Category: Entertainment

Singer and rapper Talha Anjum has retained the top slot among Pakistani artists for the second year in a row as Spotify Wrapped 2025 reveals musicians, songs and albums that dominated the music streaming app this year.

Spotify reported a 70 percent rise in music consumption in Pakistan in 2025, showing that the local music scene is growing faster than ever.

Anjum’s tracks, along with his collaborations with Umair, dominated the charts, especially in hip-hop, which grew by 35 percent in Pakistan in 2025.

His albums My Terrible Mind and Open Letter, created with Umair, featured among the top Pakistani albums of the year. He also appeared in the Top 5 songs list alongside Umair, Hasan Raheem and other rising stars, proving his consistent impact on listeners.

While hip-hop leads the momentum, long-time favourites like Atif Aslam and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan continue to resonate, showing that Pakistani audiences enjoy both new hits and timeless music.

Spotify Wrapped 2025 also introduced new features like Wrapped Party, Listening Archive and Listening Age, letting listeners explore their personal music habits in a fun and interactive way.

Singer Natasha Baig has called TV host, drama critic and actor Nadia Khan out, saying that while she “was once beautiful and graceful”, she has “not been able to maintain her charm and dignity over time”.

Responding to a fan’s question about Khan’s behaviour, Baig, in a video on TikTok, said she knew Khan because of her mother.

“I have always seen my mother praise her,” she said. 

“In the early days of her career, she was a very good actress, host and model, and she was very beautiful.”

However, she said the host was now among the stars “who could not maintain their peak gracefully and lost their popularity over time”.

“Her charm has also decreased. I like her, but her current phase is not good.”

“I pray that all stars can maintain their peak with dignity,” the singer added.

The video sparked widespread reactions from fans, many of whom agreed with her and criticised Khan’s behaviour. 

“You have given words to our thoughts and feelings,” wrote one.

Another commented, “She is so right.” A third added, “Agree .”

It may be noted that other showbiz personalities have also criticised Nadia Khan in recent months. 

Actor and director Yasir Hussain publicly slammed Khan’s drama-review style on her show ‘Kya Drama Hai’, mocking her work and contrasting it with his own. 

Saba Faisal also called her out for unfairly criticising fellow actors’ performances.

Director Haseeb Hasan also responded critically when Khan mocked one of his drama ‘Janet Se Aaye’.

One of the most famous debutante events in Paris was attended by a young woman bearing a name steeped in South Asian history.

 Ella Wadia, the great-great-granddaughter of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, took part in this year’s Le Bal des Débutantes, joining a select group of women from distinguished families worldwide.

Le Bal is held each year at the Shangri-La Paris hotel, which once served as the home of Prince Roland Bonaparte. Each year, only 20 participants under 21 are invited, making it one of the most exclusive social gatherings of its type. 

Ella’s involvement captured attention as her lineage connecting her to Jinnah through his daughter Dina Wadia, who married Neville Wadia from the Parsi Wadia family, came up. Their son, Nusli Wadia, eventually became the chairman of the Wadia Group. Nusli’s son Jehangir Wadia is Ella’s father, while her mother, Celina Wadia, is a fashion designer.

Ella donned a strapless dress created in partnership with Elie Saab. She was among debutantes from various parts of the world, including Carolina Lansing, Isabelle d’Orleans, Lady Araminta Spencer-Churchill, Jillian Chan, Eulalia de Orleans-Borbón, Almudena Dailly de Orleans, Ruby Kemper, Alice Wang, Eugenia of Hohenzollern, Bronwyn Vance, and Eliza Lindroth. 

The event’s dress code permitted any colour aside from black or white, with each participant collaborating with a couture house to craft a bespoke gown for the event.

The origins of the event date back to 1958, when it was known as the Crillon Ball. It has served as a meeting place for young women from prominent families, including those connected to entertainment, business, and public roles. 

Previous editions have featured participants such as Margaret Qualley, Lily Collins, Lori Harvey, Ava Phillippe, and Scout and Tallulah Willis.

Le Bal is coordinated by event planner Ophélie Renouard, who manages the selection process. In an interview with ELLE regarding the criteria for selection, she remarked, “It’s like casting a play,” highlighting that the decision involves assessing each individual’s fashion sense, uniqueness, and academic achievements. 

Renouard has emphasized that the event is not based on marital customs traditionally associated with debutante balls. Rather, she frames it as an event focused on the participants and their experiences.

Ella participated in the event with her contemporaries at the 2025 edition, continuing a family legacy that has traversed Karachi, Bombay, and now Paris over several generations.

Television host Fiza Ali is known for not holding back on her views and true to form, she has openly criticised Nida Yasir for her recent comments about food delivery riders, saying that tipping may not be mandatory, but insulting someone is completely wrong.

Speaking about their daily struggles, Fiza said that while people relax at home after placing orders, riders sacrifice their sleep, comfort, and even risk their lives to deliver food. 

“They ride through heavy rain, storms, and harsh weather just so our food reaches us,” she said.

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She questioned whether people ever think about the families waiting for the riders at home. “Some mother must be waiting for her son. A child must be hoping his father comes home early. Many riders have only one bike, their only means of livelihood,” she said.

Fiza also highlighted the rude behavior riders often face. “We get angry if we don’t get change, we misbehave if the order is delayed, and we argue over tips,” she said. She stressed that while tipping is not compulsory, insulting someone is never acceptable.

Calling for basic humanity, Fiza said, “Riders are not machines. They are humans with feelings and responsibilities. If you show kindness today, Allah will help you in your difficult moments tomorrow.”

She also pointed out that people easily spend 500 rupees on food but hesitate to offer even 20 rupees to riders. “Delivery may be late, but humanity should never be late,” she added.

Fiza reminded the public that riders support entire households. “They are not just workers, they are someone’s father, someone’s son,” she said. She ended her message by saying, “I hope my message reaches you all. Please take care of yourselves, and respect those who work hard for us every day.”

Earlier this week, Nida Yasir discussed food delivery riders on her morning show Good Morning Pakistan. Referring to the issue of change, she said, “Food delivery riders never seem to have change. If you tip them out of your own will, that’s completely fine but when they falsely claim they don’t have change, I always ask my driver to go and get it.”

She added, “When they’re made to wait and end up reaching their next deliveries late, then they understand. It has become a habit with many of them.” Actress Nadia Khan and other guests reacted with nods and jokes as they shared similar experiences.

The discussion sparked mixed reactions on social media. While some users related to Nida Yasir’s statement and shared similar experiences, many others strongly criticised her remarks and sided with Fiza Ali, calling for empathy, respect, and better treatment of delivery riders.

Veteran actress Sangeeta created a whole lot of buzz after she shared an awkward memory involving Saud Qasmi and his affair with Meera during an episode of Mazaq Raat.

Sangeeta told host Imran Ashraf that she once visited Saud’s home during a film shoot to check why he was not showing up for the call time.

 She said she asked him, “Why aren’t you coming? What’s the reason?” She added that Saud kept looking toward a corner where a huge pile of clothes lay. “Meera was hiding in that pile. She didn’t want Saud to work with Resham. She wasn’t letting him come to the shoot.”

The clip immediately went viral on social media and prompted a direct response from Saud’s wife Javeria. 

Taking to Instagram, she wrote, “Applause for you for hiding behind a veil of innocence while digging up forgotten chapters simply to stain a family man’s dignity. That’s quite an art. But this story can’t shake our relationship, which stands strong with love and trust, nor can it touch his character in any way. Try something else for cheap publicity!”

Fans quickly shared their opinions under the video. One user wrote, “So sad she talked like this.” Another user said, “Javairya is absolutely right.”

Some people defended Sangeeta. A user commented, “Dear she is just telling the reality.” Another person wrote, “Be mature Javeria Bibi.. don’t overreact.”

Javeria Saud is a well known Pakistani actress, producer and host who gained wide popularity through her long running dramas including Yeh Zindagi Hai. She and her husband Saud run multiple production projects together.

Saud Qasmi has worked in films and television since the 1990s. The couple married in 2005 and are parents to two children, Jannat and Ibrahim. They also operate JJS Productions.

The death of three-year-old Ibrahim near Nipa Chowrangi has left the entertainment industry in deep grief. 

Ibrahim went out for shopping with his parents when he fell into an open manhole and died. Rescue teams found his body 15 hours later. His was laid to rest on Monday.

Celebrities reacted with shock and anger as they questioned the failure of the authorities.

Actor Ahsan Khan said, “An open manhole in a public, high-traffic area is 100% the responsibility of the municipal authorities. Maaf kar dena, Ibrahim. Missing manhole covers, stolen covers sold for scrap, zero monitoring, and no emergency nighttime response, what a shame. Karachi has seen 20 to 24 deaths this year because of open manholes and drains.”

Acctress Sajal Aly also expressed frustration on her Instagram story. 

She wrote, “Extremely sad and heartbroken. Shame on whoever was responsible for this. Who is responsible for Karachi? Who is responsible for this collapsing, failed system? A child lost his life today, and I cannot even begin to imagine what his parents are going through.”

“They must have been waiting for a miracle, but because we have no functioning system, there was no one to save him. Roads nahi hain, koi system nahi hai. A city that carries the weight of millions, yet receives no care in return,” she added.

Mahira Khan also did not hold back: “I saw the video where the mother cries for her child. Who is responsible for this? The level of insensitivity is unbelievable.”

Actress Fatima Effendi criticised the administration: “The government collects crores through e-challans. Can they not use that money to cover manholes on the roads?”

Actor Durefishan pointed towards the lack of accountability. She wrote, “How politicians need to be questioned in a ‘democratic’ country. We need to ask them for accountability loudly and without fear. Praying for the safety of this brave journalist, for the child’s family, and for the people of Karachi who keep suffering because of the same incompetence again and again. Shame.”

Many other celebrities also demanded strict action to prevent such tragedies in the future.