Author: News Desk

The 24th Lux Style Awards returned to an in-person format on December 11 at Mohatta Palace in Karachi, marking the first physical ceremony since the COVID-19 pandemic forced its suspension in 2020.

The hit drama Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum dominated the night, sweeping multiple awards including Drama of the Year (Viewers’ Choice), Best Actor Male for Fahad Mustafa, Best Actress Female for Hania Aamir, and Best On-Screen Couple for the duo.

Television categories shine

Hania Aamir won Best Actress Female for her powerful performance as Sharjeena in Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum, ementing her position as one of Pakistan’s most popular actresses. 

Fahad Mustafa took home Best Actor Male for the same drama.

In the Critics’ Choice category, Zard Patton Ka Bunn won Best Drama Serial.

Baby Baji Ki Bahuain won Best Long TV Serial (Viewers’ Choice), with the jury praising its powerful family narrative, memorable characters, and emotional depth that resonated with audiences.

Film awards recognize talent

Yumna Zaidi made history by winning her seventh Lux Style Award, claiming Film Actor of the Year Female for her performance in Nayab. This achievement makes her the most awarded actress in LSA history.

Samar Jafri won Best Actor Male (Film) for Na Baligh Afraad, dedicating his prestigious award to his late friend in an emotional acceptance speech.

Kattar Karachi won Film of the Year, with the jury recognizing its powerful narrative and bold direction that resonated with audiences.

Umair Nasir Ali won Best Film Director for Nayab, marking a milestone for the sports drama about an aspiring cricketer who dreams of playing in the Cricket World Cup.

Music and digital content honored

Pakistan’s favorite song Jhol won Song of the Year, celebrating its unmatched popularity and catchy tune that captured hearts across the nation.

In the newly introduced digital content categories, Rehan Nazim and Rabya Kulsoom, known online as Ron and Coco, won Digital Content Creator of the Year. Aidah Sheikh claimed another Digital Content Creator award for her engaging videos and creativity that resonate with a massive audience. Model Erica Robins won Digital Trendsetter, recognizing her innovative digital influence and ability to shape online conversations. Hira Faisal took home Beauty Influencer of the Year.

Emerging talent recognized

Khushhal Khan earned the title of Emerging Talent of the Year for his work in Dunyapur, marking a significant milestone in his rising career.

Lifetime achievement for music legend

The ceremony honored legendary Sufi singer Abida Parveen with the prestigious Unilever Chairman’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Fashion category winners

Designer HSY took home a fashion award, with the jury recognizing his legendary contribution to style and his position as a pillar of Pakistan’s fashion industry. 

Yasser Dar won Best Model of the Year, earning recognition for his work on runways and in fashion campaigns throughout the year.

Unlike previous extravagant editions, this year’s awards took a more modest approach, with organizers inviting celebrities, nominees, media personalities, and select influencers rather than hosting a lavish ceremony.

The event featured 28 award categories across television, film, music, fashion, and digital content, with both Viewers’ Choice and Critics’ Choice selections.

The ceremony’s return holds special significance as the awards were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, organizers opted out entirely and donated the ceremony’s budget to the Akhuwat Foundation to support fashion industry workers affected by lockdown closures. The 23rd Lux Style Awards in 2025 were announced digitally.

The 2025 edition introduced digital content creator categories for the first time, acknowledging the growing impact of online storytelling and influencers on Pakistan’s creative economy.

Created in 2002, the Lux Style Awards remain Pakistan’s premier entertainment and fashion awards ceremony.

Director Sangeeta has filed a police complaint against unidentified armed individuals who forcibly stopped the shooting of her drama Bulleh Shah and held actress Saima hostage for two hours.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore alongside director Syed Noor, Sangeeta revealed that unknown men with weapons threatened and harassed her crew during production.

“It has been 50 years serving this country and nation, and this is how we are treated,” Sangeeta said emotionally. “Seven to eight lawyers came to the set and threatened everyone. They told Saima they would handcuff her.”

Sangeeta explained that she had fallen ill and left the set, asking Saima to complete two remaining scenes, when the men arrived. 

“Saima is a lioness. When they said they would handcuff her, she told them to go ahead. They held her there and told her she couldn’t leave without their permission. This went on for one and a half to two hours,” Sangeeta said.

She confirmed that she had filed an FIR against the armed men at Shera Kot police station and named lawyer Ahmed Jahangir Baloch as the person behind the harassment.

“He keeps sending notices to all the artists, claiming he is the producer. He keeps saying ‘Meet me alone, madam, and this matter will be resolved,’” Sangeeta revealed. “He claims he has invested 2 crore 40 lakh rupees. Where is the proof? Who did he give this money to?”

Sangeeta explained she has been producing the 50-episode drama on the legendary 18th century poet Bulleh Shah for two and a half years, and cited writer Parvez Kaleem and other artists as witnesses to her role as producer.

“I have directed 80 films, worked in 150 films, and produced 50 films as a producer. I have never experienced anything like this,” she said.

Director Syed Noor, who is married to actress Saima, also spoke out. 

“We are those people from the film industry who only endure hardships. We provide entertainment, we give respect, we portray the world in our films, but what do we get in return?” Syed Noor asked.  

“My wife Saima is a brave woman. The way she faced that harassment, she handled it. But if this happens again in the future, if any artist, male or female, gets harassed like this, where will we go?”

He warned about the struggling state of the film industry.

“Our industry is fighting its own battles. If another incident happens, who will be responsible?” he questioned. “Earlier, people wouldn’t let us shoot. Now those in black coats [lawyers] are troubling us.”

Sangeeta revealed that actor Nauman Ejaz, who was part of the drama, refused to continue working due to the threats.

“Nauman Ejaz got so scared he said he won’t work until this matter is resolved. So I let him go, and his son worked in the drama instead,” she told members of the press. 

The veteran director also disclosed that Ahmed Jahangir Baloch called them just an hour before the press conference.

“He was asking where we are and what we are doing. How can someone call and ask me what I’m doing?” she voiced in frustration. 

Sangeeta appealed to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the Inspector General of Punjab to take the matter seriously.

“If this is how it’s going to be with senior artists like us, if this happens to me as a producer, director, and artist, then who else is safe? Perhaps they think because I’m a woman, they can harass me. But they don’t know how strong this woman’s children are,” she warned. 

The drama Bulleh Shah, which is nearly complete, tells the story of the Sufi poet who is buried in Kasur.  The shooting was taking place near the River Ravi in Lahore when the incident occurred.

Six Gulf countries have blocked the theatrical release of Ranveer Singh’s new spy thriller Dhurandhar. 

According to reports, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE all rejected the film after reviewing its content.

An Indian media outlet quoted a source as saying that officials perceived the film as anti-Pakistan in nature, noting that similar productions have consistently failed to secure releases in the region. Despite the filmmakers’ efforts to gain approval, all six countries refused to clear the film for screening.

Director Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar follows an Indian spy who operates in Karachi’s Lyari neighbourhood. The trailer positions Lyari as “the very core of terrorism in Pakistan” and shows Singh’s character arriving to “wipe out terrorism” from the area.

The film features Arjun Rampal as Major Iqbal, a character the trailer claims controls Pakistani politics. R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Khanna round out the cast.

Notably, the production incorporates real figures from Karachi’s recent past.

Sanjay Dutt portrays the late SP Chaudhry Aslam Khan, who served as a counter-terrorism police officer in Karachi. Akshaye Khanna plays Abdul Rehman Baloch, known as Rehman Dakait, a gang leader who died in a police encounter. 

The filmmakers market Dhurandhar as “inspired by incredible true events”. However, the connections the film draws between these Karachi figures and cross-border terror lack any documented basis. 

The trailer also features imagery resembling the 1999 Indian Airlines hijacking in Kandahar, suggesting the film weaves multiple narratives together under its “true events” claim.

Dhurandhar becomes the latest Indian production to face Gulf region bans. The pattern has accelerated in recent years as Bollywood produces more films centered on Pakistan and regional conflicts.

Social media influencer Doctor Madiha has accused a man named Ahmed Ali Gujjar of scamming her in a five-marla plot deal and running away with her money.

She shared a detailed video on Instagram, saying that she wants people to spread her story as much as possible.

“For so many days, I have been posting stories about Ahmed Ali Gujjar, saying that he ran away with my money. I am posting all this so that you people share it as much as possible.”

Madiha explained that she and her husband Ahsan were buying a five marla plot of 128 Jeni. She said, “We gave the payment to Ahmed Ali Gujjar after he said everything was fine. It has been months now, and he has left the country.”

The influencer said she wants people to keep sharing her story because it will help her in the case. “That is why I am asking you all to share my story as much as you can, because your sharing will help me a lot,” she stated. 

She also shared a threatening voice note that she received on WhatsApp.

In the audio, a person can be heard saying, “She is calling me bad names and taking my name on social media. Wherever you want to take my name, go ahead, but remember one thing clearly: If my honour is ruined, then I won’t let your honour remain unscathed either. You have already damaged my reputation. And if I lose my honour because of what you are doing and what the police people are doing, I will take revenge for all of it. Doing all this and ruining my respect won’t give you any money.”

In the caption of her post, Madiha wrote that she is receiving threats after the scam. She wrote that she is sharing everything for her safety and for public awareness.

She wrote that police recovered 29.5 percent of the payment from the family of the suspect. She added that the family claims the remaining amount is with Ahmed Ali Gujjar, who they say is in Malaysia.

She wrote, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” She also wrote that if anything happens to her or her family, the authorities should investigate the threats she has been receiving from Gujjar, his family and the people involved in the matter.

Doctor Madiha wrote that the plot file was fake, stressing that any individuals, companies or organizations mentioned in her posts, including Zameen.com and DHA Head Office, are not responsible for the scam and are mentioned only for context and public awareness.

She wrote that she is sharing her experience for educational purposes to warn people about scams, fake documents and fraudulent behaviour. 

She also wrote that she is not trying to harass or defame anyone but wants to protect the public from similar cases.

Doctor Madiha ended her post by writing that the content is only for awareness and she hopes no one else becomes a victim of such fraud.

Pakistan Idol faces a fresh controversy after Top 16 contestant M Ibrar Shahid publicly accused the show of unfair treatment and excessive autotune manipulation of his performances.

Shahid, who voluntarily left the competition, took to Instagram and other social media platforms to share his grievances.

“I am not eliminated. I left the show on my own volition as I was not being dealt fairly,” Shahid said in his post. “My voice was being autotuned to the point that they did not even sound like my real vocals.”

The contestant revealed that producers threatened him with legal action. “I was unhappy but I was threatened with legal action if I spoke about the show online,” he shared. Despite the warnings, Shahid decided to speak out and explain what happened to him on the platform.

Shahid’s revelations triggered a divided response online, with many viewers criticizing him for speaking out against the show that gave him a platform.

“It’s not always that things are going according to your will and wish,” one user commented under his post.

Another viewer bluntly stated, “Your performance was not good.”

A third user wrote, “Bro, you were clearly out of surr! Judges have been fair with their judgement. Your performance was not up to the mark. Please absorb the remarks given to you!”

Many commenters questioned his decision to blame the show after reaching the Top 16. “You didn’t perform good at all in gala round. Work on yourself,” another user advised.

One particularly harsh comment read, “The platform supported you, and now you are maligning it. Every system has rules, and you simply couldn’t cope.”

Pakistan Idol, which features celebrity judges Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Fawad Khan, Zeb Bangash, and Bilal Maqsood, has not officially responded to Shahid’s allegations. 

The production team has not clarified whether they will take further action regarding the claims.