Malika-e-Jazbaat or Tragedy Queen is a slang term used to describe any actress who is known to perform sorrowful and emotional roles. In our country not many actresses are given this title. Our showbiz history starts from films and despite film is a commercial medium with loud acting and over emotional sequences a handful of actresses got this title.
The lady, who is almost unanimously known as Malika-e-Jazbaat in films, is the late Nayyar Sultana. Nayyar Sultana started her career as heroine, and later reverted to character roles mostly of mother and bhaabi. Interestingly it was her character roles that strengthened her fame as Malika-e-Jazbaat rather than her roles of heroine. In the roles of heroines she was a normal lady, but in character roles she was mostly a har haal mein khush rehnay waali mazloom rotti dhoti aurat which earned her the title of Malika-e-Jazbaat from film journalists.
Nayyar Sultana
Coming to TV dramas, its popularity started in decade of 80’s and they are famous for their realistic acting, so despite some big names like Uzma Gilani, Khalida Riasat, Madeeha Gauhar, Roohi Baano who are famous for doing serious roles flawlessly, none is labeled as Malika-e-Jazbaat. The trend is almost same till today, where despite a very vibrant drama industry none of the female artist is known as Malika-e-Jazbaat.
But if we want to consider anyone for that title, which one is the most suitable. Let’s discuss some of the most eligible ones for this title.
Yasira Rizvi
Mostly appears in depressing roles, ‘Mann ke moti’, ‘baandi’, ‘kaash aisa ho’ every time she has lots of miseries and her face is dismal and depressed. She is favorite choice of producers who want to make a depressing drama. She has appeared in a light role in film Aaina, but was unimpressive.
Samiya Mumtaz
Samiya is a very talented artist, who can put life to even a lifeless character. Her first appearance in PTV drama Zard Dopehar was a small one but still she was noticed. She started her career from theatre and time and again she has proved how mature she is in acting. Samiya took a long break from acting and focused more on her farm house, as she is a farmer of organic food.
She returned to screen from super hit ‘Meri Zaat Zarra Bey Nishaan’, audience still remember the sobs and tears of character of Saba. Since then there is no ending to suffering of Samiya in dramas, in Maaye Ni, Haal-e-Dil, Zindagi Tere Bina we can see plenty of emotionally charged scenes of Samiya.
Ayeza Khan
Ayeza Khan started her career at a very young age, I first noticed her in Ramazan special drama ‘’Faiz Manzil Ke Rozedaar’ in a light role in 2007. From past few years Ayeza has been first choice of drama producers and done some big projects. But most of the times she is a ‘mazloom roti dhoti’ girl. She had shed liters of tears on screen, which if collected are enough to flood television screens.
Maria Waasti
Maria is a versatile actress she has performed all types of roles in her career which started in mid 90’s. Lately Maria is also coming in roles which qualify her to be a ‘Malika-e-Jazbaat’. In Baandi, Kalmoohi, Rehaii she is always a ‘bechaari’ alone to face the cruelties of world.
Nimra Bucha
Nimra started her career from drama Daam in 2010. Since then she is always casted in roles of a ‘bechaari’ woman, be it ‘Mera Yaqeen’, ‘Sabz Pari Laal Kabootar’, ‘Ek Nazar Meri Taraf’ her sorrows and miseries are endless. She is seen weeping regardless she is performing a rich lady role or a poor lady role. The only time I had seen her in a light role was a small role in drama Paarsa and she seemed misfit for that.
Sajal Ali
Sajal Ali well she has performed all types of roles in relatively short span of times. She cannot be totally labeled as ‘roti dhoti larki’. But she also loves to shed tears in dramas, in ‘Meri Laadli’, ‘Aasmanon Pe Likhha’, ‘Gohar-e-Nayab’ she justifies herself for the title of Tragedy Queen.
Aisha Khan
Aisha Khan is another big name, in her recent dramas she has done a variety of different and powerful roles but few years ago she can be seen as ‘tasway bahatee aurat’ in many dramas, like ‘Maanay nay eh dil’, ‘Bol Meri Machhli’, ’Ijazat’, ‘Meray Charagar’, ’Mujhe Apna Bana Lo’, ’Tum Ho Ke Chupp’. In some dramas like ‘Maanay na yeh dil’ and ‘Mujhey Apna Bana lo’ she was not a mazloom larki still she was seen weeping and sobbing frequently.
Sohai Ali Aabro
Sohai in a short span of time has always appeared as a ‘roti dhoti larki’ despite the fact she never played the role of a ‘mazloom larki’ but she always appear with a dismal face on screen. Rishtey Kucch Adhore Se, Khoya Khoya Chand, Tanhai are prime examples
That’s in my view is a potential list for Tragedy Queens of our dramas, hopeful to write something on Shehanshah-e-Jazbaat (Tragedy Kings) too.
Launched in April 2012, Hello! Pakistan is a leading magazine that focuses on combining the best of what Pakistan has to offer along with exclusive content from around the world made available for the first time in a locally published magazine.
We have been sharing much about our stars that this Magazine has been publishing from time to time and here comes a moment of pride once again for the Pakistani audience. The magazine recently announced the results of Hello Awards and her are 5 of those winners you should know. Have a look!
Nooray Bhatti
Nooray Bhatti has been making waves on the Pakistani fashion scene with her versatile look and glamorous style.
Nida Azwer
A genius at combining unique textiles and embroidery techniques with rich colours, NidaAzwer brings exquisitely detailed creations to life!
Ali Rehman
With his piercing good looks, grey-green eyes, and potentially award-winning acting talent, Ali is quite the heartthrob.
Aamina Sheikh
Most Popular Actress of the Year: With the tremendous breadth of her career repertoire and her sensitive acting in TV and cinema, Aamina Sheikh continues to be electric.
Shamoon Sultan
Khaadi is that single brand that has taken high street fashion to another level.
Congratulations to all of them. Thanks for making the Pakistani audience proud all over the world!
HUM Network, after taking the drama industry to the next level of success is found enthused enough to give music a chance. It was previously Mika Singh from India for whom the channel organized a concert and this time, it was our own Zafar who is now one of the most famous personalities all over the world. HUM has always offered its audience a special package on special days and February 14th, is one of them. This time the channel organized a melodious night to celebrate the day of love for their special programming,
Though the live concert was actually witnessed on February 1st in Karachi, it was only yesterday that the concert went on-air on the channel. The show was hosted by Anushay Ashraf while many prominent faces were seen at the concert, showing their love and appreciation for this young and very talented singer who is now happens to be a popular actor in the neighboring country.
Ali Zafar opened the show with a medley of popular covers including Chal Dil Mere and Sohani rath dhal chuki. He followed it with a rendition of Teray bina lagay na mora jiya, giving it an exceptional twist. He had the audience swaying to his beats as he sang Dil jhoom jhoom. The youngsters in the audience went wild with his offering of No woman, no cry while the entire packed hall went ecstatic at his rendition of Zindagi Gulzar Hai, from HUM’s award-winning serial by the same name. All in all, it was more than a musical journey for the audience who were found totally engrossed in the magical spell created by Ali.
Here are some of the pictures of the show. Have a look!
Please share your views about this attempt of the channel.
Veteran singer, Abida Parveen has agreed to sing for a film for the very first time in her long career spanning over decades. Abida Parveen has a dedicated fan following in Pakistan and is duly respected by all walks of life. However despite an esteemed career, Abida has never rendered her voice for any filmi song. Though in some films her non-filmi songs are used for overlap over some particular situation like in Punjabi film Zill-e-Shaah her pre-recorded kaafi (a genre of sufi poetry) is included as overlap.
Now finally TV director Farooq Mengal has persuaded Abida Parveen, to render magic of her voice for Title Song of the his new film ‘Raabta’. It is also first time ever that Abida is singing an OST exclusively for a TV Drama or film. Though some of her pre-recorded songs are included in drama as OST like ‘Yaar ko hum ne’ for Shehr-e-Zaat.
This lady knows indeed well how to manage to be in the limelight, for sure. If you are following her on social media sites, you must know that Mehwish has always something interesting to share with her fans and when it comes to modelling, other than acting, she proves herself as a dedicated model and brings a beautiful persona on screen. Valentines has had been lately upon us and whether you love it or not, our media has contributed significantly promoting the day and the feel.
Mehiwsh has recently appeared in a photoshoot for a magazine and looked stunning in the designs of Ishtiaq Afzal. It was model Arsalan Asad Butt who was seen complimenting her inside the camera and the two of them made a good couple on screen. From hair to make-up, styling to photography, Akif Ilyas’s efforts are worth praising.
Here are some of the photos of this photoshoot. Have a look!
Did you celebrate Valentines’ day this year? Share your views about it.
Zindha Bhaag, the movie which Pakistan submitted to Oscars after a gap of fifty years, has crowned another award. This time it is a special jury award in the film festival held in city of Jaipur, Indian State of Rajasthan. The film also honored as inaugural film of the film festival.
Let’s face it, everyone can manage to look good following the rule of simple is sweet but rocking a red cherry pout, bold statement eyeliner and bouncy curls is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. Apart from the clear distinction of simple and sultry artists, we have a category of finest Pakistani actresses who rock both styles better than anyone else – now this is what we call real talent!
Although for me, the right way of judging an actress is by her acting skills but we definitely cannot exclude fashion from the field of showbiz, can we? So let’s give some credit to those divas of Pakistani drama industry who not only manage to look good in a simple braid and minimal makeup but also rock the party with their all fancy shmancy style and attire.
Mahira Khan
Talk about Pakistani fashionistas and Mahira Khan is already there to ace the list. I have yet to find a Pakistani celeb who look half as good in a red pout as Mahira does. Coral based reds, blue based reds and neons – I have seen Mahira wearing all of these and it’s needless to say that she looks brilliant in all. Not only this but her simple side is equally charming, can we forget the simplicity of Khirad? I’m sure no one can!
Ayesha Omar
One of the prettiest all-rounders of showbiz Ayesha Omar has tried her luck in almost all fields be it ramp, commercial modelling, serious acting, sitcoms or singing. I’m really an admirer of her trendy and chic outfits but at the same time she looks stunningly beautiful in her dramatic makeovers. Khubsurat of Bulbulay is usually all about naturally fresh looks and then we have all dolled up Ayesha Omar in functions and talk shows – both are absolutely brilliant.
Mehwish Hayyat
Mehwish Hayyat is also one of those actresses who pull off both simple and sultry styles like no one else. I particularly love the way she keeps on experimenting with her hair. From pin-straight hair to loose beachy waves to tight bouncy curls, she manages to look good almost in everything.
Aisha Khan
When beauty meets talent, we have Ayesha Khan! Oh God! I’m a personal fan of her. I mean talk about her eyes alone – isn’t she gorg? I can bring thousands of examples from her acting ventures, (from Mehndi to Waar) about her style and she never failed to amaze me. Western or Eastern, Aisha Khan knows the way to rock her attire!
Mehreen Raheel
Talk about timeless beauty man, Mehreen Raheel is the one! As much as I criticize her acting skills, I have got to admit that she is a stunner when it comes to looks and by looks I don’t mean the natural features but the way she carries herself with all the makeup and fancy attires. From the vintage makeup of Dastaan to the hip-hop makeovers of Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Mehreen Raheel is a stunner. And then we have her Ufone commercials where she isn’t that made-up but still rocks the screen.
Sarwat Gillani
Is it just me or all the girls with silky straight hair have a crush on Sarwat’s hair haha! I totally find it justified to add Sarwat Gillani to the list of actresses who look good both in simple and sultry styles. Talk about those bold red and fuchsia pouts in Dil-e-Muztar – we used to hate her character but she really looked good throughout the play.
Sajal Ali
A comparatively new comer Sajal Ali is just the right contestant to be included to the list with almost all full seasoned artists. With her innocent and young looks, she appears as a prime beauty to me.Whether she is keeping it simple or decides to glam up, she knows the right way to do it.
Aamina Sheikh
Aamina Sheikh is the one who bashes the concept of fair is lovely in Pakistan. With her gorg medium – tanned looking complexion, she fits perfectly in almost all makeovers. We have seen her acting in Ek Hatheli Pe Hinna in a very simple black shawl and then we see her setting the ramp on fire with her contemporary outfits, she has got some real guts!
Saba Qamar
A personal favourite Saba Qamar hah! I really hope I’m not being biased and you all will agree that Saba Qamar is an absolute eye-candy. Let it be traditional sarees with elegant updos or a very simple chic kurta with a rough jeans, she looks effortlessly pretty. You know one of those actresses who walk like a breeze with all those glitter and sparkle without screaming I’m made up!
Juggan Kazim
I’m a fan of the squeaky clean and clear skin of Juggan, please tell us some secrets girl! I have watched her morning shows where unlike others she prefers to stay simple and looks absolutely beautiful. We occasionally get to see her in heavy formals and other than few fails, most of the times she is a hit.
Iman Ali
Although Iman has worked for a very short while for TV and her main identity is ramp and cinema, still not including her to the list wouldn’t be justified. In Khuda Ki Liye, she was mostly wearing traditional tribal dresses or jeans and in her second movie Bol she was all about fancy choridars and long kurtas – I had a hard time to decide which of her look deserved more applause. I think she is wonderful both ways.
Phew, that was long guys! I hope I covered almost all Pakistani actresses who look effortlessly stunning and confident in both simple and sultry style. If I missed anyone, you guys are encouraged to add them to the list, after all this is the charm of discussion, isn’t it?
Do let me know how you like this topic and idea? I’m meaning to do an article on senior celebs as well who still manage to look breathtakingly beautiful, sounds good eh?
Until next time, stay beautiful ladies and dudes of course!
In each and every project whether it is a drama or film the story is mainly focused on Lead Actors and Actresses because they are on the driving seat who drives the whole story towards the end. Therefore they got the huge amount of responsibility to give their best in order to maintain interest in the story because all the performances they gave all goes into public well and public has to decide whether to give gratitude or criticism. So there is no way that any person can enter in acting field without having a talent, skills or experience.
Usually lead actors/actresses comes under discussion, their performances are either being appreciated or condemned. Unfortunately our mind set is that we appreciate less and denounce widely. However beside lead role there is also a role called supporting role. A supporting actor is an actor who performs a role in a drama or film below than lead role and his/her work is to give support to lead actor during the whole drama or film. Their role is lower than lead role but it contains importance similar to lead role actors. Hence in recognition of importance to the nature of this work Entertainment Industries give separate awards to best supporting actors and actresses.
Our Drama Industry is also encompassed with number of talented supporting actors/actresses and honestly speaking they have mostly stunned me with their tremendous work. Some of them had really stolen the whole show from lead actors.
The talent is never ending in our Industry so here is a list of some young supporting actors/actresses who have captured the audience attention and stolen the show with their ingenious performances:
1. Sana Javed: This new comer have left me amazed with her super exceptional acting skills. Her dialogue delivery and expressions are spot on. Her two dramas are running in parallel “Ranjish Hi Sahi” and “Pyaray Afzal”. In “Pyaray Afzal” she has stolen the whole show, I am impressed with the character of Lubna. In “Ranjish Hi sahi” she was in a supporting role as tooba but now I guess she is in the lead now. She is doing perfect variation between serious and comedy role in her current two dramas. Her future is indeed very bright in the Industry.
2. Mansha Pasha: Another very talented new comer with dynamism. Whether to perform a short role of Falak’s friend in “Shehr-e-Zaat” or to become a Kashaf’s younger sister in ZGH who give sensible advices or to become a cunning and greedy cousin of Romaissa in MSKSH, Mansha Pasha is an absolute great choice for all of these supporting roles. Through her magnificent performances she is now a true rising star.
3. Anoushey Abbasi: I haven’t seen much of Anoushey as like her elder sister Javeria Abbasi. Hence I will only talk about her current supporting role in drama “Pyaray Afzal”. She is doing a completely awesome job of Character Aarifa who is a younger sister of Afzal in drama. Her role of a dutiful, loving and caring sister deserve real applauses. Anoushey got superb acting skills.
4. Mohib Mirza: OK I know that he mostly do lead roles so calm down I am just going to talk about his supporting role in “Shehr-e-Zaat” who was only allowed to call Falak (Fifi) :-D. Honestly talking he was much better than Meekal in this drama and I was actually glad when he got the award of best actor in supporting role in HUM awards. Mohib Mirza is a great talent who can not only do acting but hosting as well however he is much underrated.
5. Mukarram Kaleem: This NAPA trained actor has proven himself a very promising actor in the field of acting. Well he had appeared very less in “Aik Nayee Cinderella” but how can I forgot the role of Manzar or I would say “Peer” Manzar in AUNN ZARA as Aunn’s friend who always give nostalgic advices to Aunn. His acting in a supporting role in “Aunn Zara” was flawless including everything dialogue delivery, expressions etc.
6. Sabreen Hisbani: Some people are born with Versatility and so is Sabreen. Although she doesn’t get fame as much as her younger sister Sanam Baloch but hardly anyone can point out any flaws in her acting. I will actually call her a show stealer, every time she steals the show from the lead actors. I heard Sanam Baloch saying in Nida Yasir’s morning show that I wish I can do acting like Sabreen. Her supporting role in “Aunn Zara” was mindblowing, I think no one had played a character of bubbly type phopho before her, it was the most catchy character in whole drama and just because of sabreen’s splendid acting. In drama “Meri beti” she was in the lead role at starting but now she is in the supporting role please correct me If I am wrong because I felt and she is doing absolute justice to her role. I was happy for her when she got the best supporting actress award for “Aunn Zara” in Pakistan Media Awards.
7. Umer Naru: Most of the people might not know him. So how about calling him Mehtab from “Pyaray Afzal” now you know him. He was also in a short supporting role in “Durr-e-Shahwar” as brother in law of sanam baloch. Umer Naru is not a mediocre actor but a superb actor but as per his personality he can’t do lead roles but he is a good supporting role actor who performs sweet boy role very well.
8. Uroosa Siddiqui: No introduction needed for this girl, of you want me to pick gems of our industry then I will pick her. A chubby girl who has proven that it is better to focus on acting rather being skinny no offence please. Whether to do a comedy role in Dolly ki ayegi baraat or an extremely serious role in Kankar she can perform it impeccably. She is a great addition in supporting roles.
There are some more great supporting actors with their mesmerizing performances like Hassan Niazi for “Kankar”, Yasir Shoro for “Sanjha” and “Meri Zindagi Hai Tu” , Maheen Khalid Rizvi for “Zindagi Gulzar Hai”, “Silvatein” and “Adhori Aurat” etc. I do have some even more names but list will be longer so provide me with your list of actors in supporting roles.
So, matching the date. the theme of tonight’s episode was based on romantic songs or more like the dedicated to those songs that had some feelings of love etched in them. I enjoyed this episode as well & felt all the contestants have improved a lot. The judges seemed at ease today as well & their little bit of dance moves were worth a laugh (in a good note obviously).
So there we go:
Waqas Ali (WA) of Islamabad sang ‘Tumhe Jo Meinne Dekha’ from the Indian movie ‘Main Hoon Na’.As always he sang it really well but I found him weak at the beginning but from that moment onward he got a grip of the song & sang it beautifully. Ali Azmat said he must now focus more on the song selection seriously but Hadiqa Kiyani said song selection doesn’t matter, what does is the way a singer sings it. He still got great remarks from the judges as he is a good singer undoubtedly.
Zamad Baig (ZB) of Mandi Bahauddin sang ‘Mukhray Ton Nazran Hawatan’. I felt like a heard-before performance, no doubt he was great like always & seemed more confident on the stage now but yes a good performance but not worthy of leaving an impact on the listeners. Hadiqa Kiyani & Bushra Ansari both appreciated his singing & Ali Azmat felt he sang it from his heart & also commented on his confidence.
Asad Raza Sonu (RS) of Lahore sang ‘Kabhi Jo Badal Barsay’.It was a brilliant performance from start till the end. I found it the best performance of the episode because it was full of emotions & there was a feel to this performance. Hadiqa Kiyani commented on how soulfully he sang it & said he always instills the emotions in his singing. Ali Azmat liked his song selection & I appreciate Ali Azmat for emphasizing on the importance of song selections because it can make or break a mark that any contestant sets.
Sana Zulfikaar (SZ) of Lahore sang ‘Ye Mera Dil’from the Indian movie ‘Don’. She was good but once again similar to Zamad Baig I think not a memorable performance. Hadiqa Kiyani felt she held back a little & didn’t perform with ease because this was not her genre. Ali Azmat gave her remarkable comments that she is making her place in the show by showing what she is capable of. Bushra Ansari also liked her performance & appreciated her a lot.
Kashif Ali (KA) of Karachi sang Sajjad Ali’s ‘Sohni Lagdi’. It was a power-packed performance, I enjoyed it thoroughly but did feel that he ran out of breath at times because the song was of high-energy & he only had one-take to sing it so this much was justified because he actually didn’t go off-beat or bad on notes at all. Hadiqa Kiyani liked it as always, Bushra Ansari commented on his breathing issue as well. Ali Azmat found his enthusiasm commendable & it indeed was a great performance.
Shahmir Aziz Quidwai (SQ) of Islamabad sang ‘Tum Hi Ho’ from the Indian movie ‘Ashiqui 2’. His performance was self-explanatory & I think it was the only weakest performance of the episode. Weak start & weak ending, he just couldn’t sing this song at all. Judges weren’t clearly impressed right from the moment his performance began. Ali Azmat thought he tackled the song by the end but Hadiqa Kiyani felt he was weak through out but liked his expression.
Mohammad Shoaib (MS) of Peshawar sang Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s ‘Afreen Afreen’.One of my favorite songs of NFAK & what an improvement I must say. I don’t know what that is but his performance has that essence to it which clicks for me. I absolutely enjoyed his performance & felt that he has improved a lot. I did hope that he would get good remarks from the judges so that if he secures a spot in the top 11, he won’t seem guilty & I am glad it happened that way. All the judges enjoyed his performance & said that he showed a great improvement. Hadiqa Kiyani said this was his the best performance so far & it was evident. Bushra Ansari told him to ignore or work more on the ‘sargam’ but over all he got a great feedback.
Abdul Rafay Khan (RK) of Karachi sang ‘Dil Sambhal Ja Zara’from the Indian movie ‘Murder 2’. Like he said it was his favorite song so he selected it, he did complete justice to it & made his performance a treat to listen to. He is for sure a very very strong contender of the season & he has been consistent with the great performances. Hadiqa Kiyani loved his performance but said his ending was clearly weak. Ali Azmat spoke a lot about his age & looked like he was making a vote appeal for Abdul Rafay by telling the audience to keep in mind his young age. At this point Hadiqa said age is not a counting factor. Bushra Ansari found his performance flawless. Over all he got great remarks too.
Syed Sajjid Abbas (SA) of Karachi sang ‘Aj Kal Tere Mere’ from the Indian movie ‘Bhramchari’. Once again a very cute & sweet performance from him. It was enjoyable & amazing but I feel he should work a little bit to make his voice over-lap the loud music, he sounds too soft but he is obviously an amazing singer & one of my favorites. At this performance they showed the judges enjoy themselves by dancing to the beat, even to see Ali Azmat being laid-back yet shaking his head with those glasses on was really funny. Sajjid got amazing comments from the judges & Ali once again said that his song selection was great because it suited his vocal tone. Bushra Ansari found it soulful & Hadiqa also felt it was filled with emotions.
Rosemary (RM) of Karachi sang ‘Ye Ishq Haye’from the Indian movie ‘Jab We Met’. I enjoyed her performance & felt she changed her voice to match the original song. She sang it with ease but got mixed comments from the judges. Ali Azmat once again spoke about her young age & said she did well considering her experience in the singing. Hadiqa Kiyani didn’t enjoy her performance much & even Ali Azmat agreed to a certain extent. Bushra Ansari as usual pointed out the mistake she feels Rosemary does & it was related to her breathing. But overall her performance was good too.
Waqas Ali Vicky (WV) of Mian Channu sang ‘Gustakh Dil’ from the Indian movie ‘Dil Maange More’.He sang it effortlessly & it showed that he can attempt & sing these type of songs as well. I enjoyed his performance a lot but Ali Azmat said his song selection wasn’t impressive. Hadiqa Kiyani disagreed & commented that the song selection is not an issue because he dealt with it properly. Bushra Ansari liked his performance as well but felt he fell weak in the middle of the performance.
Ali Asad Zaidi (AZ) of Karachi sang ‘Tera Hone Laga Hoon’from the Indian movie ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’.He added his touch to the song but I felt he changed the feel of it. The song has a happy tone but looked like Ali turned it into a sad song. Ali Azmat said it was the most appropriate selection considering the theme of the episode & also commented on how he adds his bits to the song to make it his own. Hadiqa Kiyani thought that it was a soulful performance & he has improved a lot which was pretty evident as well. Bushra Ansari said he has shown his vocal range in this particular performance so yes, he succeeded in leaving an impact on the judges.
So, this was it from this episode. I think the strongest performances were from Asad Raza Sonu, Syed Sajjid Abbas, Kashif Ali, Abdul Rafay Khan & Mohammad Shoaib. The weakest goes without saying was from Shahmir Aziz Quidwai. I hope after this performance, all those who actually deserve make it to the next round.
Whose performance did you enjoy the most & who do you think should be eliminated? Share with me. :)
Oh My God! This drama deserves all the bashing & no sugarcoated, courteous response. What was the story that we began with, does anyone remember? Neither do I!
There was practically nothing, absolutely nothing, totally nothing happening in this episode but just to make an episode out of thin air they dragged the scenes, where one was boring than the other. I think this piece of writing is a result of a time when the script-writer was bored herself. Hence, the disaster.
Sunny got married to Eeshal. I mean c’mon being cousins all their lives, everyone knows what the other is capable of, ohkay, keeping all the sense aside, even Sunny got married to her but why did he put up with an act before & why is he spoiling it all for her again? Didn’t he admit that he wanted her all his life & now that he has gotten her, why is he being insane?
Is there no sense of morality or shame left to hit our TV screens? Where the ex-nand is ready to get married to her ex-bhabhi’s current husband once she gets divorced & gets married to her brother again. Wallahi, this mess is huge & burdensome. Do the writers really & actually think that we want to see Halala happening in our dramas now? Is this where we have stooped to, is this how much we have run out of ideas?
I have never said this before but I wish someone hit a fry pan or a sauce pan on Sunny’s empty head. I am sure the sound would resonate proving the emptiness of it. All his over-acting with his phone & torturing Eeshal & Eeshal bechara-pan was puke worthy & Arez, this guy either needs to book a ticket & go to the moon, to be smacked by the aliens. Does he really think he can undo the mess & all that harshness after getting married to Eeshal AGAIN? What did he do to her being married to her before that he intends to do it differently this time around?
Out of no where the grounds of Halala are being established in this drama & sorry to say I thought Eeshal could’ve done better. I thought she was the intelligent one, the independent one, the I-can-do-it-all one & how come she ended up becoming a shuttle between the two guys? Can’t she get divorced again & borrow some money from her rich Dad & settle anywhere else, support her child & live life peacefully? I mean the glimmer in her eyes after the proposal from the ex-husband was sickening. I know I know, everything’s fair in love & war – there’s nothing wrong in Halala but the writers need to understand the intricacy & wisdom behind this act before rather than maligning it with their unrealistic approach towards it.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers, Zahra Mirza.
A token of advice to the writers: Next time if you guys feel you’ve run out of ideas, contact us & we’ll do the brainstorming on your behalf! ;)
On going Sindh Festival is on full swing with all the festivities and joys. A fashion show and cultural event is held in Hindu Gymkhana, Karachi on 12th February 2014, in which leading designers Fnk Asia, Umar Syed and others showcased their collection. The designers used Ajrak in their dresses too a trademark of culture of Sindh. Highlight of the show was Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari who attended the whole event. Folk artists like Akhtar Chanaal Zehri also performed on the occasion.
Another highlight was Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui who participated in the show as show stopper for the collection of House of Umar Saeed. Earlier Sheheryar has also co-hosted with Humaima Malick the opening ceremony of Sindh Festival in Mohenjodaro.
Have a look at Sheheryar as showstopper of the event.
On going Sindh Festival is on full swing with all the festivities and joys. A fashion show and cultural event is held in Hindu Gymkhana, Karachi on 12th February 2014, in which leading designers Fnk Asia, Umar Syed and others showcased their collection. The designers used Ajrak in their dresses too a trademark of culture of Sindh. Highlight of the show was Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari who attended the whole event. Folk artists like Akhtar Chanaal Zehri also performed on the occasion.
Here are some pictures courtesy of Express Tribune and BBC Urdu
*Romaissa loves to do household chores so thanks to her the servants of the house are getting a good break.
*There was much more interaction between Romaissa and rest of the family members in tonight’s episode. Zeeshan is the only person in Nabeel’s house who thinks that Romaissa deserves to be treated with respect.
*Zeeshan for the first time feels like the way Nabeel keeps on gifting expensive things to Rabbiya may effect his relationship with her.
*Nabeel’s mother has happily accepted Romaissa as the new helping hand in the house and belittles her every chance she gets. Things will get worse between the two in the future.
*The class difference between Romaissa and rest of the women in Nabeel’s household was highlighted further in tonight’s episode.
*Hamnah finally confronts Hassan, who had nothing to say in his defense.
This episode was much better than the last one because things are finally moving ahead but at the same time there were still many scenes that could easily have been chopped down. The first scene was too long for my liking. The maid went on forever although there was actually no need for that extensive unnecessary discussion at all. The fact that non of the women in the house get up early or make breakfast for themselves was reinforced over and over again. Romaissa’s character is turning out to be holier than thou which makes it very difficult for me to connect to her character. She does not appear to be human at all but she seems like someone who was programmed to be good. A few minor human flaws in her character would have made it more relatable. Sanam Jung politeness seems forced and exaggerated at times.
I actually found myself feeling for Nabeel more in tonight’s episode than Romaissa maybe because Romaissa’s character is such that it appears to be void of all feelings. Nabeel gets very upset after the phone call from Hassan’s girlfriend which basically went to show how tired he was of taking care of people who were not worth it at all. Romaissa feels like she does not belong in Nabeel’s house because she can never be good enough. It was nice to see Romaissa paying a visit to her friend this time around and not her Khala’s family.
Hamnah and Hassan’s scenes are getting highly repetitive. Rabbiya has nothing new to talk about every time she comes on screen. Nabeel’s mother is turning out to be a very annoying character. She is the typical saas who enjoys putting her bahu through hell. Nabeel takes a stand for his wife whenever it is needed and wants to move out of the house as soon as he can. Romaissa’s family is just bad as Nabeel’s, I wonder why Nabeel commented that he didn’t want Romaissa’s family to be like his. Has he forgotten that Romaissa’s Khala literally sold her niece to him.
Mikaal Zulfiqar acted very well in tonight’s episode, I wish he can maintain these standards. Sanam Jung is way too sweet and almost unreal, I am sure that was the demand of the character she is playing but sadly it is not coming across as impressive at all. Even ten episodes later, the x factor is completely missing from the play. There is nothing new about the story at all and the characters are too black and white.
Shaan Shahid, the leading film artist of our country has finally started work on his home production Arth2, the movie is produced and directed by Shaan himself. The cast includes Shaan, Humaima Malick and Uzma Hassan. Sahir Ali Bagga is music director of film and voices of Sanam Maarvi
Arth2, is an official remake of Indian film Arth which was released in 1983. Shaan has taken permission from Indian filmmaker to produce the same story in Pakistan.
Who hasn’t had a bad hair day? We all know how annoying it is when our hair refuses to behave. But on the days that it does behave, we couldn’t be happier!
It’s not just women who are constantly worried about hair, men too have started taking greater care and opting for hair weaves as a last resort.
With all the preparation that goes into shooting a serial, hair stylists deserve a special mention since they have a tough task ahead.
Here are some of my picks for great hair styles (female):
1. Syra Shehroze- She’s one of the few actresses who sports a short hair-style and she carries it off beautifully. Her look in her current drama- RUBARU is just lovely.
2. Mahira Khan- Mahira’s look in Humsafar was just perfect. In SeZ, the light waves suited her too. She definitely has a great stylist plus she’s blessed with gorgeous hair.
3. Saba Qamar- Saba has gorgeous hair and doesn’t really need to do anything. It just naturally falls perfectly in place.
4. Mehwish Hayat- I like how Mehwish experiments with her looks and her hair. She looks the best when her hair has volume with a little bounce.
5. Sarwat Gillani- Sarwat’s hair is naturally curly and it suits her a lot. But she looks equally great in straight hair too.
It would be unfair to leave the men behind. So here are some of my picks for great hair (men):
1. Mikaal Zulfiqar- Mikaal has really great hair. I don’t know if that’s his real hair but his hair deserves a mention.
2. Fawad Khan- The heart-throb of millions and owner of a great mane, Fawad Khan has sported many different styles and looks great.
3. Hamza Ali Abbasi- Hamza’s has plenty of volume and smooth, silky hair. I like the length of his hair- it’s perfect for styling in a variety of ways.
4. Danish Taimoor- Somehow his hair always seems perfect. It’s almost as if he never experienced a bad hair day- ever!
5. Emmad Irfani- I’ve just watched him in a serial recently- Ranjish Hi Sahi and his hair looks great! Kudos to his stylist for maintaining that perfect look!
Did any of these make your list? What hair styles do you prefer?
Characterization is a very important part of any play. Many of the plays that have been liked by people in the recent past had a character-driven narrative. It doesn’t matter how well the writer etches out the characters if the actors playing the role fail in portraying the feelings of the characters in an apt manner then the character will lose its charm. Good direction also helps the actors understand their characters by bringing out the best in them.
There are many talented actors in our drama industry; they have mesmerized us with their flawless performances over and over again but there are some roles which these actors played which were not like the characters that they usually play. Also, some of these characters were not even the sort of people you fall in love with because of their actions or personalities but you end up liking them only because of the fitting manner in which they are played on screen.
Here is a list of the best roles played by some of the best actors in our industry.
Sanam Baloch in Dastaan
Sanam Baloch is talent personified. Sanam Baloch manages to create a certain kind of chemistry with any of the actors that she is working with. There were number of times when I have felt that Sanam Baloch brings out the best in her co-actors as well. Although, it is vey difficult to choose between the characters she played in Durr-e-Shehwar, Kankar and Dastan in particular but if I sit down to think I can say with all certainty that the role she played in Dastan was the most challenging one because there was a lot of focus on her character and also her character had to portray many different emotions.
Bano was a bubbly girl who was the apple of her family’s eyes but her life changed drastically after partition and her personality underwent a huge transformation. Sanam Baloch portrayed Bano’s expectations, fears and frustrations in a very appropriate way.
Adeel Hussain in Daam
Adeel Hussain is a very fine actor; he does not believe in making mistakes or giving an average performance. Even if he is a part of a play which may not be very impressive as a whole, he is sure to play his part right.
I fell in love with Adeel’s character and acting Daam. In my mind that is the best role which he has played till now. Adeel Hussein played the honest, upright and loving Junaid who became a victim of his sister’s jealousy. No one plays the good guy like Adeel Hussain but he portrayed Junaid’s anger and disappointment after he finds out the truth effortlessly too. Adeel Hussain has a natural aptitude for acting and is definitely among one of my most favorite actors.
Mikaal Zulfiqar in Durr-e-Shehwar
Mikaal has been typecast to the extreme; most of the characters he played were anything but likeable. Moreover, he does not experiment with his looks much because he fits in the stereotypes he plays perfectly as it is, which of course could be the reason why he is typecast so often.
In the play Durr-e-Shehwar however Mikaal experimented with his looks and also played a character that had much more depth than most of the roles he has played. He played the young Mansoor who found it very difficult to balance things between his new wife and a very authoritative mother very impressively. Mansoor’s character was very well etched- out because for once it gave the viewer’s a chance to see things from a man’s perspective. The implicit characterization also left a lot of room for debate which made the drama watching experience worthwhile There were many times when I found myself relating to Mansoor’s dilemmas just as much as Shehwar’s. The weaknesses in Mansoor’s character made it more human because of which many of the viewer’s found it easy to connect to the character.
Fawad Khan in Dastaan
I know most of the people here would much rather vote for Fawad Khan in Hamsafar but personally I have always felt that Dastaan was a class above the rest in every way possible and Bano and Hassan both will always be closer to my heart than any other character played by both these actors.
Hassan was very committed and focused for his age. He was actively involved in the freedom struggle while it was at its peak and Pakistan was created he looked hopelessly for the love of his life. Once he found Bano, he considered it his duty to rescue her, to make everything alright for her. Fawad Khan was perfect for playing the role of Hassan and the chemistry that Fawad Khan and Sanam Baloch shared was very touching at every point. Their journey together for me is unforgettable. He played the brother, son, friend, romantic partner all in one in this play.
Hina Bayat in Talkhiyaan
We have usually seen Hina Bayat playing the sweet and understanding mother in plays. There was nothing sweet about the role she played in Talkhiyaan. Appo G was a spinster with double standards and a secret that made it impossible for her to be nice to the people around her. Appo G was bitter and ruthless but still likeable. Hina Bayat got a chance to show her real talent while playing this role which is the reason why this list would be incomplete without her.
Syed Mohammad Ahmed in Durr-e-Shehwar
Syed Mohammad Ahmed always makes a perfect dignified father in plays but his role as Durr-e-Shehwar’s father has to the one which left a big impact on me. Sami Sahab was an enlightened man who believed in resolving problem rather than aggravating them. He guided his daughter at every step of the way even though he himself wasn’t sure if the issues that his daughter was facing were ever going to get resolved. The father-daughter relationship was the highlight of this play for me and it was made special because of the way Syed Mohammad Ahmed carried out his role. I have seen him in many other plays but I have liked him the best as Shehwar’s father.
Faisal Rehman in Khamoshiyan
I doubt that there are enough praise words in the dictionary to describe what a highly endowed artist Faisal Rehman is. I am a huge fan of his acting because there has hardly been a time when he gave me something to complaint about.
The play Khamoshiyan had a rather bold plot but it was emotionally charged and extremely engaging. Faisal Rehman played a person who could not cope with the problems in his own house but felt a dire need to set things right in the life of another woman who he had fallen in love with. He brought out the best in his character by portraying its vulnerabilities and weaknesses in a way that the viewers could not help but feel everything that his character was going through.
After watching him in Ranjish Hi Sahi, I am fully convinced now that Faisal Rehman can still play the hopeless romantic with the same brilliance with which he played it in Khamoshiyan.
Sajjal Ali in Nanhi
Sajjal Ali played the role of Nanhi in the play Nanhi. It was not an easy character to play at all. I am sure that Sajjal had to come out of her comfort zone in order to perform this character. Nanhi’s character was anything but glamorous and that is what I really appreciate about Sajjal Ali that she has never focused on roles that are all about glitz and glam.
Arij Fatyma in Meri Beti
Characterization and impressive portrayals are what make the play Meri Beti a treat to watch. All the characters have more than their fair share of imperfections and flaws but are still likeable. This play may not be in the same league as Dastaan, Durr-e-Shehwar, Talkhiyaan and some of the other plays in the list but since we are talking about the best roles some of the actors played therefore I must add the role of Irij from Meri Beti who has made me cry a bucket of tears in the past two weeks in particular.
Arij Fatyma plays Irij; a girl who was raised by her grandmother who she always thought of as a mother. Irij’s perfect world falls apart when she finds out who her real mother is; she feels cheated and betrayed. The soft-spoken, soft-hearted girl turns into an entirely different person when she finds out the truth. Arij Fatyma brings out the best in her character. I must say that Arij Fatyma has won me over time and again with her versatility and talent.
Faiza Hassan in Hamnasheen
Yes, I admit, the storyline of drama serial Hamnasheen was anything but impressive! But Asmat Ara; the larger than life aristocratic character who goes through a big transformation as the story progresses forward was played splendidly by the very competent and talented actress Faiza Hassan. Everything about the portrayal was brilliant; from the make-over to the body language and dialogue delivery.
It had to be Faiza Hassan’s performance that made me watch an otherwise average play week after week. The way she swallowed her pride at every step and the manner in which her character had to accept things she could never imagine tolerating was simply brilliant. Not to mention the fact that the antihero nature of the character also helped in making it more likeable in the end.
Sarwat Gillani in Dil-e-Muzter
There is hardly a play in which the “evil” character who ruins the lives of the primary characters stands out the way Zoya did in Dil-e-Muzter. You couldn’t help but dislike and like the character at the same time!! Sarwat Gillani completely changed her outlook to fit in the role. She added color to the drama and all the hard work that she put into adding the final touches to her character made it remarkably superior.
Syra Yusef in Bilquees Kaur
Syra Yusef has always been my favorite. Lately, she has disappointed me with the kind of projects she has ventured into but that doesn’t change the fact that she has given us some wonderful performances in the past. After playing a very docile character in Mera Naseeb, she really astonished me when she played an entirely different role superbly in the play Bilquess Kaur.
Syra Yuself played the role of Soha in Bilquees Kaur. Soha was an orphan girl who was very smart. Once she got married to Bilquees Kaur’s son, she changed the dynamics in Bilquess kaur’s household. There were times when Soha appeared to be a little too nosy and somewhat annoying but there were also times when I felt like Soha was exactly what Bilquees’ household needed! It is definitely the most memorable character played by Syra Yusef till now.
Moammar Rana in Mere Pass Pass
Honestly speaking after watching few of Moammar Rana’s plays I came to the conclusion that he cannot act but he definitely stole my heart and the show in the play Mere Pass Pass. He played the sweet and loving Shariq both in the prequel and the sequel brilliantly. The fact that the play had a strong plot and was very engaging also helped of course. And also he was perfect for playing the role. I would really like to see Moammar Rana being part of some good shows in the future too.
Sanam Saeed in Talkhiyaan
Sanam Saeed played Bibi in Takhiyaan. It wasn’t an easy role to play; Bibi was anything but our conventional drama heroine. Bibi was a woman who was brought up in a house where women were not given any respect at all. Bibi refused to be a part of the system. She made many wrong decisions that eventually took a toll on her. Bibi’s character was very intriguing and it was played marvelously by Sanam Saeed. She carried the sarees she wore in the play so well and depicted every emotion of her character with ease.
I would really like to know which character played by Nauman Ijaz has stood out for the viewers, I found it very tough to point out one character he has played which can be termed as an all time favorite because he does so well in all the plays. I have to say though that he totally stole the show in Mera Saeein and surprised me with his remarkable performance in Bari Apa because it was a character very different from the ones which he usually plays. The only thing that annoys me now is that the stammering that was signature feature of his character in Bari Apa is a part of almost all his characters now.
What do you think about the list? Do feel free to add to it and comment.
I intend to make a list of the worst roles these and some other actors in the list played very soon…and guess who will top the list? Fawad Khan of course because of his roles in Numm and Ashk!!!
February, the month of love, is here and most magazines have featured the interviews and photo shoot of various couples from the entertainment industry. One such couple who recently appeared in the February issue of the Xpoze Magazine is Ali Safina and Hira Tareen who got married last year. ()
Ali Safina is known for his versatile capabilities; he is a Radio Jockey (RJ), DJ, Video Jokey (JK) and a popular actor. He is known for his acting in the Baraat Series which were a huge success. He appeared in a small role in Dolly Ki Ayegi Baraat at first in which his character was loved and appreciated by audiences. He then appeared in a full-fledged role in the next installment of Baraat Series, Takkay Ki Ayegi Baraat. Ali is currently working as a RJ for Samaa FM. His wife, Hira Tareen, started her career as a model when she returned to Pakistan from Dallas in 2001. She recently moved towards acting and is currently seen in the show Muhabbat Subh Ka Sitara Hai.
The photo shoot portrays the love between the newlyweds and it is shot beautifully. Here are the pictures from the photo shoot:
Bilawal, Bakhtawar and Asifa Bhutto-Zardari gave their first exclusive interview to Hello! Magazine for their February issue along with a family photo shoot. In this interview, Benazir Bhutto’s three children describe growing up in Pakistan’s grandest political dynasty, their years overseas and their return to Pakistan in tragic circumstances.
Bakhtawar and Bilawal have been in news for weeks now because of the grand Sindh Festival that they had organized and promoted, and which has been quite a success so far. The interview to the magazine was their attempt to promote the Sindh Festival, in which they not only talked about the festival but also about their life before returning to Pakistan, and how they had longed to return to their homeland for so many years.
Bakhtawar, 24, who has worked for a number of charities assisting flood and earthquake victims, said their mother juggled running the Pakistan People’s Party with bringing up three young children.
“We always wanted to return back to Pakistan, my mother frequently spoke about returning home and we often reminisced about our memories of Bilawal House,” said the Edinburgh University graduate, referring to the family home in Karachi. “Tragically, we came back for our mother’s funeral. It was not the sort of homecoming we had planned…” she added.
Benazir Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack as she left a campaign rally in 2007, weeks after she flew back into the country for the first time in almost nine years. Her return was possible only after corruption charges against her were dropped as part of a deal to restore democracy and usher Pervez Musharraf out of office.
Her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, spent eight years in prison after being arrested in the late 1990s, years which weighed heavily on his young children as they grew up in Dubai.
Asifa, 21, said: “It was a very traumatic time for all three of us. I was only three years old when my father was imprisoned and it wasn’t until I was eleven when he was finally released. My childhood was quite bereft.” She was famously the first Pakistani baby to be vaccinated against polio after her mother launched a major immunization drive in 1994 and has since become a national ambassador for the campaign.
Many people have wondered why Bilawal has kept away from politics for such a long time now that he has completed his studies and reached the age of 25 which is the appropriate age to run for the National Assembly. His other two siblings have been more active than he ever was. In recent months, however, Bilawal has developed a higher profile, improving his Urdu and carving out an outspoken leftist position on tackling extremism and reforming the economy.
Talking about his absence from Pakistani politics and his love for his country, he said “My identity is Pakistan, where else can I be authentic? Where else would I see and actually feel the love of so many people? Pakistan is my final destination; this is where I would return to eventually”
“Our shared experiences have drawn us together so tight that it is hard to find times, when we are all in the same country, when we aren’t all together and enjoying each other’s company until the early hours of the morning”, said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari when talking about the bond between the three siblings.
He also had a great time organizing and leading the Sindh Festival. While sharing his experience of the event, he stated: “One of the most enjoyable parts of Sindh Festival has been working alongside musicians like Ali Gul Pir and the Beygairat Brigade as they recorded songs for the various events of our festival.”
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari became the third generation to run the family party when his mother died, just as she had inherited the post when her father was hanged after a military coup. “I never planned to be doing this,” he said. “Like my mother, this crown of thorns was entrusted to me at a very young age. I see it as both an honour and an opportunity.”
There is no doubt that are Entertainment Industry is pooled with immense talent and dynamic ranges. Our artists are not only talented but they work so hard in their respective fields that they have recognised themselves globally. Same goes to our drama industry it is filled up with lots of talented actors and actresses, their determination and hard work had converted this small screen into big screen. Our dramas are now worldwide popular, they are in huge demand in all over the world making a particular image of Pakistan. The talent is still pouring in our drama industry for example: Sana Javed, Mansha Pasha and Hamza abbasi etc.
Now first come to the meaning of this word talented, what do you mean by talented actors/actresses? why audience call a particular actor or actress talented? For me a talented actor/actress is a person who can show dynamic ranges in his/her skills and who can provide variety in his/her role in a perfect manner. Actors or actresses who can do one type of role perfectly are known as specialised as they have done same kind of roles in past. However because of performing same kind of role with such skills and experience they become victim of Type casting. Type Casting means they are mostly offered each time with same types of role. I will not call this a good thing but a waste of talent due to this many artist fails to exploit their talent and sadly this is happening in our dramas as well. When directors know that this actor or actress can perform this type of role perfectly they cast them again and again in a same type of role nonetheless there is saying in Urdu that “TAALI AIK HATH SE NAHI BAJTI” our actors and actresses also love to perform these kind of roles again and again because they find it easy to perform.
Here is a list of some actors/actresses that I have noticed have become a victim of type casting:-
1. Ayeza Khan: She is on top in my list and not only in my list but I might say in others list too. Well she is my favourite actress not only because she is beautiful but she is a good actress as well. In fact after watching “Pyaray Afzal” and “Ghalti se mistake hogai” I came to know that she can perform comedy roles very well and in drama “AKS” I really liked her villain type role. However the reality is she is the biggest victim of type casting and no one had performed so many roles of so called “roti dhoti aurat” which Ayeza had performed. Just because she is so good in this all directors are utilizing her intensively and I also felt that she loves to do these kind of roles.
2. Ahsan Khan: Again not in my eye but in other people eyes too he is the only sweet man of drama Industry. No difference between Ayeza and him, in his every drama all problems came in his way and instead of fighting like a man he started to react like a woman who don’t know what to do. I only like his two characters one in “Dastaan” and one in “Paani Jesa Pyar” and honestly speaking he is flawless in these roles but I don’t understand why directors are not giving him different roles. I bet he can do villain type roles as well Ahsan is a talented actor but now he has become a victim of type casting.
3.Faisal Qureshi: When was the last time does anybody seen him in a comedy role well I guess after a soap “Kis din mera viyah hoega” he hasn’t done a funny character please correct me if I am wrong. He is truly a versatile actor how can I forget “BOOTA FROM TOBA TEK SINGH” despite being so young in age I use to watch this drama and now I become bored by watching his constant serious face. Well I would say the only man who cry more than a woman. Starting from “Meri Zaaat Zara-e-Benishan” he is still performing same kind of role most recent is “Adhori Aurat” and still he gets award now how cool is that, someone please show me a wall so that I can bang my head.
4. Ismat Zaidi: If you want to call her a sweetest mother in dramas then please call her loudly I won’t stop you. Ismat Zaidi is a mature and senior actress and I always admire her acting but seriously if GOD has made her sweet by face that doesn’t mean that directors will cast her in same kind of role every time. In every drama she becomes the sweetest mother who talks with such humbleness that next person will begin to shy. Well I cannot say much about her because probably this is the only role that suits her I guess but still she is a victim of type casting.
5. Maya Ali: She is the bubbly character of drama Industry at first I thought that she is the perfect variation in Industry where actors are becoming victims of type casting. Her first three projects are really great. She had performed the character of Cinderella absolutely brilliantly and in Aunn Zara she was simply stunning I think no one had played the role of a bubbly yet responsible wife and a tomboyish type of girl but I guess Haisaam Hussain is only the one who had made Maya to perform these characters in an impeccable manner. After opting out from Haissam Hussain’s direction Maya is still performing a tomboyish roles in her current two dramas, a girl who is stubborn and outspoken and careless. Seriously now I am also getting bored by watching her is same role and I expect her to do some serious or sweet roles in future. Maya is now also a victim of type casting
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6. Mahira Khan: The most “MAZLOOM LARKI” of the Industry however from the face she don’t look alike. Whether in drama “Neeyat”, “Humsafar” or “Shehr-e-zaat” or even in film “BOL” no actress had cried a lot in comparison with her, everything wrong happens to her and she always faces deceptiveness and bears atrocities. While watching drama Humsafar each time she appeared in the scene I use to prepare myself for weeping. If you ask me what other role she can perform best then I will say villain type roles like Sanam Saeed had performed in drama “Kudurat”. Hoping to see her in different role in Project “Bin Roye Aansu”.
7. Sanam Jung: Ok well she had only done two projects, one is currently ON-AIR I may be wrong about her but I had a feeling that she is becoming a victim of type casting as well. In her two projects she has played the role of most Innocent girl on earth who knows nothing about the cunningness of this society. Someone tell directors please that if a girl is innocent by face that doesn’t mean that she has to perform same role each time. Sanam Jung can do comedy roles very well but Sanam Jung is overrated because of her face she needs to groom her acting skills sometimes she lacks in expressions.
8. Sami Khan: His roles are also similar to Ahsan Khan. He always appear in sad roles and with a constant grim face. Although I have watched 2 or 3 dramas of Sami Khan but I have found him performing the sad type of roles which can be easily relate to the roles that Ahsan Khan mostly perform. Despite having a charming personality and good looks this is the main reason why some people don’t like him. He is also in the list of victims of type casting.
Thus these are the only name which is currently on my mind, if you have any then please provide with some related dramas.
Ohkay, so this episode was a lot better in terms of direction. I didn’t get bored while watching this episode because there were a lot of things going on together & it was like a full on emotional ride through out.
Mehwish Hayat may have a small role to play but the impact of her frustration wasn’t small at all. I loved how she acted out her anguish because her husband didn’t understand her & didn’t even value her. I think Taimoor’s being a total wuss & he’d be better off with a spoiled brat like Neelam but sadly that wasn’t supposed to be, otherwise it would’ve been a treat to watch Taimoor being treated as a doormat. I think Taimoor’s wife had some real powerful dialogues which told how much she loved him & how much she was ready to sacrifice just to save her marriage. What she said about Neelam sharing him was spot on & it shows how selflessly she loved her husband that just to see him happy she was ready to accept Neelam as his second wife as well.
I think now we all know why Surmed has become so violent because the way his mother tortured him in her hissy fit was nerve wrecking. They didn’t show it completely but how they executed it was brilliant. At least this showed that the only person who Taimoor would not be selfish with was his son Surmed. He did decide to let go of Neelam – a hard way but just the idea of losing Surmed was enough of an eye-opener for him.
I thought Neelam was being unreasonable once again. While conversing with Taimoor, his wife spoke about the duration of their affair which was 5 years & that made me think what drove Taimoor towards her? Their relation must have started in 1987 which means Neelam was more immature, more spoiled & more demanding, so what made their relation last for good 5 years? Because all that we saw was Neelam demanding him to divorce his wife every time, throwing a tantrum & walking away, so is this was Taimoor started missing once Neelam went away? & why did she actually go to Pakistan when clearly she told her mother that she had a few things to take care of in Turkey? Also, after making her point clear with Taimoor that she was going away from his life for good, she once again called him? Did she actually expect Taimoor to come chase her till Pakistan? So many questions but there was no justification for any of it.
I still think they should’ve opted for younger actors to play the part of Neelam’s brothers because to see Behroz Sabzwari in jeans, didn’t justify the purpose. Is it just me or Naani was actually unreasonable? She didn’t utter a single word to Neelam for why she did what she just admitted plus why did she let her sons take the wrong decision for Neelam? Neelam herself assured them that Taimoor won’t be coming to get married to her so why marry her off to someone who wasn’t even her match?
I actually lol’ed at how utawla Neelam’s husband looked. That’s what we call giving a 100% in a few seconds that you get of a screen space. His expressions were priceless, I am sure no one would miss him but definitely this performance of his was memorable. I thought after Neelam got married things ended because they showed present day Shabbi glamming up herself as her mother but then the flashbacks servant had told us there’s more to the story. I think Neelam would once again return to put a nail in the coffin. Can’t wait to find out what happens next.
Valentine day is coming this weekend, and like every year, print and electronic media are cherishing it by exclusive transmission and photo shoots. Here is one Valentine exclusive photo shoot starring Azfar Rehman and Ayesha Omar. Pictures courtesy of Urdu Weekly Akhbar-e-Jehan
Ohkay so from now onward they are going to take things slow & I don’t mind it as far as I have reasonable, relate-able characters to fill my Wednesdays. What I love about the show is the approach director has opted for in order to deal with a script like this. The writer & the director along with the whole team deserve a huge appreciation for pulling off Ishq Mein Tere like this.
The best thing about the episode was that they have not resorted to the cheekiness of romance between Aiza & Shehryar. Yes, they got married, we all know about it, they have their feelings growing towards each other, we know of that too. Now they both, like practical adults are working together & spending time with each other at both the office & their home but no effort was made to show their relation forcefully. I am glad they also didn’t move on to the problems Aiza will face just as yet, rather they are building grounds for it, with ease.
There were two predictable moments in the episode which clearly unfolded the way we didn’t expect. First one was about the sketch of Aiza, which we all thought that Shehryar will end up finding about Saad’s feelings but thankfully nothing of that sort happened. Another one was when Cuckoo & Laiba went for a shopping at the very same spot where Aiza & Saad had a brief meeting. I thought the ladies will see them & then Cuckoo will get a chance to malign Aiza more in front of Laiba but once again fortunately it never happened. They did meet Saad but clearly Aiza had left by then.
I think Aiza shouldn’t be playing Miss I-Can-Handle-It-All. She should depend & rely on her husband because she has to be in this family for the rest of her life & it would be appropriate that she lets him take a lead & tackle things for her. I think it’s a high time she starts sharing things with Shehryar because he is understanding & trusts her completely. She shouldn’t spoil it by putting her relation at stake & by walking an extra mile to meet Saad by lying to her husband. Though her intention is not at all wrong but her approach is.
At last, Saad’s friend has done something productive & he talked him out of his sheer fixation of Aiza. His friend gave him a clear reality check which Saad needed. But still Saad on his own has not gained his senses & still is being problematic for Aiza. When Laiba came to meet Saad & to pour some dirt on Aiza, Saad clearly told her to accept Aiza as her step-mother because she is older to her & Laiba shouldn’t disrespect her, so this made me thinking when Saad is so maturely telling Laiba to do what is right, why he is acting the otherwise? Why can’t he accept Aiza as her Chachi & why doesn’t he stop bothering her? Like his friend mentioned, Aiza never ever promised Saad anything nor she got a direct proposal from Saad. Aiza on her own stumbled upon the sketch which Saad himself doesn’t know of. So, in this case, Aiza is free from all the liabilities & Saad should stop making her feel like one.
No doubt Cuckoo’s intentions aren’t clean & she is just using Laiba to get what she wants – both the attention of her & her father but for the sake of Laiba, I think she has found a support she needed at a time like this. At least Cuckoo knows how to calm her down & that is good for Laiba. The ending scene was a bit dragged with Laiba’s irrationality & Saad’s chase but I did find it relief-worthy that Laiba didn’t hear Saad say he loved Aiza. IF Laiba had heard it, things would’ve gotten a lot more nastier for Aiza than her expectations so for that I am happy that Aiza wasn’t dragged into this thing rather Laiba herself saw Aiza convincing Saad to get married to her, which makes me hopeful that Laiba will understand that Aiza had no plans whatsoever of snatching Saad away from her.
Can’t wait for the next episode because I think Saad will continue to be unreasonable & Shehryar might pick on some sort of details.
Huawei is the new entrant in the Pakistani mobile industry which is already facing huge competition from different brands. Established smart phone brands like Samsung and Apple are facing competition from emerging brands which are slowly dominating the Pakistani smart phone market. One of the biggest examples is of Qmobile which is currently targeting all kinds of consumers; from lower class, middle class to upper class.
Huawei has been in mobile phones business in Asia for the last 2 years and now they have started advertising their new models by making advertisements for different countries using their national celebrities as their brand ambassadors. They have adopted this strategy because their earlier commercials like Y320, P6 and G510 did not attract the Pakistani customers owing to missing Pakistani celebrities in these commercials and most of them went unnoticed.
Huawei has picked two famous faces from the Television and Fashion industry to be their brand ambassador. Mahira Khan is a prominent personality in the Television Industry while Emmad Irfani is an accomplished model in the Fashion Industry.
Both of them have endorsed many brands in the past and are popular faces in advertisement nowadays. Mahira Khan has endorsed brands like Aquafina, Nesvita, Sunsilk, and many more while Emmad Irfani is the brand ambassador of Lux, and recently appeared in the Lux’s calendar photo shoot. Mahira Khan and Emad Irfani have also appeared together in the Tapal Advertisement in the past.
Huawei’s Television commercial is definitely a class apart, and it can compete with any international advertisement because of its strong visual impact. The advertisement is shot in different locations of Bangkok, Thailand. It is well thought out and brilliantly executed advertisement and definitely one of the best advertisement I have seen in a long time. Qmobile always spends a high budget on advertisements, but this advertisement is way better than most of the Qmobile advertisements. I would not be exaggerating if I say that Mahira is looking way better than Kareena in this advertisement.
Here is the Huawei Mobile Television Commercial:
Here are the pictures from the photoshoot of Huawei Mobiles:
This latest episode of Ranjish Hi Sahi was strictly okay, everything that transpired in this episode could have been executed in a much more convincing manner. I was looking forward to Arsal and Tooba’s scenes but Arsal appeared to be more of a shady character in tonight’s episode. The drama is still very unpredictable so it is definitely not the kind of play you give up on altogether. You never know what turn the story will take in the next episode so personally I am always curious to find out what will happen next.
The top executive who was entrusted with the task of hiring the right candidate for the post Tooba applied for seemed more confused than Tooba! Asking Tooba over and over again whether she thought she was appropriate for the said job was rather strange since the people sitting on the other side of the desk should have had more confident in their abilities to gauge whether she was or wasn’t fit for the post. Somehow I found it very hard to like Arsal in this episode. Muhammad Ali was too stiff in most of the scenes, he could not bring out the caring bit of his character in a very apt manner. I was in two minds regarding Arsal’s state of mind until I saw him looking at the old engagement pictures and later on when he paid a visit to Tooba’s apartment with his sister.Hiba has no one to talk to since Tooba is busy with her job therefore she is getting closer to Mehwish…which makes me think, shouldn’t she be going to college by now?
The relationship between Tooba and Hiba remains the highlight of this play in this episode and the ones before this one. The romance that was the heart and soul of the play has taken a backseat. Even after Yumna’s death, Kamal’s presence could have kept the romantic element of the play alive and of course Arsal and Tooba could have filled that void as well. But Arsal and Tooba’s scenes in tonight’s episode promised anything but the sort of romance that was the trademark of this play in the beginning episodes. Sana Javed has outshone all the other young artists in the play. She is doing complete justice to her character.
Samiya Mumtaz and Faisal Rehman had taken this play to a level which made it a treat o watch. The youngsters have not been able to maintain those standards in the past few episodes. I have said it before and I feel the need to say it every time that I always looked at this play as Yumna and Kamal’s story and I am finding it very hard to accept that they are no longer in the picture.
The preview of the next episode suggested that things are not going to get any easier for the two sisters. We will also see Abdullah Ejaz (another model turned actor) in the next episode. I am waiting to find out what turn the story will take from here. Ranjish Hi Sahi even with all its weak points has more substance than some of the overrated plays that are on air at the moment but I must say that I expected much more from this play. Kamal’s return however can save the day!
All channels fight for the highest TRPs and for this they have to telecast quality dramas in order to gain the maximum amount of TRP. Recently Geo has claimed that its channel got the highest TRP more than ARY and HUM TV. It will not be wrong to state that Geo is now showing some quality dramas along with ARY and HUM TV for example “Aasmono Pe Likha”.
Here I am going to talk about the drama “Ranjish hi Sahi” which is currently ON-AIR on Geo TV. Honestly I am shocked to see that drama TRP is only 3.0 but GOD knows may be I am only the one who is loving this drama. Normally we watch comedy or romantic dramas because mostly that’s the audience choice but this drama contains a much diversified story from usually stories. A drama which is full of tragedies, sorrows and sufferings. This drama will pierce your heart away and makes you weep. Last time tears fell from my eye when I was watching “Dastaan” and now the Woe is on me while watching “Ranjish hi sahi”.
The greatest aspect of this drama is that it is close to those real life stories which never comes under discussion but happens actually. Most of the people do suffer from financial and legal difficulties and because of this they become more tense about their families and this tension results in severe health problems most commonly a person become a heart patient. It is also quite true that this society is very cruel and children without parents especially girls are like a piece of flesh in front lions.
Let me tell you the story of this drama to aware those who are not watching it.
Story starts from a Woman name Yumna (Samiya Mumtaz) who is surrounded by lots of difficulties, her husband died within 8 years of marriage leaving two daughters behind Tooba (Sana Javed) and Hiba (Maya Ali). Yumna’s boutique is not doing a good business and her colleagues have deceived her by stealing millions of rupees. Due to financial problems Yumna also encountered with a heart problem, her heart become weak and therefore cannot bear pain. Kamal Hassan (Faisal Rehman) co-incidentally met Yumna in her boutique. In a flash back Yumna and Kamal loved each other and wanted to get married but their families didn’t want this to happen. As soon as Kamal meet Yumna he came to know about her problems and as he still loves her he decided to help Yumna out of her difficulties. Yumna’s both daughters’ temperament is dissimilar from each other the only thing which is similar is that they both are very close to each other and to their mother. Tooba is a very shy and a coward girl who fails to express herself yet she is full of wit and understands everyone and take decisions very sensibly whereas Hiba is outspoken and stubborn girl, she claims that she loves her mother but never understands her, Hiba is also very possessive about her mother and sister.
Kamaal proposed to Yumna as he still loves her madly and assures her that he will sort out all her matters. Yumna accepts her proposal but this proposal becomes yet another challenge for Yumna, when Hiba came to know about this she protests leaving home but later on she came back findout her mother got admitted in hospital because of protest. Tooba convinced Hiba that their mother needs a companion who can took care of her during her failing health. Meanwhile Arsal met tooba, arsal is a brother of tooba’s friend somiya. Arsal proposed to tooba and therefore they both got engaged however their engagement party did not happen in a peaceful environment Kamal’s wife Bilquees (Saba Hameed) came to know that Kamaal is preparing for second marriage so bilquees sister and her husband disrupts the event by accusing Yumna that she is a characterless lady. Yumna’s difficult period continues when she found out that her property is disputed and the actual claimant is someone else.
Kamaal finally told Yumna to marry her as this will remove him from defensive position hence they got married, on the other hand Bilquees calls her younger son Rohail (Erfan) from America to help her out in this situation. However the marriage didn’t proved to be a helpful one instead another addition in her problems. Yumna finally told arsal’s mother that Kamaal is now her husband and therefore arsal’s mother who was never in favour of this relation returns the ring and engagement stuff finding it a rock solid reason. Even after marriage Kamal’s habit of reassurance is still there and he never helped her an inch even Yumna asked him to took care of her daughters after her death but he didn’t gave a convincing reply.
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Finally Rohail approaches Yumna and told her that every wealth belongs to his mother and he will never let his father to help you out and whatever his father assures you is only an illusion and will never happen practically. These words came as a storm to Yumna as she realises that all her hopes are dispersing. On a very next day when Kamaal came to see her she refuses to talk to him and told him to leave. After Kamaal left in an anger Yumna received a call from her lawyer that she lost the case and therefore there is no way except to empty the house straight away, after listening to this news she calls Kamal in a panic still finding him a ray of hope but he didn’t pick up. Yumna finally suffers a major heart attack and died.
This news came as a shock to Hiba and Tooba and they both cried for their mother. Yumna’s words for her daughters is now hitting Kamal’s head and therefore he approached twice to Hiba and Tooba telling them that he came to take them with him but everytime Hiba refuses to go with him accusing him the reason of her mother’s death. Hiba and Tooba finally came to know about all the problems that her mother was facing which had resulted in her death but she never told her daughters because she doesn’t want them to get disturbed. After the incident Rohail took Kamal and Bilquees to America now this is quite strange as two lead characters are suddenly out of picture.
Now Tooba and Hiba are only left in picture, they have to leave their house. They sold out their mother’s boutique and bought a small apartment for themselves. Tooba now realises that she now needs to be strong and takes her mother place because after their mother’s death Hiba’s behaviour is becoming childish and she is getting more stubborn. The story is still moving on where tooba got the job and arsal is back in tooba’s life as her manager and tooba as his assistant. Hiba does not like tooba to work in arsal’s office as arsal is also in her hit list but Tooba explained her that there is no way that she is leaving this job as this job is very important for their living.
There are few flaws in drama as well. First of all is that there is not a single relative of yumna who could have taken care of her daughters after her death, well this is far away from reality as everyone got a relative or friend. Secondly the drama is now losing interest after the death of Yumna, before that there were many twists and turns in the drama which had maintained the interest every predictions were going wrong but now the story is only focused on Hiba and Tooba. I am really missing the flawless performance of Faisal Rehman and Samiya Mumtaz.
Now let’s see what will happen in upcoming episodes. If you are watching this drama have your say and if you are not then I must recommend you to watch this drama.
After many delays, the Turkish film Mohabbat Ek Ittefaq is finally releasing on 14 February 2014 which is also Valentines Day. The Turkish name of film is ‘ Aşk Tesadüfleri Sever‘. It was released in 2011 and is one of highest grossing Turkish movies. The main cast of film includes Mehmet Günsür, Batuhan Karacakaya and Belçim Bilgin Erdoğan. It is a triangular love story.
In Pakistan the film is released with Urdu dubbing. It will be interesting to see what type of reception it receives. Turkish dramas are quite popular in our country, now its turn of Turkish film.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, the famous singer is facing charges in India under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The relevant enforcement agency has filed a formal case too. It is based on the incident of 13 February 2011 when RFAK and his manager were caught on Delhi airport with 1.25 lakh US dollars. RFAK was later released after initial investigation.
As per FEMA laws in India a passenger can take a maximum of 5000 USD outside India. After three years of investigation, it is determined that RFAK has violated the Indian FEMA law and the authorities have now formally lodged a case against him.
RFAK is in Pakistan these days, it is unclear whether he will pursue the case in India or not.
It seems more like a practice that HUM TV is found always ready with the next bunch of dramas available while some of the great ones are still going on air and this time, it is ‘Dil ka darwaza’ which is going on-air on the channel. The promos of the dramas are already live where a simple glimpse of it creates a strong urge to follow the show, probably because of its unique cast. Neelum Munir will be seen as Laila, playing the lead role in the drama so all Neelum fans, here is all what you need to know about this ongoing drama serial.
Been directed by Kamran Akbar Khan, the drama comes under the production of Gemstones & Amna Nawaz Khan. The story of the drama reveals are revolves around the life of a rich businessman Aziz Ahmed and his family. He is happily married to Shehla and out of their marriage, they have two children, Junaid and Laila. Laila is extremely beautiful and wants to pursue her career as a model. Shehla, however. seems to have lead a complicated life as her terms with her step-sister are shown rusted onscreen. It is her step-sister’s son Wajahat who initially plans to help Laila in her modeling career so that he can marry her and get a hold of her father’s business. On the other hand, Junaid falls in love with the daughter of her housemaid and this becomes the focal point in his life.
Here are a few on set stills of the cast. Have a look!
So, the so called love day – Valentines day is here. It’s ohkay for those who originated it to celebrate but is not meant for the societies who just want to hop the bandwagon to show that they are not the odd ones out.
It is this time of the year & we can clearly see our morning show hosts dedicating the whole week for this purpose. Calling celebrity couples to make people understand how much they lurve each other on-screen. Morning shows are mostly seen by the housewives who tune to them while doing their household chores. It isn’t always necessary that in order to help them kill their time, they come up with next to nothing in the name of entertainment. Who says entertainment can not be or should not be informative? Who says that we need the shows like these to promote the English concept of love when it has nothing to do with us or our festivities?
I see there’s a massive group of people in Pakistan that has accepted this as a norm & those who don’t follow it are declared as backward or almost aliens but the truth is, we should focus more on the festivities that actually mean something to us in stead of just following what the West has prescribed for us.
I am actually gutted to see the morning show hosts going gaga over the promotion of valentines day & literally dedicating their precious time to tell people how important it is to express your love on this particular day, how important it is to exchange the gifts wrapped in RED gift papers, how important it is to be dressed in RED & wearing RED lipstick bhalay hi after the clock strikes 12 you don’t feel like talking to each other but no matter what, it is important to do all this in these 24 hours. Does it really have to be shown to the normal people who are busy with their lives to especially do certain things & gestures which actually mean nothing?
The morning show hosts come up the most irrelevant excuses while promoting such days in their shows that Pakistan is going through such a tough time so we want to spread smiles. I think they need to understand that by showing needless things in their shows that too in the wee hours of the morning, they are doing nothing to spread smiles in fact they are making people addictive of the Panadols, because all the shor sharaba & nach gana tends to be a headache-provoker instead of bringing a smile to anyone’s face!
All I say is that happiness is subjective & independent of such days. No one needs a certain day to celebrate each other’s presence & certainly there’s no need for all the fuss over a petty day which clearly has no value especially in Pakistan. Share your thoughts on this.
& in the end to re-emphasize it’s importance, a word of thought from my favorite artist Arsalan of Comics By Arsalan:
I came across Boltay Afsanay because one of the viewers of the drama asked me to have my say on these. It’s an attempt of Tv One to materialize the old Urdu classics into dramas. I must say I have seen a few of the plays but all of them were well directed. It is more like a short story which is being narrated. The best part that I liked about the show was the usage of profound Urdu. It is enough of an evidence to tell us how beautiful our language is. The perfect delivery of words & accurate accent made me want to improve my way of communication in our mother tongue as well.
It’s going to be more like a short over-view of the three plays of Boltay Afsanay that I have seen. My take on them is as follows:
Chauthi Ka Jora:
This was a story about a widowed mother & her two daughters, narrated by Hina Dilpazeer. The mother was a tailoress living in a very tough condition but because of her expertise in tailoring she was able to earn the bread for her family. Her two daughters were Kubra & Hameeda. Kubra being the eldest did household chores to help her mother. Hameeda was the youngest & like every girl she had certain dreams of getting married & settling well.
The story focused more on Kubra being unmarried & her mother worrying about her. The beauty of the story was elaborated with the dresses because each dress carries a certain meaning to the one who plans to wear it. Kubra’s mother used to make dresses for Kubra in a hope that one day when her daughter will get married she will gift her with these dresses. In a meanwhile, Kubra’s cousin Rahat came to stay with them. This gave a hope to Kubra & her mother that Rahat will get married to her but just because Kubra used to shy away, even though she took care of everything related to Rahat, Kubra forcefully made Hameeda the front person. Rahat definitely started showing more interest in Hameeda because she was young & just at the right age to get married whereas Kubra had withered away & was at a stage in her life where she was meager & didn’t have best of her health. Rahat stayed at their place totally oblivious of the fact that he was being pampered because they all thought he would get married to Kubra but Hameeda was scared to tell everyone about his intentions but deep down hated him for hitting on her whereas she used to sympathize with her sister for working so hard without taking care of her own health just in order to please Rahat.
Well, after finding out that Hameeda had no intention of committing to Rahat, he leaves. Leaving all the family members depressed & once again letting Kubra down. Just because she was already ill, she died & this time around her mother knew that the white piece of cloth she is stitching for Kubra won’t be kept locked in a cupboard rather would be used to send her away where she will rest in peace. This was the most heart-breaking scene of the entire play because no doubt, people end up planning so much, end up dreaming about so many things but the destiny has it’s own plan.
Raqeeb:
This story was narrated by Qavi where he told about the event that once happened in the early years of his life. This was a story about him & his friend Azhar. Azhar came across as a person who held Qavi dear to his heart but also felt inferior to him because of his personality & looks. Qavi was definitely better in comparison to Azhar & had an exposure to life. They were neighbours when they were young but later Qavi’s family decided to move abroad.
The story begins when both the friends meet at a train station & Azhar comes to recieve his childhood friend who was visiting him & his family. At that very moment Azhar tells his friend that he got engaged to Sughra who was his cousin & used to play with both Azhar & Qavi when they were kids. Azhar very politely tells his friend to take care of the situation because he dreads that his fiancee might get smitten by Qavi as he was definitely better off in all the aspects as compared to Azhar. Sughra wasn’t a simpleton as a gaon ki gori should’ve been. She very candidly starts spending time with Qavi & eventually falls in love with him but keeps on waiting for a proposal from him without even caring for a second that she was already engaged. Rather she always made fun of her fiance because Azhar had a different personality to her, he was more serious & philosophic whereas Sughra was a jovial person who wanted to enjoy life.
Qavi actually falls for Sughra too but later one night Azhar confronts him begging him to leave because he could sense the growing feelings between his friend & his fiancee. Qavi at that particular moment decides to leave as he didn’t want to upset his friend as Azhar himself loved Sughra a lot but just because he wasn’t expressive, Sughra never understood what she meant to him. Sughra for the last time asks him whether he ever loved her but very conveniently keeping the state of Azhar in mind Qavi denies of any such feelings & leave. It was a story of a simple love triangle but what made it beautiful was the execution & simplicity with which it was elaborated. The ending left a great impact because the story ends with a teary confession of Qavi that he loved Sughra too.
Bewa:
Story about a young girl narrated by Rashid Farooqui. The story revolved around the two main characters Saira & Zafar. Saira a 19 y/o girl who falls in love with her father’s best friend Zafar. At such a young age she starts to question the mindset of the people related to the criterias set by the society. Irrespective of what others might suggest she dreams of getting married to Zafar whom she once used to call uncle. After hearing her upfront confession, Zafar decides to talk her out of it but Saira remains persistent because she think she would be able to make him fall in love with her too.
Because she grew in front of Zafar, her level of comfort & casualness was something natural for her. Without thinking of what others might say, she keeps on insisting him to come & meet her but Zafar like a gentleman ignores her & her pleas. Like a teenager Saira plans to write letters to Zafar for years & years that had her feelings beautifully etched out on the paper, thinking one day she will be able to convince him of what she wants. Seeing how Zafar never extended anything else than a few friendly conversations, Saira for the time being takes it as a blessing & appreciates him giving her the attention she needs. One day Saira comes up with a request to meet him seeing that her parents won’t be at home. Zafar ends up coming to her place & after feeling her pain, he extends a gentle embrace to her. At this particular moment Saira’s parents show up parting them brutally & blaming Zafar for everything. Saira comes to term with the fact that getting Zafar would be impossible & she gets married to someone else, all this while keeping her unrequited love etched deep down in her heart. Later one day her husband tells her that Zafar uncle who moved to New York passed away there, bringing her to shambles.
Later Saira’s mother at her death-bed confesses that Zafar asked them to come at that night because he wanted to do good by Saira & the best was to walk out of her life. Zafar knew how stubborn she was & how strong headedly she was persistent of the fact that she wanted to get married to him, so instead of telling her the otherwise, he stages a planned fuss so that she ends up giving up on him. Of all the plays of Boltay Afsanay that I saw, I found this one the best because the direction was perfect & the actors played their parts beautifully.
Any more suggestions as to which plays from Boltay Afsanay shouldn’t be missed & any more reviews that you’d like to read?
Ohkay, so after a HUGE success of Pakistan Idol I think it’s about time we start investing more finances & time in the reality shows. I am not into foreign dramas (except Korean) or any thing of that sorts but yes, I’m a huge reality TV buff. Irrespective of the countries to which the shows belong, I do watch most of the reality shows because no doubt they provide the quotient of a healthy entertainment.
We all have clearly seen how Pakistan Idol has clicked to the masses so for that I do feel that the rest of the reality shows will also make an impact. IF the channels provide us with our own reality shows I am sure so many people who like them, like me won’t resort to the others and eventually will stick to & support our very own content. I think it’s another best way of grabbing the TRP’s & because of that our channels wouldn’t have to buy the foreign content to fill the time slots for the ratings, instead they will earn the TRP’s with the international franchise but with our own content.
So, here’s the list of reality shows I’d like to see on Pakistani TV screens:
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire:
I love all sorts of quiz/game shows because not only they are mentally engaging but provide such a healthy entertainment. I have been an avid follower & would love to see the Pakistani contestants compete for the prize money. I know there have been some attempts of the sorts in the past but I think it would make a greater impact if the actual franchise with the brand-name makes an appearance on the Pakistani screen.
Masterchef:
I heard a buzz about Masterchef Pakistan being launched in the year 2014. If that’s the case, I am all for it. Maya Khan’s Kitchen Idol in 2012 was more or less on the lines of Masterchef but it wasn’t that systematic rather it was more like a morning show with some cooking thrown in. Masterchef is again another one of those entertainment reality shows which would gain popularity all over Pakistan because no matter what – we love to cook & there’s no beating to the Pakistani cuisine.
Big Brother:
I think we all are aware of the show & it’s format. It is an undeniable fact that Pakistanis love to follow the Indian version of the show – Bigg Boss. I think Pakistanis are totally & equally supportive of their celebrities & anyone would want to in fact love to find out more about the lifestyle & personalities of our celebrities. I think this show is the best in terms of getting to know about the psychology of the people & I would love to find out more about the people we see on our screens.
Pakistan’s Got Talent:
As the hypothetical name suggests – for sure WE do have talent, of all sorts & it’s a fact. I would love to see the creativity of normal, non-celeb Pakistanis because I am sure none of us are short of the ideas to make this show a hit. It would be a nice push to those who have talent & are looking for a break to project what they are capable of. It would definitely leave a mark & gain the viewership IF it is handled on such a large scale like we see it happening in all the other countries.
So, what did you think about the list? Do you agree that Pakistan should have more reality shows? Which more reality shows do you want to see happening in Pakistan? Share with us, please. :)
A few last years have been very fortunate for otherwise shattering Pakistani cinema. Movies like Josh, Siyah and Waar infused a new life to our film industry. 2014 is no different! A lot of Pakistani movies are going to release this year! We will be watching a lot of Shan Shahid with a strong dose of patriotism in 2014. Another interesting thing is the shifting of mini screen artists to big screen. Many talented Television artists are going to make their cinema debut this year.
Here is a short list of some great Pakistani movies to look forward to in 2014. Let’s support our industry and spread the word about them!
Kambakht
Produced by Ayaad Ibrahim & Sharmeen Khan and directed by Hamza Ali Abbasi, Kambakht is an action comedy movie that will release this April all across Pakistan under the banner of ARY Films. Kambakht is starring Pakistan’s heartthrob Sheheryar Munawar Siddique, senior TV and Film actor Hamayun Saeed, senior lollywood action figure Shafqat Cheema, the new intelligence in town Hamza Abbasi, the girl with pretty smile Soha Ali Abro and others. Screen play of the movie is written by Hamza himself while we get to see two other names, Atif Siddiqui and Jawad Rana as writers too.
I have high hopes from Hamza Ali Abbasi and really looking forward to the release of Kambakht. I never really admired Soha Ali Abro as an actress but we shall see how she proves herself in her cinema debut.
Jalebi
A joint venture of ARY and Redrum Films, Jalebi is all set to hit cinemas in Pakistan very soon. This is going to be one of its kind movie since according to sources, some of the parts of the movie will be animated. This is probably going to happen for the first time in Pakistan so the patriotic Pakistani in me is already taking pride in it while anticipating it impatiently.
Prominent names from the movie cast are; Danish Taimoor, Adnan Jafar, Ali Safina and Zhalay Sarhadi. Another thing to make you excited about Jalebi is the fact that it has been shot via ARRI Alexa HD cameras. Yes! the same fancy-shmancy cameras that were used to shot famous Skyfall, Iron Man 3 and gravity.
Naach
Starring king of Pakistani cinema, Shan Shahid and Momal Sheikh, Naach was scheduled to release in 2013 but due to some inevitable reasons the release was delayed. Hopefully the movie will be released soon now. Shan is going to play the character of a dance teacher in Naach and we will be seeing some major dance moves and intense emotions of love, rivalry and jealousy in the movie.
Saya-e-Khuda-e-Zuljilal
Umair Fazli’s Saya-e-Khuda-e-Zuljilal is supposedly releasing on 14th August, 2014. The film is featuring the events of history of the nation and its heroes. Kudos to the entire team for a courageous attempt to introduce the forgotten part of the history to the new generation. The cast includes Shan Shahid, Noman Ijaz, Kamran Mujahid, Sohail Sameer and Nayyer Ijaz.
Operation 021
Pakistan’s first ever big budget action thriller movie is directed by the internationally acclaimed media personality Summer Bodhi Nicks, he not only directed the movie but also wrote its screen play. Operation 021 is produced by Zeba Bakhtiar and Azaan Sami Khan and is in news for a while now.
The movie stars action hero Shaan Shahid, Iman Ali and Aamina Sheikh – the perfect threesome. I personally am a fan of all three and cannot wait to watch them rock the big screen together.
Hijrat
Director Farooq Maingal is making her cinema debut with movie Hijrat, starring sizzling Rabia Butt and Asad Zaman. The story of Hijrat is written in the background of the Afghan war and as its name denotes, will be highlighting the lives of people who were compelled to take refuge in other places. The movie is shot in Turkey, Balochistan and Karachi.
Tamanna
Pakistan’s first noir movie Tamanna’s story “is essentially about class snobbery, adultery and ego”. Starring Mehreen Raheel, Salman Shahid, Omair Rana and Feryal Gauhar, the promotional banners of the movie look really promising. Mehreen Raheel, with her vintage winged eyeliner and matte red lips is looking really classic and according to me, is a great choice for such movie genre, but of course if she does justice to her role with her acting skills as well.
This is only first part of the article, a lot more Pakistani movies including Moor, Jinn (if we consider this venture Pakistani) and Ishq Positive are in the process of making. We shall keep you updated, keep watching this space.
Fawad Afzal Khan, there is absolutely no need to introduce this person, if you are a Pakistani celebrities fan then you must know him. Fawad Khan is a heart-rob of Pakistan, a true star Icon. He is not only a great artist but a charming and handsome personality who has taken the Pakistan Entertainment Industry by storm. There are only few people who have become both a Rock star and super star and Fawad is amongst them. His fans are desperate to meet him. Even Pakistani celebrities are inspired of him, the echo of his success is now going beyond borders. Starting his acting career from Jutt and bond in 2000 he has now become a pioneer actor. He rose to a prominence from drama dastaan and humsafar.
Fawad had already appeared with number of actresses. He acted opposite to Imaan Ali in film “Khuda ke Liye”. His first drama was “Satrangi” in which he acted against Ayesha Gul, Sawera pasha and Ambreen Gul. Moving on he starred opposite mehreen raheel in drama (dastaan and ashk), Sanam Baloch in drama (Dastaan, Akbari Asghari and Kuch Pyar ka pagal pan bhi tha), Mahira khan in worldwide popular drama “Humsafar”, Ayesha Khan in drama “Kuch Pyar ka pagal pan bhi tha”, Aaminah sheikh in remake of a film “Armaan”, Sanam Saeed in drama “Zindagi Gulzar hai”, Nadia jamil in telefilm “Behadd” and opposite Kanza Wayne and Sania Saeed in drama “Numm”.
In his entire career Fawad has made a hit couple only with Sanam Baloch, Mahira Khan and Sanam Saeed. Now I have made a list of some actresses that never appeared with Fawad Khan but can make a hit couple if starred in a big project.
1. Fawad with Ayeza Khan- Ahh! what can I say if you ask me what is the biggest thing that you want to happen in drama industry then I would say cast Fawad Khan and Ayeza Khan as a couple. Seriously I am dying to see them together as a couple in a mega project like “Humsafar” and don’t come hard on me but in my opinion this will be the best couple better than Mahira Khan. Don’t know if you pay much attention to commercials or not but Fawad and Ayeza had appeared together in a short Telenor commercial in 2012 and after watching it I am still hoping that they will appear as a couple in future. The commercial received more than 17000 views on YouTube that means this couple is huge in demand. Well Ayeza had already appeared with Shehrehyar and currently with Hamza Abbasi the next two heart rob after Fawad and now I am just waiting to see her performing opposite to Fawad Khan.
2. Fawad with Saba Qamar- They have appeared together in drama “Dastaan” but in an Aunt and Nephew role. Fawad can make a hit couple with Saba Qamar as well. Saba is an absolute dynamic she can do every role perfectly and so romantic as well. They will make a great couple if starred in a good serial or film.
3. Fawad with Syra Yousuf- Syra Yousuf is a cutest face of our Industry and a best smile as well. Despite being so much popular in the past I am surprised that she has not appeared with Fawad. After getting married she has become expressionless. However Syra will make a hit couple with Fawad Khan by just imagining Fawad instead of Faizan Khuwaja in Syra’s current drama serial “Ru Baru”.
4. Fawad with Sarwat Gilani- I heard a rumour that Fawad had denied the romantic serial “Mata-e-Jaan hai tu” and hence Adeel was starred against Sarwat Gillani. It was a good romantic serial but Adeel failed to include the charm in this drama which I think Fawad would have included. I bet this serial would be much popular if Fawad would have been in it but still they can make a hit couple if starred together in a same type of drama serial.
5. Fawad with Sanam Jung- With a debut performance Sanam Jung has touched the sky of success. Her serial “Dil e Muztar” with Imran Abbas had received a lots of gratitude by viewers and I would say probably this is a signature drama of Sanam Jung. She is doing well with Meekal Zulfiqar in drama “Muhabbat Subha Ka Sitara hai”. The quality of sanam jung is her innocence which had captured the audience attention, She is the most Innocent face of drama Industry. I am pretty sure that Fawad Khan and Sanam Jung will make a super dooper couple in a romantic drama or film.
6. Fawad with Arij Fatima- Some actors are not over rated but they gradually recognise themselves in industry through their spectacular performances and Arij is amongst those. She is such a versatile young actress. Her cute expressions is driving people crazy well on the other hand she can look scary as well like in horror drama WOH. Arij and Fawad both are versatile artists and I am pretty sure that they will make a splendid couple. Like Ayeza Khan I am also hoping to see them together in some project in likely future.
Therefore these are the only actresses that I think can make a hit couple with Fawad Khan. If you can think of any other popular actress who will look good with Fawad Khan then please do share.
The Sindh Festival 2014, the much awaited cultural extravaganza, has turned out to be one of the most hyped events as its promotion had started almost six weeks prior to the event. The Sindh Festivel finally began on Saturday, 1st February, near the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro with a lavish opening ceremony which was hosted by Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui and Humaima Malik. The festival also featured beautiful fireworks as part of the grand opening.
The mastermind behind this unique cultural revival festival is Pakistan People’s Party Patron-in-Chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The festival includes a series of celebrations all over the province for two whole weeks. With the remains of Mohenjo-Daro as the backdrop, Bilawal Bhutto walked up the 80-feet-wide illuminated stage to officially open the festival.
The inaugural Sindh Festival, instigated by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, was conceived because of the danger in which Sindh’s rich heritage and culture is right now. Mohenjo-Daro, the world’s oldest planned urban landscape, lies in a state of disrepair, a victim of neglect and indifference. It is but one of a myriad of sites of antiquity scattered across Sindh and Pakistan which need attention now if they are not to be lost forever.
According to Bilawal, ‘It is to preserve, promote and protect our heritage, such as Mohenjodaro, standing right behind us’. The main object of organizing the festival was to initiate the process of protection and conservation necessary to safeguard Sindh’s unique and irreplaceable cultural heritage for generations to come. The main tagline of the Sindh Festival is ‘Apni Sakhawat Pe Naaz Karo, Pakistan Se Pyaar karo’ (Be proud of your culture, [and] love Pakistan)
Apart from Bilawal, the official opening ceremony was graced by Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, PPP leader Faryal Talpur, former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Owais Muzaffar and Sharmeela Farooqi. A number of foreign visitors were also seen at the event wearing traditional Sindhi Ajrak. Approximately 1,000 guests were present at the grand opening ceremony; some of these had been specially flown to Mohenjo-Daro to attend the event.
A lot of effort has been put by all the Bhutto siblings to promote this event. A few creative videos were made in which words like ‘Saeein to Saeein’ and ‘Meri Ajrak’ were used to promote the festival. Sindh Festival is a celebration of all things Sindhi, from Sufi raag to art, to fashion, film and everything in between. The festival had different kinds of events such as Sufi night, Basant, Ghazal night, Music Mela, Art Festival and many more in the course of two weeks.
Apart from the videos, Bakhtawar Bhutto released a song in which she has displayed her rapping skills. This song is made in collaboration with the band Mooroo and the song was released via a link to the song on the Sindh Festival’s official Twitter account.
The song starts off with a very catchy beat and has a hip-hop feel to it. Bakhtawar talks about preserving Pakistans’ heritage, the motto of the festival. She goes on to rap about how Pakistanis should “stand tall” on their “soil with pride”.
The song with Mooroo is not the only song that will be featuring in the festival. Ali Gul Pir, of the Saeein toh Saeein fame, released the song ‘Pakistan Ka Beta’ especially for the festival. The song has the same beat as his popular song ‘Saeein to Saeein’.
We hope the festival serves its purpose of reviving Sindh’s culture and heritage.
Grease – The Musical is the first licensed musical play to be performed in Pakistan. It is based on the adaption of the classical 1978 movie which had John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as the leads. Grease has been in news for quite some time; it started at the Art Council on January 16 and was declared a hit immediately. It ended on 2nd February after being performed at the Art council for almost 17 days. The play took three months of vigorous training and more than 100 rehearsal sessions for the actors to perfect the play, and their hardwork has definitely paid off. It starred Ahmed Ali as Danny Zuko, Ayesha Omar as Sandy, Mustafa Changezi as Kenickie and Sanam Saeed as Rizzo, along with an ensemble cast of familiar faces and promising newcomers. In the play, Ahmed Ali was paired up with Ayesha Omer and Sanam Saeed with Mustafa Changezi.
The play introduces the 50’s era to the audiences. The costumes, songs, setup all had been designed keeping this era in mind. The play did not have any particular message, it solely depicted the essence of being a teenager in the 50’s. Its success proved that teenage love is still an ever green concept.
The director Nida Butt has given her 100% to this play. From the choreography to the music, every little detail was well thought out and executed. All the actors also did a brilliant job especially Sanam Saeed who portrayed Rizzo’s aggressive character to perfection. She was extraordinary throughout the play and the actress had easily picked up the accent and gesture required to play the role.
All the performances were top notch, but one song that stood out from the rest was Freddy my Love which was sung by Sara Haider. This song touched the audiences’ hearts and was appreciated and applauded by all. The lead pair might be Sandy and Danny, but the limelight was stolen by Rizzo and Kenickie as their chemistry sizzled on stage because of their magnetic and realistic connection.
Here is an interview of the star cast who shared their experience with their co-stars, how they managed to fit into the shoes of their character, and their feelings of being part of a play which is first of its kind:
Danny Zuko AKA Ahmed Ali Butt
How did you get in to the character of Danny?
I watched the movie a couple of times, mainly for the relationships the characters have with other characters. I started acquiring the traits from him over the months. The walk and the laugh — I have done them so much that they’re my thing now. I don’t even remember how I used to laugh!
Travolta and Newton-John had a lot of chemistry between them. What is your chemistry like with Ayesha Omar?
Ayesha is amazing to work with. She is very humble, very down to earth. When I heard Ayesha was playing Sandy, I was a little intimidated, but she eliminated the feeling. She is awesome to work with.
What is your relationship like with Mustafa? Do you think he’d make a better Danny and you a better Kenickie?
I have taken some inspiration from Mustafa actually, he doesn’t know that (he laughs). He is quite the ladies’ man and the laugh he does is very similar to Danny’s — I stole that from him. Mustafa could have been a good Danny. Danny has a slight feminine touch to him, and Kenickie is a bad-ass. Had we been asked to and given time, we could have swapped roles. They’re both similar; they’re both the leader of the pack with a smooth style. In real life, Mustafa can probably relate to Danny more than I can.
How do you feel about being part of this musical?
I was a musician before I started acting. This is where music and acting come together — in musical theatre, and I found it to be my true calling. I am honoured and humbled; Grease is an opportunity to make history. My father is a huge Grease fan. After the first play I did, he was very encouraging and said, “Good, you should go into acting. There is a play Grease, you should ask the producers to do that.” I did seven plays and he would say the same thing every time. When I got this role, I went up to him and told him I am doing a play, he asked which one. When I said Grease, the smile on his face was amazing. I hadn’t seen it for years!
Kenickie AKAMustafa Changezi
How does it feel to play Kenickie? How did you get into character?
It’s pretty cool. I don’t really have a tough guy persona, so to pull someone like Kenickie off was a lot of fun. It wasn’t too hard to get into character; I watched the movie a couple of times and tried to act like the guy throughout.
What was it like to be paired up with Sanam Saeed?
Sanam is one of the strongest actors in the industry. Initially, when I heard I was paired with her, I was like ‘Fine. It’s cool’. Then, when I saw her act, I saw how confident she is and that intimidated me a little, but it’s been fun. She’s a genuine sweetheart.
Do you and Ahmed have the kind of relationship on stage that Danny and Kenickie did?
I love the guy. Initially, I didn’t know who he was, and I really doubted the fact that he can do justice to the benchmark Travolta set. Then I met Ahmed. He is so committed and dedicated to his role and nobody but him deserved to have it. He and I are the closest amongst the cast.
Sandy AKA Ayesha Omer
How does it feel to be a part of Grease?
My career just took a very busy turn. Every day, there is some offer coming in after the success of Coke Studio [season 6], but I just can’t take up anything. It’s like letting go off something you have worked for, for ten years. However, getting away from the petty TV mind-set was very refreshing for me mentally. We are all like family here. It’s team work. It’s very exciting and it’s been a wonderful experience. And I couldn’t have asked for a better co-star than Danny.
Do you have a message for the readers and audience?
It’s the first licensed show and we have put in a lot of effort. The audience needs to know it’s very difficult to put something like this together. People should come and look at it with an open mind and encourage the newcomers.
Rizzo AKA Sanam Saeed
How does it feel to be Rizzo?
I wouldn’t have picked any other character to play. It’s a role I’ve always wanted to do. With the support and the kind of chemistry we all have, each one has done justice to their role. Ahmed, Ayesha and I are the eldest in the cast and the most experienced, so we automatically had some sort of hold over the kids — they’ll kill me for saying this — and that kind of helps the character, considering how Rizzo is and how she bosses around her minions. It’s fun, it’s perfect, everything has worked out really well.
This play was an hit through and through, it can be called a pure masterpiece without any exaggeration!
