Let me start by making an announcement: this play really IS turning into a shukk-causes-destruction drama. The episode literally had ‘been there seen that’ written all over it.
Anyone watched drama serial, ‘Meri Beti’? You see, thinking of a whole NEW story, and a completely FRESH development is a bit too exhausting, don’t you think? So our dear writer tried to take some ‘inspiration’ from Meri Beti. Samjha karo yaar! Writers bhi thak jatay hain, akhir ko who bhi insaan hain! In order to see her daughter tie the knot, Shariq’s mother wants him to agree to ‘watta satta’. And what amuses me even more-the actress who played the role of Junaid Khan’s sister in Meri Beti is Shariq’s sister in Shikwa too LOL. Shariq and Sidra’s side track was already a complete lackluster and by this obvious attempt of plagiarism, I am convinced that their main aim is to put the viewers to sleep. Believe me-now I can expect absolutely ANYTHING from ARY.
For a change, Firdaus Aapa was a tad bit tolerable (if not likeable) in this episode. That phone conversation with her son went on to show that even though she doesn’t admit it a loud, she does regard the way Mehar cares for her. Chalo, ek aur taraqqi hogayi! And I also liked the way she defended Mehar in front of Yasir. Haha, I never could have imagined myself using the word ‘like’ for something Firdaus Aapa had said/done :P
At first, I was getting the impression as if Mehar is deliberately trying to get extra-candid with Yasir but no- even when she went to the beach with Yasir, she made it clear that ‘Mei Mrs. Saqib hoon’. However, I still think going to the beach with someone like Yasir just to ‘kill time’ wasn’t something quite appropriate-especially when Mehar knew what kind of person Yasir is. Apart from getting a job overseas, Yasir’s purpose behind spending time with Mehar was also to make her develop feelings for him (at least that’s what I could gauge). The only scene I found a ‘bit’ likeable was the last one. Firdaus Aapa and Mehar both gave Yasir a long-awaited shut-up call. By the way, don’t you think the camera focused on his facial expressions for a bit too long in that particular scene? I think Yasir now has some kind of revenge brewing up in his mind OR maybe the way Mateen was pushed out of the picture, Yasir would be gone for good too (I hope so). See, this is what I was talking about-the writer uses Yasir just for the sake of some tension and climax, and that’s about it! Now the only person who concerns me is Saqib. He seemed pretty sure kay ‘Mehar mujhay dhoka day rahi hai’. To be honest, I think the writer is too tired to have a clear plan as to what to do with the story.
All in all, it was one dull and dreary episode. As much as I enjoyed the last couple of episodes, this one proved to be an uttter disappointment. Did you guys watch the episode? Please share your thoughts on it.
Until now Pakistanis dramas have only received unprecedented appreciation from the Indians but now it looks like things are about to take an ugly turn. Mera Naseeb, which was a big hit in Pakistan because of its crisp story and sharp direction is now being aired on the Zindagi Channel in India.
Many of the viewers in Pakistan have been saying it over and over again too that this was not an original story but Samira Fazal’s drama Mera Naseeb was based on a story written originally by an Indian writer Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, this story was titled “Sister Of My Heart”. Until now, many people had a hard time believing that a writer like Samira Fazal will copy someone’s work without asking that person first even though it was mentioned in the credits of the drama that it was an adaptation.
The writer of the original story has spoken up against what happened and she intends to do everything in her power to seek justice.
Here is the status update of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni:
First of all, Congratulations to the survivors of the apocalypse named Aahista Aahista. From the bottom of my heart, I congratulate all the viewers who survived through this torture that ended today after 18 weeks. I congratulate every single person who watched this play just to extend a shoulder for others to cry on. I must say, I salute you all because without you beautiful people out there, this wouldn’t have been possible. Congratulations once again to all the viewers & from the bottom of my heart, commiserations to the writer for giving out the Biggest HIT of the year 2014. *coughing sarcasm*
Ohkay so, the epic fail & flop of the season Aahista Aahista actually ended Aahista Aahista where it was hard for me to just sit through the last minutes of this play because I really felt I couldn’t take it anymore but I sat through it for the sake of my awesome readers. The drama has ended & we all saw the note at which it did. So, any surprises there? I know, ZERO!
The guy, who practically had no scenes in the entire drama, covered the whole last episode just to show how ‘important’ he was. Mustafa never really made an appearance in between the drama & rather seemed pretty satisfied by being that random chummy Pakistani bwoy who tries to start a conversation with you for no good reason, but by the end where it was pretty clear that Haya met him just a couple of times that too at Nousherwan uncle’s place so just like that he ended up being someone who was ears to Haya’s problems. She seemed pretty reserved & awkward in front of him but when did it happen that she ended up sharing all her secrets with him? It just doesn’t make any sense, but then, why are we trying to fish for some ‘sense’ in this otherwise senseless drama? Eh!
I thought the nagging nagin Sofia was over Awazaar as she filed for divorce herself but seems like the writer didn’t want to give the moment of glory to any female viewer by making one single female character stronger to stand up for the right, that’s why she still made Sofia look weak & helplessly in love with Awazaar even after he chucked her out of his life like a tissue with his booger (nasal mucus) on it? She still felt she could fix her hair & that will make Awazaar draw his attention towards her? I mean seriously?
Oh & yes, how can we forget the BEST character ever seen in the history of Pakistani television; Mr. Awazaar, who himself had no energy left by the end of this drama & that’s why he looked bored, indifferent, irritated, lethargic, depressed, forlorn & to sum it all up – AWAZAAR. But like I said, I really feel writer was in love with the fictional character that she created in her imagination, that’s why like a concerned mommy she made sure that he wasn’t left alone & before the drama ended, she wanted to have a sense of joy by making sure she arranged a lifelong paratha supplier for Awazaar in the form of Haya.
I don’t understand, if Haya had to run back to a spineless man while herself missing a backbone & a necessary thing called brain, then why did she end up dragging the episode with her continuous caterwauling of how much she hated Awazaar, how much she detested him, how he wronged her & how she was NEVER going to forgive him?
Finally, I still stand by my stand that the writer has no skills whatsoever where she forgot to create some characters & the story but what disappoints me the most is that the sane (?) producers of Hum TV threw in such big budget for such a pathetic drama? What message was the writer trying to give out through this story that no matter who Pakistani man’d marry, he’ll only be loyal to jawaan, gori, lambi, maasi? I mean please, give me a break. The writer should really relax & think about what she was trying to convey & what disaster was churned as a result. I seriously advice the writer to take a trip to America herself, sit by the Golden Gate Bridge & think about some fresh ideas Aahista Aahista.
A big fat thank you to all the ah-mazing readers who supported me through thick & thin while watching this mind-boggling, oxygen-sucking, breath-vacuuming, blood-boiling drama; Slowly Slowly!
Keep Supporting,
Cheers, Zahra Mirza.
PS: Ye Meinne Sochaaaa, Kabhi Nahi Tha, Ye Drama Dekhne Kiiii, Saza Milegiiii!!! (Courtesy: Mausam’s OST, another masterpiece written by the same writer – Aliya Bukhari)
The rant of every hero nowadays. Life is so mean to them na! First they find their girl after so many coincidences and then she is snatched away from them! haww!!
The golden tips (note sarcasm) for finding soul mates are:
1. She’s probably the daughter of yourkhaala or phuppo.Better pray your cousins are beautiful like Khirad and others.
2. If you are zabardasti-ly getting married to someone, better not protest. That’s how you’ll find your soul mate.
3. Have your eyes on your cousin? Tell you grandmother or mother or dad to become ill and then call a family meeting in which she will set the wedding date for you two or threaten to die.
4. If not that, then at least ask her to TALK to your love interest. But NOT in a less dramatic way.
5. Avoid telling your cousin about him/her. Hide it from your best friend as well. They’ll turn into your worst enemies once they hear about the special one.
So follow these tips and you’re safe.
P.S: I am not targetting the actors, only the characters.
Once you see it, you cant unsee it. That’s exactly what happened to me after watching last week’s episode where the uber talented Hamza Ali Abbassi was mimicking HSY. Now every time I see HSY, I can’t help but think out loud “Fabulous”! Moving on, the guests this week were Maria Wasti and Ayesha Omer. Before anything else, I have a bone to pick with whoever is in charge of the wardrobe. You’d think on a talk-show hosted by one of the greatest designers in Pakistan, the guests would make a conscientious effort to look (dare I say it) fashionable? In walks Maria Wasti sporting the most unkempt bangs and a tacky looking top that’s screaming for attention. Fortunately for her, her confidence more than made up for her lack of presentation. Together with her home mate (for a moment I thought he said home-maid), both Maria and Ayesha Omer were engaging, confident and fairly unabashed. Maria admitted having a special man in her life- although she felt she’s still discovering if he’s the one. Ayesha was relieved that for once in her life, she was a free bird and enjoying every bit of her life. These two ladies have been friends for the longest time and living together for over 10 years.
HSY stated he was way out of his league as he felt a little inundated by their strong presence. The questions seem to be more or less the same in every episode and I think it’s time for a little experimentation. Nevertheless, both ladies kept the conversation flowing and there was not a dull moment which took me by surprise since I’ve never seen Maria Wasti before and I was skeptical of her being on the show. They even had a Meera moment! Ayesha Omer spoke about her upcoming movies- Yalgaar ans Waar 2. She sure seems to be going places and is committed to breaking free from the image of Khoobsurat from her sitcome “Bulbulay”. She spoke about how critics drive her and all those mean tweets about her music inspired her to do better. Deep down, her passion is painting over anything else- music is simply her hobby and acting is something she enjoys doing. Maria Wasti is contemplating direction since she feels she has plenty of experience under her belt and it’s time to move forward. Speaking of regrets, Ayesha spoke about how she is quick to trust people and a few years ago they became the subject of controversy. As far as I can recall, there were some leaked photos of Maria Wasti and Ayesha Omer holidaying in Thailand. They attribute this incident to their lack of awareness of how popular they were. Since then, they’ve learnt to be cautious and don’t use social media much- Maria admitted she hates selfies and Ayesha added that if you’re too busy capturing the moment, you fail to enjoy the moment.
Coming to the challenges, I think someone is paying close attention to what the viewers are saying. The sound quality has definitely improved and it made the round Ajnabee Kaun Ho Tum a little more interesting since the callers (Angeline Malik and Ijaz) were loud and clear without any background noise. However, the Love or Don’t Love round fails to strike a chord with me till date. The guests made this episode a fairly good watch. I am curious to know who else HSY has lined up for the upcoming episodes and I hope the show keeps me interested. What did you think about Sheru and his guests? Are you looking forward to more episodes?
Geo TV’s own production house A&B production is coming up with another drama name Iqraar starring Faysal Qureshi, Resham, Shamoon Abbasi and Maheen Khalid Rizvi. The teaser of drama is out and it has the signature feel of A&B production means a depressing story of badnaseeb badqismat dukhhon ki maari aurat who is grateful to a stiff and over emotional Faysal Qureshi for not dumping her despite having some other issues. Not to forget there is a signature depressing OST in the background too.
Now that was one well-directed and fast-paced episode! I thoroughly enjoyed watching the episode because for a change, it revolved around Paymaan and Imroze :)
Paymaan doesn’t believe in herself and the way she dumped her sketches in the trash can, labeling them as ‘Ek pagal larki ki ulti seedhi lakeerain’ went to show her lack of self-confidence and how much she under-estimates her skills and capabilities. The scene in which Imroze scooped up the sketches from the trash can was actually pretty cute :)
Now listen to this: Imroze ko ‘buss mohabbat hogayi’ because just being with Paymaan makes him feel better! At least that’s the way Imroze puts it! The question that arises is: WHY? There’s always a reason why being with someone makes you feel happy, right? You meet people every day and you don’t fall in love with them just like that. Considering what we have seen up till now, I feel the writer didn’t work very hard when he was penning down Imroze’s character. Not much about this guy makes any sense to me :P
The ‘unique’ proposal scene was well-executed. But I found it slightly unnatural because for a girl who spent her entire life under the shadow of such a conservative and controlling mother, going to a complete stranger’s house all alone and allowing him to hold your hands is a bit hard to digest. But other than that, it was brilliantly directed and it was a treat to see how ‘thoughtfully’ Imroze had arranged Paymaan’s sketches. Paymaan was obviously taken aback when he proposed her, but ‘thank you-mujhay itnay unique tareeqay say propose karnay kay liye’ went to show that Imroze’s sudden confession didn’t come across as a negative surprise to her. Paymaan has developed feelings for Imroze and her feelings are justified and understandable because no one ever made her feel special the way Imroze did and she admitted it aloud too-‘aap mujhay itna special feel karatay hain’. Paymaan too wants to start a new life with Imroze.
But then again, things don’t always go as you planned. Shams and Sara are keen to see Paymaan and ROOMI as a couple. It’s crystal clear that Roomi doesn’t harbour any special feelings for Paymaan because when Sara asked him what he thinks of Paymaan, he did NOT give a green signal. Neither did he nor Paymaan give any wrong indication to Sara but God knows why she told Shams that Roomi and Paymaan are interested in each other and what’s more-the duo are now planning their wedding?! Paymaan should have clarified the misunderstanding but like any mashriqi, seedhi sadi larki, she remained silent.
And yes, we got to see more of Tabassum-she wants the world to know (her children, in particular) that she is hatti katti and doesn’t need anyone by her side. In fact, she is determined to prove that she is better off without them! Shams ‘explained’ his decision of taking Paymaan away by saying ‘aap nay mujh say meri maa cheeni aur mei nay aap say aap ki beti-hasaab barabar.’ I really want to see how they wrap up this track.
I let out a huge sigh of relief after seeing the next episode’s preview-seems like Roomi will come to the rescue and clear up things. But Sara’s role seems a bit fishy. What are her true intentions? Only time will tell ;)
Did you watch the episode? What do you think of it? Please share your thoughts. P.S: As you folks must have figured out, I am covering up for Fatima. I hope you guys like the review, because Fatima herself is a flawless reviewer :) Maryam Mehdi
Ohkay so, surprisingly the recent twists & turns in the drama were unpredictable. I don’t know why but I kind of have mixed feelings about the play because if all this had happened at the right time, with a margin of rectifying Rudaba’s status, then all this would’ve made the drama a lot more interesting but for now, in my opinion, it’s coming across as a stunt for prolonging the drama & delaying the ending.
Bashar thinks he played the game well & because everything fell into its right place, he has now disclosed what his real intention was. Bashar has finally let go of the big secret that he never planned on getting married to Rudaba & he just used her as a pawn to get Tayyaba what she wanted; which was Buland. Very conveniently Bashar thought backing out from this commitment would be easy because he never took Adil seriously as he knew Adil was enslaved by all the favours Bashar has done & has been doing for him. As usual, he used Saira to manipulate Rudaba so that she could talk her out of this relation but to her surprise Rudaba’s mentally prepared for a lifelong commitment because of the principles her father has taught her. I must say this was a good move on the writer’s part but if we think of it, it doesn’t look as convincing as it would have, if, Tayyaba & Buland had not gotten married & there was still a chance lurching for Rudaba & Buland’s reconciliation.
I am glad that Adil has mustered up enough courage & is taking control of the situation which he should’ve done way before. To my surprise, Adil decided he wouldn’t let Bashar walk over him & Rudaba anymore even if it meant sacrificing his own marital life. I think this is what Adil should’ve done ages ago when he himself was aware of Rudaba’s pain but just like others, he chose to trust Bashar more & that’s why he thinks it’s about time he undoes the damage caused to his sister by all these conniving people because Adil has pretty much understood that Saira was also a part of Bashar’s strategy, which to some extent isn’t true as she herself wasn’t aware of the fact that Bashar never loved Rudaba. I think Adil feels burdened by the guilt & that’s why he took such a stern decision without even worrying about his daughter because otherwise a guy who’d agree to a proposal of Bashar & Rudaba for the sake of 25% raise in his pay, nothing else could’ve forced him to take such a strong stand.
Seems like Buland was quite settled with Tayyaba in his life but he returned at the right time to pick some gruesome details about his life & wife. I think by now he should die of shame for being absolutely brainless & to have believed in everything but the truth. Fortunately, Ramzan Chacha told him everything that he needed to know but sorry, I didn’t even feel an ounce of sympathy for him because he himself ruined his life as he clearly had trust issues. Now even if he decides to cry buckets, nothing will undo the embarrassment Rudaba had to face because of him time & again.
The recent episode was really slow with all those flashbacks & as usual long conversational scenes but I must say, Bashar’s media interview didn’t really make sense because he’s a supposed don & probably no one interviews such people that too where the focus is more on their personal life or how nazuk & andhi their prospect wives should be. I really wish if they wanted Adil to find out about Bashar’s true feelings for Rudaba, they should’ve done it some other way where may be Adil had eavesdropped on him talking on the phone to Tayyaba or something but to show an interview of Bashar wasn’t the right way of progressing the story. I also feel Buland’s return didn’t help the story in any way because they showed he’s pretty settled with Tayyaba so to make him aware of how he was treated as a stooge didn’t really affect the story much. & oh yeah, there was a lot of debate on Rudaba & Tayyaba’s same bridal dresses & luckily for us all, that issue was sorted because Tayyaba & Rudaba got the same things for their wedding. To see Buland getting swayed thinking about Rudaba while speaking to Tayyaba in that scene was ridiculous. I really wish he takes some time out & goes to a good psychiatrist because he doesn’t seem normal to me at least.
At this point we can’t be so sure about the ending & this uncertainty definitely stirs the sense of curiosity for which I am definitely tuning to this play next week to find out how things unfold. Share your thoughts on this week’s episodes of Bashar Momin.
One thing that makes my day is good food and dieting , for me, is like lame dramas. Can’t stand it! What I love the most about Pakistani ads is that they never disappoint me when it comes to showing the tastiest foods ever. Whether it be Shan or National, Sprite or Coca Cola, they’ll show foods that will increase your appetite.
With Baqar Eid around the corner I thought I’d compile a list of ads that make waiting for Eid the hardest task ever. They’re just so tasty!
1. Coca Cola TVC (2-3 years old)
This was Sana Javed’s first commercial and this one tops the list for two important reasons.
1. Amazing food.
2. Amazing camerawork. The skill with with the camera was used amazed me! There were so many colours everywhere that no matter now many times I saw this ad, I was stunned!
This one gets second place as it is the tastiest one after the Coke ad. There are three different parts of this ad. The first part shows school kids, the second one shows a beach party and the third one shows a house party.
I’ve already told my mother to save some eid wala gosht for the pizza :D
Fawad Khan’s first Bollywood film Khoobsurat has released on 19th September and now he is receiving further offers of Indian films. As per famous Indian film magazine filmfare, Fawad is offered a a film to be directed by Akshat Verma who also directed a film named Delhi Belly.
Here is what filmfare is saying
Looks like the Pakistan heartthrob has hit the right chords in B-town. After wooing the audience (especially the female audience) with his Prince Charming avatar in Khoobsurat, Fawad Khan is all set to sign his next biggie. He’s in talks with the writer of Delhi Belly, Akshat Verma for his upcoming directorial venture. Apparently the actor has read the script and is very excited to be a part of the project but hasn’t signed anything yet, since he’s currently in Pakistan. The same source confirms that the film is an intense drama with comic touches, will have an ensemble cast and is set to go on floors in November. And even though the makers had the actor in mind for quite sometime, they were waiting to see what kind of a response his first Bollywood films get.
Rahat Kazmi and Sahira Kazmi are prominent names in the history of Pakistan showbiz particularly television. Both have proven themself in this field. Though both of them are not much active for more than one decade, their work is enough to provide them ever lasting recognition like drama Dhoop Kinaray which was directed by Sahira Kazmi, while Rahat Kazmi played the role of Dr. Ahmar.
Sahira Kazmi, Rahat Kazmi
This article is a brief summary of contributions by three generations of this family.
Shyam
Shyam was an artist of pre-partition sub-continent who remained in India after partition in 1947. Shyam’s full name was Sundar Shyam Chadha and he was born in Sialkot, Punjab in 1920. Shyam’s family was basically from Rawalpindi but his father was a serving army officer stationed in Sialkot at the time of his birth. After partition in 1947 the whole Chadha family migrated to India like the rest of Hindu/Sikh population of West Punjab due to severe riots. Shyam was a close friend of famous urdu writer Saadat Hassan Manto.
Tall and handsome Shyam started his career as film actor from films produced in Lahore before 1947. Then Lahore along with Kolkata(then Calcutta) and Mumbai (then Bombay) was a prominent film center of British India. One of his earlier film in Lahore is Gawandi (1942) produced in Lahore. Shyam later moved to Mumbai and became a prominent name of Indian cinema. Shyam passed away in a tragic incident in 1951 during the shooting of film Shabistan. He died after falling while riding a horse.
In Lahore Shyam had a serious love affair with a local artist named Mumtaz Qureshi who was famous as Taaji. Both got married after moving to Mumbai. The couple had two children a son named Shaakir and daughter named Sahira. Shyam’s name was widely discussed in press due to scandals with various female artists which also disturbed his marital life.
Shyam
Mumtaz Qureshi (aka Taaji)
Mumtaz Qureshi also known as Taaji belongs from Lahore, Punjab. Mumtaz along with her elder sister Zeb worked in few films in minor roles in British India. Both sisters started their career from Lahore and later migrated to Mumbai. Mumtaz married famous Indian artist Shyam in Mumbai and the couple had two children. The daughter Sahira was born in 1946 while the son Shaakir was born in 1951 few months after the death of his fatherShyam.
After tragic death of Shyam , Mumtaz with her two kids migrated back to her home town Lahore which was now part of newly created state of Pakistan. Few accounts say she already decided to move back to Pakistan due to scandals of Shyam. In Lahore, Pakistan the local film industry was still in infancy and Mumtaz had a chance to restart her career as an artist. However Mumtaz remarried a Pakistani entrepreneur with the surname Ansari and lead a low profile life away from media. The children of Mumtaz and Shyam means Sahira and Shaakir grew up in Pakistan and earned prominent positions in their respective fields as well. Both Shakir and Sahira ammended their surnames and became Shakir Shayam-Ansari and Sahira Ansari. Mumtaz Qureshi passed away in mid 2000’s in Karachi.
The story of Shyam and Taaji is also mentioned by Saadat Hassan Manto in his sketch of actor Shyam who was his close friend.
Shyam, Mumtaz Qureshi(Taaji)
Zeb Qureshi
Zeb Qureshi was elder sister of Mumtaz Qureshi who also worked in films in Lahore and Mumbai in supporting roles. Zeb also returned to Pakistan after the death of Shyam in 1951 along with her sister. In Pakistan Zeb also married and lead a private life. Not much is publicly known about Zeb Qureshi afterwards.
Zeb Qureshi
Shakir Shyam-Ansari
Dr. Shakir Shyam Ansari is son of Mumtaz Qureshi and Shyam. Shakir is a psychiatrist by profession and lives in United Kingdom.
Sahira Kazmi
Sahira Ansari the daughter of Shyam and Mumtaz Qureshi started her acting career from PTV’s Rawalpindi center based in Chaklala, Rawalpindi in mid 1970’s. Parchhayian and Teesra Kinara are her famous dramas where she was paired with Rahat Kazmi who was a famous star by then. Sahira and Rahat married in late 1970’s as well thus Sahira Ansari became Sahira Kazmi.
Later Sahira joined Pakistan television Karachi centre as a permanent employee and worked as director/producer. She directed many notable dramas like Tappish, Dhoop Kinaray,Aahat, Hawwa Ki Beti, Nijaat and Zaibunnissa.Dhoop Kinaray is the most famous play of Sahira Kaazmi. Apart from Dhoop Kinaray all famous plays of Sahira are based on socio-political issues, Tappish was the story of a student leader; Aahat, Nijaat, Hawwa Ki Beti and Zaibunnisa dealt with multiple issues like plight of women, domestic violence and poverty. After Nijaat in 1993, there is a gap of few years after which she returned to direction with a play named Tum Se Kehna Thaa a fantasy story inspired from English film ‘While you were sleeping’. Afterwards she directed Zaibunnisa which was her last famous drama. Sahira also directed many tele films, like the classic ‘Rozee‘ starring Moeen Akhtar, Zikr Hai Kai Saal Kaa starring Rahat Kazmi and Attiqa Odho
Shafi Muhammad, Sahira Kazmi, Rahat Kazmi – a scene from PTV’s drama
As a director Sahira totally overshadowed her acting career. She is definitely one of the leading directors in the history of television in general and Pakistan Television in particular. Sahira Kaxmi is known for her innovative work. She also produced few music programs from PTV Karachi centre. Alamgir’s famous song Dekha Na Tha Kabhi Hum Nay Yeh Saman was produced by Sahira Kazmi. Sahira also surprised the audience with the song ‘Tere Ishq Mein Jo Bhi Doob Gaya’, which was a fusion of Sindhi and Urdu starring legendary folk singer Allan Faqeer and pop star Muhammad Ali Shehki.
Sahira and Rahat live happily in Karachi. The couple has two children Ali Kazmi (son) and Nida Kazmi (daughter).
Sahira, a scene from PTV’s drama
Rahat Kazmi
The heartthrob of 1970’s, Rahat needs no introduction. Rahat has a passion for fine arts, and by profession he was a civil servant. Rahat joined civil service after passing the Civil Superior Service (CSS) in late 1960’s, he also pursued acting on television and theatre. Rahat has participated in stage dramas since college days at Government College Lahore and later at Punjab University. Being stationed in Islamabad, he started his television career in late 1960’s from PTV’s Rawalpindi centre as actor and host. Then all three centres of PTV i.e. Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad were not inter-connected and in 1973, all PTV centres were connected via a nation wide network through a series of boosters. To overcome this every PTV centre runs local programs, while few programs were recorded on tape and ported to other centres via Pakistan International Airlines. Even speeches of then rulers and current affair programs were recorded during day time in Islamabad and then sent to Lahore and Karachi to be aired in evening transmission.
Rahat Kazmi
In early days of PTV Rawalpindi center Rahat worked in many dramas like ‘Goongay‘ in 1967. In ‘Koltaar’ in 1968 he acted opposite Nayyar Kamal who was a popular television artist of that era. ‘Koltaar’ was followed by another successful drama named ‘Anarkali‘ and later ‘Auraaq‘ written by Fatima Surrayia Bajiya sealed Rahat’s name as a leading performer. In the meantime Rahat also hosted a television show named Rahat Kazmi show. In 1973 all centres of Pakistan television were connected on a nation wide network. So now audience in Lahore can see a program telecasted from Karachi or any other centre. This nation wide network started a new era of popularity of television. Television stars became household names like film stars. Rahat Kazmi is indeed a leading contributor for the success of television in that era.
Despite working in few successful serials Rahat earned nationwide recognition with a superhit drama serial named Qurbatain Aur Faaslay. Qurbatain aur Faaslay in 1974 was widely successful in which Rahat was paired with Sahira Ansari. Qurbatain aur Faaslay was based on a russian novel ‘Father and Sons’ by Ivan Turgenev. Rahat and Sahira married in 1974 the same year Qurbatain aur Faaslay was aired. Regardless of the on screen tragic end, the off screen end of this drama resulted in Qurbatain of main pair.
Sahira Kazmi, Nida Kazmi, Rahat Kazmi
Qurbatain aur Faaslay, followed by another hit named Perchaiyan written by Haseena Moeen. Parchaiyan was also based on a English novel ‘Portrait of a Lady’ by Henry James. Rahat and Sahira were in lead roles along with Javed Sheikh, Talat Hussain, Shakeel. Teesra Kinara in late 1970’s is another such drama where Sahira and Rahat again worked together. Teesra Kinara was also written by Rahat Kazmi, it was directed by Rahat’s close friend Shahzad Khalil.
Meanwhile in mid 1976’s Rahat had resigned from civil service to pursue the acting as full time career. The same year Rahat also started his film career. He worked in about fifteen films most of which were successful, but surprisingly he opted out of films despite having success. Mehmaan (opposite Babra Sharif), Khandaan (opposite Najma) are his famous and success films.
Teesra Kinara, poster of PTV’s drama
On television after in 1980’s Rahat appeared in few selective dramas. Sahira Kazmi quit acting in early 1980’s, Teesra Kinara in 1981 was her last major serial. After Teesra Kinara the next major serial of Rahat was Ehsaas a mini serial (six episode) in mid 1980’s again directed by Shahzad Khalil. Rahat appeared opposite a new comer named Marina Khan. Ehsaas was successful but further success for both Marina and Rahat was yet to come. In late 1980’s, Rahat and Marina starred in an all time classic named Dhoop Kinaray, directed by Sahira Kazmi. The play instantly achieved the status of classic and was the height of popularity of PTV drama. Marina never achieved that much success afterwards, however Rahat appeared in another powerful role in drama Nangay Paon in 1993. In Nangay Paon, Rahat brilliantly performed in the role of Azeem an egoistic and influential businessman opposite Saba Hameed.
Nangay Paon was last major drama of Rahat Kazmi. Afterwards he appeared in few tele films like Zikr Hai Kayee Saal Kaa opposite Attiqa Odho, written by Anwar Sajjad, directed by Sahira Kazmi. Rahat Kazmi now works at National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) as a teacher.
Nida Kazmi
Nida Kazmi is daughter of Rahat and Sahira Kazmi. Like her parents and grand parents she also acted, though unable to attain the same heights. Nida Kazmi started acting as child star from PTV Karachi center. Hawwa Ki Beti in early 1990’s was her first major play as child star. Her only notable appearance is in drama Zaibunnisa in 1999, opposite Adnan Siddiqi. Zaibunnisa was also the last major play directed by Sahira Kazmi. Nida Kazmi appeared in few tele-films after Zaibunnisa and eventually quit acting after marriage.
Nida Kazmi as Zaibunnisa
Ali Kazmi
Ali Kazmi is son of Rahat and Sahira Kazmi. Ali started his career as child star from PTV Karachi center. Ali’s first notable appearance as a school going lad was in tele-film Zikr Hai Kayee Saal Kaa. The telefilm was directed by Sahira Kazmi and Rahat Kazmi also worked in it. Afterwards Ali appeared in many dramas in supporting roles, none of which was noticed. Ali also worked in many commercials. Recently Ali Kazmi has worked in drama Jackson Heights after a long gap.
Ali Kazmi
Wrapping up this article, here are few songs from famous movies of Rahat Kazmi also featuring Rahat Kazmi
Credits:
Song: Hamain Gham Mila Hamesha
Singer: Naheed Akhtar
Film: Mehmaan
Composer: M. Ashraf
Artists: Babra Shareef, Rahat Kazmi, Nayyara Sultana and others
Aik Pal is an upcoming drama of Hum TV produced by Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi and directed by Sirajul Haq, starring Affan Waheed, Sumbul Iqbal, Areej Fatimah, Danish Taimoor, Mohsin Gilani and others.
Hmm so let’s see; a typical prime-time play has the following features:
a) It is 20 to 25 episodes long.
b) The holier-than-thou people suffer throughout the play and enjoy hardly ten minutes of happiness that too in the last episode’s final part. Nothing goes according to their plans, no matter how truthful they are, they will be ignored and all the tears they shed for their ‘loved one’ go to waste.
c) The most wicked and selfish people stay happy throughout the serial and barely suffer the consequences of their evil deeds in the second half of the last episode. The odds are always in their favour, everyone trusts them blindly and yes: they get away with everything simply by being labeled as,’bewaqoof’.
Do our writers and drama makers not realize that by showing the evil lot leading a successful life, and the pious and compassionate people weeping and sobbing, they are kind of giving the wrong message? Our writers have mastered the skill of penning down conspiracies, but sorry to say, very few know the art of balancing good and evil. This is the very reason why I don’t think any of our plays these days offer a REAL message. As far as I can recall, perhaps ‘Durreshahwar’ was the last play I watched that actually conveyed a positive and inspirational message that too in a beautiful and realistic manner.
Here’s a list of plays in which the ‘real’ or ‘central’ message was conveyed in the final few minutes of the last episode, and due to the VERY late timing, it lost its essence.
• Ek Tamanna Lahasil Si
To begin with, this play didn’t even HAVE a message. After all those tears and ‘Chachi jaan mera yaqeen karain’ wali rutt, in the very LAST minute of the final episode, they showed Mawra with tomato red lipstick, thinking as if THAT would make up for the torture she (and the unfortunate viewers) went through. Throughout the play, the tyrant MIL and SIL were successful in brewing conspiracies, no one raised their voice against them and even though their so-called ‘anjaam’ was merely ‘bad’, the underlying theme of the play did not seem to be: ‘Goodness can conquer the world’. Instead, it was more like: ‘Ways to make your bahu go through living hell’.
• Adhoori Aurat
Think of ALL the bad-no, WORST things that can happen to an individual. Sadist in-laws, spousal abuse, terminal disease, spouse’s infidelity, yateemi and you name it-ALL of this happened to our heroine but she endured it patiently, made endless sacrifices and look what happened to her- her own daughter turned against her because of the new-found love and respect for her father. And our holier than thou heroine enjoyed ten (I think less than that) minutes of happiness in the last episode.
• Maat
My God! Yahan tou hadd hi hogayi! Saman-the evil, selfish gold-digger made life miserable for everyone around her and in the end, they showed her ‘anjaam’ by a mere teary phone call? And the selfless and devoted sister was showed homeless till the second half of the final episode! After showing the endless suffering of the kind-hearted person, what message did they intend to convey: ‘Achay logon ka zamana nahe raha’?
• Zindage Gulzar Hai
This play did have a strong message and it was conveyed beautifully too. However, there was one thing I found a bit inappropriate (I know ZGH fans will be a bit irritated but please trust me-I am NOT jalous LOL :P). Throughout the serial, we saw Kashaf ranting and complaining about how God didn’t love her and her zindage is a complete mess. Now after listening to her ungrateful rants (though they were justified at times), I was expecting the transition of Kashaf from an ungrateful being to a grateful one to be showed in a more ‘detailed’ manner. I mean, her grateful side was revealed and portrayed in the last few minutes of the final episode. I distinctly remember that Fatima too pointed out the same thing in her review for ZGH’s last episode and I agree with her a hundred percent. But to all ZGH fans out there: please don’t be offended, this was one great play and no doubt about that, okay? ;)
My point is-why exaggerate and prolong the bad/unpleasant bits and rush to the good/pleasant bits? Why show a constant pained expression on the innocent protagonist’s face and an evil smirk on the antagonist’s face THROUGHOUT the play? Why wait till the LAST few minutes of the final episode to show the good guy’s good anjaam and bad guy’s bad anjaam?
I know you all have a dozen names to include in my short and precise list, so please share your thoughts. I am looking forward to them :-)
Nida Yasir always makes her guests feel so comfortable that they feel it easy to talk to her candidly. Hira and Mani are very outspoken and in Nida”s show when Nida asked how Mani became so fair all of a sudden they replied that Mani had not done anything but they took names of many actors who had undergone plastic surgery in order to become fair. The names that they took were that of Fahad Mustafa, Mohib Mirza and Danish Taimoor. They said that most actors go abroad now to get surgeries done because the prices are almost the same. They said that Danish was already fair but he also got surgery done to be even casino online more fair maybe because he wanted to look good with Ayeza!
They said that Fahad Mustafa has definitely got plastic surgery done although he does not admit it. Hira said that Fahad looked more attractive with his wheatish complexion. Hira and Mani made fun of women who are obsessed with botox and other kinds of plastic surgeries.
Ushna Shah is well know by now for using abusive language against people who criticize her in any way. Not only this even if someone does not agree with her point of view she has a very blunt way of telling them off. She says herself that she is very popular for giving people a tough time when they do not act professionally.
Ushna Shah has been updating statuses on her FB page which basically show how annoyed she is with Pakistanis because according to her Pakistanis judge women by what they wear but happily look at foreigners wearing the same clothes.
Umera Ahmed has become quite popular in India after the airing of two her popular shows, Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Maat. In an interview with the Jaskiran Kapoor of Indian Express, Umera talks about her work and inspiration, along with a few things about herself.
Your dramas- Maat, Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Behadd (on Zee’s Zindagi) – have been making waves on Indian television, and focus on man-woman relationships. Is that a conscious choice of a genre for you?
Man-woman relationships naturally intrigue me. And I’ve been exploring it ever since I started writing 15 years back. The intricacies, problems, trials and tribulations of their relationships inspire me to give words to their journeys.
What inspires you as a writer?
Life. It’s the primary motivator as there is a story everywhere. My roots play a huge part too. I come from the small town of Sialkot in Pakistan, a town that during pre-Partition had the highest literacy rate among women, the city of Iqbal, and now people say it’s the city of Umera. My drive also comes from the creative freedom and opportunities I get in my field where women like Haseena Moin rule.
Writer, thinker or philosopher? What describes you the best?
Although I’m a popular fiction writer, I take it as a compliment when someone calls me a philosopher. I’m also an Agony Aunt constantly giving relationship advice, but tragic love storeis do get on my nerves sometimes. Because I write on subjects that deal with day-to-day life, I end up giving food for though to the audience. While critics have also described my writings as bhashan, I write about what I want and people see, hear and appreciate it.
Which characters from the serials describe you the best?
According to my friends, it’s Kashaf Murtaza from Zindagi Gulzar Hai. I am traditional in my appearance like her, strong, dedicated and committed too, but I am not ungrateful or bitter like her. Like her, I am unromantic whereas my husband is exactly like Zaroon, in civil services, romantic, more expressive, although he has never read or seen my work.
Zindagi… interestingly was also the first story I wrote 15 years back for a magazine, and it is still relevant today.
What about the men in your stories? Is it a challenge to not be biased towards women?
I don’t pander to the Mills & Boon romance. Having said that, male characters are pivotal, but have to be real too. For instance, Zaroon in Zindagi Gulzar Hai is every bit a man — chauvinist, good looking and intelligent. But when he meets a woman, who challenges and changes him, there is friction as it is not easy for a man to keep his ego aside, accept and change.
Is it heartening to know your work is changing perceptions about Pakistan?
Certainly. I am delighted because the Pakistani woman’s image internationally is perceived to be regressive. It is not true. Hamari khawateen ka rehen-sehan azaad hai. Second marriages are looked down upon and a man has to give explanations for it.
Are there lessons for Indian television programmers to learn from Pakistan TV dramas?
While we are catering to two different markets, for us content is king. In Indian dramas, emphasis is on costume, glamor and locations. Take these out of the equation, and there is nothing to get hooked to. I always believe in chasing a story.
Will you be working on any projects in India?
I don’t write constantly. It’s two serials, and a novel a year. Right now, I am writing my first Urdu feature film. As for India, I would be willing to work, but the demand for 100-plus episodes scares me. If a channel has the courage to do a 20-episode show, then I am game as I have not patience to stretch story beyond it.”
Alrighto, this episode was more situational which gave us some insights about the characters & their backgrounds a bit more. I think the story will progress in the upcoming episodes but I am glad that the director is not rushing with the story by sacrificing the time needed to establish the characters properly.
This episode did focus more on Imran Bhatti’s life or to be precise; his personal life. Imran Bhatti; who comes across as a carefree person who’s always ears to other’s issues carries an emotional baggage because he has to deal with a lot in his marital life. Being married to an American & being a step-father of two; it definitely takes a toll on him because he doesn’t get a fair share of respect that he deserves. Even though he doesn’t regret marrying Cathy but he is still unhappy with the way he gets treated by his wife & kids. Imran is someone who’d never ever share his personal problems with anyone but shed off his burden by spending a time with himself while sipping a cup of coffee.
Imran definitely doesn’t know what his mother has to put up with because of his sister-in-law but at least luckily for Imran’s mother, Jamshed is there to protect her. Even though he is the main reason of his Maami’s agitation, he still knows how to take a stand for himself & his grandmother. Jamshed is still living in a fool’s paradise where he thinks things will become much easier the moment he’ll step out of Pakistan but he seems so indulged in the future that he has forgotten to worry about his present & for this he’s unable to understand that his unemployment is taking a toll on him & to some extent; on his grandmother as well. I really liked the conversation Jamshed had with his friend where she tries to make him understand how he could do well by being in Pakistan but just because Jamshed happens to have a lot of misapprehensions about American lifestyle, he chooses to ignore the advice given by her. That conversation shed a light on such basic suggestions that people convey to those who do happen to live in some sort of imaginative bubble. I must say the relation Jamshed shares with his grandmother was really sweet. The way she understands & protects him goes to show that she takes Jamshed as someone who compensates the absence of her daughter & her son Imran.
The character of Michelle still remains a mystery & I am interested to find out more about her. Even though Michelle runs such a business where every single day she has to deal with a whole lot of different people, she is still an introvert at heart who shies away from a social contact because she feels she wouldn’t fit well in that circle. It felt like Michelle & her friend are dodging their feelings for each other because even though they both had a misunderstanding, they sorted out pretty quickly because they both are used to being together. One interesting bit that I noticed was that it was the same Michelle who was being stern with her subordinate while complaining about food but the very next second, it looked like she was an entirely different person, who was easy-going & knew how to smile as well & that was only because of her best friend. I don’t know why but I feel there’s a lot more to discover particularly in Michelle’s story.
The most enjoyable scene was once again of Imran Bhatti where he staged a meeting with the ladies of Haseena parlour. Imran is someone who lives in the moment because he knows he has so much to deal with, so he seizes every single opportunity to connect with new people & desis in particular for the obvious reasons. A little light was shed on why Imran’s stuck with Cathy because of some legal issues related to his immigration, so I can’t wait to find out how he takes control of his life henceforth.
2 episodes down & the excitement is still intact. I really enjoyed the conversations in this episode & feel like I know a lot more about the characters than I knew about them in the previous episode. I just can’t wait to find out more about each one of them & their stories. Share your thoughts on this episode of Jackson Heights.
I must say I am pleased with the recent turn of events except the death of Saman”s mother of course. Even though the drama had a very weak start but the way they are wrapping the story is impressive because now I feel we”ll have a complete ending which will leave all the viewers contented.
I am glad that Faisal decided to speak to Hashir but before saying anything he got all the answers that he was looking for. Faisal was already disturbed by his unrequited love & just because he felt burdened for not giving Saman the due respect she deserved, he felt it was a right decision to back out because he heard how pure Hashir”s intentions were. I really didn”t think Faisal would make such a decision because till now it looked like he”d want Saman back to start afresh to compensate for believing blindly in what Shazia fed to him but seems like he really felt it was the right thing to let go of Saman as he never really loved her, so there was no point in prolonging the relation because he couldn”t come to terms with the fact ever that he married someone else other than Shazia.
The way Saman trusted Shazia, only Fazeelat”s death had to be used as an eye-opener for her but I really wish Fazeelat had shared with Rabia – what she knew about her daughter, before she died. Her death definitely came as a surprise & I actually wish the writer hadn”t overdone the fragility of health of the ladies in this drama. Saman gets fever pangs if someone yells at her, she breaks her wrist & is chucked to the hospital in an ambulance if she slips & now Fazeelat died just because she heard something without even making sure if what she heard was true or not. But nevertheless, at least Fazeelat”s death made Saman stronger because she knew now she had to fight her battles alone without worrying about her mother because this is exactly what Fazeelat was trying to make her understand all this while as well.
I thought may be a tight slap followed by Fazeelat”s death may knock some compassion in Shazia but she continued to be as despicable as ever. Even though she may fear losing Hashir but not even for once she thought that it might be karma’s way of paying her back for all the negativity that she had instigated. What really annoyed me was the way Rabia was still being over-protective of her spoiled brat that after mobile casino Fazeelat”s death, it only took her a few hours to snap out of the agony & return back to being her old self where she couldn”t stop wailing about all the favors she had done for the deceased & her daughter. I really wish someone knocks some sense into Rabia so that she can see things through & understand what games Shazia has played until now & feels ashamed for standing by her daughter.
It was good to see Hashir finally taking care of his mother”s wishes & drawing a line regarding Fayyaz. Hashir might”ve never believed what his mother had told him about his father if she was alive but just because she died & left a heartfelt letter to him, Hashir took it as a guideline to apprehend Fayyaz”s intentions. I must say the preview of the next week also seemed interesting where Shazia will continue to manipulate situations in her favour & will spew one lie after another but will soon get busted. I think after all that Hashir & Saman have faced, it”s about time that they both get together & lead a happy life together. Share your thoughts on this episode please.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers, Zahra Mirza.
ps: I am covering for my dear friend Fatima Awan but please look out for her say in the comments. :)
Episode 2 and I must say HSY has kept the momentum high by inviting another two celebrities with a huge fan base- the ravishing Ayesha Khan and the newest heartthrob, Hamza Ali Abbassi. This time around, he invited them one after another giving some extra time to chat with Ayesha Khan before Hamza joined them. For a moment, I was taken aback to see the camaraderie shared between these two but then I had an epiphany- they worked together on WAAR. I guess they go back a long way- HSY stated that he`s known Ayesha Khan for years before she started her career. Okay, time for my rant- what is it about our actresses and their insistence on being under 30? Ayesha Khan felt the need to mention that she started working 12 years ago at the age of 17 which makes her 29… I feel irrespective of their age, these actors have come a long way and should be confident enough to put aside clarifying how old they are.
HSY was cheeky enough to bring up the one question that clearly annoys her most. I liked the way she responded by being realistic yet not giving away anything- marriage is on the cards for her- not just yet. Hamza too stated he’s not dating anyone seriously- or is that just the way celebrities roll? I think as much as the fans love knowing about their favorites, there is an aspect of their private lives that they want to keep hidden. I was surprized to find out that Ayesha Khan is not on any social media platform- the twitter account which has one of the highest number of followers is not hers! Hamza, however, is very active on facebook and he regularly updates his status.
It was interesting to know that Hamza has trained with the Police force and he gave a huge shout out to the brave men who keep us safe. It was his mother’s wish to see her son as a uniformed officer and he went ahead just to prove to himself that he is capable of undergoing the rigorous training but that wasn’t the career path he had in mind. Hamza is a very competent actor and he’s also a great mimic. My absolute favorite part of the episode was his mimicry of HSY. He owned it completely- from the hand gestures to the tantrums, he was a delight to watch.
The challenges weren’t as exciting as I would have hoped. Hamza was more than willing to let Ayesha Khan win. I feel the segment “Love or Not Love” is actually pretty pointless. The guests are naturally inclined to avoid controversy and end up stating that they love everyone- except Mathira! I’d like to mention here that both Ayesha and Hamza have oodles of respect for Humayoun Saeed and his name came up quite a few times. I also liked the way both of them were in awe of Emaan Ali. Once again, Round two was “Ajnabee Kaun Ho Tum” where they received a call and in 30 seconds they had to guess who the caller was. They really ought to work on improving the sound quality or scraping that segment altogether and replacing it with something else. It is an utter waste of time and frustrating since the viewers can’t really hear anything. The final round “Mein Khilaari Tu Anaari” was better than the predecessors. Ayesha and Hamza each had to ask the other 5 questions and the winner takes all. I don’t get why Bollywood is always being discussed on our shows even though everyone keeps talking about the revival of Pakistani cinema. Why bring up Chulbul Pandey or the lyrics to some random song – “Mein tera amplifier?”
This episode focused more on their work. Hamza Ali Abbassi brought up the topic of why he doesn’t believe in item songs since they do not represent our culture. In the same breath, he mentioned that he has tonnes of respect for Saba Qamar. I’m guessing this episode was filmed prior to the whole “Mardon ki Meera” incident. Overall, it was a good watch but I really feel they should work on the challenge segments- that takes up a chunk of the time that could otherwise be used for more discussions. What are your thoughts about the second episode?
Sadqay Tumhare is an upcoming play by Hum TV starring Mahira, Adnan Malik, Samiya Mumtaz, Sanya Shamshad, Qavi Khan, Aamir Qureshi, Farhan Ali Agha, Irfan Khosat, Rehan Sheikh, Shamil Khan. It is written by Khalilur Rehman Qamar, directed by Ehteshaamuddin and Produced by Momina Duraid, Samina Humayun Saeed and Tariq Ahmed Shah/
It is a story in the backdrop of rural Punjab narrated by Khalilur Rehman Qamar. The play is expected to replace either Mausam on Friday or Aahista Aahista on Sunday. It is the first major drama for model/director Adnan Malik. Adnan started his career from modelling and later assisted his elder brother Saqib Malik as director in various commercials and music videos. Adnan has also appeared and directed many numerous music videos. Adnan was nominated as best male model and best music video director for Lux Style Award in recent years. He won Lux Style Awrd 2012 in the category of best music video.
Mahira Khan has clarified that she is not offered indian movies as been reported in press. Mahira feels for recognition in acting in dramas as well as in modelling. Mahira is not ammused by the rat race of number one in any field. She was talking to media at the launch of film O21 in Karachi.
Mahira said, film is not her preference but she spare her time for dramas and modelling. Mahira told she is working in a film Bin Royee Aansoo directed by Sultana Siddiqi while more offers are also in the bag. Many producers want to cast her. To avoid monotony, Mahira also seek to appear in different roles and quality work. Mahira enjoys working in Pakistani film rather then in any indian film. So far Mahira has worked in only film Bol, which was released in 2011.
8969 an upcoming film (or tele film) starring Saba Qamar, Hussain Tiwana, Sadaf Hamid, Azeem Sajjad, Anam Malik, Haseeb Khan, Sama Shah, Noor-ul-Hassan, Princess Zoni, Oun Sarwar, & A J Khan. It is directed by Azeem Sajjad. Azeem Sajjad is an actor/director from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who started his career from PTV Peshawar Center. Azeem Sajjad has recently directed the Pashto drama Za Pakhtoon Yum for Khyber TV.
The film also has a song starring Saba Qamar as Mastani which they are promoting as item song. However Saba Qamar has termed it as a routine song. Saba has also informed that it is a tele film, however the facebook page of 8969 is promoting it as a film.
Jalaibee is an upcoming film directed by Yasir Jaswal starring Zhalay Sarhadi, Danish Taimoor, Adnan Jaffer, Ali Safina, Waqar Ali Khan, Sajid Hasan and Uzair Jaswal. The film is expected to release sometime next year.
Zhalay Sarhadi the main female lead of the film will also be seen performing in an item number which is composed by Shujja Haider. The song might not be part of actual film to be used only in the promotion of the film.
Jalaibee will be the first commercial film of Zhalay. Earlier she has appeared in a supporting role in film Ramchand Pakistani, a non-commercial film without much masala which failed to impress the cine goers.
Trailer/Teaser of film Jalaibee was released earlier this year
Political situation in the country has made everyone obsessed with politics. We see people talking about politics even in places where there is no need to do so. People try to use whichever platform they can in order to voice their opinion and opposition against the government. A live caller called on the Morning Show of Waqt News and said he had something very important to say. You have to watch the video to see what he had to say!!
It is usually said that artists are very sensitive people, Sanam Baloch proved that she is not just a gifted actress but also has a very kind soul while she narrated an incident from her past in her Morning Show. Sanam Baloch was talking to her guests about times when they might have hurt someone or someone may have hurt them. Everyone openly apologized to those people who they have hurt in the past. Sanam Baloch narrated a story from her past in which she told that when she started her career a very young fan came to meet her in her house in scorching heat but she turned her away because she was very tired. Sanam Baloch said that she still feels guilty for her behaviour. While narrating the incident, Sanam started crying because she said that she had not forgotten that day and will not be able to forget it until that girl forgives her.
Sanam said that after that incident she has learned to value those who love her. She said that now she values all her fans and is mature enough to know better.
Okay guys, so 20 episodes down and seems like the play is heading off to a different direction. I don’t want it to turn into another shukk-causes-destruction sort of story. Firdaus Aapa-uff! This woman doesn’t have an ounce of khauf-e-khuda in her. Look at her age and her actions. Have you seen any ‘buzarg’ in their right mind, going on and breaking homes by sowing the seeds of suspicion and that too without a motive?
Quite frankly, if you ask me, I enjoyed Episode 19 a whole lot more than the latest one. I am so sorry for the delay in the review guys! Lekin khair, to begin with, Episode 19 mei taraqqi hogayi-Mehar’s mother realized that ‘meri beti ab bari hogayi hai’ (phew). Congrats on growing up Mehar! And yes, the biggest taraqqi-Sidra and Shariq got nikkah-fied! In one of the initial scenes of the episode where Mehar told Firdaus Aapa about Sidra’s proposal, she looked so sullen and depressed. And while seeing Sidra and Shariq together, she couldn’t help indulging into self-pity. She is clearly noting and feeling the obvious differences between Shariq and her own hubby, Saqib -the former being handsome, well-qualified and most of all-kam-umar (by the way I LOVED how Mehar winced at the word ‘kam-umar’).
I think fate has been a bit too hard on Mehar: she got married to a man twice her age and what’s more-she has to live a thousand miles AWAY from him AND has no option but to bear that ranting machine in the form of Firdaus Aapa! But one thing is for sure-Mehar’s nature has taken a 360° turn. She not only does ‘unite’ Shariq and Sidra, but also helps Sidra with her shopping and stuff. The duo owes Mehar a big one! All in all, it was quite a pleasant episode, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I loved the Dholki-Yasir was the man on the dhol LOL :P Mehar looked stunning in Sidra’s Dholki and Nikkah. Needless to say, if there’s one thing that did put me off was Firdaus Aapa. I seriously loathe her!
The latest installment was a bit too dull for my liking. Like I mentioned before, Mehar’s frustration is completely justified. Who would want to live the life she is living? But what’s sickening is the fact that no one-not even her own mother can relate to her daughter’s feelings. Apart from keeping a check on her daughter, there is nothing else Munazzah’s good at. I don’t like the way they are using Yasir for the further progress of the story. It seems that whenever the writer feels she is running out of ideas, she uses this all-time farigh character she created (aka Yasir) to carry the story forward. Okay-so Mehar and Yasir danced at the Dholki, Mehar went to the parlour with him and they both went out to eat ice-cream. Big deal! Now can we please get over it? Is it that necessary to show tyrant nunds and shukk-driven husbands in every SINGLE play? Shariq and his family are getting undue attention and coverage. His sister’s engagement broke off and what happened following that had ‘been there seen that’ written all over it. Sidra was labeled, ‘Manhoos’ by her MIL, which didn’t come as a shock either because we all know that Humaira Zaheer is competing for the award of, ‘The Most Despicable Roles Ever Played’ and The question that arises is: will these problems solely affect Shariq and Sidra, or will they somehow, indirectly have an effect on Mehar too? I am soo loving Shariq’s character-aisay gentlemen bhi hain Karachi mei? ;)
The direction, acting, camera work-everything has been up to the mark till now. Let’s see how things shape up ahead.
So, this was it folks! Did you guys catch up on these installments? What do you think of them? Please feel free to share your views.
P.S: My apologies for the delay guys! School work :/
We reported few days back that the friendship between Hamza Ali Abbasi and Saba Qamar was going through a difficult time because Saba had done an item number and Hamza was giving some very definite statements against item numbers in films. Hamza Ali Abbasi said generally that a good film does not require an item number. He also said that although there is a lot of pressure on him to add an item number in his film but he is not going to do it.
Saba Qamar took this statement in a wrong way and thought that Hamza was targeting her. Hamza Ali Abbasi, whois very active on his facebook page, made it clear that his statement was not meant for anyone in particular so anyone thinking on those lines was very wrong. From his status update it looks like Saba is not the only one who was offended by his statement.
Here is Hamza Ali Abbasi’s status update talking about the issue:
Jealousy; an emotion which people often feel towards others seeing them having a thing which they desire of. Jealousy to me is more like a depiction of a weaker soul & is such an emotion which is practiced by those who lack confidence in themselves & often tend to see themselves through other’s perspectives. I say, it’s not a normal thing to feel jealous but the way people overrate it on a social media especially when they see others endorsing a different opinion is something they need to snap out of. Lately people straight away label others as jealous, which to me is more like a portrayal of a limited exposure in life.
As much as I’ve come across, people think if you’re not impressed by a female actresses’ gori rangat, you’re jalouse. If you’re not a fan of the most famous actor, you’re jalouse. If you don’t think a fair actress can pull of a red pout, you’re definitely jalouse. If you’re not impressed by how flexibly the girl grooves on a song, you’re jalouse. If you don’t seem to be an awe of how good looking or beautiful a celebrity is, you’re jalouse for sure. I state these examples to make my point because this is what I’ve seen more like a prevailing trend these days where people just come & declare their verdict without even knowing a thing or two about others & what’s more cringe-worthy is that those who seem to be obsessed with this word for starters don’t even pay much attention to the spellings of the word *jealousy* too.
Sadly, it seems like a modern day worship to me, where people just can’t fathom the fact that people might not share similar feelings regarding the celebrities as they do, therefore they resort to the J word with finality & they don’t seem to budge after that & what saddens me the most is that people tend to start a fight with those they interact with, that too for those who don’t even have an idea of their existence.
My point here is that the way people idealize & in fact idolize these celebrities is alarming because when they don’t see others doing the same, they find them either insane or abnormal because they just can’t see the other side of the picture where such people do exist who just tune to the media for the sake of entertainment & not to use it as a guideline in their lives. There are people who aren’t really bothered about how gori an actress or how sohna the munda is. There are such people who don’t really follow these celebrities to get inspired from & are actually blessed with a lot of self-confidence which doesn’t let them get swayed by seeing a few touched-up faces on a TV. There are a million people out there who have different mindsets or let’s say different standards to reckon a beauty which definitely could be heaps different to someone else’s but the way people bring in the element of jealousy in between the debate & declare others are jealous of their IDOL is absolutely a showcasing of misapprehended mentality. I think it’s about time that all such fans wake up & smell the coffee that those who don’t drool over these celebrities aren’t actually jealous but are past that stage in their lives where now they wouldn’t worship these famous personalities & to them, these actors & actresses are just normal people who’re doing their job of appearing on the TV.
Lately, I have seen people have grown intolerant towards other’s point of views no matter how politely they’re being discussed & when they don’t have a thing to contribute to the discussion, they label them as a bunch of jealous people, which really seems inappropriate. I think, it’s about time that people learn to respect the different opinions of people & stop labelling them as jealous because trust me, there’s more to life than being jealous of the celebrities. :)
Share your thoughts on this please & let me know how many times have you been labeled as jalouse because oh boy! I am defo jalouse, lol. ;)
*I’m winking*
India tops the chart in showing attractive women in its movies and as much as 35% of these female characters are shown with some nudity, finds a first-ever UN sponsored global study of female characters in popular films across the world.
The study, commissioned by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, with support from UN Women and The Rockefeller Foundation, reveals deep-seated discrimination, pervasive stereotyping, sexualisation of women and their underrepresentation in powerful roles by the international film industry.
Indian films, the study finds, have a significantly higher prevalence of sexualisation of female characters and the movies score low in depicting women in significant speaking roles and as engineers and scientists.
While women represent nearly half of the world’s population, less than one third of all speaking characters in films are female and UK-US collaborations and Indian films are at the bottom of the pack.
Both, the American/British hybrid films (23.6 per cent) and Indian films (24.9 per cent) show female characters in less than one-quarter of all speaking roles. Even the frontrunners (UK, Brazil and South Korea) feature female characters in 35.9-38 per cent of all speaking roles on screen.
Sexualisation of female characters in movies is a standard practice across the global film industry and women are twice as likely as men to be shown in sexually revealing clothing, partially or fully naked, thin, and five times as likely to be referenced as attractive.
Indian films are third behind German and Australian movies in showing females in “sexy attire” and at 25.2% India tops the chart in showing attractive females in its movies.
About 35% of female characters in Indian movies are shown with some nudity, the study finds. The prevalence of female directors, writers and producers in the Indian films was also not at a very high number.
India had 9.1% female directors, slightly above the global average of 7%, while its percentage of female writers was 12.1%, significantly lower than the 19.7% global average.
Female producers in India were only 15.2%, way below the 22.7% global average.
This data of gender prevalence behind the camera translated into a gender ratio of 6.2 males to every one female in the film industry in India.
Tabdeeli nahi aye gi! Kabhi nahi ayegi! (Relax I’m talking about TV shows) :P
While a tabdeeli is on the verge of happening in the politics of Pakistan, the drama makers are doing their level best that no tabdeeli reaches us through dramas. Same old ghisse pite topics are being repeated again and again.
The only watchable dramas recently are Shanakht, Firaaq and Jackson Heights.
After the success of Pakistani dramas in India, I feel proud and nervous at the same time. Proud because I love to see my country shine and nervous because ,I know, being a regular viewer of Pakistani dramas, that India has only seen our best.
I know we have written articles calling for diversity, but the call was unheard and being a drama lover, I don’t want the quality of Pakistani dramas to drop further. So, scroll down, read these ideas and tell me what you think about them
1. There are issues other than women issues and ghareloo-ism :
Trust me, there are! It’s not like women are the only oppressed makhlooq in this country. Men also face problems and we have all seen how amazing dramas like Pyaray Afzal and Laa were. Their male characters were men and we were spared a lot of rona dhona and other crap because of this. An important thing, in these dramas, women were shown strong. (Laila, Farah, Lubna, Yasmeen, Arfa, Ruqayya)
Ghareloo maslon se aage bhi soch lia karo!
2. Difference won’t hurt!
It won’t! trust me! Crime shows would be unparalleled hits if executed properly. Mystery dramas would rock and horror shows (if executed properly) would introduce new dimensions in drama making. Even university based dramas, if they deal with issues like bullying and aren’t just love stories, will be loved by many people.
3. After a blockbuster drama, get working on another one quick!
After Pyaray Afzal, no other drama made by ARY even qualifies to be called “good”. This shows Pyaray Afzal ghalti se ban gaya! Ab kabhi koi acha drama nahi bane ga!
4. Don’t make people beg for good dramas!
Don’t torture your viewers! Give them something to look forward to. Avoid those “filler dramas” which give us the creeps.
So readers, what did you think of this article? Before leaving, fill out my questionnaire please:
1. Which type of shows would you like to see?
2. Are you also a wisher of these different dramas?
Ohkay so, another one of a good episode with some great developments in the story. The pace is just perfect & I hope that it remains that way because apart from all the other great things, the pace is what’s keeping the interest of the viewers’ intact. As usual, where there were some sweet moments of Annie & Rohaan, there were a few thought-provoking bits too & for this, I absolutely love watching this drama.
I don’t want to demean women here but I definitely feel the fathers take the crown for being rational & logical. I give full marks to the fathers for giving Annie & Rohaan’s wishes a consideration & going with the flow for how the bride & groom wanted their wedding to be like. I know this idea may have been done in other dramas as well but I think very subtly they touched it this time around & without making it preachy, they told how weddings can or should be like. The mothers & even the sisters of the bride & groom wanted an elaborate wedding to express their happiness, which they thought could only be measured by how much money’s spent rather wasted on the wedding functions, how loud the music is or till what hour the gathering lasts. I know what they showed were some basic feelings that all the family members tend to have if any member of the family is getting married but on the other hand it also showed that no matter how liberal you become, you’re always enslaved to boundaries that you impose on yourself, that’s why Rohaan’s mother felt she didn’t enjoy the wedding one bit because she had quite a lot ‘armaan’ regarding Rohaan’s wedding & when things went against her imagination, she flipped out & didn’t seem to budge at all as she was so engrossed in what she thought was a right way of celebrating a wedding. Similarly, the long list of complaints was also ready by Huma which she kept on discussing with Amjad but I liked that this time around Amjad not only supported Annie but also showed how much he respects Rohaan as his son-in-law by putting a stop to Huma’s rants, making her understand just as much as Haris was dear to her, Rohaan was special for Amjad as well.
As much as I feel the beginning of Annie’s wedding life was sort of dramatic & a tad bit unrealistic because no matter how much you dislike a person, you do extend some courtesy towards them but then if we keep the drama out of mind, what they showed was a depiction of some sort of complex that a mother-in-law often harbors when she sees that her son likes his wife & has gotten married to her against the wishes of the ladies of his family. Rohaan’s mother seemed irrational obviously but how she reacted portrayed the right picture of such mothers in law who have a hard time accepting their daughters-in-law only because they know that their sons have a soft corner for them in their hearts. Annie got a very insensitive welcome by Rohaan’s family & even the sisters gave her a cold shoulder which I am sure won’t last for too long but to see it all happening definitely made me feel for both Rohaan & Annie a lot more. I also found Huma & Kashaf’s attitude a bit odd as well because it doesn’t matter if her in-laws weren’t around that just didn’t mean that Huma found a chance to start voicing her disappointments the very next day she went to see Annie for the very first time after her wedding.
Another thing that took me by surprise was to see the coverage Kashaf & Haris were getting. I definitely thought they’d get married & their story wouldn’t have much to offer but I think it was a very well-thought plan to give them the screen-time as well to juxtapose the difference between Haris & Rohaan as well. I know this doesn’t look too new but the way Haris came across, it was clear that he’s ceasing every opportunity to exploit Kashaf’s parents through her just because he knows that his fiancée loves him & she’d do anything to make him happy. Amjad’s restlessness also showed that just because of Kashaf’s unreasonable demands he was forced to think how much ease he felt while getting Annie married to Rohaan. Once again, very rightly they showed that just when Kashaf thought after 99 fulfilled wishes, another unreasonable one at that wasn’t being considered; she used Huma as a pawn to convince Amjad which usually happens in most of the families.
Time & again both Amjad & Rizwan seemed to have run out of words in front of their wives but luckily for Annie & Rohaan, both of them stood by their decision & didn’t let the ladies interfere, which was perfect. I definitely liked a few scenes of Annie & Rohaan but I do wish we get to see more of them, like how they both are understanding each other, what commonality do they both share. Actually, I want to see how their relation develops because to see the families getting more coverage, I dread seeing it turning into a saas-bahu saga anytime soon. The latest developments especially keeping the weddings of both the sisters in mind, I was reminded of Mirat-ul-Uroos a lot but the difference was the addition of Islamic view point, which definitely was a bonus.
Even though Rohaan didn’t have many scenes but he didn’t fail to leave a mark in those few scenes as always. The very first pleasant thing to see was when he speaks to Annie about what plans she had in her mind regarding her wedding & after he gets his reply, he doesn’t sit there to speak to her more, showing the respect he had for her & didn’t want to make her awkward as he himself was conscious of her hesitation while he was around. Another good thing to see was how calmly Rohaan reacted to Huma’s complaints & gave her a fairly decent reply of how he’ll learn to maintain a balance between his mother & his wife, showing that he was ready to accommodate every single person that now is a part of his family through Annie. As always, the episode ended at just a right note where they left something for us to look forward to once again. I actually want to see how Rohaan’s mother will react at Rohaan’s support of Annie’s Hijab & how will he talk her out of the new-found fixation of taking Annie to a dinner party without her headscarf.
As always, the acting is top-notch & the direction is perfect. The scenes are just spot-on where not even for a second you feel bored or want to jump to the next scene. I must say both Fahad Mirza & Maya Ali have done a commendable job in this drama & I am sure if it wasn’t for them, this drama wouldn’t have been such a treat to watch. Share your thoughts please. :)
Mahira Khan or maybe Khirad from Humsafar is one of the extremely talented pretty ladies we have in our showbiz industry. Previously she was a very bubbly kind of a VJ, and then suddenly she became a breakthrough star of the very popular drama serial. In this article I am going to talk about the likes and dislikes of Mahira Khan, her reaction on the success of Humsafar and a lot more juicy stuff. Do keep your suggestions posted because they are valued a lot.
Mahira khan, the famous celebrity loves to read and write. She writes pages and pages everyday for her son Azlan. She takes out time from her busy schedule and writes letters so that he can read them just in case she dies. Mahira Khan is basically not that sort of a girl who looks as if she has just stepped out of a beauty parlor; in fact she is perfect in her own natural way. Her long and thick uncombed hairs look phenomenal with whatever she wears. She has porcelain skin that doesn’t require any sort of make up and her eyebrows are still un plucked but still in an excellent shape. This is actually what real beauty is. Mahira Khan is stunning in her decency.
So the Wait is Over. Mahira Khan’s Upcoming Drama Trailer is out! Watch Now
We already reported few months back that people were inquiring Veena Malik about her weight gain but she was quiet on the issue. We know now that Veena Malik was expecting but she did not share the news with any one.
She has been blessed with a baby boy. Here is the picture:
Nimra Khan appeared on ARY’s Morning Show Good Morning Pakistan for the first time after she encountered a terrible accident a month back. Nimra Khan even posted a video message for her fans when she was in the hospital which went to show how desperately she wanted to stay in touch with them.
Nimra is known in showbiz circles as a girl who is full of life. Even going through such a tragic incident Nimra is still in high spirits. Nimra Khan said in her interview that was overtired because of the burden of work that is why she fell asleep on the wheel while she was driving. Her foot was on the accelerator therefore the car hit an army van in full speed. Nimra fractured her right leg from three different points. Even though there were three fractures but the doctors could not operate on her leg immediately because there were a few clots in her brain which needed to be done away with first. It was after nine days when miraculously the blood clots vanished and the operation was done.
The blood loss that Nimra had due to the accident was excessive, her parents and Nimra is thankful that she has been given a new life. Due to the internal bleeding the doctors said that the parents should be prepared for anything at all because Nimra was critical. Nimra said that she decided not work in media again because she had this accident because of the overload of her work but when she saw the love and concern of people from the media she decided to continue.
Item numbers are a hot topic in showbiz circles for many reasons nowadays, some say that there is nothing wrong with adding these item numbers to Pakistani films but there are others who consider these item numbers unnecessary. The rumors of an affair between Hamza Ali Abbasi and Saba Qamar have also been hot topic of many social pages for the past few months but both the actors denied any such relationship but said that they respect each other and are good friends. Some web pages even reported that they were getting married soon but there is nothing like that.
After the release of the video item song of Saba Qamar for the film Mastani, it looks like these two actors are not such good friends any more.
We have seen Hamza Ali Abbasi talking against item numbers in Pakistani films on facebook and also in different interviews while on the other hand Saba Qamar has been defending her item number by saying that it isn’t an item number.
Soon after Saba Qamar’s video of item number came out Hamza Ali posted this status on his facebook page.
Hamza Ali is dead against blindly following Bollywood and he also thinks that a good movie does not need an item number to make it popular.
Saba Qamar did not take this opposition by Hamza very well. Saba Qamar called Hamza “Mardon Ki Meera” and she also said that he was the one who insisted that she should do this item number!
Emran Hashmi came on live call in a live morning show and leaked out many silly acts of humaima in india
Emran Hashmi came on live call in a live morning show and leaked out many silly acts of humaima in india
Humaima Malick is already being criticized by people in Pakistan for working in a B-grade Indian movie with Emran Hashmi. The two of the songs of the film that have come out till now show that Humaima did not keep into consideration the feelings of her Pakistani fans while signing this film. Many people are criticizing Humaima saying that she is following in the footsteps of Veena Malik. Veena Malik, who worked in many such Indian films could never make a stable career there because it takes much more than boldness to make a film career.
Emran Hashmi came on live call in a live morning show and leaked out many silly acts of humaima in india
