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Category: Entertainment

  • ‘Pyar Ke Sadkay’: The curious case of Mahjabeen’s pregnancy

    ‘Pyar Ke Sadkay’: The curious case of Mahjabeen’s pregnancy

    Pyar Ke Sadkay has been treating viewers to a myriad of emotions, the most recent being grief. However, in the latest episode, the makers of the drama take the viewers from grief into total shock by making Mahjabeen (Yumna Zaidi) pregnant. While this is a usual trope in most dramas to bring together estranged couples, in this particular drama it creates confusion because most viewers believed that Mahjabeen and Abdullah (Bilal Abbas Khan) did not consummate their marriage. All through the drama, every time Abdullah’s stepfather Sarwar (Omair Rana) would ask him about his marriage, Abdullah would say that there are no marital relations between him and his wife which is why audiences are now questioning how Mahjabeen could have gotten pregnant.

    Read more – ‘Pyar Ke Sadkay’ takes a disappointing turn

    According to our research and analysis, Mahjabeen and Abdullah consummated their marriage in Episode 16 when they skipped Shanzay’s valima and stayed home instead even though Mahjabeen was all dressed up to attend the wedding. From that moment onwards, Abdullah stopped sleeping on the sofa and moved to the bed.

    The next morning when they went down and sat with Abdullah’s parents, the two were all shy and smiley, hinting the new developments in their relationship.

    While it has now been established that Mahajabeen getting pregnant is not out of the blue, the next question is: was that really necessary? Was that the only way to bring Mahjabeen and Abdullah together? Couldn’t it have been organic with Abdullah realising his love for Mahjabeen and taking a stand for her? At this point, you half wish that the two don’t end up together because Abdullah doesn’t deserve Mahjabeen anymore. He did not value her enough. And though some may argue that he is being misled by Sarwar, we have to accept that Abdullah is not as stupid as he comes across. He’s sharp and intelligent, the only thing he lacks is confidence.

    Apart from that, at some points, it does feel that the drama is being unnecessarily dragged – for instance, the scene at Munshi Sahab’s grave felt extra and out of place. Unless the makers are preparing us for Mahjabeen suddenly becoming rich and powerful. Other than that, I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again, the Shanzay (Yashma Gill) storyline is completely unnecessary. The plot could have moved forward without it. Nonetheless, hoping it wraps up soon so we can focus on the main couple and the evil father-in-law.

    Washma (Shra Asghar), as always stole the show. Washma is one character which I feel every Pakistani drama needs to have: she’s strong, sassy and a doer. She doesn’t sit around waiting for things to happen – she makes them happen. The way she defends Mahjabeen or stands up to Sarwar and her mother, one can’t help but root for her.

    The next couple of episodes should come with interesting developments. We’ll also find out whether Abdullah has signed the divorce papers or he is just pretending to have signed those. But one thing is for sure, Abdullah and Mahjabeen will have a happy ending, or at least that’s my prediction.

  • ‘Bulbulay’s’ Nabeel Zafar apologises for show’s offensive remarks

    ‘Bulbulay’s’ Nabeel Zafar apologises for show’s offensive remarks

    Nabeel Zafar, who plays one of the leads on ARY Digital’s hit sitcom Bulbulay, has apologised for ‘offensive’ comments against Pashtuns on the show.

    In a video message, Nabeel apologises for hurting Pashtun sentiments and says that their intention was never to hurt anyone.

    “I came across some comments on Twitter today that we might have hurt the sentiments of our viewers through a scene of the show,” says Nabeel in the video. “We would never target a particular ethnicity. That was never our intention. Our audience ranges from a four-year-old to an eight-year-old. We receive massive viewership from the KP region.”

    He then goes on to explain the characters and says that the team of the shows aim to entertain the masses and make them laugh.

    “There are several characters on the show. We never meant to disrespect anyone. Our only intention was to make our audience happy,” he says further.

    Nabeel’s video was retweeted by the official handle of ARY Digital as well as ARY CEO Salman Iqbal.

    In a clip being circulated on social media, Mehmood Sahab (Mehmood Aslam) is seen talking to a Pathan man Sher Khan over the phone. When Khan says that he would like to come to their house and give them a gift, Nabeel jokes that the only gift he will give is either naswar or a bomb. Nabeel’s comments sparked outrage for stereotyping Pashtuns and the hashtag #BoycottARYDigital began to trend on social media.

    https://twitter.com/Iam_Mian1/status/1286301914846638080?s=20
  • ‘Soneya’: Asim Azhar drops new single

    ‘Soneya’: Asim Azhar drops new single

    Days after releasing the biggest collaboration of the year Tum Tum, Asim Azhar is back in the groove with a new single titled Soneya. But unlike his previous song, Soneya is darker and more sombre.

    Before the song begins, the singer reveals that the music video was shot under very challenging circumstances.

    “To the one’s who made it happen, and to all my fans who have stood by me, this one’s for you,” says the singer.

    According to details, the “heartbreak anthem” has been written by Kunaal Vermaa and composed by Asim. It features models Roshanay Afridi and Reham Rafiq.

    Soon after the song released, it began to trend on social media platforms following which Asim thanked everyone for their love and support.

    Asim also joked that he is finally trending for the right reasons this time. For the unacquainted, the singer was referring to how he has recently been trending due to his relationship with Hania Aamir.

  • VIDEO: Ertuğrul’s doppelganger from Karachi goes viral

    VIDEO: Ertuğrul’s doppelganger from Karachi goes viral

    A doppelganger of Turkish actor Engin Altan Düzyatan, who played the role of Ertuğrul Ghazi in the superhit Turkish drama series Diriliş: Ertuğrul has recently been found in Karachi.

    Engin’s lookalike, identified as Mustafa Hanif, lives in Karachi and runs a YouTube channel through which he promotes tourism in the country.

    In a recent interview with a local media outlet, Hanif said that people in his office had seen Diriliş: Ertuğrul before it was aired in Pakistan.

    “I was often told that I look like the leading character of the series but I never paid much attention to it,” said the YouTuber. “When my own family started following the show and said the same, I watched it too and was stunned.”

    He further shared: “Recently, I went to the market without wearing a facemask and a few people recognised me and started talking to me.

    Mustafa also expressed his wish to visit Turkey to meet the cast of the show, including the lead character.

    Read More – Ertuğrul cast to visit Pakistan in Oct/Nov

    Dirilis: Ertugrul is being aired on Pakistan Television (PTV) with Urdu dubbing on the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The show has gained immense popularity in a very short time and has set a new record of viewership in the country.

  • Neelam Muneer’s ‘Bikhray Moti’ is not for the faint-hearted

    Neelam Muneer’s ‘Bikhray Moti’ is not for the faint-hearted

    Every now and then Pakistani dramas touch upon topics of social issues which highlight societal ills. The latest to do so is Bikhray Moti starring Neelam Muneer, Wahaj Ali, Yasir Nawaz, Samina Ahmed and Nausheen Shah. The drama, which airs on ARY Digital aims to highlight domestic and child abuse and exploitation. It is raw, unfiltered in a few places and honest which is why it makes a depressing watch.

    Ayeza

    Bikhray Moti is centred on Ayeza (Neelam Munir), the daughter of an abusive and misogynistic father (Waseem Abbas) who believes daughters to be a burden. He is ruthless and egotistical and doesn’t appear to care much about the women of his house. Ayeza’s elder sister Faiza (Nausheen Shah) is married to Zulfi (Yasir Nawaz), who is lafanga (useless person). Faiza and Zulfi have three children together and are expecting a fourth but due to Faiza’s weakness and years of abuse, she is unable to give birth to the child and passes away in the process. Before dying, she entrusts Ayeza to take care of her children and save them from their father, who will also not hesitate to use them for his gains. Ayeza vows to become independent and financially stable so that she can take care of them and fulfil the promise she made to her sister.

    After Faiza’s death, Zulfi takes his children back home much to Ayeza’s protests and hands them over to his mother (Samina Ahmed) because he can’t be bothered to take care of them. The children’s grandmother sends her elder grandson Jaanu to Hyderabad to work at Zulfi’s brother’s shop and decides to sell her teenage granddaughter Shehzadi to an older man in marriage.

    Read more – Naumaan Ijaz slams Pakistani dramas for spreading negativity

    On the other hand, Ahad (Wahaj Ali) is Ayeza’s childhood friend and neighbour who she loves very much and wants to get married to. He is the son of a maulvi sahab and wants to become an actor much to his father’s disapproval. Ahad also loves Ayeza and is willing to go any length for her. Wahaj has done a fantastic job as Ahad: he is soft-spoken, warm and gives a very measured performance which deserves an applause.

    Ahad

    Ahad and Ayeza plan to run away and get married. However, before that can happen, Zulfi’s manipulative brother and Ayeza’s father plot to trick Ayeza into marrying Zulfi. While the earlier episodes have been slow-paced, the latest one (Episode 9) was packed with action, masala and a lot of slaps to get the momentum going. Ayeza’s father abhors her defiant and independent nature and despite knowing Zulfi is useless, insists on getting his daughter married to him to teach her a lesson. Over the course of his career, Waseem Abbas has perfected the role of a heartless father and his performance as Ayeza’s father is no less.

    Given that the central theme of the drama is domestic and child abuse, there is a lot of it in the drama, in graphic detail. The honesty with which it is presented is a true reflection of society and is bound to shake you up, especially given how cases of child abuse have been on the rise in the past couple of years.

    While the lead actors have given solid performances, it is the child actors who stand out in the drama especially Jaanu. They have delivered brilliant performances and are so convincing that you end up feeling every emotion with them.

    Jaanu

    Bikharay Moti is not everyone’s piece of cake and takes a lot of courage to watch. Written by Edison Idrees and directed by Shahid Shafaat, it every Tuesday at 8pm on ARY Digital.

  • WWE legend The Undertaker joins TikTok

    WWE legend The Undertaker joins TikTok

    World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) legend The Undertaker shocked fans with a bombshell by creating an account on TikTok.

    He was away from social media for the longest time but then he joined Twitter two years ago, and Instagram just last year. After creating an account on TikTok, the legend has over 59,000 followers on the app despite not posting anything as of yet.

    Undertaker has preserved the nature of his character for the longest time and has a persona of a macho guy, that is why fans were stunned over the development given the content on TikTok doesn’t really go with the stature of his personality. Consequently, people started posting memes on Twitter.

    All in all fans were bewildered by Undertaker’s move to the social media app.

    Have something to add to the story? Share in the comments below.

  • Rubina Ashraf returns home after battling COVID-19 for almost two months

    Rubina Ashraf returns home after battling COVID-19 for almost two months

    Rubina Ashraf is back home after battling COVID-19 in the hospital for almost two months. The actor tested positive for the virus on June 2 and was hospitalised on June 6.

    In an Instagram post, Ashraf’s daughter Minna Tariq shared the happy news and pictures of her mother back home.

    “To the smile, I thought I’ll never be able to see again, the hands I thought I’ll never get to kiss again,” wrote Minna in her post. “My beloved Amma fought for a month and came back to us. Each day I prayed to Allah to give me the most precious thing back. Looking at how each day she would fight back to come to us was the most beautiful feeling.”

    “This time not only taught me to care for her more but to know I am nothing without her,” she continued. “This picture and post is mostly to thank all the people who prayed for her, her fans who always messaged and asked about her and wished her well. Please keep her in your prayers.”

    Rubina also thanked her fans for praying for her in this difficult time.

    A couple of weeks ago, Minna had shared that her mother was still fighting the virus and was in the hospital.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CBvwxqGJD1f/

  • Shaan hits out at those criticising Gen Asim Bajwa, Pak Army

    Ever since the assets of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s special assistants were made public, people have been questioning how Special Assistant to the PM on Information and Broadcasting in honourary capacity Lt General Asim Bajwa acquired his wealth.

    Read more – ‘A son of the soil’: Mehwish Hayat, Shaan respond to Musharraf verdict

    Shaan stood up in defence of the official and said that he stands with him “for keeping the future of Pakistan secure and prosperous”. Shaan received a lot of flak for his comments following which he hit out at “bikay huway Twitterbaz (sold-out Twitterati)” for spreading paid propaganda.

    Later Shaan engaged with Twitter users and strongly defended the Pakistan Army and the PTI-led government.

    When someone suggested he leave the film industry and go fight on the border, Shaan replied: “My AK47 is my camera”.

    Ending his arguments, Shaan requested his followers to also fight against the dangers that lurk.

    This is not the first time Shaan has been embroiled in a debate on social media. Earlier, the actor had sparked controversy after he criticised the government for airing Turkish historical series Diriliş: Ertuğrul on PTV.

  • ‘Mein keh rahe hoon soch lein abhi bhi’: Sarah Khan tells Falak Shabbir right before their nikkah

    ‘Mein keh rahe hoon soch lein abhi bhi’: Sarah Khan tells Falak Shabbir right before their nikkah

    Newlyweds Sarah Khan and Falak Shabir have been on a social media roll sharing gorgeous pictures and videos from their wedding.

    A new video shared by the couple shows the bride ask her groom to think again just before she walks to stage for their nikkah.

    “Mein keh rahe hoon souch lein abhi bhi,” an ecstatic Sarah is seen saying in the video.

    Responding to Sarah, Falak says: “Ab time guzar gaya sochnay ka, ab qabool hai qabool hai bolnay ka time aagaya hai.”

    “Bohat darr lag raha hai Falak,” continues Sarah.

    “Mat darein aap, main aapkay saath hoon“, says Falak in response.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CC6jlNsFMJ8/

    Meanwhile, Falak while speaking to a local media outlet, revealed that he proposed to Sarah after their second meeting.

    “It was at the 2019 Hum TV Bridal Couture Week where Sarah was a showstopper that we met properly,” said Shabbir. “Previously we had only met as acquaintances, but that day I was drinking tea at the hotel when Sarah and Noor were passing by. I asked them to join me and we had tea together. That was probably the first time we spoke to each other in detail.”

    Their second meeting was at a restaurant in Lahore right after the show where the two talked a lot and when Falak was dropping Sarah home after dinner, he proposed to her.

    “I didn’t say I love you or anything, I just directly said I want to do a nikkah with you, marry you, tell me how it can happen,” says Shabir.

    Sharing further details, he said that Sarah told him to meet her father.

    “She told me to meet her father. I went to her house from Karachi to Lahore. The first time I met her father, we spoke for about two hours. Sarah had told me, if Baba leaves in 15 minutes, it’s a no.”

    Sarah and Falak tied the knot on July 16 in an intimate wedding ceremony. Sarah looked like a vision in a rose pink outfit by Nilofar Shahid.

    Check out more pictures from their wedding below:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CC6UFl3FCwS/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CC0XRO5l3w-/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CC0L5zBl7Ev/
  • ‘Indian Matchmaking’: Who is Sima Taparia from Mumbai?

    ‘Indian Matchmaking’: Who is Sima Taparia from Mumbai?

    Throwing light on the highly controversial Indian (and Pakistani) wedding and matchmaking culture, a new Netflix original reality series has stirred a debate online and received mixed reviews about the toxicity ingrained in the country’s age-old process of finding a life partner. The show is currently trending at number four on Netflix Pakistan.

    The eight-part series Indian Matchmaking premiered on Netflix on Thursday and is currently among its top-ranked India shows. It features Sima Taparia, a real-life matchmaker from Mumbai, who offers her services to families within India and abroad. As the show gains traction, the one question which is crossing everyone’s mind is ‘Who really in Sima Taparia’?

    In a recent interview, Taparia, who hails from a small town of Gulbarga in Karnataka, opened up about herself and revealed that she always wanted to be famous.

    “I always had great ambition and wanted to make something of myself so people far and wide would know my name,” she says.

    However, her marriage was arranged when she was just 19 and because her in-laws were from an orthodox family of Marwaris, she never really got a chance to work on her dreams.

    But as fate would have had it, the small-town girl has become a sensation ever since her series streamed on Netflix.

    On how she ended up in this business, Taparia said that she considers herself a natural born matchmaker.

    “I am an extrovert and so I am very social and I love meeting new people, talking to them and finding out little details that I lock away in my brain,” says the 57-year-old.

    “When people come to me saying they have a son, daughter, nephew, niece or a grandchild who is looking to get married, I immediately start thinking of all the people I know of who could be a good match,” she explains, adding that she is always mentally matching people. “I have found matches for people when I was on vacation in Zermatt and in Interlaken and even when we were in the Canadian Rockies, I was on duty matching people up. Hell, I have even matched people up while waiting at the luggage carousel at Mumbai airport.”

    Ever since Taparia set up her matchmaking bureau ‘Suitable Rishta’, based out of her apartment in the midtown Mumbai neighbourhood of Worli, she has brought hundreds of couples together in India as well as in diaspora communities around the world.

    Taparia follows a tried and tested approach that she has found success with. “I go and meet the boy and the family, see what their home is like, where they work, where they have been to school,” she explains. It’s not just the information the family provides but unsaid details she has learned to pick up over the years.

    “This helps me assess their lifestyles so I can recommend a match that is on an even keel. This is where Tinder, Bumble and Shaadi.com can’t compete. I get to the bottom of things, finding out all the inside stories, the family’s values and other such details you would never get from looking at a person’s online profile,” says Taparia.

    She further shared that she only works with “high-profile clients”.

    “In India when I meet clients they usually have a working wedding budget in mind. So based on that golden number, I quote my price that I charge as a lump sum,” said the match-maker.

    Following the series’ success, Taparia’s phone has not stopped ringing.

    “Now young people who have seen the series have been getting in touch with me from all around the world and people in India are asking their parents to get in touch with me to find them partners like Nadia and Aparna,” she says.

    Netflix’s ‘Indian Matchmaking’ divides the internet

    Meanwhile, the show has the internet divided. The show has become a subject of memes and jokes, and criticism, on how individuals and their parents are picky and have a long list of demands that centre around factors like caste, height or skin colour.

    The show “makes very clear how regressive Indian communities can be. Where sexism, casteism, and classism are a prevalent part of the process of finding a life partner,” wrote Twitter user Maunika Gowardhan.

    Thousands of Twitter and Instagram posts echo that view. “The show is simply holding a mirror to the ugly society we are a part of,” Vishaka George, another Twitter user, wrote.

    Created by Oscar-nominated director Smriti Mundhra, the show focuses on matchmaker Taparia’s visits to the homes of families who need her assistance. After hearing their demands, she presents résumés of prospective matches and then arranges meetings between them.

    “The two families have their reputation and many millions of dollars at stake. So the parents guide their children,” Taparia says at one point in the show, referring to some of her wealthier clients.

    In the first episode titled Slim, Trim and Educated, an Indian mother tells Taparia her son is getting a lot of marriage proposals but in most cases, the prospective bride’s education or height was not ideal.

    Just as Taparia says: “So you want a smart, outgoing, height …” the mother interjects, “I won’t even consider (a girl) below 5 feet 3 inches.”

    Some have praised the show for its honesty and treating its subjects respectfully.

    “The hate against it is, frankly, baffling … Indian Matchmaking is well on its way to becoming a cultural phenomenon,” a column in the Mint newspaper said.

    Watch trailer: