Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum is the last Pakistani drama which became a global sensation. Fahad Mustafa as Mustafa, Hania Aamir as Sharjeena, Emmad Irfani as Adeel and Naeema Butt as Rubab became household names and the show received blockbuster response from India. It looks like Indians became so impressed that they are literally copying the show with their drama industry’s superstars.
An Indian show by the name of Qubool Hai stars the real-life celebrity couple Mohit and Sanaya. They have come back on screen together with this show which is a complete rip off of the iconic drama Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum. Though Indians are generally busy in hating Pakistan and making movies against them, but it seems like they will keep copying the Pakistani music and story telling.
Watch an iconic scene from Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum where Sharjeena cooks food for the family and Rubab tries to tip her. This turns into a bitter experience for the female lead:
Now, here is how the scene was ripped off in Qubool Hai, though it looks like a cheap copy:
The internet is reacting to Indian obsession with Pakistani content. One user wrote, “Full copy of Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum.” Another added, “They cannot carry it like Hania and Naeema.” One said, “They will always remain copycats.” Here is the reaction:
Pakistani batter-wicket keeper Mohammad Rizwan has been in the limelight for winning hearts by playing a fabulous innings at the T20 World Cup semi-final in Dubai despite being ill. Prior to the match, there were reports circulating that Mohammad Rizwan and Shoaib Malik were both suffering from flu. However, it was later revealed that the wicketkeeper-batsman had been admitted to the ICU days before the game due to a lung problem and severe chest infection.
Rizwan’s recovery also left his doctor astonished who commended the batter’s indomitable spirit and courage as he battled a severe chest infection on an ICU bed. “Mujhe khelna hai. Team ke saath rehna hai, (I want to play and be with the team),” Rizwan said to his doctors despite being in the ICU.
“Rizwan had a strong desire to play for his nation in the crucial knockout match. He was strong, determined, and confident. I am astonished at the pace he had recovered,” Times of India quoted Specialist Pulmonologist at Medeor Hospital Dr Saheer Sainalabdeen as saying. The report stated that Rizwan had been suffering from intermittent fever, persistent cough, and chest tightness for 3-5 days before being hospitalised. Saheer said that the medical team immediately stabilised him and gave him symptomatic medications to ease his pain. “His pain at the time of admission was 10/10. So, we subjected him for a detailed evaluation to diagnose the condition.”
According to the doctor, recovery and gaining fitness before the match with the severity of Rizwan’s medical condition seemed unrealistic and anyone else would have taken around a week to recover in this condition. He further stated that it was Rizwan’s physical fitness and endurance level that helped him recover at this pace. After getting discharged from the hospital and declared fit, Rizwan gifted a signed jersey to Dr Sainalabdeen as he expressed gratitude towards the doctor and his team.
Post the Uri attacks, Pakistani cinema owners had decided to stop screening Bollywood films until tensions between the countries cool down. Though the political situations are no better but Pakistani cinema owners have lifted the self imposed ban on Bollywood films due to the loss faced.
Films like ‘Pink and Freaky Ali’ which were already screened in Pakistani before the ban, are screened again but the new Indian films might not release anytime soon. Earlier, there was news that new Bollywood films will release in Pakistan but the latest reports suggest, that Indian distributors are not willing to release their films in Pakistan at least till the things cool down.
Dawnrevealed, that the owner of Cineplex at Centaurus,Nadeem Mandviwala said, “Forces, which created the situation, are still trying to create hurdles. Currently those hurdles are from Indian side and once they will be removed we will know if there are hurdles from Pakistani side or not. So far we have not faced any pressure from the Pakistani side.”
“I don’t think we will get Indian movies immediately,” he added. “It can take days, weeks and even months to start screening new movies. We have lifted the ban and now it is up to Indian distributors whether they will sell movies to Pakistan. However, a debate has begun in India about it,” he said.
“Once Indian distributors agree to sell movies, we will have to get a no objection certificate (NOC) from the government. If the NOC is issued the movies will have to be cleared by Pakistan Censor Board. After that we will be in a position to say that new movies can be screened in Pakistan,” he concluded.
News about our government rejecting the NOC for Amir Khan’s upcoming film Dangal was doing rounds but the producer of the film Siddharth Roy Kapoor cleared the air.
He stated, “It is an encouraging move that they are allowing Bollywood films. And I hope over time, the two countries sort the issues that they have with each other.”
When asked if Dangal will be releasing in Pakistan, he said, “We are not going to be releasing Dangal in Pakistan. This is a call we had taken a few weeks ago, and we are sticking with that decision.”
A source in Geo revealed that the NOC for Dangal was never applied. The source also revealed that it is the Indian distributors who are reluctant to release new films in Pakistan.
The most anticipated film of Pakistan “The Legend of Maula Jatt” will mark the comeback of two big names to the film industry, Fawad Khan after his stint in Khuda Ke Liye back in 2007 and Bilal Lashari in the director’s chair after his classic Waar that changed the face of Pakistani Cinema. The first trailer of the movie has come out yesterday and people are floored.
It is safe to say that The Legend of Maula Jatt is Pakistan’s Gladiator. The trailer is made the audience even more crazy with the intensity of the new Maula Jatt as well as the evil of the new Noori Natt. Fawad Khan enjoys a lot of friendships in Bollywood as well as a huge fan base in India. Naturally, the trailer was viewed in India too and they have fallen in love with it too. Acclaimed director Anurag Kashyap enjoyed the trailer and tweeted about it:
One of the biggest Indian producers and directors, Karan Johar who also happens to be a very good fried of Fawad also fell in love with the trailer and extended his best wishes for the success of the film:
The Legend of Maula Jatt has already started enjoying the legendary status. Let’s wait and see how people are goung to take t once it comes on screen at Eid ul Fitr!
What’s Love Got to Do with It? Is a romantic comedy movie which has been making waves currently because of its expected release on different parts of the world. The movie is produced and written by Jemima Goldsmith and it has been directed by Indian director Shekar Kapoor. It has an ensemble cast which includes Lily James as Zoe, Shazad Latif as Kazim, Shabana Azmi as Aisha Khan, Emma Thompson as Cath, Sajal Aly as Zoya, Oliver Chris, Asim Chaudhry and Rahat Fateh Ali.
Recently the director of the film Shekar Kapoor praised Sajal Aly and revealed the reason for choosing her in What’s Love Got to Do with It?. He gave interview to journalist Sadiq Saleem, Shekar Kapoor said, “Sajal Aly was recommended then she sent her auditions, Sajal Aly’s eyes have innocence and depth in it, she’s obviously very beautiful, whenever she comes on screen we hear and see her, she’s beautiful and her performance has pain and strength. I said to her, ‘one of things we want from you is don’t portray yourself as weak, show yourself strong, you are gentle and you are shy, show that you have strength and if you will watch the film you could easily find that”. Here is the link to Sadiq’s video:
Maryam Nawaz’s gorgeous looks on her son Junaid Safdar’s wedding went popular because of her elegance and beauty. Maryam Nawaz wore all the ace designers including Nomi Ansari, Saira Shakira, Elan and Abhinav Mishra, Abhinav is the designer who is from India.
Lately, the Indian designer Abhinav Mishra’s voice note has come to the light where he talked about Maryam Nawaz’s dress which he designed for her. Abhinav said that Maryam Nawaz’s team approaches his team for the dress and did all the research on its own. He said that they remained in contact with the team.
He said that so far they are having a great response after Maryam Nawaz wore it. He said that Maryam was looking elegantly gorgeous in the dress, he said that it is an amazing thing. Talking about the price of lehnga the designer said that it was not so much expensive the price was already on website. The dress was worth 168000 INR as per shown on the website of the designer.
It is to be remembered that last year Abhinav Mishra did a campaign with young Pakistani models and did a wedding photoshoot which went viral. The designer also admitted that the shoot was helpful in this regard, because Maryam’s team noticed him after they got their shoot done in Pakistan.
Pakistan and India are two cricket loving nations and cricket has always been a uniting factor, it has helped in bringing the people of Pakistan and India closer. Well, the two countries love each others sports stars as well and always appreciate players and their game. Pakistanis love a few Indian cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Sehwag, Dhooni & Virat Kohli. Likewise, Indians love Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Babar Azam & Naseem Shah. Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag has recently opened up about his experience of staying in Pakistan. He praised Pakistani hospitality generously.
Talking about it, Indian ace batsman Virender Sehwag said, “My Wedding was planned right after our Pakistan tour, when I was getting back to India from Lahore, I needed a few ladies shoes and clothes. Well, I went to the market along with the security, no shopkeeper was ready to take money from me, the shopkeepers said to me, ‘you are our guest, how can we take money from you?’, I said to them, ‘its not about one or two items, I need 30 to 35 items but they still didn’t take money from me” Have a look at the video:
Special Assistant of Broadcasting to Prime Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said to ban all indian content on tv and the previous ban is going to be continued permanently. She said this way we are being able to stand in solidarity with kashmiri people. She also said we will make sure to see all the programming containing indian culture to be banned and public is nothing but happy, some are saying that the ban should be permanent and the songs and Indian youtubers too need to be banned as they are earning through Pakistan and then they name call Pakistan badly.
Its high time the public is ready to value everything that belongs to us we love our industry, our drama industry is massive which produces hundreds of top class dramas in just the period of 3 months and it has largely grabbed international audiences. It’s time to raise the bar up, its time to rise and shine its time to kick indian content out. Public is happy and giving suggestions on banning every type of content.
Aashiqui was a big movie from Bollywood that managed to reach a cult classic status due to its beautiful music. The film starred Rahul Roy and Annu Aggarwal in the lead and the music was composed by famous Indian composer duo Nadeem-Sharavan. Those songs are still hummed all over South Asia and the music is surely evergreen.
Another famous composer from Bollywood Lalit Pandit of the duo Jatin-Lalit recently gave an interview to Bollywood Hungama. The composer has been the name behind many big Bollywood hits including the music for Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayeinge. He talked about the music culture of Bollywood, how remaining true to their beats was important for him and how Aashqui’s composers Nadeem-Sharavan used to copy Pakistani music.
He further revealed that Nadeem and Sharavan used to go to Dubai where they would get Pakistani cassettes and then reproduce that Pakistani music as their own songs. He said that this was known by the whole industry and this is what happened with Aashiqui’s music as well.
India might be considered ahead than us in a lot of things when the Entertainment Industry of both the countries are compared but according to Raghav Sacha Pakistani Music is much better than India’s. Sacha told a foreign news agency,
Pakistan comprises a mammoth independent music segment and its musicians are much more evolved as there is lesser ‘bastardisation’ of a musician in the neighbouring country as compared to Bollywood.
Raghav has spent 15 years of his life as a music composer, composing for Bollywood hits like Rustam, Kabul Express and One Two Three. In addition to these, he has also worked on several independent projects.
He also praised the segregation of different music genres in Pakistan.
They (Pakistan) have a very big independent segment. There is Sufi, rock and more. They attempt songs and give them a different light because there is lesser ‘bastardisation’ of a musician.
He also mentioned the problems with Bollywood music:
In Bollywood, what happens is that you are making a song for a film which is directed by a person. Even the director is probably not much involved in music making. It’s basically the producer who is putting in the money and then the label. So, by the time the music is made by the music director to the release time, there are multiple changes made to the song and it ends up losing soul because too many cooks spoil the broth.
He further said that if the Coke Studio of Pakistan and India are compared, the vast difference in the quality of the product is very visible. He believes that the reason for this is that independent music is given a lot of importance in Pakistan.
The Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) on Friday announced that movies featuring Pakistani actors won’t be screened in single screen theaters in Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat.
The decision comes ahead of the scheduled release of Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. While it was slated to hit the screens on October 28, the COEAI decision has cast doubts if it will see the light of the day any time soon in western India.
COEAI President Nitin Datar told IANS : “We have nothing against Karan Johar. It’s just that we won’t allow the release of any film which will have Pakistani actors or technicians in it.”
The COEAI has over 400 members. “We have collectively taken this decision that we won’t showcase such films in our single screens. As of now, we will be following this decision in Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat,” Datar added.
The decision comes amid India-Pakistan tensions. “We can’t say we are banning these films. It’s just that we are suspending all these films,” said Datar.
“In future, if our (India’s) relationship with Pakistan gets better, we will work towards it. But looking at the current scenario, we have to take this decision,” he added.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena had earlier warned Pakistani actors to quit India and said it would not let movies — including Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Raees — to release.
Following that, the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association had passed a resolution to disallow Pakistani artistes from working in Indian films.
In response, Pakistani exhibitors had reportedly decided not to screen Indian films in their cinemas.
Acknowledgement: Whole content is borrowed from Express Tribune
We all know that Zindagi Gulzar Hai was a mega hit Pakistani serial of Hum Television Network, the drama serial Zindagi Gulzar Hai was penned down by ace writer Umera Ahmad and it was directed & Produced by Sultana Siddiqui.
The drama became talk of the town right after its airing on Hum television network, back in 2012. The drama was also aired in India after its tremendous success in Pakistan.
It was televised on the Channel Zee Zindagi, which was specifically launched in India for Pakistani dramas. Later on, the bans and the differences thwarted all the efforts and the cultural exchange between the two countries ended.
Now the drama is again airing on Zee TV in India on the huge public demand, the fans are excited about its airing on Zee TV.
The drama already had a huge fan base in India. Alia Bhatt admitted in an interview that she took inspiration from Kashaf’s role for her character in Raazi.
Indian Movies and the stars are not only popular within the country but also enjoy generating considerable revenue from its most controversial neighbor, Pakistan. Taking a closer look to the all times, Pakistan has always provided a huge market for the Bollywood movies and it seems that the Indian Celebrities are now all ready to thank the Pakistani audience .
At a time when Shiv Sena is dead against Pakistani artists working in India there are Indian celebrities who want to see these artists working in India. Famous directors and actors spoke up against Shiv Sena’s latest threats to Pakistani artists.
Mahesh Bhatt has been encouraging Pakistani talent to work in India for a very long time now. He is the one who invited Mohsin Khan to work in India but even then he was forced to leave the country because of his nationality. Talking about this latest step by Shiv Sena Mahesh Bhatt said,
“If Fawad Khan is in the country, it is because the people of India have loved him. If Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Atif Aslam are big draws in the country, it is because they are a hit with the citizens in the country, which is why they are a part of the popular mainstream culture today. I have dared to bring talent from across the border because we as an industry only look inwards.”
He also said,
“When I made the film Saathi (which released in 1991), Pakistani cricketer-turned-actor Mohsin Khan was a part of the movie, but he was asked to leave because of his nationality. Haven’t we moved an inch since then? Are we stuck in history? I think we as an industry must search for answers.”
Bhatt told IANS in an interview,
“It kind of ridicules our constitution, it shames the police, and it debunks our claim of being a democracy. And when you tamper with a god-given gift in men of free thought and free speech, to create fear is not good for any individual, nor for society.”
Shyam Benegal, the filmmaker also spoke against this move by Shiv Sena. He said,
“We have diplomatic relations with the country and we are not at war with them. We are a cultured nation and we can’t be reducing ourselves to play the game of tit for tat. They are not doing it in a rational sense, is it a mere political advantage (that they are vying for)?”
Karan Anshuman who is a director and a film critic also did not agree with what Shiv Sena is attempting to do. He said,
“I disagree with the Shiv Sena. What sort of picture are they trying to portray? On one hand, we have the film fraternity culminating the message of peace with films like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and on the other hand we have parties like these who will go down to any extent to stay relevant. ”
Saif Ali Khan whose films were recently banned in Pakistan because of his objectionable statements against Pakistani also does not support Shiv Sena. While talking to the media he said,
“I remember the time when I said that I was disappointed in Pakistan and everyone lost their s***, and here they are throwing ink all over the place.”
He asked Shiv Sena to,
“rein it in or else Pakistan will ban more of our movies. For the love of Bollywood, stop before it’s too late!”
Umer Sharif is one of Pakistan’s best-known comedians. When it comes to humor, Umer Sharif has no comparison. He is one of the most successful comedians of the sub-continent. He started his career as a stage actor and has starred in many popular comedy shows such as Bakra Qistoon Pay and Buddha Ghar Pe Hai. Many people have termed him as the ‘King of Comedy’ in South Asia.
For the past few days, there has been a lot of hassle on the internet. Umer Sharif got admitted to the hospital in serious condition. He also demanded some medical aid from the government so that he could fly abroad. Our celebrities have also appealed to the government to pay heed to Umer Sharif’s request.
Not only Pakistani, but Indian artists are also sending prayers for the recovery of Umer Sharif. Daler Mehndi who is considered to be the king of Punjabi pop and Bhangra in a video message sent prayers for Umer Sharif and also requested Imran Khan to help Umer Sharif.
Pakistani dramas are very popular and the enormity of the dramas are increasing day by day after the world has got global through the digital media. The YouTube is so far acting as the major source of dissemination of the creative content across the world. This digitalization has brought international celebrities closer too. The recognition of actors has also gotten immensely increased.
Recently, in a positive occurance on Twitter, the Indian Media critic and Entertainment reporter Salil Arun Kumar Sand took his praise for the popular drama Pyar Ke Sadqay to Twitter and claimed that the drama is a poetry in motion, he further praised by saying, “Bilal Abbas & Yumna Zaidi Take a Bow”. He praised Srha Asghar and said that she is such a star.
To his Tweet, the very famous Indian Television actor Helly Shah also took her praise on the record. She said, “loved every bit of the show”
Well, the drama got immense popularity in Pakistan which was a Hum Television production, it had superstars like Yumna and Bilal followed by the stellar star cast.Previously, Ammy Virk & Aly Goni praised Mere Paas Tum Ho and Laal Ishq.
The grand wedding events of Mukesh Ambani’s son are making headlines on the social media. Anant Ambani’s wedding is a huge star-studded affair. The Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani invited all the important international and national digniteries in his son’s wedding functions which are currently going on in Mumbai. Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant Ambani got married to Viren Merchant’s daughter, Radhika Merchant on 13th July. The couple was looking stunning at their main wedding events.
All the Indian celebrities were super excited for the main wedding events. They chose the best outfits of the top designers for the special events.
Many Indian celebrities one again chose Pakistani designers’ outfits. The famous celebrities including Hardik Pandya, AP Dhillon, Sara Ali Khan and Jey Shetty’s wife were spotted wearing Pakistan’s top designers including Faraz Manan, Iqbal Hussain and Mohsin Naveed Ranjha.
Today Pakistan’s legendary actor and host Umer Sharif passed away. He was suffering from heart disease. Umer Sharif was supposed to undergo the surgery in USA because it wasn’t possible in Pakistan. He was admitted in a hospital in Germany where he breathed his last. Despite the deteriorating health of the legend, the family and fans have put all the efforts through their prayers but unfortunately the prayers and devotion could not save him.
Many Indian celebrities including Kapil Sharma, Johhny Lever and Jeevehshu Alhuwalia extended their deep condolences on the sad demise of actor. Kapil Sharma while tweeting said,”Alvida legend 🙏may your soul Rest In Peace 🙏🙏🙏 #UmerShareef”
Jeeveshu Ahluwalia said, “Umar Sharif the comedian who single handedly had put the subcontinent on the world map with his impeccable timing, absolute wit and rockstar performance. Sir it is a loss for all of us to miss meeting you in person and learn, some other life we will. RIP #umarsharif”
Johnny Lever said that it is a huge and irreplaceable loss, he said that he was a great extempore artist with his unique one-liners. He said that a lot of times he asked about this talent of him but Umer used to say that he’s also unaware of this gift. Here is a link to video.
Veteran Indian actor Anupam Kher also extended his deep condolences while remembering his meeting with Umer Sharif in London, he said that he used to meet with excitement and love.
Have a look at his words.
Dalair Mehdi , Javed Jaffery, Bombay Times and International journalist and Influencer Jeremy Mclellan also extended their deep condolences. Here are the screenshots and link.
Renowned singer @dalermehndi offer condolences on the death of legendary Pakistani comedian #UmerSharif.
While thanking @ImranKhanPTI for his help, Daler said, "Main Imran Bhaji ka Shukarguzar hun ki uunhonay bahut koshish ki."
The brutal killings of children and their teachers have not only shocked and disturbed people in Pakistan but people all around the world are condemning this gruesome act. Indian celebrities expressed their grief over Peshawar killings by tweeting their views on the tragic incident.
Here are the tweets of Indian celebrities which show how they felt about this tragedy:
In one of my article before I wrote about the increasing trend of promoting Indian culture through the launching of their dramas on Pakistani TV channels. At that time this topic came in my mind that not only their dramas but also the actresses and actors of India are playing an active role in cultural invasion. The brands of Pakistan choose Indian celebrities as Pakistani brand ambassadors and this is where our talent gets suppressed. This article will focus on some of the brands that have chosen Indian celebrities as their brand ambassadors.
What is a brand ambassador? This question must be arising in the minds of many people who are not aware of this. Actually a brand ambassador is usually an icon or a celebrity who promotes the brand through his popularity. The main things going on in the brand owners mind are that they should choose such a brand ambassador who is very much popular among the audience. This is the only way they can increase the sale of their brand. Unfortunately this is the biggest reason why Indian celebrities are chosen because they are more popular in Pakistan. Advertisements in Pakistan have always been followed by the trends and innovations adopted globally. From 1998-2008, after the formation of PEMRA there was a huge flood of channels which brought about the culture of Indian actresses as Pakistani brand ambassadors.
Coming to the brands that chose Indian celebrities as Pakistani brand ambassadors, Veet is a very famous hair removing cream in Pakistan. Almost 70 percent above women use this product. It has a wide range of products which include; hair removing creams, lotions and wax strips. Veet has different creams for different skin types. Katrina Kaif has been the brand ambassador of Veet since a very long time. We have been seeing her in many advertisements of Veet. Katrina Kaif was brought into Pakistan advertisement agency in 2008 and that was when this race continued.
Not only the beauty products but also the mobile phone companies of Pakistan want Indian celebrities to be their brand ambassadors. Q mobile is the leading mobile phone brand of Pakistan. They are always in the spotlight for their expensive and glamorous advertisements, bringing the real-wanted celebrities on screen. Q mobile has signed Aditya Roy Kapoor as their brand ambassador. it is expected that the company will surely get a boost in its sales. As this Indian celebrity has been extremely popular after Aashiqui 2 and he has turned into a heartthrob for many girls out there, he will now be seen in a couple movies that he has already signed and will also be doing commercials, which off course are also a good source of generating revenue that is why Q mobile has made a choice and took him as their brand ambassador so that they can get a high increase in their sale.
Moving on to clothing brands of Pakistan, Firdous Lawn is considered to be a trend setter for hiring Indian actresses for their latest lawn collections. Previously they chose Kareena Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, both of them have a big Bollywood name and brought about fame from across the world. They also captured the attention of every fashion follower. Recently they have gone for Sonam Kapoor who is well known for her style sense. Sonam Kapoor is a very popular Indian actress and she will surely increase the sale of Firdous Lawn. This trend was followed by Crescent lawn that have opted Karishma Kapoor as brand ambassador for their collection. Also the leading designer Fahad Hussayn has chosen Priyanka Chopra to be the brand ambassador of his brand.
Pakistan is spending a very high budget on such pure Indian advertisements. Since these actors are appreciated quite a lot for their unique dressing and taste of glamour in India and so they are equally welcomed in Pakistan by the common man. It does bring attraction to their brand but is it the right thing? I will definitely say no. Pakistan has such an immense lot of talented actors and actresses who are also very popular but still we need others to display our brands, Why? Calling out on actors from other countries and neglecting our own stars, this is pure injustice to them. We are degrading them openly through such acts. Some of the Pakistani actors have even complained about this trend. Instead of promoting the brands with other people, the Pakistani brand managers should go for people from their own country. Pakistan is full of talent and beauty which is being neglected by its own people. We should learn to appreciate it.
Who says Indians and Pakistanis need to be enemies? Arch nemesis of one another? The two countries separated nearly 70 years ago. Both the countries took different directions since then. So why the bad blood?
An Indian acapella band proved that both countries can be friends if they want to be. The acapella band sang Pakistan’s national anthem and dedicated it to Pakistan as a gift for its 70th Birthday. Isn’t that a heartwarming gesture?
The video begins with a heart-felt message reading, ‘This is our way of wishing you, Happy Birthday Pakistan.’
The efforts of this Indian band is being appreciated greatly by Pakistanis on social media but let’s be honest, that was to be expected. However, now a lot of people are stating that the version that the Indian band has made is better than Coke Studio’s rendition!
Have a listen to what our Indian friends came up with:
Now, give a listen to the Coke Studio version:
Regardless of which one you prefer, we appreciate both their efforts!
India is our eastern neighbor with which we share few similarities (there are many differences as well) in term of language, cuisine, dresses, art, music and films. Few languages like Urdu, Punjabi, Seraiki, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Marawari are spoken on both sides of the border which divides India and Pakistan.
The major language of India is Hindi, and Urdu in Pakistan. Though in classical form these two language differ from each other in terms of vocabulary, as Urdu’s vocabulary is highly influenced from Persian, while Hindi mostly borrows its vocabulary from Sanskrit. Both languages have different script.But the colloquial form of Urdu and Hindi is quite similar, and speaker of any one of these can easily understands the other one.
In the pre-partitioned British India there was a thriving Hindi film industry. The major centres of Hindi film making were Calcutta (Now Kolkata, India), Bombay (Now Mumbai, India) and Lahore (now in Pakistan). In 1947, British India is partitioned into two independent states of India and Pakistan. Lahore which was considered the third largest center of Hindi film making in India, was now a part of Pakistan. During the partition of 1947, widespread riots occurred in the Punjab region including its capital Lahore. The film studios in Lahore were burnt, and were in a devastating condition. Many skilled persons related to film making seeing an uncertain future in Pakistan migrated to Bombay (now Mumbai), India now part of India, where film making was stable with a bright future.
Despite such unfavourable conditions, few artists from Mumbai, India also decided to be part of the Pakistan. Mostly such artists were from the areas which were now a part of Pakistan like Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and East Bengal. Few notable names among these were Shaukat Hussain Rizvi, Melody Queen Madam Noor Jehan, Sooran Lata, Nazeer, Feroz Nizami, Baba G.A. Chishti and many other who built the foundation of film making in Lahore (Pakistan) after considerable struggle and hardships. Since inception Pakistani film industry suffered due to lack of finance and support from the Government. The low budgeted Pakistani films have to compete with the high budgeted Indian movies as well for business at the theaters. Urdu despite being the National language was not the native tongue of majority of the residents of Pakistan, so the circuit of Urdu cinema was limited as compared to regional language Punjabi.
Screening of Indian films was allowed in Pakistan till 1965. After 1965 war with India, a ban was imposed on the release of Indian films in cinemas. The ban was lifted in 2006 and since then Indian films are doing exceptionally well in Pakistan. In between 1965 and 2006 few Indian films were also screened in cinemas upon special permission of the Federal Government. In 1980’s the military ruler General Ziaul Haq allowed screening of two Indian films. Similarly in 2003, another military dictator General Parvez Musharraf allowed release of Indian films Taj Mahal and later Mughale Azam (Colored version).
Despite similar language and film technique very few Indian actors have acted in Pakistani films. The major reason for this the constraint of budget. It was possible in Pakistan to produce a film with in the budget required to hire a top Indian artist which is also popular among local audience. For the very same reason very few Indian artist worked in Pakistani films. In commercial films few lesser known Indian faces appeared, whereas few big names of parallel Indian cinema appeared in similar films produced in Pakistan.
Nasir Khan (ناصرخان)
Nasir Khan (Late) is the younger brother of Dilip Kumar. Dilip Kumar hails from Peshawar, which became part of Pakistan in 1947. The future of film making was quite uncertain in Pakistan at the time of independence. Dilip Kumar and his family preferred to live in Mumbai, India over their birth place Peshawar which was now in Pakistan.
Nasir Khan made his film debut in 1945 in Bombay, British India. In 1947 at the time of partition, Nasir Khan was in Pakistan and before returning to India he worked in two Urdu films. Nasir has the distinction of first ever filmi hero of Pakistan when he worked in first Pakistani film Teri Yaad (1948). Soon after Teri Yaad he also appeared as hero in Shahida, the second Urdu film of Pakistan. Both Teri Yaad and Shahida proved super flop in Pakistan the country struggling at the time with settlement of a large influx of refugees coming from India.
Nasir Khan and Asha Posley in the poster of Teri Yaad the first Pakistani film
Film Shahida was also released in India, and surprisingly in Lucknow and Delhi it celebrated silver jubilee. After the release of Shahida, Nasir Khan returned to Bombay (Mumbai), India to join his other family members already living there and never returned to Pakistan.
Nasir Khan
In India Nasir Khan further worked in few films without any success. Nasir Khan passed away in 1974 aged 49. Nasir Khan never achieved the fame and status like his brother Dilip Kumar.
Sheela Ramani(شیلا رمانی)
Sheela Ramani is an artist born in Sindh, British India from the Parsi community. Sheela started her acting career in Bombay and stayed in India after the partition in 1947. In 1959, Sheela travelled to Karachi, then the capital of Pakistan to work in an Urdu film Anokhi. It is said she worked in the film on the request of her uncle who stayed in Pakistan.
Sheela Ramani
Anokhi was a low budget film produced in Karachi. The film is remembered today for its song ‘Gaari Ko Chalana Baabu‘ in the voice of Kausar Parveen. Anokhi was not much successful and Sheela returned to India afterwards. Sheela passed away in 2015 in India.
Here is the famous song Gaari Ko Chalana Babu from film Anokhi featuring Sheela Ramani.
Despite lack of resources and finance Pakistani film industry gradually paved its way towards success. Many successful films were produced which were also copied in India. Apart from stories, Indian musician also copied many songs of Pakistani films as well. The screening of Indian films continued side by side with local films till 1965. In September 1965 India and Pakistan fought an inconclusive war which resulted in bitter relationships. The transport links with India (Railway, road) were closed.
Similary screening of Indian films was banned in Pakistan in cinemas. This ban made a space in the market of Urdu/Hindi films and consequently the production of Urdu films increased in Pakistan. After 1965 a new generation of Urdu film stars emerged like Waheed Murad, Nadeem, Muhammad Ali, Zeba, Shamim Ara, Shabnam, Rani to name a few. The trend of Urdu cinema achieved new heights in late 1960’s to 1979. In this era many superhit Urdu films were produced, but no Indian artist is casted in any of these. The local stars were enough to attract audience available at economical rates than who cares to hire an expensive Indian star.
In 1977, army general Ziaul Haq imposed martial law in Pakistan under the slogan of islamize the society. In 1979 he put severe restrictions on Urdu films productions which impacted Urdu films production. While Urdu cinema was under restrictions, regional cinema was free from such restrictions. In 1980’s production of Punjabi and Pashto films out numbered the Urdu films. Urdu cinema continued its downward trend started in 1980’s and completed faded till early 2000’s.
So after Sheela Rummani in 1959, for almost next four decades no Indian artist acted in a Pakistan movie. After 2000’s few Indian artist worked in Pakistani films but these were either independent films or the Indian artist were rather lesser known. Kirron Kher (کرن کھیر)
Kirron Kher is a famous Indian artist and social activist. She is the wife of Anupam Kherr a famous supporting artist of Indian cinema. Kirron Kherr worked in an Independent Pakistan film Khamosh Paani (The Silent Waters) in 2003 directed by Sabiha Sumaar. The film won a prize at Lokarno film festival, but never released in cinemas in Pakistan. Khamosh Paani has been released on television in Pakistan.
Simran (سمرن) Simran an Indian artist worked in one Pakistan film Koi Tujh Sa Kahan (کوئی تجھ سا کہاں) as second heroine.Koi Tujh Sa Kahan (2005) directed by Reema Khan was hit.
Reema Khan, Simran
Sheeba Bhakri (شیبا بھکری)
Sheeba Bhakri is a British citizen of Indian origin. She is not an Indian citizen, but is included in the list due to her origin. Sheeba worked in Urdu films Tarap (تڑپ) as second heroine. Tarap (2006) directed by Sangeeta was a flop.
Veena Malik and Sheeba Bhakri
Nausheen Sardar Ali (نوشین سردار علی) Nausheen Sardar Ali an Indian artist has worked in a Pakistani film Mein Ik Din Laut Ke Aaonga (میں اک دن لوٹ کے آؤں گا) in 2007 which proved average at box office. The film was also shot in Mumbai, India.
Nausheen Sardar Ali
Pooja Kanwal (پوجا کنول) Pooja Kanwal has worked in a Pakistani film Mein Ik Din Laut Ke Aaonga (میں اک دن لوٹ کے آؤں گا) in 2007 which proved average at box office.
Pooja Kanwal
Naseeruddin Shah (نصیرالدین شاہ)
A big name of indian commercial and parallel cinema, Naseeruddin Shah worked in two Pakistani films named Khuda Ke Liye (2007) directed by Shoaib Mansoor and Zinda Bhaag (2013). Both films though indpendent in nature were successful.
Naseeruddin Shah in the poster of Khuda Ke Liye
Nandita Daas (نندیتاداس)
A famous Indian artist of parallel cinema and a social activist Nandita also worked in a Pakistani film named Ramchand Pakistani in 2008 directed by Mehreen Jabbar. Ramchand Pakistani was released in cinemas, but failed at the box office.
Nandita Daas in Ramchand Pakistani
Vinod Khanna(ونودکھنہ) Vinod Khanna is a famous name of Indian cinema. He has worked in one Pakistani film God Father (2007), which failed at the box office. God Father, was produced by Aslam Bhatti a Pakistani businessman in UAE. Aslam Bhatti wants to launch himself as an actor, so he produced mega budgeted God Father. Aslam Bhatti was in the lead role, and in supporting roles there was a huge cast of Indian and Pakistani famous artists. But all this was not enough to save it from sinking at the box office.
Arbaaz Khan (اربازخان) Arbaaz Khan has worked in one Pakistani film God Father (2007), which failed at the box office.
Hrishitaa Bhatt (ہریشیتہ بھٹ) Hrishitaa Bhatt has worked in one Pakistani film God Father (2007), which failed at the box office.
Preeti Jhangiani (پریتی جھانگیانی) Preeti Jhangiani has worked in one Pakistani film God Father (2007), which failed at the box office.
Kim Sharma (کم شرما) Kim Sharma has worked in one Pakistani film God Father (2007), which failed at the box office.
Amrita Arora (امریتا اروڑا) Amrita Arora has worked in one Pakistani film God Father (2007), which failed at the box office.
Nafisa Ali (نفیسہ علی) Nafisa Ali has worked in one Pakistani film God Father (2007), which failed at the box office.
Neha Dhupia (نیہا دھوپیا)
The glamour girl of Indian cinema made a cameo appearance in Pakistani film for an item song. The film was Kabhi Pyar Na Karna released in 2008 and failed at box office miserably.
Neha Dhupia
Johny Lever
The famous comedian of Indian cinema appeared in a comic role in one Pakistani film Love Mein Gumm (2011) directed by Reema Khan. Love Mein Gumm performed average at the box office.
Johnny Lever
Deepak Shirke (دیپک شرکے)
Deepak Shirke has worked in one Pakistani film Sultanat(2014). The film was produced by Aslam Bhatti a UAE based Pakistani businessman. Mr. Bhatti perhaps wants to launch himself as an actor and for that he produced few mega budgeted movies. His first such attempt was Godfather in 2007 featuring some big Indian stars in the supporting cast while Mr. Bhatti was in the lead role. After miserable failure of God father, Sultanat was the second such attempt of Mr. Bhatti. Again in Sultanat, Aslam Bhatti was in lead role and many Indian artists in the supporting roles but the result was still the same; Sultanat failed at the box office like God father.
Akashdeep Saigal (آکاش دیپ سیگل) Akashdeep Saigal has worked in one Pakistani film Sultanat(2014).
Shweta Tiwari (شویتا تیواڑی) Shweta Tiwari has worked in one Pakistani film Sultanat(2014).
Achint Kaur (اچنت کور) Achint Kaur has worked in one Pakistani film Sultanat(2014).
Chetan Hansraj (چیتن ہنس راج) Chetan Hansraj has worked in one Pakistani film Sultanat(2014).
Govind Namdeo (گووند نمیدیو) Govind Namdeo has worked in one Pakistani film Sultanat(2014).
So it sums up the name of the Indian artist who acted in Pakistani films. As compared to Indian actors, many Indian singers have provided vocals for Pakistani films since late 1990’s. For Pakistani film producers it is more viable to hire Indian singers rather than an actor. Gharr Kab Aaoo Gay (2000) and Tere Pyarr Mein (2000) were the first such films, but the name of Indian singers were not mentioned in the credits and replaced with fictitious names. Since 2000 many Indian singers have provided vocals in Pakistani films.
Here is a partial list of Urdu and Punjabi films having at least one song in the voice of an Indian singers.
Gharr Kab Aaoo Gay (2000) Released in 2000, all the songs of this films were in the voices of Indian singers. But on credits fictious name were mentioned to avoid any controversy. Some big singers of Indian cinema provided their vocals like Udit Naryan.
Few songs from this film.
Tere Pyarr Mein (2000)
Released in 2000, all the songs of this films were in the voices of Indian singers. But on credits fictious name were mentioned to avoid any controversy. Some big singers of Indian cinema provided their vocals like Sonu Nigam. Few songs from this film
Yeh Dil Aapka Huwa (2002)
Released in 2002, all the songs were sung by Indian singers. It is the first film which openly credited the name of Indian singers like Kumar Sanu, Kavita Krishnamurthy.
Pyar Hi Pyar Mein (2003)
Released in 2003, few songs of this film were sung by Indian singers like Pamela Jain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYey_kAEDho
Koi Tujh Sa Kahan (2005)
Released in 200f, all the songs were by Indian singers like Udit Naryan and others.
Mohabbattan Sachiyan (2008)
It was a Punjabi film, where all the songs were in the voices of Indian singers.
So it sums up the Indian artist which have worked for Pakistani films be in acting or singing. Though Indian films and singers are extremely popular in Pakistan, but due to limited budget of local films casting any Top Class Indian actor is near to impossible for the Pakistani film makers. All the famous names like Nandita Daas, Naseeruddin Shah, Kirron Kher who worked for Indpendent Pakistani films have worked on nominal wages which is a norm of the Independent cinema through out the world.
There are few exceptions as well, in the films God Father (2007) and Sultanat (2014) some big names of Indian commercial cinema were in the cast, but the motive of both these film was to launch the producer Aslam Bhatti as an actor. To attract viewership these big names were in supporting roles, while Aslam Bhatti played the lead role. But both the films failed to attract any significant viewership.
As per Urdu daily Naibaat, a film based on the life of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto (Shaheed) is being planned in Bollywood and the role of Benazir Bhutto is offered to Indian artist Vidya Balan.
Vidya Balan is currently reading the script of the film and has not yet decided for this offer.
Benazir Bhutto holds the distinction of first female Prime Minister of a Muslim country, when she was elected Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988. She was killed in a bomb blast in 2007.
Shatrughan Sinhais an Indian film actor and politician. Apart from being member of Rajya Sabha twice he was also Union Cabinet Minister of Health and Family Welfare (Jan 2003-May 2004) and Shipping (Aug. 2004). He was elected to 15th Lok Sabha in 2009. Shatrughan Sinha is member of Bharatiya Janata Party, which is famous for its Anti Muslim agenda and Anti Pakistan ideology.
Despite associated with an extremist anti-muslim and anti-Pakistan party, Shatrughan Sinha has vast friendships across the border in Pakistan. He has visited Pakistan on numerous occasion and is also expected to visit again to attend the birthday of her Pakistani ‘Moonh-Boli Behan’ (someone considered as sister without a blood relation).
To remind my readers regarding past, Pakistan has been ruled by an army dictator named Ziaul Haq from 1977 – 1988. General Ziaul Haq was considered ‘Mard-e-Momin Mard-e-Haq’ by his admirers and the same General Zia was the closest friend of Shatrughan Sinha. During 1980’s Shatrughan Sinha visited Pakistan many times where he used to stay in President House (Aiwan-e-Sadar). General Zia has always stated Shatrughan Sinha as like his sons, and his youngest daughter Ms. Zain Zia declared Shatrughan Sinha as his ‘Moonh Bola Bhai’ i.e. someone considered as brother without any blood relation. Shatrughan Sinha has family terms with the other family members of General Zia as well and visited Pakistan on the wedding of son of Aijaz ul Haq (grandson of General Zia) few years ago.
Coming back to this post, Shatrughan Sinha is coming to Pakistan possibly with his wife to attend the birthday of Ms. Zain Zia. Ms. Zain Zia is the youngest daughter of Zia-ul-Haq and Shafiqa Zia out of their five children (two sons and three daughters). Ms. Zain Zia was quite famous in 1980’s as she was seen regularly with her father General Zia on official ceremonies, foreign tours and state gatherings. Being a patient of autism, Ms. Zain Zia was applauded for her courage to fight this disease. After the death of General Zia, Ms. Zain Zia is not much active and seldom appears at any event.
Here is the news excerpt from Urdu Daily Express
Here are few pictures of General Zia and Shatrughan Sinha taken during his visits to Pakistan in 1980’s in the president house Islamabad.
Zain Zia (on left)with Shatrughan Sinha (in the middle)
This independence day the Indian band “Maati Baani” launched a song “Rang Rangiya” in which they also gave Pakistani singers and musicians a chance to participate. The song gives out the message of peace and love. It is a very melodious song which aims at bridging the differences that exist between Pakistan and India.
Evelyn D’souza, one of the main members of the production team and head of talent search and coordination, said, “Everything was online.”
This was the main reason, she said, that helped in reaching out to artists in Pakistan.
The team found Pakistani artists, Komal Rizvi (singer), Gulab Afridi (Rubab player), Omran Shafique (guitarist), Kurt Menezes (drummer) and Asfandyar Junejo (beatboxer) on YouTube. They reached out to them and started recording. No musician from either country charged any fees for working on the song.
Ace Pakistani cricketers have been making headlines in the international and national news because of their excellent game, brilliant performances and amazing sportsmanship. Lately, On Saturday, September 2, Pakistan and India played their match for the Asia Cup. Well, the fans glimpsed an extremely beautiful moment between Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya and Pakistani bowler Shadab Khan.
During the match, while the Indian team was batting, all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s shoe laces unexpectedly came undone, and to everyone’s surprise, it was Pakistan’s brilliant bowler Shadab Khan who came up to him and tied his shoe laces.
After the picture went viral, the famous Indian television actress Hina Khan praised the beautiful gesture of Pakistani bowler. Hina Khan’s post read, “Thissssss! There is nobility in compassion.. No matter how cool, talented, educated, rich, poor, which religion you belong to, what country you are from or what language you speak. How you treat people tells ALL BE KIND..”
Fans are praising Shadab Khan’s kind gesture. They are of the view that the sports men who display the great sportsmanship are the ones who actually regard and respect the game and bring a healthy and professional environment on the field and Pakistani team and players are known for their kindness on the field. Read comments:
Indian media and social media is also praising this sportsmanship by Pakistani bowler:
Indian actress Sara Khan who is currently seen in drama Yeh Kaisi Mohabbat Hai is back in Pakistan. According to Hip, Sara is currently in Karachi for her upcoming drama Laikin’s shoot. Laikin is directed by Furqan T. Siddiqui and written by Sarwat Nazir. The assistant director is Moiz Siddiqui and the drama stars Nasreen Qureshi, Atiqa Odho, Firdous Jamal and Sara Khan.
According to Hip, the recording for the shoot has started in Karachi. Sara is reported to have said:
“I received a lot of love for my first project and I faced no difficulties. In fact, I felt that I am working in Mumbai only because everyone took care of me so much”.
Sajal Aly is one of the most hard-working and talented actresses of Pakistan. She is one of the most successful actress of Pakistan.
Sajal Aly is not just loved in Pakistan but she has lots of fans across the border. Famous Indian actress and model Sonam Bajwa in an interview with Harron Rashid praised Sajal Aly.
“I am the biggest fan of Sajal Aly and she is phenomenal. I am happy to share this that I learn so much from her. She is extraordinary, best actress and finest actress of our time,” says Sonam Bajwa.
Sonam Bajwa comments on every single picture of Sajal Aly. She calls herself as biggest fan of Pakistani dramas as well.
She continued and praised Pakistani dramas, “I am watching all her dramas. Tell me about Alif, Yeh Dil Mera. I don’t step out much but I know everything that is happening in the Pakistan entertainment industry. I know all the names, all the celebs and I have friends from Pakistan. I know Sajal, Rabia, and others. I religiously follow a lot of Pakistani dramas and they are so amazing.”
She kept on praising Sajal and said, “I watch Sajal’s show and I literally learn from her. She is absolutely phenomenal.”
Sara Khan is a very well known Indian actress who got famous after she was seen in the drama Sapna Babul Ka Bidaii. She was also part of one of the Big Boss series. Viewers in Pakistan who watch Indian dramas are well acquainted with Sara Khan.
According to the latest news Sara Khan will be playing the lead in a HUM Eid Special Telefilm titled “Tujhsey Hi Rabta”. Yasir Shah will be playing the male lead in the telefilm. Yasir Shah is also the co-producer of the telefilm. He was seen in Pakistani play Khoya Khoya Chand.
The producer Saurabh Pandey said “Tujhse Hi Rabta will be a love story of a man with two wives. Yasir will play the husband. Sara will play one of the wives and Soni, an Indo Canadian girl will be the second wife. Yasir will be caught between love and duty”.
One of the very famous Indian actress/ model Sara Khan is now working in a Pakistani drama. The audience who watch Indian dramas know the star quite well. She has been really famous for her drama on star plus “Bidaai”. Previously Sara khan has also done a telefilm titled as “Tujh sey hi Rabbta”. Let’s see how her new project works.
Sara is doing a lead role with the dashing Noor Hassan in the drama serial “ye Kaisi Mohabat hai”. The play is being produced by the producer of Mann Mayal, Sana Shahnawaz. The director of the drama is Aabis Raza. The sources reveal that the story of the drama mainly deals with the issue of sexual abuse.
Recently, the news of Indian actress being jailed in Pakistan caught everyone’s attention. The actress was in Pakistan shooting for her second drama Laikin. As per reports, she was detained in Pakistan because she did not leave the country despite the expiration of her visa.
However, in an interview with Bollywood Life, Sara slammed the rumours, saying “I was told to stay back for my No Objection Certificate (NOC) and I stayed in my five-star hotel not in police custody. I don’t know who is spreading such news. I was not doing anything illegal there. I stayed back to get the NOC.”
“I was two days above my visa because of flight issues. Then, the immigration people told me that I need to take the NOC. So I stayed back there, got the NOC and came back to Mumbai. I was not detained, I was retained there. The NOC is needed from the Ministry level, and I stayed back. Throughout my trip, I have been active on social media, how can people spread such stupid rumours. I was shooting for my show there,” she added.
She went on to praise Pakistani industry, “It’s an honour to do my first Pakistani drama series. In Pakistan, serials and films do not have a demarcation like in India. In fact, the Pakistani TV industry is biggest there. So, I am super excited.”
Pakistan and India once shared the same culture and literature before partition. Most importantly, their legendary literary figures were the same, due to the deep influence of the two nations with Urdu language and literature. Ace writers and poets like Iqbal, Ghalib, Saadat Hasan Manto, Faiz Ahmed Faiz have a strong following in both the countries. Now, the two nations often celebrate Urdu literature through the conferences that are attended by popular Indian and Pakistani artists. Recently, renowned Indian actress Nandita Das is in Lahore.
Manto famed Indian actress Nandita Das came to Lahore to attend Faiz Maila. The Indian actress expressed love for Lahore in her interview with renowned journalist Ambreen Fatima.
While Talking about Pakistan, Nandita Das said, “I am fond of Lahore and Pakistan. I am enjoying the weather and staying here in Lahore. Faiz Ahmed Faiz doesn’t belong to Pakistan only; he belongs to us as well. I am honoured to be invited here, I have multiple sessions here where I will pay tribute to Faiz Ahmed Faiz. People like Faiz and Manto are timeless. I did Manto because of my love for him. After the film, I wrote a book called Manto and I. I had come to Lahore before my book, I met Manto’s daughters too. I loved Sarmad Khoosat’s work as those who love Manto have the same attributes in them”.
Talking about visiting Lahore she said, “This is not my first time to visit Lahore, I first visited in 1996. I have been to Lahore multiple times and now after 8 years, I know it’s a long gap. I have been treated so well. I have been trying tasty food like Bhagare Bengan, Nihari and sweets”. Nandita Das further said that these borders are man made , artists are supposed to spread love. She also praised Lahori people’s hospitality. Here is the link to the video:
Kalki Kocehlin, Bollywood actress who has recently worked on Azmaish, a documentary by Sabiha Sumar made her see a more human aspect of Pakistan.
While speaking at the India Today Conclave 2017 on Friday, Kalki talked about how the documentary shows India and Pakistan outside the context of conflict, and instead focuses on the struggles of commoners in both countries.
When she was asked as to what drew her to the project, she said,
“I think it was my neutrality on the subject; I didn’t have a particularly strong standpoint on the whole India-Pakistan issue.”
She continued, “From my point of view, I accepted the project out of curiosity. I had never been to Pakistan and I only knew India and Pakistan in terms of conflicts. I wanted to see another aspect, perhaps, a more human aspect.”
Talking about her experience while visiting Pakistan, she said:
“Once you remove ideologies, you start seeing the people and their struggles. Pakistanis are as terrified of terrorism as anyone else in the world.”
Kalki confessed that she also saw India through a new set of eyes while travelling with Sabiha
“In places like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, I could draw so many similarities between the rural parts of Pakistan in terms of the conservative way to look at women who are voiceless. I also saw how power and religion work closely with each other,” she said.
When asked if anything about Pakistan surprised her, she said:
“A lot of things surprised me. One thing that I loved was their curiosity because there’s very little outside influence in Pakistan vis-a-vis India. The openness with which they met me was very surprising.”
Elaborating with an example, Kalki narrated:
“In the documentary, we had set up a fashion show. Hundreds of men had come to watch the show. We asked these men what they thought about their Pakistani women being models. They said they were happy to see them. When we asked how they would like it if their wives were doing this, they said their leaders will slit their throats. It was said in a tone which meant that things were not going to change.”
At the session, some portion of the documentary was screened.
Hina Khan is a famous Indian TV actress who is also known in Pakistan because of her important role of Akshara in the famous Indian drama serial Ye Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. Hina Khan, however, left the drama in the middle. She later appeared in Bigg Boss, as a contestant. People loved her presence in the show. Hina Khan got many fans after Big Boss. Hina Khan has 19 Million Instagram followers. In March 2023, Hina performed Umrah. Her pictures and videos went viral in Pakistan as well. Hina started 2024 with her Umrah Journey.
She has recently shared a heartwarming story of visiting Roza E Rasool (S.A.W.W) miraculously. She shared the moving and inspirational story with fans, Hina wrote, “I had been longing to come back to Madina sharif. But this time due to some reason I couldn’t get the appointment from Nusuk app for ziyarat to visit Roza-e-Rasool (saw).. No slots available for women till 20th January.. I became extremely sad and disappointed, decided to go inside haram and pray for a while..finished my prayers, I was leaving to go back to the hotel but something kept telling me, go as far as you can reach.. I started walking ..And I guess Huzoor (pbuh) saw my earnest prayers and made it possible as I ended up straight to Roza-e-Rasool (saw).. They opened the gates for 5 minutes for ladies.. I wept wept and wept.. The tears perhaps were of Gratitude and Comfort that He Noticed me and saw my devotion. It’s always going to be close to my heart. My favourite place for a reason”
Read what she shared:
Have a look at the pictures she shared from her Umrah journey:
Hina Khan is a famous Indian television actor who is also popular in Pakistan because of her hit TV dramas and Big Boss appearance. Her notable projects are Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata, Kasaiti Zindagi Ki, Big Boss and Khatron Ke Khiladi Hai. She has 20 million followers on Instagram. A few years ago, Hina revealed her battle with stage three breast cancer. She is on her path to recovery and she gained immense love and prayers from fans during her cancer journey.
Today, Hina Khan tied the know with long term boyfriend Rockey Jaiswal. Hina and Rocky were in a relationship for around 13 years. Rocky also took care of Hina during her cancer journey. Finally Hina Khan and Rockey announced their marriage. They had a Civil marriage. According to the information shared by fans, Rockey is not Muslim. Hina shared beautiful pictures on her official Instagram account. Here are the pictures:
Saba Qamar is a famous and most talented Pakistani actress. Her Top-notch acting skills make her noticeable among all the actors. People across the border praise her acting skills. Many of the Indian actors praised her acting skills in famous film Hindi Medium.
After the release of the Hindi Medium in 2017, Saba Qamar became a famous name in India. Her dramas Baaghi and Cheekh were also praised a lot in India. She is a well-known face in India with many fans, her fans always express their love for actress on her Instagram.
Recently, the Baaghi actress got acclaim from an Indian television actress Falaq Naaz. The actress Falaq Naaz, while replying to ask me session opened up about her ultimate lady crush.
To a question about her lady crush, She said that Saba Qamar is her lady crush.
Saba Qamar has also shared her story on her Instagram. It is good that our talented actors are getting praise from international actors despite the regional barriers.
Sajal Aly is not just loved in Pakistan but she has lots of fans across the border. Famous Indian actress and model Sonam Bajwa in an interview with Harron Rashid praised Sajal Aly.
Sonam Bajwa comments on every single picture of Sajal Aly. She calls herself as biggest fan of Pakistani dramas as well.
She continued and praised Pakistani dramas, “I am watching all her dramas. Tell me about Alif, Yeh Dil Mera. I don’t step out much but I know everything that is happening in the Pakistan entertainment industry. I know all the names, all the celebs and I have friends from Pakistan. I know Sajal, Rabia, and others. I religiously follow a lot of Pakistani dramas and they are so amazing.”
She kept on praising Sajal and said, “I watch Sajal’s show and I literally learn from her. She is absolutely phenomenal.”
