Being a country with lots of potential, Pakistan is now known for its entertainment industry all over the world when we talk about the drama industry specifically.  However, if you go back to the era say 1980-90s’, you would find despite of few resources available, the country enjoyed the phenomenon dramas like Dhoop Kinare, Tanhaiyaan, Nangay Pao, Anch, Ankahee, etc and it was at that time only that even our film industry came up with decent projects that are still cherished by the viewers. Similarly, the stage had its own values and I still remember my father watching the “Umar Sharif Show” in between the movies we used to get rented.  It seemed more like a dilemma that after touching the peaks of success, both, the film and the theatre lost the respect and charisma they once had, dramas being constant more or less.

Now that we say, and in fact see that our drama industry has evolved like anything and are getting appreciations from the world outside, it was our film industry and the theatre that needed a miracle to happen for them and wonders, Theatre seems to have its break, all thanks to NAPA and our drama celebrities.

Youtube
http://youtu.be/aCEMHmdmoIo

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The OLD theatres

After having great performing artists like Moin Akhtar  and Omar Shareef,  the stage of Pakistan turned into a vulgar platform where the women of the nation(A Muslim nation) were seen selling their dignity and morality for the sake of  few returns. The auditoriums that were once filled with decent audience were replaced by the people of a particular class who became the soul buyers of items like “O gujra we”, and unpredictable moves made by stage performers like Nargis. It was only few days ago that I actually saw the video of a theatre, been recommended by a friend and trust me, it was more than a shame. 

It is obvious that no father would take his daughter to watch this and as said above, our stage industry became a curse and a symbol of indecency, leading to another door of entertainment been shut for the people of Pakistan.

The revival!

Though there can be a difference of opinion but all I believe is the fact that the credit that goes to the revival of Pakistan’s entertainment industry, is all limited to the celebrities who are now showing their incredible talent on screen, say Faisal Qureshi, Amina Sheikh, Saba Qamar, Shan, Fawad Khan, Fahad Mustafa, Humayun Saeed, Mahira, Sanam Saeed, Ayesha Khan, Sanam Baloch and other young actors who have not only contributed in upgrading the drama, but have also played their best when a movie was given to them.  Although a minute one, yet there is some change enough noticeable in our film industry and there are movies like Bol, Khuda K Liye, Ramchand Pakistan, Chambaili, Lamha-The seedlings, etc where again, the same faces have taken up the control and had come up with better results. However, Lollywood still has got a long way to make.

Fortunate enough, the theatre of Pakistan seems to revive once again where we see our talented actors who have actually studied acting and arts, emerging on the platform.

Dhani-The Theatre!

Been written by Imrana Maqsood and Amra Alam, produced by Shan, Dhani is a story of two characters Ruqaiyya and Rashida which are been adopted by two of my favorite actresses, Sanam Saeed and Sarwat Gillani. This is a 15 days based theatre been performed in Arts Council, and it is for the  first time in my life that I have actually seen how a  stage show can be and should be. From the acting to the costumes, from the story to the props, everything about this stage show is exceptionally great and thanks to media and the people, who are playing their part well, the show is getting a respectable coverage as well.

Though, I had not personally seen the show yet, it has been recommended by two friends of mine that it is a must-watch show. It is, however, more than a treat to see an immense development in the field which was left neglected by the cream of the society, further taking it into darkness.

Try watching Dhani which would reach its end on May 31^st, plan your schedules to see the first brick been laid towards the revival of the Pakistani Theatre!

Best Wishes,

Nida Zaidi

What does self-confidence mean? It simply means to be confident of one’s abilities and to have faith in one’s self. Let me make it clear at the start that self confidence and over confidence are two completely different things. Over-confidence would mean expecting more from yourself than you are capable of or thinking that you are above everyone else for nor real reason. Self-confidence is positive and over confidence can harm a person in many ways.

Self-confidence is very important because people who are self-confident find it easier to sail through life in general. They know themselves better than others who may not be self-confident, they do not get influenced by other’s opinions easily, they find it easier to solve their problems and most importantly they have realistic expectations. When these expectations are not met, they still continue having faith that they will be able to achieve their goals next time. Self-confidence gives rise to a positive attitude towards everything. A person with no self-confidence, on the other hand will be very worried about the opinions of others and most often would rely on the approval of people around him in order to feel happy. People who are not self-confident feel a greater need to make people happy and those who are confident can choose more wisely who deserves to be pleased and who doesn’t.

Are some people born confident? The answer is no. Self confidence is definitely not something that is handed over to people by nature or genes but it is something that is gradually acquired, the circumstances in which a person is brought up also determine how confident that person would be. The surroundings in which a person is brought up matters a lot in determine if he or she will grow up to be a confident individual or not. If the parents and the siblings continuously keep on telling you that you are not good or capable enough, you will automatically start believing it and that is the thinking that will continue to guide you through all your life and make things very difficult. On the other side a positive environment in the house will make a person more confident and he or she will grow up thinking that they are capable enough to deal with things themselves. Later on, the school environment makes all the difference – a strict teacher and class fellows who bully you can never help in any way. Children who get bullied at school are likely to be less confident than those who had a good group of friends in school. There are also those children who may not have a cordial environment in school but the atmosphere at home is good enough. They share things with their parents and the parents give the children confidence to deal with these difficult situations.

Parents who keep on telling children what to do and what not to do continuously and do not let them be independent may think that they are doing their children a favor but that is usually not the case. As early as possible, the parents should show faith in their kids and tell them that they are as capable of doing things for themselves as is anyone else. That would develop self-confidence in children and they will learn what they are capable of doing.

Self confidence helps people at every step of the way – at school, in college, at work and most of all in interacting will all sorts of people on daily basis. The question is that, if someone did not get those ideal circumstances to develop as a confident person, what should they do? Are they going to lack confidence all their lives? No that is not true. One can always change oneself by following few simple methods.

1. If you judge yourself by other people’s standards, stop doing that right away. A lot of people think that it is very important how others feel about them and that makes them lose confidence in themselves because it is almost impossible to please everyone all the time. Evaluate your own actions and do not let other people decide what you are doing right or wrong. Stop looking for other people’s approval.

2. Stop comparing yourself with others. Sometimes the root cause of lack of confidence is that we excessively compare ourselves with others. Most often a person who lacks confidence thinks that those around him are better than him in more ways than one – it could be looks, intelligence, status or anything at all. Do not compare your looks or circumstances with others.

3. Do things which you think you can’t do. It can be anything – like having your say in a public gathering. Yes, that can be a big step for someone who does not have confidence enough to speak in public. Put your guards down and speak out in a where you most often would sit quietly. Doing things that you are afraid to do will help you boost your confidence, if you do so without worrying about the consequences.

4. Help your friends with their problems. You may not be able to do much with your life but it is always easy to help other people out with their problems. It is something that make you feel useful and at the same time will make you more confident about your own self.

5. Stop worrying about how you look. I agree that looking good contributes to feeling confident but it is not true for someone who feels that they can never look good enough, no matter what. Many people do not feel confident because they feel they are not good looking enough. I say, stop worrying about your looks and concentrate on what you believe is the best in you and gradually you will be more confident about your looks too.

Love Yourself. Last but not the least, learn to love yourself. Put yourself first in your life, stop doubting yourself and see your good points.

Are you a confident person? Do you think that self confidence is the key to success in every sphere of life? What do you do to boost your confidence?

Aysha Ahmed

It was only a few days ago that we shared a news that Fawad Khan gave an exclusive interview to the Hello! Magazine that placed him on Hello!’s cover. Since the day I aired the news, I had been in search of its soft copy and finally got a hold of it. The catchy line on its cover by fawad “I have transformed from  frog to a prince” is enough to make you read this interview where Fawad has revealed his heart out.

Have a look!

So, thats all for now,

Share your views about how did you find Fawad as a person,

Wishes,

Nida Zaidi

A family is a gifted treasure of God to His people and truly speaking, it’s your family that stands with you in your thick and thin. Today, when our entertainment industry has revived to such an extent that it has turned into a significant member, contributing in your life, the celebrities and their lives have a huge influence on our lives. These days when every other viewer adores Fawad Khan as a husband, Behroze Sabzwari as a father, Fahad Mustafa as a son and Marwa as a sister, it is interesting to find that our celebrities are not only the devoted actors but are also meeting the criteria of being a good member of the family.

It is natural that when we admire an artist, we want to know all about him, and here is a small collection of the personal lives of our celebrities, reflecting the real people who are always personifying some character or the other!

Faisal Qureshi with his Mother

Mani and Hira

Imran with his wife and son!

Mikaal Zulfiqar with his Daughter!

Momal Sheikh and her Husband!

Mehwish Hayat with Mum!

Faisal Qureshi with wife

Shahid Afridi with Daughter

Fawad Khan and his family!

Momal Sheikh with daddy Javed Sheikh and mom!

News Anchor Ayesha Baksh

Minhaj Ali Askari and Sana Askari

News Anchor Najia Ashar and kids!

Share your views about your favorite celebrity and the fact that how much you actually follow their personal lives!

Wishes,

Nida Zaidi

The idea of  Tarang House Full of remaking the old Pakistani films and giving them a touch of telefilms is appreciated by the audience all in all and from the remake of Anjuman to the remake of Arman. It was Arman that went on-air yesterday, starring Fawad Khan and Amina  Sheikh. The most awaited telefilm was more than a treat where all Fawad fans were delighted to see him in a new avatar.

Here are a few clicks from the set of Arman. Have a look!

All for now,

Share your views about the remake,

Wishes,

Nida Zaidi

Imran Abbas Naqvi is one of the finest young actors of recent times and has been in the industry for a long time now. He is popular for his striking good looks accompanied by his brilliant acting. He started his career as a model and turned into a Television actor later on. He initial plays include Umrao Jaan Ada, Love Stories and popular plays directed by Sultana Siddiqui like Qismat Ke Sitaray and Jannat. However, he came in the limelight and won the hearts of millions through his spectacular performance in Khuda aur Muhabbat, Meri Zaat Zarra-e-Benishaan, Akhbari Asghari, and Mere Paas Paas Sequel. He is also seen in the show Dil-e-Muztar which is currently on air on Hum TV and was recently seen in the Tarang telefilm Anjuman opposite Sara Loren.

Like many other Pakistani actors, Imran Abbas has been trying for a long time to get into Bollywood. He has come close to signing many films but nothing really worked out in the past few years. However, he finally signed Anthony D’Souza’s film opposite Akshay Kumar called ‘Naam Hai Boss’ but bad luck played its part again and Imran lost the role as he violated the terms of contract.

Apparently, producer Ashwin Varde had signed Imran on an exclusive contract with his company. The deal prohibited the newbie from getting involved with any other film. “But Imran unknowingly auditioned for another project starring one of the big Khans. That irked the makers, who have been sponsoring Imran’s training, accommodation and other expenses all this while. After the breach of contract, Imran was dropped from the film. After the debacle, Imran immediately departed for Pakistan. He came back dejected and disappointed by the misfortune and signed Momina Duraid’s show Dil-e-Muztar and we saw him back on screen after a long time.

A friend of Imran stated: “Imran didn’t sign up for any film. If he had, the makers would have had all the right to fire him. But he only auditioned. I don’t understand how any contract can stop you from auditioning for random films.”

It was highly unfortunate for Imran to miss out on such a big opportunity. However, this was not the end of his bad luck. Apparently, he had been offered the Indian movie ‘Aashiqui 2’ produced by the Bhatt camp which he had declined. Though, the reason for not opting for this movie is not yet clear as we do not know whether he declined to do the role or if he could not do the movie as he had already signed a movie contract.

Aashiqui 2 had surprisingly turned out to be a SUPER blockbuster of the year 2013. It has earned 62 crores in India in just 17 days and 3 crores in overseas. It has got outstanding reviews and its music has become a rage all over. Imran Abbas highly regrets declining the movie as he posted on his twitter:

He was seen appreciating the movie and congratulated the makers on the success of Aashiqui 2 as he twitted to Mahesh Bhatt:

Well, this has turned out to be the biggest stroke of bad luck of his life as the leads of the movie, Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor has become superstars overnight!

But now after a series of unfortunate events, he is finally making his debut with actor Bipasha Basu in a film titled “Creature” being produced by Bhushan Kumar and directed by Vikram Bhatt. Imran who was in Mumbai recently spoke to Times of India and said, “Yes it is true that I have signed the movie “Creature” where I shall act with Bipasha Basu. The shooting dates are yet to be finalized. I was in Mumbai for the final discussion and shall be back again for the shooting of the movie very soon.”

He had recently finished shooting for Dil-e-Muztar and is now heading off to Mumbai soon to start the shooting of his new movie according to his new tweet:

We wish the best of luck to Imran Abbas for his upcoming movie and hope that nothing ill meets his way this time!

Mariam Shafiq

The week just started and like every other week I am looking forward to watching the “few dramas” I watch on weekly basis. I have to admit that there was a time when I completely stopped watching dramas primarily because nothing appealed to me anymore and I got addicted to Star world since one can’t do without television of course….well I can’t for sure!! Star world had some very entertaining shows to offer, some used to make me sad and lots more that cheered me up. When my kids were old enough to notice what I was watching on television and started asking questions, I decided that Star World wasn’t exactly a family channel and slowly started resorting to watching Pakistani drama channels. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that things had changed a great deal since the last time I watched a drama channel; there were a lot of good dramas on air and now I can’t do without my prime time shows in particular.

Most of the times I cannot watch dramas on television except for the weekends, because I need to get the kids in bed at that time. So, most often I catch the dramas online and since dramasonline most often uploads those plays that go on air in prime time so they are always the ones I get hooked to and look forward to every week. Watching these plays is my favorite pastime once my kids go to bed. Now lately, I have started feeling that watching these dramas is no longer light entertainment but it is very heavy duty indeed. There is hardly a drama during the week which is a light play with a good story that will prove to be engaging as well. Here is what I watch throughout the week, let me know if I am missing out on any dramas that will not make me sad for a change.

I watch Rehaii on Mondays; there is no denying the fact that it is a very good play that conveys all the right messages. It does not only highlight the hardships faced by women in our society but also gives solutions. The acting by all the actors is super; it has been written very well and directed superbly also. For the past few weeks I was enjoying Rehaii because things were looking up for the oppressed women in the play but this week’s episode brought in more problems for them and I was yet again left feeling for them and all the other women like them in our society. Yes, the play made me sad; in fact I found it difficult to sleep after watching it!!

Apart from watching Rehaii on Monday, I am also hooked to Nanhii…I know double dose of sadness!! It is also one of those plays which I can’t seem to miss and I must catch up with it during the week if not on the same day. Nanhii is also the story of how women are exploited in our society and the problems faced by people who live in the downtrodden areas…not exactly light entertainment but very heavy-duty indeed.
I wasn’t watching any play in particular on Tuesdays before but when Ullu Barai Farokht Nahi started I was very tempted to find out what it had to offer. For now, the good performances and the sheer curiosity to find out what happens next make me watch it every week. Ullu Barai Farokht Nahi Is about the feudal system prevalent in the rural areas…very depressing indeed. It is dark and definitely a little scary, it takes you into a world of its own and most certainly gives you tons to think about *sigh*.

No dramas for me on Wednesdays, I guess because all the heavy duty “entertainment” starting from Monday takes its toll on me and I need a break! I know I could just stop watching these plays but I cannot!! If I do not watch these dramas I feel like I am missing out. Sometimes on Wednesdays I catch up with telefilms or Kitni Girhi Baaki Hai and trust me it does not help!! I am not saying at all that these dramas are not worth watching, not at all; all the dramas that I mentioned till now and will mention later on are definitely worth my time but all I am saying is that there are way too many serious dramas that go on air all through the week and you cannot watch these drams with your mind switched off while you are watching them and even later on they stay with you. Even the telefilms are too serious and can sometimes haunt you for days.

I watch on Thursdays Mirat-ul-Uroos and Silvatein. Mirat-ul-Uroos is not as dark and gloomy as the rest of the plays that I have mentioned till now but it also deals with a lot of social issues and there is no comic element in the play. The play is serious by all standards. Silvatein does not deal with social issues and the likes but the different tracks and characters are so complicated that you can’t actually watch it with a carefree state of mind. It is definitely a little less serious and sad then rest of the plays, so yes it is always good to have a dose of Silvatein after watching all the sad and serious dramas.

Fridays of course are Zindagi Gulzar Hai nights…but kiya wakihi Zindagi Gulzar Hai? A question many of my friends have asked so many times – thank you for the line guys:). Zindagi Gulzar Hai for many weeks was the show I used to look forward to more than any other and watching it proved to be a relaxing experience. It can be a light-hearted play if one watches it with zero expectations and does not try to make sense out of the happenings…tough job I know!!

Dil-e-Muzter on Saturday has managed to keep me entertained without any stress involved but it seems like there is going to be a lot of rona dhona in Dil-e-Muzter as well in the upcoming episodes. But yes definitely better than the rest of the lot.

I watch Hamsnheen on Saturdays and I have to say that even with a very clichéd storyline, it has managed to keep me entertained. The story isn’t comical or light-hearted of course but the fact that I don’t take it very seriously helps!

Which plays are you following nowadays? Are you tired of watching sorrowful dramas that leave you gloomy and upset? Do you think that we have excess of sad dramas nowadays? Would you like a couple of meaningless, light hearted dramas during the week which you can watch with your thinking button switched off? Dramas that do not have underlying larger than life messages but just entertain us…..Please feel free to share your views.

Fatima Awan

Elections 2013 are over, declaring PML-N to be the largest party in the country but it seems like Imran Craze is still felt within the air. The former Cricketer and now famous for his political intelligence, Imran Khan earned the second rank for his Party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Throughout the last two years, it was noticed that Khan was becoming significantly popular among the youth and finally he made it yesterday. With his slogan of “Naya Pakistan”, there were many celebrities along with the youth who joined hands in hands to show their support towards the idea.

Here are few of the popular faces who openly showed their support towards Imran Khan!

All for now,

Blessings

Nida Zaidi

Here are pictures of some celebrities who cast their vote today, hope you like them. We will be adding some more pictures later.

A nation of donkeys can survive better than a nation that we know as “Pakistan” and if you don’t agree with it, all you need to do is to watch your television screens now. The general elections of Pakistan are nothing but an event of brutally killing the silly people who think they are accountable for this country. I am not a political analyst, I am an ordinary person like you and probably that is a reason I am unable to conclude where this country is heading towards. All I can see is the fact that despite of having all the armed forces around, despite of all the security threats that all of us were aware of, there has had been more than 7 blasts within the country in just last 5 hours.

With the dial showing 8am, almost every news channel started to telecast about the lack of management, staff and material that was a must-to-have ingredient at every polling station and it was only after few minutes later that there were chain explosions all over in Pakistan-except Punjab.

It seems like an Indian movie as the current situation is seriously something which has never been seen in reality. It was expected to achieve a high turnover this time but now that the situation is getting worst every second, there are all chances that the entire idea of general elections would soon come to an end, leaving us with nothing but a high death-toll to cry on.

One question that always clicks me is that how would the political parties provide us security when they are unable to safeguard their own members? How would they stop the kidnap-for-ransom of ordinary people when they cannot protect their own children? I mean come on, what kind of a change are we expecting from our politicians? It is so interesting to see that the candidates, who are targeted by the “so-called” terrorists, manage to stay safe while people around them lose their lives.  What makes me speechless further is the reality that if Pakistan is a victim of terrorism, why is this terrorism only limited to three of the provinces only? Now my silly, stupid brain can find two possibilities for this, either these provinces are way too lenient towards the security measures, or the terrorists in Punjab are happy with the provincial government.

How do you take such an election where you see about 10 blasts in the first half, causing a loss of more than 20 lives and hundreds of injuries?  How can you expect to have a change in a nation whose armed-forces, including its Army is a complete failure? While the manifestos of different political parties still echo hard in the surroundings, there are no hopes within. As per reports, there are some districts where women are not even allowed to cast their vote and we talk about having a democracy!

This is a strange country and strange indeed. Here, the president stays silent and out of scene on such a sensitive day and the duty of the Chief Justice and the Chief of Army staff is to cast their vote only. For God Sake I mean, till how long they would keep fooling us and for till when are we going to get kill this way? These are the unanswered questions that are common in majority of the people.

According to the updates, Jamaat-e-Islami, Sunni Itehad Council, Jamhoori Watan party and MQM have boycotted the elections making the election-rigging its reason. The Youth’s Favorite Imran Khan too has shown his dissatisfaction towards the elections and will be conducting a press conference to condemn how elections 2013 have turned out to be. There are no doubts that this day has provided good TRPs to news channels, interesting topics to the upcoming talk shows, and the loss of many lives that have affected hundreds of families.

This country, I regret to state, has got no true leader who can ensure a peaceful life to its people, I have got no clue what these elections will turn into, but the failure of providing security by Army as well, has taken away the hopes that were once associated with Martial-law been imposed!

May the souls of people who left us today, rest in peace,

Blessings,

Nida Zaidi

General Elections 2013 are just few hours away from us and the air around seems to have different shades where half of the nation is enthusiastic about using its right and tune the future. However, according to the latest survey that was been conducted by a local news channel, out of 8.5 Million people who are eligible to cast their vote, there are only 2 Million of them who know where their respective polling station is. This leads to an approximation that there is only 23.5 % of the total population who will cast a vote tomorrow as per the latest stats revealed.

There are no second thoughts about the risks and dangers that are expected for the big day which is one of the biggest contributing factors in making people sit at their homes and not going out to pay their responsibility. While we see the leaders continuously asking their followers to go out on May 11^th and cast their vote, majority of the people are still confused about the thought. Moreover, there is a group of people who thinks that casting a vote is pretty useless because more or less, all the candidates and their hidden policies are same and not in favor of the local people of Pakistan.

What I have today to share with you all is a small message, a small motivation and a small proof. People are talking about the chances of rigging in elections, about the terrorist activities that are the biggest barriers, but what many of them don’t know is the fact that things are pretty different this time.

My mother is a 19^th grade Government Officer and she has been given the charge of one of the most risky sectors of Karachi, that is, Orangi Town. Having a person that close in a family makes you much informed; I know that this time things are far much better with high security and well-managed system. This is to make you all remember that your government employees are doing their best to make it possible, they have families too and the risks are equal for them too but when it comes to accountability, we can see people who are up for it. Being the Presiding officer (PO), my mum, with all other presiding officers and their teams have reached their polling stations and will be there for two days, i.e. 10^th, 11^th and would go back to their homes not before 12^th ‘s morning. They have initiated their part, now it’s our turn to feel accountable and take steps towards the betterment of the nation.

We all are also aware that there are influences, strong indeed but keep that in mind that there will be no one who will be watching you while you will cast your vote. Cast your vote to anyone, whosoever, but please make a right decision because by the end of the day, you will have to answer Allah Almighty for your decision.

I Leave you with a thought to consider that if we wouldn’t come out now for our rights and welfare, there are no more tomorrows for the people of Pakistan then!

Cast Your Vote,

 Stay Safe,

Nida Zaidi