Saba Hamid is an asset for our drama industry not only because she is a very gifted actress but also because she has given the television industry more than half of her life. One would expect Saba Hamid to be at a such a place in the entertainment industry right now where she is not dragged into petty politics but it looks like that is not the case. Saba Hamid put her feelings about where her long career in the television industry had taken her eventually in this tweet:
It is sad that actors who have given the drama industry so many years feel that even now there are ways for people to pull them down. Saying that this could be the time for Saba to make her exit from the industry because she is surrounded by people who pull her down is without any doubt very sad. Recently Saba Hamid was in the news when she talked about how she felt about the current situation in Pakistan.
Few months back when the veteran actress Badar Khalil announced her exit from the showbiz world she also expressed her disappointed with how the seasoned artists were being treated by the drama industry.
In a recent interview with Dawn Sunday magazine Atiqa Odho shared some very interesting thoughts. Atiqa Odho is very pretty but she does not think that being beautiful is everything. “I really believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it is more to do with the nature of the person. Perhaps I’m blessed that I was born looking a certain way but that isn’t all there is about me. I have had personal struggles which have gone beyond the way I look.”
After being in the media for 30 years Atiqa Odho feels happy to be where she is today.
“When I was looking at the display of archives for my 30 years’ celebration, I could see a vast range of accomplishments. I don’t take all the credit myself as I could not have achieved anything single-handedly. But what a tremendously blessed life I have had. It gives me a lot of comfort to feel that I am able to help people around me.
My children are now grown up and grandchildren have become central to my life. My make-up brand is in its 10th year, I want to work with the breast cancer awareness cause and be very focused on it. And for as long as I am around, I will continue to work as an actor and producer. Even with all the challenges, I would still do it all over again.”
When asked if being good looking gives you an edge over others and helps you overcome obstacles Atiqa said, “The challenges are tremendous and it is a difficult burden to carry. Expectations are different. People want you to be a certain way and do certain things in life. Loag bari mushkil se aap ko sukoon se jeene dete hain. The intelligent will be able to read between the lines of what I am saying. There is always someone who is trying to get you; there are people who have a crush on you. I had my first stalker when I was 12 which is unnatural, intimidating and borderline frightening for a young girl.”
So what is Atiqa Odho doing with her life right now?
“Now in my mid-40s, I find myself wondering how will I deal with old age? I hope I am balanced enough so as not to be depressed about being aged and old. Being beautiful is a challenge, especially when you are in the limelight too much, in the same way as being unaware or uneducated is.
You can never go out for a meal with your family without being stared at. I have never been comfortable with being stared at. This is why I decided to convert this public interest in me to social work.”
Atiqa Odho has also started production, talking about that she said, ”
“Today, as an actor in her mid-life, I feel challenged as to why everything is about 20-year olds; why can’t a woman in her 30s and 40s have a story to tell? So I don’t just sit around waiting for those ideas to come to me but try to develop those as a producer.
Every character represents the society and should have a purpose, even if it sends negative energy across the screen. For instance, Farida in Humsafar was a product of the society.”
Atiqa Odho believes in hard work. “I believe that nothing is unachievable or unattainable. If you are willing to work hard and with integrity, you will reach where you want to go.”
All the drama pages have been reporting that Ayza Khan will be quitting acting after she gets married to Danish Taimoor but Ayza Khan while talking to an online blog denied the rumors. She has been busy preparing for her wedding which is going to be held in August but eople are wrongly quoting her that she is leaving acting.
“I am not quitting at all in fact as far as my career is concerned I have bigger plans after my marriage as I will start shoot for a film in December.” Ayza said when HIP, an online blog asked her if the news was true.
Ayza Khan said that she will only be taking a leave of three months and after that she will be back.
“Since I don’t have much interaction with media, they publish things about me without confirming it.” Added Ayza Khan
Veena Malik has always managed to make sure that she doesn’t lose the ultimate limelight which she often seems to earn in return of self-created controversies. Now that the lady has proclaimed her marriage to a rich businessman of Dubai, it seems that the two of them are equally enjoying this newly created bond as husband Asad too seems to adore the showbiz limelight which has reached to him following Veena.
Recently, a newspaper published a thrilling news about this marriage where it mentioned it clearly that Asad Bashir is not a rich businessman in Dubai but just an employee in a Dubai-based firm. The news also stated that Asad Bashir is a resident of Miyanwali who belongs to a poor family of Kohat. For a complete story, read the news here!
Veena and Asad are currently busy in photoshoots which are mostly regulated on social media pages. Despite of all the stories linked to this actress, we are still happy that she has finally settled in her life and pray that things work out between this couple.
It’s essential to deliver what you promise. The promos of ‘Shahrukh ki Saaliyan’ aired last year in Ramadan that promised a wacko theme and unlimited laughter. As the sitcom started, we realized that Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi yet again delivered a project that was pretty serious about human emotions, at the same time, offering wholesome comic entertainment. Without throwing logic to the winds, without taxing our brains, and employing every trick in the book of rules to woo the viewers, 7th Sky Entertainment churned out a lovable sitcom that was enjoyable in every aspect.
It follows the story of a guy who can’t marry his love interest because she is the youngest sibling and cannot get married until her sisters find a suitable match.
The sitcom wrapped up with a finale that left us in awe of it. The last episode tied the loose ends together, finally giving Shahrukh (Ahsan Khan) and Anoushey (Ramsha Khan) the ticket to their wedding. Setup at a wedding banquet Nighar (Namra Shahid) refuses to marry Abbas-Mustan (Azfar Ali) and runs away to the airport to meet the love of her life Abu Bakr (Syed Arez Khan). Micky (Faiza Ali) expresses her passion for Glucose (Raza Zaidi). The significant havoc is created when multiple brides come to marry Shahrukh; an angry Anoushey takes the plunge and threatens to kill Shahrukh; they run; say Qabool Hai, and finally live happily ever after.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that each episode of the enterprise was so thoroughly entertaining, so thoroughly enjoyable that you wait with bated breath for the next event to unfold. The comical situations; the humor was the type that appealed to the common man instantly. The narrative by Dr. Younis Butt changed tracks gradually. With Mazhar Moin in the director’s seat and a compelling storyline on hand, you expect nothing but a qualitative product. And ‘Shahrukh ki Saaliyan’ was one, without any hiccups. The director succeeds on various levels, but more than anything else, he knows how to package an exciting story with superior performances and entertaining moments with aplomb.
‘Shahrukh ki Saaliyan’ was embellished with marvelous performances, and the best part is that the director cast actors who had a flair for comedy, their comic timing was fantastic. Ahsan Khan’s act was incredible, displaying his acting skills to the best. His versatility was more than evident – he acted like a buffoon when required, but breathed fire when the situation demands. (Masalabox) This is another performance that will fetch him laurels.
The other performance that stood out was that of Ramsha Khan, who was remarkable as Khan’s love interest. She looked ethereal and delivered a highly competent performance. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to state that the actor towers above one and all. Rehan Sheikh gave an astounding performance. Qavi Khan, like always, first-rate, essaying the role like a true veteran. Hina Bayat was superb. Jawed Sheikh, as usual, puts up an impressive show. Aruba Mirza, Syed Arez Khan, Raza Zaidi, Faiza Ali, Saba Faisal, and Namra Shahid shined bright in their respective parts.
What keeps me engross in this drama is its ‘stillness’ I think. I have been following this serial from the very first episode and found the characters of Gaiti’s parents much close to reality. There are people like these, the fathers who dictate their families, the mothers who try supporting their children to excel, taking all the risks upon their souls.
The Nikkah controversy was really something new which I came across this season, though I hold different views on making such a sensitive issue as the center of discussion, it might however, reflect a few stories who have witness such of an awkwardness.
This is really not a review of yesterday’s episode, but actually a notifier that ‘something’ has finally happened. Like all her previous attempts, even this time Gaiti again decides to tell Arsal everything but what happened today was something which half of the audience feared to watch from the very first day. I wonder what stopped the lady from revealing the truth to her husband who seemed to be a decent and reasonable man. I have completely failed to take more of Kiran’s madness. Arsal’s frustration is genuine and acceptable-both, but the story could have been the same way too without showing him drunk anyway. Take it as a tradition or backwardness of the majority of our society, ‘that’ scene must have made a few of you a little uneasy in case you were watching it with your family. All I could say while watching the drama was, “Bibi yeh to hona hi tha. Aur raho chup!”
Let us not turn the topic controversial this time by raising a debate whether it was an appropriate theme to be shown in a drama or not, but let us only stick to the drama and the characters only. What do you think how would the drama now be, will Gaiti now forgive Arsal and will tell him the truth or the same silence is what the audience will see for the upcoming 4 weeks.
Fawad Khan, a renowned model, singer and an actor previously living in the hearts of many, no longer enjoys the same status in Pakistan. He has always been very choosy when it comes to Pakistani dramas and all we have seen are his quality TV shows for which he has been given due credit and love by his Pakistani fans. Some of his shows like Numm and Ashk were not up to the mark but were still appreciated by some of his die heart fans. But his decreasing popularity graph is popping out many questions in our minds. The ‘Humsafar’ guy who was a crush of every girl next door is no longer missed on screen even by his die heart fans.
Here are few reasons for that:
Abracadabra! Make Fawad disappear!
And here you go. Fawad is no more a part of your TV screens. I am not talking about ads because ads are not something your fans look forward to. Imran Abbas went to India, did his work and came back. Ok fine! But guess what our hero Fawad practiced the phrase ‘ghar ka rasta bhool jana’ and never came back. After the famous ‘Humsafar’, he did Zindagi Gulzaar Hai and Numm and after that he went to Bollywood. ‘Art has no boundaries’ is a debatable issue and somehow it’s true to some extent but does expanding the boundary exclude your own region? No, not at all.
POOF!
Pakistani celebrities have been doing pretty well in the neighboring country and the best part is the fact that even the Indian audience is appreciating their work and one of them is our very own Imran Abbas Naqvi.
After completing his shooting for the upcoming Bollywood movie Creature-3D, this Pakistani hot hunk is now all set to make his second goal with Muzaffar Ali’s ‘Raqs’ . Imra will be sharing screens with fashion stylist and costume designer Pernia Qureshi and as per the reveals, Amitabh Bachchan and Zarina Wahab are likely to play cameos in the film, they will be shooting their bit in Mumbai.
Raqs is a pre-Independence story which will be shot in Lucknow from March 18th, 2014.
Imran has some hit dramas on his credit in Pakistan with his modelling career as a cherry on top. We wish him all the good luck for his Bollywood career and hope to see much of him on home screens too.
Asim Jofa burst on to the Fashion scene as a breath of fresh air. Having been certified in Design from the prestigious Central Saint Martins, Asim went on to create ripples in the fashion industry. He has achieved great acclaim for his various collections displayed on the runways in the fashion capitals of the world.
This February, sway with the melody of romance and love, Asim Jofa presents ‘Piyaar Sufiyana” beautifully sung by the talented Farhan Saeed. The video features the talented duo Hania Amir and Farhan Saeed.
The super talented Hania Aamir and Farhan Saeed has something excited coming up for you guys.
The latest luxury collection is going to give goosebumps to you guys, stay tuned for the latest collection coming up.
Shahid Nazir, who is well-known for his crazy track ‘One pound fish’ is going through a bad phase of his life where his popularity seems to turn into a bad name which is lately brought to him for not paying his loans and for that, his arrest warrants are been issued last Friday.
Often known for his song which received much of the recognition in UK, Shahid Nazir turn into a celebrity overnight where all the Pakistanis seemed proud of him for spreading his talent in UK and making his country shine in the field of singing and music. Soon after his prominence in UK, he was also seen in endorsements and Ads by big companies like PTCL.
As per the reports revealed yet, Shahid took a loan of Rs. 6.6 Million from a private company in Lahore which he failed to pay at all. Due to his non-payment, the Lahore court has released his arrest warrant on the request of the victim company.
The news is really more than a shock for his fans who are disappointed with the fact that their once-liked-‘One pound Fish’ man is not following the legal ties he once agreed to follow. Shahid, however, has not passed any remarks over the issue which is too adding more spice in the hot air revolving around the matter.
We hope that Shahid Nazir deals with the matter as per the rules of the nation and clear his dues which are unpaid according to the terms and conditions he signed.
If one more episode of this unnecessarily stretched drama serial would have gone on-air, I would have done something with my TV screen for sure (*Sigh*)! So finally the most awaited ending of the drama serial ‘Mujhe Khuda pe Yaqeen Hai’ has bid a bye to the channel and the audience which was already found fed up from the poor acting and ambiguous story of the drama. Narmeen has paid well for her tricks and Arham, too, is disclosed honest by the end; the ending could not have been more obvious than this. Now that the drama has gone off-air, I feel like sharing my views on the 4 characters of this drama who have acted really bad this time.
1) Ahsan Khan as Arham
I do not know why, but Ahsan has always disappointed me with his acting because more or less he appears all same-every time. From expressions to dressing, from dialogues to movement, from head to toe, Ahsan has same skills to show in all the projects he picks for himself. As Arham in MKPYH, he did fascinate me somehow in the beginning but ultimately fall back to the point where he suits in, the most. Ahsan has done some wonderful serials like Dastaan, but for now, Ahsan needs to show his versatility and prove his talent once again.
2) Mikaal as Shaique
I recently shared an article on the list of most expensive celebrities in Pakistan where we found Mikaal as one of those expensive artists who demand the highest payouts for each project. There are no doubts that Mikaal is really good looking and he also has some respectful dramas on his credit but as far as his acting is concerned, it has a huge room for improvement. As Shaique, Mikaal did half of the justice to his character as per my observation. There is something way girlish about his typical expression which I always failed to gulp. What do you say?
3) Momal Sheikh as Areeba
This sweet potato of the acting world needs to understand this fact that it is not working for her. Whether it is her role as Alina in Kadurat or Areeba in MKPYH, Momal’s acting has disappointed the audience greatly. For me, Areeba was just fine, but again, we expect more from the celebrities who belong to a family of actors, probably because they have their acting institution all available at their home. Though better than brother Shehzad, Momal Sheikh still needs to show improvement in her acting.
4) Shakeel as Abba Jaan
Whether it is his age or the requirement of the role, Shakeel’s acting has had been really irritating this time. I often question my own thoughts which I find developing while watching some senior actors doing a really bad job on screen where the top two’s are Rubina Ashraf and Shakeel these days. Abba Jaan was shown as a rich businessman who never happened to visit his office in the first place. He, on the other hand, was shown as a father who governs his family but his dialogue delivery portrayed him as a man of misery and nothing else. He could easily be personified with an ill father who had two heart-attacks previously and was in severe risk of experiencing the next blow.
When everything unfit comes together as a package, something very similar to Mujhe Khuda Pe Yaqeen Hai emerges on the shore and for this drama; it was firstly its bad acting followed by the series of flashback stories which resulted in making this drama a complete disappointment.
Please feel free to disagree with my thoughts and opinions and share your views about the drama.
HUM Network, after taking the drama industry to the next level of success is found enthused enough to give music a chance. It was previously Mika Singh from India for whom the channel organized a concert and this time, it was our own Zafar who is now one of the most famous personalities all over the world. HUM has always offered its audience a special package on special days and February 14th, is one of them. This time the channel organized a melodious night to celebrate the day of love for their special programming,
Though the live concert was actually witnessed on February 1st in Karachi, it was only yesterday that the concert went on-air on the channel. The show was hosted by Anushay Ashraf while many prominent faces were seen at the concert, showing their love and appreciation for this young and very talented singer who is now happens to be a popular actor in the neighboring country.
Ali Zafar opened the show with a medley of popular covers including Chal Dil Mere and Sohani rath dhal chuki. He followed it with a rendition of Teray bina lagay na mora jiya, giving it an exceptional twist. He had the audience swaying to his beats as he sang Dil jhoom jhoom. The youngsters in the audience went wild with his offering of No woman, no cry while the entire packed hall went ecstatic at his rendition of Zindagi Gulzar Hai, from HUM’s award-winning serial by the same name. All in all, it was more than a musical journey for the audience who were found totally engrossed in the magical spell created by Ali.
Here are some of the pictures of the show. Have a look!
Please share your views about this attempt of the channel.
It is after quite a long time that Saba Qamar is once again seen on HUM TV with drama serial ‘Bunty, I love You’. Replacing ‘Rishtay Kuch Adhooray se’ on Sundays, the drama is all set to entertain the viewers by presenting a controversial story of Dania. Dania is married to an old man who is rich. After his death, Dania still young falls for a handsome boy who is poor. The story sounds nothing new but seems a copy of any Indian film as per the plot revealed so far.
The drama is a home production where Momina Duraid is its producer, while the direction has been done by Siraj Ul Haq. The cast of the drama includes Saba Qamar, Noman Habib, Mahmood Akhtar, Raza Zaidi, Khawaja Saleem and Tariq Jameel.
Here are some of the onset pictures of the celebrities. Have a look!
Let us see how far the drama succeeds in entertaining the audience.
One of the most reviving serials which Geo TV is now offering to its viewers is ‘Aasmano Par Likha’ which has conquered the hearts of the Pakistani audience with the first few episodes. The drama is a perfect example of what we have been listening that a good picture is a result of the most difficult combination of colors every created.
The drama which goes on air on Geo TV every Wednesday at prime time comes under the production of ‘A&B Productions’ and is been directed by Mohsin Mirza. The cast of the drama includes some veteran actors like Shehryar Munawar, Sajal Ali, Saba Faisal Saba, Hameed and Mehmood Akhtar. It was recently in one of the newspapers that the director of the drama serial stated about the difficulties the team of Aasmano Par Likha has encountered so far during its shoot in a rented house.
He said that the house they rented to show as Shehryar Munawar’s house on screen, was a real trouble for them as the owners of the location treated the team pretty harsh though the producer was paying as per the contract signed. Mirza further disclosed that the owners didn’t permit them to shoot after dusk (that is, After Maghrib) which was nowhere mentioned in the clause. Moreover, showing no signs of respect, he once asked seniors actors including Saba Hameed and Saba Faisal to leave their dining table while they were having their lunch, and told them to have it on the floor.
The same house will be shown in the upcoming episodes of the said drama serial. It is therefore true that levels of perfection which are been shown on screen, do not reveal one percent of the tough time which the team goes through during the shoot.
Share your views about the news please. Do you think it is decent to treat the senior celebrities this way even when the contract is been signed of having no claims on the house during the shoot?
A Cynosure and a megastar, Atif Aslam once again whack the floor of India by his tremendous vocals. He, for once, gears up himself for a new super smack! ‘Aa Bhi ja Mere Mehermaan’ is his latest compelling song which has been used in a forthcoming Bollywood movie ‘jayanta Bhai ki Luv Story’. This impending movie is directed by Vinnil Markan, produced by Kumar S. Taurani and casting Vivek Oberoi and Neha Sharma.
Pakistani musicians are found to be a symbol of good fortune for Bollywood movies, as most of their music do well and achieve the outstanding success. There is nothing erroneous to say that the Bollywood movies are unwelcoming and soulless without a feel of Pakistani music industry. Atif Aslam is reckoned as one of the Pakistani singers who go the extra mile for the success. Seeing that Atif Aslam’s name is as much as necessary to grasp the attention of millions of people, his songs by and large touch the sky. ‘Aa Bhi ja Mere Mehermaan’ has once
again caught the interest of populace and has pulled off to a great deal of optimist and encouraging response in a very little instant. His romantic and passionate song propels the listener to dream like mind-set. For this reason Atif is near to millions of heart and acknowledged as a king of Pakistani music industry.
He is a celebrity who can bend over backwards for the success of his songs and may be that is the reason he dig up all the way through success like a piece of cake. The movie is consisting of overall four songs in it, out of which three are sung by Atif Aslam. The released one has already caught the fire and tuned up the energy level of everyone as to enjoy the song. We are hoping that his doozy voice will turn up the other two songs to unbounded success.
Team of Upcoming Pakistani Film ‘ Dobara Phir Se ‘ Adeel Hussain , Sanam Saeed and Hareem farooq behind the scene of Upcoming photoshoot for Pepe Jeans Pakistan…
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has released a new album Back 2 Love in April 2014. The album comprises of 10 tracks including collaborations with Indian musicians and singers.
Now video of one of the songs Zaroori Thaa is also released which is perhaps shot in Dubai. The video also features indian artists Gauhar Khan and Kushal Tandon.
After promoting the movie ‘Yalghaar’ in US, the cast was spotted at the premier of the movie in London.
The team of ‘Yalghaar’ has promoted the movie extensively at international level, it would be interesting to note how the movie fares at the box office overseas.
The actors look gorgeous at the red carpet, let’s have a look at a few pictures posted online after the event.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said that this winter would become difficult if the people will not do proper care in the second wave of Corona.
The second wave of Corona is here and now people are not following SOP’s. Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the use of masks can prevent coronavirus.
He further said that we had faced difficulties during the first wave of Corona but the people cooperated at that time . During Corona’s first wave, business and the public were taken care of.
He also said, ” The opposition was criticizing me for not doing a complete lockdown. Today, the same opposition is holding a rally during the second wave of Corona.”
The prime minister also said that the corona virus is spreading rapidly in the United States . You can only save your industry and your people if you take precautions.
Addressing the inaugural function of AirSial, Imran Khan said that Sialkot would become a hub for exporters in the coming days.
Imran Khan further said that he will eliminate the hurdles in the induction of new businesses and will help the business community.
The movie which was supposed to make its way to the cinema houses this Eid will now be releasing somewhere in coming months and has released its official trailer. Enjoying a rich cast, where we see Shan Shahid, Ayesha Khan, Shamoon Abbasi, Ali Azmat, Meesha Shafi and actors like them in lead roles, the movie is all about loving your country. The movie highlights the current issues of Pakistan and the fact that all it need to improve the situation is patriotism.
Anyone who has even remotely read about British History must have some idea about the sudden scandal wrapped around one of the empire’s longest reining monarchs, Queen Victoria. The Queen had apparently formed a special bond with her 24-year-old attendant Abdul Karim. It is reported that he even taught the Queen Urdu and the Quran. So scandalous was this union that it is rumored King Edward, the song of Queen Victoria, had burned all letters and photographs of the two after the death of his mother. However Abdul’s diary was later found that contained memorabilia of the two.
The movie will be based upon Shrabani Basu’s book of the same name and will explore how this unlikely friendship came to be. If you thought that Victoria and Abdul would be just another white-washed, run-of-the-mill documentary then the trailer will certainly prove you wrong. Full of quick wit humor and excellent cinematography, the trailer promises that the movie may be one of the biggest successes of the year, pleasing to all.
The news is not very old where we saw this new channel emerging with lots of foreign shows all lined up to entertain the Pakistani audience but recently, it has been heard that the newly born channel is really not coming over the expectations Express Entertainment had from it and will soon be disappearing from screen.
Pakistani journalists have reported that the channel was going through serious financial constraints and since its launch, that is, June 1st, the channel failed badly to build a healthy viewership. It is important to mention here that the channel promised to offer its potential viewers a balance between entertainment and news which was nearly true as well. The channel was doing well in the later part but still its entertainment was all limited to the Indian and Turkish dramas.
This sudden switching off the service is nothing new in the history of this group as it was only two years before that Express group shut down its English language channel for the same reason.
We hope that the group comes prepared next time to meet up the expectations of audience so that things may work out for the channel in near future.
Singer and actor Ali Zafar took to his Twitter to post the advance wish and announce the release of the trailer of his upcoming film ‘Teefa in Trouble’.
As per the official Twitter account of “Teefa in Trouble”, the trailer of the film will be released not only in Pakistan but 1200 big screens around the world.
Choti Eid Ka Bara Thofa! Official Trailer of TEEFA IN TROUBLE to release on this Eid-Ul-Fitr in Pakistan and over 1200 screens globally!
SAARC Film Festival 2013 was held at Colombo National Films Corporation this Monday where Pakistan won two awards for the movie ‘Seedlings’. The festival covered many documentaries and leading movies of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other member countries of SAARC.
Pakistan was represented by the feature film ‘Seedlings-Lamha’, starring Mohib Mirza and Amina Sheikh,“The Story of a Living Saint” and “A Bike Ride from USA to Pakistan. The festival focused on promoting the best films of the year 2010 to 2012 where it was Seedlings that earned two awards for the country. The first award was achieved by Amina Sheikh for her outstanding performance in the movie as the lead actress and the second silver medal was won by the movie in general in the category of Best Feature Film of SAARC region.
The movie revolves around the life of a couple who lost their only child in an incident and that becomes a turning point of their happy life. It is a journey of uncertainties and the reality of life. The movie has been appreciated on different platforms so far and has earned recognition and awards wherever it has been nominated so far.
It is a pleasure to see Pakistan leading in the the field of film industry and surely, the credit goes to the new artists who are not responsible for giving a new level to the drama industry of Pakistan but are also showing their talent and improving the quality of Film industry in general.
Just like our film industry, even our theatres are grooming with every next play been presented to the audience. It was only few months back that we shared all about the play ‘Dhani’ where we saw Sanam Saeed and Sarwat Gillani spreading their art of live acting in the theatre which was produced by Shaan and here we are again with a news which is surely an additional medal in the history of theatre in Pakistan.
Been written by Anwar Maqsood, the play ‘Sawa 14 August ‘ is ruling the Arts Council-Karachi from August 14th and will be live till September 14th. The play is a result of joint collaboration of Geo TV and Jang Groups and is the third major theatre write-up of the said writer, first two being ‘Angan Tedha’ and ‘Pawnay 14 August’.
Showing their love and dedication towards Anwar Maqsood’s work, leading celebrities have been making their appearance in Art Council and recently it was Ali Zafar who finally took out some time from busy schedule to show his support for the idea been pen-down by Anwar Maqsood. The auditorium was all crowded and the singer-turned-actor sat on floor to watch the play. It was the same day when Humayun Saeed too was also present there.
It is surely a peace to see our entertainment industry flourishing,
Saawan, directed by Farhan Alam and written and produced by Mashood Qadri, is based on a true story of a disabled child who lives in a valley in the mountains of Balochistan is rejected by his father, intimidated by society, harassed by friends and left alone due to his disability.
The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee had selected the film to be submitted for Oscar consideration in the ‘Foreign Language Film Award’ category at the 90th Academy Awards, stated a press release but Pakistani film Saawan did not make the cut for the upcoming 2018 Oscars.
Tho the film was internationally celebrated and won many accolades including Best Foreign Language Feature Film award at the Madrid International Film Festival 2017 and the Best Film and Best Soundtrack Award at Salento International Film Festival in Italy.
Team Saawan is not looking at this as a defeat since they were competing against the best from all around the globe.
The shortlisted films for the Foreign Language Film category for Oscars at this time include: A Fantastic Woman (Chile), In the Fade (Germany), On Body and Soul (Hungary), Foxtrot (Israel), The Insult (Lebanon), Loveless (Russia), Felicite (Senegal), The Wound (South Africa) and The Square (Sweden).
Final nominations for all categories be announced on January 23, 2018. The Oscars ceremony will be held on March 4, 2018.
Saawan is a 2017 Pakistani suspense drama film directed by Farhan Alam and produced and written by Mashood Qadri under the production banner of Kalakar Films. The film is based on a true story of a disabled child, who is up against all kinds of obstacle and cruelty.
The film stars Saleem Mairaj, Syed Karam Abbas, Arif Bahalim, Najiba Faiz and Imran Aslam in the lead roles. The other cast includes Tipu Sharif, Hafeez Ali, Sehrish Qadri, Sohail Malik, Shahid Niazmi, Muhammad Abbas, Danial Yunus, Mehek Zulfiqar and Syed Muhammad Ali. A special appearance is made by Lt. Gen. S. A. A. Najmi (R).
It was selected as the Pakistani entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards.
Previously the movie has bagged Best Foreign Language Feature Film Award at the Madrid International Film Festival 2017, the Best Film Award and the Best Soundtrack Award at Salento International Festival Italy.
Saawan has once again made us proud by bringing home the Best Foreign Film Award at the 11th annual Alexandria Film Festival held in Virginia USA. It was screened on the second day of the festival.
Farhan Alam (Director) had the following to say in his recent Facebook post,
“I am proud to announce that Saawan has won Best Foreign Film Award at the 11th annual Alexandria Film Festival held in Virginia, USA. Congratulations team Saawan on another win,”
We wish team ‘Saawan’ more luck and more success, way to go!
Item songs and dance numbers find deep roots in both Bollywood and Lollywood’s history but ever since the revival of Pakistani film industry not just the audience but also some celebrities, Hamza Ali Abbasi being most prominent in them, have been publicly vocal against the sexual objectification of women in these songs.
But the times have changed just like Ahmed Ali Butt’s performance in ‘Punjab Nahi Jaungi’ song Gohar Rahseed will be performing a dance number ‘Kalu’ in ‘Rangreza’. The song is set to break many stereotypes not only will it be a male item number but also Gohar Rasheed will be seen dancing to the song with no less than 200 transgenders. Some glimpses of the song were also seen in the trailer.
In a recent interview Gohar Rasheed talked about his experience while shooting the song and the stigma seen in our society against transgenders. The Mann Mayal star said,
“The purpose behind Kalu is not to objectify anyone. The basic reason was to show and tell people that even these people – who unfortunately have to face certain stigmas in our society – are immensely talented, the song aims to show people how compassionate, caring, loving and most importantly, good human beings transgenders are.”
Gohar Rasheed also stated that the team Rangreza planned on promoting the film with a small performance of Gohar with transgenders on Kalu in a mall, Gohar explained that the entire crew was psyched about the idea since it’s never been done before but the thought couldn’t be transformed into an action because the shopping mall authorities had a “No Transgenders” policy.
“I was thinking of doing a flash mob with transgenders on Kalu. We thought of doing it at a mall and we were very excited as nothing like this has ever happened before. It broke my heart when the mall authorities informed us that transgenders are not allowed inside.”
He went on to add,
“I keep asking people to not judge them by their gender or their sexuality. I’ve worked with them and they are good human beings. It’s not their fault that they are transgenders. There’s nothing wrong with that anyway but I request people to at least treat them like normal human beings.”
Gohar further stated that the song helped him change his own perception of transgenders and he is thankful for that, he concluded,
“I’m glad that Rangreza changed my perspective on transgenders. I hope it can help change other’s perspectives too.”
Use the comments section and let us know what you think about the initiative that Rangreza just took.
Meghan Gulzar-helmed ‘Raazi’ will be releasing in India tomorrow but due to it’s controversial content no distributor has purchased this film in Pakistan.
A senior distribution company official told Express Tribune,
“It is disappointing to see that films on controversial subjects are being produced in India time and again,”
He continued,
“All our distributors are well aware about Alia’s role in Raazi and so, no one is willing to purchase the film. Patriotism is another reason for distributors not being pushed about buying the film. Indian producers should know that all our distributors have unanimously decided to boycott such controversial films.”
The film is an adaptation of Harinder Sikka’s novel, Calling Sehmat, it features an Indian spy (Alia) who marries a Pakistani man (Vicky) during the Indo-Pak war of 1971.
In an earlier interview Vicky Kaushal playing a Pakistani major’s role said,
“The film is not just about the Indo-Pak war, it is much deeper than that. It is about an individual relationship. It is also about an era when there was tension between the two countries and during that time a Kashmiri woman married a Pakistani major.”
He went on to add,
“I wasn’t worried that I am playing a Pakistani, so it should be shown in a certain light. I think the story does the work. People will realise it is not an India-Pakistan war film.”
‘Quddoosi Sahib Ki Bewah’, the popular drama which has maintained its TRP and is always in top ten dramas might end soon. Started in 2012, more than 150 episodes of this drama has already been telecasted. It is written by Fasih Bari Khan and directed by S. Mazhar Moeen.
But QSKB might end soon, as per one media report the show will end till July 2014. It will be replaced by drama ‘Salman Khan’ which is also written by Fasih Bari Khan and directed by S. Mazhar Moeen. Mirza Shahi, who is playing the role of Aleemuudin in QSKB will play the lead role in ‘Salman Khan’ and Hina Dilpazir will also be in a major role.
Hum TV will be soon broadcasting a fashion show, ‘QMobile Hum Showcase’. The show was a collaboration of Qmobile and Hum TV and had shot with some renowned and forthcoming fashion designers of the country, who had showcased their summer trends for this year. Nomi Ansari, Wardha Saleem, Jazib Qamar, Munib Nawaz, Inaaya, Momina Teli, Deepak, Fahad, Al-Zohaib, Bunto Kazmi are the few designers who were the part of this event and had showcased their designs for summer.
Hum TV has released a trailer of program ‘QMobile Hum Showcase’, which will telecast on 16th July, Sunday at 10:20 PM on Hum TV.
Pakistani romantic-comedy Punjab Nahi Jaungi won the ‘Special Jury Award’ at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Film Festival in Qingdao, China.
Mehwish Hayat, the leading lady in the film, shared on Instagram.
“I am proud to share that our film, Punjab Nahi Jaungi has picked up the special jury award against competition from films from 12 other nations… This is a major honour for our fledgling industry and one that shows that we can compete with the best in the world. Many congratulations to the whole PNJ team on this much deserved accolade ! We are bringing it home,”
She added,
“I am very privileged to have been at the first Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Film Festival being held in Qingdao for the past few days where two of my films were representing Pakistan. It has been a fabulous event where we were able to build on the special friendship our two nations share.”
Mehwish Hayat and Humayan Saeed, who was the lead actor in the film and also its producer, were in Qingdao to attend the festival.
Five Pakistani films — Jawani Phir Nahi Ani, Punjab Nahi Jaungi, Parchi, Bin Roye and Chalay Thay Saath — were screened at the film festival which ran from June 13 to June 17.
Actor Syra Shahroz whose film Chalay Thay Saath was screened at the festival was among the Pakistani delegates attending the festival. The Pakistani delegation was led by Director External Publicity Wing Ambareen Jan.
Sultana Sidddiqui was among the panel consisting of members from each SCO member and observer country to select winners. Siddiqui awarded the best picture award to two movies from Afghanistan and China.
‘Poora Chaand’ is an upcoming film, starring Fahad Mustafa, Sanam Saeed, Iman Ali, Maryam Ali Hussain and Manzar Sehbai. It is written by Sarmad Sehbai and directed by Anjum Shehzad.
The film was announced in fall 2013 and as per one recent report, its shooting is nearly completed. Actress Maryam Ali Hussain has completed her scenes in the film. Two classical dance sequences are filmed on her. Maryam Ali Hussain further added, the film is being made on classical pattern and is different from routine work. Fahad Mustafa will also be seen with Maryam Ali Hussain in this film.
After completion of shooting, the editing of the film is planned in March 2014.
Here is full content from Urdu Daily Jehan Pakistan
Much anticipated Momina and Duraid Films’ ‘Parwaaz Hai Junoon’ will not be making to big-screens this Eid and it looks like all the fans will have to wait a bit more before they get to watch this star studded war film.
In a press release regarding the postponement of the film producer of PHJ Momina Duraid said,
“There are six films releasing this Eid and currently our industry is not strong enough to support the release of so many films together. It is indeed a reason of concern for all the producers as it will be difficult for the films to break even if released together, considering the number of screens and shows available.”
She further added that in the broader interest of the industry her firm has decided to pull out from the Eid race. Momina stated,
“We strongly feel that this is the right thing to do in the current scenario and as members of the fraternity, we need to put aside personal agendas and support each other in order to achieve the greater goal,”
‘Parwaaz Hai Junoon’ is a multi-starrer war film based on Pakistan Air Force that has names like Hamza Ali Abbasi, Hania Aamir, Kubra Khan and Ahad Raza Mir in it’s cast and will now be released on Eidul Azha 2018 worldwide.
Malala’s support for Akshay Kumar starrer ‘PadMan’ was unwavering and so the director Balki has decided to have a special screening of the film for the Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousufzai.
“What can I say about Malala coming forward to support our film? We are blessed and honoured. It is voices like her that would carry our message in PadMan forward. Menstruation must not be swept under the carpet anymore. And we need powerful voices like Malala’s to carry the message forward,”
He further added,
“We are definitely showing it to her at the earliest, as soon as the logistics are worked out.”
Talking about this film he said,
“I decided to do PadMan because the story of the man who thought of making the sanitary pad affordable to the middle class really inspired me. When Twinkle Khanna came to me with the idea, I was hooked.”
Members of the Punjab Film Censor Board are at it again, this time they have denied watching the Bollywood film PadMan so as to issue a clearance certificate to it. A movie like ‘Padmaavat’ that distorted history to it’s core and represented Khilji less like a Muslim Ruler but more like a Viking got clearance in the name of “ART” while a movie based on the sanitary health of women is apparently too taboo to be issued clearance..
According to the members, film with “taboo” subjects such as menstruation will not be allowed screening in Pakistan. The Federal Censor Board also denied issuing an NOC to PadMan and announced a ban on the Akshay Kumar-starrer in all cinemas across the country.
As per sources, the board members have flat-out refused to watch PadMan on request from the distributors. A source from the Punjab Film Censor Board said that all the members were hesitant to watch the film due to its content.
Distributors IMGC was planning to purchase the film but the censor board had advised them against it. However, another distribution company bought the distribution rights for PadMan on the condition that they will only process payment if it’s been approved by the censor board. After being denied screening, the posters were removed from all the cinemas.
PadMan is a 2018 Indian biographical comedy-drama based on the short story The Sanitary Man of Sacred Land in Twinkle Khanna’s book The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad. The book which is inspired by the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social activist from Tamil Nadu who introduced low-cost sanitary pads to villages in India.
