Turkish television show Diriliş: Ertuğrul is very popular among the Pakistani audiences and had a huge fan following even before an Urdu dubbed version of it started airing on PTV. With even Prime Minister Imran Khan recommending the show, Ertugrul has become the talk of the town amongst our celebrities also.
Actor Hamza Ali Abbasi appears to be the fan of the show too. In a recent video, shared by wife Naimal Khawar, Abbasi can be seen playing the theme song of the show on a guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb8OT5GsC_Y
The show is being aired on the request of PM Imran Khan. According to the PM, it is a must-watch show for the youth of the country.
“We’ve always had content from Hollywood and Bollywood which was then being showcased here. A third end culture was being promoted. That’s why I want our youth to know the difference between our values and theirs,” the premier had said while discussing why he requested for the show to be aired in the country.
Asim Azhar has become the youngest and the fourth Pakistani artist after Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Atif Aslam and Momina Mustehsan to enter the ‘100 million club’ after his single Jo Tu Na Mila crossed more than 100 million views on YouTube. His other song which achieved this milestone was his duet with Momina Mustehsan for Coke Studio 9: Tera Woh Pyaar.
The singer shared the news in a social media update and thanked his fans for their support.
And it gives me immense honour to become the youngest & only the 4th Pakistani artist (after Rahat Fateh Ali Khan sb, Atif Aslam & Momina Mustehsan) to have 2 or more songs in the 100 million club. 😊 thank you. I love you guys. pic.twitter.com/T8donMa54H
In another update, the singer remarked that it was impossible for him to put his feelings into words.
Jo Tu Na Mila is a love ballad which talks about unrequited love. The song, which features Iqra Aziz, has been composed and sung by Asim while the lyrics have been penned by Kunaal Vermaa.
Back when it was released, the song was even loved by none other than Bollywood bigwig Karan Johar.
Six episodes in, Sabaat has managed to capture the audiences with its compelling and entertaining storyline and strong performances. The drama had intrigued viewers before it even aired thanks to one of the main leads Mawra Hocane, who is an ace at the social media game – but a few episodes in, it has everyone, myself included, hooked.
Sabaat is centred on two families: Hasan Fareed (Ameer Gillani) and Anaya Aziz’s (Mawra). Anaya belongs to an average middle-class family. She has big dreams and wants to make a difference in society. She actively campaigns for harassment against women in workplaces and is a class topper. Hasan, on the other hand, is from an affluent and well-off family. He and Anaya are class fellows and start off as fierce competitors but an incident changes that and the two become acquaintances following which Hasan develops feelings for Anaya and wants to marry her. Though Hasan’s character development is a little weak, given how the swiftly the drama is progressing and how sparkling the chemistry is between him and Anaya, we are willing to overlook this.
While these two are in their own little university bubble, Hasan’s elder sister Miraal (Sarah Khan) is the real devil of the show. She is a spoilt brat who cannot take no for an answer. Miraal is rude, arrogant and selfish and thinks she can get away with anything because she is rich to the point that she goes to her brother’s university and slaps Anaya for no reason. She generously uses the dialogue “Tumhari aukaat kya hai” and is enabled by her father who is also a snob.
While Mawra’s character, for now, is one-dimensional, it is Sarah who steals the show with her bratty act. Her facial expressions, body language and moods are on point and she delivers a convincing performance making you hate Miraal. Nonetheless, it is refreshing to see both women essay strong and confident characters. At this point, I’d like to add here that Sarah’s wardrobe, hair and makeup are brilliantly done and she looks super chic in all of her scenes.
Usman Mukhtar is yet to make an entry and fans are waiting with bated breath for it. While the theme of the drama is still unclear, Mawra in an interview had shared it is primarily a love story which is meant to entertain audiences and not deliver sermons or lessons. However, she added that the drama will highlight several issues including classism in our society.
Sabaat has been penned by Kashif Anwar and directed by Shehzad Kashmiri of Anaa fame. Apart from the four leads, the drama also starres Simi Raheel, Laila Zuberi and Mohammad Ahmed.
It appears that Prime Minister Imran Khan is a big fan of Turkish cinema because Senator Faisal Javed Khan has revealed that the premier wants Yunus Emre: Aşkin Yolculuğu to be telecast in Pakistan.
In a Twitter update, Khan shared that PM Khan wants Pakistanis to watch this drama because it highlights Islamic history.
….for unity. Yet another hit created by Mehmet Bozdag is a Journey of Transformation. Yunus Emre was well versed in mystical philosophy, esp that of the 13th-century poet and mystic Jalaluddin Rumi. Serial is a great example of a meticulous attention to detail work @trtworldpic.twitter.com/svDX4Z2M2L
— Faisal Javed Khan (@FaisalJavedKhan) May 4, 2020
Yunus Emre: Aşkın Yolculuğu is a Turkish biographical historical television series created by Mehmet Bozdağ, the man behind Diriliş: Ertuğrul. It starres Gökhan Atalay in the lead role. According to Faisal, the series is a journey of transformation. It centres around the life of Yunus Emre, the 14th century Anatolian Sufi poet, who greatly influenced the Anatolian culture.
The first episode of the series was released on June 18, 2015 and over the years it has become a favourite among the Turkish audiences. It has an IMDb rating of 7.8.
Meanwhile, on the recommendation of PM Imran, PTV has started airing Diriliş: Ertuğrul with Urdu dubbing. The drama has proven to be a big hit among Pakistani audiences.
We’ve seen Adnan Siddiqui essay a lot of roles on our TV screens but we never thought we’d see him as Wolverine from X-Men.
Adnan’s son Zayd recently dressed up his father as Wolverine and the actor couldn’t resist showing off his son’s skills on social media.
“This is the best time we can spend with our kids, how about letting them use their creativity on you,” wrote the actor.
“Here’s Zayd’s depiction of Wolverine (X-Men) on yours truly. Master Zayd, making his debut in direction, styling, hair and photography,” he further said. “Liked his debut?”
Last week, Adnan was involved in a controversy after television show host Aamir Liaquat made a callous remark on the deaths of Irrfan Khan and Sri Devi. After the clip of their exchange went viral on social media, Adnan regretted being on the show and apologised to the families of both the late actors for Liaquat’s remarks. Later, Aamir also apologised for his comments and said that he didn’t realise he was being insensitive.
Saba Qamar, who had the honour of working with Irrfan Khan in the film Hindi Medium, in a recent interview opened up on her time with the actor on set and shared that he sang a song for her the first time they met.
“I’ve learned a lot from Irrfan,” said Saba. “Working with him was nothing less than a fan moment for me throughout. As an actor, I believe that acting is actually behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances. And I actually saw that in him.”
Saba said that her on-set memories with the late actor were all about “fun conversations.”
“There was never a dull moment when he was around. We used to crack jokes with each other all the time. He always used to make me learn new things and give pro tips on life,” she said, adding that he was also very philosophical.
Recalling one her fondest memories with him, Saba shared that on their first meeting, Irrfan sang a song for her.
“When I entered the room where he was sitting, he started singing the song Badan Pe Sitaray…for me. I’ll always cherish the entire time I’ve spent with him.”
Saba further said that she wished that “things were better between our countries.”
“I am of the belief that acting is a form of blended art that shouldn’t be restricted to a particular type or even a country. It should be assorted in such a way that even we enjoy it and so do our fans and audiences. It is this assortment which I miss. I’d love to do more movies for my fans if I get any opportunity.”
To make decision-making easier for their users, Netflix has recently started sharing a list of ‘Top 10’ movies or seasons which are trending in different countries. According to a blog post from the company, the Top 10 row will be updated every day with “the most popular titles within a subscriber’s country, and the position of the row will also change depending on how relevant the shows and movies in the list are to their interests.”
As of Friday (May 1) night, the top three things trending on Netflix are Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Love Aaj Kal and Extraction, while the two films are also the top two in the Movie Category. While we all know that Diriliş: Ertuğrul is a hit among Pakistani audiences, Extraction and Love Aaj Kal are new additions to the streaming service.
Like any other Pakistani who grew up on Bollywood films, I couldn’t resist watching Love Aaj Kal. I mean Imtiaz Ali, Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aryan — bring it on. As for Extraction, because for the most part, my job does require me to keep up with the latest trends, I decided to step out of my usual romantic comedies/dramas zone and watch something different and see whether it was worth the Netflix hype.
Let’s start with Extraction. The Chris Hemsworth action-thriller has been creating a buzz since he went to India for its shoot. A day before its release, Hemsworth on social media had said that “making this film was one of the most exhausting but rewarding experiences I’ve ever had on a set.”
He further said: “We set out to make the most insane, intense action film and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved.” Unfortunately, the film only made me insane with the amount of bloodshed it had it in. To be honest, I’m generally not a big fan of action films but I do enjoy them from time to time. The two-hour-long film, which I finished in three sittings, was just a Bollywood film on steroids given that a lot of actors [for example Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi] in the film were from India.
The film is focused around Tyler Rake (played by Hemsworth), a black-market mercenary and former Australian Special Air Service Regiment soldier with a troubled past. From Rake’s first scene in the film, one can tell that he is the sort of person who likes to challenge and see death in the eye. Except for a few glimpses from his past, Rake’s character isn’t adequately developed. Anyways, Rake is hired by a fellow mercenary Nik Khan (Golshifteh Farahani) to rescue Ovi Mahajan Jr. (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), the son of India’s biggest drug lord (Pankaj Tripathi), from Dhaka, Bangladesh who has been abducted by Bangladesh’s biggest drug lord, Amir Asif (Priyanshu Painyuli).
The film is just one, long and bloody action sequence. There are limited dialogues and the characters just run through the narrow streets of Dhaka as they try to escape Bangladesh’s most notorious drug lord. They jump from building to building, kill countless people on the way and lockdown an entire city. The ending is as abrupt as the beginning – there is no character development or plot development. So unless you want to see only action, I’d advice you to skip the film altogether.
Now onto Love Aaj Kal. If I had to sum up the film in one word, or two, I’d say half-baked. The story, the characters, the plot, everything about the film is half-baked. The film follows the same premise as Imtiaz Ali’s first Love Aaj Kal, which had two love stories running side by side.
Zoe (Sara Ali Khan) is a free-spirited but ambitious girl who wants to make a career. She is bold, speaks her mind and does what she feels like, which sometimes gets a bit over the top. Veer, on the other hand, is a sensitive guy who looks at life differently than Zoe. The two meet in a club and while Zoe just wants to have a one-night stand, Veer decides that it’s not right because Zoe is “special”. How he decided that within an hour is beyond my understanding. Zoe gets annoyed with this and leaves his house and goes back to her life. Except Veer starts stalking her, not in the 90s way by singing songs and all, but by getting a spot at the co-working space where she sits. Soon the two grow closer and get into a relationship but Zoe’s mother who wants her daughter to become independent first urges her to not give up on her career for marriage. This confuses Zoe who then breaks up with Veer. The breakup scene was so ridiculously cringed that you cannot help but wonder how Imtiaz Ali even came up with it. What follows afterwards is a typical Bollywood story of how two people who are meant to be together will find their way back to each other. In between all this, Raghuvendra “Raghu” Singh, who is the owner of the cafe where Zoe works, narrates his 20-year-old love story to Zoe to help her understand her own feelings and make her decisions.
What I did not like about the film was first Zoe’s character. It was highly irritating and Sara’s acting was also terrible. Especially the scenes in which she was drunk or crying. In fact, her own dialogue basically sums up her acting: “Tum mujhe tang karnay lagay ho“.
It appears that all the attention was paid to Zoe and Raj’s character because Veer’s character was highly underdeveloped. We don’t understand his profession, neither do we understand why he spends his days just buzzing around Sara – does he not have his own life. And to top it all, his insecurities deriving from his parent’s relationship are summed up in a rap song, which is more confusing than explanatory.
While the plot did have its heart in the right place, the film was not engaging enough. It lacked the humour [like in Jab We Met] or simplicity [Highway] which Imtiaz usually beautifully weaves into his films. Sorry, Imtiaz, I really did try my best to like the movie but it just wasn’t happening.
In a detailed note posted to social media, Adnan said, “I don’t know how to explain what I’m feeling right now or what to say. But this needs to go out.”
He said that he was invited on Liaquat’s live chat show where the anchor joked how Adnan worked with Sri Devi and Irrfan Khan and both passed away.
“You worked in Mom and Sri Devi died, you worked with Irrfan Khan as well and he passed away,” Liaquat had remarked on the show.
He had further said, “You were offered roles in Mardaani 2 and Jism 2 but you declined, so the actors of those movies [Rani Mukherjee, Bipasha Basu] owe their life to you.”
Adnan wrote, “The anchor joked about something extremely sensitive. Not only were they both close to me but also as a human, it was wrong on so many levels. I cannot even call it ‘hitting below the belt’.”
Adnan stated that Liaquat comments were very callous and showed him and the country both in bad light. The actor then proceeded to apologise to the families of both the late actors. He said that he felt very uncomfortable with Liaquat’s comments and regrets being on the show.
“I’ve learnt my lesson and I promise I will not tolerate such an act in future,” he added.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_qXys0HgfW/
Meanwhile, following the backlash on social media, Aamir Liaquat also issued an apology.
“Sometimes you lose control over your words,” said Liaquat in a video. “That happens in a live show. At the time it didn’t seem like a big issue but later when I thought about it, I realised my comments were inappropriate. So I’m really sorry. Keeping humanity in mind, this should not have been said. I made a mistake.”
He added that if he doesn’t want to hurt the people of his country and wants to apologise to all those who were hurt by his comments.
Irrfan Khan’s sudden and unexpected death left millions of broken hearts across the world. The actor who had won hearts with his quiet demeanour and powerful performances left a gaping hole with his demise. Tributes poured in for the actor from across the world as his fans, colleagues and all those who worked with him remembered him.
Two days after his passing, Irrfan’s wife, Sutapa Sikdar and sons, Babil and Ayaan have released an official statement in the form of a touching heartfelt note.
Posted to Irrfan’s official Twitter account, the note celebrated the actor’s life and words. His wife Sutapa remarked that she didn’t feel alone and wanted to assure everyone that “it’s not a loss, it’s a gain”.
“How can I write this as a family statement when the whole world is taking it as a personal loss?” read the statement. “How can I begin to feel alone when millions are grieving with us at the moment?”
“I want to assure everyone that this is not a loss, it is a gain. It’s a gain of the things he taught us, and now we shall finally begin to truly implement it and evolve. Yet I want to try to fill in the things that people don’t already know.”
“It’s unbelievable for us but I would put it in Irrfan’s words, ‘it’s magical’ whether he is there or not there, and that’s what he loved, he never loved one dimensional reality. The only thing I have a grudge against him is, he has spoiled me for life.”
Read the full note below:
Irrfan and Sutapa met at the National School of Drama in New Delhi and fell in love during their college days. They shared a common love for cinema and art. In February 1995, they tied the knot and were married for 25 years.
In a recent interview, Irrfan had talked about how he wanted to live for his wife.
“What to say about Sutapa? She is there 24/7. She has evolved into a care-giving and if I get to live, I want to live for her. She is the reason for me to keep at it still,” he had said.
Sutapa, herself is a film dialogue writer, with films like Khamoshi, Shabd and Kahaani to her credit. She later turned producer with Madaari (2016) and Qarib Qarib Single (2017), both starring Irrfan in the lead.
A video of Bollywood actor Sushmita Sen fluently reciting a Surah from the Holy Quran has gone viral on social media.
According to details, during an Instagram Live session, a fan requested Sushmita to recite a Surah from the Quran, following which the actor recited Surah Al-Asr. Her daughters, who were also part of the live session, joined her in reciting the verses.
Watch video:
During the session, Sushmita also recalled her visit to Pakistan. When a follower from Multan asked her when she will be visiting the country, the actor replied, “Soon I hope. I really really hope. I’ve been to Karachi three times and each time I have been received with a lot of love. It’s been a long time since I’ve visited.”
