Rajkummar Rao has thanked Zara Noor Abbas for appreciating his latest release The White Tiger.
In an Instagram story, Zara had called the film a “masterpiece” and had urged her followers to “Watch this Now.” Responding to Zara’s story, Rao expressed his gratitude, writing: “Thank you so much.”
Based on Aravind Adiga’s book of the same name, The White Tiger explores poverty and class struggles in modern-day India. The book was published in 2008 and won the 40th Man Booker Prize in the same year. Meanwhile, the cast of the movie includes Priyanka Chopra-Jonas and Adarsh Gourav besides Rao. It has been directed by Ramin Bahrani.
Warner Bros and HBO Max have shut down and rubbished reports which stated that a Harry Potter TV series is in making at HBO Max.
In a joint statement to NY Post, Warner Bros. and HBO Max said: “There is no Harry Potter series in development at the studio or on the streaming platform.”
There have long been talks of a “Potter”-verse series but no information on the subject has been shared by either the cast of the movies or the production house.
Nonetheless, if the creators of the film franchise were to make something, it would probably be a redo of the Harry Potter books, which came out between 1997 and 2007 considering plenty of material, such as a lot of the Marauder’s backstory, or Hermione’s house-elf crusade, was cut from the movies.
On the other hand, a TV series could also easily be set in a different era in the rich Harry Potter world, like the spinoff movie franchise Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is set around World War II.
As far as the return of original cast members such as Daniel Radcliffe or Emma Watson is concerned, only time will tell.
Meanwhile, it is pertinent to add that author J.K. Rowling recently came under fire for her controversial views on transgender people, which she outlined in a lengthy manifesto. This could perhaps present an issue for the Potter series from making a comeback.
The Potter books have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide and remain a hit, so they could also be controversy-proof as a pop-culture juggernaut.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) head Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also leading the anti-government opposition alliance, hasn’t been invited to the wedding ceremony of Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari to be held on Jan 29, reported ARY News.
The sister of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will tie the knot with fiancé Mahmood Choudhry at Bilawal House in Karachi on Friday in a ceremony that would be attended by around 1,000 people.
Though the invitation cards have been sent to the bigwigs across the country, it seems Fazl has not received the letter. According to a report, Fazl said that he was not invited by former president Asif Ali Zardari to the wedding of his daughter. “When asked as to many big names would be participating in the event, Fazlur Rehman said that he does not know about the big names but he is not invited,” the media outlet quoted him while talking to reporters.
Bakhtawar’s mehndi ceremony will be held on January 27. The nikkah will take place on January 29 while the baarat is scheduled for January 30. All events are expected to take place at the bride’s residence in Karachi.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will be suspending his political activities for a week to participate in sister’s wedding. He was unable to attend her engagement as he was in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.
The spokesperson further added that close to a thousand guests have been invited to the wedding.
Bakhtawar and Mahmood got engaged on November 27, 2020, in an intimate ceremony at the Bilawal House Karachi. Bakhtawar’s husband-to-be “Mahmood Choudhry is the son of Mohammad Younas and Begum Suraiya Choudhry who hail from the old town of Lahore.”
“Mahmood, the last born of five siblings was born on July 28, 1988, in the city of Abu Dhabi. He completed his primary schooling in Abu Dhabi and secondary schooling in the United Kingdom. Mahmood further went on to read Law at the University of Durham.”
“The family’s primary country of residence remains the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where Mahmood continues to run his businesses in construction, finance and tech,” added the statement.
Ayeza Khan has said that she always wanted a husband “jis per saari dunya ki larkian marti hon“.
Opening up about her marriage in arare interview on Ahsan Khan’s new show Time Out with Ahsan Khan, Ayeza said: “Mujhe jo hai na eik aisay larkay say shaadi karni thi jo hero ho, jis per saari dunya ki larkian marti hon. Aur meri hogayi (I always wanted to marry a man who is a hero and desired by all women in the world. And it happened).
She continued: “Main chahati hoon larkian marein. Main tyaar kark aksar bhejti hoon inhein. (In fact, I want women to lust over him. I enjoy it. I make sure he looks amazing when he walks out of the house).”
Later, talking about their marriage, Danish Taimoor, who was also a guest on the show said: “I only consider the time we’ve spent together after marriage because that is when you really become friends and get to know each other.”
Danish further shared that though they were together before their marriage, they always kept their relationship under wraps.
“I feel you shouldn’t disclose your relationship until you’re married. You can’t publicly own someone before you’ve married them,” said the actor.
Similarly, Ayeza said: “Danish and I were in a relationship for five years but we never talked about it in public. These days people openly post their relationships online which is not right. If you’re an unmarried couple, don’t show it on social media because once you’ve posted your personal life online, it’s impossible to erase it.”
“When your children grow up and search your name online, the things that can pop up I’m afraid of that. We need to be the strength of our children, not their weaknesses. They shouldn’t have to face anything because of us,” she added.
Danish also shared his thoughts on institution of marriage during the interview, saying: “I don’t understand why people run away from marriage these days. They think that if they get married, they’ll get stuck.”
“Let me tell you something: nikkah is the most beautiful thing in the world. And once you get married to someone, you naturally start loving them in a way you may have never loved anyone before,” he added.
Faysal Quraishi has said that rape is a stigma for perpetrators, not the victims.
In a tweet, the actor said: “In light of recent news regarding a couple that kidnapped young girls, raped and recorded this heinous act – only one came forward and 45 didn’t for fear of society and stigma.”
“Humari society apna qibla sahi karay, stigma perpetrator kay liye and victim kay liye support honi chaiyae,” he added.
In light of recent news regarding a couple that kidnapped young girls, raped and recorded this heinous act -only 1 came forward and 45 didnt for fear of society and stigma.Humari society apna qibla sahi karay,stigma perpetrator kay liyae and victim kay liyae support honi chaiyae
According to details, a local court has convicted a couple from Rawalpindi for luring girls and filming their rape to blackmail them. They were arrested in 2019.
راولپنڈی پولیس کی اہم کامیابی، طالبہ کے اغواء، زیادتی اور ویڈیو بنانے کے مقدمہ میں ملوث ملزمان میاں بیوی کو معزز عدالت نے جرم ثابت ہونے سزا سنا دی۔ مجرم قاسم جہانگیرکو سزائے موت، عمرقید، 03سال قید اور جرمانہ جبکہ مجرمہ کرن محمود کو عمرقید، 03سال قید اور جرمانے کی سزا سنائی گئی۔ pic.twitter.com/mtmYWLlBd6
Additional District and Sessions Judge Jahangir Gondal awarded a death sentence to Qasim Jahangir over rape and recording explicit videos. Jahangir was also given a three-year prison sentence in addition to a life sentence and has to pay a fine of Rs2.5 million. His wife Kiran Mahmood has also been sentenced to life and has to pay a fine.
The couple was tracked and arrested following a complaint lodged by a girl with the CPO Rawalpindi.
According to the police, the girl, who was a student of MSc, in her statement said that the couple lured her into their car and took her to a house where she was raped and filmed. She shared that she was coming out of her college when a masked woman came to her and started talking to her. After introducing herself as a student at a local girls’ college, the two went for a walk before a car stopped near them and asked the two women to sit inside. The masked woman introduced the driver as her close relative and asked her to sit in the car.
As soon as the girl was inside the car, black curtains were drawn and the car was taken to a house located in Gulistan Colony, where the accused raped her at gunpoint, while his wife filmed the scene.
City Police Officer (CPO) Muhammad Faisal Rana said the couple had confessed to raping as many as 45 minors and filming their rape.
Keira Knightley has said that she is no longer interested in doing sex scenes just to appeal to men, adding that if there was a female director was behind the camera, she might consider it. The Pirates Of The Caribbean star also revealed that the ‘no-nudity’ clause in her contracts is partly because she now has two children.
In conversation with director Lulu Wang and writer-producer Diane Solway on the Chanel Connects podcast, Knightley said that the “male gaze” and her own personal vanity was the reason behind her decision.
“I feel very uncomfortable now trying to portray the male gaze,” said Knightley. “Saying that, there’s times where I go, ‘Yeah, I completely see where this sex would be really good in this film and you basically just need somebody to look hot.’”
“So, therefore, you can use somebody else because I’m too vain and the body has had two children now and I’d just rather not stand in front of a group of men naked,” she continued.
The actor further said: “We all empathise with men hugely because, culturally, their experience is so explored. We know so many aspects of even male sexuality. But we don’t feel like men can say, ‘Yes, I understand what you’re talking about because I’ve got this wealth of art and film and theatre and TV from your point of view.’”
The British actress, 35, added a no-nudity clause to her contract after having children, saying she was more vocal now than she had been as a breakout star in her early 20s in movies like Pride And Prejudice and Atonement.
“If I was making a story that was about that journey of motherhood and body acceptance, I feel like, I’m sorry, but that would have to be with a female filmmaker,” Knightley said. “I don’t have an absolute ban, but I kind of do with men.”
“I don’t want it to be those horrible sex scenes where you’re all greased up and everybody is grunting. I’m not interested in doing that,” she added.
In the past, Knightley has spoken in the past of clashes with male directors, launching a broadside against male colleagues in a 2018 essay:
“They tell me what it is to be a woman. Be nice, be supportive, be pretty but not too pretty, be thin but not too thin, be sexy but not too sexy, be successful but not too successful. … But I don’t want to flirt and mother them, flirt and mother, flirt and mother. I don’t want to flirt with you because I don’t want to fuck you, and I don’t want to mother you because I am not your mother. … I just want to work, mate. Is that OK? Talk and be heard, be talked to, and listen.”
Amazon Prime’s Tandav continues to be mired in controversy despite an apology by the makers. In the latest development, India’s Karni Sena has announced a Rs 1 crore award to the person who will chop of the tongue of Tandav’s makers.
According to reports, Maharashtra Karni Sena chief Ajay Sengar has said: “We will give Rs 1 crore reward to anyone who slits tongue of those who insults Hindu gods and goddesses in the web-series.”
Sengar added that even though Tandav makers have apologised for hurting religious sentiments, it is not enough and it will not be accepted.
The political drama has been facing massive controversy ever since it released on Amazon Prime on January 15. An FIR was also lodged against the makers, for hurting religious sentiments.
Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Tandav stars Saif Ali Khan, Sunil Grover, Dimple Kapadia, Sarah-Jane Dias, Gauahar Khan, Kritika Kamra, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, and Dino Morea in lead roles.
Earlier, the team of Tandav had issued an unconditional apology, saying: “Tandav is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to acts and persons and events is purely coincidental. The cast and crew did not have any intention to offend the sentiments of any individual, caste, community, race, religion, or religious beliefs or insult or outrage any institution, political party or person, living or dead.”
“The cast and crew of Tandav take cognizance of the concerns expressed by the people and unconditionally apologize if it has unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments,” added the statement.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy continues to defend her stance on Turkish actor despite receiving immense backlash and criticism.
In a series of stories on Instagram, Chinoy backed her opinion questioning her followers and presenting facts.
“Let’s play a game,” wrote the award-winning director before questioning how many Pakistani films were made in 2020 and how many brands slashed their budgets last year.
Chinoy then went onto say that “every industry that the government want to see grow has protections” because of which imports are taxed and/or discouraged.
“When you have budgets and work for Pakistani actors, then begin to import foreign ones,” continued the filmmaker. “Bollywood and Hollywood can afford to do that – we cannot.”
She then urged her followers to invest in “your own people and industry first”.
“I welcome the day when our industry will thrive and we will afford to welcome talent from overseas but not when I see our own struggling without work,” she added.
“Too bad the truth isn’t always pretty,” concluded Chinoy.
Sharmeen’s comments come after she was trolled for disapproving Peshawar Zalmi’s decision to appoint Esra Bilgiç as the face of the team.
“I find this hilarious!,” Sharmeen had said. “A Turkish actress whose country doesn’t even play the sport will now be a mascot for cricket.”
“What happened to Pakistani actresses by the way?” she said further. “Did they all disappear that we have to get foreign ones? Whatever is left of our industry will die if you keep paying Turkish actors for jobs Pakistani actors can do!”
Diriliş: Ertuğrul has been trending in Pakistan ever since its first episode aired on PTV Home in Ramzan 2020. Pakistanis are loving the drama series and it has become a sensation in the country. According to some estimates, millions of people have tuned in to watch the show on PTV and YouTube.
Recently, several Turkish actors from the super hit series Diriliş: Ertuğrul have visited Pakistan for different purposes. From Engin Altan Düzyatan (Ertuğrul Bey) to Cavit Çetin Güner (Dogan Alp) and Celal AL (Abdur Rehman Alp), almost every prominent actor from the drama series has visited different cities of the country.
Sajal Aly, Aiman Khan, Bilal Abbas Khan and Danyal Zafar have made it to UK-based publication Eastern Eye’s list of ’30 under 30 Global Asian Stars’.
“The future belongs to the young and one look at rising South Asian stars globally shows it is looking very bright,” said the publication while announcing the list.
“These terrific talents, bringing something unique to diverse artistic fields, are already breaking boundaries at a very young age and giving us hope at a time when we all need it. Eastern Eye decided to put a spotlight on the brightest of these artists for a first-of-its-kind 30 under 30 global Asian stars to look out for in the coming years,” adds their statement.
Here’s what the magazine had to say about the four stars and what they had to say in return:
Bilal Abbas Khan
“He may have only made his acting debut in 2016, but the Pakistani actor has had a rapid rise since then and starred in a massive number of marvellous projects. The 27-year-old has positioned himself perfectly as the future of film and TV in his country. With more big film and TV projects on the way, he is one to look out for.”
Speaking about the recognition Khan said: “This is a great honour and I feel humbled to be part of Eastern Eye’s prestigious list. It is the love of my fans that keeps me striving to keep pushing the benchmarks and try harder. I hope and look forward to keeping the pace going in 2021.”
He added that he never saw this coming and was truly ecstatic.
Sajal Aly
“The 27-year-old actress has had a boss-like presence on Pakistani television for over a decade and established herself as an A-list superstar. She will add to her already burgeoning list of world-class projects with more work in major film and TV productions, where she will be the centre of attention,” said the publication.
Sharing the news on social media, Sajal posted an emoji to express her happiness over the accomplishment.
Aiman Khan
“She may only be 22-year-old, but the talented actress is already the most followed Pakistani celebrity on Instagram [with almost eight million followers]. The small screen superstar has been lighting up television for nearly a decade and has the world at her feet right now. With no shortage of offers, she will pick projects carefully and build on her immense popularity.”
Danyal Zafar
“The 24-year-old singer, songwriter and musician has inherited all the talent of his superstar elder brother Ali Zafar. The young Pakistani star has been quietly bubbling away with stunning songs, which are getting him noticed globally and ones that will see him cross multiple musical frontiers.”
Meanwhile, others on the list include Iman Vellani (who will be playing Ms Marvel in the upcoming series), Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt and Guru Randhawa and British-Pakistani singer Zayn Malik. Bigg Boss contestants Shehnaaz Gill and Asim Riaz also made it to the list.
Days before she ties the knot, Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari is celebrating her 31st birthday with brother Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and sister Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari.
Sharing a picture of herself with her siblings and Khala Sanam Bhutto, Bakhtawar thanked everyone for their wishes, joking that she is “sticking to 30” this year because “2020 didn’t count right?”
Sharing the same picture from a different angle, Bilawal also wished his sister a very happy birthday. As per details, the PPP Chairman has suspended his political activities for a week to participate in his sister’s wedding.
Bakhtawar is all set to tie the knot on January 29 with Dubai-based businessman, Mahmood Choudhary. A spokesperson of Bilawal House has revealed that the nikkah will take place on January 29 while the baarat is scheduled for January 30. All events are expected to take place at the bride’s residence in Karachi.
