Let’s be honest. March 25 will be regarded as one of the saddest days in history, despite the fact that we won a cricket world cup on this day in 1992. This is because on this day Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood announced that they have parted ways and are ‘concluding’ Strings after producing music for 33 years.
Announcing the news on social media, Strings said: “This post is a bit different from the usual. We have decided that today, 25/03/2021, is the day we graciously get to conclude Strings.”
“The past 33 years have been incredible for both of us. It’s so rare to have the chance to be able to do things like this and we are infinitely grateful to all of our fans for making it possible,” read the announcement further. “We hope you found it worthwhile as well.”
Bilal and Faisal also shared the announcement on their respective social media handles.
Soon after the news broke, fans and followers of the band including Ahmed Ali Butt, Farhan Saeed, Gohar Rasheed and Haroon Shahid took to social media to express their “heartbreak” over the band’s split.
#Strings (the band) has decided to conclude their band 💔 and the world of music will not be the same anymore 😔 what a heartbreaker #TheEnd
Thank you for your service #Strings I guess all good things come to an end but for sure Faisal bhai and Bilal bhai will definitely be contributing to Pakistani music for years to come. Let the Strings tributes flow with some acoustic covers this whole week. Will share mine soon!
Strings have ended but the countless memories will remain- thank you Bilal and Faisal bhai for shaping our lives with your music – love you guys #strings#pakistanpic.twitter.com/sZEs0QmEaZ
Strings has decided to part ways and I am sad, i am just sad. THIS BAND IS EVERYTHING!!!! duur ik gaon hai, wahan thandi chhaon hai. pic.twitter.com/zgEfq15JkZ
When your "bachpan ka fav band" gets separated, Dil toots🥺🥺 Goodluck to you both Faisal & Bilal for giving us #Strings for 33 years ♥️ pic.twitter.com/ZHcxmDRReJ
Saba Qamar recently set the internet on fire after she responded “qubool hai” to Azeem Khan who asked her to marry him this year in her post’s comments section.
While most followers thought Saba was just messing around, turns out she was not. The actor while speaking to a local media outlet has confirmed that she will be saying “Qubool Hai” to Khan for real “very soon”.
“Yes, I have found the person I’d like to settle down with,” said Saba.
“If everything goes well, I will be tying the knot very soon,” shared Saba, without going into further details about the wedding date.
Confirming that the person she is marrying is indeed Azeem, Saba said: “He is a successful Australian-Pakistani entrepreneur who hails from Karachi but is currently based in Sydney.”
“I know it’s a little sudden and premature right now but all I want my fans and followers to do is pray for my better life and wellbeing,” she added.
Meanwhile, Saba has a string of releases lined up for 2021 including Ghabrana Nahi Hai and web series Manjogi.
The Pakistan Day celebrations at Parade Avenue in Islamabad were a grand affair. The event which takes place on March 23 every year to mark Pakistan Resolution Day was rescheduled to March 25 due to bad weather conditions.
While everything was taking place as per the norm, what caught everyone’s attention was the Turkish band’s performance of Diriliş: Ertuğrul’s theme song. As perRadio Pakistan, the Turkish military band also presented different tunes including Dil Dil Pakistan during the parade.
یوم پاکستان کی تقریب: اسلام آباد کا فوجی پریڈ گراؤنڈ ارطغرل ڈرامے کی دھن سے گونج اٹھا۔ pic.twitter.com/1Pj9UmAx4K
To reaffirm the strong bond between Pakistan and Turkey, a Turkish fighter jet also presented a whole range of dazzling maneuvers.
The Turkish band was holding three flags, white red and green.The white flag represented peace, red represented Ottoman Empire and the green represented Islam.
Meanwhile, President Arif Alvi, who was the chief guest at the occasion, said: “Pakistan is laced with capabilities to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty, categorically stating that any misadventure will receive a befitting response.
The President added that Pakistan is a strong nuclear power and “apart from making progress in the socio-economic sectors, the country has achieved self-reliance in defence”. He also expressed satisfaction that Pakistan is also exporting its defence products.
The floats of Ministry of Science and Technology and the front-line healthcare workers against Covid-19 were also part of the parade.
Performers from Pakistan also participated in the parade. Ali Hamza from Noori the band and Young stunners were also performing.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Prime Minister Imran Khan was unable to attend the parade because he had tested positive for coronavirus last week.
Chrissy Teigen has deleted her popular Twitter account, saying the site no longer plays a positive role in her life.
“For over 10 years you guys have been my world,” Teigen wrote to her 13.7 million followers Wednesday night. “But it’s time to say goodbye. This no longer serves me as positively as it serves me negatively, and I think that’s the right time to call something.”
Teigen’s account was popular for its mix of jokes about her husband John Legend and their children, their playful banter on the site, funny observations about assorted topics and fierce retorts for those she disagreed with or who criticised her.
That reputation is at odds with who she really is, the model and cookbook author wrote.
“My life goal is to make people happy,” she wrote. “The pain I feel when I don’t is too much for me. I’ve always been portrayed as the strong clap back girl but I’m just not.”
Last year, Teigen shared the heartbreak of a miscarriage on the site, posting an anguished picture of her in the hospital. Another image showed her and Legend grieving over a bundle cradled in her arms.
Britain’s Prince Harry — who is often at war with the British press — was on Wednesday announced as a commissioner for a US study into misinformation online.
The non-profit Aspen Institute said it was “honoured” to have the Duke of Sussex as one of the 18 members of its “Commission on Information Disorder.”
The announcement came a day after Harry became Chief Impact Officer at San Francisco life-coaching startup BetterUp as he adds to his growing portfolio of jobs since stepping away from royal duties last year.
As part of the Aspen study, Harry will help conduct a six-month investigation into misinformation and disinformation in the American digital world that will start in April. The commission aims to identify the biggest causes of the sharing and spreading of false information and find solutions to help the government, private sector and civil society respond.
“The experience of today’s digital world has us inundated with an avalanche of misinformation, affecting our ability as individuals as well as societies to think clearly and truly understand the world we live in,” Harry said in a statement.
“It’s my belief that this is a humanitarian issue — and as such, it demands a multi-stakeholder response from advocacy voices, members of the media, academic researchers, and both government and civil society leaders,” he added.
The prince is likely to bring his own experiences of media coverage of his life to the commission.
Harry told US talk show host James Corden in February that he left royal life and moved to the United States with Meghan Markle because the British press was “destroying his mental health.”
The prince has long had a difficult relationship with Britain’s tabloids, blaming press intrusion for contributing to his mother Princess Diana’s death in a car crash in 1997.
Harry and Meghan have filed several lawsuits against newspapers and last April told Britain’s tabloids that they were ending all cooperation with them due to “distorted, false or invasive” stories.
An explosive interview they gave to Oprah Winfrey this month — in which they claimed an unnamed royal had asked how dark their baby’s skin would be — plunged the monarchy into its biggest crisis since the death of Diana.
Meanwhile, Harry’s new boss at BetterUp has said that the British royal likes to be called Harry in the workplace.
“He’s a colleague, he’s a partner, and so we address him as Harry,” said Chief Executive Alexi Robichaux.
Robichaux said he met Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, through a mutual friend in late 2020, and talked about how to encourage mental wellbeing.
“Through a series of conversations over months, (we) really had a lot of shared energy and enthusiasm for how it could be really awesome to find a way to work together and advance the shared mission,” he said.
As well as being an executive, Prince Harry said in a blog post that he was also a user of the service. Robichaux said he and the coach he was paired with are still working together.
As for how much Prince Harry is being paid in his new position, Robichaux declined to say.
“As a private company, you can imagine we don’t disclose compensation information of any of our folks. But I think it’s fair to say he’s deeply invested in the success of BetterUp,” he said.
Mahira Khan has revealed that her next production after Baarwan Khiladi will be a biopic and that she will be acting in it herself. Mahira recently set up her production company Soulfry Films with close friend and producer Nina Kashif.
In an interview with a local media outlet, Kashif revealed that Mahira is “acting in our next production”.
To this, Mahira added: “It’s a biopic but that’s all we can tell you right now!” Further details about this upcoming project are not yet known, though The Current reached out to Mahira for more on the project.
Meanwhile, Mahira also revealed that her upcoming production venture Baarwan Khiladi will also feature cameos by Fawad Khan and Shoaib Malik.
“I’m so grateful to the two of them for doing this for us,” said the actor-turned-producer.
Baarwan Khiladi, which features young and upcoming actors including Danyal Zafar, Shahveer Jafry, Kinza Hashmi and Khaqan Shahnawaz, has a cricket-themed story. According to Mahira, the web series is “a coming of age story about friendships, relationships, unity, failure, success, love and courage.” It has been written by Shahid Dogar and directed by Adnan Sarwar, the man behind Motorcycle Girl. Saba Faisal, Mira Sethi and Sarmad Khoosat are also part of the cast.
Talking about the cast selection, Nina said that they “didn’t want to bank on well-known actors for our cast.”
“We wanted to select boys of a certain age because the story is about a young cricket team. We also opted for new actors because they are yet to have any characters associated with them from previous projects,” added the producer.
Much of the series has been shot inside the Walled City of Lahore, though Mahira couldn’t be part of most of the filming because she had tested positive for COVID-19.
Nina and Mahira were hoping to release the series at the end of the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) but their plans were thwarted when the matches were postponed. They now hope to release it before Eid-ul-Fitr.
Baarwan Khiladi will stream on Tapmad, a South Asian streaming service.
Humayun Saeed is “overwhelmed beyond words” after receiving the Pride of Performance award from President Dr Arif Alvi for his contribution to the Drama and Film industries of Pakistan.
Sharing a picture of himself with his medal on Instagram, Saeed said: “Extremely very grateful and humbled by all the messages of love and adulation I have been receiving. Thank you so much my beloved fans, friends and family for your constant support and encouragement.”
“The Pride of Performance is my most special accolade for it is a recognition by the State,” said Humayun. “I have always firmly believed that being Pakistani is my only true identity and have tried my utmost best to make Pakistan proud.”
“Any award that Pakistan gives to me thus will always remain closest to my heart,” he added.
Humayun also promised to work even and do everything in his capacity to “serve our beloved country.”
“I once again, in all humility, thank each and every one of you for your love. I am overwhelmed beyond words.”
Many of Humayun’s friends and colleagues including Mahira Khan, Adnan Siddiqui, Ahmed Ali Butt, Sajal Aly, Vasay Chaudhary and Shaan Shahid congratulated the super-hit actor-director-producer for receiving the ‘deserving award.’
Mubarak to my dearest, Bushra Ansari on receiving the “Sitara e Imtiaz” and Resham jee & @iamhumayunsaeed on receiving the “Pride of Performance” Award today! You are an inspiration to me & truely the Pride of Pakistan! 🇵🇰 Congratulations to all the winners of the Civil Award!
Meanwhile, several other notable Pakistanis were also recognised for their contributions in different fields at the investiture ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
President Alvi presented various awards to 88 recipients including six Nishan-e-Imtiaz, three Hilal-e-Imtiaz, 24 Sitara-e- Shuja’at, eight Sitara-e-Imtiaz, 14 President’s Award for Pride of Performance, one Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam, one Sitara-e-Khidmat, one Tamgha-e-Pakistan, 22 Tamgha-e-Shuja’at and eight Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.
Prominent personalities who received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz include Sadiqain Naqvi (Art), Abida Parveen (Singing), Ahmad Faraz (Literature) while Bushra Ansari (Art), Syed Farooq Qaiser (Art) and Sultana Siddiqui (Art) received the Sitara-e-Imtiaz. Maulana Tariq Jameel (Religious Scholar), Muhammad Ali Shehki (Singing), Resham (Acting), Humayun Saeed (Acting) and Ali Zafar (Singing) were conferred the President’s Award for Pride of Performance. Meanwhile, Zaiba Shehaz (Acting) and Faisal Edhi (Public Service) were awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.
Allah Rakha Rahman, professionally known as A. R. Rahman, has donned the writer-producer hat with his upcoming film 99 songs.
According to Sony Music South’s official YouTube channel, the film has been directed by Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy and “marks the debut of Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman as a writer and producer.”
“The movie follows the journey of a young man named Jay whose life centers around his two great loves: music and his girlfriend Sophie,” adds the description.
Speaking about 99 Songs, AR Rahman, in a statement said: “As part of my production company, YM Movies, I’m happy to collaborate with Jio Studios in bringing together this experiential movie. 99 Songs is about one man’s struggle against the old and the new world. And the antidote is music.”
“It’s my pleasure to introduce the film’s director Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy and a talented cast comprising Ehan Bhatt and Edilsy Vargas. It was a great experience working with icons like Manisha Koirala and Lisa Ray, and music legends Ranjit Barot and Rahul Ram,” added Rahman.
Aspiring actor Saba Bukhari, who is also part of TV One’s Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi, has alleged that senior actors only promote their children and discourage newcomers.
In a recent interview with BBC Urdu, the actor opened up about her difficult experiences in the industry, saying: “Sometimes senior actors also give tough time to newcomers.”
Recalling her encounter with a senior actor, Bukhari said: “A senior actress was sitting beside me while we were waiting for our next scene and she said samajh nahi aata zara sa chehra hota nahi hai or aa jati hain moun utha kar.”
Bukhari further said: “Some senior actors have also advised me to leave the acting profession altogether.”
“They say that there is no nepotism in the industry, this is not true at all,” said Saba. “These senior actors and their family members are in the field and they promote their children and show their work. This is what my son/daughter is doing or have done.”
“After hearing that girls like me can not survive in the industry, I kept wondering if I should continue working in this profession or not,” lamented Bukhari.
Earlier, in a social media post, Bukhari had opened up on her harrowing experiences with the casting couch and shared the advice she got from different ‘men’ and ‘directors’ in the industry and how those words broke her from inside.
Faryal Mehmood, in a recent interview, had also talked about the casting couch in Pakistan and asserted that it exists.
