Category: Entertainment

  • Shibli Faraz says filmmakers must be given creative liberty

    Shibli Faraz says filmmakers must be given creative liberty

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Shibli Faraz has said that filmmakers must have creative liberty to make films.

    In an interview with Independent Urdu, the minister revealed that the government will launch the film policy in March next year under which they will officially give the status to Pakistani films as a film industry and will provide incentives to facilitate and assist filmmakers.

    “Commercial films have their own needs and all the ingredients to make a commercial film should be allowed whereas art films should also be made and we should make films on our heroes. Why don’t we make films on national heroes?” questioned the minister.

    He further said: “Filmmaking is creative work and we don’t want to be a hurdle in it so we are also working on strict censor policies. But one thing should be kept in mind: any content that can hurt religious and cultural sentiments should be avoided.”

    Faraz also said the government is working towards having a single censorboard.

    “After the 18th Amendment, unfortunately, there are two censor boards in the country – federal and provincial. We are trying to unify the censor boards so that filmmakers do not face difficulty in approvals. Governments in the past have made very complicated procedures and if any department has more technicalities than the convenience then organisations are not attracted towards it,” said the minister.

    Meanwhile, last month in an exclusive interview with The Current, Senator Faisal Javed had shared that under the policy, filmmakers and cinema owners will be offered several incentives including access to locations. The government hopes to build a soft image of Pakistan through film and promote ‘Pakistaniat‘, which is why it also hopes to make cinemas affordable for the masses.

    “We hope that are we are able to promote our country, tourism and rich culture and history through our films,” said Senator Javed.

    The film policy was developed by former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa.

  • Hamza Ali Abbasi lauds CII’s approval of Hindu temple construction

    Hamza Ali Abbasi lauds CII’s approval of Hindu temple construction

    Hamza Ali Abbasi has said the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) approving the construction of the Hindu temple in Islamabad is a sign of hope. Sharing the news on Twitter, the actor said: “Shukar Allah…hope”.

    When a social media user commented that he should go and worship there, Hamza said: “It’s a temple for our Hindu Pakistani brothers and sisters who are equal human beings and equal citizens of Pakistan.”

    The CII, a top constitutional body responsible for giving legal advice on Islamic issues to the government, has ruled that there are no constitutional or shariah constraints against constructing a Hindu temple in Islamabad or any other place in the country.

    The CII, in a meeting on Wednesday, also allowed the government to hand over the temple site as well as its adjoining Dharamshala (community centre) in Saidpur village of Islamabad to the Hindu community “so that it can offer religious rites as per their beliefs”.

    However, briefing media about the recommendations of the three-day CII meeting, council chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz said that there was no tradition of constructing places of worship with public money so the Hindu temple could not be constructed with public money.

    The CII recommended to the government to establish a ‘special welfare fund’ for minorities which they can utilise without any outside hindrance.

    Meanwhile, the actor also put to rest rumours that he has left the country and settled abroad. Hamza said that since he is “contributing to the Ghamidi Centre”, he will be frequently visiting the United States. The Ghamidi Center of Islamic Learning is located in Carrollton, Texas.

    He also said that he will be visiting Pakistan next month.

    Earlier, the actor had also condemned blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which have been republished by the Charlie Hebdo magazine in France.

  • Ameer Gilani releases his first song ‘Sabaat’

    Ameer Gilani releases his first song ‘Sabaat’

    Budding actor Ameer Gilani, who won applause for his role in the recently concluded Sabaat as Hassan Fareed, has launched his own YouTube channel where he released his first song titled Sabaat.

    Gilani has also penned the lyrics for the soulful melody as well as done its original composition. Meanwhile, the music video has been directed by Usman Mukhtar.

    Later, in an Instagram post, Ameer said that the song was in response to the love he has received from his fans.

    Mere pyaaray doston,” said the actor. “Mein bata nahi sakta ke aap ka pyaar kitna special hai. Mein ne koshish ki hai ke likh ke bayaan karoon. I’m sure this represents the feeling of the entire team.”

    He also said that the song was a small gift from the team of Sabaat to their audiences.

    Ek chhota sa gift humari taraf se. Ek aakhri baar Sabaat ke liye. Aap ka Aur humara saath ho Sabaat.”

    Sharing the song on his social media, Mukhtar said: “Guys check out this really cool music video I directed for Ameer.”

  • Wasim Akram thinks Pakistan should take inspiration from Turkey

    Wasim Akram thinks Pakistan should take inspiration from Turkey

    Sultan of Swing Wasim Akram, who was recently vacationing in Turkey, says that Pakistan should take inspiration and model itself on Turkey.

    “If Pakistan should model itself on any country, it should be Turkey,” said the former left-arm pacer who was vowed by the Turkish people’s “hospitality, food and their ability to welcome the world”.

    “Pakistan has so many untapped resources, InshAllah we will get there one day,” added Akram in his tweet.

    Wasim, his wife Shaniera and their daughter Aiyla have been having a great time on their first trip to Turkey. They have been keeping their fans updated with pictures and videos from there.

    The former cricketer also referred to Istanbul as a “mesmerising city”.

    Wasim enjoying the delights of Istanbul

    Turkey appears to be Pakistanis favourite vacation spot this season. Several Pakistani celebrities including Komal Aziz Khan, Imran Abbas and Kinza Hashmi have also been spotted there.

  • Pakistani makeup artist recreates Halime Sultan’s look

    Pakistani makeup artist recreates Halime Sultan’s look

    Pakistani celebrity makeup artist, Shoaib Khan has been taking Instagram by storm recently with his incredibly mind-blowing transformations. In his most recent transformation, Khan recreated the look of Halime Sultan, a character played by Esra Bilgiç in the popular Turkish series Diriliş: Ertuğrul.

    Khan posted the pictures on his Instagram handle with the caption:” A woman so strong who can be gentle, so simple who can be beautiful, so high in a character who can be humble, so fierce, she can be compassionate, so passionate who can be rational and so disciplined yet so free. Such is an inspiring character of Halima Sultan whom I paying this tribute today!”

    This is not the first time Khan has wowed everyone with his incredible makeup skills by recreating a character’s look. Earlier, he honoured acid attack victims by recreating Deepika Padukone’s character from the film Chhappak.

    The artist has also recreated Joker, Angelina Jolie from Maleficient and the iconic Madam Noor Jahan look.

  • Unmasked model tests positive for COVID-19 days after walking the ramp

    Unmasked model tests positive for COVID-19 days after walking the ramp

    Model Farwa Ali Kazmi tested positive for COVID-19 less than a week after walking the ramp for Hussain Rehar’s solo show in Lahore. According to writer and stylist Haiya Bokhari, the model “frolicked sans mask throughout the event” after assuming it was seasonal flu.

    “Super-spreader event but make it fashion,” wrote Bokhari on Twitter.

    Later it emerged that the model in question was Farwa Kazmi, who announced in an Instagram story that she has tested positive for coronavirus and is in quarantine.

    She also advised people who were in contact with her or husband Ali to quarantine themselves.

    “All those with cough, body aches and headaches but no fever, please get yourself tested. I had delayed it thinking its seasonal cold but it’s not,” added the model.

    Farwa further said that she thinks she got it by “sharing food and cigar with a COVID-positive”.

    The model also shared her quarantine experience.

    Designer Hussain Rehar had organised a solo fashion show in Lahore in which he showcased his traditional wedding-wear. The show was a glamorous event attended by celebrities, critics and socialites.

    According to details, Hussain’s brides, bridegrooms and a colourful entourage of baraatis twirled to the tunes of popular wedding songs and the beats of the shehnai played out by a live wedding band, enacting the events that are inherent to the big fat Pakistani wedding.

  • Hamza Ali Abbasi, Ahsan Khan condemn blasphemous content in France

    Hamza Ali Abbasi, Ahsan Khan condemn blasphemous content in France

    Alif co-stars Hamza Ali Abbasi and Ahsan Khan have condemned blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which have been republished by the Charlie Hebdo magazine in France.

    In a tweet, Hamza said: “It is your right to disagree and criticise but it is not your right to mock with the intent to deliberately insult and provoke.”

    He continued: “The only way we Muslims can make the world understand that is solely by peace and dialogue not murder, war and hostility.”

    Drawing comparisons, the actor further said: “What if Muslims organise a contest of throwing cow meat on a Ram statue? Or who can slaughter the most pigs in a synagogue or who can spit on a cross with the most accuracy. It’s evil.”

    Ahsan Khan also had similar views. Voicing his protest against France for its actions, the actor said: “If France is indeed a republic, then there should be liberty there, not insults upon another’s religion.”

    Other celebrities including Feroze Khan and Shoaib Akhtar also expressed their disgust at the French President’s remarks.

    On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron had tweeted, “We will not give in, ever to Islamic radicals.”

    “We do not accept hate speech and defend reasonable debate,” the French leader added.

    Calls to boycott French goods are already growing in the Arab world and beyond after Macron criticised Islamists and vowed not to “give up cartoons” depicting the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

    Macron’s initial comments, on Wednesday, had come in response to the beheading of a teacher, Samuel Paty, outside his school in a suburb outside Paris earlier this month, after he had shown the blasphemous cartoons during a class he was leading on free speech.

    With the French president pledging to fight “Islamist separatism”, which he said was threatening to take control in some Muslim communities around France, hashtags such as the #BoycottFrenchProducts in English and the Arabic #ExceptGodsMessenger trended across countries, including Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Palestine, Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

  • IN PICTURES: Rehmat Ajmal’s intimate engagement

    IN PICTURES: Rehmat Ajmal’s intimate engagement

    Aisha of Mere Pass Tum Ho Rehmat Ajmal got engaged and pictures of the event are all over social media.

    Read more – Rehmat Ajmal says she is not proud to be a part of Meray Paas Tum Ho

    The engagement ceremony, which reportedly took place in Lahore, was attended by close friends and family members.

    Check them out below:

    View this post on Instagram

    Meri Behen Ki Mangni ❤️

    A post shared by Sophiya Salim Khan (@keepingupwithkhan) on

    Ajmal made her way into modelling after being approached by a teacher during her second year at the National College of Arts (NCA). From there, she began getting featured in ad campaigns for different brands before bagging a role in Meray Paas Tum Ho.

  • Three recent female performances in Pakistani dramas that left us shocked

    Three recent female performances in Pakistani dramas that left us shocked

    Pakistani dramas and their storylines are controversial and at times, phenomenal. Many recent dramas and characters have become so popular that they are the talk of every living room, Facebook and WhatsApp groups, with some viewers saying hai and some saying sahi kia!

    Through the years we’ve seen many female villains such as Naveen Waqar’s character in Humsafar as Sara, Ushna Shah as Nigaar in Balaa, Iqra Aziz as Nirma in Jhooti as Nirma and recently Sabeena Farooq as Zoya in Kashf. These characters have made their mark, but today we will be discussing three vamps who have left people speechless and fuming with anger.

    1. Faiza Hassan – Gohar (Nand)

    ARY’s Nand is all about the one, and the only sister-in-law Gohar, played by Faiza Hassan. Faiza has made a comeback after a long time and to see her play a negative character with such finesse is nothing short of a treat. She is not only convincing as Gohar but has actually made the viewer’s resent her character, which is a win as an actor.

    Gohar is a nightmare for anyone and everyone around her. First, she makes her brother Saqib (Shahroz Sabzwari) divorce his wife Rabi (Minal Khan) and later starts creating misunderstandings between her younger brother Hassan (Ayaz Samoo) and his wife Farwa (Maha Hasan). She also leaves her husband Jahangir (Aijaz Aslam) because of his financial status. Ultimately she goes back to him when he becomes rich and starts creating problems for Rabi who is now her husband’s second wife (OUCH)!

    It is only because of Faiza’s grip on the character that she has succeeded in showing the ugly side of a narcissistic woman who doesn’t mind ruining people’s lives because of her sadistic persona. She is envious and is probably a victim of her own weaknesses because she fails to see the good in people around her. She is so cruel and heartless to the extent that she manipulates her own son to use him against her husband.

    Read more – ‘Nand’: No shades of grey

    2. Sarah Khan – Miraal (Sabaat)

    Miraal, played by Sarah Khan, is a young arrogant woman belonging to a controlling and egotistical elite family. Her father Seth Fareed (Moazzam Ali Khan) is a wealthy businessman who supports her despite her selfish actions. Miraal’s mother (Laila Zuberi) and grandmother try to make her understand that she is on the wrong track but their advice falls on deaf ears. Miraal dotes on her younger brother Hassan Fareed (Ameer Gillani), who is somehow influenced by her. One fine day, he falls for and marries Anaya Aziz (Mawra Hocane), an ambitious, strong-headed, women’s rights activist studying at the same university as him – but doesn’t have the same financial background.

    When Miraal and Hassan’s grandmother dies, Miraal begins to feel disturbed and consults a psychiatrist Dr Haris (Usman Mukhtar). Her fiancé Ali runs away on their wedding day and dumps her leaving her shocked. On the other hand, her brother Hassan and Anaya get married against the wishes of his father and Miraal – Anaya was too poor to be part of the family.

    Meanwhile, Seth Fareed makes every effort to make Miraal feel comfortable and happy. Miraal hates Anaya, humiliates her several times and does whatever she could to kick her out of Hassan’s life. She also leaves her husband Dr Haris, who tried to help her before and after marriage. Destroying the lives of all four of them, she is blind to the fact that she is wreaking havoc on her own self as well.

    SPOILER ALERT: In the last episode she has an accident and her spinal cord is affected due to which she couldn’t walk. She then seeks forgiveness from those who she hurt and tries to redeem herself.

    Sarah has outdone herself with this character and did complete justice to a challenging role, villainous role, and with such class and elegance that she left all the other actors far behind. She turned out to be everyone’s favourite villian (and actor) in the drama.

    Read more – ‘Sabaat’ manages to tie up loose ends in a rushed finale

    3. Minal Khan – Nisha (Jalan)

    Nisha (Minal Khan) and Misha (Areeba Habib) are two sisters who belong to an upper-middle-class household. Nisha is a selfish girl who habitually wants everything that Misha has and Misha, who dotes on her sister, does anything that will make Nisha happy. Nisha gets engaged to her cousin Ahmer (Fahad Sheikh) who loves her intensely but after her engagement, Misha gets married to the super rich and handsome Asfandyar (Emmad Irfani).

    Nisha, seeing her sister’s expensive gifts and big house breaks her own engagement with Ahmer, accusing him of physically abusing her and plays the victim in front of Asfandyar to gain his sympathy.

    Meanwhile, Misha finds out she is pregnant but totally oblivious to her sister’s evil plans, invites her into her home to stay for a while. Nisha continues to estrange her sister from Asfand, luring him into liking her and finally succeeding. Asfandyar divorces Misha, who goes into premature labour and delivers a baby boy. Nisha, on the other hand, runs away from home and pushes Asfi to marry her asap. When Misha finds out that her sister is marrying her ex-husband, she lights herself on fire and dies. Nisha does not regret any of her actions and tries to secure her husband’s wealth.

    There is no way that you don’t hate Nisha but a part of you will admire her as well – the girl definitely gets what she wants and she doesn’t let anything stand in her way – not her fiancé, parents, or sister. She is so insensitive and heartless but utterly determined. Minal has done complete justice to the role, with every dialogue and expression. Can’t wait to see how this one ends.

  • EXCLUSIVE: All the pictures from Kashmala Tariq’s intimate dholki

    EXCLUSIVE: All the pictures from Kashmala Tariq’s intimate dholki

    Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Kashmala Tariq is all set to tie the knot on October 31 with Islamabad-based businessman Waqas Khan.

    According to details, the wedding reception will be held in Islamabad on October 31. Festivities will also include a Mehfil-e-Milad on October 29 and qawwali on October 30.

    Friends of the bride also arranged a dholki for her and her spouse-to-be in Lahore. Pictures and videos from the event went viral on social media. Kashmala glowed in a peach-orange bespoke outfit by BNS Couture as she celebrated her upcoming nuptials. Her makeup was done by Arooj and Nida.

    While the former MNA has not made an official announcement, she sent some exclusive videos from the festivities to The Current. Check them out below:

    Kashmala shared that the hashtag #Wakash was coined by her cousins and her friend’s children. She said that they also decorated the COVID-19 safety kits which included masks and sanitisers.