Asha Bhosle is an icon in India and all around the world where people listen to music from India and Pakistan. Asha Bhosle was in Germany recently where she was going to mesmerize the audience with her beautiful voice. Asha Bhosle talked to Express Tribune before her concert and in her interview she expressed frustration with the substandard lyrics of the songs that were being written in India nowadays.

While the legend is not happy with the new songs being made in India she is happy that at least Pakistanis are making good songs. She said, ” Today, good lyrics and wordings only come out of Pakistan. People really know their Urdu there. Even though in India, there are many who know Urdu, they don’t write it well.”

Asha Bhosle is a big fan of Pakistani music for many years now. She said, “I have been listening to Ghulam Ali since the 50s. I am a big fan of his. I am also a very big fan of Mehdi Hasan. You see, I love songs, I love music and that is what I believe in. If the music is good, then everything is good. And then it is also ours, irrespective of where it comes from.”

Asha Bhosle had a few arguments with Atif Aslam when she was judging the talent show Sur Kshetra. Talking about that she said, ” Look, Runa Laila was on that show too and she is from Bangladesh. She is my friend. We were all laughing and joking around. Asking each other for advice. But that Aslam, I don’t know, maybe he was taught by someone from the channel that he had to fight with me. Or maybe it’s his nature, I don’t know. Our own Himesh Reshammiya, the Gujarati, he was so quiet. But Aslam constantly tried to rile me up. And I have to say that it was wrong, I was never taking any sides. I also gave good marks to Pakistani singers. I am always only concerned with the singing. My religion is music and I never lie about that. A singer has no religion, but music. Whoever sings well, I will embrace him. So I don’t get Aslam’s behaviour. But I suspect someone from the channel told him to do it for ratings.”

Asha Bhosle is hopeful that one day people in India will realize what kind of songs they are listening to and singing and things will change.

I am sure this news will be shocking for HUM TV’s admins & fans but looks like someone else also shares the same feeling about the #boldness that has become a part of every single drama being telecast on HUM TV.

An anonymous group of hackers that identify itself as “Hexlook” has hacked HUM TV’s official website & has left quite a thought provoking note on their homepage.

I know some people would take it as an immature way of tackling the situation but in my opinion, they are at least better than those who do nothing about it & show acceptance towards the boldness that Media throws at us. Even though they really have taken a #bold step but I believe it will serve some sort of a purpose at least.

Have a look at what the Hexlook had to say:

So, what do you think about this step taken by Hexlook? Please share your thoughts with us.

Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.

Star Plus is a very popular name among drama watching viewers but until now this channel was showing only Indian dramas but now due to a great deal of demand for Pakistani dramas, the channel has decided to cater a larger audience by telecasting dramas from Pakistan too. After Pakistani dramas were aired in India and some Middle Eastern countries more and more people got acquainted with these dramas and now want to see them on star plus too.

The channel will start this process of showing Pakistani dramas by screening the drama “Mera Naam Yousuf Hai” which recently ended on Pakistani private channel Aplus. The script for the drama has been written by the renowned writer Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar and it has been directed by the very talented Mehreen Jabbar. Imran Abbas, Mansha Pasha and Maya Ali played the lead roles in the drama. It also had veteran actors like Behroz Sabzwari, Hina Bayat and Waseem Abbas who awed the viewers with their acting.

The transmission will start from October 18th.

Maya Ali who has won many hearts by her perfect performance in the recent HUM TV hit serial “Diyar-e-Dil” had a candid chat with Maria Wasti in her Morning Show on the new TV channel “See TV”. Maria Wasti talked to Maya Ali about everything personal and things relating to her personal likes and dislikes also. While talking to Maria Wasti the young actress revealed that she was a big fan of Sanam Baloch and Faisal Qureshi. Maya Ali also said that she could only work for 12 hours anything more than that left her angry and upset. She said that she is a true Leo who gets angry quickly but her anger does not last for long.

Maria Wasti asked if there was one thing about Pakistan which Maya Ali would want to change to that Maya Ali replied, ” I am going to talk about the one thing which I want changed in our television industry and that is the way the producers pay the drama actors. They get the work done but do not pay you on time unless you keep on calling them again and again to remind them that they should pay you. We work hard, we should get paid for it without asking for the money.”

Maya Ali is not the only actress who has this problem with the producers. In one of her interviews Iffat Omer also complained that the producers never pay the actors on time.

September 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the 17 day war fought between India and Pakistan in 1965.  Many new motivational songs are being released to celebrate this occasion. Imran Abbas is also working in a video titled Sherdil Shaheen (شیردل شاہین). The song will be released on the 7th September which is the Air Force day in Pakistan.

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Zara’s Salon celebrated its first anniversary in style with all the famous models present at the event. The beauty salon is based in Karachi and even with all the competition faced by beauty salons nowadays Zara’s Salon has made a place in the hearts of the fashionistas in Karachi. The salon’s first anniversary was attended by celebrities and general public. The models displayed the work of different designers and they also promoted the bridal look of the salon.

Here are some pictures from the anniversary celebrations:

Hamayun Saeed is one of the most controversial personalities of showbiz especially when we see the kind of reputation which other male actors enjoy. Hosts who invite him to their shows always candidly talk about his lover boy personality and Hamayun also does not hide the fact that he is not that straight but he keeps on reminding people he is not a bad boy either. Hamayun Saeed is one of those very few actors who still enjoy the roles of heroes in our films although he is not exactly young. There are some people who criticize him for not accepting his age but Hamayun has always said that he tries to do age-appropriate roles.

Hamayun Saeed is also known among his co-stars for having a very friendly personality. No one has ever taunted him about his age but this time Shamoon Abbasi shared something on his facebook page which undoubtedly shows that he is telling Hamayun that he can act as young as he wants to in his films but he is not young any more!!

Here is what Shamoon shared:

Most of the people on facebook supported Hamayun Saeed saying that he still looked great even though he wasn’t young any more. Others said that Shamoon Ababsi was being mean.

There are very few actors in our industry who have emerged as script writers too. Vasay Chaudhry is one of those very few actors who have not just written scripts but who are responsible for giving us some very hit serials which were not only popular but also different from all the other dramas viewers get to see on television nowadays. While talking MAG Weekly about his decision to start scrip writing Vasay said, “I didn’t go for writing per se; I came into this field to become an actor but sadly, I realised very soon that it’s all about the ‘script’. I use the word ‘sadly’ because script writing is the toughest job of all. In theatre, television or film, you are only as good as your script and I have learnt that by reading Mushtaq Ahmed Yusufi and Anwar Maqsood sahib. So if you can produce a good script, acting becomes the easier part.”

Vasay thinks that acting is much easier if the actor is working on a project which has a strong script. Talking about how he came up with the script of his upcoming film Jawani Phir Nahi Aani Vasay said, “The idea came to me long before I was hired by Humayun Saeed to write Main Hoon Shahid Afridi in 2011. During its filming, Abhi Tu Main Jawan Hoon happened and thankfully, the telefilm was shown on the big screen as part of some festival by Geo TV. It was liked by all and I was given a go-ahead by Humayun Saeed to complete the script of JPNA. I wrote the entire script in 13 months and hope the film ends up engaging you as much as it did the producer and director while working together to make a family entertainer for our audiences.”

Vasay Chaudhry also shared that Nauman Ijaz and Saba Hameed were his favorite actors from Pakistani drama industry. When asked if he would like to work in India, he said, “Why India? [Smiles] Yes, I want to see the Taj Mahal!” Vasay Chaudhry wants to do a lot of good work in the future too.

Vasay’s fun tweets about his upcoming film have made people laugh too.

Saif Ali Khan’s controversial statements after his film Phantom was banned in Pakistan has aroused a lot of negative comments about him from people in Pakistan. Recently while talking to NDTV Saif Ali Khan said, “I don’t know if I should say this but I was upset with the action in Pakistan and how upset they’re getting and I seem to have become the face of ‘anti-Pakistan feeling’.”

He also said that he has always wanted Pakistan and India to have good ties. “This, I’m a little concerned about. Because my politics is the last thing that should become the question and for sure not against the people of Pakistan, I have absolutely nothing, except goodwill and hope that we manage to fix our problems,” said the actor.

Kabir Khan, who directed Phantom was also present for the interview in which he said, “It’s (Phantom) a mission film quite simply. If you take the India and Pakistan element out of it – I didn’t want to say this during the promotion – but it’s actually a very simplistic mission film. The political element has given it some controversial edge.”

It appears to be that Saif Ali Khan has realized that his statements were insensitive and he wants to mend fences.

Magnum Pakistan organized a party in Karachi which was attended by all the top designers, model, hosts and actors. The party was a lively affair. It was an invite only event and it was very obvious that Magnum Pakistan made sure that every well-known celebrity of Pakistan attended this party. The party was glamorous and lively.

Here are some pictures from the event:

Rauf Klasra is a well-known journalist who has worked with the mainstream newspapers and channels of Pakistan. Currently he is working with ARY. ARY had an open discussion on the recent controversy regarding the film Phantom in which Hamza Ali Abbasi, Hafiz Saeed and Rauf Klasra were invited to talk about the issue. Rauf Klasra completely negated the idea of banning films. He said addressing Hamza Ali Abbasi and all the others who wanted the film banned because it was against Pakistan, “Some people have limited patriotism by their own definitions. Anyone who goes out of this circle which they have created he or she is termed as a traitor, agent of RAW and not a patriot. We have made Pakistan a terrified society in which people’s religion and culture is in danger whenever they do something even a little wrong. People do not live like this in any other part of the world.”

He also went on to say, “we get fatwas on daily basis, things are getting banned on daily basis. Take for example youtube which was banned in Pakistan, it isn’t even banned in Saudi Arabia; the place where Islam started but our Islam is in danger.”

He also said that films do not get banned anywhere else in the world like they get banned in Pakistan. According to him, “Indian films were banned in Pakistan for so many years, which Oscar winning movies did we make in that period? These filmmakers should compete with Indian films, the Pakistani filmmakers do not want to compete. These filmmakers and actors should be thankful that Indian films are being shown in cinemas because that gives them a chance to make better films and compete with them. Banning things is not the solution to the problem.”

He also said that Zee Zindagi is showing Pakistani dramas in India in which they have given Pakistani drama industry a chance to show their culture. He also said, “Don’t force us to watch Pakistani films by banning Indian films but try to compete with Indian films!”

Agha Ali supported everything that Rauf Klasra said by giving this status update:

Different celebrities have given their opinions on the recent war of words between Shaan Shahid and Mawra Hocane but the only one who stepped in asking for these two celebrities to finish their fight is none other than Mathira. Mathira is most often in news because of different controversies but this time she is trying to end a controversy between two people who are colleagues. Mathira’s tweet asking both Shaan and Mawra to end the fight addressed both of them. Mathira in her tweet asked Shaan to forgive Mawra and she asked Mawra to stop listening to people who will add more fuel to the fire.

Mathira also asked men to stop using abusive words against Mawra as recently after her open letter and tweets people have been calling her with bad names.

Mohib Mirza and Amina Sheikh are one of the most talented star couples of our industry. They have done it all from modeling to acting but they took their time taking the decision to be parents. No one knew that Amina Sheikh was expecting her first baby who arrived in the world on 11th August. The baby girl has been named Meissa Mirza.

Aamina decided to share the photograph of her baby and share the news of her arrival on her birthday.

Shaan Shahid who is very well-known for his patriotic stance and has rejected many offers from India because it is his aim that one day he will make Indians work in Pakistani films instead of Pakistanis going there never compromises on patriotism. This is the reason that when Shaan hears Pakistani stars supporting India especially when their support is damaging Pakistan in any way he always reacts. Shaan called actors who work in C grade films in India cheap sell outs few months back and now when Mawra supported the film Phantom he asked for a ban on Mawra Hocane. The public has greatly supported Shaan Shahid because they also feel that Mawra’s tweets were damaging to the Pakistani stance on the film.

Mawra Hocane decided to write an open letter to “Mr. Shaan Shahid” and all her fans in which she described why she tweeted on those lines saying, “My tweets were out of utter ignorance for I had not seen the trailer neither was I aware of the sensitivity of the matter back home for I’ve been shooting out of country days and nights, unfortunately not keeping a track on what all Mr Shan had already tweeted on the matter. “

Mawra Hocane surprisingly also said that her statements had been manipulated. “However I’d also like to share that I’m extremely hurt & shocked for I don’t expect someone as wise as Shan shahid to manipulate my statements of supporting peace & love into “supporting phantom” (the words I never Used). “

She also criticized Shaan Shahid for his wrong approach towards newcomers saying, “Honestly I’m only just a kid infront of the 55 year old Shan shahid instead of taking pride in bashing kids less than half his age he should become a mentor and try and fix things for us, if we make mistakes.”

Mawra Hocane also said that Shaan Shahid had no right to bash those Pakistanis who were working in India because they were working very hard to earn love and respect there. “We work so hard to achieve the love & respect in our people’s hearts and he always attempts to ruin it for everyone in a jiffy. Be it me, Ali Zafar , Fawad khan or Someone as legendary as Javed Shiekh . He has always bashed everyone who’s “stepped in India”. It’s about time he realise that it’s not a piece of cake for me to be working in media, to be leaving my country and going to India alone in pursuit of my dream in the age of 22. It’s at the cost of endless hard work and sleepless days and nights and it takes a big heart to take all these decisions and he certainly has no right to just sit home and bash us all publicly, be it on a social media forum or an award show,” wrote the actress.

Mawra does not blame her fans for reacting the way they did because they were according to her only reacting to the wrong information that was fed to them by Shaan Shahid. She wrote, ” I’ve no complaints to my fans as they reacted to what they were fed.”

She also went on to say that she will not let Shaan’s word stop her for working hard like she always does. “Sir, Art is subjective and boundless, however quickly coming back to the topic, Hating others cant make you more a patriot, My heart goes out for my country I do everything in my power to become a better citizen of my Pakistan and I absolutely and dearly love it, you’ve no right to judge me and make a statement about me being any less patriotic for again bashing me won’t make you anymore a patriot.
You know what Mr Shan shahid I will still rise every morning, work as hard, still pursue my dream, still go after what I’d like to achieve and still keep my head high. I don’t need to love/like people like you to be a patriot. My love for my country and my people doesn’t need your approval. “

Mawra also implied that Shaan Shahid was biased against women and Pakistani celebrities who worked in India. “If My words were (unintentionally) hurtful then yes I will apologise to my own people for they’ve loved me through my good times and bad but I will certainly not be answerable to someone like you who doesn’t work anymore and only sits home and bashes two categories of people, 1. women ofcourse because you’re a man and 2. anyone who works in India because you still didn’t get over turning down Ghajni a decade ago, it’s an old topic now and you can’t rub this in everyone’s face who wants to work in india or elsewhere. (can’t ignore the fact that you were offered a sidekick role. Things might’ve been different if it was offered otherwise)
Finally Coming to the “BAN” Mawra hashtag. Did anyone ban you when you pulled off the sleaziest of acts in Punjabi films ( I’d send in data if you’ve forgotten) which could’ve influenced kids like me in a bad way for I remember being 9 or 10 when you were really famous but now that you have retired you leave no chance to bash us youngsters??? “

Mawra Hocane also asked Shaan Shahid to leave and everyone else alone because these celebrities were not accountable to him in any way. She wrote,

“In the end, I still don’t hate you, you know why because they say ” Love what Loves you but never hate what hates you for hate is the burden that exhausts the Stars in you” I certainly don’t want the stars in me to die for someone as unworthy as you.
I’m a brave Pakistani girl, a London graduate, a dreamer, a girl who won’t get scared of the bashing for it’s irrelevant compared to the dreams I carry in my Heart & mind everyday.

For me shooting in India is just like me shooting in Dubai, America, Cape Town or any other country so stop making a big deal about it regardless of my workplace I Love my country and I’ll always belong to it without the approval of his excellency Mr Shan shahid and every inch of my existence will do everything to do Pakistan proud. I don’t need to reject other countries work opportunities to prove my patriotism, PAKISTAN in is in my blood and soul regardless of your opinion of me sir!
Cheers sir.

(You must leave us kids alone as I’m politely asking you not to interfere in our matters and hinting that I don’t intend to continue this war of articles with you for unlike you I’ve got so many other things to do in my plate like.. work. I wouldn’t have given you a single reaction if it was not for you challenging my Love for my fans and for my country)
God bless!”

All Shaan has said in reply to Mawra is in the form of a facebook status in which he is saying that Mawra is not owning her mistake.

Jaanan (جاناں) is an upcoming film co-produced by famous anchor Reham Khan.

The project is being helmed by Siyaah director Azfar Jafri, and is being jointly produced by Reham and Siyaah production company IRK films. The story, which is being written by Osman Khalid Butt, will be set in Swat and other Northern Areas of Pakistan.

The film will be ready to release next year.

The film stars Armeena Rana Khan, Ali Rehman Khan and Bilal Ashraf in the lead roles. Here are few clicks from the sets.

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As per English Daily Express tribune, artist Moomal Sheikh has signed a Bollywood film to be directed by Anand L. Roy.

Here is the full content courtesy of ET.

After Humaima Malick and Mahira Khan, Momal Sheikh is set to make her mark in Bollywood. The Pakistani actress will soon be seen in Tanu Weds Manu director Aanad L Rai’s next.

A source revealed that the makers of the film had discussed the script with renowned Pakistani actor and Momal’s father — Javed Sheikh when they were looking for a Pakistani actress to portray an “important” character in the upcoming film, reports Hindustan Times.

They instantly decided to cast Momal when they came to know about her.

“When Aanand and Mudassar Aziz (director) discussed the film’s script with Pakistani actor Javed Sheikh, who has acted in Bollywood films like Namastey London (2007) and Om Shanti Om (2007), they informed him that they were looking for a female actor for an important role in the movie,” the source said.

“When they came across Javed’s daughter, Momal, they offered her the film,” the source added.

One of the directors of the film, Aziz confirmed the reports saying, “When we met Javed saab, he didn’t mention Momal to us. It was a surprise to come across her during one of our meetings. We immediately decided to get her on board.”

Momal will star alongside Abhay Deol and Diana Penty.

We wish Momal all the best for her Bollywood venture and hope she makes it big across the border.

Source: http://tribune.com.pk/story/947572/momal-sheikh-set-to-make-her-bollywood-debut/

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Famous director Mehreen Jabbar is shooting her new film as director named Doobara Phirr Se (دوبارہ پھر سے) in New York City and other parts of USA.  It is the second film by Mehreen Jabbar after a gap of eight years when she directed her first film named Ramchand Pakistani.

Mehreen confirmed the news through a tweet.

The story will revolve around love, friendships and growing up. Mehreen is known for bringing present-day issues to light through her films, and her second film will be no different.

Here are few clicks from the shooting.

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Aik Thee Misaal is an upcoming play on Hum Tv starring Rubab Hashim and Emaad Irfani in the lead roles. It is directed by Shaquile Khan۔. The play is based on the novel of same name written by Rukhsana Nigar

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Manto (منٹو) is an upcoming film releasing on 11th September 2015. It covers the life of Saadat Hussain Manto, the years he spent in Pakistan after partition in 1947 till his death in 1955. The trailer of the film is now released

After its release, it will also be telecasted as a drama on Geo Tv.

Here is the trailer which is quite intense. Any avid reader of Saadat Hussain Manto can easily guess the characters of few of his famous short stories in this trailer like Khol Do, Thanda Gosht, Phaha

Cast:
Sarmad Sultan Khoosat as Saadat Hasan Manto
Sania Saeed as Safia (Manto’s wife)
Qaiser Naqvi as Mamaji
Danyal Adam Khan as Hamid (Hamid Jalal, a famous journalist and relative of manto)
Maham Aamir as Niggi (Manto’s daughter Nighat)
Neha Aamir as Nussi (Manto’s daughter Nusrat)
Abeeha Aamir as Nuchchi (Manto’s daughter Nuzhat)
Nimra Bucha as Manto’s alter ego
Saba Qamar as Noorjehan (The legendary singer of Sub continent)
Syed Yorguc as Shaukat Hussain Rizvi (First husband of Madam Noor Jehan)
Akbar Subhani as Chaudhry Mohammad Hussain
Arjumand Raheem as Nazneen
Shama Askari as madam
Ali Shaikh as Khudabakhsh
Rehan Shaikh as Mian Bashir
Hina Khwaja Bayat as Begum Bashir
Adnan Jaffer Qudratullah Shahab
Ahtsham ul Haq as Anwar Sajjad
Talha Iqbal Mufti as Nawaz
Khwaja Saleem as Basheer Hussain
Sohaib Khalid as Dina
Savera Nadeem as Neti
Faysal Qureshi as a Radio broadcaster
Shamoon Abbasi as Eeshar Singh (a character of Thanda Gosht)
Yasira Rizvi as Kalwant Kaur (a character of Thanda Gosht)
Irfan Khoosat (a character of Khol Do)
Aiman Khan (a character of Khol Do)
Mahira Khan
Humayun Saeed 

Producer: Baber Javed
Executive Producer: Asif Reza Mir
Director : Sarmad Sultan Khoosat
Screenplay & Dialogues: Shahid Nadeem
Sound, Score and Music: Jamal Rahman, True Brew Records
Lyrics: Mohammad Hanif, Majeed Amjad, Mirza Ghalib and Shiv Kumar Batalvi
Singers: Meesha Shafi, Zebunnisa Bangash, Ali Sethi and Javed Bashir

Here are the songs from this film,

Ali Sethi sings “Aah Ko Chahiye” famous ghazal of Mirza Ghaalib

Ali Sethi & Zeb Bangash provided the vocals for the song “Kya Hoga” written by Muhammad Hanif

Meesha Shafi gave her voice for the song “Mehram Dilaan De Mahi”  the famous kalam of Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi

About Manto

Saadat Hassan Manto is considered as the leading short story (afsana) writer of Urdu literature. He also wrote the stories and dialogues of many films in Bombay, British India before 1947. After the partition in 1947, Manto migrated to Pakistan with his wife Safiya, the couple has three daughters.

In Pakistan Manto continued writing Short Stories and also wrote an Urdu film Beli in 1950. He also wrote the sketches of famous persons whom he had met. In Pakistan, he faced many financial hardships and being addicted to alcohol he passed away in 1955 at a young age of 42. During his life he also faced the court charges of writing obscene content and portrayed as a controversial figure. His widow Safiya passed away in 1970’s. His three daughters Nusrat Jalal, Nuzhat Arshaf and Nighat Patel are alive and live in Lahore.

Rashid Nazir Ali