Category: Entertainment

  • ‘Ertuğrul’, Bollywood stars react to PIA crash

    ‘Ertuğrul’, Bollywood stars react to PIA crash

    Karachi-bound flight PK8303 of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from Lahore on Friday crashed in a residential area of the port city a bit over a minute away from the airport, and two days before Eid sending waves of shock across the country and the world. It was a disaster no one saw coming. Following the tragic incident, condolences for the dead and their loved ones poured in from all over the world.

    Read more – A minute before landing, two days before Eid: What we know about PIA’s ill-fated flight PK8303

    Among those who offered their condolences were the stars of hit Turkish drama series Diriliş: Ertuğrul, who have been receiving immense love from Pakistani audiences ever since the serial aired in Pakistan on PTV Home.

    Engin Altan Düzyatan, the lead star of Diriliş: Ertuğrul, said that he was “very sorry to hear about the crash in Karachi”.

    Esra Bilgiç, who essays the role of Halime Sultan in the series, commented on model Zara Abid’s post and apologised for being late to follow her back.

    Gülsim Ali İlhan, who recently had a sweet exchange with Neelam Muneer, also expressed her sympathies.

    “We knows words aren’t much comfort at a time like this,” said the actor. “But we’d like you to know we are thinking of you.”

    Nurettin Sönmez, who playes Bamsi Beyrek, one of the three Alps of Ertuğrul, wrote that he is sharing the sadness.

    Cavit Çetinm who plays Güner Doğan Alp, another one of the three Alps of Ertuğrul, sent his prayers for everyone in Pakistan.

    The creator of the show, Mehmet Bozdağ also sent in his condolences and prayers to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    Meanwhile, condolences also poured in from the other side of the border with Bollywood bigwigs including Anil Kapoor and Anupam Kher expressing their sadness and sending their prayers.

  • ‘Ertuğrul’ star thanks Neelam Muneer for her ‘nice compliments’

    ‘Ertuğrul’ star thanks Neelam Muneer for her ‘nice compliments’

    While on one hand stars are debating over whether Turkish series Diriliş: Ertuğrul should be aired in Pakistan or not, on the other hand, we are witnessing a heartwarming exchange between actors of both the countries.

    In a recent Instagram post, Neelam Muneer discussed how watching the series is “like reading a book which is full of great history of Muslims”.

    “Even though I respect views of everyone in my fraternity but I feel it’s not the matter of Turkish content or Pakistani content,” wrote Neelam. “We should look beyond and understand that its Islamic content, which has so much wisdom and teaches us the history and the values of Muslims.”

    She added, “Let’s just feel proud of our Islamic heritage and get motivated and also create content in Pakistan which we should also be proud of.”

    Neelam’s post caught the attention of Gülsim Ali, who plays Aslıhan Hatun, younger sister of Ural Bey and Aliyar Bey, in the super hit series.

    “Thank you for the nice compliments,” replied Ali. “Love you and your heart is so beautiful, wish you all the best.”

    Read more – Halime Sultan sends her love to Pakistan

    The exchange did not end there. Neelam responded and hoped that Gülsim will be able to visit Pakistan one day, who said she would love to.

    Set in 13th century Anatolia and based on the struggle of Ertuğrul Gazi, father of Osman I – the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, Diriliş: Ertuğrul has been trending in the country ever since its first episode aired on PTV Home. Pakistanis are loving the drama series and it has become a sensation in the country. According to PTV, 133.38 million people have watched the drama series from April 25- May 14. PTV’s YouTube channel has also registered an exponential rise in its viewership with 3.5 million subscribers and episodes trending every day on the social media platform.

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had gifted the drama series to Pakistan as a goodwill gesture.

  • ‘Ye Watan Tumhara Hai’: celebrities honour nation’s heroes

    ‘Ye Watan Tumhara Hai’: celebrities honour nation’s heroes

    To honour those fighting on the frontlines against the COVID-19 pandemic, producer (Naqsh Shany) Haider has released a rendition of Mehdi Hassan’s Ye Watan Tumhara Hai.

    The song features a plethora of celebrities including Adnan Siddiqui, Imran Abbas, Zara Noor Abbas, Faysal Qureshi, Ahsan Khan, Asma Abbas, Zhalay Sarhadi, Asad Siddiqui, Anoushey Abbasi and Gohar Rasheed among others.

    According to the song’s producer, “Tum Se Hai Yeh Watan is a symphonic tribute to the sovereignty of Pakistan featuring silver screen artists as singers. This song is dedicated to our nation’s unsung heroes during COVID-19 pandemic and a salute to the armed forces, doctors, engineer’s, scientists, artists and our overseas Pakistanis and the entire nation.”

    The song has been recorded and produced over social media apps in a completely virtual environment.

    “It is a special effort to uplift nationalism within our hearts”, says the producer.

    Watch video:

  • Yasir Hussain vs Turkish dramas: the debate heats up

    Yasir Hussain vs Turkish dramas: the debate heats up

    Yasir Hussain seems to have stirred up quite a storm with his comments on Turkish dramas and Diriliş: Ertuğrul. After Mansha Pasha and Anoushey Ashraf stepped in to defend him, more members of the entertainment industry are sharing their stance on the matter.

    Read more – Mehwish Hayat’s crush has been updated after watching ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    Osman Khalid Butt discussed how the drama series can benefit Pakistan

    Without taking any names, Osman addressed Yasir’s concerns that foreign content spells death for the local industry.

    “Sharing my response to a post that insinuated our jobs are under threat,” wrote Osman. “I don’t recall us actors finding ourselves jobless when Ishq-e-Mamnoon or Mera Sultan were all the rage in Pakistan.”

    He further said that the series can help “create more job opportunities for local dubbing/VO artists” in Pakistan.

    Osman also suggested that PTV can “use the revenue generated from this series to create our own original content”.

    Maya Ali agreed with Butt

    “We need to have more faith in our content, writers and work as an artist,” wrote Maya on Instagram.

    Ahmed Ali Butt said that though he respected Yasir’s opinion, he did not agree with it

    “One should not be crucified for voicing their concerns,” said Ahmed.

    He said that Ertuğrul is a great drama which promotes Islamic values.

    Butt also added that he believes that the “Government of Pakistan should grant special budgets to Pakistani production houses with specific guidelines to produce historical dramas with local talent and artists also”.

    While Munib Nawaz supported Yasir and called him a true artist, Ali Kazmi said that this should be a wake up call for the industry.

    Gohar Rasheed also added his ‘two cents’ on the matter

    He said that “if you want job security, take ownership, and create better content. Stop being petty.”

    Neelum Munir says “we should look beyond and understand its Islamic content, which has so much wisdom and teaches us the history and the values of Muslims”.

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

    Armeena Khan said that if you want to watch good Pakistani content, watch Hamza Ali Abbasi, Kubra Khan and Sajal Aly’s Alif

    https://twitter.com/ArmeenaRK/status/1262345761544720384?s=20

    She added that foreign content help to build up the our industry.

    https://twitter.com/ArmeenaRK/status/1262406684653346820?s=20

    Yasir had urged PTV to make a historic drama using artists and technicians who pay taxes to the country.

    “Landy k kapray aur Turkey k dramay, dono hee local industry ko tabah kardein gay,” the actor had written.

    Following his colleagues remarks, Yasir responded saying: “Yeh humara kaam nahi hai bhai idary ka hai.”

    Set in 13th century Anatolia and based on the struggle of Ertuğrul Gazi, father of Osman I – the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, Diriliş: Ertuğrul has been trending in the country ever since its first episode aired on PTV Home. Pakistanis are loving the drama series and it has become a sensation in the country. According to PTV, 133.38 million people have watched the drama series from April 25- May 14. PTV’s YouTube channel has also registered an exponential rise in its viewership with 3.13 million subscribers and episodes trending every day on the social media platform.

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had gifted the drama series to Pakistan as a goodwill gesture.

  • This is not the first time ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ is being aired in Pakistan

    This is not the first time ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ is being aired in Pakistan

    A plot twist we didn’t see coming. Turns out this is not the first time Turkish drama series Diriliş: Ertuğrul is being aired in Pakistan.

    A Twitter user shared that the drama was dubbed and aired in Urdu five years back on Hum Sitaray.

    The Current reached out to a representative of Hum TV, who confirmed this and said that the first season of the drama was aired in 2015 in Pakistan. He stated that Hum TV bought the rights of the show and dubbed it in Urdu. However, the show failed to catch the attention of the audiences because of which it was dropped after the first season. He further said that while the show was very popular in Turkey, when it was released in December 2014, it was not until it was released on Netflix in April 2017 that it gained international acclaim.

    As for Pakistan, the show was thrust into the spotlight after Prime Minister Imran Khan recommended it and advised the youth to watch it.

    Read more – Yasir Hussain likens Turkish dramas to ‘landay k kapray’

    Set in 13th century Anatolia and based on the struggle of Ertuğrul Gazi, father of Osman I – the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, Diriliş: Ertuğrul has been trending ever since its first episode aired on PTV Home. Pakistanis are loving the drama series and it has become a sensation in the country. According to PTV, 133.38 million people have watched the drama series from April 25- May 14. PTV’s YouTube channel has also registered an exponential rise in its viewership with 3 million subscribers and episodes trending every day on the social media platform.

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had gifted the drama series to Pakistan as a goodwill gesture.

  • Saba Qamar is winning the internet with her latest video

    Saba Qamar is winning the internet with her latest video

    Saba Qamar just dropped another video on her YouTube channel and people cannot get enough of her unfiltered sass. Titled The Chay Show featuring Saba Qamar, the episode shows Saba being interviewed by makeup artist Shoaib Khan, dressed up as Suhail Warraich.

    During the episode, Saba answers some of the most asked questions from female celebrities. She is witty and unfiltered with her responses which is why the episode has been much appreciated on social media.

    For example, when the host asks Saba if she has done a lot of romance in real life like on-screen, Saba replies, “Kaisi baat kar rahe hain. Islamic Republic of Pakistan main aurat romance nahi karti, bachay aasmano say girtay hain (Women don’t romance in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Children fall from the skies).”

    Later when he asks how many people Saba has dated, Saba said, “Aap hee bata dein. Aap behatar jaante honge.” When the host insists she answer, Saba launched a tirade saying: “Since a young age, girls are taught that it is better to die than to leave the first man in your life. This one sentence also ruined eight years of my life! He used to lie, misbehave, assault, and later apologise. Because commitment and marriage were the same for me, I kept going on for eight years thinking ‘it’ll get better’ but he didn’t get better, in fact, he ruined my mind!”

    She further said that he later went and got married to someone in his family.

    This answer, in particular, was lauded by Twitter users.

    https://twitter.com/LahoriElite/status/1262351603891240960?s=20

    Meanwhile, check out the entire episode here:

  • Mehwish Hayat’s crush has been updated after watching ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    Mehwish Hayat’s crush has been updated after watching ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    While the rest of the industry argues over the impact of airing Turkish dramas on the local industry, Mehwish Hayat has shared that her crush has been updated after watching Diriliş: Ertuğrul.

    In a social media post, Mehwish said that she doesn’t understand what the fuss is about before adding that she thinks Engin Altan Düzyatan is “pretty hot” and a bit like Leonardo DiCaprio.

    In case you’ve been completely oblivious to the whole situation and have no idea what Engin looks like, here’s a picture of him as Ertugrul:

    Another one of Engin. Awein.

    As for whether he looks like Leonardo, hmm.

    Meanwhile, scroll down at your own risk because these pictures are bound to update your crush too.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_cXYfqgcVr/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B4NBVLAAvTF/

    That smile tho!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BcEoLKSAJkt/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/BdM8EndBNkb/

    Guess, we just drowned in those eyes.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BGmAS9IxFQU/
  • ‘Asma-Ul-Husna’: Coke Studio accused of plagiarising British singer’s video

    ‘Asma-Ul-Husna’: Coke Studio accused of plagiarising British singer’s video

    Atif Aslam’s collaboration with Coke Studio for a special went viral within hours of being released. Atif’s take on Asma-ul-Husna – the 99 names of Allah – received praise from all around and got millions of hits. The video, directed by Asim Raza and produced by Zulfiqar “Xulfi” Jabbar Khan was also appreciated and people lauded Coke Studio for releasing this in this moment of crisis.

    Read more – Atif Aslam recites the 99 names of Allah for a ‘Coke Studio’ special

    However, a blogger came forward and accused Coke Studio of plagiarising British singer Sami Yusuf’s video. Aamir Ali Shah, who levelled the accusations, also shared the two videos side by side and let the audiences make the call.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAPa1JspCIt/

    For the unacquainted, Sami is a British singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and record producer born in Tehran, Iran.

    Watch Coke Studio’s Asma-ul-Husna here:

    Read more – Two ‘Coke Studio 12’ songs taken down because of copyright issues

    Watch Sami Yusuf’s video:

    Meanwhile, earlier this month, Sami had also released his take on Asma-ul-Husna.

  • VIDEO: Hareem Shah ready to play Halime Sultan if Prime Minister Imran Khan plays Ertugrul

    VIDEO: Hareem Shah ready to play Halime Sultan if Prime Minister Imran Khan plays Ertugrul

    As ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ fever continues to grip Pakistan, TikTok celebrity Hareem Shah has made headlines for saying that she is ready to play the role of Halime Sultan — the wife of Ertuğrul — if Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan plays the lead of the hit Turkish series.

    “Turkish actor Esra Bilgiç performed so well in the drama. Her acting made me travel back in time to the era depicted in the series,” Shah said in an interview with vlogger Moin Zubair.

    READ: Pakistanis lose it over ‘un-Islamic’ Instagram of ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ star

    It wasn’t later that the internet celebrity expressed her desire to play the role of Halime Sultan, to which she was asked who would she want to play the lead role of Ertuğrul.

    “[Prime Minister] Imran Khan can be Ertuğrul,” Shah said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmFg43_k1eg

    Turkish historic fiction series ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ has been trending ever since its first episode aired on PTV Home. Pakistanis are loving the drama series and it has become a sensation in the country to the point that PTV is now aiming to set a new record with the series.

    READ: Fans spot ‘Virat Kohli’, ‘Usman Shinwari’ in Ertuğrul

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gifted the drama series to Pakistan as a goodwill gesture.

    The series set in pre-Ottoman era centres around the life of Ertuğrul, the father of Osman I.

  • Halime Sultan sends her love to Pakistan

    Halime Sultan sends her love to Pakistan

    Turkish drama Diriliş: Ertuğrul has taken Pakistan by storm ever since it was released in the country in Urdu on Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s advice to “help youngsters connect with their roots”.

    As praise pours in for the historical fiction over the internet by both celebrities and the general public, fans have started following the show’s actors on social media. While a handful of people were disappointed with the real lives of the actor, many sent their praises and love to the actors.

    Read more – Pakistanis lose it over ‘un-Islamic’ Instagram of ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ star

    Esra Bilgiç, who essays the role of Halime Sultan, Ertuğrul’s wife has now responded to Pakistanis fans and thanked them for the love they have sent her way. She also added that she would love to meet all her fans in Pakistan once the pandemic is over and the situation normalises.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAQEy7bjYiU/

    Similarly Gülsim Ali, who plays Aslihan Hatun in the third edition of Diriliş: Ertuğrul also expressed her desire to visit Pakistan once the coronavirus pandemic is over.

    “I’ve never been in Pakistan before but I hope one day I’ll be there to meet with you after this pandemic period,” she wrote on Instagram.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CASvq4flSDN/