Category: Entertainment

Sham Idrees has broken his silence on his long-standing feud with Ducky Bhai, making serious allegations and sharing evidence against the fellow YouTuber.

The rivalry, which began seven years ago after Ducky criticised Sham’s daily vlogs and personal life, has now taken a dramatic turn.

Sham opened up about the harassment he endured during their clash.

In a recent video, Sham Idrees said, “At the height of our dispute, my wife (Froggy) became a target of online abuse.”

He also shared how false accusations against his father deeply affected his family.

“It caused immense distress, but I chose to forgive Ducky and move forward,” Sham stated.

Despite their reconciliation, he now claims that Ducky Bhai has resumed harmful behaviour, this time targeting lesser-known YouTubers and less influential creators.

In his video, Sham included testimonials from individuals alleging that Ducky has threatened them. These accusations range from harming families to sabotaging work and even raiding personal property.

One of the most outspoken critics is fellow creator Badlabrother, who accused Ducky of using his platform to manipulate and intimidate others.

Sham urged Ducky Bhai to rethink his actions and take responsibility.

“It’s time for him to stop. He needs to consider the impact of his actions on smaller creators and the harm caused to their personal lives,” Sham stated.

The YouTuber emphasised that he holds no ill will but believes Ducky’s toxic behaviour must be addressed and corrected publicly.

Renowned actress Nadia Hussain has opened up about the immoral offers made to girls in the Pakistani showbiz industry.

During a recent podcast interview, Nadia, who has also been a part of the fashion industry for over two decades, spoke about the darker side of the industry.

In response to a question, she stated, “The term “give and take” is very common in the industry at the moment. Girls are exploited in exchange for work. They are openly offered projects with good remuneration, but immoral demands are also made.”

She further revealed, “Until two years ago, I had been receiving such offers. While discussing a project, I was told about the best remuneration. Everything seemed fine, but in the end, they said I would also have to have a ‘special dinner.’”

Nadia shared her perspective, saying, “Immoral demands in exchange for work have always existed in the showbiz industry, but now it has become more common.”

She also disclosed that she knows models who have accepted such offers. “It is their choice. I don’t say anything bad about anyone, but I have my limits,” she added.

The wait continues as actor and ‘Taare Zameen Par’ director Aamir Khan’s ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ has once again be delayed.

During a recent event in Vadodara city of Indian Gujarat, Khan shared an update on the film that was initially scheduled for a Christmas 2024 release.

The PK actor revealed that the team was working towards a December release, but the project faced yet another delay due to unfinished post-production, pushing the release timeline back to mid-2025.

“I am excited to return to the big screen with Sitaare Zameen Par… it’s an entertaining film and I really like the story. The climax of Taare Zameen Par was filmed in Vadodara, and now we’re bringing this new story that captures similar magic,” he said.

While the new film connects to the themes of Taare Zameen Par, Khan has clarified that it won’t feature the same characters. Instead, Sitaare Zameen Par is loosely inspired by the Spanish movie ‘Champions’, and sheds light on Down Syndrome, highlighting the lives of people with special needs.

Earlier, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Aamir discussed his upcoming film ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ and its emotional depth. “It’s a beautiful story, actually, the easiest way I can describe it is that Sitaare Zameen Par is a very emotional film. It makes you cry… it makes you laugh. It’s a humorous film.”

He said that the theme of the upcoming film is similar to Taare Zameen Par — of people with different abilities, intelligence, all with different challenges. “So the theme is similar, but the feel of the film, the emotional feel of the film, is humor as opposed to emotions.”                                                                                                                                                     

The 3 Idiots actor also revealed what sets Sitaare Zameen Par apart from Taare Zameen Par.

“In many ways, I feel its way ahead of Taare Zameen Par… because in Taare Zameen Par, the person who was challenged, was Ishaan. He was helped by a character, which was my character. In Sitaare Zameen Par, it is 10 people with challenges who help me… the supposedly normal person. So, it’s a real flip. It goes much further, I feel, than Taare Zameen Par,” he added.

Aamir Khan directed Taare Zameen Par in 2007, which starred Darsheel Safary as Ishaan, a young boy struggling with dyslexia. The film received praise for its emotional depth and for raising awareness about learning disabilities.

Palestinian-American director Cherien Dabis was in the West Bank, days away from shooting her ambitious and deeply personal drama “All That’s Left Of You,” when the events of October 7, 2023 forced a radical rethink.

“We were forced to evacuate… It was really devastating to have to leave our Palestinian crew behind,” recalled Dabis.

“Everyone was so excited to work on this historic Palestinian film that felt like a milestone.”

The film — one of two Palestinian movies premiering at this year’s Sundance festival — follows three generations of a family who were expelled from coastal Jaffa in 1948, and sent to the West Bank.

Costing between $5-8 million, it is a rare example of a major Palestinian-centered feature film getting a high-profile premiere in the West.

“It’s really, really hard to make any film, but it’s particularly hard to make a Palestinian film,” said Dabis.

“It’s hard to raise money for these films… I think people have perhaps been afraid to tell the story.”

Both intimate and epic in scope, the film jumps chronologically, from 1948 through the decades to the near-present day.

Dabis herself stars as a mother forced to confront an impossible decision when her son is wounded in 1988 during the first intifada, or uprising. 

Many of the stories are based on the real experiences of Dabis and her family.

In one harrowing scene, a father is humiliated at gunpoint by Israeli soldiers in front of his young child, creating a father-son rift that will never heal.

“I saw my dad humiliated at borders and checkpoints,” said Dabis, who visited the West Bank frequently as a child.

“He confronted the soldiers, and they started screaming at him, and I was convinced they were going to kill him.”

‘Blowback’

Though the film centers on a single family and is deeply personal in nature, the divisive nature of its subject matter means “All That’s Left Of You” is certain to provoke criticism.

Dabis says that the film does not set out to be political, but accepts that the impression is unavoidable.

“We can’t tell our stories without having to answer to some political questions,” she told AFP.

“We should be able to share our life experiences and tell our personal and family stories and share our points of view without having to contend with blowback.

“So often we do end up fearing it, even before we have told the story.”

That political reality reared again in October 2023, when the Hamas attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 47,306 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

Dabis and her team fled, and completed the film by using locations in Jordan, Cyprus and Greece standing in for her ancestral homeland.

“I’m actually still shocked that we finished the film,” Dabis told the premiere audience.

It does not yet have a theatrical distributor.

‘Dearth of our stories’

Also premiering at Sundance on Sunday is documentary “Coexistence My Ass!”

It follows Jewish peace activist-turned-comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi, as she constructs a one-woman show and grapples with the consequences of Israel’s military campaign.

“As an activist, I reached 20 people, and in a viral video mocking dictators, I reached 20 million people,” she told AFP, admitting she is “anxious” about how the film will be received.

Earlier this week, “No Other Land,” a film by a Palestinian-Israeli activist collective about Palestinians displaced by Israeli troops and settlers in the West Bank, earned an Oscar nomination for best documentary feature.

It still does not have a US distributor.

“The industry has to ask itself… there obviously is a need for these films, people want to see these films,” said “Coexistence My Ass!” director Amber Fares.

“I do think that perhaps in the last few years, we have seen a shift,” added Dabis.

“People are understanding that there’s a dearth of our stories.. and that our stories are really missing from the mainstream narrative.”

The Punjab government has decided to impose a lifetime ban on actors, especially female dancers, involved in promoting “vulgarity, immorality, and indecency” during performances. It will also cancel the licenses of theatres where such performances are staged. 

The government has been considering strict action for a long time, especially against women dancers, on complaints of vulgar performances in theatres in the main cities of the province.

“We have decided to impose a lifetime ban on the actors in promoting vulgarity and indecency in theatres in the province. All theatres have also been instructed to comply with the rules. Violations will lead to show-cause notices followed by fines and eventually license cancellations,” Punjab’s Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari said in a meeting with theatre owners on Saturday.

She expressed her displeasure at the owners’ complicity in allowing vulgarity in their theatres.

The government plans to introduce new laws to support theatres producing family-oriented plays. Bokhari also directed the Punjab Arts Council to obtain undertakings from all theatre owners that they would not allow “obscene or immoral” performances at their theatres anymore.

“Under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, no permission will be given for vulgarity and indecency in theatres. Theatres in Punjab should produce dramas that are family-friendly and attract families,” Bokhari added.

She suggested that theatre plays should focus on social themes to guide and inspire the public.

“Punjab’s theatres were once renowned globally for their unique identity and quality. The government is planning new legislation for theatres soon. It will fully support the theatre owners if they produce family-oriented plays,” she said.

A couple of months ago, the Punjab government, under Maryam Nawaz, launched an anti-obscenity drive forming a seven-member advisory committee to make commercial theatre plays “civilized and family-friendly.”

Agg lavan majboori nu, aan jaan di pasoori nu. These powerful lyrics from Coke Studio’s mega hit Pasoori have now set a new record, crossing a billion streams worldwide.

Coke Studio’s producer, music maestro Xulfi who has been a driving force behind Coke Studio’ success shared the exciting news on his Instagram. He posted a picture holding a frame celebrating the one billion streams and wrote a heartfelt caption expressing his gratitude and pride.

Xulfi reflected on the incredible journey of bringing Pakistan music to the global stage “When we embarked on this mission of creating global hits from Pakistan through Coke Studio, it was before we started working on the songs. We know and believe in our country’s potential. And we know that our music and art community is getting stronger.”

Xulfi also thanked the global audience for their love and support, expressing deep gratitude for making this achievement possible.

“This and literally everything happens because of you, the listeners, the audience. Audiences from all over the world ♥ Shukriya for showing how much love you’ve for art and artists. Shukriya for listening and supporting with all your heart,” he said.

Xulfi’s words of appreciation didn’t stop there he congratulated the team behind the Pasoori song, including lead singer Ali Sehti, Shae Gill and Abdullah Siddiqui. He also thanked the visual storytellers, Kamal Kay and Hashim Ali, whose worked helped bring Pasoori to life with stunning visuals.

“Congratulations to everyone who’s been a part of Pasoori

@giraffemusicpk @sherrykhattak @zparwez

✨♥

@coke_studio

@youtube

@youtubemusic,” Xulfi concluded.

Earlier, if there’s one thing you need to see on the internet, it’s Coke Studio’s season 14’s song ‘Pasoori’. The song has over 113 million views on YouTube since its release three months ago and is playing on the radio everywhere, from the United Arab Emirates to Canada. All seem fully captivated by song sung by Ali Sethi and Shae Gill.

Before we dwell on the magical journey of the Punjabi lyrical composition, let’s first understand what the word ‘pasoori’ means.

 

‘Pasoori’ is a Punjabi word loosely translated in two ways in Urdu as ‘kashmakash‘and ‘jaldbazi/teezi’ meaning difficulty/conflict and impatience/hasty.

Punjabi speakers casually use this word as “Enu bari pasoori pai hoi ay [This person is facing some difficult situation or this person is very impatient]”

Majestic words written by Ali Sethi and Fazal Abbas, definitely have taken everyone on a listening spree. ‘Pasoori’ turns all angst into art, with its lyrics signifying the need to celebrate artistic self-expression.

Famous television host Mathira has expressed her anger over an inappropriate video shared by social media personality Chahat Fateh Ali Khan.

A few days ago, Khan appeared on Mathira’s show and later shared a video clip from the program on his Instagram, which quickly went viral.

In the video, Chahat Fateh is seen forcefully attempting to hug Mathira and shake her hand.

It is evident that the host is uncomfortable with his actions and tries to distance herself from him.

Reacting strongly to the video on her show, Mathira asserted that it was recorded from an inappropriate angle without her consent and shared on social media without her permission.

“Whenever a guest comes to our show, I respect them and treat them with love and kindness, but making a video in this way was a very bad move. Being bold does not mean that anyone will see and hug me,”  Mathira responded during her show, addressing the inappropriate video.

“I was feeling very uncomfortable. This video was not made with our cameras, but by Chahat Fateh without permission. My team and I did not know that this video was made. The show’s cameras are somewhere else, while this video was made from another place, which is not allowed,” she explained.

“As a woman, all this was painful because I do not do all these things to hug people,” she remarked.

Mathira also revealed that, despite posting the video without permission, he neither took it down when asked nor apologised.

The host further warned her viewers not to hug her or try to shake her hand if they see her in public.

Mathira concluded by explaining that she was ready to leave the set, with her car parked outside when Chahat Fateh Ali Khan recorded the video. She left the set immediately afterwards.