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.
Here are few clicks from the sets of this drama.
Rashid Nazir Ali
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.”
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
-H.S
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.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
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?
Yours in watching,
Kanwal Murtaza
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.
Here are the teasers
https://vimeo.com/107188248
https://vimeo.com/107188250
https://vimeo.com/107188251
https://vimeo.com/107188321
https://vimeo.com/107189831
Rashid Nazir Ali
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.
Reference from urdu daily Dunya
Rashid Nazir Ali
Rashid Nazir Ali
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.
Teaser of 8969 is released today
Rashid Nazir Ali
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
http://vimeo.com/82779378
Excerpt from Urdu daily Dunya
Rashid Nazir Ali
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 :/
Maryam Mehdi
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*
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
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?
Areeba Mohsen
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. :)
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
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.
Here are the videos of the show:
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
Please keep in mind that you do not certainly have to draw a comparison between the veteran and the latest version whilst exploring Khoobsurat in cinemas.
This Khoobsurat is entirely different from the original one. The only common factor between the two is the fact how a fun-loving and chirpy girl changes the complete outlook and perspective of a royal family who has been leading an orthodox life.
Dr. Mili Chakravorth played by Sonam Kapoor is a sports physiotherapist who has come down to treat the Raja of Sambhalgarh. Whilst her stay at the their royal palace, she observes the intricate matters of the family members and tries to cheer them up. She enlightens them with a new way of living and adds colors to their dull life.
Yuvraj Vikram Singh Rathore played by Fawad Khan first retaliates to her broad mindedness but soon he falls for her charm. Mili has won their hearts but in the same process she has lost her heart to Vikram. Unfortunately, a twist in the fairy tale romance arises when Mili learns about Vikram’s engagement to someone else.
Will Mili declare her love for Vikram? Will Vikram break his engagement and the vintage rules of his family?
To find the answers, you have to watch the movie!
I will not add any spoiler alerts for you; watch the movie to know what happens next.
Okay, now lets come to the main movie review.
I found the first half of the movie a bit groggy and the story line dragged at most of the places. The second half catches paces and looks fairly decent. Though story is simple but it is beautifully narrated. All songs are entertaining and catchy but for me, Naina and Abhi Toh Party Shuru Huwi Hai stole the show.
Sonam looks beautiful and has perfectly fit into the skin of the character. Mili is what Sonam is in real life. She is fun, quirky and loud. She has done full justice to her role and undoubtedly, steals the show with her heart stealing performance.
Fawad Khan is a born charmer. Whoever said that this movie is a women oriented movie is utterly false because Fawad does have a major role in the movie. A Disney fairy tale romance is incomplete without a Prince. Fawad looks like a true Rajasthani prince. With suave looks, intense eyes, heavy eye lashes, sexy hairdo and chiseled chest, he looks mind blowing with the pensive look in each and every scene. AHH!
The chemistry is good between Mili and Vikku but it could have been improved if there were more interactions and conversations between the duo. The thought bubble idea was quite innovative. I’d like it more if they displayed the thought bubbles on screen with the dialogues. It would have looked more appealing.
I loved when he called her Aaafat all the time and she termed him as Kharoos.
Though Kirron Kher has played numerous Punjabi mother roles but I have really loved and enjoyed her as Manju. She is a delight to watch. Her dialogues are quite witty and humorous. The climax scene between Manju and Vikku is not to be missed.
Ratna Pathak Shah and Amir Raza Hussain were also decent in their roles. Aditi Rao Hydari has been completely wasted. She’s done more work in her previous flicks.
Khoobsurat is a fun ride. The entire credit goes to the director and the production team. It is a beautiful delight and a complete family entertainer that should not be missed at any cost.
Fawad Khan fans should feel proud after watching their hero on the Big screens. He has made an intelligent move by selecting Khoobsurat as his Bollywood debut.
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and recommend everyone to watch it once too. I believe Khoobsurat is already creating raves and receiving accolades both in India and Pakistan. How else could you prove the audience madness when the movie ends in the cinema and the entire audience gives a huge round of applause.
Do not expect it to be one of your best cinematic experiences. The idea is to just go with the mind to enjoy a decent fairy tale romance with your loved ones. Feel Khoobsurat and you will become Khoobsurat.
Rating: 3.5/5 (Plus 0.5 is for Fawad Khan.)
Love,
Sara Naveed.
Tauba! Viewers ki jaan lainge kya? Ugh! I feel so irritated & furious because this is how Hum TV treats its viewers on a Sunday night; this is how they put an end to the week with an absolute boorish drama. I mean I feel so angry that it’s not even funny anymore. Not sure how did they manage but imagine an episode which practically had nearly no dialogues whatsoever was still a reason of noise pollution in the house. Tauba!!!
As usual, Ruby acted as Maham once again & even after getting snubbed by Sofia, she continued with her stupidest of advises. She wanted Sofia to come to her home so that she could eat the remaining brain Sofia’s left with & also so that she could brain-feed her against Awazaar as well. I’m sorry but seems like the lady who has played the roles of Maham & Ruby is someone who can’t see any couple because she is allergic to married people, that’s why she makes sure she pushes all the wrong buttons to fulfill her wish of wrecking someone’s home. The first scene & the scenario was just so similar to that of Shukk where after Sehrish loses her baby, Maham swoops in like her false Messiah & just now when Sofia lost her baby, Ruby was ready to hit the nail in the coffin. I am sure as she met her purpose in this drama; she’d be on a project hunt these days where her expertise in breaking homes would be required. The suggestion she gave to Sofia about getting separated from Awazaar was just so ridiculous. Instead of making her calm & forcing her to think rationally, she didn’t waste an opportunity of doing what she’s good at & yes that is wrecking someone’s home.
Sofia has pretty much understood that Awazaar has gotten bored of her because he got used to Haya so after she gathered herself from her fragile mental & physical state, she decided she wanted a divorce because there was nothing left in this relation anyways & I think she took the best decision ever because there was no reason in staying with a manless man. I think a slap would’ve been a perfect way of coming to a closure.
Finally, we found a woman who was against Awazaar & felt he was inhumane; she was Mrs. Nousherwan. I am glad that she proved to be that one single lady who spoke against him because all the others were just so blindly in love with a man who ruined their lives. & yeah after 2 months Awazaar met Haya & whatever she said did come as a surprise but I knew she didn’t mean what she was saying as wo to bohat hi naik parveen shareek-e-hayaat hain jo apne zang-lagay sartaaj ko kabhi nahi utaraingee. She’s someone who doesn’t know how to take a stand for herself because if she had known better, she would’ve sent him a divorce notice like Sofia as well. Even though she seemed agitated, I am sure she’d scurry back to Awazaar exactly how a hungry mouse scurries at a sight of Swiss cheese.
The preview was just so annoying as usual because seems like after Haya’d demand divorce from Awazaar, he’ll pull off an act of fake suicide which will resurface the buried mohabbat Haya has for Awazaar & she will return to him. At this point I feel inhain jo karna hai karain, larain, marain but bas hamari jaan chorain aur Aahista Aahista bilkul nahi balkay JALDI JALDI. Share your thoughts please!
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
The duo of S. Mazhar moin and Faseeh Bari khan are known for creating unusual serials and telefilms. This telefilm is an example of that. Ek Qayamat Aur aired on Hum Tv.
The Telefilm starts with an old crippled woman with a burnt face walking towards a group of Qawals rendering A beautiful Qawali ” Tere liye main tou charan lagi’ a Qawali dedicated to Hazrat Nizam Uddin Auliya(RA) the patron saint of Delhi. The old woman who is also a hunchback and carries a begging bowl sits down and cries silently. It is then the scene cuts to modern day and we discover that it is infact a dream of a woman named Shaista ( Sawera nadeem). She wakes up time find it is almost time for her husband (Amir Qureshi) To return home. At once we notice something is off. Shaista’s husband avoids her completely. She herself asks ‘kab tak bhaagte raho ge mujhse?’. All is not well in their married life.
To compensate for her Husband’s negligence Shaista begins to spend the duration of her day sleeping and dreaming about a Mughal princess who looks just like her! In her dream life she finds happiness. Enter Hina Dilpazeer in her usual brilliant performance. Hina plays the ‘Mughlani’ of the princess’s household who is her husband’s foster mother/ Spy! It is clear the Princess suffers from the same problem as Shaista. In their conversation when the Mughlani suggests a trip to Ajmer Sharif to pray for a child The Princess replies sarcastically other things are required for having a child then praying at a Mausoleum. This conversation further reveals the date of this setting as the Mughlani says the British could attack Delhi at any instance meaning it is shortly before the events of 1857. The conversation is cut short by a ‘Mashki'( water carrier) who has come to water the plants. He is played by Imran Abbas! The princess keeps watching him rather then going in parda like the rest of the ladies present.
Here a clarification must be made. All the characters in the dream/past story have real life counter parts. Princess is Shaista. Her husband is the prince, Mughlani is their maid and the Mashki is the guy who delivers water cans to heir house!
The next day Shaista’s dream comes true and the man of her dreams( Who is really very shy) comes into her house. She talks to him and also attempts to touch his shoulder but he literally breaks into a sweat and drops the water he is carrying! Then next day he returns Shaista speaks in a deep and meaningful manner with him. And alludes to her loneliness and her childlessness but they are interrupted by her maid who sees through the glass in the front door and bangs furiously. the water company deliverer leaves and the maid ( Hina Again !) gives them both meaningful looks.
Meanwhile her dream life gets more colorful as the princess gets more close to the water carrier. It is easy to see that Shaista is taking out her frustrations through these dreams. As she later says to her good for nothing husband that her life is finally getting completed through these dreams. Meanwhile the Mughlani scolds the water carrier for no particular reason and he gives her an excellent reply which leads the old woman who is well-versed in palace politics and scandals to suspect something is wrong and tries to discover the reason of his boldness! One day she sees him with thje princess one day! The princess gives her a piece of her jewellery to keep her mouth shut but even that doesn’t stop her conspiracies!
Meanwhile Shaista’s husband keeps getting worse. He is insensitive and sarcastic as well! Shaista keeps getting more entangled in the dream world her perception of dreams and reality getting blurred! It is clear from her gestures and the way she talks that the unfulfillment of her needs and the indifference of her husband is making her slowly loose her mind.
Shaista’s husband begins to suspect her of having a affair but instead she replies that she can’t kill her inner woman forever and says Waqar-un-nissa is also in trouble these days as Shehzada Huzoor is back in Delhi! This shows how cut of from reality she has become!
Meanwhile Shaista’s maid confronts her over the affair( What Affair? She only touched his shoulder once!) and says the boy will ruin her married life( LOL What life? This marriage is in name only!)
She also mentions that her grandmother who is old and senile is nowadays repeating the tale of a Mughal princess who went through a similar ordeal as Shaista and had an affair with a water carrier. Shaista asks what happened to her but she says her grandmother is not in her right mind and if pressed to give details breaks into really foul abuses! LOL. She had also mentioned earlier that her great grandmother worked in Shaista’s husband ancestral home in Delhi. This shows she is a descendant of the Mughlani. Shaista who has lost grips on reality threatens her with the dungeons and says that she told Shehzada Huzoor the truth. She grabs her face and shouts the face may be young but if you touch it the ugliness inside will be revealed. She tells Shaista that she is herself a woman and knows that the fault is not in her and asks her to leave the Boy (Whose name is Kabir). Shaista throws her maid out who goes to her husband and tells him every thing. ( Like Ancestor like descendant! Mughlani would be proud of her LOL).
Shaista’s husband gets really angry and goes to her room where she is sleeping. meanwhile in Shaista’s dream Waqar-un-nissa and Shehzada Huzoor are going to a place which is desolate and nobody is around( Reminded me of all the haunted sites people got trapped in indian horror serial LOL) very late at night accompanied by a few soldiers only! Shehzada Huzoor asks Shaista who is the father of her child! But she refuses to give his name saying she only followed her natural instincts after waiting for years for her husband to arrive! ( Really sad scene and dialogues). But he already found out the truth and has Kabir brought before her and killed before her very eyes!
Shaista’s husband wakes up from his sleep to finds her Crying and calling him a murderer. He says that Parveen ( their maid) ( has told him every thing. He however is outwardly very understanding and says he understands her predicament. At last the problem is revealed which is impotency. He says that he will drop at her house. ( In the middle of night!). While Shaista thinks that he wil kill her! She falls asleep in the car and sees the last part of her dream story. After killing Kabir Shehzada Huzoor orders his men to break her bones and to burn her face thus leading to her predicament as a crippled old beggar in the beginning of the story! This beating would also have lead to her loosing her unborn child. She is woken up by the sound of the car stopping. Her husband gets out to get some cigarettes and on the Paan shop talks to a man who looks like one of the soldiers from her dream! Shaista says that her husband is changing the end of the story and she knows he will harm her and asks him to stop the car! Here the biggest plot twist of the telefilm is revealed. Dressed in a sleeveless vest and low-hanging jeans Kabir walks to her car and croons seductively to her husband about how he can serve him! She screams her husband to take her home. Here at last she remembers all her encounters with Kabir and realizes why he was avoiding her! Her husband speaks in a casual tone about not to be disgusted by the boy as he often sees him standing out late at night! It is left ambiguous whether her husband did this intentionally or whether he knew the true identity of the boy! Seeing her only hope crumbled Shaista runs upstairs and jumps from the Balcony! The scene then cuts to Nazli Nasr ( In A special guest appearance) explaining that she is able to understand fractures but is unable to Understand why Shaista has turned into a hunchback. The scene ten forwards the Shrine of Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi in Karachi. As was shown in the beginning she walks with a stick and is a hunchback but is in decent clothes and with shoes meaning she has not fallen into the clutches of poverty. While the same Qawali is being played she has a flashback of every thing that happened to her and stares blankly into the camera as Credits Role.
The telefilm was brilliantly directed and written . Each character performed brilliantly but the credit must goes to Hina Dilpazeer! Despite being a supporting artist she works better then most leads. She is indeed a wonderful actress. Her mattering of the Old Delhi Urdu accent and dialect was out of this world.
There were two mistakes one the princess was shown wearing Ghararas although they came into vogue much later. Pishwaz. Kurta Pajama or the expansive Farshi pajamas would have been the correct ideal but then again this is a minor mistake compared to the overall brilliance of the well-written telefilm. Also Farshi pajamas would have curtailed her movement. The second was at the end of dream story Waqar-un-nissa travels unveiled with Shehzada Huzoor but then it could be attributed to the fact that both knew what was about to happen so such a formality was no longer needed, The writers left the audience to figure out how true was the dream story. Was it a real historical incident or was it Shaista’s mind creating a story which was a reflection of her ordeal. Any way the telefilm was brilliant.
Talha Rizvi
Express Entertainment was an Indian-Turkish channel only a few months back. There were hardly any Pakistani dramas on-air from it which was highly disappointing. After Eid, they started Pakistani dramas as well.
The following are a few of their dramas. Do tell me what you think about them:
1. Apni Kahani Kese Kahein:
The story of two besties, who lived in the same neighborhood. The characters were played by Sanam Chauhdry and Sumbhul Iqbal.
Sanam’s character was of an idiot girl who was easily manipulated by boys. She ended up being used by a boy who had claimed to love her. This is why her khaala got her married, immediately, to a much older man to save her from disgrace. He was a torturous and shukki man who abused her. In the end, she decided to take a stand for herself and told her story to the media.
Sumbhul’s character was of a girl whose was brought up in a very strict environment by her shukki father. He asked a private tutor to teach her. That tutor was Aly Khan and both of them fell in love with each other. Her father decided to marry her off and that’s when she made a plan to run away with him. She reached the place where they both were supposed to catch up, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, her father arrived there and is a fit of anger, he locked her in the house until the wedding day. Her husband was Saleem Sheikh whose first wife had cheated on him. He thought all educated women were cheats. Sumbhul could never tell him that she was educated. She however, resumed meeting her teacher without asking him why he abandoned her. She even invited him to her house and the maid saw them together.
Her sister-in-law, nand, hated her for no reason. She discovered Sumbhul’s diary which had a dried rose in it, along with her love story and her teacher’s number. She started her “research” and eventually found out about the affair. In the end, she told her brother about this. He was enraged and dragged his wife into his room, locked it and took out a gun. He then asked her the reality and tried to shoot her which let to a fight between the two and in confusion he shot himself.
The case of his killing was taken to the court. She was blamed for the killing but then her father showed up. Then came the biggest twist of the story.
He said that his daughter couldn’t possibly have met her teacher because he had killed him with his own hands the day she ran away. His daughter had been imagining her love interest all this time. She was mentally ill and this led to her creating a fantasy in which he came to visit her. A doctor told that her mental condition was due to the unnecessarily strict environment in which she grew up.
The drama ended with Sumbhul asking her father, “Why did you kill him?”
Her mother-in-law (Samina Ejaz) realized that Sumbhul needed care and affection and thus, took Sumbhul under her care.
2. Garr Maan Reh Jaye:
GMRJ airs on Mondays at 8 pm on Express. Nadeem Baig is playing the role of Ameen. He has three daughters. Nisa (Kiran Abdul-Haq) is the eldest. She is about to be married to a molvi (Bilal Qureshi) , who happens to be the son of Khursheeda (Hina Khwaja Byat). Hina Byat is playing a totally different role then her usual ones.
Khursheeda demands a lot of jahez from Ameen. Nisa is not pleased and decides to end the engagement. This displeases her father who wants his daughters to get married quickly. He meets a corrupt police officer (Noor Hassan) who agrees to give him money if he spends one night in jail in place if another prisoner. The prisoner will return by morning and a share of the money he robs will be given to Ameen. He hides this from his daughters.
Even though the police officer is corrupt, he actually cares for the family. He develops feelings for Nisa as well. He also sees the greed of Khurshida and the conservative nature of her son. He realizes that Nisa doesn’t deserve them. Meanwhile the second sister develops feelings for him.
The other prisoners in the jail give Ameen a hard time. His health deteriorates and he ends up in the hospital. The officer informs this to Nisa who freaks out and decides to go to the hospital with him. Molvi sees them together this leads to him doubting Nisa’s character even more. He pleads his mother to ask for the second sisters hand in marriage.
When Ameen comes back home, Khurshida puts her son’s request in front of him. He is enraged and refuses completely. Nevertheless, Khurshida can’t tell this to her son as he has refused to marry Nisa. Let’s see what happens now.
3. Koi Deepak Ho:
Sana Javed plays the role of a girl who is poor and loves to study. The son of her principal, Jibran Khan, falls in love with her at first sight. This puts his engagement with his mother’s niece in jeopardy. His mother(Saba Faisal) agrees to take the rishta to Sana’s house but before that, requests Sana to reject it taake bete ki nazar mein achi rahein! Sana tells this to her mother but her mother thinks that this rishta is too good to be rejected.
4. Ishq Mein Aisa Bhi Haal Hona Hai:
Samra and Fajar are two sisters. Fajar is interested in her friend. Samra is interested in Adnan (Humayun Ashraf). Adnan has brought his mother to her house as well and the rishta is pakka.
Adnan has an orphan cousin named Neha (Hiba Ali) who lives with him and his mother and is romantically involved with Shamir (Yasir Mazher). He is a rich playboy. His cousin is Fajar’s friend.
Adnan always scolds Neha for spending her nights out. She makes up excuses for it. Only two episodes have gone on-air till now.
Let’s see what will be Neha’s future and also the future of the two couples in this drama.
Don’t forget to give your views here.
Areeba Mohsen
The Pakistan Academy Film Selection Committee headed by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy has selected recently released film Dukhtar to be sent to Oscars 2014 for a possible nomination in the foreign film category. Last year film Zinda Bhaag was selected by the same committee. This year the committee has Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Ali Zafar Aakifa Mian, Iram Parveen Bilal, Samina Peerzada, Mehreen Jabbar, Mohsin Hameed, Nadiya Jameel and Rohail Hayyat as jury members.
Dukhtar is released on 18th September 2014. It is Pakistan’s first road trip thriller filmed in mesmerizing locations of Gilgat-Baltistan region of Pakistan.
The film is directed and written by Aafia Nathaniel. Its main cast consists of Samiya Mumtaz, Mohib Mirza, Saleha Aref, Asif Khan, Ajab Gul, Samina Ahmed, Adnan Shah Tipu, Abdullah Jaan, Omair Rana. The film is also screened recently at Toronto Film Festival.The film is produced by Aafia Nathaniel and Muhammad Khalid Ali while it is distributed by Geo Films (a sub company of Geo Television). It is first film for Samiya Mumtaz.
Reference excerpt from Urdu Daily Jehan Pakistan
Rashid Nazir Ali
The recent floods have devastated a large part of Punjab and Sindh province leaving many affected persons. While many are contributing to flood relief efforts, Resham has also handed over a truck carrying goods to army worth rupees 8,00,000 (8 laakh).
As per Resham she arranged all this with the help of fellow artists, Rahat Fatah Ali contributed 100,000 (1 lakh), Nauman Ejaz, Ahsan Khan and Juggan Kazim provided Rs. 25,000 each while the rest is arranged by Resham. Resham further told she always strives to help the victims of any catastrophic event and also urged the fellow artists and nation to show the same spirit. Resham also praised and acknowledged the relief work of Pak Army, saying Army has always been the leading institution helping the victims so she also decided to handover the truck to Pak Army.
Full content from urdu daily Dunya.
Rashid Nazir Ali
Anybody remembers Zara Sheikh, the model turned heroine who had a dream start to her filmi career with block buster film Tere Pyar Mein in 1998. Zara Sheikh worked in many Urdu films afterwards like Salakhain, Laaj. With declining number of Urdu films produced in Lahore Zara refused to work in Punjabi films thus she is off screen for many years.
Now surprisingly Zara who rejected all Punjabi films offers has accepted an offer of Pushto films. Zara is working in a Pushto film produced by Joni Malik also starring Shahid Khan, Jahangir Jaani and Sobia Khan.
Full content from Urdu Daily Naibaat
Rashid Nazir Ali
Sultan Raahi the legendary name of Punjabi cinema was murdered some eighteen years ago and his murder case is still unsolved. Sultan Raahi’s actor son Haidar Sultan has recently returned form United States and in a press conference reminded current Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of his promise to trial the culprits of this unsolved murder.
Haider revealed when Sultan Raahi was murdered in 1996, Nawaz Sharif (then opposition leader) assured him of justice while visiting him to condole the death of his father. Now he is again in power, so the promise and assurance needs to be fulfilled.
Haidar is also working in a low budget Punjabi film being made in Lahore. He also appealed to Shaan, Babar Ali and Momi Rana to support the film industry.
We are with Haider Sultan over unsolved murder case of his legendary father. Regarding promise of Nawaz Sharif, one can only advise Haider Sultan never take the promise of a politician seriously.
Full content from Urdu Daily Naibaat
Rashid Nazir Ali
Once we had a thriving and booming film industry producing more than fifty urdu films every year which produced many prominent artists. Shabnum was one such artist who ruled Urdu cinema for almost two decades. Shabnum was from East Pakistan which separated in 1971 to become Bangladesh. After fall of film industry in early 90’s Shabnum went back to Bangladesh, though she returned in mid 1990’s for a brief stay of two/three years till departing permenantly in 1998-99.
The most successful heroine of Urdu cinema Shabnum was invited by Goverment of Pakistan and awarded life time achievement award in 2012 along with her husband musician Robin Ghosh.
Recently Shabnum had a telephonic conversation with Pakistani media in which is expressed her excitement on the news of revival of Pakistani cinema. Shabnum expressed best wishes for new breed of film makers. She is thankful to Pakistanis for the way she was cherished and welcomed upon her visit three years ago. She said, she can never forget the love of Pakistanis.
Shabum also said condolence to Ms. Parveen Saeed Haroon wife of Saeed A. Haroon who recently passed away in Karachi.
Full content from urdu daily naibaat.
Rashid Nazir Ali
Surprise surprise, this episode was a lot better than the previous 3 episodes we’ve seen. The story actually kicked & to my surprise, I actually enjoyed watching the scenes of Bashar & Rudaba. Even though there were a few flaws in the episode which obviously I won’t ignore but overall it was a pretty decent episode.
When the previous episode ended, Adil scared us with his bludging eyes, giving us an impression that he’d tear the world apart in vengeance for the sake of how he & his baby sister were deceived, but in a supposed next scene, he was seen being a part of the conversation concerning Tayabba & Buland’s wedding.
Apparently, Rudaba thinks she ain’t allowed to cry? Excusez-moi? If now she’s crying in a limit, not sure what would’ve happened if there was no barrier to her flood of tears? Finally Rudaba has come to terms with what has happened & has now started speaking to Bashar about how she feels. I actually liked the scenes of Rudaba this time. Her conversations with Ramzan Chacha, then Adil & in the end Bashar were done well because they were short & to-the-point. I actually smirked at how Bashar eased up while speaking to her & sort of let go off the facade he carries, in front of her. Seems like Bashar also made an effort of being easy on Rudaba because she is going through a hard time plus also he had a few things to demand, so he thought it’d be a good idea if he did it without making it too difficult for her & may be because of that, for the first time what Bashar said really made sense.
I cringed once again looking at how Buland reacted to the whole situation. He definitely seemed unhappy at his decision but then it made me think why did he dive into the relation? When he got aware of the false-truth that Rudaba confessed to him, why didn’t he just go back when he was so hurt? He wasn’t obviously ecstatic after finding a perfect roti surat partner for himself, so then what was the point of getting engaged to Tayyaba? He even said to her that he won’t be happy at their wedding, so what forced him into this relation? The best solution was to invest one time on a ticket to America & going into a deep slumber for good, but then after he already decided to get married to her, why was he whining? Was he sad because he found a girl who looked taller than him on the wedding stage? Oh, now I get it, this must be the only thing that might be upsetting him.
Is it just me or Tayyaba actually looked unreal while smiling? Actually I ask this because I have seen her cry so much that her smile just didn’t really appeal to me. I really wish they had gotten rid of the stark white light in the post-wedding scene of Tayyaba & Buland. I think the lighting should’ve been soft & not so in-your-face-bright. & isn’t it weird that your very first conversation after marriage turns into an opportunity for you to flaunt how many ex-fiancée/fiancés you have? While looking at both the heart-broken raccoons, I was like Voila! It’s a match made in heaven.
The biggest flaw that I noticed was while doing breakfast in the wee hours of morning; Saira dressed in a Valima-appropriate ensemble just says to her maid that Pareezay’d be returning from school so she should keep her things ready? Which school is it whose session ends while people in the house are still having their breakfast & the father hasn’t even left for the office yet? Anyways, now when the crier Tayyaba is taken care of, I think Bashar has gotten a chance to give an undivided attention to his wife & win her heart, but one thing’s for sure, I am going to fetch my sunglasses before watching the next episode because the lighting is just so bright that it blinds me. :/ After recovering from squinting & after rubbing your eyes, please do share your thoughts on this episode. :)
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
PS: In my opinion, the guy who has caterwauled the high-pitched song of this drama should quit singing because it’s just so flat that it puts all the flat surfaces of the mother Earth to shame.
“Copy pencil se fazool sketches banane wali jub itni bari rungo ki duniya mei aye gi tu nervous hi ho gi”...this one line pretty much summed up Paymaan’s state of mind after leaving her mother’s house. Paymaan is certainly not used to this rangeen duniya which she has been introduced to all of a sudden. She was a completely different person when she was living with Tabbasum, she was confident and outspoken in the four walls of that house but now when she is meeting new people every day and is coming across opportunities which she never thought she will get, she is taking it one step at a time. Paymaan definitely is more than willing to break free from her past. She stays in touch with Tabbasum’s husband but she feels nothing for Tabbasum now that she is away from her. The change in Tabbasum’s attitude towards her husband shows that she desperately wants to hold on to the one person who is ready to accept her for who she is. But Tabbasum does not want to talk about her children because her ego won’t allow her to admit that she was wrong. Although our therapist predicted that Tabbasum will come running after her daughter in no time but that is highly unlikely.
The way Paymaan took special interest in Imroze’s portrait was actually very interesting. It was the kind of scene that keeps you wondering about the true feelings of the character. Was Paymaan impressed by Roomi’s artistic abilities or was she in awe of the personality of the person in the portrait? Imroze longs to come home to a wife who will welcome him with open arms, he is clearly lonely and is attracted towards Paymaan. I must say that Imroze’s feelings for Paymaan left me clueless because his first meeting with Paymaan wasn’t exactly the sort which makes you fall for a girl. Is Imroze the kind of person who likes to play the savior? He plays the savior all the time while addressing the issues of his clients but is he the kind of person who would much rather have a wife who needs him more than he needs her? I am waiting to find out why Imroze is attracted towards Paymaan.
Unlike the past two episodes, I found Cybil Chaudhry’s acting in this episode unbearable. The conversation at Roomi’s apartment about him wanting to marry someone like Sara was too long and appeared to be slightly forced. Roomi’s character overall is definitely more appealing than that of Imroze at the moment. He is an easy going, sensitive and caring person. Imroze on the other hand seems like a more complicated person who is not very happy with his life.
My favorite scene from tonight’s episode had to be the flashback scene in which Paymaan is drawing a portrait and Tabbasum tries to make her feel guilty about it and Paymaan replies, ” yeh mein hoon – bejaan, berung!” Uzma Gillani was most certainly at her very best in the opening scene of tonight’s episode; the shock, the helplessness and the will to continue to be strong was portrayed brilliantly by her in a very short scene. Sanam Saeed looked like a little girl who was discovering the world around her for the first time, she impressed me with her flawless performance once again in tonight’s episode. Noor Hassan has come a long way; he makes Roomi’s character likeable, I am certain that many people must be rooting for him already! Mohib’s character is a mystery and I get a feeling that his character is not going to be as simple or likeable as that of Roomi. I am very impressed by Mustafa Afridi’s script till now; the characters have depth and some of the dialogues are very meaningful and touching.
The preview of the next episode was actually very surprising for me. I wasn’t expecting all these characters having these feelings for each other this soon and not just that but someone will be proposing Paymaan in the next episode – will it be Imroze or Roomi?
Do share your thoughts about this latest installment.
Fatima Awan
© 2025 Reviewit.PK - All Rights Reserved.