Last week ended on a tragic note, from the air strikes in Syria to Sridevi’s death sadness loomed all over us. After witnessing such atrocities humanity wept all around the globe but even in such times some of us find in our hearts to spread hate speech.
People soon started comparing the two events and judged people over which atrocity they decided to post about on their social media. As pathetic ugly and inhumane as it sounds this is what happened, we saw internet divided over Syria or Sridevi.
While humanity kept reaching another low Armeena Khan took upon herself to talk some wisdom into people’s heads, to at least those who’d listen.
Let God be the judge of our actions and stop spreading hate especially in times when humanity needs to stand together. Hatred is a baggage it gets you nowhere. The world is already full of hatred and war it doesn’t need more of it, what it truly needs is kindness. Albeit no religion preaches hate Islam of all the religions is the most kind one, a true Muslim does not hate for he knows that Allah does not hate. May the Lord have mercy upon us.
Ohkay so, this episode of Tabeer was pretty basic & strictly alright. I am sure once the actual story will kickstart it will definitely become a lot more interesting but it has had a very typical start which doesn’t excite you to tune next week, which I hope will change once the characters will be past the depressive stage of their lives.
Fawad’s wife was in fragile condition & Fawad was already having a hard time just thinking about how life would be if Zarnish will not be with him anymore. The doctors however promised him that things will get better but it does seem doubtful. In the middle of all this, Fawad’s needy mother felt the need to tell her son that he should draw a line, even if he was taking care of his wife who was unwell & also expecting his child. Fawad’s mother & her unreasonability already seemed like a forced filler which I am sure will continue to be the same till the drama will end or you never know when she might have a change of heart but for now, she is a filler & a bad one at that!
Yasir decided to surprise his wife & before he could come, Tabeer only had the thoughts of meeting her husband on her mind. It was sweet how she was keen on everything, from wearing a nice dress to cooking something that her husband likes. Tabeer is a very sensitive girl who couldn’t even hold her tears when she saw that her tired husband slept without even seeing the effort that she made, which brings me to my point that I would love to see what she will do & how she will deal with the trials that her life is going to throw at her.
So, Fawad mother demands Yasir to come back so that he can take care of the things on Fawad’s behalf & that’s when Yasir meets an accident & passes away. I am not sure how long will they take to bring Tabeer come to terms with the fact that her husband is no more because if there is one thing that I am not keen on while watching any drama is for it to have such a tragic & depressing start, sigh!
Overall, it was an average episode. The pace seems a little slow & since there are not many characters, it seemed a lot slower. I am not sure what to look forward to in a drama which has had such a depressing start. It is obvious that both Fawad & Tabeer are going to end up together but will that journey be worthwhile? We’ll see. Please share your thoughts.
Ohkay so, it was yet another intense episode of Khudgarz with powerpacked performances & beautifully written dialogues to its credit. This drama is for sure one of its kind, it just keeps you engaged & I really don’t remember watching a drama like Khudgarz in a long long time where not even a single thing can be picked up as a flaw or a plothole because the execution along with the script has been so strong that it just doesn’t leave a margin for any errors!
Aairah & Junaid moved to Abeer’s place. Even though Aairah always had Abeer to talk to, I actually liked that in the form of Raheel, even Junaid got a friend with whom he could share everything that was running on his mind. Junaid was obviously trying to carry a facade only to show Aairah that he was perfectly alright, so that she doesn’t feel guilty but deep inside he was struggling too. Junaid was suffering from all the ends, he had so many pressures to deal with but because he couldn’t tell it all to Aairah, he just poured his heart out to Raheel. I believe this was the first time Junaid got a chance to complain & speak about all the hardships that life was throwing at him one after the other, because before that, he would always keep his feelings bottled up. Since Raheel also had a baggage attached to Hassan & also because he had firsthand experienced what Abeer was going through when she was associated with him, Raheel knew what Aairah & Junaid must be feeling. Their interactions time to time about different issues were nicely & reaslitically done.
Aairah on the other hand shared her frustrations with Abeer because she was feeling guilty for what Junaid’s life has become after their marriage. It was good that Aairah was also mindful of the fact that everyone around them was just punishing them for being happy. The baby shower that Abeer threw for Aairah was sweet & just what she needed to get distracted from all that was happening in her life.
Well, even though everyone has had a chance to tell Munawwar how wrong he has been but what Amir said to him was spot on. Everything that Munawwar did for Junaid, though started off with a bit of sympathy then turned into his selfishness where he knew that Junaid will take care of the family business for him. It is sad that Munawwar gets so many reminders of how Hassan has failed as a son, yet he chooses to stay thick skinned, thinking he is doing some sort of favor to his son. After Junaid & Aairah left, Munawwar went to their room & had remorse on his face but it doesn’t outbid the cruelty he has treated them with!
Now talking about Hassan, once again, through Omar he got to experience what life actually is about. While looking at the changes Hassan unconsciously is bringing in himself, I was wondering how important role a good company plays on someone. All this while Hassan continued to be unreasonable because Munawwar despite being a father was just being a bad company, a bad influence on him. Even though Hassan spent a very limited amount of time with Omar, but in that time span, he learned what people actually go through & how harsh life can be for some & this is what really forced him to do some thinking. Meeting kids like Raza, Neha, knowing about a child he won’t be able to meet; Omar’s son, all these served as reminders to Hassan that people are faced with bigger tests & trials but he just because got rejected, he wrecked people’s lives apart. For the first time, after feeling Neha’s pain, Hassan realized how deeply all his insults & assaults would have affected Abeer & that’s when he decided to seek for forgiveness. Ah, that scene was absolutely beautiful where Hassan prayed & Omar just stood there watching a new & a better Hassan. I felt relieved when Omar didn’t tell Munawwar about Hassan, because firstly he knew that Hassan wasn’t ready to leave & secondly, he also knew that Hassan needed some more time to finally break free from the negativity that was holding him back from becoming a better person!
I loved this episode like all the previous episodes of Khudgarz. Hassan’s transition has to be one of the best aspects of this drama because it has been shown in such a realistic, non-preachy manner. How many times we come across such incidents or such people whose stories touch us on a very different level & they make us realize that we have to stop & evaluate what’s important, these things remind us that our life should not be revolving around our problems only. In times like these, we get to analyze that we can do better & we can move on. This is why I really like how Hassan, after seeing everything unwillingly got to realize how wrong he was all along. Love it. Sami Khan definitely took the crown in this episode with his phenomenal performance as Hassan; his regrets, his pain, his guilt, everything was portrayed to perfection. Oh well, please please someone tell me that nothing will happen to Junaid. As I typed this, I remembered Salma also had some dialogue referring to Munawwar later realizing who his son was…pleaseeee I don’t want to break my TV, so for that sake, I am, saying a little prayer that nothing happens to Junaid! Please share your thoughts about this episode of Khudgarz.
A huge fiasco went on when India initially banned Pakistani artists more specifically Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan from working in Bollywood. Their movies Raees and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil where Fawad had a cameo came under a lot of fire. Consequently, there were no more projects for the stars. Recently, an Indian minister talked about banning Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Saba Qamar who did Hindi Medium is also not going to be a part of the sequel. So, India has officially banned Pakistani artists to work in any of their media.
The FWIC notice openly is calling Pakistan the nation who has unleashed a war like situation in their country. So, Pakistani artists are officially banned while our channels are still showing Indian content and none of our stars had the audacity to say a word about these allegations.
It was the time we should have showed too that “Nation Comes First”. Our industry is flourishing by leaps and bounds which should have provided confidence to artists to take a stand for their and their country’s dignity.
What are your thoughts on this? Share in comments!
Dil Nawaz has rather been slow in these episodes with Dil Nawaz still trying to win over Fawad by hook or by crook. She does not care what people are thinking and how normal things work, she will only settle for having Fawad completely in her life as her husband. With Fawad’s family finding out about Shah Jee, there was a hope that things will get solved but it just didn’t happen as Jahan Ara is falling in the footsteps of her sister and helped Dil Nawaz overpower him. From power to transforming to Fawad’s cousin and possessing Kiran, she is trying everything. The thing that bothered me a lot was Fawad not recognizing Dil Nawaz when she came to his house as Mariya. She was wearing the same clothes, same jewellery and was even talking in the same way which should have made things clear to him.
Jahan Ara’s falling towards the black magic is also an extremely annoying development. Tauseef married someone else under family pressure and on knowing that, she started doing black magic on others. She told Dil Nawaz that she would never harm him or his family because she loves him then why the hell are you harming other people girl?
Kiran is also a character who got lost in between everything going on with Dil Nawaz and Fawad. The only problem I have with the character is the behaviour they have shown of her with her mother. Why is she always whining about a boy she met some time ago and sidelining her mother who loved and protected her all her life is beyond me since after all her badtameeziyan with her mother, she is still shown as an innocent girl.
The one thing which bothered me is the return of Jahan Ara’s father. As Muslims, we believe no one comes back from death and there they are showing Jahan Ara’s Abba Jee wandering around the whole city and talking to whomever he wants. Another concept they showed in the drama which was strange that Dil Nawaz tells Fawad about her cousin marrying a human girl and they are living happily together. Like how can they make characters say those dialogues and not clarify them later?
Apart from the Atma concept and Jin living a happy married life with a human girl, these episodes were decent and the preview shows some action. Stay tuned guys!
Authorities in the UAE confirmed today that Bollywood actress Sridevi died after accidentally drowning in the bathtub after passing out, earlier Indian media reports had claimed her death was caused by a cardiac arrest.
The Dubai police tweeted, citing a post-mortem
“The death of Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment’s bathtub following loss of consciousness,” .
The body of the late actor was not released by Dubai authorities to the family on today, and it is expected that the body will now be released on tomorrow i.e 27th February 2018.
Executive Editor of UAE’s Khaleej Times, Vicky Kapur, told India’s ABP News that Dubai Police will record the statement of husband Boney Kapoor after her sudden demise.
The forensic report was sent to the public prosecutor’s office, which will decide the merit of the case and then take further action if required.
Dubai Police has transferred the case to Dubai Public Prosecution, which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases.
If doubt is present, the Dubai authorities will not let any individual, deemed a person of interest, to leave the country. The release of the body also has no bearing on the police taking further action. The body of Sridevi, one of the biggest names in Hindi cinema, had been due to be brought back to Mumbai today by charter flight.
Hundreds of heartbroken fans gathered outside her Mumbai home hoping to catch a final glimpse of the star before her cremation, now likely to take place on Tuesday at the earliest.
Despite a United Nations demand for a ceasefire to end Syria’s civil war fresh regime air strikes and heavy clashes shook rebel-held Eastern Ghouta on Sunday 25th February. President Bashar al-Assad’s forces launched a major bombing campaign against the enclave on the edge of Damascus a week ago, and have since killed more than 500 people.
Pakistani celebrities have now come forward demanding the genocide to stop.
Mahira Khan, Haroon Shahid, Mawra Hocane and many others took to social media to address the brutal killing of innocents in Syria, condemning the attacks.
Armeena Khan
“Open season” on #Syria currently. The events are just too, too disturbing. Latest is that the war is about to get much, much worse and bigger. May God keep the innocent in HIS protection.”
“Open season” on #Syria currently. The events are just too, too disturbing. Latest is that the war is about to get much, much worse and bigger. 🤲🏻 May God keep the innocent in HIS protection.
“What a terrible terrible world this Flower has been sent to.. #Syria I urge you all to say a prayer for those who’re suffering & those who have passed away.. it’s the least we can do! My heart is in pieces.. #Ghouta #SaveSyrianChildren”
What a terrible terrible world this Flower has been sent to.. #Syria I urge you all to say a prayer for those who’re suffering & those who have passed away.. it’s the least we can do! My heart is in pieces.. #Ghouta#SaveSyrianChildrenpic.twitter.com/MHNsY7r0RB
“Just saw some horrific pictures from the genocide in #Syria Can’t even begin to imagine the pain and suffering the Syrian people are going through. Praying for peace in Syria.”
Just saw some horrific pictures from the genocide in #Syria Can't even begin to imagine the pain and suffering the Syrian people are going through. Praying for peace in Syria.
The world mourns every innocent who has lost his life to this war, another sad day, different faces but the same old barbaric tale, may the Lord have mercy upon us.
Sridevi has lost her life to cardiac arrest at 54 years of age and everyone is shook by her sudden demise. She was in Dubai with her husband and youngest daughter attending the wedding of starlet Sonam Kapoor’s cousin Mohit Marwah.
Like the entire Bollywood Pakistani celebrities were taken by surprise as well many of them took to social media to remember the Mr. India starlet.
Mahira Khan
“So grateful to have grown up and lived in the times of #sridevi . Thank you for the movies, thank you for the magic. You shall live on forever..”
So grateful to have grown up and lived in the times of #sridevi . Thank you for the movies, thank you for the magic. You shall live on forever.. pic.twitter.com/jS2YJU1zoq
“The “SADMA” of losing this ultimate superstar is heart wrenching .Her smile, beauty, acting, aura and those “NIGAAHAIN” will be missed forever.”
The "SADMA" of losing this ultimate superstar is heart wrenching .Her smile, beauty, acting, aura and those "NIGAAHAIN" will be missed forever. pic.twitter.com/9Y6S5qXt9w
“The woman that I fell in love on screen as a child, her movies were a hugr part of my youth and had such a massive impact on me. She was an always will be the one and only #sridevi #rip #chandni”
Sridevi was recently seen in ‘Mom’ 2017 and will be last seen in Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Zero’. She will forever be remembered, gone but not forgotten. Rest in power you legendary woman.
The bond Sajal Aly shared with Sridevi is no secret naturally the veteran’s sudden demise has left everyone in a state of denial Sajal Aly, given her love for the Mom co-star, is also shook by the news. Sajal Aly recently lost her mother in that hour of need Sridevi played the role a mom would have in Sajal Aly’s life.
After the news of Sridevi’s death made the headlines Sajal Aly took to her Instagram and posted a picture of herself with Sridevi saying,
“Normally, Sridevi doesn’t mix with her colleagues at all. Not now, not earlier, never. She is a complete professional on the sets. Even in real life, she hardly has any friends. But with Sajal, her equation was different.”
It further said,
“Sajal lost her mother recently, whom she was very close to. It shattered the girl. Sridevi took Sajal under her wings after the tragedy, treated the girl like her own daughter. Afterwards, Sajal called Sridevi from her home-town in Pakistan and broke down saying the whole experience was too close to her to be treated as a film,”
In a video that went viral earlier, a heavily emotional Sridevi who was almost on the verge of breaking down reminisced the time she was shooting with the Pakistani actors for Mom.
Sridevi was a huge star and her absence will forever be felt but not half as much as it will be felt by people who knew her for a person and truly loved her Sajal being one of them.
As much as we would like to believe that it is a death hoax but it most likely isn’t. Bollywood veteran actress Sridevi who has ruled the B-town and millions of hearts for decades died due to a heart attack in Dubai, she was 54 years old.
Sridevi was in Dubai with husband Boney Kapoor and her younger daughter Khushi attending a wedding.
Right now well wishers are rushing to Sridevi’s house in Mumbai to be with her eldest daughter Jhanvi at this hour of need as she couldn’t be in Dubai along side her mother in her last moments due to her shooting schedule.
This comes as a huge blow to the people who loved her and the industry for the void she is leaving behind shall forever remain unfilled. Our condolences to the family. We hope the Hawa Hawai of Bollywood is in a better place now.
Ali Zafar and Maya Ali starrer ‘Teefa In Trouble’ is getting shout outs from both Pakistani and Indian celebrities ever since it’s teaser was released at the Pakistan Super League’s opening ceremony.
The Quantico starlet took to her twitter and gave Ali Zafar her support for this project,
“Much love and luck to @AliZafarsays for his next production!! SoLadies and gentlemen. Tighten your seat belts, hold your breaths, kyunke Teefa aa nahin raha, Teefa aa gaya hai!”
Much love and luck to @AliZafarsays for his next production!! SoLadies and gentlemen. Tighten your seat belts, hold your breaths, kyunke Teefa aa nahin raha, Teefa aa gaya hai!https://t.co/Py3oF3Ro80
So things got awkward on Kux Style Awards 2018. Mahira Khan came on stage to receive her award from Javed Sheikh and Mawra Hocane. When she walked towards Javed Sheikh, he tried to kiss her on the cheek which she avoided and looked quite uncomfortable by the gesture too. Here is the video of the whole scenario:
Mahira Khan responded to the controversy as she called all the social media hype of the situation to be silly:
Meanwhile, Javed Sheikh also had a response which he showcased on a flight to Dubai:
MERI TAREEF KARO! KAHO MAIN LAKHON MAIN AIK HOON! CRINGE! CRINGE! Uff…Okay, so this is what Naima’s character will be if we describe it in two and a half lines. Yes, there are people who are obsessive psychopaths, who touch the ultimate heights of selfishness and never care an ounce about the living beings around them. But the cringiness level attached to Naima has reached another level. Why the hell are you plastering yourself against Atif and asking him in psychopathic voice and expressions to call you pretty? Naima is the same girl who manipulated the hell out of everyone to get Atif and now she wants the Miss World crown. Iqra Aziz deserves an applause on this performance. She must have been cringing herself at this point of shoots when all her scenes and dialogues were involved about her trying to express Naima’s new-found obsession with Miss World crown. Moreover, her constant rift with her khala is also not understandable. Why are you making things difficult for yourself girl? Looks like in order to make people hate Naima’s character, the writer took it to a level that it has lost a touch to reality. Because now she is not evil, she looks like a patient who needs some psychiatric help which is not making her look like a vamp but just a simple patient of obsession.
Atif’s relationship with Naima has gone up in flames and the thing which was super annoying about him is back again. He was asking his mother that she should have stopped him from marrying Naima. The super confused is back with no knowledge of his surroundings as he was not able to comprehend Naima’s games and couldn’t comprehend the source of dowry either. Why did he think the money belonged to Sabir when Arsala was the sole bread-winner which everyone in the city knows about. The only right thing he did was he took the leftover money back which he will return to Sabir and Shehnaz.
Moving on, its spring season for Arsala and love is in the air. Yes, she was still shooting down Shahram’s sweet gestures with annoying stuff but still, she is falling in line. Her and Bee Jaan’s relationship is very sweet and it was good to watch that Bee Jaan was still defending her son like a normal mother who loves her children would. Shahram is hopeful that Arsala might accept his love but again we know there are still episodes left.
It was a balanced episode with cringiness of Atif and Naima’s relationship balanced out by Arsala and Shahram’s (mainly Shahram as Arsala was still being annoying) sweetness.
The previews are making me think that Atif might ultimately divorce Naima. What are your thoughts?
Ohkay so, this episode of Noor ul Ain was interesting. It is a fact that the story of this drama is pretty straight forward & simple, even the characters are not what we haven’t seen before but the way it has been directed & the story is being carried out makes it a good watch!
So, even though Noor ul Ain conveyed to Khizar what she wanted to but because she couldn’t tell him that she appreciated his honesty, she started feeling restless. It all started from there & then unconsciously Noor found herself missing Khizar. Noor obviously liked his attention & when she saw that he actually kept his word, it gave her all the more reason to fall for him. I liked how Noor kept things to herself but because her behavior had changed, everyone around her felt that she wasn’t behaving like her usual self.
Ghazala obviously convinced Noor to bring herself to admit that she likes Khizar & wants to be with him but Noor on her own was still pretty skeptical. Even after Noor’s father told him what her parents were thinking, she decided to keep things to herself as she was unsure at that stage too.
Noor got to see Khizar for a brief moment but because he walked past her & didn’t really stop to have a conversation with her, that’s when Noor realized that he was actually keeping his word & that made her miss him even more, enough to get mentioned in her personal diary!
Well, the way Noor approached Khizar & said what had been bothering her was quite interesting. I like how their conversations are carried out, where Khizar wants to hear more but Noor only says what she wants to. Noor clearly made a point that she missed him & had been thinking about him but because all this was so sudden & unexpected for Khizar, he couldn’t even wrap his head around what she was saying. Well, Noor became at least that much comfortable with Khizar that she took a ride with him & because her friend told her to, she decided to ask him for an official proposal. Noor is still a bit unsure & it seemed like she wanted to see if Khizar backs his promise, that is why without even informing her parents, she spoke to Khizar first.
Well, even though Khizar’s mother will not be overjoyed with his choice but I think after meeting Noor & finding some similarities to herself in her, she will agree. I am sure Khizar’s mother would want Khizar to get married to a girl like Noor who has her own personality, who is indepedent, who is not after Khizar for his money & most importantly, someone who will motivate Khizar to do better. Let’s see!
Overall, it was another interesting episode of Noor ul Ain. I really like the chemistry of Sajal Ali & Imran Abbas. Iffat Omar was in her element as usual & made Ghazala’s scenes pretty interesting & intense, though she might look a bit negative at times, she immediately makes her perspective understood, obviously she has a tough life so one can not expect her to be all positive all the time. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Noor ul Ain.
After Naumaan Ijaz’s disappointment over this year’s LUX Style Awards became the talk of the town the actor was interviewed by different magazines to understand what disappointed him so much and Naumaan Ijaz shared one of those on his Instagram.
The Lux Style Awards are known to be the biggest award ceremony in Pakistan, meant to celebrate and honour the entertainment industry – and this year seemed no different. However, what happens when an experienced actor like Naumaan Ijaz feels dishonoured and disrespected? Are the awards then really living up to their expectations?
After the actor took to Twitter to vent out, Something Haute got in touch to hear more about his concerns.
“It’s not about the award or the trophy, it’s about respect. Why do you think so many senior artists avoid these award shows?” Naumaan said.
“It’s because they aren’t given the respect they deserve. Also, it’s not about a senior actor losing to a newcomer. I’m very happy for Ahad, he’s like a son to me and I wish him all the success to reach greater heights in his career. All I talk about is logic and common sense!”
The actor, who was nominated with Mohsin Abbas Haider, Imran Abbas, Adnan Siddiqui, and Ahad Raza Mir, felt that it isn’t right to have senior actors in the same category as budding ones.
“It’s wonderful to appreciate new talent but how about you create more categories? Line up the new boys and make them compete for best-emerging talent or for the best acting debut,”
He said,
“It will definitely be more fair and inclusive that way. But placing a newcomer in the same category as a senior who has been around for so long is just ridiculous.”
Teefa in Trouble’s official teaser was finally launched by Ali Zafar in a very extravagant style at PSL 3 opening ceremony. Teefa In Trouble stars Ali Zafar, Maya Ali, Javed Sheikh and Faisal Qureshi in important roles. Teefa looks like an action-packed package with a real film of a movie. Here is the official teaser of Teefa In Trouble:
What are your thoughts on the teaser? Share in comments!
Emmy award winner Riz Ahmed will be joining a panel with famous author Mohsin Hamid at the Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) on February 24. According to the schedule posted by LLF on their website, the panel will be moderated by Shahid Zahid.
Ahmed as we all know won the Emmy for Best Actor in a limited series or a television movie for his performance in BBC miniseries The Night Of. He became the first Muslim actor, as well as the first South-Asian actor, to win an acting Emmy.
Other famed authors who will be speaking at the LLF include Reza Aslan and Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh will also be taking part at the LLF happening in Lahore over the weekend.
LLF will be held at Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, on February 24 and February 25.
Ohkay so, though clichéd & typical, it was still a pretty decent episode of Pukaar & Samra’s character made it worthwhile because the way her struggles were shown were convincing.
Fahad & Samra are two very different people who belong to different worlds. Just because Fahad is the only son, his parents not only have a lot of expectations from him, but also from his wife. Right from the start, Fahad’s mother Tashfeen started to ‘train’ Samra so that she meets everyone’s expectations & starts moulding herself to fit their standards!
Even though Samra was getting overwhelmed with the new details that she was getting to know about Fahad & his family but it was quite sweet of her that she was putting up with everything, because she genuinely loves Fahad. Samra not only understood Fahad’s perspective but also tried to accept things that were new & alien to her.
Samra got to see how Fahad’s father was instilling this sense of superiority & taste of power in Fahad, which actually scared Samra because she was not used to all of this & also feared that Fahad might not be able to give all this up in the future, but I loved that she tried to reason with her husband & shared her perspective. Fahad did play a decent role in trying to make Samra comfortable & by doing things to accommodate her so that she doesn’t feel too frustrated by what was happening around her but sadly, there isn’t much that Samra can change or control, or will she? Time will tell!
I liked the fact that Samra stood her ground & tried to convey whatever was not in line with her perspective but in a very decent manner. She even reasoned with Tashfeen despite knowing that she was quite stern & rigid. I don’t know why, I feel Tashfeen will melt & she will side with Samra too, but it will take a lot of effort. Also, not sure if this aspect will be covered but I feel Tashfeen also must have been through this scrutiny to become so rigid, let’s see if the will touch on it in the future episodes.
Well, the last scene promised a new set of challenges for Samra & a completely different picture to what she was promised. Fahad’s parents obviously used his marriage with Samra as a bait to make him do what they want, which is for him & his wife to stay in the village & contest in the local elections. Though Fahad didn’t want to but he also couldn’t say no to his father, which obviously will create a rift between him & Samra. It is obvious that where Samra is quite strong & opinionated, Fahad is submissive & doesn’t have enough courage to have his own perspective.
Overall, it was a pretty decent episode & definitely better than the previous episodes. I hope it gets better week after week. This episode definitely made me like Samra’s character a lot more & I can’t wait to see what she will do with her life in the village. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Pukaar.
Ohkay so, finally this drama ended & I can’t be more relieved that I wouldn’t have to tune to this torture anymore!
All this while I stopped talking about Qasim because to me he was just a plain annoying puppet, but the opening scene along with everything else that he did made me detest his character even more. So, it turns out that Qasim could raise his voice as well as his hand on Meena, the girl who was just insecure & wanted to protect what was hers, but when it came to Sassi, all he could do is plead in front of her. Qasim was perfectly fine with Meena when she was being Mammo part 2, but the moment she started stating facts, he couldn’t tolerate her. Also, Qasim impregnated Meena, but in front of Sassi, he called his marital relation a majboori & also confessed that he still loved her! Wow! What a wuss!
Anyways, not that I am feeling the ending that Sassi met, but I am glad she didn’t turn out to be a home-wrecker. Sassi was just a restless being who wanted one adventure after another. First, her adventure was bringing Sonia in Khayyam’s life, then her adventure was to make Mammo suffer, after that she turned everyone’s life into hell only to pursue a new adventure which was working in a film, next was following Wajih & trying to make him fall in love with herself, then a new adventure began by hating everyone; Sonia, Khayyam, Meena & in the end she fell in love with Qasim because she was bored & ran out of other adventure options, so she decided to try her hands on wrecking his marriage. I am not sure how was Sassi ‘bold’ because seeing her entire journey & the ending that she met, to me she was ‘psychotic’ & not ‘bold’. Also, I must say the writer should re-evaluate his definition of bold & how he sees bold women because all the bold women in his drama met a tragic end; Sonia died miserably & Sassi will continue to live aimlessly like a ‘malang’ for the rest of her life. So I am not sure why he sees bold women like this where he thinks they can’t be normal beings? The only good thing was Sassi’s refusal to get married to puppet Qasim, who just sat there waiting to hear her say ‘qabool hai’, hah!
Right from the beginning, the viewers just couldn’t relate to Sassi’s character & that was the reason why this drama wasn’t getting ratings – something the writer himself shared under one of the reviews, but those, including me, who were happy to see something different advocated Sassi’s character & sadly, when things still didn’t work out, the team members started blaming the viewers for not having the sensibility or the wisdom to understand this ‘bold’ character. So, now when this drama has ended, I am rolling my eyes really hard because I can’t wrap my head about this ‘boldness’ which the team started using as an excuse or let’s say sheild to hide behind!
Mammo & Khayyam fizzled in the background & Khayyam’s character had nothing, absolutely nothing to offer. He just got this label that he is ‘khudgarz’ but apart from that, there was nothing in his character. He was just a man suffering from mid life crisis & ended up losing everything in the pursuit of overcoming that crisis. No remorse, no apologies, nothing & he still got away because there was another one-dimensional character Mammo who couldn’t do better!
I can not believe that this drama began on such a high note & ended up like this? Not that this drama was working but the needless dragging sealed the deal that once a super-hit drama was going to end as a flop. Sajal Ali & Noman Ejaz were good. Bilal Abbas Khan was good too. I am not sure what was worse, the story or Hamza Firdous or both? Ummm I think I will go with the last option. Umair Rana was wasted in this drama & Sonia Mishal ended up becoming a peeve of mine with her never-ending vocal vibration & the extremely unflattering messy makeup. Irsa Ghazal deserves a continuous facial massage for the next year or so because I can’t imagine how painful it must have been for her to sport such a depressing look on her face for so long. The actress playing the role of Kareeman Bua seems to be the only respectable aspect of this drama, despite her limited screen-time, she seemed to be the one who broke the monotony of madness that this entire family was an ambassdor of. I will once again say that Hamza Firdous should leave acting for those who know how to do it in stead of becoming an eyesore for the viewers. This drama could’ve broken records but sad to see the fate it met. The only good thing about this drama is the OST. Please share your thoughts.
Ohkay so, I love Aangan for the fact that it just doesn’t shy away from highlighting all the issues a family is faced with at a desi wedding but in a humorous way. Just because things have been kept so light hearted, they make more impact & what I love about the entire storytelling is that in the middle of the humor, the message isn’t lost. It is like the writer & the director knew when & how they had to convey a certain message so that it makes a way into the hearts of those who are watching!
When I saw the preview last week & there was a mention of Anila’s narazgi, I knew the matching outfits would be the reason behind her wrath & voila! I was right. No one could say anything as they knew that Anila was doing what she is known for; having a problem for every solution & once again, she made sure to convey her problem by making it even bigger. Zaitoon calling their similar dresses ‘wardi’ was so amusing, I just couldn’t stop laughing. It was funny how just to calm Anila down, Zaitoon for a moment started siding with her & called Laila & Hajra out for gifting Rubina a dress!
Asim actually thought that Laila was feeling bad at what Anila did but in reality, she was just feeling depressed because she knew she was going to face the question regarding her childlessness during all the wedding functions & Milaad was just the beginning. It is nicely shown that people not always speak about this personal matter in a bad manner with a curious undertone, but the one who is going through it knows what it feels like & just when a girl is trying to keep her morale up & is praying to avoid these type of conversations, this is the last thing she wants anyone’s attention on. It is a fact, even though someone’s intention might not be to hurt by asking such a personal question, but the one dealing with this baggage not necessarily always wants to have a discussion over something which is beyond their control. Ah! Been there, seen that & that is the reason why I relate to Laila’s character on a personal level because whatever has been shown through her journey is a reality!
It was actually very sweet how both Zaitoon & Hajra were trying to accommodate Rubina & going out of the way to make her feel that she shouldn’t worry an ounce over her or her children’s clothes, probably the major expense one has to bear if a family member is getting married. The way Zaitoon spoke about Laila’s friends in sleeveless was absolutely hilarious & I was in a laughing fit for like 10 minutes! Hahahah!!! & oh yes, Zaitoon’s mention of Anila getting a million more chances to create issues & turn her mood off was spot on. I love how effortlessly everyone in this family speaks about others shortcomings, it is like they all despite being courteous are brutally honest & know about each other’s strengths & weaknesses!
Well, Zahid continued to show attitude to Aqdas, it’s like he still feels he has an upper-hand as he caught them doing something which he doesn’t approve of. I must say it is nice how everyone around Zahid despite being aware of his short-temper is still considerate of his feelings because they know there are a few things that don’t sit well with him.
Sadaan & Afrah finally got to talk about the misunderstanding that Hajra created between them but it was nice of Sadaan to not take Hajra’s name in front of Afrah, because he didn’t want to malign her heart against his mother. I think for the first time Sadaan actually succeeded in putting his message across that Hajra was not being considerate when it came to his likes & dislikes as after that Hajra did seem engrossed in some thoughts.
Well, Aalu once again got a chance to tell Anila how her family doesn’t really care much about her. The way he handed Sajjad all the bills was so amusing but typical. Even though on the record both Anila & Aalu arranged this entire Milaad function but when it came to the real deal, they told Sajjad & Asim to take care of the expenses. What else can be expected from such relatives who only like fulfilling their wishes at other’s expenses!
Now coming to the best part of the episode, which was the last scene where Abba Jee came up with this genius plan of reaching out to Anila. It was so funny how Zaitoon & Sajjad felt so relaxed after they got a blank chit, because they knew they didn’t have to deal with another problem. I am actually quite interested to know who will get the auspicious opportunity to go to Anila, Abba Jee or Zahid or Asim? Any bets guys? I think it would be Abba Jee but I would love if it turns out to be Zahid, it would be a sight to see him doing something like this, lol!
Overall, once again a fun episode with so many amazing moments to its credit. All the actors are doing a wonderful job & the direction is perfect. Faiza Iftikhar should take a bow for bringing Aangan to us, a drama which in literal sense is what an entertainment should be like. I am sure this drama is going to stay with us for a long long time. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Aangan.
So, Lux Style Awards 2018 were held last night and it got me thinking. Umm! Wait! I’ll put my thoughts aside and let the biggest star of the industry explain the situation. So here are some kind words via Noman Ijaz:
First of all, the show must change its name. LSA is not Lux Style Awards anymore. It has genetically morphed into Lux Social Media Awards or if you really want to disclose the real name, I think it would be Lux Sasta Award. Our award shows are sidelining talent for ages but you have to be somewhat discreet, giving out awards on the basis of social media memes is not a criterion. Here are some of the wins which no one can digest:
Best Actress Film-Mahira Khan For Verna:
We know you have to give her some award if she is attending the event but look at it yourself. Can you justify it? Verna was an average movie and Mahira’s acting was average too. While on the other hand, Mehwish Hayat won millions of hearts with her portrayal of Amal in the blockbuster Punjab Nahin Jaongi. Same is the case with Uzma Hassan, her acting was appreciated in Arth-The Destination by everyone. But since these two are not our favourites, we will give this award to Mahiar Khan since she has come to attend the event.
Best Singer Female Film-Aima Baig For Sadqa:
Sadqa was an Okay Okay song from Chupan Chupai. The same category had two more nominations which were far more deserving. Aima herself was also nominated for Kaif o Suroor from Na Maloom Afraad 2 which was a much popular song than Sadqa and the other was Bagiya by Jonita Ghandi. Bagiya became more famous than the film Rangreza itself. But well the LSA was again trying to surprise us.
Best TV Play-Baaghi:
Was Baaghi a hit? Yes! Were a large number of people loving it while it aired? Yes! Did it get good TRPs? Yes! But let me remind you this category had Sang e Mar Mar and Muqabil in it too. Muqabil, a drama based on a very sensitive topic with a mind-blowing execution and for Sang e Mar Mar, I do not have to say anything. Everyone knows how superior it was and yet Baaghi wins the best play. Why? Maybe the number of posts on social media is more important than the actual worthiness.
Yaqeen Ka Safar was a very good drama and the character Dr. Asfandyar played by Ahad Raza Mir won the hearts of millions. But let us be honest. The character was not the main crush till the very last episodes and even it became famous because of the sweet chemistry between the lead pair. The other actors who deserved this win more than him were Mohsin Abbas Haider and Adnan Siddiqui. Mohsin was phenomenal in Muqabil and Adnan too stole the show in Sammi. Moreover, the nominated Noman Ijaz for Pinjari in this category while his character Gulistan Khan was the main character in Sang e Mar Mar and he should have been nominated for that. But yes, Dr. Asfi is more popular on social media and these are Lux Social Media Awards.
Best TV Actress-Saba Qamar for Baaghi:
Saba Qamar is a phenomenal actress. Many times she never gets an award she clearly deserves because the other favourites are also present at the ceremony. Looks like Saba’s India ka chakar lagane se value barhne wali theory is correct. As she got the best actress award for a role where she was just mimicking Qandeel Baloch and that’s all that she did. The nominations of the category were also strange. They nominated Bushra Ansari for Seeta Bagri. Like why? Sajal was nominated for both Yaqeen Ka Safar and O Rangreza. O Rangreza has turned into a disaster but Sajal was still worthy of the award for her portrayal of Sassi. Her performance is thousand times better than Saba.
Yes, I know there is a voting system involved too but honestly everyone knows how voting on anything works in Pakistan. So, that was not even something to consider. LSAs should try to up their game or better tell the world openly that “S” in their name does stand for sasta!
Pakistan Super League’s third edition is all set to kick off tomorrow in Dubai and Hareem Farooq will be the one hosting the opening ceremony of the biggest cricketing event of the year. This won’t be the first time Hareem will be hosting for an event she has previously hosted Hum Awards in 2017 held in Lahore.
When talking about hosting the PSL opening ceremony Hareem Farooq stated,
“It’s a moment of great pride for me to represent our great nation Pakistan at such a huge platform and that too on international ground! PSL is one of the biggest sporting events for our amazing nation, bringing us together and hosting the opening ceremony is an honor for me as a actor, as a producer and most importantly a Pakistani.”
The opening ceremony of PSL’s first season was hosted by Yasir Hussain and Sri Lankan model Stephanie Siriwardhana and the second season was hosted by Jeeto Pakistan star host Fahad Mustafa himself. Fahad is a charmer as we all know will Hareem be able to be as charismatically engaging as him on stage or not is the question that will be answered pretty soon.
Lux Style Awards 2018 held last night and people were awarded in the categories of acting, fashion and music. Both films and dramas were nominated and were honoured. Here are the winners of the LSA 18:
FILM:
Best Film: Punjab Nahin Jaongi
Best Actor: Humayun Saeed for Punjab Nahin Jaongi
Best Actress: Mahira Khan for Verna
Best Film Director: Nadeem Baig for Punjab Nahin Jaongi
Best Supporting Actor: Javed Sheikh for Na Maloom Afraad 2
Best Supporting Actress: Urwa Hocane for Punjab Nahin Jaongi
Best Singer (Male): Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for Sawar De Khudaya In Arth 2
Best Singer (Female): Aima Baig for Sadqa In Chupan Chupai
So this episode brought Gulmeena’s story to us after a brief recap of Yasmeen’s. It was good to see Yasmeen in such good spirits and dreams to make a legal livelihood for herself and her daughter. She got reassurance in Sanam Saeed’s calm and collected response. Aurat bhi toh Allah ki makhlooq hai..
Gulmeena’s story was equally tragic, equally heartbreaking and so so sad. Ammarah Butt did a great job as a young and naive girl who has had to grow up more than her years till the day she could not take it anymore.
The only issue I had was that the use of pushto language, while suited the poor people who are shown as IDPs, limited the amount of conversation I could comprehend in a scene, and even had to go back over some of them to try and get the meaning of dialogues.
It started with Gulmeena transported back to the time this tragic story of hers actually started. Displaced from their village and their home, a heavily pregnant Gulmeena is scared for her and her child’s future. Her mother in law Amma Gul leaves no stone unturned to torture her physically and verbally. Her husband, Yousuf, however is a humane man and even went against his evil mother’s wishes to take his young wife to the doctor. They never reached there though and Gulmeena became mother to a baby boy. Just as the couple is dreaming of going back, finding their family and making them happy by showing the newest member, fate takes another cruel turn and Yousuf suffers a fatal heart attack, leaving Gulmeena and his several weeks’ old son at the mercy of total strangers. They however managed to find Yousuf’s family since Gulmeena herself is shown as an orphan.
Without the shield of a loving husband, Gulmeena suffers terribly at the hands of her mother in law. One thing that stood out was the fact that even though women are shown so terribly suppressed and men so atrociously dominant, in Yousuf’s parents the case is totally opposite. His father cannot even take a stand for the young daughter in law he so wants to protect but is helpless in front of his wife. So it seems, ruling over your household and having a strong say in it is more of a stroke of luck, no matter which culture. Amma Gul is one of those rare women who would actually benefit from a taste of male dominance and chauvinism but she has been really really lucky.
In her spite and hatred, the evil Amma Gul tricks Gulmeena into marriage by falsely agreeing that her baby Rustum will go to her new husband’s house. Her new husband, old enough to be her grandfather is an illetrate old beast of a man who has no mercy for the young mother or her infant. In the throes of her husband’s cruelty, Gulmeena finds the courage to run away from this degrading and unhappy life. When her husband totally refuses to agree to let her son live with her, she just packs up and leave. It was sad and happy at the same time to see her running through the fields with her little belongings packed in a small black cloth. A woman running away from an existence which would eat her body and soul if she stays. A woman facing her fears of making it alone in the big bad world rather than staying in the false security of a marriage where she does not even get basic human respect. You have to pick and choose your battles but they never end and Gulmeena took the path to freedom, to achieve the only happiness she has ever known, her little son.
One thing that is shown common between the two stories till now is the strong maternal instincts of both Yasmeen and Gulmeena, and it is extremely realistic. A child truly is a mother’s biggest weakness and her greatest strength, both at the same time.
So it was another great episode by Kashaf Foundation and Sarmad Khoosat. Despite being a little difficult to understand because of language and lighting, it made for an impactful story. So glad they took unknown faces for these roles. That makes it look all the more real, all the more heartbreaking..
Ohkay so, it is so good to have a drama which doesn’t disappoint. 18 episodes of Khudgarz have been aired & it is still going strong, giving us so much more to explore & look forward to. I am glad we’re getting to see such a drama which has stayed on track & is unfolding just so interestingly, week after week!
Munawwar continued to be unreasonable & his unreasonability touched new sky when ever after finding out that the dead body wasn’t Hassan’s, he told Junaid to leave the house taking Aairah with him. Munawwar might have brought Junaid in his life because he pitied him, but he was also well aware of the fact that when the time will come, he will be able to use Junaid as a punching bag. Even if it wasn’t for Hassan or Aairah or anyone, this is exactly what Munawwar must have done with Junaid because he always had this arrogance & sense of superiority that he did a favor on him!
Aairah had a small accident but even though everything on the surface was fine, both Aairah & Junaid broke from within. Aairah obviously had her reasons that she didn’t want to step back in that house but it was so good to see Junaid finally standing up to Munawwar & his atrocities. Even though Junaid never said a word but the way he barged into the conference room & confronted Munawwar went to show that his patience was tested to the limit & he couldn’t take it anymore as he saw that he almost lost his child & his wife had suffered a lot. Even though it took a lot for Junaid to finally speak up, I am glad he did. Even after Munawwar told Junaid to leave the house, he spoke about Munawwar with so much of respect & affection when he told Aairah how he was raised & how his father helped him in putting everything together in his room. Junaid would have never changed, he would have never confronted Munawwar, he would have continued to bear his atrocities, but the love for Aairah in his heart forced him to bring some changes in himself as he knew that he had to protect not only Aairah but his child as well & also because Junaid felt guilty that his wife was facing the brunt for something she wasn’t even responsible for.
I must say, I love how strategically all the scenes are placed because just when things were getting a bit intense, the conversation between Abeer & Raheel was such a breather, also, it was so good to know that in such a tough time, Aairah & Junaid had Abeer & Raheel’s support. Sadly, Hassan once again tried to harm Abeer by calling Raheel’s mother but fortunately, Raheel tackled everything. Just when I was thinking that the relationship of Abeer & Raheel was lost in the background & their track was fizzled out, this conversation showed that they stil had their thing going on too. To be honest, for a moment I actually thought it could be Munawwar who must’ve contacted Raheel’s mother, I mean when he can pettily meet someone in person to stop Junaid’s hiring, then why can’t he stoop this low either?
Even though Hassan doesn’t realize it, he has started relying on Omar a lot. Right now Hassan might portray that he can still do without the help & support of Omar but deep inside even he knows that he needs Omar’s support. My favorite part of this entire episode was Omar’s contribution in bringing a change in Hassan, without making things preachy or forceful. Omar just shared his past & personal experiences, he just told Hassan a tale or two of what actually people go through. Omar exactly knows that Hassan needs to hear all of this to bring a change in himself but he isn’t trying to force anything on him by giving him lectures, it’s like he minds his own business, but whenever he feels the need, he speaks up.
To be honest, I shed a tear listening to Omar’s story. No wonder why he connects with Hassan & more than that he understands where he comes from because Omar has been there too & he has paid a heavy price for it, therefore he exactly knows that in the course of punishing his family, Hassan is punishing himself as well. Hassan tried to judge Omar by thinking that he couldn’t make his marriage work but what he heard was enough to shake him up. Hassan was already struggling to cope up with what he heard & may be that’s why he allowed himself to go with Omar to the welfare centre but there what he experienced broke the ice, it shattered the walls of his ego & that was enough for Hassan to realize that the world had bigger problems, people had bigger issues that they dealt with. Just because Hassan was so absorbed in his own being, in his own problems all his life, he never really got to experience what life actually is & how hard or cruel it can be for others, that’s why he changed & that too unwillingly. I loved the way Hassan sat in seclusion trying to gather his thoughts & then Omar came to help him put things into perspective. Omar made Hassan realize that life wasn’t over just yet & because he had gone to one side of the spectrum, he could now experience the other side with all his heart too – absolutely beautiful!
My my! It was such a perfect & amazing episode. I love all the conversations & the dialogues of this drama. Yasir Nawaz is not only an ace director, he is a very fine actor as well & I am so glad & want to personally thank him for playing the role of Omar because I am sure no one else could’ve breathed life into this character the way he has done. The writer Rida Bilal should take a bow for bringing such an intelligent script, such complex characters & beautifully written dialogues to the table, she nailed it. All the actors, Amina Sheikh, Salman Saeed, Mansha Pasha, Shaheen Khan, Sami Khan, Ghulam Mohiuddin, Yasir Nawaz, every single one of them has done a marvellous job & Syed Jibran deserves a special mention for even changing his body language like sporting slouched shoulders to fit the character of Junaid. Hats off Team Khudgarz, well done. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Khudgarz.
Ohkay so, the production of MD Productions, direction of Ahson Talish & writing of Imran Ashraf; Tabeer commenced tonight on Hum TV. The first episode gave an introduction to the main characters but other than that, despite being a decent episode, it wasn’t extra-ordinary!
The plot revolved around two characters Fawad (Shehzad sheikh) & Yasir (Imran Ashraf). Fawad is happily married to Zarnish (Eeshal) & Yasir is married to Tabeer (Iqra Aziz) & both the couples are expecting their first child.
Yasir works for Fawad & takes care of all the chores. His family is settled in Hyderabad but he works in Karachi because Fawad’s runs his family business there. Both Fawad & Yasir are doting husbands & make sure to let their wives know that they are there for them. Fawad goes an extra mile for Zarnish & so does Yasir.
Fawad’s mother (Seemi Pasha) feels that she has lost the connection to her son because of his wife. Even though she voices her concerns openly & directly, the fact still remains that she has an issue with Zarnish & also with the fact that her son loves her a lot & goes out of the way for her. Fawad’s mother overlooks the fact that Zarnish is pregnant & Fawad is doing what a husband & a father-to-be should do.
Yasir on the other hand misses his wife Tabeer & so does Tabeer, but she also understands that his work demands him to be away from her. She spends time with his grandmother while thinking about him all the time. Even though the equation between both the couples was a bit too filmy but it surely was refreshing to see two happy couples because that’s a rarity in our dramas these days!
Fawad takes care of Yasir’s needs & is also very considerate towards him, because of which Yasir promises him that he will do whatever he can to repay his favors. Well, Fawad finds out that his wife has cancer & that’s where the episode ended. Two other characters got a slight introduction too but no links of them were established to the main characters but I am interested to see how they will contribute to the story!
So, the first episode was pretty basic. Judging by the first episode, I do have a feeling that this drama might turn into a guilty pleasure for all those who’d tune to it. To be honest, seeing that it has been directed by Ahson Talish, I do have my reservations so I am not keeping my hopes high, but let’s see. Well, the whole chicken broast scene was amusing & I would’ve liked if they hadn’t promoted Dargah culture the way they did in this episode. Anyways, the direction seemed decent & so did the acting. The OST of the drama is nice as well. Please share your thoughts about the first episode of Tabeer.
Lux Style Awards 2018 are taking place today. For the biggest award event of the year many of the biggest celebrities including Sajal Aly, Mahira Khan, Noman Ijaz, Ahad Raza Mir, Sanam Saeed, Iqra Aziz, Mohib Mirza, Amina Sheikh and many others. Ahsan Khan and Mahira Khan performed on the show. Here are some pictures of your favourite celebrities from the show:
Which celebrities do you think are rocking their style tonight? Share in comments!
Ahad Raza Mir is the new heartthrob on the block. After his blockbuster Yaqeen Ka Safar, Ahad has been ruling the hearts of his fans by posting cute pictures with his family and always expressing love for his mother. The Aangan actor expressed his thoughts about how men suppress their emotions and how we should educate our children from a very young age to cater to their feelings and learn from them. Here is what he had to say:
The two actors Sonya Hussyn and Feroze Khan are ruling the TRP charts with Aisi Hai Tanhai and Khaani respectively. Both the stars will be seen working together soon in a drama. Sonya is currently making the viewers fall in love with her character Pakeeza in Aisi Hai Tanhai while Feroze’s pair with fellow actress Sana Javed in Mir Haadi has been famous. Looks like the pair of Sonya and Feroze can be a treat to watch for the audience.
Do you think the pair will work? Share in comments!
Alishba Yousuf got married to Rayyan Durrani in 2009, the couple had a baby girl in 2015 and named her Ilyana. Now the couple has been blessed with a baby boy as per sister Syra Shahroz’s insta post.
About an hour ago Syra Shahroz took to her Instagram and congratulated the couple by saying,
“Our very own first G of the family. You are love and so much more congratulations @rayyandurrani and @alishbay “
PSL 3 is around the corner and we are hearing about different celebrities supporting our favourite teams. With Peshawar Zalmi showing off their celebrity power with appointing Mahira Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi as their brand ambassadors, the hot favourites Quetta Gladiators who have been finalists in the previous two seasons are not behind either. Our very own Teefa In Trouble girl, Maya Ali has joined the Quetta walas as their brand ambassador. Maya has gotten her own Shan e Pakistan jersey and was spotted wearing it as she was unveiled as the Quetta Gladiators’ brand ambassador.
Let’s see if Maya’s camp makes it to the final this time too or not, as no doubt, Quetta is one of the best teams with very well-loved players. Apart from Maya, singer Aima Baig and actor Feroze Khan are also supporting the Quetta camp:
Trophy for the third season of Pakistan Super League was unveiled today in Dubai in the presence of the six captains who along with their respective teams will be competing for it from 22nd of February.
The trophy is sponsored by Swarovski and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi thanked them for crafting such a beautiful souvenir.
All the captains spoke on the occasion, with each of them optimistic about lifting it after the landmark final at the National Stadium of Karachi.
Other than the trophy awards including the man of the series, highest scorer etc were also showcased.
This world never was an easy place for women but undoubtedly this struggle for survival has become a hundred times harder in today’s world or may be it always was this hard and it’s only now when women who were wronged have spoken for themselves and have forced us to open our eyes and see the truth that we so conveniently had closed our eyes to for centuries. The need to talk about where we went wrong has never been more relevant than now and there is no better medium to spread awareness than media, be it electronic, social or print.
As much as we need movies and plays telling stories of rape, sexual harassment, domestic violence and honor killing we also need stories that inspire. Women who have fought against all odds and have achieved the un-achievable. As much as the dark side of this society needs to be shown constantly we also need to show the audience that there’s still hope and that no dream is too big. Women who did not comply to the society’s definition of what a woman can and can not do, women who did not let their gender decide their limits, women who are the epitome of freedom and women empowerment.
Today we celebrate such women and their courage. Here’s a list of stories that need to be told through our TV serials and cinema.
1-Syeda Ghulam Fatima
The first time I heard of this superhero of a woman was when Brandon Stanton (the owner of photo-blog Humans of New York) shared her story and helped her raise $1.3 million for her organization, Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan (BLLF). I had never heard of this brave woman or her cause ever before and that makes me terribly sad as I wonder how many other Ghulam Fatimas are still unsung and uncelebrated.
Fatima holds a master’s degree in Political Science from Punjab University. She has been campaigning for worker’s rights and against bonded labour in Pakistani brick factories, kilns. She has been threatened, attacked, and wounded because of her activism. Through her organization, the Bonded Labour Liberation Front, Fatima has established Freedom Centers where workers can go for protection and legal counsel. She is the elected General Secretary of Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan. Alongside her husband, Fatima runs BLLF from a storefront in Lahore.
She helped to release more than 80,000 bonded laborers in Pakistan from all provinces since her engagement, and trained more than 600 women in alternative skills for poverty reduction. In September 2015, Fatima was awarded a Clinton Global Citizen Award for “leadership in civil society” in New York.
2-Shamim Akhtar
Shamim Akhtar, at 53 is Pakistan’s first female driver; she is one such example who decided to go against all odds to make both ends meet for her family and adapted to a role skewed toward gender based obstacles. Married off at 17 years, she quickly found out that she had to fend for herself and her children. In the face of considerable financial hardship, Shamim relied on her own intelligence and strength to take care of her children and marry off her eldest daughters. Her husband was never around, and left her for another woman.
She attributes her success to the Islamabad Traffic Police Training course that paved the way for her to show her the possibilities of being able to drive heavy vehicles as she had gained an excellent road sense and courage to defy all stereotypes associated with driving vehicles. Her untiring efforts later helped her gain a public service vehicle license, making her the first Pakistani woman licensed to drive trailers, tractors and trucks.
3-Samina Khayal Baig
Samina Baig comes from Shimshal village in Hunza Gojal, Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan, and was trained in mountaineering from the age of 15 by her brother, Mirza Ali. She is a student of Arts and began climbing when she was merely four years old. She is a high-altitude mountaineer who in 2013 climbed Mount Everest and then all Seven Summits by 2014. She is the first and only Pakistani woman to climb Everest and the Seven Summits. She is also the youngest Muslim woman to climb Mount Everest, having done so at the age of 21. Samina was the first to climb the peak Chashkin Sar (above 6,000 meters) in Pakistan in 2010, which was later renamed Samina Peak after her. She reached the summit of ‘Koh-i-Brobar’ (‘Mount Equality’) in 2011. Besides the Himalayas, Baig has been employed as a mountain guide and expedition leader in the Hindu Kush and the peaks of Karakoram. Baig has been a professional climber since 2009.
4-Kulsoom Hazara
Kulsoom Hazara, is a young enthusiastic, passionate and determinant Pakistani karateka who belongs to ‘Hazara Community’ located in Baluchistan. She is first female ‘karateka’ to represent Pakistan at international competitions. Despite of inadequate facilities and resources she is very optimistic about her future and vows of winning more medals for Pakistan. She participated in the 2012 Asian Championship, squaring off against fighters from various Asian countries. She is national Karate champion since 2003. She previously represented Pakistan in many international karate events like Islamic games, Asian and south Asian games and won many gold medals for Pakistan. Kulsoom is the only female player in Pakistan karate team who has hat-trick for wining 3 gold medals in 3 competitions and is still holding her record. Recently she took 2 gold medals in south Asian karate championship in new Dehli India and 3 gold medals in national games Lahore.
5-Sabia Abbat
Born and bred in Haripur, Sabia Abbat became the first woman from Hazara division to win the National Cycling Championship in 2013. Being a sports enthusiast at college where she represented the institution in various competitions helped. She saw a cycling competition in 2011 in Pania where the women could barely ride bikes and decided that this was a skill she wanted to learn. Back home, in Haripur, she practiced on her uncle’s cycle, fell a lot but kept at it. The cycling championship has nine events, six of which are held on a velodrome while three are on the road. Haripur has no facilities for training in cycling so for serious practice Sabia has to travel to Lahore. Sabia holds a Bachelor’s degree in physical education. She has been a National Champion, an army athlete and an inspiration and her journey is far from over.
6-Nergis Mavalvala
One of the most recent Pakistani woman to hit the international news headlines has been Karachi-born quantum astrophysicist Nergis Mavalvala, Associate Department Head of Physics at MIT, and a member of the team of scientists that announced the scientific milestone of detecting gravitational waves, ripples in space and time hypothesised by physicist Albert Einstein a century ago.
Dr Mavalvala worked with researchers at the US-based underground detectors Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) Laboratory to build sophisticated sensors to detect gravitational ripples created from the collision of two black holes some 1.3 billion years ago and had been hurtling through space to reach Earth on September 14, 2015. Dr Mavalvala, 47, attended the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Karachi, before going to the US as a teenager.
The article is already too long and yet this is the tip of the iceberg only there is so much more to where this comes from. Pakistani women are superheroes in true sense of the word and it baffles me why we do not celebrate these women and their stories as much as we focus on the stories that show women as the victim. We hope we get to see more plays and movies focusing on lives of these women in future. Let’s celebrate women for the warriors they really are.
Tau Dil Ka Kya Hua finally ended tonight and unfortunately this last episode wasn’t as powerful or gratifying as I was hoping it would be. All the mysteries were solved and just like every other ending written by Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar a death changed a great deal but there were certain changes in some of the characters which were sudden and some of the mysteries didn’t interest me one bit. This ending could have been way better if it focused on the main characters alone.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed watching and reviewing this play but after watching this last episode, I am convinced that this ending and the drama as a whole could have been much more powerful if there weren’t so many tracks and characters in it. Saif’s character had an important role to play in the story yet he did not get a lot of screen time and Zahid Ahmed’s performance left a lot to be desired. Another reason why this ending wasn’t really satisfying was that I never really warmed up to Zoya and Faris’ relationship with each other. Dariya and Faris on the other hand had made for each other written all over them. Dariya’s character and Mansha Pasha’s acting too was far more superior than that of Zoya and Noor Khan’s acting was the weakest link in a play which had some amazing performances overall.
The change in Maya’s personality was rather sudden therefore although it was good to see her doing something for someone else for a change but it wasn’t relatable. The dialogues were well written and Ayeza Khan’s performance just like every other episode was right on point but this entire development overall wasn’t convincing. Dariya’s phone call gave hope that she might come back but that didn’t happen and it was sad watching her end up alone. Although, she was always shown as a strong woman who didn’t need a man to save her but even then the fact that she never got married went to show that she loved Faris so much that she couldn’t settle down with any other man. Tipu and Dariya had the most unhappy endings and these two were the best characters in this play.
Tau Dil Ka Kya Hua as a whole was brilliantly executed. The director Shahid Shafat deserves all the credit for making me tune into this drama every week. He made this drama a visual treat. Sami Khan, Mansha Pasha, Rehan Sheikh, Ayeza Khan and Imran Ashraf’s phenomenal performances were another reason why most of the episodes were brilliant even when the story got a little too complicated. This play also had tons of beautiful dialogues which explored the concept of love from a brand new perspective. The first 12 episodes or so had some of the most amazing conversations and kept me hooked. The background score throughout was remarkable and the overall feel of the play was quite unlike other Pakistani dramas yet quite appealing. The person incharge of the styling also deserves tons of appreciation for a job well done.
The channel did not do justice to this drama and it didn’t bag any awards either but for me Tau Dil Ka Kya Hua overall was a winner. Had it been slightly less complicated it would have been even better. This last episode however didn’t work for me overall.
A special thank you to all those wonderful people who read the reviews every week and shared their thoughts here. I really appreciate your feedback.
How many of you watched this last episode? Did it work for you? Do share your thoughts about it.
Imran Khan is a political figure whose personal life is also something of extreme interest for everyone, be it media or general public. Few days back, the whole media was wrapped up in chaos when the rumours about his third marriage surfaced which he later denied. Now Imran Khan is a married man as is confirmed by PTI. PTI spokesperson Naeem ul Haq confirmed that Imran Khan got married today to Bushra Bibi in a private ceremony. Party leaders are congratulating him and here are the pictures from the ceremony:
Best wishes for Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi! May they lead a beautiful life together!
These two episodes of Laal Ishq were as mindblowing as expected by a drama that has set such high standards, not from marketing or promotions but sheer good quality script and acting. The inter personal dilemmas are translated in a way that seem truly like a genius at work, or rather many geniuses since everyone is doing a brilliant job. The best thing about this drama is that not one person is inherently bad or evil, they are all bound by their own forces of love, heritage, loyalties and obligations. That is what makes them all so relatatable, so endearing and yet so charismatic. To be honest, I was not very fond of heavy dialogues and meaningful intonations after sadqay tumharay but Laal Ishq changes all of that. Here the dialogues are not merely for adding drama and weight to the situation but they truly add life and soul to the scenes.
In last week’s episode, Punar faced severe repurcussions from both Mehr Chiragh and Mehrunnisa and was even called a female and spineless son by them. Since he is always shown very impressionable and awed by Mehrunnisa, he has taken a U turn and decided to shake off the stigma of a weakling from himself. On the other hand, a ground is being set for the Mehrs and Jajji’s kids to know that Bali is their real father. Mehr Chiragh adds two into two and concludes that Farhad is Bali’s son and he is very proud of himself to be one step ahead of Mehrunnisa this time in getting justice for Hukum. This makes Mehrunnisa worried but only for a second. The strong and stubborn Mehrunnisa returns in a second and takes away Mahi’s engagement ring. As Bali recovers, Rameen and Farhad get to know that their father is actually called Jajji, so they are very genuinely concerned about their paternity. Eventually Jajji breaks down in front of their harsh questioning and tells them the truth. Kashif Mehmood has outdone himself, truly and thoroughly. There cannot be a better Jajji impersonating as Iqbal or a better father to tell his kids that he is not their real father. The end of last episode and starting of this one belongs totally to Kashif Mehmood for each and every tear that seems to be coming right from the core of his being.
The dialogues between Jajji and Bali were hilariously tragic. They make such an interesting duo, with both of them fighting for something that they know is rightfully neither of them fully. Jajji tried to convince Bali that he has done his best to ensure that Farhad and Rameen will hate him and love their real father, but Bali sees right through his facade. He is thankful that his kids were so loved and yet angry that they love his friend like their father and not him. This contradiction of feelings has made Bali so emotional and so helpless that he is almost talking non sense. Babar Ali has yet again proved what a talented actor he is. Bali is the heart of the play and Babar Ali’s acting is the heart of this character. He is simply amazing. I love the way how every character retains their sense of humor, no matter how trying the circumstances are.
Rameen and Farhad were also brilliant as the two youngsters who have suddenly had their whole lives and identities wiped away from them. Their anger is so genuine and yet so mixed with love that they want to hurt Jajji for hiding the truth but not quite. They hate Bali for the havoc he has created in their lives, and yet that have to protect him now. No questions asked. Since he is their biological father, they need to secure his life from Mehr Punaar and his gang.
Punaar has erased all good feelings from his heart or atleast he is trying to. Mahi, on the other hand believed in forgiving Bali right from the start and continues to do so but she is loyal enough to break all ties with Farhad. Farhad however is not going to give up on her this easy and wants to try one time to convince Punar to take his life instead of Bali’s. It was a very well written scene including Rameen’s unexpected arrival and losing her cool and screaming and crying in the hotel lobby, but Punar calling Farhad a dog was totally uncalled for. It would have been much better to end the scene with grace rather than abusive words.
Mehr Chiragh is also leaning towards forgiving Bali now, as he has sensed that his grandkids are irreversibly entwined in Bali’s family now and his death would adversely affect both sets of children. Mamoo Munir, on the other hand is single minded like his sister and would not agree to let Bali Iive at any cost.
It’s hard to wait a whole week for the next episode to air.
