Shaista Lodhi, long associated with morning shows, has now become a household name. Her shows have made her a hit among women who used to tune into her shows everyday and are now looking forward to her upcoming morning show also. Shaista plunged into the drama world a while back and is now all set to appear in upcoming drama ‘Khan’ with a strong role as a politician.
Talking to Images, about the serial, Shaista says, “Khan is an almost feudal type of drama. It will be relatable for the average person because it will remind them of Pakistan’s political system.”
There were rumors that Khan is inspired from Imran Khan’s life. But Shaista clarified “The drama doesn’t take inspiration from Imran Khan.”
She elaborates about the drama’s themes, “[The drama explores] the way revenge is taken in politics, the way seats are [sold] or tickets are given by parties or how sympathy is exploited. An example is Benazir Bhutto’s case, sympathy was exploited by her party. You can expect to see similar events in this drama.”
“My character has a vast range. From being a politician’s wife to a politician herself. From a childhood lover to a dedicated wife. There are many different shades and that has been a challenge for me to play.”
“But it was so much fun,” she adds, “because my wardrobe was so different and I’m playing a character older than I am.”
Another challenge for Shaista was working with senior actors.
According to the morning show host, “I had so many seasoned actors working with me so it was a challenge. I can’t ever forget the first scene we did. I was acting opposite Noman Ejaz and he got me so confused. I did realise later how sweet of a person he is but that first time working with him was nerve-wrecking. After the scene I was thinking “What on Earth happened?!”But afterwards I got the hang of it and I had a lot of fun working with the seniors.”
She also gave a little insight into her director.
“Ali Faizan is the director and he is intelligent but also a little crazy! He has crazy ideas, the way a creative person should have. He thinks out of the box and tries to put a new perspective in every aspect. I think he has treated this drama beautifully.”
Besides, Shaista, Khan stars Nouman Aijaz, Ejaz Aslam and Atiqa Odho. It is written by Syed Atif Ali and directed by Ali Faizal, Khan will start on February 19th, Sunday 8pm on Geo tv.
The wedding season this time is filled with a lot of happenings, including the marriage of Urwa and Farhan, Yasra Rizvi and now popular tv anchor Maria Memon. While all these celebrities celebrated the union with their better-halves in their own style, Pakistani people couldn’t stop themselves from criticizing them.
There has been a lot of criticism on the previous’ weddings, and now Maria Memon is facing the brunt of mocking when her wedding pictures circulated online.
Maria Memon is currently working with ARY Network and has been in journalism for quite sometime now. She married CSS topper Umar Riaz yesterday only and social media buff’s mocked her like nobody’s business. Why is it so important for people to bash others, just because they want to. Since, these people believed that the guy is not as good looking as the girl, they decided to mock them and try to ruin their happiness.
The news of the wedding broke out, after one of Maria’s friend Fahad Hussain shared the pictures of the couple.
Popular anchor Dr Shahid Masood has returned to electronic media, in what appears to be a U-turn by the seasoned media celebrity after announcing his detachment from the industry.
Recently, a video went viral in which Dr Shahid Masood claimed of resigning from the media industry.
Senior journalist and anchor has probably changed his mind now and has joined News One channel where MD Omer Ahmed welcomed him on a live show with Nadia Mirza. Hence, joining the family of News One back again with his own live show to be launched soon.
Earlier, Dr Shahid left ARY News and joined BOL soon after which he came out with a viral video of leaving the industry. However, he is back on screen and ready to host his show yet again.
Islamabad High Court, today banned Valentine’s Day celebrations across the country and its promotion on social media ‘with an immediate effect’ after accepting a petition which argued that it was un-Islamic.
The order was issued by the court on the petition submitted by a citizen Abdul Waheed, whose political affiliation was not immediately known. The petitioner had urged the court that Valentine Day was not part of the Muslim tradition and its promotions on the mainstream and social media should be banned.
The print and electronic media have been warned to “stop all Valentine’s Day promotions immediately”. Pakistan’s Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has also been asked to “monitor” all mediums and send out notifications banning any such promotions.
The IHC directed the information ministry, federal government, Pemra chairman and chief commissioner to submit a reply within 10 days.
Do you agree with Islamabad High Court’s ban on Valentine’s Day?
Ohkay so, the writing of Zafar Mairaj, direction of Nadeem Siddique & the production of Everready Group of Companies; Munkir commenced on Tv One last night. The first episode introduced the characters in a very appropriate manner by giving out the details one needs to know to form an interest in the drama. I liked the first episode for the fact that things were kept simple & to the point which made it far more easier to get an insight into the characters. The way the conversations were carried out gave everything a very casual feel & it had a lot to do with the chemistry that all the actors shared with each other, which was good to see.
So, the story began with a dream where Runa (Nida Khan) finds herself getting married to her fiancé Zain ul Abideen (Osman Khalid Butt) in a church under the supervision of her hostel warden Sister Kathryn & just when the couple is about to exchange the rings, out of nowhere a stranger drags Runa out of the church & takes her away. The very next morning, Runa shares her dream with her stepmother Rania (Mahjabeen) but her point of concern isn’t about what happens at the end, rather she believes that just because she hasn’t seen Sister Kathryn in ages & just because she must be missing Runa, Runa needs to go & see her.
Runa is about to get married to Zain in just a few days but she finds herself restless because of the dream. Her wedding functions begin where her in laws come into the picture. Runa’s in laws reside in France & Zain has a mother (Naila Jaffry) & 2 sisters Batool Bano & Ghulam Sughra. Completely opposite to Runa’s family & their lifestyle, Zain’s family is quite conservative & they are shown to be practicing Muslims, which makes them a subject of ridicule for Runa’s best friend Anjum (Maryam Nafees). Anjum thinks Runa will have a very hard time adjusting in this family because they are staunch & conservative. Runa’s in laws are related to Rania & it is Rania who arranged the marriage of Runa & Zain. Even though this might be an arranged marriage for Runa but Zain on the other hand loves his fiancée.
Runa is shown to be a very easy going but quite an emotional sort of a person who believes in giving each & every single relationship in her life a lot of importance & value, that is why, after seeing Sister Kathryn in her dream for the 2nd time, she insists that she needs to go to Murree to see her. Even though for Runa’s grandmother, the idea of sending a bride-to-be to a different city is daunting but Rania saves the day & tries to make her understand that when Runa had no one by her side & she was all alone in the hostel, it was Sister Kathryn who took care of her & looked after her like a mother. Runa shares a very strong bond with Sister Kathryn & this is something which her family understands & respects too. Finally, the grandmother gives in & allows her to go to Murree but instructs Anjum to go along Runa as well. The note at which the first episode ended showed a man in the company of someone who was preparing a suicide jacket, so I am sure we have a lot in store for us!
Overall, this episode was pretty decent & even though at the moment things might seem a little too simple, but the way they have been conveyed made it an interesting watch. The characters are pretty straight forward & simple. I must say, I loved the bond that both Runa & Rania shared. Rania’s character stood out the most for me because she was like an all rounder who was fulfilling each & every single duty of hers & was treating & every relationship of hers just the way it needed to be treated, she was like a friend, a daughter, a mother, a guide & a mentor; all at the same time. Rania might be a stepmother of Runa but more than that she is her friend, who understand Runa’s struggles & supports her, that is why she was seen telling her husband & Runa’s father that he should’ve been here on the occasion of Runa’s wedding because she needs him. I liked that the writer showed that a stepmother can be a friend too & the ladies in this sort of a relationship can share a very strong bond as well. Even though Anjum’s character was believable because mostly at the time of a friend’s wedding, very close friends do voice their opinions strongly against or in the favor of their friend’s in laws but everything that Anjum said about Zain’s family with that judgmental undertone was borderline annoying & impudent, to an extent that I was being put off with her presence in the drama. Anyways, the direction seemed pretty good & the production values were decent too. The acting of all the actors was quite nice & I am definitely convinced to tune to Munkir next week. Please share your thoughts about the very first episode of Munkir.
This episode opened with Chaudhry Fazal Din refusing to accept Sammi as his vani. His decision to take a stand even though Chaudhry Rab Nawaz tried his best to convince him to go ahead with the nikkah by giving him lectures on ghairat, was completely in line with his character but watching Rab Nawaz accept Sammi as Vani for his son instead of shooting her brother did not quite fit in. Also, it did make me wonder if Rab Nawaz was going to let Fazal get away with this? Surely someone like him who believed in forcing people into submitting to his will would use more than just words to have his way and if things still didn’t go according to his plans one would expect him to make an example out of the person who refused to listen to him. Rehan Sheikh is an exceptional actor who makes every scene count but this latest twist in the story came out of nowhere. So far the focus of the story is more on those people who are forcing their decisions on Sammi and how these decisions are shaping up the course of Sammi’s life. It would have been so much better if the viewers were introduced to Sammi’s character in detail in the first 2 episodes or so before starting the actual story. There was one scene in this episode in particular which showed how deeply the mindset that a girl should sacrifice everything to save her male relative’s life was engraved in Sammi’s mind. She begged Chaudhry to spare her brother’s life and was willing to do anything at all in return. This scene was short but impactful.
This episode had a lot of scenes which showed the selfishness of those people who were making these life altering decisions for Sammi. Watching Sammi’s brother worrying about the bruises on his face more than his sister was one such scene which said a great deal. Haris Waheed’s confident acting and his overall look makes me wish that we saw more of him before he killed his friend. Now he has a limited role to play in the story or so it seems. Sammi’s mother cursed her for not being able to save her brother’s life and her father who is responsible for all this just does not care!
Rashid is another person who is looking out for his own interests and he is another mard who claims to love his wife but he puts his own needs and desires first. Nadia Afghan’s character was introduced in tonight’s episode and she too appeared to be more “refined” than one would have expected her to be. Apart from Rab Nawaz’s wife, all the other women in this play worship their men and would gladly do anything for them.
Rab Nawaz’s definition of ghairat and the status of men and women was another interesting aspect of tonight’s episode. Rab Nawaz is ignorant but he is so sure that there is nothing wrong with his beliefs. His wife however does not want her house or child to be affected by whatever her husband believes in. She wants to educate her son and does not agree with her husband but she also knows that there is very little that she can do about the situation openly therefore she turned to Rashid for help. This development will change the course of the story completely. Watching Rashid’s daughters defending their mother was one of the best scenes of this episode.
So far, the good thing about this drama is that it has introduced the viewers to a world which is real for a lot of unfortunate people but completely alien to many of us who sit in front of the television screens and watch these stories unfold and it has managed to do so without getting too dull and depressing. Although all the tracks in the drama are serious and they highlight the status of women in such villages in some way or the other but even then the approach is simple therefore Sammi so far isn’t a very heavy duty drama.
How many of you watched this latest episode? Do share your thoughts about it.
The upcoming season of Big Brother might be even more controversial this time, since Boxer Amir Khan’s wife Faryal Makhdoom has been approached by Celebrity Big Brother bosses to go into the house for this summer’s series.
Faryal Makhdoom has revealed that she’s in talks for the show, she posted on Snapchat and asked fans for advice on whether to accept the deal.
Last year, the social media sensation made headlines when she started discussing a bitter family feud on Snapchat. Faryal accused Amir’s family of mistreating her and said that they had never accepted her and even tried to separate her from Amir.
PTV, never praised for its journalistic telecast, serving merely as a communique of government, has always been accredited for the mastery exhibited in the department of playmaking. To some, the success is a result of the opulence of the screenwriting talent available. With the likes of Anwar Maqsood, Fatima Surreys Bajjia, Ashfaq Ahmad, Bano Qudsiya, Munnu Bhai and Haseena Moin at its helm, the institute has seen glory of which, the newcomers can only dream of. But, we will not engage in this, nor is this piece meant to reminisce the old days.
With a plethora of private drama channels running plays 24 hours a day, the quality was sure to be compromised. However, one thing which dwindled quicker than the standard of the plays is the popularity of the screenwriter. One may blame it upon the caliber of the playwrights but after all we still see masterpieces, no matter how sporadic those may be. Not every play aired is Anghan Terha or Ashyana, but we do get to watch the likes of Pyar e Afzal or Sang e Mar Mar in a year or half. Then why is it that screenwriters, which once used to be household names, now struggle to get half a ton followers on twitter?
Hosting:
PTV being the only channel at one time had the responsibility of airing variety of programs; programs that entertained, programs that would educate. So along, with dramas, tutorials and religious shows, talk shows provided a likeable option to the producers. Being a state run channel, discussing politics, and that too without controversy, would have been a tough job (thankfully). As a result, culture, arts and philosophy formed the preferred pool of topics for discussion, and who else could do these better than writers. ‘Zaavia’, a very famous show, which focused on social issues, was hosted by the legendary playwright Ashfaq Ahmad. Ashfaq Ahmad, who had already gained popularity in the masses with his radio show ‘Talqeen Shah’, augmented his status as an intellectual through it and is still considered a popular reference of wisdom in populace.
Anwar Maqsood, another eminent screenwriter and probably the most prolific as well, hosted a number of shows. Along with Moin Akhtar, the duo gave some of the most unforgettable satire performances of the television history. His sharp wit made him a popular choice for hosting shows of ceremonious nature.
But today, the nature of TV shows has undergone a drastic change. With political talk shows achieving the status of rating magnets, the caliber of the host is measured in decibels and the one who can yell the loudest, gets the job.
Involvement:
It is said, while writing plays, Fatima Surriya Bajjiya would move to PTV headquarters with her belongings. She would write, eat, sleep, and sometimes knit sweaters there. While doing so, she also served as a consultant. Anybody facing a problem regarding content or linguistics would consult her. Such level of involvement was a major factor in consolidating the position of writers as authority figures.
In contrast to that, a good number of dramas made today are adaptations of novels. The job of the novelist mostly ends with the consent to allow dramatization and any further involvement seems unnecessary. Trims and cuts are handled by the content team which can do the job more effectively and at a better pace. The writer might not even get to visit the set. Compare this to the scenario of Adnan Siddiqui and Mishi Khan getting pronunciation classes from Surriya Bajjiya before a play.
Ceremonies:
With a total of 7 dramas being aired in a week, one would often come across a function to celebrate a serial’s ending where the cast and the production team would share their experience of the dramatization process. Such ceremonies were aired sometimes before the start of the play as well. It was there when the viewers were most likely to know about the writer. With a deluge of dramas released in a calendar year by every major production house, it has become nearly impossible to host such grandiose events for every drama and the tradition has been replaced with private success parties. Thus, the very prudent looking writer explaining his inspiration on screen is replaced by an ill trimmed shoddy guy sitting in a distant corner at a private party lamenting about the trouble he faced after the guard at the entrance refused to recognize him.
There might be other factors including following earned through journalism (Munnu Bhai, Ata ul Haq Qasmi) which might have given the wordsmiths their well deserved recognition. However, while it is without doubt that the veterans enjoyed limelight unlike contemporary writers; those of today seem to get better take-homes for their toils.
Ceremonies:
With a total of 7 dramas being aired in a week, one would often come across a function to celebrate a serial’s ending where the cast and the production team would share their experience of the dramatization process. Such ceremonies were aired sometimes before the start of the play as well. It was there when the viewers were most likely to know about the writer. With a deluge of dramas released in a calendar year by every major production house, it has become nearly impossible to host such grandiose events for every drama and the tradition has been replaced with private success parties. Thus, the very prudent looking writer explaining his inspiration on screen is replaced by an ill trimmed shoddy guy sitting in a distant corner at a private party lamenting about the trouble he faced after the guard at the entrance refused to recognize him.
There might be other factors including following earned through journalism (Munnu Bhai, Ata ul Haq Qasmi) which might have given the wordsmiths their well deserved recognition. However, while it is without doubt that the veterans enjoyed limelight unlike contemporary writers; those of today seem to get better take-homes for their toils.
When Sohai Ali Abro appeared in her very first drama Saat Pardon mein, she was acting opposite great actors Mikaal Zulfiqar and Alyy Khan – her acting and good looks won over the audience. Since then she has worked in some huge projects that include popular dramas like Rishtay Kuch Adhorey. The girl then went on to do films and was highly appreciated for her performances. Sohai is now all set to make her television come back opposite the leading star Azfar Rehman in Urdu 1’s upcoming drama ‘Kaisi Yeh Paheli’.
The teasers of the play released recently and there isn’t much we know about the story but it surely seems to be something different than usual stereotypical dramas. Azfar Rehman disclosed that it’s going to be an intense love story. The first teaser shows Sohai’s character as a fun loving, free spirited girl. The second teaser makes things more intense with a dramatic twist.
The play has been directed by Fahim Burney and apart from Azfar and Sohai, the cast also includes Durdana Butt, Qazi Wajid, Samina Ahmad, Sana Askari, Farah Nadeem, Haira khan, Saleem Sheikh, Ayesha Khan, Shaheen Khan and Sundas Tariq.
Actors these days are known to undergo extreme body transformations and donning different look for roles – to get into the ‘skin’ of their characters, and we have seen many actors doing so. Fawad Khan’s transformation from fit to fat for his upcoming film had already rose our expectations.
Bilal Lashari of ‘Waar’ fame was taking up the herculean task of rebooting Pakistani cult classic ‘Maula Jatt’, with Fawad Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi as Maula Jatt and Noori Nath, and we couldn’t contain our happiness to see these too hunks in a different avatar.
Hamza Ali Abbasi has jumped into the bandwagon of getting into the role and is apparently working on a whole new look for his upcoming film. We’ve seen him with beard and mustaches a million times but this time he’s looking really different with those bushy mustache and slick back hair and we are sure that the film is surely going to be a power packed one.
Agha Ali who is currently wining hearts with his amazing performance as a bad boy in Andaz-e-sitam, is now geared up to appear in a totally different avatar, and will surely cast his magic again.
Agha Ali will be seen in Urdu 1’s Valentines Day special telefilm ‘Yeh Ishq Nahi Asaan’ and the female lead opposite him is Khoobsurat fame Zarnish Khan. These two will pair up for the first time and we’re already expecting a beautiful chemistry.
Besides, Agha and Zarnish, the telefilm will feature veteran actress Bushra Ansari too, who’ll be seen in her hilarious mode once again.
Being a Valentine Day special, the telefilm will air on 14th February 2017, Tuesday at 8:00 pm.
Ohkay so, it was yet another interesting episode of Khuda Aur Mohabbat. Everything that they have shown so far makes so much of sense & is a realistic portrayal of what one goes through when their beloved passes away. Also, it just doesn’t stop there because all those people who are related to the one suffering want to do everything to bring them out of their misery & this episode showed that beautifully as to how Hammad was making himself suffer & how his friends & family were trying to do everything to bring him back to normal. This episode had a very beautiful conversation to its credit & that turned out to the highlight of this episode for me.
So, Hammad’s family finally wanted Hammad to come back but just because Kamran & Ebaad could understand what he was going through, they decided to support his decision every step of the way. Hammad knew he lost everything & he was in a lot of pain, that is why he was trying to cope up with it his way & unfortunately, Hammad knew that being with his family will only make his heart ache more because deep down he still blames his family & Imaan’s father for what happened. Hammad got to read the last few words that Imaan left documented in a letter for him & he couldn’t believe that he will get Imaan’s message not after her marriage but after her death. Hammad’s reaction while reading that letter was so heart-wrenching, it depicted how helpless he felt & how depressed he was that his beloved was no more.
I loved seeing that Hammad didn’t have to compromise on his pride or his promise to return to his family. It was his family, especially his father & his mother & also Molvi Aleemuddin, who had to come personally to request him to return, while admitting that Hammad won, his love for Imaan won. Hammad couldn’t help but remember Imaan’s words where she understood that in order to return, he might have to take his words back & it might put a dent on his image showing that he couldn’t stand by his decision but it wasn’t the case. I loved that right till the end, it wasn’t Hammad who showed any eagerness in returning to his old life but rather, the parents of both Hammad & Imaan had to walk towards him to bring him back. My heart sank when I heard Molvi Aleemuddin admit that Hammad proved his pure intentions & his purest form of love that he had for Imaan because I just kept on wondering that he was a little too late & how different things would have been if he had accepted his defeat & Hammad’s success before Imaan died!
So, that one such character who has left such a great impact in Hammad’s life, he is probably the favorite character in this drama after Hammad for most of us & he is the one who till date has only 2 scenes to his credit, he was back in this episode & yes, I am talking about the traveler who met Hammad when he only had his love for Imaan but not the love of Allah in his life & now again, when Hammad had lost that love. That man knew that Hammad was a lost soul who needed some guidance & this time around, he again knew that Hammad was lost & he needed some direction. I think it is beautiful that without having any screen-time or any part in the rest of the story, that one character changes the course of Hammad’s life a great deal. He helped Hammad before & he was back to help Hammad once again. All the things that he told Hammad were absolutely beautiful & left a huge impact in Hammad’s life. He tried to make Hammad understand that he didn’t have to visit Imaan’s grave everyday to prove that he has her in his heart, which was right. Also, I loved how beautifully he conveyed it to Hammad that may be he has a bigger purpose in his life, that is why it was only Imaan who left this world & not him. I am sure now as the course of life will take place, Hammad will find a bigger purpose, a real purpose of his life & he will then realize what this traveler meant. I loved how their conversation ended on a very personal yet sweet note, it is good to see that Hammad also has another person rooting for him & wishing him well!
I found a little editing glitch in this episode & it was related Narmeen. When she met Hammad the moment he returned to his home, she spoke about her fiancé & compared him to Hammad but a few scenes later when Abrina & Narmeen are shown talking, Abrina insists that Narmeen & Hammad still stand a chance, where Narmeen clearly tells Abrina that her family can choose anyone for her but she won’t get married to Hammad because she can not connect to him & doesn’t think she deserves a guy like him. I think they should’ve switched the order of these conversations to make a point that despite trying, Abrina couldn’t convince Narmeen & then Narmeen moved on in her life by getting engaged to someone else. Also, I so so so wish they had chosen someone else to play the role of Hammad’s friend Reby, I think so far every single actor has performed really well but she is the only weakling in this drama, she showed her acting skills (if any) in Dhaani so I knew not much would’ve changed & I was right. Yes, they must’ve chosen her to fit the image of a Pakistani girl residing in USA because of her accent & stuff but I think Kanza Wayne would’ve been a better option because this particular actress can’t really act. I really hope she has some limited scenes in the remaining episodes!
Overall, this episode was interesting. It is good to see that Hammad himself is trying to be normal in front of his family but at the back of his mind he knows that he has one such place where he can go & pour his heart out without feeling guilty. Hammad understands that his family is having a hard time seeing him like that, that is why he doesn’t really display any sort of emotions in front of them. It was good to see Hammad’s parents finally acting like parents where they were concerned for him & were trying to walk an extra mile to make him feel better & bring him back to normal.
Ohkay, I think I have ignored it for a long time & even though the usage of those lyrics has been limited in this season but I think I really need to address that issue. I totally understand that they are showing some extreme form of love that any man can feel for a woman but I really think in order to showcase that, they shouldn’t violate the boundaries that shouldn’t be touched. I don’t usually use this word but I hate, yes I hate these lyrics & cringe every single time I hear them where it says ‘mere mehboob ki surat mai Rabb dekhoon to kya samjhoon…mera Qibla tu, Kaba hai mera, meri mannat hai’, like yes, we all are a fan of the love they have shown but to compare a mere human being to a Creator & to associate the symbols that are related to the worshiping of The Almighty to a human being is a big NO NO. I really wish they stop using that particular piece to showcase how much Hammad loves Imaan because you know what, we all know, by now we all are well aware of that & we have clearly gotten the message of love that you guys are trying to convey & yes, I admit that I am a fan of their love story too but there’s a thin line which shouldn’t be crossed just to show the level of the love one human being can feel for another. Anyways, I loved the scene where Hammad reads Imaan’s letter & cries helplessly & touches it because it reminds him of the fact that this is something that was personally sent to Hammad by her. All the actors have done a brilliant job & yes, I totally appreciate that lack of to & fro & the flashbacks in this episode. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Khuda Aur Mohabbat.
The pace of the drama has slowed down but every episode shows how Mahi’s decision to keep her child and to raise him like any other child has enabled Noor to achieve so much. Noor has his complexes, there are times when he finds it impossible to be strong and he is also curious to know more about his father, all these features of his personality make his character more human. The fact that Noor is flawed but has still managed to achieve so much makes me like his character even more. Everything Noor said to his father was something which every individual out there who hates people like Noor needed to hear. Noor’s decision to build a school for children like him was one of the best developments in this episode. This development went to show what a huge difference people like Noor can make if they are given a chance. Noor understands the struggles of children like him better than anyone else and is also in a position to do something to change their lives for the better.
Mahi finally decided to sign the divorce papers. After so many years she is finally willing to make a decision which she thinks is good for her and her son. This particular track of the story is somewhat difficult to relate to. It shouldn’t have taken Mahi this long to accept the fact that Zain wasn’t the ideal partner for her and Zain also made it quite easy for her to fall out of love with him. One of the most gratifying developments in this episode was watching Kashmala realize that some things were beyond her control. Although this did not change her attitude towards Noor or even Sanam but gradually she is beginning to realize that sometimes fate has its own way of teaching some people lessons. Zain is another person who so far has learned very little from his mistakes.
Noor’s meeting with his grandfather worked for me because I am so into Noor’s character and feel for him. Also, it was definitely great watching H admitting that sometimes staying silent and not doing whatever you can to help those you love is the biggest mistake. It also explained his stance and why he chose to stay “neutral” all these years. Noor finally has another family member who is willing to accept him whole heartedly. I am still wondering why Noor’s relationship with his cousin has been relegated to the background and why there is more focus on his relationship with his new friend.
Mikael’s relationship with Noor and in fact the relationship of all those people in Noor’s life who have supported and loved him all these years is one of the most endearing aspects of this drama. Like every other episode of Khuda Mera Bhi Hai, this one too wasn’t perfect but even then Noor’s journey and the tracks of the people associated with him keep my interest alive. I am waiting for the day when Zain will apologize to Mahi and Noor. He is already suffering but right now there is no change in his behavior towards Noor.
How many of you watched this latest episode? Do share your thoughts about it.
Pakistan’s Oscar winning documentary director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has been named as one of the ambassadors of the Violence against Women Centre (VAWC).
Chief Minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit Director General Salman Sufi on Friday announced the selection of two ambassadors for Violence Against Women Centres (VAWC).
He announced, renowned Oscar winning film-maker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and Violence Against Women worker Rubina Shaheen as the ambassadors for their initiative aimed at eradicating violence against women in Punjab.
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy was the first Pakistani to win two Academy awards, six Emmy Awards and to have directed Pakistan’s first animated film, 3 Bahadur. She is the first Pakistani artist to co-chair world economic forum. Sharmeen has always tried to maintain peace and work towards woman empowerment through her films.
The second ambassador, Rubina Shaheen has worked as part of Dastak Foundation since the past 23 years and has constantly been on the front-line as a Women Protection Officer.
After 3 Bahadur and Burkha Avenger, another Pakistani animated series is coming your way. Tick Tock is based on true events and aims to educate children on history. Ghulam Moheudin, Alyy Khan, Ahsan Khan and Maria Memon lent their voices to bring the characters to life.
Tick Tock is produced by Sana Tauseef, while the script is written by Omair Alavi. It is directed by Muhammad Asim. Fuzon’s Emu is set to produce the film’s music and background score. The second teaser of the series released recently and is as impressive as the first one and Tick Tock surely promises to be a visual treat. The release date is still unknown but the teaser is here to give us a pleasant surprise.
PSL season 2 kicked off on February 9th and there are many controversies surrounding it but is still the talk of the town. Celebrities are supporting their teams in full swing and we are loving their love and passion for cricket.
One of the handsome actors Bilal Ashraf and gorgeous Mehwish Hayat are leaving no stone unturned in supporting Lahore Qalandars. Jazz has collaborated with the duo for a short yet cool promotional campaign. So Guys Game On Hai, Tayyar Ho Jao!
Directed by: Haissam Hussain Screenplay: Haissam Hussain and Saad Azhar Dialogues: Saad Azhar Produced By: Sadia Jabbar – Chaudhry M. Arshad Cast: Osman Khalid Butt, Ainy Jaffri Rehman, Sadaf Kanwal, Mustafa Ali Khan, Asal Din Khan, Durdana Butt, Abid Kashmiri, Javed Sheikh, Shafqat Cheema, Khurram Pataras, Adeel Hashmi and others.
I am going to be honest, I did not expect anything grand from this film mainly because of the fact that it isn’t always easy making an exceptional film when there is nothing novel about the plot but after watching Balu Mahi I am not only pleasantly surprised but also in awe of how much the Balu Mahi team managed to achieve. Balu Mahi pleased the Lahori in me, yes Lahore has never looked better on screen and has probably never been captured so immaculately on the big screen. It also pleased the demanding cinemagoer in me because it proved be a thoroughly entertaining film right from the get-go. Balu Mahi also satisfied the aesthete in me because this film is exceptionally beautiful on so many levels. Most importantly it completely gratified the Pakistani in me; watching Pakistani cinema come this far is something to take pride in. This film goes to show that a visionary director with the right team can create magic on screen – literally!
Balu Mahi’s main plot might not be novel but the screenplay, dialogues and the scenes are definitely brand new. Also, it isn’t just a love story but a film which also has a strong message in the end which is put forward in a subtle yet impactful manner. Balu Mahi is filled with scenes which are shot so beautifully and faultlessly that they look like scenes from an enchanting animation. Each frame is detailed; the background, the lighting, the get up of the leads and their expressions make this film a visual treat. Some of these shots will actually stay with you long after you are done watching this film. Osman Khalid Butt and Ainy Jaffrey Rehman prove that they have what it takes to set the big screen on fire; they are bound to blow you away with their flawless, honest and impressive performances. The sizzling chemistry between the leads and their journey makes you root for them and you sit there waiting for the time when they will finally fall in love with each other.
The director Haissam Hussain succeeded completely in exploring Lahori life, its culture, its landmarks and Pakistan’s beauty in general to the maximum. The best thing about this film is that apart from being extremely enticing, it also has made in Pakistan and proud to be Pakistani written all over it. Balu Mahi is the kind of film which you can watch more than once even though it is slightly stretched in the end and has some toilet humor which wasn’t really needed but overall it is surely going to win you over. It is one of the best films I have watched in recent times. Go watch this film with your friends, it will make you laugh and it will make you cry. Balu Mahi will be just as entertaining even if you watch it alone because it is an absolute paisa wasool film which will keep you glued to your seats even during the intermission!
Osman Khalid Butt does not only have a definite screen presence as Balu but he emotes so well that you forget that he is acting. He makes his character even more attractive because of his faultless performance. Ainy Jaffrey looks beautiful and plays the playful, strong yet sensitive Mahi with precision. A big shout out and special thanks to the person in charge of make up who gave Osman Khalid Butt the perfect look and accentuated Ainy Jaffrey’s natural beauty without going overboard. Sadaf Kanwal wasn’t exactly impressive and she failed to bring out the best in her character. Durdana Butt proved once again that she is a great entertainer and so did Javaid Sheikh.
All the songs in the film are not just beautifully composed and sung but they have also been placed well and shot perfectly. Balu Mahi is a complete entertainer with some of the most endearing performances to its credit. It is the kind of romantic film you fall in love with instantly. I am looking forward to Osman Khalid Butt and Ainy Jaffri’s next film already – the silver screen loves them and so will you! Sadia Jabbar is another person to look out for, all her projects are always impressive. I can’t praise Haissam Hussain enough because at the end of the day it was his brain child and he nailed it!
Pakistan’s left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Irfan has been accused of involvement in corruption. The bowler represents Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League and also played in the game against Peshawar Zalmi, clinching two wickets. Irfan has not been suspended by the board, and will continue to play until the final orders.
Earlier, there were some media reports that Mohammad Irfan was also expelled from PSL and he was being sent home. However, following the PCB’s announcement that Irfan was not suspended, the left-arm fast bowler travelled with his Islamabad United teammates to the stadium for the match against Lahore Qalandards.
In case you didn’t know, Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif, the players of Islamabad United franchise (same as Irfan) were also suspected to be involved in corruption. Earlier reports suggested these two were also provisionally suspended and sent back home after receiving an order under the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Anti-Corruption code. .
An official of PCB confirmed Geo News, that three players Mohammad Irfan of Islamabad United, Zulfiqar Babar of Quetta Gladiators and Shahzaib Hasan of Karachi Kings were questioned by the PCB’s anti-corruption unit.
“As a part of the investigations, Mohammad Irfan was also questioned. He does not face any immediate suspension. PCB’s ACU has also questioned Shahzaib Hasan and Zulfiqar Babar. They will continue to play the PSL,”said PCB in a statement.
PCB says that Mohammad Irfan has been questioned as part of the ongoing investigation & does not face any immediate suspension #HBLPSLpic.twitter.com/meoa6Nx3dT
According to Express Tribune, a total of six players have been involved in the misconduct, although only two of them have been currently identified. Apart from Islamabad United, players from the Lahore Qalandards and Quetta Gladiators teams are being investigated for the same. Their names will be confirmed once the whole investigation is complete.
Animals in Pakistan are never getting their rights and are at times treated brutally. One such incident that occurred recently was when stray dogs were killed for no reason.
Many celebrities are speaking up against the ill treatment of animals in Pakistan and the recent one joining the list is Anoushey Ashraf. She has been officially declared as the new ambassador of WWF, which is a leading organization in wildlife conversation and endangered species.
The excited Anoushey shared the news on Instagram and stated, “I can use this WWF platform for animals and our environment. It was my childhood dream to save the animals, plants and environment in Pakistan and it’s finally happening.”
The nominations of International Pakistan Prestige Awards are out. This is the second year of these awards and they are set to choose the best performances of the industry this year. The awards are expected to air soon and the teasers are already creating buzz.
One of the popular actors Gohar Rasheed has received the nomination for the best supporting actor for his role in Mann Mayyal. Though the competition he is facing is quite tough, but he did not hold back to share his happiness. He took to social media to express his joy over the nomination he received.
Urdu 1’s upcoming telefilm promises to be musical and different. The telefilm titled ‘Noor’ is penned by highly acclaimed Umera Ahmed, who needs no introduction and has penned some amazing dramas.
Noor will be romantic musical telefilm featuring 5 original soundtracks, and the cast includes Noor Khan opposite Asim Azhar in the lead roles. Asim Azhar is famous for his mesmerizing voice and will pull our emotional strings yet again. The leads have earlier paired up for a music video, and we loved the chemistry they shared.
Noor is a telefilm that is realistic and reflects on the journey every person has to take in their life. It is a poetic venture which is an integration of the music and television industry. Directed by Misbah Khalid, Noor will air soon on Urdu 1.
There are stories of celebrities getting trolled every now and then. Recently it was Momina Mustehsan and now it’s cricketer Umer Akmal who has become a prey for all the trolls.
Apparently, he shared a video on his Twitter account in which he is grooving to the tune of Ali Azmat’s “Pappu Yar” and people trolled him like anything possible.
Pakistan Super League kicked off last night in Dubai’s stadium with a spectacular opening ceremony. ‘Ring of Fire’ – the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, which is to host a large chunk of the fixtures, was decked up for the big night, which was full of the stars and fun. No stone was left unturned to make the ceremony even more eventful as there was everything, from dance to patriotism to singing performances. So, here are the highlights of PSL season 2 opening ceremony.
Flying drummers and showcasing the cultures of PSl teams
The show rolled in with some flying drummers which was absolutely amazing and breathtaking, followed by a beautiful dance performance that showcased the culture of five different cities, Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta.
Shaggy’s bombastic performance
Jamaican reggae icon Shaggy rocked the stage as crowd groves with him on his 1995 hit number ‘Boombastic’ as well as other tracks.
Ali Zafar and Shehzad Roy rising the standards with their performance
Kudos to these two for giving such an astonishing performance and making the night even more beautiful. Ali Zafar who composed and sang the anthem previous year, performed at the ceremony this year too and promoted his film! Shehzad Roy’s balay balay was one of the best things happened at the event, and the crowd couldn’t help but swoon over his voice.
Tribute to Junaid Jamshed
Late Junaid Jamshed’s iconic song Dil Dil Pakistan was played at the ceremony and it was perhaps a fitting tribute to the legend who lost his life in a tragic plane crash.
Fahad Mustafa’s hosting
Fahad Mustafa is probably one of the best hosts we have right now, because his energy made the event even more lively.
Islamabad United’s thrilling victory
The match was delayed due to rain, nevertheless the defending champions Islamabad United chased down a challenging total of 190 for 9 set by Peshawar Zalmi and won by seven wickets with two balls to spare. It was a moment of joy for the United fans out there.
Last but not the least, a remarkable display of fireworks
The grand display of fireworks was nothing less than a visual feast. Those massive fireworks illuminated Dubai’s sky and closed the ceremony.
This sums up all the highlights of the opening ceremony of PSL season 2. What did you liked the most from this super energetic event? Do share your thoughts.
Update on the current match: Quetta Gladiators defeated Lahore Qalandars by 8 runs. Hasan Khan is declared the man of the match.
The dusk of Thursday evening witnessed an amazing red carpet event of the most anticipated film Balu Mahi. Ever since the trailer of Balu Mahi released, it received immense appreciation and was the latest talk of the town. The premiere was nothing less than a star studded event with star cast of the film that includes Safad Kanwal, Osman Khalid Butt and Ainy Jaffri, besides the cast, many popular celebrities were also present at the event.
Valentine’s day just around the corner and someone is set to make a comeback, Yes you guessed it right, Taher Shah once again set to return on Valentine’s Day with a new message or song.
The singer took to Twitter and announced the news to his fans, whom he referred to as ‘angelic fans’.
Dear All,
Valentines Day Gift Of Honor Coming Soon For Worldwide Angelic Fans.
It is not yet clear whether he’s releasing a song or just a message like he did previously, but one can only guess and wait for him to break the ice. However, we know that whatever he releases will surely become the talk of the town.
In this modern era of technology, a layman has access to every sort of required information since the world became a global village a long time ago and we now have a quick access to every happening around the globe. The entertainment purpose of media is somehow most admirable aspect since it provides you with diversity of programs and it’s totally up to us now that which program and channel we opt for when it comes to ‘Television’. There will be hardly any house where people have no access to TV since it has now become a part of our daily lives. Besides having an entertainment purpose, it is also serving as a mode of awareness and producers are making serious efforts to convey important messages and portraying social hardships along with their solutions. But in this process, we have forgotten that it’s a matter of huge responsibility and any negligence in it will cause drastic effects not only on young generation but the mature people will also fall a prey to it since the content shown settles down in our subconscious and it’ll be visible when the time comes. While conveying social issues and the topics of great sensitivity, the makers should keep some aspects in mind and the most important of it is not to ‘sensationalize’ and ‘glamorize’ anything since the purpose is to eliminate the disease and not to spread it further. We often see people indulged in the debate of ‘whether to show it or not’? But it has always been about ‘How to show it’ because the difference lies there. The makers should keep this thing in mind that family entertainment has some kind of limitations and people don’t turn on the TV to get uncomfortable while watching it with rest of the family. Following are the few aspects that should be taken care of before touching the topics of sensitivity and awareness:
Appropriate Dialogues:
When you opt for something controversial, you do have understanding of its pros and cons and the best time to eliminate the cons is the time when the dialogues are penned down. People of this age are intelligent enough to grab what the writer is trying to convey and there is no need to go overboard. The writers should leave something for our imagination and there is absolutely no need to show every conversation. Andaz e Sitam is a recent play which went on-air and 5 or 6 episodes have passed and I came across such conversations which I think no one would prefer to watch with his family. I couldn’t grab the purpose behind writing that lame and stupid conversation when we could easily figure out what it was all about without this conversation shown & when we try to speak against it they say it’s happening around us. Who’s denying its happening but can’t they demonstrate it in a more appropriate way? The writers must know how to write dialogues of educational value without letting them go cheesy or unethical!
Unnecessary Physical Contact:
This ingredient is the least required thing when it comes to conveying social message but if you want to glamorize the scene and sensationalize the entire scenario, nothing will work better than this! We have innumerable examples where makers have opted for this thing and the purpose was surely not to ‘Raise Awareness’ but to raise TRP’s. Let’s suppose if the message to be conveyed requires this aspect to be covered, still there is no need to add the romantic element in it since it kills the whole purpose. People actually start rooting for such things to happen instead of thinking it as an evil which should be eliminated. A recent example is ‘Sangat’ and I find no need to elaborate what they showed because we all already know. A victim herself going to a molester for guidance? I just want to know what purpose it served? What kind of message it was?
Giving Solution to a Problem:
Taking any problem and demonstrating it will solve nothing but will just give you a head ache. We all have enough problems of our own & nobody wants to be turned into a depressed soul but many of us do consider content which not only raises issues while keeping them light and not going dark & depressing all the time but also provides best possible solutions. It’s just like re-writing the question in exams won’t earn you marks but giving an answer will. Some problems are understood and almost everyone knows that they exist. How to cope up with such issues & how to survive through them should be highlighted more than the problem itself. The makers should focus more on the elimination aspect without letting the things go dark & depressing altogether.
The Choice of Subject:
Some issues are seriously not issues but they are actually self-created. The subject should be easy to relate and should belong to the society we live in. Highlighting the problems which actually don’t exist is promoting them & inviting a group of people to experience them. Recently in KGBH series we saw two women in a relationship. This was absolutely rubbish to say the least! Like what made the writer think that dealing with such an issue in the most absurd way possible will raise awareness? Let’s suppose this evil prevails in our society, although I am sure it doesn’t, still showing it on TV will be the worst decision as it doesn’t hold any entertainment value neither any educational value! And it would be a lot better if it would have been shown in a negative light but it was handled so lightly and director’s easy going approach clearly told us how seriously he took this sensitive issue!
Educational Value:
The content should at least have some educational value. The fruitfulness of good deeds and the fate wrong do-er meets at the end should be loud and clear so that viewers can extract some lesson and the people indulged in such activities in real can ponder over what they are doing! Maybe such things don’t happen in real but showing the absolute reality is not necessary at times because making a whole drama and then leaving the actual message vague and unclear is not what we all want. Dramas like ‘Udaari’ are a perfect example of dealing with such issues intelligently. There we saw a long struggle of a victim but that ended up on a hope. Raising ‘Hope’ should be the purpose instead of shattering the left over hopes in the real victims. The ‘survivors’ should be the prime focus.
The ‘Forced’ Damsel in Distress:
The miseries should be real and not forced. Most of the times, we want to hit the protagonist with a brick rather than feeling for her. Who on Earth doesn’t break silence and takes everything like nothing is happening? Forced marriages on gun point are a latest trend and as far as I remember ‘Gul e Rana’ is the trend setter and now same is happening in Andaz e Sitam. I still remember how I wanted to punch Gul e Rana right on her face when she remained quiet and didn’t tell her family what Adeel did to her. There should have been at least one good reason behind being Allah miyan ki Gaye while she was a Dakoo Rani otherwise. So they are promoting a new trend i.e, Shadi on Gun point. This is not a social issue whatsoever and the type of woman empowerment they were trying to show was killed and overshadowed at the exact moment when Gul e Rana chose to remain silent and didn’t take any legal action.
So these were the few aspects which I think should be taken into consideration while dealing with sensitive issues so that they can serve the purpose they are made for otherwise they will have more harms than benefits.
Ohkay so, these 2 episodes of Nazr e Bad were quite interesting. I really must say that the approach of the writer & the director has been spot on & every single concept or event that they are showing has so much reality embedded in it that you just don’t feel that you are being shown things for the sake of drama. The way the story has unfolded so far goes to show the grip that the writer has on the script. The only fear I have while watching this drama is that usually & mostly 9PM dramas tend to slow down & lose the pace after a number of episodes, so I really hope that isn’t the case with Nazr e Bad. I think if they will slow everything down & will continue to focus on the negativity that Parvez is instigating then this drama will become a little too depressing to watch, so let’s hope they keep things short & to the point!
These episodes pretty much revolved around Maham & Aftab’s marriage & the proposal. While everyone in Maham’s family was happy that Maham was finally going to get engaged, Almas’s family was doing everything in their might to stop that from happening. Almas believes in doing things stealthily whereas Shahista takes the front foot & tries to manipulate things her way. Almas & Shahista have become a formidable team & sadly, Nusrat has no one to her rescue. Sadly even Salma is not thrilled with the idea of Aftab & Maham’s marriage but what’s irritating about her is that she never openly says anything about it, but tries to manipulate her son & her husband to talk them out of this proposal.
Even though I quite didn’t understand why Aqmal was so bent on having Maham around when he came to propose Maham for Aftab but later when he had a conversation with Maham, I then realized that he wanted to be sure because even he was having some doubts in his mind about the rumors of link up between Maham & Parvez. At first I thought that may be Maham won’t be able to speak up because she will be shocked with what she was hearing from her uncle but it was good that she shared her decision that how she wanted to get married to Aftab & not Parvez.
Parvez friend or shall I say his enemy got him in contact with a magician who he thinks can make anything possible. At first, the magician tried to test Parvez as he wanted to see how eager he was but then even though he took Parvez into training, he made sure to get Parvez familiar will all sorts of consequences that he will have to face once he will touch this darkest dimension. The magician showed Parvez the sufferings of his wife & his adopted son & without beating around the bush, he came clean by telling that these are the consequences he is facing for being involved in black magic but just because Parvez is blinded by his obsession with Maham, he didn’t budge & persisted the man to teach him everything that might bring Maham into his life. I think more than the magician wants to help Parvez, he is actually trying to find peace for himself because like he said, this magic doesn’t let one die unless & until the practitioner passes it on to someone. Parvez definitely has emerged as a stooge who is ready to succeed the magician that is why he is teaching him everything to make himself scot-free! I must say all those scenes where they showed Parvez trying his hands on the magic were intense, scary & disturbing but were quite realistic because for the magicians, their first ever playground is usually the graveyard!
Almas decided to speak to Aftab & plant a seed of doubt in his heart against Maham & she was successful in her attempt. It was for the first time that Nusrat lost her calm & decided to tell both Shahista & Almas off. I really don’t understand when Nusrat has seen what Almas is capable of, especially after the amulet that she discovered in Maham’s room, why doesn’t she convince her husband to move to some other place where her family can live in peace & away from Almas & her antics. The way Ateeq reacted on Maham & Aftab’s news was quite amusing, like who is so obsessed with getting their loser son married to a girl who deserves so much better that they end up throwing tantrums at those who choose something better for their daughter?
Aftab’s reaction was something that Maham couldn’t cope up with because she had no explanation & no reasoning to make him understand why she hid the fact from him that Maham was the girl Parvez was in love with. Last week when Maham decided to keep it a secret from Aftab, that was when I knew that this is most certainly going to create a rift between the two. It was good that despite Salma’s attempt of talking him out of his decision, Aqmal chose to stick with his word & decided to have a conversation with Aftab where he could put things into perspective. Aqmal knows that Almas & Shahista are upto no good & they will do everything to create misunderstanding between the two families, that is why he made Aftab realize that he shouldn’t pay heed to all these rumors & should have faith in what Allah has chosen for him. I will say, that father son conversation was definitely the best part of the episode.
Overall, these two episodes were pretty good & so far the way things have been tackled, I am definitely looking forward to what is yet to come. Sadly, Parvez’s family will start seeing the consequences of Parvez’s doings but Parvez still won’t stop because he is so bent on achieving his target, I can’t even begin to imagine when he will stop & at what cost? All the actors performed brilliantly in these episodes too, so far everyone has made their characters seem very realistic & relate-able. All the actors have owned their characters & that is why the chemistry between all of them makes them seem like an actual family dealing with different issues. The direction has been pretty good so let’s hope things continue with the same pace. Please share your thoughts about these two episodes of Nazr e Bad.
Ohkay so, this episode of Sang e Marmar was a little too slow in comparison to all the previous episodes that we have seen so far, but I still had a great time watching it, only because these characters have evolved in front of us a great deal & have given us so much of warmth that it feels you’re watching your own people & their lives unfolding in front of you. I think it is amazing that where they gave a lot of coverage to who Gulistan used to be, they are now taking their time in showing what is he trying to be. This episode revolved around the subject of Aurang’s marriage & the reaction of all the ladies, I feel may be the outcome will be different to what we are being shown right now because this drama has always been unpredictable & that makes it even more exciting where at this stage, we all are still left guessing & wondering about what is in store for us! What an amazing journey it has been so far!
Seriously, who does Sherbano think she is fooling? She tried really hard to convince Da Jee to prevent Aurang Palwasha’s marriage from happening but she had no idea that Gulistan had made his mind way before. Even though Sherbano tried to use her own marriage as an excuse but she thinks Gulistan doesn’t know her & that is her biggest mistake. The way Gulistan cut her words short & told her to look after her home went to show that even he is well aware of what Sherbano is capable of. Even though Gulistan was a little too busy all his life taking care of his father’s business, but when it comes to him being a father, he was never oblivious of each one of his children & their personality traits. Gulistan has pretty much lost hope in Sherbano that is why he remains unaffected by what she is doing & what is happening in her life.
What Gulistan did to that stranger went to show that it was his own frustration building inside him that got the better of him. What Gulistan said to that poor fellow were basically the things he was rebuking himself for. Gulistan knows he has wasted his entire life in doing things which weren’t right & now as the time is passing by, each & every single day serves as a reminder to him of the entire time, almost entire life that he has wasted. Even though I didn’t understand the lyrics of that song clearly but I am sure it had everything to do with Gulistan’s Achilles Heel. I also feel that just because Gulistan always had this religious side to him, that know-how has finally taken its course & is helping him in putting things into perspective. Gulistan was always in touch with religion, while still doing something that any child would do, which was following the footsteps of his father without questioning him & without realizing whether it was right or wrong, but now after losing so much, he has finally realized that he has wasted probably his entire life, that is why he finally admitted that despite living such a long life, Baraan Khan didn’t make anything out of it. I loved the conversation Gulistan had with Shireen, he connects with her on a very different level & it is something beautiful to see.
I loved the hug that Aurang & Gulistan shared. Aurang as a son can see the drastic changes in his father. Aurang has seen his father’s both good & bad side. For Aurang, Gulistan was always an embodiment of pride & arrogance but now every single day, Gulistan is changing Aurang’s opinion about himself, that is why Aurang has not only grown closer to him but he has developed a lot of respect for his father too. The way Aurang hugged his father represented how much Aurang feels for him & for all the losses that he has endured.
Palwasha finally got to realize that things were pretty different in Gulistan’s house for her, the vibe that she got from Shireen & Shameem confirmed her worst fears. The conversation that Shireen & Palwasha had was simple but beautiful. I love how the writer plays with these characters & where at one point he might make them seem a little selfish, on the other, he makes them look like a victim too. Shireen did use Gulistan’s name but didn’t honestly say that this is what she also wanted, at that moment, I felt bad for Palwasha, but the next moment when I read Palwasha’s letter to Shireen, I felt bad for Shireen & this is what have always loved about this drama & its characters, that pretty much the very next moment, you get an entirely different perspective & insight into the characters. Shameem has given up on the hope of seeing Palwasha as her daughter in law because she knows that Gulistan will only do as he pleases & since he has already decided that he wants Aurang to get married to Shireen, nothing can change decision now. Somehow I have a feeling that may be the guilt will become overbearing for Shireen & may be she will back out, but let’s see!
I had a good laugh at the Insha Allah that Durkhane’s mother uttered when Durkhane’s mum in law to be spoke about her death, lol. I love the comic timing of all these actors I swear & I will thank the writer for having such an amazing sense of humor. Somehow when I saw Sherbano dancing & Gulistan walking on to that scene, it took me back to how he walked in on Rakshi when she was dancing, like is this another reality check that Gulistan got all of a sudden? Must be!
I had a great time watching this episode. For the first time it seems that the preview that was shown last week was misleading. Throughout this episode I kept on waiting for Gulistan Shameem’s conversation where Gulistan intends to tell her another secret but looks like we’ll have to wait another week. I think Aurang will find out about Gulistan’s decision but let’s see & also, seeing Palwasha all heart-broken, I am interested to see what havoc Torah Khan will create this time around. Uzma Hassan is such a phenomenal actor, like every time she embraces the screen, she makes us all hate Sherbano’s character so much, which goes to show what a powerful actor she is. Sharmeen Ali & Kubra Khan both performed brilliantly as well in this episode. I can’t wait for the next episode already. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Sang e Marmar.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers, Zahra Mirza.
ps: I really wish that the so called #TeamPalwasha will share their opinions respectfully & not only with an intent of disagreeing/arguing with the reviewer. Also, you guys don’t need to gang up to make your voice heard. I hope you guys realize that just like you guys are free to have your own thought process & opinions, similarly, I am entitled to have mine too so when I am not convincing anyone to see the drama through my perspective, you guys shouldn’t as well. I am definitely not in a mood for unnecessary arguments, hope you guys understand! Thanks!
After the ban on Indian movies has been lifted, Pakistani filmmakers have become more active to make sure that locals film are not effected by Bollywood.
Syed Noor, Chairman of Pakistan Film Producers Association organized a meeting for the filmmakers and it was decided that film industry would fight to get equal prime time for Pakistani films in cinemas, who have restarted screening Bollywood films.
According to Film Producers Association, the committee would look into the matters of Pakistani film industry and also decide the matters with Pakistani distributors Association so that no local films face prejudice.
Committee also decided that equal prime time would be taken for the Pakistani films from cinema owners. If new film Balu Mahi that is set to release on February 10, didn’t get equal prime time then entire film industry would reach the court or protest on the roads against the partiality.
Indian films are already screened in Pakistan and the competition for upcoming Pakistani films would be tough and will have to struggle more to collect good collections. Earlier, during the self imposed ban Pakistani films got a chance to get attention of the audience on big screen but cinemas still struggled to survive due to lack of audience attracted to Pakistani films.
A mesmerizing rendition of Pakistan’s national anthem by two young musicians from Kashmir has gone viral.
The four-minute-long video shows the two musicians rendering heavenly music using the musical instruments santoor and rabab. Santoor, a native of Kashmir, is also famously the national instrument of Iran and Rabaab is a plectrum device used to strike these chords, to create musical sounds.
Hindustan Times reported that the two young musicians are Zubair Ahmad, 22, and Umar Majeed, 18. These youngsters rendered Pakistan’s national anthem and took internet by storm.
Mawra Hocane and Sheheryar Munawar, one of the hottest sensations of Pakistani industry were clicked together for a photoshoot. The photoshoot was for a clothing brand and these two were slaying the style game, especially Sheheryar, his rugged look is really cool!
Momina Mustehsan, who is the brand ambassador of Islamabad United, sang for the team’s PSl season 2 song. ‘Cricket jore Pakistan’, was the tagline but the song somehow divided the nation since some liked it and others were extremely disappointed and even trolled her over the auto tuning.
The Afreen Afreen girl has finally opened up on the issue and (indirectly) gave an answer to all the haters out there. She posted Isl United’s song with a caption that says:
‘(sorry to disappoint, but a cricket anthem can’t be “Afreen”. I think versatility makes you grow as an artist anyway ☺️) Here’s to the defending champions, Islamabad United!! #UnitedWeWin’
So my best friend rarely watches dramas. Yes, I know – we made our peace with that, haha. But with her mother in law visiting nowadays and the TV tuned into dramas more often, she mentioned how she was watching Kuch Na Kaho and when I said I review it she asked ‘oh so what’s the deal with Aina? She’s married with a kid but where’s the kid and why’s she with Mohsin?’ When I briefly explained how it happened her reaction (which is the reason I am mentioning this in the first place) made me pause and reflect. She said ‘No way – dhoka!!’ And I thought, wait – dhoka indeed. For us viewers who have seen Aina suffer and Mohsin’s tantrums, although I did feel Aina should have told Mohsin about her past and not kept him in the dark, I somehow did not in my mind view it or word it as a dhoka but in retrospect, it is actually a dhoka – isn’t it? And although I feel at some point Aina’s past will catch up with her and everything will be out in the open and all hell will break loose, even though Mohsin would be justified in his anger, yet I never cared much for his feelings, and how he would think he has been duped and betrayed by not being told of such an important part of Aina’s life.
But having said that, Mohsin’s attitude and behaviour does sort of make you not like him much. His faulty genetic wiring which does not let his mind get in sync with his heart, where he feels he loves Aina and cares for her but does not care to admit it to himself or her or show it was becoming a bit exhausting. It irks me twofold when Mohsin does not trust Aina for yes, she is loyal but the fact that she did actually pull the wool over everyone’s eyes, details of which Mohsin is not exactly privy to, makes me uncomfortable for her and him both. Not judging Aina, whether what all she did was right, wrong or whatever – but oh well.
Aina’s retorts when she twisted her ankle actually made me laugh and her outburst also made me think that she has not totally lost her spirit. Mohsin’s apology (after his conversation with his nicer alter ego) made me hopeful but fast forward, eighteen years and things do not look as rosy as they seemed to make me believe they may be. When Aina looked at Mohsin’s bent head and thought iss ka saath dhoop aur chaoon ka saath hai – jalaye ga bhi aur saaya bhi day ga I thought how apt! Years pass by and either Aina has compromised and mellowed or finally given in and let go of who Aina originally was. Mohsin however seems to be as angry as ever and I winced and muttered ‘oh how low’ when he flung Aina’s past and mistakes in her face and especially the statement of Aina wanting Taabi to make a mistake so that she may fling it back in Mohsin’s face was really below the belt. Even though Aina is not these children’s birth mother, she has done everything for them that a mother can do and it seems like Taabi will be held back for fear that she may repeat what Aina did in her youth (half of which Mohsin is not even aware of – sigh!). Sins of the mother and all that.
I am glad that the time hop has been brought in quickly and I hope whatever is to unfold next is done as skilfully as the director has been dealing with the drama so far. Well, for the most part. Naveen Waqar has totally won me over with her acting and what I can not help but mention is how genuine her expressions and feelings seem to be when she interacts with the children, whether they were babies or grown up now. Also, so relieved to see how wonderfully an older Aina was presented without having to show a dupatta on her head, with the pearl necklace and grey hair which seems to be the go to idea of an older woman in most dramas. The glasses are there, but the parting of the hair, the mellowed nature – I really liked it. I am not the sort to gush over these things but I liked how the director kept it real for Aina was quite young when she married Mohsin so would seem absurd if she was suddenly old and grey.
What I do not understand is how in this day and age Aina has not seen Maaz in so many years. Skype? Whatsapp? I know Mohsin runs a tight ship but surely Aina has a mobile phone now. Or wait, does she?! I can only think that Sajal has deliberately kept Maaz away from Aina as she has not overcome her insecurities but oh well. Did you watch next week’s preview? The new young male character – is that Maaz? I sure as hell hope not – he did not seem very ‘nice’ and poor, poor Aina to have raised three children so well and to have her own child turn out, well not so well! Is it Mohsin’s sister who has come back – maybe he is her child? When after quite a number of episodes, a few new characters are introduced in a drama I often lose interest or it spoils the charm of the play but I am glad this episode did not make me feel that way and looking forward to seeing what happens next week and if Maaz is finally to appear before Aina soon. What did you all think of these episodes? Would love to hear your thoughts.
When I watched the first half of this episode, I thought to myself, finally an episode which does not have that one scene which has been a constant part of every single episode for weeks now; zindagi ooooo zindagi playing in the background while Shehrnaz cries thinking about either Sherry or KK depending on the circumstances. My wishful thinking however turned into a major disappointment yet again at the end of this episode. I thought the writer could get through one episode without showing Shehrnaz crying like a thankless brat but later on when she was willing to accept someone like Sherry only because she was lonely was just plain pathetic!
Sherry’s track was hilarious! He was beghairat enough to let his father in law pay his bills but his ghairat did not allow him to let his wife tell his family the truth. Sherry’s track continues to be the most useless and annoying part of this entire drama because Shehrnaz learned nothing from her experience with him. Also, the way Sara asked for a divorce when she was talking to her father was absurd!
All the main characters in this play just like the lead characters in Mann Mayal are losing their deen emaan pretty quickly. One minute KK was hitting on a girl who is always waiting for someone and the next minute he was standing in front of that billboard thinking about his first meeting with Shehrnaz. Aly Khan has been part of many dramas which were not top-notch but this is the first time that he is a part of a play in which even his character does not have a lot to offer.
Noful is yet another man who will be introduced in Shehrnaz’s life very soon and it looks like KK might be “available” very soon too – then Shehrnaz will have lots of men to choose from, how exciting! Shehrnaz is turning out to be mindless entertainment, a serial which has gone completely downhill and it makes you laugh even when the heroine is crying! Ayeza Khan played the diva who couldn’t care less with perfection in few of the scenes which reminded me why I tuned into and got hooked on to this play in the first place. The viewers have been watching Ayeza Khan cry on screen time and again, watching her play a star with tantrums who couldn’t care less about people would have been a better change than watching her play a star who is lonely!!
With every passing episode Shehrnaz reminds me of Mann Mayal, the only difference is that there was no hype surrounding this play so there weren’t a lot of expectations from it. The first few episodes which were great definitely led me to expect more but now all of us who are watching this show know well enough that this drama will continue to be below average.
How many of you watched this latest installment? Do share your thoughts about it.
For those who are loving Sanam Saeed and Adnan Malik’s chemistry in Dil Banjara are in for a surprise because these two are set to be seen together on silver screen in ‘Cake’. Joining the cast of this upcoming mega venture is Aamina Sheikh.
‘Cake’ will mark Adnan Malik’s debut in Pakistani cinema, while Sanam Saeed and Aamina Sheikh have already proved their mettle with various interesting roles.
It will be Asim Abbasi’s directional debut and has already completed its first spell in Karachi, with a spell in interior Sindh, and London left for the upcoming months.
At a press meet for ‘Cake’, Sanam Saeed revealed that “Although, it’s too early for the story to be revealed, it’s like the layers of life and has a very current feel to it,” revealed Aamina Sheikh. “It’s about coming of age and I feel people of all ages can relate to it.”
Talking about his role and debut in a feature film, Adnan Malik feels that his character is a completely different avatar than what one has seen in the past.
“It’s a fun story and my character is quite different than what you think it would be. I wanted to work with like-minded people and loved this script from the start. I actually shed tears just after reading it,”Adnan revealed.
The director and the cast are aiming for an end of year release but nothing is confirmed yet.
Zahid Ahmed, one of those actors who vowed audiences in a short span of time and managed to be the charming guy next door is all set to be seen opposite Zhalay Sarhadi in Hum tv’s upcoming project ‘Dil-e-Janam’.
Zhalay Sardi has impressed us with her amazing performances and will share screen space with Zahid Ahmed for the first time. The drama is written by Seema Ghazal with direction from Faheem Burney and co-direction by Atif Rathore and is an MD productions. Apart from Zahid and Zhalay, Hina Altaf, Saba Faisal, Shaheen, Usman Peerzada and Shameem Hilali will be seen in supporting roles. HIP got in touch with her to find out more about the Dil e Janam, “It is a very interesting drama as it has a bit of everything from dealing with relationships, work priorities, love, loss, family drama, you name it and this play has it.”
On being asked about her character and why she chose to play it, she shared, “My character is called Asma, she is a career driven woman who is very egoistical and is used to getting what she wants. She is also a woman in love and the combination of the two is deadly. I love doing challenging characters which have many shades. Asma is a real woman with true emotions and not just a symbol of evil or good. I was intrigued by the various colors in her personality and that is what drew me to this play”.
