Zidd till I find another suitable drama to replace it. Thanks. :)
Ali Zafar Blessed With A Baby Girl
Ali Zafar and his wife Ayesha Fazli were blessed with a beautiful baby girl on Monday. The baby was born in Lahore. Ali Zafar informed his fans of the good news viz Twitter. Ali Zafar and Ayesha Fazli are already parents to a boy Azaan.
Ali Zafar has been in the news a lot lately because of his song “Urainge” which was dedicated to the victims of the Peshawar attack. Ali Zafar has not shared the picture of his daughter yet and he has also informed his fans that the name has not been decided.
We wish the newborn and her parents all the best.
What happened to our Writers?
There is no doubt about that our writers had played a big role in making our dramas globally hit. Whether we talk about Umera Ahmed or Khalil ur Rehman Qamar, their thought provoking stories had given drama industry a recognition. Of course we do admire our actors/actresses, directors and production houses but what attracts audience is a brilliant storyline and a strong plot that send some positive messages as well to the audience. Cast, direction and Production is secondary and that’s the reason why we had witnessed many star studded downers recently.
Dragging is there and I accept it and we had indeed talked about it zillion of times. In my opinion dragging is acceptable unless a story of a particular play is entertaining us for example Pyaray Afzal, we all know that ARY had dragged this play up till 37 episodes but we all have enjoyed this drama and our emotions were quite high about it.However if our writers continue to provide us with stories that are full of clichés and controversies then soon there will be a decline of this growing industry.
Now let’s take a week review of those high budgeted dramas airing these days and analyse how our writers have failed us in terms of quality entertainment.
Aik Pal: This is supposed to be a mega project of HUM TV but I guess in production. Mega project nowadays means a large villa and some luxury cars. Ok for many of you out there the story might seems to be interesting but for me it’s actually very boring. The plot is good but storyline to be honest isn’t attractive at all. We all know that how flat is the story, there is one good guy and one bad guy that’s it. This drama got no curiosity as what will happen next neither it contains any suspense.
Dosri Biwi: “Naam hi kafi hai”, I mean do I need to say anything. Dosri biwi is the latest obsession from our drama writers and ARY Digital thought that promoting this kind of pathetic play would actually increase the TRP. Come on For God sake we don’t need picture quality we need thought provoking stories. I am not watching this brilliant stuff so can’t comment more about it.
Zid: WOOH! Yet another high budgeted drama shot in America, probably producers’ favourite country. So drama took off with a good pace and first five episodes were interesting but now it has gone totally baseless. Seriously what this drama is all about? What writers wants us to understand? All I could understand in this drama that everyone got their own thinking and they demand for their rights, however the way they demand for the rights is not correct. So now what else is remaining in this drama when all cards were already revealed by the writer? Saman left the house and Omar is not making any effort to bring her back. What Saman wants now? What Rukhi wants? What Omar wants? Scenes are incomplete and didn’t make any sense.
Chup Raho: wow! Wow! Wow! Yet another masterpiece brought to you by Samira Fazal and ARY Digital. “bahi pair pakar ke maafi maangte hain agar koi ghalti hogai hum audience se lekin is torture se bahar nikaalo”. This drama is surely on an endless path and making no sense at all. “Rameen ke adventure hain ke khatam hi nahi ho rhe”. Rameen’s infinite stupidity is making me sick and the story is just going round and round in circles. I would like to request samira fazal please stop writing for a while and make your return when you get some good logical stories in your mind. Let’s see what Alvida will offer us in future.
Jackson Heights: This 24 instalment drama could have been easily wrapped up in 16 to 18 episodes but our producers and directors love to drag it. “In ka khaana hazam jo nahi hota drag kiye bagher”. Forget dragging but seriously I witnessed many loopholes in the story. Salma is such a darling! I would like to ask Vasay Chaudhry where I can find this type of wife who can be treated as a doormat despite being an independent bread winner. On the other hand Michelle is such a cute baby who had rejected her trusted friend and is going to marry a boy who is half of her age and just arrived from Pakistan. Vasay sahab your story was different and I appreciate it but you still need to work on your script and learn to design some sensible characters.
Seriously by looking at the list above you will ask yourself what happened to our writers. Soap like “Susraal Mera” was good than these high budgeted dramas. Only Digest Writer and Goyaa are there to rescue us.
I am not watching “Sadqey Tumhaare” but let’s see what Khalil ur Rehman will offer us in “Zulekha bin Yusuf”. Furthermore we definitely need new writers with resplendent stories.What do you guys have to say on this topic?
Dusri Biwi- Episode 13
”I have a dream that one day Pakistani drama serials will show a strong-headed wife staying true to her vow of never returning to her loser husband.”
Hayee, until that day comes, I guess we are stuck with wives who are so thickheaded that when their husbands deceive them, they blame neither the husband in question nor the other woman but they go on with their lives, thinking as if it’s their lack of attention due to which their husbands simply ‘lost’ their interest, after all un kay shauhar tou doodh peetay bachay hain, like, they don’t have a sense of right and wrong! Coming back to the story, well, Biwi No.1 couldn’t leave her piya dearest on the rehm-o-karam of Biwi N.2 and she just HAD to remind her sautan of the fact that, ‘Sirf mein apnay loser piya ki shirt press karti thi, karti hun aur karti rahoon gi’ because according to Biwi No.1, it doesn’t matter if he shattered her trust or married another woman and is having a baby too, what matters is the fact that her name is attached to that of this pathetic guy and as long as that’s the case, she will stay by him through thick and thin. As far as I can recall, Aisha had made it clear that she only went back to Hassan for the sake of her daughter but if that’s the case, why is she so concerned as to who takes care of Hassan’s things? From whatever we’ve seen up till now, all I can deduce is that our dusri biwi plays follow a certain pattern so here are a few, fixed phases:
A- Mills & Boon Phase: At this stage, the marital life is shown to be just perfecttttttttt. Overloaded with super-cheesy dialogues, exchange of promises andd in this play, Hassan used to sing Aisha to sleep so you can guess how difficult it gets for viewers to figure out why did the piya resort to dusri shadi.
B- Love can strike anywhere anytime Phase: Well, here the husband just wakes up one day and magically falls in love with a girl who happens to be unmarried and yet, she chooses to live the rest of her life with an already married guy- epitome of true love, huh?
C- Disclosure and Immediate After-Effects Phase: That’s when the news of piya’s dusri shadi is out in the open and the Biwi No.1’s whole world collapses AND her dhokaybaaz piya is the last person she wants to see.
D- Patch-up Phase: Normally this phase comes after a lot of apologies & justifications from the piya’s end but surprise, surprise, in this case, it didn’t take piya’s sweet talking but actually Bhabi’s golden advice to make Biwi No.1 realize that life without sartaaj is a life not worth living! So cool!
E- Biwi No.1 Vs. Biwi No.2 ‘Clash of the Titans’ Phase: Needless to say, this stage involves incessant attempts of both the begmaat to win the only thing they have in common*drumrolls* their sartaaj! The ironic part is that the piya’s not even worth fighting for and while these two ladies are struggling to win their piya jee, the fasaad ki jurr enjoys the situation with a triumphant smile because the world hasn’t been a better place for him! Even though we haven’t exactly reached this stage in this play yet, I can smell it from here!
I wish I could talk to the writer and ask her what in the world was she thinking while penning Bhabi Jee’s dialogues because they were perhaps the worsttttt dialogues I’ve come across in a long, long, time! Let me just say that I don’t doubt her intentions one bit- words can’t explain how concerned Bhai and Bhabi Jee are about Aisha- too bad they’re not blessed with a cerebrum and this time around, Bhai Jee’s logic was at least making some sense but about Bhabi Jee, I’ve given up! According to her, Hassan tou bohat narmdil aur masoom tha aur hai. I mean, since when? Woh tou uss larki nay ussay apnay jaal mein phasa liya. And I couldn’t believe my ears when she advised Aisha to take this whole situation as a ‘challenge’ to win Hassan and prove to him that Farah is not worth his time or attention. Aisha, tum khud ko jor kar uss ko (Farah ko) tor do! Girl, you’re so wise that Socrates is weeping in his grave!
To tell you the truth, I am finding Farah and Saman’s bonding veryyyyy unnatural and forced! As far as I know Farah’s 24/7 frown isn’t exactly the sort that’d attract kids and how can Saman grow so close to a woman over a few days? I mean, Saman was actually ‘missing’ her dream ‘aunty’ (Farah)!
And it SEEMS like Amir is gone for good and I lay emphasis on this ‘seem’ because Amir is writer’s darling- she adds him whenever she craves some tension and discards him whenever she feels like. I know the name of this Amir guy- Ahmed Ali! UFF! Now that I am watching IshqParast (will review it too), there’s only one sing that clicks my mind everytime I see him on the screen: Chahay mujhay koi Jungleeee kahayyyy! Seriously, this guy loves to play the junooni of the year and I don’t know if it’s just me but Farah and Amir’s scene today reminded me of Rameen and Numair/Aazar’s scenes and this is something I found way too cringe-worthy! Hey guys, Taj Begum ko halka na lo! I really feel like holding that glass jar in my hand to see how much it weighs because I couldn’t believe my eyes when Amir just fell flat on the floor- just like that! All I can say is, next time someone tries to strike you with some glass thing, Amir ka anjaam yaad rakhna! Shukar hai the guy didn’t die on spot! For those who didn’t watch the episode, Amir tried to physically harass Farah (remember, Karachi is so safe that we keep our doors unlocked so anyone can barge his/her way in) but Taj Biwi struck him with a glass jar thingy AND Amir lost his consciousness! He was taken to the police and now he has left the city- so that’s supposed to be the end of his character, no?
So this is what Episode 13 was all about. I am extremely disappointed and let’s see how the story’s going to shape up now. Share your thoughts, people!
Maryam Mehdi
Aik Pal_ Episode 14
Tonight’s episode focused on Bareera and Omair’s strained relationship and Noor Fatima’s social work. There was a new development in the story, which could have been much quicker.
Bareera has closed all doors of happiness on herself. Her life and her are a mess. She not only smokes, in order to relieve stress, but spends her time lying around the house, while her maid takes care of her like a baby. Shukar hai, maid cheater nahi. In most dramas maids are the biggest cheaters in a begum sahiba‘s life! (after their husbands of course) Being an educated person, who used to be full life, Bareera’s character is disappointing me. She didn’t ever submit to anybody, but as soon as Omair handed over the reports in her hands, she believed him, and made her life more pathetic than it was already. Kuch tou karti. Beena was ready to help her, but she refused. I think, the writer has delivered her message here. Bareera has always been away from religion, and never consulted Allah in any matter. When she faced such big problems in her life, she resorted to temporary stress relieving activities like smoking, which will obviously cause more problems for her.
Omair is a big cheater, and if the feeling of doubt we have is right, and he gave Bareera wrong reports so she wouldn’t bother him for starting a family, then he deserves to be divorced by Bareera and never forgiven. His and Bareera’s scenes which showed their strained relationship got a bit repetitive, but I was glad that the pol was kholo-fied. Bareera spotting him with his girlfriend at the club gave me a sigh of relief. But I was surprised when instead of screaming at him, Bareera decided to leave with her friend Farhan, and then got worried that Omair would doubt her character. That’s not like Bareera!
Noor Fatima, on the other hand, is the nicest soul in town, the social worker, religious gathering organizer and to top it all off a great mom and wife. All in one package. All I saw her doing today was talking about; opening a school for poor girls, organizing milad and dars and talking to her kid and husband in super sweet tone. I get it, she is SUPER nice, but then why didn’t any of her scenes strike a chord? Was it the kid’s bad acting (which I don’t mind because he is very young and cute <3 ) or her monotonous tone? Or the fact that most of her scenes were shot in the living room which I have grown tired of watching? The representation of Noor Fatima_ the nicest person in town could have been much better. When for the fourth or fifth time, I heard the tales of her social work I looked at the television and begged, bas kardo taareefein! I also don’t get why she wears a scarf at home? Bahir jayein tou samajh aata hai but she never goes out either.
Bareera’s friend from university days called her (the same one who met Noor Fatima in the milad) and Bareera invited her home. Omair’s friend (remember his crime partner in the university?) was shown helpless after the loss in his father’s business but when he came to Omair for a job, Omair refused to recognize him. That’s just the type of person Omair is. Mu’shaf was kind enough to grant him a temporary job with a promise of making it permanent if he worked hard.
The episode lacked the punch that the last two episodes had, but was overall interesting. A few details could be toned down a bit, for example Noor Fatima’s tone. Bareera should try to pick herself up now, otherwise the story will become boring. Did anyone notice, that when Bareera goes to meet the doctor, her makeup was light and she looked much better than she looks with loads of makeup!
What did you guys think of the episode?
Areeba Mohsen