Ohkay so, just when I think Suhana’s character can’t get more ridiculous, guess what, it does. I am surprised at all the twists & turns that the writer has added only to make sure that ex girlfriend & ex boyfriend do not forget about each other, in a nutshell this is what Teri Raza is all about!
So, after his engagement, Rameez has suddenly realized that he can’t be without Suhana. I don’t know why but I feel Suhana brings out the worst in Rameez, because when he was over her, he was pretty sane & decent but ever since he has started getting inclined towards her again, he has lost his marbles. It is sickening to see Suhana meeting Rameez again & again even though she keeps on saying she doesn’t want to see him again but the fact that she still meets him states the opposite. I must say I laughed a lot when Rameez told Suhana to ‘SIT’, if I am not mistaken this is the command that people usually give to their pet dogs!
To be honest, I can’t stand Suhana’s character, the way she portrayed herself as a rich spoiled brat who sheds her burden on her servants was ridiculous. Just because she was sore that Rameez & Jeena got engaged & despite wanting to she couldn’t be with him, she literally insulted her servant. I hate the way Suhana keeps on guilt tripping Imtiyaz as well, it was so obvious that she was salty at the news of Jeena & Rameez’s engagement but when Imtiyaz asked, she easily put the blame on people inquiring her about her child? Also, when Imtiyaz tried to tell her to be rational in dealing with the servant, she made him feel guilty because he wasn’t siding with her insane existence! It is sickening to see a ‘munafiq’ character like Suhana on screen who hides her inner most demons & puts up a facade of being a victim. Suhana is a dishonest character in my opinion where she keeps on lying to her husband to save her sorry being, yes, she doesn’t love him but the least she can do is be honest with him.
Suhana & Rameez met an accident & even though Imtiyaz did all he could to make sure Suhana had all the attention in the world but when he just tried to know the reason why she was with Rameez, Suhana put up another drama to make Imtiyaz feel guilty. It is sickening to see her doing everything that she wants but when asked, she literally makes Imtiyaz feel like the worst person in the world to question her intentions. I hate the fact that Suhana is getting away with everything despite being wrong & the one who is putting up with all her tantrums is still the one at the receiving end of her fury!
The preview of the next episode once again showed more or less the same thing where Rameez will be pestering Suhana to break her marriage. Oh well I forgot to talk about another funny character – Daadi. First off, her fluctuating hair-color in both the scenes was amusing & then Daadi talking about ‘giving azaadi to Suhana’ was such a thigh slapper. I remember she was the one who spoiled Suhana to no end & when Talat would try to remind her of her responsibilities, Daadi would stoop in to stop her, but oh well, every single character in this drama is a lunatic, so why am I expecting Daadi to be any different. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Teri Raza.
After Momina Mustehsan, Aima Baig, Danyal Zafar and Fawad Khan we have a new crush in town. Yes, you guessed it right; that is Ahad Raza Mir aka Dr. Asfandyar. People have fallen in love with Yaqeen Ka Safar and many are crushing hard on Dr. Asfandyar. Here are some views of people after watching Dr. Asfandyar:
People compared their family doctor to their crush and were a bit envious of Asfand’s patients:
His each step is being followed:
It is getting difficult for fans to get over Asfand and Zubiya’s cuteness:
Everyone wants to be looked at by someone the way Asfand looks at Zubiya:
Because aap mujh se naraz hain never gets old:
And the only time when your HOD calling you out won’t hurt like being hit with a gunshot:
Yaqeen Ka Safar has made people reconnect to the Dhoop Kinare era and got a new crush for the audience too!
Mawra Hocane has a bright and infectious smile and a personality to match. She and her sister have been very prominent in Pakistan’s showbiz industry for quite some years now.
Yesterday Mawra celebrated her twenty fifth birthday party and it was all magical and fairy tale like, fit for a princess which Mawra certainly looked in her bright blue glittery cold shoulder gown. Everything about the party was unicorn themed with glitter magic all around. Even the cake wished happy birthday to a magical person and a big golden unicorn adorned the walls.
Mawra’s happiness was shared by friends and family present at her bash. Her beloved sister Urwa Hocane and brother inlaw Farhan Saeed were there and so was Humayun Saeed. Here are some pictures from the magical unicorn party;
This recent episode correctly depicted how a woman like Fauzia, who thought the world outside her village would treat her right only because she expected just that, gets a reality check at every step. Tonight’s episode also showed how women like her were exploited and judged by people they came in contact with. Fauzia will learn the hard way that being confident and driven alone does not get you what you want. I have always felt that this drama has way too many “evil” characters and that trend continued in this episode as well. Everyone Fauzia came across in this episode wanted to exploit her!! There isn’t a single genuine person in her life which does make it look like the writer tried extra hard to make a victim out of her!
Fauzia is impulsive and gutsy but she was never mature enough to think things through. Also, the fact that she takes everything at its face value and does not look at the bigger picture has been the reason why she made the wrong decisions right from the start. When Abid told her he will support her in every way possible she believed him even though he later on made it quite clear that he wasn’t going to do anything extreme to marry her. At that time Fauzia did not even once pause to think that a man who promised to stand by her for the rest of her life shouldn’t be backing off at such a point and went ahead with the marriage. Similarly, when her new boss told her she would get a commercial, she did not even once think that there was something fishy about the whole thing. Tonight, when she landed at the women’s hostel, the warden’s body language said a great deal but since there were so many women there and this was after all a shelter for women, she did not think these people might also have ulterior motives.
So far, the writer has shown Fauzia as someone who defies norms but at the same time she has certain boundaries of her own. She does not try hard enough to fit in but wants to be accepted for who she is. I liked how the writer raised the point that wearing modern dresses does not make a woman characterless. It was also shown how Fauzia’s outfit in particular made the warden and other women question her character. Although Fauzia comes from a rural background but her thinking is anything but outdated which is why she never really fit in with her family members and had a difficult time fitting in with the women in the hostel. The way Fauzia’s reaction was covered when she found out what she had to do to get herself work in an advertisement was completely in line with her character. Fauzia’s antics in the women’s hostels were covered in an interesting manner too. She is constantly trying to make a place for herself everywhere she goes but ultimately she will realize that she has chosen a very difficult path and that is when she will go back home!
Abid has clearly moved on and was shown planning his next wedding! Realistic portrayals by all the actors involved have been the best aspect of this show especially since the past few weeks. Saba Qamar is definitely more convincing in this new avatar and Rabia Noreen was absolutely phenomenal as the warden of the women’s hostel. Rabia Noreen’s body language and expressions couldn’t have been better. The flawless performances by both these actors made their scenes even more realistic and a treat to watch. Once again Fauzia’s brother was completely out of the picture, I am wondering if we will ever get to see his reaction to the latest developments in Fauzia’s life.
Baaghi’s story is predictable but these past few episodes have been quite interesting. Although I don’t really feel for Fauzia since she made these choices herself but I can clearly see that this drama will probably have a lot of lessons not only for such girls but also their parents. Baaghi reminds me of drama serial Abro, the only difference is that Fauzia’s character has some positive qualities as well unlike Abro. The preview of the next episode showed Fauzia coming back to her village. She will ultimately go back to the city again and I am guessing that her parents will drive her away this time around.
How many of you watched this latest episode? Don’t forget to share your thoughts about it.
The only thing better than seeing Independent films do well in their home country is seeing them do well INTERNATIONALLY.
Arz-e Pakistan is a short-film of humble origins, film students from Iqra University decided to do something about both the Pakistani Indie Film scene and Pakistan’s positive image which resulted in the creation of “Arz-e Pakistan” commercial which was on aired this Independence Day and stole our hearts.
Ali Sohail Jaura (Director) summarizes Arz-e Pakistan in following words on Imdb
“The project was inspired by a number of international travel films being made about foreign cities and regions like ‘Watchtower of Turkey’, ‘Travel to Hong Kong’, and ‘India’, that astonishingly capture the region’s essence in a short duration of time. Our crew of 8 members traveled more than 6000km to capture the scenic beauty and raw nature of the northern tourist and hiking attractions of Pakistan, which include the major regions of Kashmir, Hunza, Gilgit, Skardu, Swat, Naran, Kaghan, and Fairy Meadows. The purpose of the project was to promote both local and international tourism in the Northern regions of Pakistan, to make people aware of the environmental treasures so that it can be preserved, and bring about the positive and cultural image of Pakistan that is often neglected by the mainstream media.”
Arz-e Pakistan isn’t only aesthetically pleasing to the eyes but also warming in essence to the heart. Witness the masterpiece.
It won’t be unfair to say that it’s existence is enough to make us happy but to add more to our joy Family Films announced bagging the best travel commercial award in Moscow, Russia yesterday.
We wish Arz-e Pakistan more success in their future endeavors and hope that Pakistani Independent films will keep reviving our souls.
In the wake of Mahira Khan’s pictures, we seem to be getting new responses everyday, most of them to defend her rights to dress, smoke, behave and befriend anyone she wants. Her fellow actors and actresses are one upping eachother in speaking up for the actress who is being talked about a lot after these pictures of hers were leaked over the internet and spread like wildfire.
Now one of her near and dear friends Ahsan Khan has spoken up in her defense in an article titled “moral outrage” in which he is very firm and clear that everything Mahira wore or did is not to be criticised because it is her life. She can dress however she wishes and smoke with whomever she likes.
“Mahira Khan needs to have complete control over her body, life and behavior. This is her right. It should not be defended, explained or justified. It should only be respected. Period!”
He further poses a series of questions answering himself and clearing his statements in his process.
He insisted that he is not defending Mahira due to their relationship, but he would defend anyone in her position. His point was that his wife can also dress however she wants and he would not want to dictate her choices either. He insisted that people only have right to criticise Mahira on her acting and work but not her habits or mode of socialisation.
“Her histrionic ability can always be discussed, examined and criticized. Mahira needs to model well. When she does not, her modelling can be critiqued. And, Mahira needs to conduct herself with dignity, honor and class in public. She can be censured when she does not. What she does in private is her own business and no one else’s.”
Ahsan Khan sounded quite annoyed in his article and very vehemently insisted people to leave Mahira alone. He praised her that she always conducts herself with dignity and honor and has never failed her family, friends, fans and countrymen and she should be praised for that.
Momina Mustehsan is pretty much ruling the music scene since she became famous with her Coke Studio debut. She made the nation go Afreen Afreen after her debut opposite Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. She has since been a part of many advertisement campaigns, sung in Cornetto Pop Rock and was also a part of two songs in Coke Studio Season 10. She recently shared her experience about depression with her fans on social media to create awareness. Momina after all these ventures has achieved another achievement. She is the part of BBC Top 100 Women for 2017.
Momina expressed her feelings with this Instagram post. She has made her fans super happy with this achievement!
The most commonly heard phrase of this decade is that “Don’t judge others” along with “Live and let live” and still; this is the era of extreme terrorism, racism, intolerance and judgment. Society has double standards and this becomes visible every now and then. Anything which is not right for others will become right if they themselves are doing it.
The internet was shaken and the whole world was seen talking about only one topic last week and yes you guessed it right: Its Mahira Khan! For those who were living under some rock, some pictures of Mahira Khan surfaced last week on the internet where she was wearing a backless dress and was smoking somewhere in NYC with Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor. Many schools of thoughts emerged and millions of opinions surfaced within few minutes of the publication of those pictures. Mahira Khan is the reigning queen of Pakistan entertainment industry and has a huge fan following so naturally people came to her rescue and start shutting out the trolls and all the others who had different opinions than theirs.
I can never understand people calling actresses inappropriate names and sticking taglines like “ye dekhein Saba Qamar ne sabb haddein paar karr dein” with their pictures. No one has the right to abuse a woman just because she is working in the media industry. But it is not possible that they will not be judged. When you work on a public platform and people praise you and love you, be prepared for the criticism too since you have placed yourself for public judgment. Mahira’s case is not the first one in the industry. Actresses have faced a lot of criticism from time to time about their choices. Veena Malik and Mathira are criticized for their roles and the way they present themselves; Veena is still under fire for her past choices. Meera has been a part of too many scandals including about three marriages (not sure about the exact number). Qandeel Baloch was bashed left and right not only by the society but by stars too. Many people criticize Humaima Malick and Mehwish Hayat mostly due to their bold dressing. Actresses have been criticized for doing item numbers too.
In the controversy surrounding Mahira Khan, many points were raised. People had issues with her smoking which was addressed by the fact that since her lungs will be affected in the long run and it does not harm others; let her do what she wants to. According to me, this argument is legit since this is completely a health-related issue but if any actress who is criticized by the audience had been seen smoking like that, would people still consider it as a health-related issue? If it was Mawra in place of Mahira, I can bet people would have crushed her by calling names like cocaine and bullying her to the end of this world. People had issues with her dressing too. She is an actress and they do wear revealing clothes, she is not the only one to do it. Yes true enough! But what people were doing on social media while supporting her? “Abb kya who hijab karr ke ghoomay” Is hijab something to look down upon? What about your earlier speech of ITS HER CHOICE, Doesn’t other girls have the choice to wear hijab? Who are you to passively criticize modest dressing just to prove your favourite celebrity is right! Humaima Malick is criticized nearly every other day for wearing short dresses. So since people don’t think of her as their household Khirad, she has no freedom of choice and her wearing skimpy dresses will affect Islam. Coming to her presence with Ranbir Kapoor, people need to understand it was less about Mahira’s character and more about Ranbir’s since everyone knows he is a playboy. And even after all the fiasco, he didn’t say that they are just friends and not dating. His words were that ‘he came to know Mahira in a personal capacity and she is a wonderful person’. How people forgot that this is the same society who still bullies Imran Khan on marrying Jemima even after she converted to Islam and criticized the hell out of Veena Malik on her relationship with Ashmit Patel. Ranbir is also a Non-Muslim like Ashmit and if dating him was wrong for Veena, the same goes for Mahira too.
Mahira Khan is an adult, a woman who has made a name for herself and she has made us proud at countless occasions too but if Saba Qamar’s ghagra choli was bad for Hamza Ali Abbasi than Mahira’s dress should fall in the same category. I know he only clarified about the mark on her back but if it was someone who is a not a friend of his; he would definitely have criticized her. If Qandeel’s clothes were not modest for Momina Mustehsan, Mahira’s dress should have concerned her too but as we saw all celebrities stand with someone who has a massive fan following and look down on the less popular ones if they are doing the same stuff.
For anyone who thinks I hate Mahira or something; No! I like her a lot but the fact remains if it would have been someone else in place of Mahira, people would have other thoughts and names which should never ever be used for anyone. And like Humaima tweeted “Selective kindness is not kindness at all.” And it is high time people understand that if something is wrong when a person you don’t like do it, it will be wrong if someone you like or you yourself do it!
As Mawra turns twenty five elder sister Urwa decided to surprise her with a unicorn and her reaction is priceless. The unicorn of course isn’t a real one which is self explanatory but a unicorn on a wall is just as important. All unicorns are important. Here’s the link to how it went, isn’t the bond that these two share super precious!
Ohkay so, it was yet another brilliant episode of Yakeen Ka Safar. I loved the way the emotions & feelings were elaborated in this episode & it is amazing it has turned into a lovestory & everything related to two people falling in love is being conveyed so beautifully & convincingly.
This episode focused more on Zubiya & her developing feelings for Asfand. All this while we got to see Asfand & his budding feelings for Zubiya but this was the first time, we got an insight into what Zubiya was going through. Faryal’s arrival has definitely changed the dynamics & everyone around her is affected by her but looks like Faryal is just as thick skinned as she was before. It was so obvious that Faryal came to rekindle her old affair & ignite the flame in Asfand’s heart for her playing the sympathy card but the way Asfand treated her cordially but with a distance showed that he definitely has moved on.
Lubna’s frustration was convincing yet amusing because she could see how Faryal was trying to woo Asfand but I think in the middle of all this, she didn’t see how Asfand was cold towards Faryal even though he was carrying a smile on his face while dealing with her. This was Asfand’s way of showing Faryal that he just wasn’t affected anymore & since he has gracefully moved on & accepted her decision that she made years ago, he was just being nice to her!
I loved how Zubiya was disturbed & clearly struggling to accept the fact that Faryal has come back. The way Zubiya immediately inquired about Faryal being Asfand’s ex showed that she was feeling a little uncomfortable. Zubiya staring at her bandage was another beautiful scene which elaborated that she was kind of missing Asfand & was remembering what he said to her but then her disappointment was visible too where she was wondering if he meant what he said or if he was going to stick by it now that Faryal was back in the picture.
It was good that Faryal not only got a clear message but also found out that Asfand has finally moved on & Zubiya is another reason why he is not too keen on her. Faryal actually thought that by telling Asfand that she never got over him will melt his heart away but she was wrong. The damage has been done & she was the one who instigated it, just how Faryal expected Asfand to get over her, she is expecting that he will take her back but she is mistaken & it is good that Asfand was making it obvious!
The scene which showed how merciless & brutal Bahadur’s Boss was just a hint on what Asfand will be faced with. Bahadur’s tip on Asfand in front of his boss & his boss’s opinion about Asfand showed that they have taken notice of him but where his presence is bothering Bahadur, his boss finds him weak & harmless. I liked how Bahadur’s thought process was shown & how it was different to his boss’s because he is unlettered & usually people like him feel threatened when they see someone a bit well-informed trying to change the ways around him. Even though these characters don’t interest me but I am keen to see how Asfand & their paths will cross, I am sure this is how Daniyal’s story will get a proper closure.
Oh finally, Rehan mai Abbi ki rooh aa hi gai. Sheema has had her time of glory but now even Rehan can see through her & it is good that he has slowly realized how toxic she has been. I wonder what Rehan will do if he will find out that she is the one who sent Zubiya away & has been lying to him all his life. I loved how Sheema’s maid Halima made her realize that she was facing all this because of her own deeds, about time someone said this to her!
Overall, this episode was perfect. I loved all of Asfand & Zubiya’s scenes. It is interesting to see how Asfand has gotten comfortable around Zubiya & keeps on looking for chances to have a conversation with her. Zubiya’s feelings were beautifully portrayed, it was realistic that she was feeling confused but decided to let go of all those thoughts that she had about Asfand because she assumed that he was now going to get back with Faryal. I love the calm feel of this drama, it is very soothing & even the background music adds more feel to it. Definitely looking forward to the next episode & especially interested to see the conversation between Asfand & Zubiya. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Yakeen Ka Safar.
These two episodes were quite interesting and did not feel unnecessarily dragged at any point. The whole point was to show how Amber is driven by the fire of revenge and how she is willing to move mountains to make sure all those who did wrong by her and her mother are made to suffer as much as these girls did in their childhood. This is a very sensitive issue where you would not be able to discern the difference between right and wrong. On one hand, she is being sneaky and revengeful. On the other hand, she has years and years of lost childhood and happiness robbed from herself and her sisters and they can never be replaced.
Good riddance to Ahmed. After using a few episodes to show that he was no good and has become very stubborn, mean and thoughtless and almost criminal, his story has ended by him being shipped off to Dubai for his uncle.
Obaid and Anila and Sadiq are still struggling in their own dysfunctional little family. The child is related to Anila by blood but he is such hard work and she is a very selfish woman. So Sadiq keeps on worrying and intervening but to no avail. How the cruel and hard hearted Sadiq who was so harsh for his own daughters is such a caring one to his disabled son is beyond me. Maybe it is guilt or maybe he truly is so fond of sons that even a mentally challenged one would do.
Anum is moping after she has made the decision to leave Dr Jawad but like all those who decide to please others, she is very resentful and forlorn at heart and expresses her anger at various points. Most of it is directed at Amber whom she mistook as her enemy in all this.
The essence of the episode was Ahsan and Amber’s relationship. She has spoken at length with her mother and sister she but obviously that was not going to earn her rewards, as Naheed is certainly not going to let her marry someone whose parents disapprove of this union right from the start. Naheed is perfectly talking sense and she is totally correct in her stance, but it did not dampen Amber’s spirits. She has forseen that no matter which way they go, if they involve their parents, it can quite ugly and they would not be allowed to marry. Hence, she acted defiant, partly because she did not want Naheed to be able to stop and because she has made up her mind. It is not a very sensible decision but under Amber’s current frame of mind, it seems like the only good option; that she lets them stay angry and go and marry Ahsan. Only then will Sadiq and Anila get a dose of their own medicine and get to know how oppression feels like. She has proposed to Ahsan to get the nikah done in the court.
We will know in the next episodes what happens to Sadiq when he confronts his own daughter in the house, so stay tuned…
The formal actress and now a morning show host Javeria Saud always gains favours with her bright smile and vivacious personality. The busy mom of two has recently been on a trip to Texas to enjoy some time off with family and friends. From the pictures, it looks as if Javeria was taking this break sans kids, but maybe they went along with her but were not present on this particular outing.
Mahira Khan starrer ”Verna” has been in the news for quite sometime due to Mahira’s new avatar in the movie and also its intense topic. Recently, however, the movie made headlines as its release was delayed. There have been a number of speculations in the wake of its postponement.
According to Gulf News, a local weekly in Pakistan had leaked the whole plot and storyline of the film which made Shoaib Mansoor angry and upset. He has delayed the movie release, made a few changes and will probably be reshooting the climax of the film so the leaked information will not be able to spoil its anticipation in public. This news is yet to be confirmed by Shoaib Mansoor or his team but it is reported that they are all going to be very careful so no further beans are spilled.
Sharmeen Obaud Chinoy has made Pakistan proud many times with her venturing into the unseen,unheard and unspoken taboo subjects of the country. She puts forth the facts and stories that are painful yet real and for that she has won two Oscar Awards.
To add another feather to her cap, her documentary film ”discarded daughter” is now shortlisted for The Association of International Broadcasting Awards 2017. The documentary shows the subject of female infanticide unbelievably still present in the city of Karachi.
The team behind this SOC documentary includes Maheen Sadiq, Saad Zuberi, Hussain Qaizar and Nazir Siddiqui.
Ohkay so, this episode of Alif Allah Aur Insaan was pretty basic once again. It is such a shame that a drama that started off so strong has come down to this where sitting through its episodes is basically a struggle. The main & original characters have stopped evolving & the new ones aren’t sparking any interest, so not sure what is happening in this drama at the moment. All the main tracks of the drama have become stagnant & there’s absolutely nothing that they’re giving us to keep us hooked. I really believe this drama should end now but looks like the drama-makers are not in a mood right now!
This episode mainly focused on Reena & the reality that everyone around her was trying to make her see. I found most of the dialogues a bit repetitive & even the scenario with everyone taunting her was quite monotonous. Be it Chaman Begum, Shireen Bai in the previous episodes or the flower vendor in this episode, everyone has been telling her the same thing which again was something that I felt could have been chopped down because we have already seen what she has done & what everyone was trying to convey. So, Reena finally got married & once again the entire scene where she wanted her Nikkah to happen at the brothel was so unnecessary, there were so many such moments which I felt were added only to fill up the episode which could’ve been easily omitted. I thought things will blow out of proportion when Reena & Nawazish had an argument but in their next scene we saw them together, leaving me baffled as to why that little argument was shown when Reena had to follow what Nawazish was telling her, anyways! So, right from the beginning Nawazish is making it obvious to Reena that he has his list of priorities that he can’t falter taking care of & she obviously is going to have issues with it in the future!
Nazneen is still stuck on Basit & this time around, she once again tried to remind him what they both had & what they shared. Basit obviously hasn’t moved on but he has at least understood that Nazneen belongs to someone else whereas Nazneen hasn’t accepted it. The way Nazneen tried to stop her father from coming to meet her was again her way of saving herself & Basit because she knew what would happen if Hashmat saw Basit around her. So, even Nazneen’s mother in law Zaitoon decided to speak to her because she can clearly see that Nazneen is not quite happy or comfortable but then Nazneen had nothing to say to her.
All this while I thought Zimal was engaged but in this episode it was suggested that she was legally married to Ali & he sent her divorce papers out of nowhere, which then made me feel a bit more sick remembering how comfortable & casual she was when Shaheer confessed his feelings because any ‘married’ girl would’ve straight away set the guy straight but she chose to play along. Still not feeling this entire track & I don’t think it would change in the future!
The last scene of this episode was once again a fault on the writer/director’s end. All this while they suggested that Shahzeb only knew Basit & Nazneen were from the same village, but now Shahzeb was straight away talking to Basit about Nazneen as if he miraculously recovered from a memory loss & remembered that Basit was the guy who came with Nazneen to meet him? Before this scene, we saw Shahzeb oblivously asking Nazneen if she knew any Basit from her village but now it looked like he never was oblivious of who Basit was? I never once expected something like this happening in a drama where the director had a good grip on the script but now looks like everyone associated with this project is just doing what is expected from them without putting much interest & it clearly shows.
I never really imagined that Alif Allah Aur Insaan would come at such a point where it would stop working for me. I am sure all those who invested so many weeks in this drama must be feeling the same way. We have seen everything from everyone so now I feel this drama should wrap up. Please share your thoughts about this episode of Alif Allah Aur Insaan.
I, like, God do not play with a dice and do not believe in coincidences but one such coincidence took place when Mahira-Ranbir controversy shared it’s timeline with Madam Noor Jehan’s 91st birthday and Mawra decided to celebrate it in her rather Mawra-ish way.
Here’s what Mawra tweeted that day.
Twitterati’s took it upon themselves to turn this into one of gold Pakistani-twitter memes.
So far so good right? Wrong. Things were blown out of proportion when Indian media linked this picture of Mawra paying tribute to a legend into a “Mahira-Ranbir controversy reaction” article.
If not memes than this article was enough to get a reaction from Mawra and hence she tweeted.
Whatever the truth of the matter might be but it was a good twitter day also becoming a meme is some serious goals material.
Mahira Khan controversy has had gears shifted and opinions rushed from both sides. Most of her friends from showbiz, however supported her and sent power and strength and good wishes her way including the famous young singer of today Momina Mustehsan. Her tweet asked for people to be non judgmental towards Mahira Khan. This reminded Humaima Malick, an actress often the subject of criticism herself due to her bold choices and clothes, of the time when Momina was not this kind and non judgmental about Qandeel Baloch.
Humaima further added for the likes of Momina;
Momina Mustehsan was quick to defend herself and retweeted her posts about the honour killings of Qandeel Baloch, her point being that she condemned her murder and supported the right to individual choices.
Humaima was not very convinced with this justification of her, and made a very philosophical tweet for her.
While Momina has not replied to this tweet and her heart may have been in the right place, but Humaima does have a point. Selective kindness is not kindness at all, and we are all guilty of it in our personal as well professional lives.
We had recently brought you the news of well known model and actress Sheen Javed’s wedding with an engineer in Lahore. He owns a construction company and they made a lovely couple during the wedding celebrations.
Sheen was wearing a very traditional maroon and gold heavily embellished lehanga and Hamid Nazir captured the actress in some beautiful poses on her big day. Here are some of them;
Some pictures are circulating on social media were claiming to be a part of “Maria.B’s” Muharram Collection. The act obviously made many people disgusted. The pictures were a part of nearly every second page and people were slamming the hideous act. Maria.B has finally issued an official statement on her Instagram. She has clarified that she has never come out with a Muharram collection and another brand is using her name. This is what she said:
Mahira Khan is under major public scrutiny since some pictures of her leaked online. She is receiving extreme backlash on social media. Her friends and fans have defended her too. But according to sources; the controversy has taken a major toll on her health. She is very depressed and is also suffering from severe since last night.
Mahira’s close friends confirmed that she is unwell. When Mira Sethi was asked about Mahira on her Instagram; she also replied that Mahira did not come for the shoot of Saat Din and also supported Mahira in the whole situation.
This drama reminds me of Sammi because of its focused approach and the clarity with which all the issues have been highlighted. Drama serial Sammi set the right precedent by reinforcing the importance of a girl’s consent during nikkah and it is good to see Mujhe Jeenay Du stressing upon it too. Although, ultimately Saira will give into the pressure but for now it was good to see her making a decision for herself with the support of all those people who are not selfish and inhuman like Murad and even Naseeb. Naseeb also changed his decision in this episode because like all the other men around him he too is looking out for his own interests. Bakshu however is the one who should be blamed more than anyone else since he is Saira’s father. Bakshu’s character in particular is disturbing since he has no idea just how wrong he is. It is people like him who pass on these wicked customs from one generation to the other. These men who should be protecting their women rule over them and would do anything it takes to have things their way. The insignificance of a woman’s own will is the main reason why they suffer at the hands of these men.
Murad ultimately used the threat of divorce to ensure that his wife does not stand in the way of his plans and it obviously worked. Yasmin’s character has been brilliantly etched out and translated on screen. She is the kind of woman who won’t think twice before helping anyone in need but at the same time she does not let her emotions stand in the way of her well calculated actions. Instead of creating a scene at the time of nikkah she tried to look for more practical solutions. Saira’s relationship with Yasmin’s son reminds me of drama serial Rehaii and how Danish Taimoor’s character helped Shamim when she was older and ultimately married her in the end. The relationship between these two characters is heart warming. You also understand why Saira would listen to a close friend more than anyone else. It also shows how these kids are forced to make such difficult decisions at such an early age when they shouldn’t even be worrying about such things.
The direction and the camera work in this drama is remarkable. The manner in which the overall environment these characters are living in has been translated impressively on screen because of effortless performances and the locations is one of the best aspects of this play so far apart from a script which is authentic. Mehreen Raheal deserves a special mention here for leaving her comfort zone and excelling in a role which isn’t easy to translate on screen. Gohar Rasheed has also given a solid performance which makes you more interested in finding out what turn his track takes next. Salman Shahid’s brilliant performance, Nadia Jamil’s natural acting and the impressive performances by the child stars make this drama one of those rare plays in which there are absolutely no weak links in terms of acting. Iftikhar’s character was introduced in this episode and it is good to see Omair Rana playing this role. The flashback scenes yet again were used aptly in tonight’s episode to show how close Saira was to Bushra and how quickly things changed for her.
The preview of the next episode showed Saira’s father pressurizing her into consenting to the nikkah and it looks like this time no one will be able to help her. This serial is seriously disturbing on so many levels but then that is what is needed to make the viewers reflect upon the kind of issues women in such areas face and perhaps it will also present such victims with solutions to get out of the situation they are in.
How many of you watched this latest installment? Don’t forget to share your thoughts about it.
Maria Wasti is coming back into the drama game after some time and we are expecting a powerful performance from the diva who has done some very memorable roles to date. Her intensity and passion makes it hard not to becoming empathetic with whatever character she is playing, including the black and white and all the shades of grey in between.
She was a guest in Shaista Lodhi’s morning show yesterday with co stars Alyy Khan and Samina Ahmed and together they discussed what the essence of their new drama Malkin is. The conversation got quite candid as it flew from the notions of drama to the real life as we all navigate our lives with different relationships and the conflicts and turmoils that creates. Maria was candid in her opinions of how she thinks problems develop and how they should be resolved. Shaista was inquisitive about her opinion as well as those of her audience to understand how people think relatives and especially inlaws can be handled appropriately. Alyy Khan was his usual calm and deep self and gave some very philosophical insight into the issue.
Samina Ahmed obviously brought forth her wisdom of the years into the situation. Together they made up for an interesting watch regarding the problems human beings especially married couples in our society face on a daily basis.
Sohai Ali Abro was cast for Adnan Sarwar’s The Motorcycle Girl and the shooting has started now. Adnan Sarwar’s Shah got a lot of critical acclaim earlier. His next The Motorcycle Girl is also a biopic. It is based on the life of Zenith Irfan, she is the first Pakistan girl to do a solo motorcycle trip in northern areas. The shoot has started and the team is excited. Sohai and Adnan both posted on the Instagram and both looks excited:
Shah was a masterpiece. Let us see how this one comes out!
I have to say that I expected better from Ghairat since the story seemed quite focused in the first 9 weeks or so. Unfortunately, Ghairat too is turning out to be one of those dramas in which scenes are stretched beyond limit and multiple tracks added in the story after 10 weeks, which may or may not bring something tangible with them. Kashif falling for Saba has to be the worst development in the story especially because of the way it has been covered. The actor playing Kashif”s role is wooden to say the least and the way his “attraction” towards Saba is covered gives the impression that he feels more lust than love for Saba!! If Kashif is the bad guy than everything that we are being shown would definitely make more sense. It is good to see Saba’s friend being so concerned about her but there were times tonight when she gave the too good to be true vibes. There was a time when I had absolutely no trouble connecting to all the characters and happenings in this show since everything was quite logical but now most of the situations are repetitive more than anything else.
Iqra’s husband is also completely out of the picture and Usman’s mother’s dialogues suggested that she was waiting for Allah to help her which means that we will see many more tragedies before something finally happens. Sometimes it feels like there isn’t a world outside Usman’s house. When Saba was in the house, there was a reason why her mother was helpless but now there is absolutely no reason why she can’t run away to a shelter home. The whole situation has been blown out of proportion. Also, the fact that Saba was not shown thinking about Zohaib even once in this episode made it even more difficult to connect to these latest developments.
This episode showed that Asad was willing to do whatever it took to help Zohaib but his wife was not going to let him do so. I am waiting to find out what he wants to say to Usman and I definitely think that Zohaib’s memory loss is yet another scenario created to drag the story. Zohaib’s will to take Saba out of that situation was the best thing about this drama but for now his character has been relegated to the background in this particular aspect.
Saba was always shown as an intelligent girl who looked for solutions even in the worst of circumstances therefore I hope that her character will have more to offer in the future as well. She also has the perfect support in the shape of her friend’s mother. These two episodes of Ghairat were too average and the kind of episodes which rely on rona dhona and majburis to gain the sympathies of the viewers. I definitely expected better from a drama which started off so well. For now Ghairat is just another one of those dramas which completely go off track. However, there is hope that it might get back on track therefore I will be tuning in next week to find out whether it does or not.
How many of you watched this latest episode? Feel free to share your thoughts about it.
Internet is breaking down since some pictures of Mahira Khan leaked online. Many celebrities have come out in her support. Some have tweeted while others have written posts on their Instagram accounts asking the world to leave her alone. Hamza Ali Abbasi just made a video clarifying the mark on her back. Here is Hamza’s message to the world:
There was a huge storm in the aftermath of Mahira Khan’s leaked pictures from the roads of Newyork as she was hanging out smoking with Ranbir Kapoor in a very skimpy little dress.
Pakistani public and celebrities alike have commented on it from all sides: there has been moral police to defense counsel to neutral peacemakers. However, there are a few jolly fellows who have created memes and photoshopped a little humor into the whole situation. We have gathered some of the funny ones here;
The dramatic Falak for her cigarettes;
A very hurt Mawra Hocane ;
Mahira Khan’s explanation;
When Mawra loses control over her shattered dreams;
The diva promoting Kash after Lux;
The CID investigates the heart of the matter;
One on Mawra’s disbelief;
What Mahira herself said about smoking;
Ashar’s shocked reaction at his innocent Khirad doing all that;
Juggun Kazim has always been very open about her past experiences with people and about her abusive marriage which ended in a divorce. Recently she got married again and was blessed with another son.
Most often we see women defending wives in their shows and interviews but Juggun Kazim feels completely different about married life in general. She posted this on her instagram page:
Juggun Kazim feels that some women take good men for granted and do not appreciate their spouses enough. It isn’t very often that women in the industry say something like this but we are not surprised that this came from none other than Juggun because she is always very honest and blunt.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is a global motorcycle fund-raising event with gentlefolk riding their classic vintage style motorcycles to raise awareness of cancer and male suicide prevention. Inspired by a photo of Mad Men’s Don Draper on a classic bike in a fine suit the ride was founded in 2012 by Mark Hawwa in Sydney.
Karachi officially became a part of DGR 2017 and the event was held yesterday (24th of September) since it’s customarily scheduled in the last week of September.
While many of us dozed off and enjoyed a lazy Sunday some of the celebrities including Mohib Mirza, Faysal Qureshi, Aijaz Aslam and Azekah Daniel attended the charity event and the pictures from the event scream “A DAY WELL SPENT”.
The goal for 2017 is to raise awareness and $5m for cancer and men’s mental health on behalf of charity partner the Movember Foundation. We hope DGR achieves what it set out to achieve and wish them luck for future endeavors.
So after straight producing 4th Season of coke studio I thought strings would have learned something but instead they continued their practice to ruin Rohail’s Legacy. The reason why coke studio built its strong pillars in Pakistan is only because of Rohail’s magical compositions. The idea devised by Rohail Hayatt for synthesizing different genre of music into one song actually clicked and since then the core impression on which Coke Studio marks itself as signature or show reel of Pakistani Music Industry is only because of fusion. After Rohail Hayatt handed over the production to strings from season 7 it was expected that strings will be able continue his legacy but unfortunately they trade the diversity of music through glamour. Instead of promoting diverse music they destroyed the art through commercialisation by bringing fresh charming faces in limelight and producing substandard music with no or less fusion.
Season 10! Analysis
Consequently in season 10 as well Strings followed the same practice to experiment music with different music directors and that’s exactly where they are doing it all wrong. Most of the renditions in this season were pretty average with less or no fusion at all. Only four songs in my view meet the level of Coke Studio.
1) Baazi sung by Aima baig and Sahir Ali Bhagga: Sahir Bhagga did a pretty well job by blending funky type music into saraiki song. The variations included in music were all on point. Aima sparkled magnificently with her vocals and displayed her range with full confidence. Hands down to bhagga sahab for his vocals and the grooves he gave in his music composition is simply splendid. No doubt the audience is still enjoying this up beat song and evidence are more than 5 million views on YouTube.
2) Naina Moray sung by Ali Akbar and Javed Bashir ft Amir Zaki: This song fulfilled all levels of Coke Studio. Jaffer Zaidi is a part of coke studio almost from its inception and retaining his man-oeuvre he knew how to direct a classic melody. Ali Akbar and Javed Bashir both are maestro in crooning classic genre. We have also witnessed Amir Zaki last performance and grieve still prevails over his loss.
3) Mujhse pheli si Muhabbat sung by Humaira Channa and Nabeel Shaukat: Ok it is one of my fav noor jehan’s track and I am glad how well Humaira and Nabeel had performed it with their soothing vocals. It is always a treat to listen to Nabeel’s voice. Meekal Hasan did a great job in music composition and I feel like I was listening to Coke Studio Stuff.
4) Sab Maya hai sung by Sanwal Esakhelwi and Ata Ullah Khan Esakhelwi: Now this is the only song that reminds of me Rohail’s Era. I am seriously addicted to it. I must applaud Shuja Haider for his pitch perfect composition, love the way he blended too songs “ishq Pawaiyan Zanjeera” and “Sab Maya hai” in one rendition. No Introduction needed for the legend ata ullah sahab and his son Sanwal was also fabulous with his sharp clear vocals. In my Opinion this is song of the season.
Rohail vs Strings
Listening Coke Studio from Season 1 to 6 and then listening it from Season 7 to 10 a sheer difference can be spotted in music arrangements that clarifies strings completely lost the track. There are many grey areas that strings need to consider and figure out why they are constantly failing to produce successful seasons. Some of the things I pointed out are as follows:
Music Composition: Renditions produced by Rohail Hayatt are absolutely soul stirring like “Ishq Abhe Awalla sung by Meesha and Chakwal Group” I still wonder how Rohail conformed natural voices of Chakwal Group with Meesha’s voice and blended it with jazzy music. This is something strings can never produce or even think of it. Similarly listening to “Chori Chori by Meesha Shafi” from Season 3 will send shivers to your spine and furthermore if you listen to songs like “Kinara by Atif Aslam and Ustad Riaz Khan”, “Jugni by Arif Lohar”, “Charkha Nolakha by Umair Jaswal and Atif Aslam”, “Jal Pari by Atif Aslam”, “Aik Alif by Saeen Zahoor and noori”, “Panchi by Jal and QB” you will be amazed to know how Rohail improvised art in all these compositions that sounds so different yet entrancing.
On the other hand Strings are still assessing how to fuse different genre of music. Most of the renditions produced by them were flat with monotonous melody. They are unable to catch the theme of coke studio. Even if they are trying to copy Rohail they are dwindling in it as well. If you have listened to “Garaj Baras by Rahat and Ali Azmat” in coke studio season 1. Rohail hayat let Ali Azmat to play his original even without any changes in basic music composition. Rahat was chosen just to fuse his raag with the original and that actually worked a great deal. Strings and Salman tried to copy the idea of rohail in “sayonee” but it failed miserably because they let Rahat to sing the actual song. With Salman’s electric guitar the idea would have worked only if Ali Noor had performed it solo while Rahat would only be allowed to create magic with his raag. Moreover in this season they also destroyed masterpieces like Lal Meri Pat and Dum Mast Qalandar no wonder most of the performances relied heavily on electric guitar
In one of the interview QB stated that vocalists were just as involved in music composition as other musicians under Rohail’s direction. This made sure that finished product was something to which everyone agreed upon, this basically does not happen in Strings Era. It is actually true by looking closely to BTS, it can be analysed that under String’s direction singers were not part of music compostions and in contrast just watch BTS of “Ik Arzu by Jal”, “Bolo Bolo by EP”, “Kirr Kirr by Sajjad Ali” and you can see how singers were given liberty by Rohail to conform music arrangements as per their will.
Introducing talent: Rohail’s passion was to locate remote raw talent and promote them like Chakwal Group, Saeein Zahoor, Tahir Mithu, Sanam Marvi, Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad etc. Whilst strings focused on bringing young female faces on alluring screens and give them more and more performances in order to attract audience. In Season 8 they introduced Gul Panra, then Mominah in Season 9 and now Aima in Season 10 which indicates they are simply transacting glamour against art.
Failing to utilise Juggernauts of Music industry: I was so excited to hear that big names like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan, Ali Zafar and Sajjad Ali will be a part of Season 10 but unfortunately none of them fulfilled the expectation. All Songs sung by them in this season hardly received any acclaims from audience instead Rahat was heavily criticised on experimenting his vocals on “Sayonee” song. Shafqat failed to mesmerize audience and so Sajjad Ali. Four songs were given to Ali Zafar in this season and except the last “Us Rah Par” which was a tribute to Junaid Jamshed none of his performances attracted the audience. I don’t understand what Ali Zafar tried to achieve with songs like “Julie” and “Rockstar”.
In contrast just listen to the songs below and see how Rohail expolited the talent of big names of the industry.
In the end I will just like to say “Strings nahi hota tujhse chase” what are your views on it?
“Janti ho mohabbat bari self-regulated hoti hei, wo logo ke sath wohi salook krti hei jo log us ke saath krte hei.”
This drama actually has a spellbinding effect; the beautiful dialogues and the overall feel of this play is simply fascinating. TDKKH is the kind of drama which requires your full attention and you can only enjoy watching it when there are absolutely no distractions! It is very rare that such flawed characters appear so appealing on screen and you can’t help but connect to them. My favorite part of this episode was the way Faris’ feelings were translated on screen. Even now, he has not been able to “hate” Maya or move on although he keeps on saying that he will never allow her to come back into his life, the fact is that even today he would forgive her if she tried hard enough. Faris’ proposal to Zoya it seemed was yet another attempt to get back to Maya for what she did to him. Right now, I feel that even if Faris tried he could not cheat on Maya because he is still in love with her. There were a lot of dialogues in tonight’s episode which suggested that he was waiting for her to come back but obviously it wasn’t easy for him to forgive and forget. Even now Faris wants to hurt Maya in some way but at the same time he does not want to lose her. Sami Khan’s brilliant portrayal of a man who can’t get over the betrayal and at the same time cannot seem to let go of the person who betrayed him couldn’t have been more impressive. His dialogue delivery has been brilliant throughout although some of the dialogues are very tricky and could have come across as over-dramatic if they weren’t delivered in such a subtle yet impactful manner.
I have said this so many times before but after watching every new episode of this play I feel the need to say this again – Dariya is beyond amazing!! She is one-of-a-kind and Mansha Pasha has definitely given this character the edge it needed to win the viewers over completely. Dariya is practical, intelligent, sensitive, outspoken and loving. Sami Khan and Mansha Pasha’s on screen chemistry and the way these scenes have been directed makes me look forward to their scenes. The way Dariya gave Faris an honest answer was a treat to watch. Although she does not approve of Faris’ feelings for Maya but at the same time she does not let that effect their friendship. She has never complained to Faris and she has never even once made him feel like he owes her something more than what they already have. Dariya is a far more strong person than Faris and even Maya.
Maya’s track took an interesting turn with this episode. Now that she is over Saif, she wants to go back to Faris but her ego won’t allow her to approach him and ask for forgiveness, the way she should. For the first time Maya cried in tonight’s episode when she saw Zoya with Faris – a reaction which showed how she felt about Zoya. Even though so far the viewers have seen Zoya looking out for Maya but apparently Maya hates her sister and there is more to the story. I am eagerly waiting to find out more about this track. Ayeza Khan gave a solid performance in this episode as well and Hajra Khan is also faultless as Baila.
Saif also revealed a little bit about his background story and his plans for the future in this episode. He is aiming for something much more than what appeared on the surface and the reason for that probably has to do with his history with Siraj Uncle. This track too is getting more interesting now. Although I am glad that it isn’t getting a lot of screen time.
Just like all the other episodes of TDKKH, this one too was beautifully written, directed and acted out. The person responsible for styling and make-up has also done a really good job. The preview of the next episode looked very interesting – really looking forward to Faris and Maya’s meeting in the next episode!
How many of you watched this recent installment? Don’t forget to share your thoughts about it.
Khamoshi’s first episode aired last night and the start was pretty decent. More than half of the main characters were introduced in this episode. The story revolves around the life and family of Arsala played by Zara Noor Abbas. She is a very responsible girl and wants to help with the poor financial condition of her family. She works at home as a tailor and helps her family meet ends. The other main and probably evil character is Naeema (Iqra Aziz) who is Arsala’s sister and she is irresponsible and shallow. All she wants in her life is to style herself and get people notice her. She even dances in the rain like old film heroines. Both girls have a brother who is still a student and is also whinny about the family’s condition and not having enough money for his new shirt or farewell party. The other evil probably and frustrated surely character is that of Sabir played by Tauqeer Nasir who is the father and is always busy belittling his family that how much he works hard and they don’t do anything to help him. He is greedy to an extreme extent and is always busy eyeing how other people’s daughters are helping them; not considering or acknowledging Arsala’s hard work.
The other family is of Arsala’s khala and Atif aka Affan Waheed is the cousin Arsala is interested in and was betrothed to since childhood. Atif is also dying to marry Arsala while as you all have expected Naeema is interested in Atif too. Atif on the other hand bully her and treats her like Arsala’s little sister and a little cousin though she is not little at all. The way Arsala keeps saying bacchi hai on her tantrums is extremely annoying and Naeema will soon show her how grown up she is. Sabir hates Atif because he is jobless and still wants to marry Arsala and Sabir is sure he wants her for her money. Arsala is too naive and bechari to even say what she thinks and Naeema on the other hand has the audacity to play a self proclaimed bahu to her khala in her home and ask Atif to talk about her instead of Arsala and people; this family still thinks ke woh bacchi hai! The way Sabir acted on seeing Atif holding his daughter’s hand was shown as something very wrong though I think that was the only right thing the character did in the whole episode since they are not even officially engaged.
Zara and Affan did a good job and Iqra was over acting a bit specially the expressions with her eyes were too stressed upon. Tauqeer Nasir knows his craft and made me hate him from the very start. All and all the drama looks nice and from the first episode it looks like a mixture of Thakkan and Maat. Other characters have not been introduced yet but director did a great job by introducing the theme and basic characters in one episode since everyone hates dragging. Khamoshi looks promising and will show a side of society we come in contact with each day where family’s leave their girls as maids due to financial issues and this drama may help show us the emotional turmoil those girls go through. Lets see how the story folds up next.
How did you people find the first episode? Share in comments and yes I loved the OST!
Saira Shehroz and her daughter Nooreh have always looked like the coolest, cutest and most adorable mother daughter duo. Saira is a chilled out fun loving mom and Nooreh is a spirited child and together they have a lot of fun.
This time Saira has shared some pictures of Nooreh as they got together with her sister Alishba and her daughter for a birthday lunch. They sisters are looking yummy mummies in their casual attires while having fun with their little ones. Saira also posted a few solo photos of Nooreh enjoying cotton candy and just being herself.
Pakistani celebrities have been travelling to London recently in last few weeks to attend the IIPA Awards Ceremony and many of them have shared pictures of their trip outside of the ceremony, roaming and enjoying in the streets of London.
Urwa Hocane has also been posting her pictures as she explores London with family and friends. She has shared her photos around different locations in the company of her husband Farhan Saeed and her sister Mawra Hocane. Here are some of them;
Humaima Malick has always been criticized for her dress choices wherever she goes. Recently Mahira Khan is caught up in a similar controversy where people are after her for wearing a short dress and smoking in public. Celebrities came out to support Mahira openly and started spreading the message of live and let live. Dua Malik took to her Instagram and had something interesting to say. Here are her thoughts:
Humaima has also supported freedom of expression and personal choice:
But she had some questions from the other celebrities:
The last quarter of 2017 is about to start. 2017 has so far proven a disappointing year for the local cinema. Apart from four films Mehrunnisa V Lub U (June), Yalghaar (June), Punjab Nahin Jaongi (September) and Namaloom Afraad 2(September) the rest of films have struggled on the box office.
The first half of the year (Jan – June) saw very few releases, but the tremendous success of Namaloom Afraad 2 and Punjab Nahin Jaungi (released in September) might result in a favorable ending of 2017 for the local cinema. In the fall 2017 (October – December), the lineup of upcoming films is quite impressive especially November and December 2017. The months of November and December are stuffed up with the announcement of film releases and we might see few films delayed till next year due to packed schedule.
Lets see the list of the expected releases of Fall 2017 which also includes some major long awaited ones.
Pari (پری) Release Date: 31st October 2017 (Expected) Pari is a horror film, a genre not much popular in Pakistan. The horror films of recent years Siyah(2013), Maya(2015) and Aksbandh(2016) all proved dumb at the box office.
The teaser of the film is already released which received mixed response on the social media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5wH0em2cJ8
Tum Hi Ho (تم ہی ہو) Release Date: 3rd November 2017
The major highlight of THH is the comeback of the director Sangeeta on the big screen. Sangeeta is the most successful female director of Pakistan cinema. She has directed around 70 films (Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto) the most by any female director. Her last film Lahoria Te Pishoria (لہوریا تے پشوریا) in Punjabi was released in 2015, while her last Urdu film Haseeno Ka Mela (حسینوں کا میلہ) was released in 2010.
THH was due to release in April 2017 then delayed to August and now November. The trailer of the film was out in March 2017 and was heavily criticized on social media. Going by the trailer THH is definitely not the best work by Sangeeta and we expect some quality work from the comeback of Sangeeta.
The veteran film makers returning to film makers must understand audience of cinema has changed and is no more limited to the blue collared class of the society as it was in 1990s,so the Lahore based directors returning to Urdu films like Sangeeta, Syed Noor, Nasir Adeeb, Iqbal Kashmiri, Sohail Khan, Faisal Bukhari also have to reconsider their style of film making.
Azaadi (آزادی) Release Date: November 2017 (Announced) Expected to release on 10th November 2017 Azaadi is a film based on the Kashmiris struggle against the Indian occupant forces. The film highlights the decades old Indian oppression and brutality towards Kashmiris as well Kashmiris struggle for independence from India.
The film is directed by Imran Malik, who is the son of Parvez Malik (late) a successful director of Pakistan film industry. Parvez Malik directed some block buster Urdu films of the past mostly starring Waheed Murad like Armaan (1966). Azaadi stars Moammer Rana and Sonya Hussain in the lead roles.
The teaser of Azaadi was released in March 2017, the first look or poster was launched in June 2017. The poster mentions the release date as November 2017 but lately its team is not much active on social media.
Shor Sharaba (شور شرابا) Release Date: November 2017 (Expected) Shor Sharaba is another film produced in Lahore, where its producer Sohail Khan is making a comeback towards Urdu cinema. Sohail Khan is a film producer from Lahore, and since film making in Pakistan was extinct by mid 2000s he produced films in Bollywood. He was the co-producer of the Bollywood films like Jannat, Murder 3 and perhaps it is where he get acquainted with Indian film directors.
Since the so called revival of Urdu cinema, Sohail has also announced his film Shor Sharaba around 2014-2015 to be directed by the Indian directed Hasnain Hyderabadwala (حسنین حیدرآبادوالا). It took Hasnain Hyderabadwala long time to get the work permit and other permissions required to work in Pakistan and thus the film delayed. Eventually Hasnain Hyderabadwala got the work permit and the shooting of the film started in Lahore in 2016 and completed earlier this year. Interestingly in October 2016, Indian film producers association announced a ban on Pakistani artists in Bollywood. However at that time the Indian director was shooting this film in Pakistan and he again visited afterwards to complete the film as there is no such ban on Indian artists in Pakistan. Apart from the Indian director, the choreographer Shabina Khan of this film is also Indian.
Shor Sharaba stars Adnan Khan and Rabi Peerzada in the lead roles where Rabi is doing her first film. The trailer of the film was released in April 2017 and was quite clueless. One wonders what difference the Indian film director has made as the film is at par with the Urdu films of 1990s directed by Parvez Rana (Late), Maqsood Butt or Anjum Parvez.
The film release date was initially Eidul Fitr in June 2017, then 21st July 2017 and now November 2017. Lets hope the film sees the light of the day. It is another film from a Lahore based film maker which seems outdated and reminds of the Urdu cinema of 1990s. So the film might attract the persons nostalgic about the “Sweet” 90’s cinema.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEEYZNwJ4e0
Cake (کیک)
Release Date: November/December 2017 (Expected)
Cake is an Urdu film starring Adnan Malik, Sanam Saeed and Aamina Sheikh in the lead roles. The film makers are new as well it is the first film of Adnan Malik. Sanam Saeed and Aamina Sheikh two polished artists are appearing as sisters in this film.
Talking to the BBC Urdu, the director of the film hinted to release the film in November/December 2017, however so far no song or teaser of this film is released yet and there is uncertainty for Cake to be served in the fall 2017
Verna (ورنہ) Release Date: November 2017(Announced), 10 November 2017 (Expected) Verna, a film by Shoaib Mansoor is perhaps the most awaited film for a while. It is the third film by Shoaib Mansoor, after Khuda Ke Liye (2007) and Bol (2011). Shoaib is known for selective but quality work. His films are not mainstream commercial films but still prove successful and thus Varna has huge expectations associated with it.
After Shoaib Mansoor, Mahira Khan the super star of Pakistani cinema is the other big aspect of Varna. Mahira is appearing in an Urdu film after a gap of almost two years where her last film was Ho Man Jahan (1st January 2016), though she did a cameo in Actor In Law (September 2016) too. Like the previous films of Shoaib Mansoor, Verna also covers a serious social subject. But Shoaib Mansoor is known for delivering a complicated subject in a subtle manner without being too preachy.
No teaser of Verna is released so far, only its first look is revealed.
Maan Jao Na (مان جاؤ نا) Release Date: 1 December 2017 MJN is a romantic comedy starring Iranian artist Naaz Norouzi paired with Adeel Chaudhry working in his first Pakistani film. MJN also star Ali Gur Pir in an important role. MJN’s trailer or teaser is not yet released.
MJN is directed by Aabis Raza, who earlier directed many successful dramas.
Parchi (پرچی) Release Date: November/December 2017 (Announced)
The teaser of Parchi is released last week and received positive reviews. The production team of Janaan (September 2017) is back with next film though the cast of the film is changed apart from Usman Mukhtar and Ali Rehman Khan. Hareem Farooq is playing the female lead From its teaser it looked a crime caper- comedy film.
The teaser says Parchi will be out in the Winter 2017, so its expected release date must be November or December 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blzsRyH7EXM
Rangreza (رنگریزا) Release Date: 21 December 2017 Rangreza is a film announced in August 2016. Initially Sana Javed was in the lead role, but she later left the film and replaced by Urwa Hocane. The male leads of the film are Bilal Ashraf and Gohar Rasheed.
Rangreza is based on music where Gohar Rasheed is playing the role of a member of Qawwal family. Bilal Ashraf is appearing as a popstar. Ghana Ali and Aleezay Gabool are also in the cast.
One teaser and four songs of this film are already released. The first song of Rangreza Phool Khil Jayen was well received upon its release in June 2017. The consequent songs released also praised, so music is another major highlight of this film. The film also features an item song which is shot on Eunchs(Hijras).
Chuppan Chupai (چھپن چھپائی) Release Date: 22 December 2017 Chuppan Chupai is a film announced two years ago. It is a comedy film starring Ahsan Khan and Naeelum Munir. Ahsan Khan is returning to big screen after a gap of few years, while Neelum Muneer is starting her big screen career.
Ahsan Khan has been a popular name on television for past many years, so it will be interesting to see translating to this success on the big screen. Neelum Munir is also a popular name of television dramas. Comedy genre (with a pinch of romance) or RomCom films have emerged as the most popular film category in the recent times. No trailer or teaser of Chuppan Chupai is released so far, but its first look poster is already out
Arth (ارتھ) Release Date: 22 December 2017 Arth is a remake of the Bollywood film Arth of 1980s. Shaan Shahid the director is also playing the lead role alongwith Humaima Malick, Uzma Hassan and Mohib Miza. Arth was announced in 2014 and it took three and a half year for Shaan to complete this “master piece”. In 2014 the initial cast of the film includes Humayun Saeed, later replaced by Mohib Mirza.
The teasers of Arth were released in July 2017. The film is shot in UK and Pakistan. Shaan Shahid is returning to film direction from Arth2, where his last film Zille Shah (as director) was released a decade ago. Uzma Hassan known for her power performances in the television dramas, is making her big screen debut.
Shaan Shahid is a brand name and the biggest star of Pakistan cinema of current era. He is one of the very few film person of the old cinema of 1990s, who successfully transitioned into the new age Pakistani cinema (Other such name is Shafqat Cheema). His presence in a film guarantees a good opening week for the film and Arth is expected to have a good start.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnG5cHCiw1s
So it completes the films announced or expected to be released in the upcoming three months of 2017. Few of the films like Cake or Shor Sharaba might be postponed since their release date is not confirmed yet. On the whole the next three months look quite promising with back to back quality productions, especially the Christmas weekend of 21st December when three films are releasing.
Internet is on fire since some pictures of Ranbir Kapoor and Mahira Khan smoking on the street in NYC went viral. Many people are bashing Mahira; since she has always maintained a very innocent image in front of the public; watching her smoking in a skimpy dress didn’t settle with many of her fans. On the other hand hardcore fans and many celebrity friends have defended the diva too. Mahira has not said a single word on this but Ranbir’s reply is here. He has showed disappointment on all the backlash Mahira is getting and has said that he admires her:
Fans are waiting how Mahira would address this controversy since Ranbir’s thoughts are out now!
