Brooklyn-based Pakistani singer, Arooj Aftab who recently won a Grammy Award for her song, Mohabbathas shared her conversation with the Korean pop group, BTS during the main event.
At the request of the Pakistani ARMY, Arooj made a special video to share the experience of her interaction with BTS.
Aftab said that she went up to them and asked to take a photo. BTS members congratulated the singer while taking a photo. When she told “the Pakistani BTS ARMY loves you”, BTS said, “Thanks”.
Arooj also mentioned the man, Hafeez Hoshiarpuri, behind the beautiful song, Mohabbat who wrote the poetry of it. She gave huge respect to him and all those who contributed to her success.
On the question about the Grammy award, it would mail with her printed name. There is a rule in Grammy Awards that management takes back the award and then delivers it with your winner’s name on it via mail.
Veteran Bollywood actor Zeenat Aman has carved her own niche in the Hindi film industry over the decades, the Don star has at multiple occasions opened up about being abused by her former husband Sanjay Khan.
Sanjay, was married to another woman, model Zarine Katrak with three children when he fell in love with the actress on the sets of film Abdullah.
She tied the knot with Khan at Jaisalmer in 1978 and got separated in 1979. Many warned Zeenat when she was to get married to Sanjay. But, according to Cine Blitz magazine, she defended him saying “I love this man. Don’t you understand? I will back his every move and I will make him a king one day.”
Things between Sanjay and Zeenat became ugly in 1980, according to an article by The Quint, the actor was reported thrashing Zeenat Aman black and blue at a five-star hotel in Mumbai.
things between Sanjay and Zeenat became ugly in 1980, according to an article by The Quint, the actor was reported thrashing Zeenat Aman black and blue at a five-star hotel in Mumbai. This didn’t happen in a close chamber, instead, as per the Cine Blitz magazine and few other media reports, there were several onlookers present, who didn’t lift even a single finger to help the ace actress.
This didn’t happen in a close chamber, instead, as per the Cine Blitz magazine and few other media reports, there were several onlookers present, who didn’t lift even a single finger to help the ace actress.
Sanjay summoned the actress in Mumbai, while she was shooting in Lonavala for some other project. He was furious and demanded Zeenat to leave everything at once and reshoot a portion of a song from their flick, Abdullah. But, Zeenat refused to do so, as she was busy with other work commitments. In response, Sanjay Khan accused her of being sexually involved with the makers of the film.
Naturally, Zeenat felt disrespected and she was exasperated from Sanjay’s accusations against her. In order to clear the air and talk to her ex-husband, she immediately left for Sanjay’s house. As he was partying at the Taj hotel, she decided to meet there. Zarine, Sanjay’s first wife was also present at the party. While Zeenat intended to just discuss her dates with the actor, their conversation scaled up turning the atmosphere of the party cold.
Zeenat was still not willing to make a scene, but she was unaware of what was coming next for her. Sanjay took the actress to an adjoining room, and as per a report by The Quint, he beat her up. Cine Blitz and a few media publications also claimed that every time the actress fell, Sanjay lifted her up by her hair and continued hitting her. Unfortunately, this was not it. At this point, Sussanne Khan’s mother and Sanjay’s current wife, Zarine Katrak entered the chamber and began cheering her husband on.
The news first came out when Cine Blitz, printed an article about the same. Here are some pictures from the magazine that describe the incident.
While Zeenat was being beaten up the guests of the party stood like statues, it was a worker of the hotel, who rescued Zeenat. After all this, she was in the hospital for weeks. Due to the accident, her jaw was broken, which was set right surgically. But, her beautiful eyes were never the same.
Her right eye was irreparably damaged. The worst part is, it wasn’t the first time that Sanjay had beaten his ex-wife. Zeenat’s doctor revealed to Cine Blitz, “Once before she was given a black eye and kicked in the ribs so hard that I insisted on an X-Ray for fear of a crack.”
During or after her recovery, Zeenat didn’t report Sanjay Khan to the police, because it is believed that she was still in love with him.
Morning show host Shaista Lodhi is currently hosting PTV’s morning show, she recently invited celebrity couple of Faizan Sheikh and Maham Aamir and played a customised rapid fire round with them.
On being asked for an advice for actor Aagha Ali, the Mera Naam Yousaf Hai star was quick to state that, “Aagha should act more and never host.”
Host Shaista gave a dramatic response to his statement and walked away from the camera while controlling her laughter, whereas Maham was slightly embarrassed on his blunt response.
He continued, “Shazia once asked that who shouldn’t host? To which I answered that Aagha shouldn’t.” Especially when you are co-hosting, you should let the co-host do their job also.”
Actress Maham Aamir also stated that, “their shouldn’t be a gender factor in hosting.” They hinted towards the Mere Bewafa star hosting The Couple Show with his wife Hina Altaf.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZTRd-Bowg4
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Earlier this year on his show Faizan has lashed out at Punjab government for halting the release of Abu Aleeha’s Javed Iqbal starring Yasir Hussain and Ayesha Omar.
The hosting duo of Faizan and Aadi Adeal Amjad criticised the decision and justified the film by saying that the film based on a serial killer has viewer rating of over 13 years old, so it shouldn’t be an issue in their perspective.
Aadi went onto compare it with the Hollywood biggie Joker, and asked that if they can release Joker then why not Javed Iqbal.
Abu Aleeha’s film Javed Iqbal: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer. The Ayesha Omar and Yasir Hussain-starrer, which is set for its countrywide premiere tomorrow (January 28) after several months of postponement, has had its release in Punjab halted by the Punjab government, according to the director.
The film is based on the investigation into Javed Iqbal, the serial killer who killed 100 young boys in Lahore and sent evidence of his crimes to the authorities and media in 1999. The film has been directed by Abu Aleeha who has written the screenplay of the film as well. It’s been produced by Javed Ahmed Kakepoto.
Several social media platforms reported about Javed Iqbal’s release being halted by the Punjab government, despite having clearance from all censor boards. The report was later confirmed by Abu Aleeha on Twitter. “The latest news is that [Chief Minister] Sardar Usman Buzdar’s government has stopped the showing of Javed Iqbal. This unwarranted action comes after the censor board approved the film, which is why we will be [taking the matter] to the high court,” he said.
The film had its Karachi premiere at Nueplex Cinema on January 25, attended by the cast and crew as well as other members of the entertainment fraternity.
Earlier, this year in July Faizan called out Pakistan’s justice system in a series of Instagram stories. The Mazedaar Show host slammed the system by adding hashtags reflecting violence against women and children in the country.
Veteran writer and one of the giants of Urdu novel in the country, Mustansar Hussain Tarar, has refused to accept the Kamal-i-Fun award announced by the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) in Islamabad. The writer claimed it was “controversial and tainted.”
The award was jointly announced for Tarar and Seraiki poet Dr Ashu Lal, who has already refused to accept the award immediately after its announcement, saying that he could not accept an award from ‘a fascist state that’s anti-people and anti-art’.
The Kamal-i-Fun award carries prize money of Rs1m too.
Tarar, famous for his novels and travelogues, raised the question as to why the tradition of the award was violated and the rules of the award ignored. He said the move was similar to dividing Sitara-i-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award of Pakistan, between two persons.
“It’s just ridiculous. Sometime back, I came to know the ‘half of the award’ has been awarded to Dr Ashu Lal. He, according to his ideology, refused to accept the award. I think he is right (in rejecting the award) because it was injustice not only to me, but to him as well that he had to share the award’.
Tarar said, “It’s difficult for me to accept the award that’s tainted and controversial. It’s against my creative integrity. That too at the age of 83 and after the creative process of 60 years. No, it’s not acceptable to me”.
However, he expressed gratitude to the members of the PAL committee for their love and kindness as they voted for him. “I am obliged to them and I hope they will understand my point of view”. At the end of his message he thanked his readers, saying that whatever status as a writer he had got was due to his readers. “I get a Kamal-i-Fun award from my readers on (publication of) my every book. They don’t consider me a half-writer but a complete writer.”
Tarar has already received Sitara-i-Imtiaz in the category of literature from the government of Pakistan for the year 2016.
On March 31, Dr Yousuf Khushk, chairman of PAL, announced the names of Mustansar Hussain Tarar and Dr Ashu Lal, selected for the Kamal-i-Fun award for 2020 after a meeting of the award committee at the PAL office. The selection for the award was made by a panel of writers and intellectuals, including Kishwar Nahid, Asghar Nadeem Syed, Mahmood Sham, Muhammad Izharul Haq, Dr Anwar Ahmad, Dr Rauf Parekh, Parveen Malik, Dr Riaz Majeed, Hafeez Khan, Mohammad Hameed Shahid, Dr Abaseen Yousufzai, Nasir Ali Syed, Dr Abdul Razaq Sabir, Dr Zulifqar Sial, Taj Joyo, Dr Ziaul Hasan, Dr Rubina Shaheen, Dr Qasim Naseem, Harris Khalique and Dr Wahid Bux Buzdar.
According to a press release issued by the academy, the Kamal-i-Fun award is bestowed upon a Pakistani writer in recognition of his/her literary services of lifetime. It was launched in 1997. The National Literary Award for books published in various national and regional languages of Pakistan was also announced on the occasion for the year 2020.
After his rejection of the award, Ashu Lal was hailed by the Seraiki speaking people for raising his voice against the state; however, some sections criticised him as well. Some others urged him to accept the award, terming it recognition of Seraiki language, but he remained adamant, due to his ideology. Now rejection of the literary award by Mustansar Hussain Tarar, considered by some as the most famous and the best living novelist of Urdu language from Pakistan, has raised more questions about it and the decision of the award committee.
PTI dissident Abdul Aleem Khan on Monday criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan and accused him of not being “sincere to the nation”.
Once a close aide of the PTI chairman, Aleem has grown disillusioned over the past few years and recently took a position against the party by deciding to support the joint opposition in the Punjab Assembly.
Talking to the media in Lahore today, he said he regretted dedicating 10 years of his life to the party. “I have supported the PTI with great loyalty, hard work and kept my ego aside. We thought there would be a Naya Pakistan in the face of Imran Khan,” he said.
“I’m sad that the person I spent 10 years of my life for is not sincere with the nation.”
Aleem criticised the premier over a number of issues ranging from the National Accountability Bureau “hounding” him to his insistence on retaining Usman Buzdar as the chief minister and then the nomination of PML-Q leader Pervez Elahi as the new Punjab CM.
Aleem rued that he had been branded a “traitor to the PTI” as he called out his critics and claimed that no one in the party had sacrificed more than him.
In a similar vein, he issued a challenge to the prime minister to bring forth any evidence of corruption against him, for which he said he was imprisoned for six months.
“Why wasn’t a reference made against me? What proof do you have? Bring it in front of the nation and tell them that these were Aleem Khan’s misdoings and corruption … I promise that if I turn out to be lying then I will shoot myself.” he said.
The PTI dissident levelled a number of allegations against Buzdar as well, saying that he was involved in bribery over transfers and postings in Punjab. He also accused Farah Khan, an associate of the first lady, of being complicit in these transfers.
He said any investigation would uncover who she (Farah) was forwarding the money of her alleged corruption while responding to a question about whether the first lady was also involved in supporting Farah.
Aleem criticised the prime minister for Sunday’s dissolution of the National Assembly as well, questioning what had stopped him from doing so before. He said that the premier could not dissolve the assemblies once a no-confidence resolution was submitted against him.
Actor Haroon Shahid took to his twitter handle to call out Aleem for his shocking remarks against Imran Khan.
#surprise@abdul_aleemkhan I remember working for you when I used to work at a digital media agency and we were running your social media pages. Bohat si baatain Hain waisay WhatsApp par meray paas 😁🤫 pic.twitter.com/h5zYbjMhOe
The Verna hero stated that he has many proofs against Aleem since the time he was working for the politician’s digital company, which he might spill to the media.
I think it would only make the workers and supporters more charged up if Khan Saab publicly expresses regret for all the people who had to vote for the likes of Amir Liaqat, Aleem Khan, Noor Alam etc. because electable politics was the need of the hour. I had to vote for Aleem 😢 https://t.co/tHj5IbUDIT
The Qayamat actor also express his regret on voting for Aleem in the past because of the PTI factor.
In April 2021, the Amanat star lauded the efforts of Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar for keeping the city of Lahore well-maintained.
“On a drive this morning I realized how well Lahore is maintained,” wrote the Qayamat actor on social media. “Yes, there was a phase when there were issues with the waste management but this morning was a pleasant surprise to see horticulture, waste management, and traffic police all doing their job well.”
“Well done Buzdar,” he added.
Haroon further said: “I’ve started to realise that Buzdar and his team have been working without many PR antics and their work is now showing.”
“There’s a whole PR cell working against him both from within and outside but frankly he’s slowly defying them with his work,” he added.
I've started to realize that Buzdar and his team have been working without many PR antics and their work is now showing. There's a whole PR cell working against him both from within and outside but frankly he's slowly defying them with his work.
Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan were all spotted spending with Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Alsaud, Saudi Arabia’s minister of culture, and Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, along with Mohammed Al Turki, Chairman of the Kingdom’s Red Sea International Film Festival.
Taking to Instagram, Alsaud dropped a series of images from his meeting with the above-mentioned stars, with a post that read: “Delighted to have engaged in insightful conversations on the beautiful world of films, exploring cross-cultural collaborations with Bollywood superstars @iamsrk @beingsalmankhan @akshaykumar #SaifAliKhan.”
Al Turki also posted a selfie with Shah Rukh with the location tag placing them at the Bollywood superstar’s seaside Mumbai home, Mannat.
With the Don 2 star wearing the same t-shirt that he had on in the pictures with Prince Badr could imply that the meeting took place at the actor’s home, with all the stars present.
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Saudi Arabia has been giving a big push to feature Bollywood entertainment, with Salman having performed in the country last December as part of the Riyadh Season, where his Da-bangg Reloaded tour also featured the likes of Shilpa Shetty Kundra, brother-in-law Aayush Sharma, Saiee Manjrekar, Maneish Paul and others perform live.
In January 2022, Joy Awards in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has awarded the “Personality Of The Year” award to Bollywood actor, Salman Khan.
The Bajrangi Bhaijaan hero shared his achievement on Instagram with his fans on Sunday. He was awarded by the Saudi Royal Court Advisor and Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alal Shikh in the ceremony.
Ek Tha Tiger star also met with Hollywood actor, John Travolta and introduced himself by saying, “I work in the Indian film industry, my name is Salman Khan” while shaking hands with the American actor.
On December 10, 2021, Saudi Arabia opened the doors for Bollywood to perform at the big event titled, Da-Bangg tour in Riyadh along with other actors including Shilpa Shetty, Jacqueline Fernandez, Prabhu Deva, Aayush Sharma, and Saiee Manjrekar.
Salman and his troupe’s power-packed performance saw a sea of fans attending the concert, making it a huge success.
Over the last three years, Bollywood actors Ananya Panday and Ishaan Khatter have been quite vocal about their love for each other.
Time and again, they have confirmed that their “relationship status” was no longer single and were even spotted together at multiple parties and holiday destinations.
According to Indian news website, Pinkvilla’s sources, Ananya and Ishaan have called it quits after being together for 3 long years. “The two bonded well on the sets of Khaali Peeli and that led to the beginning of a new journey. However, after living their lives together for 3 years, they have decided to finally end their relationship. It has been a mutual call and the things have ended on a positive note. The two will continue to be cordial going forward,” revealed a source close to the couple.
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The source insists that the two might even do a film together if an offer comes their way and are handling the breakup with maturity. “It’s all fine for them on the friendship front, and they have parted ways on a good note. They realised that their way of looking at things was a little different from each other and hence the decision,” the source concluded.
Interestingly, just a month back, Ishaan and Ananya were spotted together being the comfortable self at Shahid Kapoor’s birthday bash.
Senior actress Atiqa Odho has commented on social media, defending her contemporary Bushra Ansari after she received backlash for dancing on the ‘Mehendi’ ceremony of Sultana Siddiqui’s grandson.
The Humsafar actress took to Instagram to post her take on the debate.
Several celebrities graced the pre-wedding ceremony of Shahmir Shunaid, the grandson of Sultana Siddiqui. Bushra Ansari along with Azaan Sami Khan performed on a quirky dance number on the dance floor.
This was Bushra’s first public appearance after her sister Sumbul Shahid’s tragic demise. The Mera Naseeb star received backlash for her antics on the ceremony. The veteran actress took to Instagram to share her response on the backlash from netizens. “I was in a deep grief from last 3 months and that loss is going to be in our hearts till our last breathe. Two days ago it was a family dholki and all my friends were there insisting me to get out of the stress and my sadness.”
She continued by mentioning, “So this is a cheap weapon of telling elders that you are old and you have no right to be happy, why not ? I don’t understand why young kids feel insecure of older people,” the actress stated further. I m not answerable to any faceless troll because they never leave any one even after wearing hijab, so stop hurting people it’s also not allowed in Islam.”
Bushra can be seen currently in ARY Digital’s Pardes co-starring Sarmad Khoosat and Shaista Lodhi. Atiqa was last seen in Farooq Rind’s Pyar Ke Sadqay.
The much-awaited and crucial NA session started after a delay to hold the vote on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.. After the National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri on Sunday “dismissed” the no-confidence motion against (PM) Imran Khan, terming it against Article 5 of the Constitution, the legal war began.
PM Khan then addressed the nation, saying he had advised the President to dissolve the National Assembly, which the President approved. Khan preferred early elections after dodging a vote of no confidence.
Many prominent Pakistani celebrities have advocated for Imran Khan’s decision.
Faysal Qureshi, Saba Qamar, Samina Peerzada, Shan Shahid, Shahroz Sabzwari, and Shahveer Jafry among other artists extended support to Khan.
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Brooklyn-based Pakistani vocalist Arooj Aftab on Sunday scored her first Grammy, winning a prestigious trophy for her song Mohabbat in the Best Global Performance category.
The 37-year-old crooner who has lived in New York for some a decade and a half has been steadily gaining global attention for her work that fuses ancient Sufi traditions with inflections of folk, jazz, and minimalism.
She’s also up for the coveted Best New Artist prize, which will be presented during the main Grammy telecast later Sunday.
— Mano⁷ (will back soon) (@bts7besttt) April 3, 2022
The artist told journalists backstage at the pre-gala ceremony, at which the vast majority of awards are handed out. “I am beyond thrilled, it feels great.”
“I’ve been very nervous all day. And we’re off to a good start.”
Born to Pakistani parents in Saudi Arabia, Aftab spent her teenage years in Lahore before relocating to Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music to study music production and engineering.
She released her third studio album “Vulture Prince” to critical acclaim, and gained even more attention after former US President Barack Obama included the track Mohabbat on his 2021 summer favorites list.
Aftab has performed at a number of major New York venues including Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, also opening for Mitski at The Brooklyn Steel in 2018.
Speaking to AFP in the days leading up to the Grammys, Aftab praised her fellow artists nominated for Best New Artist, a crop that includes favorite Olivia Rodrigo along with rappers Saweetie and The Kid Laroi.
“We’re all so cool — the group itself is kind of like a win,” she said.
Earlier in November 2021, the Mehram star became the first Pakistani to receive a Grammy nomination.
Arooj was nominated for the Best Global Music Performance and Best New Artist category which is described as a “category that recognises an artist whose release achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.”
Other artists nominated for the same award were Jimmie Allen, Baby Keem, FINNEAS, Glass Animals, Japanese Breakfast, The Kid LAROI, Arlo Parks, Olivia Rodrigo, and Saweetie.
The 64th #GRAMMYs nominations are in. ✨ Congratulations to everyone!
🎶 More than 11,000 #RecordingAcademy voting members vote during the GRAMMY Awards process. 🎶 A total of 21,730 eligible entries were submitted for consideration.
Based in Brooklyn, Aftab has three solo albums to her credit. Her latest release is Vulture Prince. According to a profile published by a music app, the album is about “revisiting places that I’ve called mine,” said Aftab, “Places that don’t necessarily exist anymore. It’s about people, friendships, relationships.”
A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Aftab established herself as an indie artist by covering Amir Zaki’s Mera Pyar and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. She promoted her music online in Pakistan and taught herself to play the guitar.
Aftab has been nominated for her track Mohabbat. The song also made it to former US president Barack Obama’s summer playlist. As soon as Grammy nominations were announced, messages of support and love started pouring in for the artist.
Singer Fifi Haroon showed her excitement for Aftab on Twitter.
WOW! Pakistani singer #AroojAftab gets nominated for a #Grammy in the New Artist Category for an Urdu song!
In July 2021 Arooj made it to President Obama's Summer playlist for her cover of Mohabat (karney waley kam na honge) an original by Mehdi Hasan.https://t.co/jpmiMrZfiU
Veteran singer Hadiqa Kiani also celebrated Aftab’s nomination and urged her followers to listen to the artist’s music.
Yes!!! Our very own @arooj_aftab has made music history by being nominated by the @RecordingAcad for Best New Artist! This is a very proud moment for our nation.
To celebrate, listen to Arooj’s tracks on her YouTube page right here https://t.co/dfPOalSOr2
Singer and song-writer Fakhr-e-Alam also congratulated Aftab on her achievement.
BIG CONGRATS @arooj_aftab for becoming the first ever Pakistani to be nominated for best New artist for the 2022 @RecordingAcad GRAMMY award. This is truly incredible news. So so proud and happy. 🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰
Arooj Aftab also shared her memorable moments on Instagram of the awards show where she met with other Grammy winners and the popular Korean pop group, BTS.
