Pakistan Idol, the most awaited reality show is soon going to hit our TV screens. The show will be judged by some of the most prominent faces of Pakistan Media Industry; the very-versatile Bushra Ansari, the talented female singer Hadiqa Kiyani along side with the Guru of pop-music Ali Azmat. The extra-ordinary judge’s panel is going to scrutinize the singing talent of Pakistan. Pakistan Idol is going to “bestride the narrow ‘music’ world Like a Colossus”.

All music lovers are strong advocate of the thought that singing is an expression of the soul. It rejuvenates your inside. And there can’t be better opportunity to showcase one’s singing talent before the world than participating in an amazing talent show like Pakistan Idol.
The auditions have been carried out aggressively in all the big cities of Pakistan and the talented individuals participated warmly in the world’s top-most talent show. The show’s popularity is climbing to new heights on the social media sites, as well. The auditions were full of energy and confidence to impress the judges but it is hard to say which city will produce the first “Pakistan Idol” and mark his/her name in the history of Pakistan Music Industry.

In big cities like Lahore and Faisalabad which has already produced legends like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and amazing voices like Atif Aslam, was filled with overwhelming performances at the audition’s site. Huge turnover was seen in the big & famous cities of Pakistan. Amazing people, melodious voices and energetic contestants were found in this journey/hunt.
Pakistan Idol is going to be your reprieve from the hardships of daily life. You can kick back and relax and watch as the different participants battle their away on Pakistan Idol.

At a ceremony, Ali Azamt said: “Pakistan has got so much talent but now it has also got a chance to perform before the world. This talent is going to be showcased on the world’s biggest musical show, The Pakistan Idol”

No one imagined that there will be a huge turnover of the participants in the audition sessions. Undoubtedly, the turn-over has proved how badly the youth needed this break-through. Pakistan has produced a number of amazing singing talents of all times and when they were discovered there was hardly any platform for those talented individuals to harness their potentials but today the young and talented people has got a platform to perform and sing their heart out and prove to the world their capabilities and ultimately bring laurels and good-name to Pakistan. Pakistan Idol will play an important role in creating a soft and positive image of Pakistan in the international arena.

One of the participants writes: “Pakistan Idol is a reality show which is provocatively determined to change the music scenario of Pakistani music. The doors of opportunities are opening up to the talented lot like us”

The other shares his view as: “Pakistan Idol” has become the talk of the town. Pakistan Idol posters are being shared and re shared on multiple sites and social media. With such high intensity interest and restless curiosity Pakistani talent is overwhelmed with joyous and accentuated emotions. The reality show will doubtlessly without any hiccups provides us a chance to give our lives a nice and easy take off”

In association with Fremantle Media, Geo TV network has stolen a march upon his friends and foes and has credited Pakistan Idol’s rights to its name.

Imran Aslam, the president of the Geo TV Network, said:

“Pakistan had a history of producing talented musicians across genres. The Geo Network’s endeavour to bring forth talented musicians is a step towards keeping that cherished tradition alive. The Idol will be a platform for people who sing in private, in the bathroom or in small family gatherings. We will bring them together and provide them with the opportunity to showcase their hidden talent”

So, all of you, fasten your belts, the most-awaited reality show is coming your way on GEO.

Don’t forget to drop your comments on how anxiously you are waiting for Pakistan Idol.

Cheers !

S. Rasool

Men- we can’t live with them; can’t live without them. If one were to believe Pakistani dramas, men are unfaithful, abusive, dominating, and yet, they enjoy God-like status. But lately, our dramas have been showcasing a different side of the proverbial strong, confident man. Presenting the new breed of confused, easily swayed, perpetually distraught men. These are the ones who are constantly doubting themselves and their ability to think for themselves. Irrespective of their age, background, and whatever else, these men are mere puppets who are more than willing to have someone else exercise mind control techniques that render them incapacitated. Go on, have a look for yourself:

Tabrez Alam from Adhura Milan– So far, he’s been married three times but his first wife, who is many years his senior has him wrapped around her little finger. He won’t eat, pray, love without her consent. On the plus side, if you can call it that, she orders him to don a sherwani and arranges nikah after nikah for him. How many wives would do that?

Asad from Janam Jali– Surely he must have been drugged as a child. There can be no other rationale to explain his behaviour throughout the serial. So, he marries his college friend and puts her through 8 years of torture at the hands of his mother- abuse in too small a word for what Bee Jee does with his wife, Saima. And then, he marries his cousin at the demand of his mother, severed all ties with his first wife on the insistence of his new wife and mommy dearest and then after his mommy goes cuckoo and passes away, begs for his first wife back… She ends up reconciling but karma haunts him and she turns into a reflection of her saas Bee Jee…

Jahzaib from Izteraab– Well, this one’s a little different. It didn’t quite take a woman to sway him- but the temptation of home cooked meals was far too great for him to resist and he casually strolls to Biwi No. 2 only to swing back to Biwi No. 1…

Bulannd from Bashar Momin– He’s not-so-Bulannd to be honest- far from it really. He agrees to get engaged to a girl his father chooses for him (a mangni that takes place in Pakistan with a video recording for him since he can’t travel the distance from the US of A to Pakistan- duh!) but falls in love with her when he comes to Pakistan after the demise of both their fathers… But, his college friend casts her eyes on him and deviously plots with her brother to break his engagement and it works! Since, any man would believe any random person over their fiance!

Zawaar from Ahista Ahista- The snooze fest of the season this one. The multi-billionaire Zawaar lives in Amreeka while his mumsy Bee Jaan lies in bed all day and dreams of the day her son will get married so she can rest in peace (as if she’s moving a muscle). But wait, he’s already married- happily, mind you, to Sophie. He’s kept the marriage under wraps since he loves his mother far too much to break her heart- Bee Jaan’s only demand was for him to marry a Pakistani girl with Pakistani values who will give birth to his Pakistani children- never mind Amreeka for now. She fakes an illness that sends Zawaar rushing to Pakistan and there he gets forced (but naturally) to get married to his much younger cousin… How in God’s name can a man refuse that???

Faisal from Mausam– Supposedly the most eligible man in the family (you can guess what kind of family it may be), Faisal is obsessed with Shazia but his mother forces him to marry Saman. Poor guy can’t stand up to his mom. But he can continue his sleazy affair on the sides with Shazia. She manages to lure him easily and things are going smoothly until he finds out Shazia was just killing time with him until a better prospect comes along.

Aazar from Mohabbat Ab Nahi Hogi– My current guilty pleasure! So Aazar’s strings are in the hands of his Bhabi! Yes, the two of them are so alike, it’s a miracle they weren’t twins. Bhabi has turned psycho due to her frustrations of being married to a boring man and she prefers the company of her dewar. Until the dewar gets married and Bhabi plays all her cards right to create a rift in the marriage.

Jaanam from Jaanam- I honestly can’t remember his name but this has got to be the cheesiest titles in a long time and the over-usage of Jaanam made my ears bleed. So Jaanam (Adnan Siddiqui again!) is happily married to his Jaanam (Saba Qamar) and this deadly duo have reproduced two more Jaanams. Despite his wife’s opposition to his badniyat friend, Jaanam invites the sleazy friend to live with him and his friend leaves no opportunity to pass double meaning comments to his wife and make very obvious advances. But Jaanam believes whatever his friend feeds him and ultimately he will end up involved with his friend’s daughter after things go sour with his Jaanam.

These are some of the names that came to my mind. I’d love to hear your additions to the list.

Yours in watching,

Kanwal Murtaza

Geo TV’s latest initiative to find talent of all kinds in Pakistan is a step towards the right direction. Pakistan is a country which has no dearth of talented people but there is without any doubt a shortage of platforms where these people can showcase their talent. Geo TV’s initiative “Are You Ready To Be A Star” is all encompassing because there is no age barrier and people having any kind of talent can be a part of this talent hunt. Those gifted performers who are shortlisted by Geo’s team which composes of judges who are leading in their fields will polish the skills of these people even further and will give a kick start to their career by including them in projects which will ensure that their talent is seen by all.

Geo TV has done something which is rather original by going to different educational institutions and letting the students there have an opportunity to show what they have got. So Geo is not making these people come to them but it is going to them which means that they are looking out for the interest of those who want to be stars just as much as their own. Until now the team of “Are You Ready To Be A Star” has gone to leading institutions in Lahore like Kinnaird College, LUMS and Beaconhouse National University.

Keeping into consideration that not all talented people go to institutions like the ones they have been visiting till now Geo has also given those people an opportunity who might not be that well off by having open auditions for anyone who wants to be a part of this talent hunt on a day which is a public holiday which is May 1st. The interested candidates will be registered from 9 to 11 am and the auditions will start after that. Even kids can take part in this talent hunt program.

Geo’s attempt to find talent in every nook and corner of Lahore has proved to be a very successful exercise till now and people are waiting for their team to make their presence felt in other cities of Pakistan as well. This is not the first time that Geo has tried to give an opportunity to people to bring their talent to light. We appreciate Geo’s effort and hope that other television channels will follow their lead!

Saud

Express Entertainment was an Indian-Turkish channel only a few months back. There were hardly any Pakistani dramas on-air from it which was highly disappointing. After Eid, they started Pakistani dramas as well.

The following are a few of their dramas. Do tell me what you think about them:

1. Apni Kahani Kese Kahein:

The story of two besties, who lived in the same neighborhood.  The characters were played by Sanam Chauhdry and Sumbhul Iqbal.

Sanam’s character was of an idiot girl who was easily manipulated by boys. She ended up being used by a boy who had claimed to love her. This is why her khaala got her married, immediately, to a much older man to save her from disgrace. He was a torturous and shukki man who abused her. In the end, she decided to take a stand for herself and told her story to the media.

Sumbhul’s character was of a girl whose was brought up in a very strict environment by her shukki father. He asked a private tutor to teach her. That tutor was Aly Khan and both of them fell in love with each other. Her father decided to marry her off and that’s when she made a plan to run away with him. She reached the place where they both were supposed to catch up, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, her father arrived there and is a fit of anger, he locked her in the house until the wedding day. Her husband was Saleem Sheikh whose first wife had cheated on him. He thought all educated women were cheats.  Sumbhul could never tell him that she was educated. She however, resumed meeting her teacher without asking him why he abandoned her. She even invited him to her house and the maid saw them together.

Her sister-in-law, nand, hated her for no reason. She discovered Sumbhul’s diary which had a dried rose in it, along with her love story and her teacher’s number. She started her “research” and eventually found out about the affair. In the end, she told her brother about this. He was enraged and dragged his wife into his room, locked it and took out a gun. He then asked her the reality and tried to shoot her which let to a fight between the two and in confusion he shot himself.

The case of his killing was taken to the court. She was blamed for the killing but then her father showed up. Then came the biggest twist of the story.

He said that his daughter couldn’t possibly have met her teacher because he had killed him with his own hands the day she ran away. His daughter had been imagining her love interest all this time. She was mentally ill and this led to her creating a fantasy in which he came to visit her. A doctor told that her mental condition was due to the unnecessarily strict environment in which she grew up.

The drama ended with Sumbhul asking her father, “Why did you kill him?”

Her mother-in-law (Samina Ejaz) realized that Sumbhul needed care and affection and thus, took Sumbhul under her care.

2. Garr Maan Reh Jaye:

GMRJ airs on Mondays at 8 pm on Express. Nadeem Baig is playing the role of Ameen. He has three daughters. Nisa (Kiran Abdul-Haq) is the eldest. She is about to be married to a molvi (Bilal Qureshi) , who happens to be the son of Khursheeda (Hina Khwaja Byat). Hina Byat is playing a totally different role then her usual ones.

Khursheeda demands a lot of jahez from Ameen. Nisa is not pleased and decides to end the engagement. This displeases her father who wants his daughters to get married quickly. He meets a corrupt police officer (Noor Hassan) who agrees to give him money if he spends one night in jail in place if another prisoner. The prisoner will return by morning and a share of the money he robs will be given to Ameen. He hides this from his daughters.

Even though the police officer is corrupt, he actually cares for the family. He develops feelings for Nisa as well. He also sees the greed of Khurshida and the conservative nature of her son. He realizes that Nisa doesn’t deserve them. Meanwhile the second sister develops feelings for him.

The other prisoners in the jail give Ameen a hard time. His health deteriorates and he ends up in the hospital. The officer informs this to Nisa who freaks out and decides to go to the hospital with him. Molvi sees them together this leads to him doubting Nisa’s character even more. He pleads his mother to ask for the second sisters hand in marriage.

When Ameen comes back home, Khurshida puts her son’s request in front of him. He is enraged and refuses completely. Nevertheless, Khurshida can’t tell this to her son as he has refused to marry Nisa. Let’s see what happens now.

3. Koi Deepak Ho:

Sana Javed plays the role of a girl who is poor and loves to study. The son of her principal, Jibran Khan, falls in love with her at first sight. This puts his engagement with his mother’s niece in jeopardy. His mother(Saba Faisal) agrees to take the rishta to Sana’s house but before that, requests Sana to reject it taake bete ki nazar mein achi rahein! Sana tells this to her mother but her mother thinks that  this rishta is too good to be rejected.

4. Ishq Mein Aisa Bhi Haal Hona Hai:

Samra and Fajar are two sisters. Fajar is interested in her friend. Samra is interested in Adnan (Humayun Ashraf). Adnan has brought his mother to her house as well and the rishta is pakka. 

Adnan has an orphan cousin named Neha (Hiba Ali) who lives with him and his mother and  is romantically involved with Shamir (Yasir Mazher). He is a rich playboy. His cousin is Fajar’s friend.

Adnan always scolds Neha for spending her nights out. She makes up  excuses for it.  Only two episodes have gone on-air till now.

Let’s see what will be Neha’s future and also the future of the two couples in this drama.

Don’t forget to give your views here.

Areeba Mohsen

O21 is Pakistan’s first spy-thriller movie. directed by Jami, co-directed by Summer Nicks and produced by Zeba Bakhtiar & her son Azaan Sami Khan.  The word spy-thriller is enough to be excited for it but there are many other reasons as well:

 It is the first Pakistani film to be released in 22 countries simultaneously including the United States, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom.

1. Experienced actors:

The actors are experts in their fields. We have seen them setting the screen on fire before, specially Ayub Khoso and then Shaan whose Waar was a super-hit, will return to the silver-screen.

2. Shan-Shamoon duo:

This duo was at its best in Waar. Their scenes were a treat to watch and there was a really good chemistry between them. Shamoon’s Ramal was a very interesting villain different from the regular ghundas we get to see.

3. The trailers:

The promos are exciting and full of thrill. They, thankfully, did not disappoint me. The promos have definitely increased my interest. The editors did a good job by giving us the complete essence of the movie.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=349430165189971&set=vb.534632663243664&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=848756291831298&set=vb.534632663243664&type=3&theater

5. The storyline:

I will not give away anything here. The story involves Afghanistan and the turmoil it is facing. There are some alliances and some discord along the thrilling action-packed path which is, Operation 21.

The CIA factor is also compelling me to watch the movie.

6.  The posters:

One word for them. Awesome! Just by looking at the posters you can realize how deep the characters are. The color combo is perfect and so is the wardrobe.

We’ll get to see some new actors as well.

7. The promotional pictures:

Just 3 days left until O21 releases. It will be released on first day of Eid-ul-Azha.

Areeba Mohsen

I am not a brand conscious person at all, I can gladly wear or use anything non-branded without thinking for a second that it will ruin my image in any way or will not look good. I don’t think that wearing or using branded things changes anything, what matters to me most is my comfort but that does not hold true for everyone. I do not know how things used to be before but nowadays it seems like we are fast turning into a group of people who very often weigh each others worth and even our own worth on the basis of which brand one can afford. This is very sad because we live in a country where most people live below the poverty line and many cannot afford the basic necessities of life.

The reason I decided to write this article and derived this conclusion is that the other day all of us friends had a get together and every time someone complimented the other person, the answer was thank you and then came the name of the brand he or she was using. If I tell someone “wow nice lipstick”, the answer would be, “thank you it is mac”. If you say to someone, “I like your bag”, the answer will be, “oh thank you I bought it from Charles and Keith”. This makes me wonder, do people buy expensive, branded things because they like to or so that they can tell others that they can afford these things?

I have nothing against people who can afford branded things and like to buy them but it is the mentality that most such people have that bugs me. If I tell someone that I like to buy shoes from Bata or Servis, I may be considered an outcast because I am considered to be living in the 16th century…if I find these shoes comfortable then why must I go to a more expensive outlet just because it is a brand that is known internationally and is worn by the rich and famous? To me my comfort comes first and also I do not want to be part of the “brand competition”, it seems like once you start labeling people and yourself based on what brands you buy or they use life gets a lot more complicated because there will always be brands that are more expensive…so where does it all end?

I even know parents who think it is beneath them to buy things for their children from a local outlet. If they cannot go abroad to shop for their child, they will make sure that they go to the most expensive branded store next to them. I have always dressed my children in clothes that anyone can buy from the local market and they look just fine in them and the clothes last too. I have even heard discussions about how the local Cerelac (or any other baby food) is not as good as the imported one., I can’t help but laugh at such conclusions but usually do not try to convince the brand conscious people. It seems like some of us are just convinced that the local goods can never be good enough and it is only the imported branded things that come with a guarantee. I have to confess that I did invest a big amount of well earned money into buying some branded things, not to please my brand conscious friends but strictly out of curiosity. I wanted to know what was about these things that had these people so convinced that they were the best. My experience wasn’t good at all, the clothes I bought looked old after a few washes…maybe it was just my bad luck but it also reinforced my belief in the saying that curiosity killed the cat!!

Are you brand conscious? If yes then what is the reason for it? Are the people around you brand conscious? If yes then does it bug you? Please share your thoughts.

Ayesha Ahmed.

Well during my stay in Pakistan lately I got a chance to surf the unlimited Pakistani channels all day long, I couldn’t help noticing what sort of ‘information’ & ‘education’ our shows are providing us. Be it a morning show or off-peak time shows, all I could get hold of was on those silly tips about how one can fake their beauty, how a girl can beautify herself, how to make yourself look beautiful artificially & it was all about beauty – where I must mention, it was all about the external beauty.

Ohkay, I understand that they are trying to make us people aware of what can be done & what things are available in the market but just to focus on girls or ladies that too of a certain social class is by no means healthy. We must not forget that Pakistan also has the urban class too where they don’t even have an access to the basic necessities & there our channels are, preaching on how can one make oneself look beautiful using all the hideous techniques that the so called dermatologists & a few certified skin specialists have brought into Pakistan & making the less fortunate more anxious about the things that are un-necessary & yet not affordable for so many.

I have been noticing this trend from quite some while now that all the ladies who come up on the shows just talk about the makeups, the foundations, a billion sorts of costly products, those evenings & morning make up looks & to add more to the woes the endless promotions of face-lifting techniques, laser procedures on the skins, botox injections & the new craze of ‘filler injections’. They just love to blabber immorally, passing extreme rude comments on the girls or ladies who have some issues with their skins or facial features.

I once got to hear a morning show host, who loves to conduct shows on the makeups (because she has got no better ideas) say in one out of her million sessions on makeup & artificial beauty make a statement saying ‘aggar app Allah ki banai hui surat se khush nahi hain to koi baat nahi app in injections se apne appko aur khoobsurat bana sakte hain’. The moment I heard her, all I could say was ‘Astaghfirullah’. On the same morning show, some renowned makeup artist was trying to tell what sort of a bridal makeup would’ve looked good on the girl who was showing her wedding pictures, but in stead of making a person feel good about what they are, she was just trying to tell how abnormal she looked or how elongated her face is, how ill-shaped her jawline is & how bad her skin was. One comment that caught me off guard was by the host who said ‘oh my she looks like a man on her wedding day’. Sorry to say but just because someone is sharing her personal real-life picture with you, who gives you the right to underestimate her that too on a national television?

I can’t help but wonder that why the media personnel try to see people with a certain criteria of a beauty? Why can’t they understand that all the people are beautiful even if you fail to see throught it. I really can not understand the agenda they are following. Are they really so indulged in this mortal world that they even don’t step back in involving our Creator into these petty stuff they want to sell? I really fail to understand the point where these ladies who have nothing better to do are just trying to make other ladies super conscious about their outer looks. My question is that what has gotten into them? Why can’t they just let people live simply? Is it really important to be all glammed up where as completely forgetting the roots? What’s right as in what has been allowed to us Muslims & what’s not?

Making your whole nation aware about something necessary & good is for sure something everyone should do but addressing a certain class along with making conscious the less fortunate is by every means inhumane. I am sure & I can say that those who come up & flaunt their external beauty on-screens then only have that left with them because they have no insight & nor any morality.

There are a million things in this world which can be talked about. A millions things that can be taught or preached about but all the phone calls that people make on these shows are surprisingly from the remotest areas or under-developed cities of Pakistan & the poor ladies are mostly asking questions about all this stuff because they are being brain-fed again & again & continuously about these things. I really hope to see one such show on Pakistani media which I can say has taught me something good or beneficial. Some show which not only focuses on a certain class of people but addresses the whole nation equally. I hate to see them making us a conscious nation because we’re for sure better off than & without this.

Please feel free to add more as I’d love to hear your take on this issue.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

I know it’s an edgy debate but one way or the other that is something we all tend to involve ourselves into. No matter how much we try to ignore but we do get judgmental when it comes to our celebrities. Over these years, Pakistani audience have shown great acceptance towards the celebrities & media personnel but where some have accepted them wholeheartedly, there are some who have judged them harshly too.

I think it goes both ways. I have come across many articles stating that the celebrities are upset about people being judgmental & bringing them down. I know the celebrities have to come in contact with a lot of people where people treat them as a wall & trash them but, there are some of those people as well who appreciate their efforts. I then feel it relies on the celebrities themselves as to how they can prevent themselves from getting judged.

Not speaking on the Islamic grounds but on a general basis, I think the celebrities should give special consideration to the sentiments of their audience because where they have survived in the industry on the basis of their talent; their fans have played an important part in turning them into the stars too. I see the celebrities make such choices which may not be in accordance to our ‘culture’ but then they expect people to understand & hope that it doesn’t backlash; I think it’s a mistake on their part. Being the representative of the country even on the national television, I think the celebrities should take a pride in being responsible for depicting an image of the country they belong to. Sadly but truthfully, we have seen the influence of westernization in our industry which at times does get burdensome to watch. Our stars adapting to it & giving out a clear message of them being not worried about what their followers might think doesn’t help either. I know it’s a matter of one’s choices & the stars are free to decide for themselves but then I feel a little consideration goes a long way & earns them nothing but respect.

As far as we; the viewers are concerned. I think it’s important to understand that there’s a thin line between expectations & judgments. Fans do expect a lot from their favourite stars but then those expectations take a spur of a moment to turn into a judgment. I think we must understand that by the end of the day, celebrities are just normal people like us but just because they open themselves to the world, we shouldn’t allot this duty to ourselves to turn into moral police & start bashing them openly.

I myself have seen a few Facebook pages where people would stalk & like a celebrity page just to make a point of how much they hate them!?! I think if someone doesn’t like anyone, it’s better to ignore & let them do their work because their opinions & their derogatory comments would make no difference to them but it would rather expose their own mentality.

When we discuss the dramas, it’s always fun to see people restricting their comments to the characters & not directing them at the actors. I think this practice is an accurate example of how one’s not being judgemental because whatever one says, says it in regards to the dramas, the imaginary characters & that’s it. The internet bashing has taken an ugly face where people take pride in bringing down the celebrities & if the celebrities react to it, people get more agitated which results in a vicious never-ending cycle. I think if someone puts forth an opinion about any celebrity then they should be open to how the person in question responds to that.

Please take note that this is a very very general article written with a positive mind-set. This article is by no means an attempt to bring any celebrity or their follower down but is just based on a mere observation. Share what you feel about how we; the viewers are when it comes to judging the others & how it depends on the celebrities to pay utmost attention to the sentiments of their fans to prevent any judgements coming their way.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.