Category: Entertainment

  • ‘Disrespectful’: Resham, others slam Javed Akhtar for insensitive comment at the Faiz Festival in Lahore

    ‘Disrespectful’: Resham, others slam Javed Akhtar for insensitive comment at the Faiz Festival in Lahore

    Indian poet Javed Akhtar’s comments about Mumbai attacks at the recent Faiz Festival circulated heavily on social media. Akhtar attacked Pakistan for refusing to hold accountable the terrorists behind 26/11 attacks. He also said that India had always honored and celebrated the legacies of Pakistani musicians like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mehdi Hassan, but Pakistan refused to do the same thing.

    https://twitter.com/AzharMKhan3/status/1628273074033549312?s=20

    Pakistani actors have slammed the Indian screen writer for his inappropriate comments and especially for misleading the audience into believing that Indian actors and musicians were not respected in Pakistan.
    Actor Ejaz Aslam criticized Akhtar for refusing to own up to the destruction India had done in Kashmir, instead of hating on the country that had invited him as a guest.

    “Mr javed akhtar would you mind shedding some light on Kashmir issue ? You shouldn’t have come if you have so much hatred for pakistan, we still let u go back safely & thats our answer to your nonsense”

    Actress Saboor Aly reacted to the celebrities who were praising Javed Akhtar at the mehfil, and said she was ashamed that they refused to set professional boundaries towards someone who had disrespected them in this manner. She also felt that it was shameful how many local celebrities who are equally as talented are not given the honor and respect Akhtar was given for three days.

    “These people were celebrating someone who had insulted them in their own home, and then sat at his feet and singing praises. What a shame! So-called educated people. You have never respected your own talent the same way. Some of the biggest stars in this country had passed away in severe circumstances when they didn’t even have any money to pay for their operation. Where were these people then who respected talent so much?”

    Fashion designer Zara Shahjahan criticized the elite participants who had attended the conference where Javed Akhtar had said this, and also later had hosted a mehfil for him.

    “He was not just allowed to come to Pakistan, he was allowed to shit on Pakistan and then the Lahori “fake” elite hosted a party for him where they cried on his knees.”

    Actress Resham, who had also shared video clips of attending the mehfil hosted by Ali Zafar where Akhtar was honored, gave her defence on her Instagram stories. She shared that she deeply respected her country and its people, and was not aware of the comments he had made.

    “I hold my country Pakistan in deep respect, and was not aware of the type of comments Javed Akhtar had made at the conference on the Faiz Festival that day. I condemn his words. As per our customs of special treatment, we consider guests God’s mercy but Pakistan is more precious to us than our hearts and lives.”

  • Fact check: No one clapped after his Mumbai comment as claimed by Indian media, Akhtar

    Fact check: No one clapped after his Mumbai comment as claimed by Indian media, Akhtar

    Javed Akhtar and the Indian media are congratulating themselves for “dushman kay ghar mein ja kar usko marna” after his comments criticizing Pakistan for not taking strict action against the terrorists responsible for 26/11 Mumbai attacks went viral.
    In an interview with NDTV channel, Akhtar claimed that Pakistanis had clapped when he had made the remark, and agreed with him.
    “They all clapped. They agreed with me. There are many people who admire India, want to have a relationship with us. We tend to think of countries as monolith. That is not the case. How do we connect with millions of people, who want to connect with India,” he stated.

    However, the statement is incorrect as according to the complete video of Javed Akhtar’s response to a question from an audience member, there was complete silence during his Mumbai comments.

    Only after the host, Adeel Hashmi, asked another question can scattered applause be heard, signaling that the audience was applauding the end of a guest’s response to a question and not a specific comment like they had done before after Akhtar’s comment on Lata.

    The audience did appreciate another comment by the Indian poet. Javed Akhtar had said that Indian musicians were not celebrated in Pakistan:
    “We [India] have held concerts for people like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mehdi Hassan, but your country has not held a concert for Lata.”
    This statement is also incorrect as Indian musicians and actors have been honored with some of the highest awards given by the Pakistani government and especially have been invited to talks in Pakistani cities.
    Journalist Yusra Askari shared pictures of the Bollywood actors and singers who had received accolades in Pakistan.

  • Kiran Ashfaque talks about her divorce with Imran Ashraf in a Q&A session on Instagram

    Kiran Ashfaque talks about her divorce with Imran Ashraf in a Q&A session on Instagram

    Actor Imran Ashraf announced last year that he and his wife Kiran Ashfaque had chosen to part ways after four years of marriage. Both had not addressed the reason why they had decided to end their marriage, until now Ashfaque held a Q&A session with her fans on her Instagram stories, where she spoke out about why she had chosen to get a divorce.

    When a fan had asked Ashfaque about why she chose to end her marriage to Ashraf, she had responded:

    “Not all that glitters is gold.”

    Among the other questions, Ashfaque was also asked about whether she had felt insecure and awkward when other people asked her a lot of questions about her divorce, to which she proudly let other women who followed her know that becoming a divorcee isn’t a stain on your identity, and it was empowering to escape a situation that wasn’t helping you grow.

    “This will not go on for long. We will keep dealing with it with a smile.”

    Other followers also asked her why she had chosen to leave Ashraf to which she had said

    “Why don’t you go and ask him yourself.”

    One of the common ways society shames women for seeking their independence or for escaping repressive situations is by labelling them as ‘bold’ a term associated with women who refuse to break themselves down for the sake of keeping others happy. When a fan asked Ashfaque about other people calling her bold for choosing to get a divorce, she addressed it in the most badass way.

    “I was always a very bold person but I changed myself for someone else. My advise to anyone out there is that they should never change themselves for anyone else.”

    Ashfaque also had advice for another woman who asked her how to deal with society’s taunts, after she got divorced when she was 22. Ashfaque replied by telling her that she should never allow other people to dictate her life choices.
    “Why did you allow them to do that? Never give anyone permission to disrespect you.”

  • ‘Stop spinning the truth’: social media users are furious with Farhan Saeed after he defended attending Hum Awards during floods

    ‘Stop spinning the truth’: social media users are furious with Farhan Saeed after he defended attending Hum Awards during floods

    A tweet comparing the response of Turkish actors during earthquake response to Pakistani actors who had flown to Canada to attend Hum Awards during the floods in Pakistan triggereda debate on the micro blogging website, eventually eliciting a response from Farhan Saeed.

    “First, revenue gen was for flood victims. Sec, all these telethons that happen in Pak, artists raise funds. For all the Shaukat K. hospitals, artists have raised most of the funds with IK , but with inferiority complex like yours , you’ll always like others better. So carry on”, the former member of the Jal band had written.

    Saeed’s response received intense backlash on Twitter as users pointed out that the ‘Suno Chanda’ actor had not done anything to promote awareness for floods, and is responding in a dismissive manner to critics.

    Users also criticized his insensitive comment and not being able to recognize the insensivity the actors had portrayed when they had refused to use their platform to gather resources for the floods of Pakistan

    “i get where you are coming from, but right now, it is not about the revenue but about the angle of insensitivity that cannot be brushed under the rug, the award show was happening at the EXACT same time when millions of people had lost their homes and lives in the floods.”

    Many users are called Saeed tone deaf in the comments


  • ‘I don’t feel comfortable with slapping scenes’: Bushra Ansari

    ‘I don’t feel comfortable with slapping scenes’: Bushra Ansari

    Bushra Ansari’s currently winning hearts as the strict mother-in-law on the ARY drama ‘Tere Bin’, however it seems like the actor isn’t too comfortable with the character’s cold, selfish nature. Especially in a particular scene where her character Maa Begum slaps Meerab for dancing.
    In a behind the scenes interiew, Ansari confessed that she finds slapping scenes quite difficult to perform:
    “The one thing that I don’t like is slapping people, and I get incredibly upset over it. Not just girls, but with boys as well I have to give a lot of re-takes. In a lot of previous dramas I had to slap actors like my own son. I slapped Wahaj, Ahsan Khan and then Mikaal Zulfiqar…Just one thing I would change about her character is how much she slaps people. Because it breaks my heart. Allah karay I never have to come across such a situation.”
    Ansari also explained the mindset and personality of Maa Begam, and elaborated on how when Meerab began dancing at her wedding, she challenged this mindset which is why she was slapped.
    “I (my character) have a set of rules like ‘this is my house, this is my family and these are my rules, and this isn’t right that my daughter-in-law is dancing at wedding. But no one would find this to be proper, as this is a part of our own culture… I see women now days are dancing at their wedding and wearing full makeup. Back in our days we had a tradition that a bride would wear no makeup so that her face would glow.”

    You can watch the complete interview here:

  • Sanam Jung debunks rumor’s about wearing fat-suit for ‘Pyari Mona’

    Sanam Jung has told iBBC Urdu that she does not wear a fat-suit in her latest drama on Hum TV ‘Pyari Mona’ in which she plays the role of a plus-sized woman.

    In the interview, Jung addressed the backlash the show was receiving that she wore a fat suit in some episodes.

    “When I first went over, they told me that I didn’t have the right look and I had to gain 20kg in order to be perfect for the role. At first I had refused, but then when I started falling in love with Mona then I thought ‘okay we have to do this’. Because we had made a body suit for Mona which was stuffed with cotton and was quite heavy, like a thick blanket. It completely covered me, and I had to shoot in the summers. So we did multiple trials, and when I wore it, my face looked small and my body looked big. Then we decided that I have to eat more for this role. At first I gained five kilos, that was not enough. Then I gained around 7 to 8 kilos, then my director was happy. He said ‘Now you are looking just like Mona!’ I stopped going to the gym because I had to stay in a character as long as the shoots were going on, so I pushed my diet plans to the side. I ate all sorts of food, because my character was even eating on set, and I couldn’t pretend like I was eating and then spit it out from the other side. I really enjoyed the process of becoming Mona.”

    Jung also opened up about the reason why she chose to do ‘Pyaari Mona’, revealing that she had also faced the same struggles that her character did. Originally, Jung had rejected the drama, but when a year later she again offered the role, she decided to do it.

    “This is my story. I have been through it. As in not literally with her family. But with society, and the people, I have gone through all of it. Other than that, I also thought there are so many people who are going through the same issue. So for them, and for myself I have found such an important story to tell… I felt it was an important message because we will keep doing ordinary plays with the boy and girl and they fall in love. But this was a different, message-oriented play. So I read it and I fell in love with Mona.”

    You can watch the full interview here:

  • ‘I have never pressurized Ayeza to spend her own money’: Danish Taimoor

    ‘I have never pressurized Ayeza to spend her own money’: Danish Taimoor

    Actor Danish Taimoor was a guest on “The Talk Talk Show” where among many things, he opened up about his relationship with wife Ayeza Khan , who is also an actor. The two have been married since 2014 and have two children.
    In the interview, Taimoor revealed that he always made sure that the couple’s household expenses would remain his responsibility, and that whatever Ayeza had earned in her career would solely belong to her, leaving her free she to do whatever she liked with it.

    “I do this because even in Islam, this is what we’ve been told to do,” said the actor. “What ever earnings your spouse makes, these are her own and for me to even use Rs1 from it is haram. If its her intention, then she may give it to me if she wishes. But anything regarding grocery or household, I tell her that it is solely my responsiblity,” he categorically said.

    Taimoor also talked about those roles that attracted a lot of public criticism in dramas like Deewangi and Kaisi Teri Khudgarzi. He said that it was not his responsibility to become a teacher, as he was an entertainer:
    “Do not connect these characters with myself…I don’t take responsibility for all of this. I am here to entertain public, otherwise I would have become a teacher.”

    You can watch the complete interview below:

  • ‘The right to love shouldn’t be a privilege’: actor Swara Bhasker marries Muslim political activist

    ‘The right to love shouldn’t be a privilege’: actor Swara Bhasker marries Muslim political activist

    Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker has married political activist Fahad Ahmed on __ in a court wedding. The actress shared pictures of the wedding on her Twitter account, showing the couple with her parents and loved ones.
    She put up a picture of herself signing the papers with her husband and revealed that she had gotten married under the Special Marriage Act.

    “Three cheers for the #SpecialMarriageAct (despite notice period etc.) At least it exists & gives love a chance… The right to love, the right to choose your life partner, the right to marry, the right to agency these should not be a privilege.”

    In another tweet, the actress revealed she had worn her mother’s sari and jewelry for the special occasion.

    “So blessed to be supported and cheered by the love of family and friends like family! Wore my mother’s sari & her jewellery.. made @FahadZirarAhmad wear colour 🙂 and we registered under the #SpecialMarriageAct Now to prep for shehnaii-wala shaadi”

    Bhaskar has also addressed why she opted for a simple wedding despite the recent spate of lavish celebrity weddings like Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani. In an op-ed for The Week, the actress readers that weddings are a promise to remain faithful to each other rather than an opportunity to gain sponsorship or likes on Instagram.

    ‘The social media-fuelled wedding mania has also led to a fundamental shift in our fiscal values. This is a shift that consumer capitalism enabled EMI culture of ‘work hard, spend big’ has already engendered in the millennial generation, but the fantasy wedding craze generates a whole other set of fiscal habits. And, these are not very healthy!’

  • Bruce Willis has dementia, condition has ‘progressed’

    Bruce Willis has dementia, condition has ‘progressed’

    In a statement shared on social media on Thursday, Bruce Willis’ family, including his wife Emma Hemming Willis, ex-wife Demi Moore and daughters- announced that the former actor is suffering from frontotemporal dementia.


    The statement shared that although there is no treatment for the dementia, the family hoped that in spreading awareness about Willi’s condition will encourage research on the neurodegenerative disease.

    “For people under 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and because getting the diagnosis can take years, FTD is likely much more prevalent than we know. Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead. As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.”


    The actor’s family had disclosed in 2022 that he was suffering from aphasia, which was affecting his cognitive abilities and thus he would be retiring from acting.
    “Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately. We know in our hearts that – if he could today — he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families.”

    Frontotemporal dementia primarily affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, causing atrophy in these regions, leading to either personality changes or loss of communication. The disease can be inherited but can occur independent of genetic inheritance too. It is progressive with no known cure.

  • ‘Ye kya chal raha hai’: social media curious after Urvashi Rautela wishes Naseem Shah ‘happy birthday’

    ‘Ye kya chal raha hai’: social media curious after Urvashi Rautela wishes Naseem Shah ‘happy birthday’

    Yesterday social media lit up once more on speculations on what exactly is going on between Urvashi Rautela and Pakistan cricket pacer Naseem Shah. Sparks flew in September 2022 when the Bollywood actor shared an edited video of her and the 19 year old cricket player. When asked about the video by the media, Rautela responded by saying that the video was made by her fans, and she didn’t know the other person in it.
    Now this time, fans are convinced daal main kuch kaala hai when under a post where Shah had sent good wishes to Shadab Khan for his wedding, Rautela posted a birthday wish to the cricket player.

    “Happy birthday @inaseemshah congratulations on being conferred with honorary DSP rank”

    This smol but meaningful interaction has fans scratching their heads regarding the bond between Naseem Shah and Rautela.

    https://twitter.com/WarisKh73892101/status/1625883223145459713?s=20