Current Final

Category: Entertainment

  • ‘The deafening silence is criminal’: Mahira Khan raises voice for ‘Zindagi Tamasha’

    ‘The deafening silence is criminal’: Mahira Khan raises voice for ‘Zindagi Tamasha’

    The fate of Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha hangs in limbo as the government is yet to decide whether the film can be released or not. The film, which was scheduled to hit screens on January 25, was stopped from being released days before its release after the federal and provincial governments feared public unrest.

    While the Federal Government had said that the film will be reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the Punjab Government directed the filmmaker to hold a screening on February 3 so that the film can be reviewed again. However, the screening has not taken place as yet. It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial and central censor boards had earlier cleared the film for release with a few cuts.

    Read more – ‘Zindagi Tamasha’s fate hangs in limbo

    As governing bodies are still to decide the future of the film, Mahira Khan took to social media to voice her support for the film.

    Osman Khalid Butt not only agreed with her but also requested artists and actor attending the first Pakistan International Screen Awards in Dubai to raise their voice for the film.

    Nadia Afgan, who played Shanno in Suno Chanda, also spoke out in favour of the filmmaker.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8JsBwXB10v/

    Ever since the film was barred from release, director Sarmad has not made a public statement. His father, Irfan Khoosat, who had filed a case against Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) for interfering in the smooth release of the film also withdrew his petition for reasons unknown.

    Meanwhile, TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi recently said that he would not let the film release no matter what remarking: “We will not let Zindagi Tamasha release and will do whatever it takes to make sure it does not see the light of day.”

    Read more – ‘Over my dead body,’ says Khadim Rizvi on Zindagi Tamasha release

    Earlier, Sarmad had also appealed to the Prime Minister, President, Chief of Army Staff and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to facilitate the release of the film.

  • Mahira Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humayun Saeed stand in solidarity with Kashmir

    As Pakistan observes Kashmir Day, local celebrities including Mahira Khan, Shahid Afridi, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humayun Saeed and Saba Qamar raised their voice for the people who are currently under lockdown in the picturesque valley.

    https://twitter.com/iamhumayunsaeed/status/1224969229914558465?s=20
  • Jhooti: The drama that replaced ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’

    Jhooti: The drama that replaced ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’

    Meray Paas Tum Ho left some big shoes to fill. The Humayun Saeed-Ayeza Khan starrer received unprecedented success and was reported to be television’s highest-rated drama of all time. The serial wrapped up on January 25 and the next week on February 1, Iqra Aziz, Ahmed Ali Butt and Yasir Hussain’s Jhooti took over.

    Much before its release, when the teasers of the drama were released, Jhooti had stirred up controversy for allegedly showing women in a bad light and portraying them as money-hungry, two-faced creatures and the first episode did nothing to change the perception.

    The drama opened with the same-old storyline. Nirma’s (Iqra) parents want their daughter to get married and settle down. But the rebel daughter wants a better life for herself and doesn’t want to settle for the “useless” boys in her “poor” neighbourhood. She spends her days shouting or passing snide remarks to her family members. There are a lot of screaming sessions as Nirma clashes with her family over the rishtas that come for her. The only person who supports her is her father.

    In comes Ahmed Ali Butt as Nasir, a simple man *yawn* madly in love with Nirma. He runs a small store in the neighbourhood and lives a fuss-free life. He comes over with his family with a rishta for Nirma. While Nirma herself rejects him by constantly calling him fat, her family thinks that he is a good choice for her. Eventually, Nirma’s partner in crime and equally vile friend advises her to marry Nasir only if he agrees to put his shop and house in her name. Interestingly Nasir’s parents agree to her condition and they come over to fix the date for the wedding when Nirma flips and tells them that she’s already rejected the proposal.

    While the drama doesn’t appear to have anything new to offer as yet and is as regressive as it can get – I mean Nirma’s mother tells her that she cannot go to university because she needs to get married – the only department in which it excels is acting. Iqra has given a solid performance and you absolutely hate her at the end of the episode. The rest of the actors including Butt and Asma Abbas as Nirma’s mother put up commendable performances.

    The drama has a bit of a negative vibe to it and reminds you of the over the top Star Plus sagas. But I’m going to watch a couple of more episodes before deciding whether the drama is worth watching or not.

    Jhooti has been directed by Syed Ramish Rizvi and penned by Ali Moeen. It airs every Saturday at 8pm.

  • Former Bollywood actor Zaira Wasim condemns Indian atrocities in Kashmir

    Former Bollywood actor Zaira Wasim condemns Indian atrocities in Kashmir

    Former actor Zaira Wasim, who hails from Kashmir, has condemned the curfews in the region.

    Taking to Instagram, the Secret Superstar actor shared a lengthy note writing, “Kashmir continues to suffer and see-saw between hope and frustration. There’s a false and uneasy semblance of calmness in place of escalating despair and sorrow.”

    She continues by asking many questions. “Why do we have to live in a world where our lives and wills are controlled, dictated and bent? Why is it so easy to have our voices silenced? Why is it so easy to curtail our freedom of expression? Why aren’t we ever allowed to voice our opinions, let alone our disprovals to decisions that are made contrary to our wishes? Why is it that instead of trying to see the cause of our view, our view is just condemned ruthfully? What is so easy to curb our voices so severely?

     “Why can we not live simple lives without always having to wrestle and remind the world of our existence? Why is that life of a Kashmiri is just about experiencing a lifetime of crisis, blockade and disturbance so abundantly that it has taken away the recognition of normalcy and harmony from the hearts and minds?”

    Zaira also warned not to believe the beautiful picture that the media has been showing about the Kashmir.

    “Do not believe the unfair representation of the facts and details or the rosy hue that the media has cast on the reality of the situation. Ask questions, re-examine the biased assumptions. Ask questions. For our voices”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8HbAKKlUvT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    In early August, the Indian Government revoked Article 370 which granted special status to IoK(Indian occupied Kashmir). Troops were deployed in the region and all communication in the valley was blocked, cutting off Kashmiris from the outside world.

    Earlier, Zaira had taken to social media to assure fellow Kashmiris that “this too shall pass.”

  • ‘Zindagi Tamasha’s fate hangs in limbo

    ‘Zindagi Tamasha’s fate hangs in limbo

    In an emotionally-charged country like Pakistan, where religion is a sensitive topic, it was no surprise that Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha ruffled many feathers and sparked controversy. Despite the director’s assurance that the film does not hurt any religious sentiments, people jumped to conclusions based on a two-minute teaser trailer. Nonetheless, fearing public unrest, the federal and provincial governments decided to stop the film from being released, just days before it was scheduled to.

    While the Federal Government has said that the film will be reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the Punjab Government directed the filmmaker to hold a screening on February 3 so that the film can be reviewed again. It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial and central censor boards had earlier cleared the film for release with a few cuts.

    The ban on the film sparked public outrage and members of the civil society and the film fraternity stepped forward to support the film and filmmaker. They also requested the government to extend more support to filmmakers and called for a more open creative space.

    After all the hue and cry, the hype and criticism around the film has died as its fate hangs in limbo.

    When The Current reached out to the Central Board Of Film Censors Islamabad for an update regarding the film, a source shared that it is “in limbo”. When probed further they asserted that work on the film’s clearance is still underway.

    Read more – Council of Islamic Ideology to ‘critically review’ ‘Zindagi Tamasha’

    Meanwhile, local media had reported that the CII is awaiting the green signal from the censor board so they can go ahead with reviewing the film for any objectionable content.

    As per reports, a three-member committee has been set up to review the film. The censor board has also been informed of this but no response was received from their end. The CII’s media coordinator Rana Zahid shared that the film can only be reviewed after they receive an invitation from the censor board.

    While the three-member committee does not include members of the council, it includes officers from the council’s research wing.

    According to the CII official, “All the members are competent and hold qualifications in Islam and social sciences. They were selected for this task after going through an interview process. We have shown them the CBFC letter and advised them on how to review the film, keeping religious sentiments in mind.”

    The committee will review the film and then submit a report to council Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz. The report will further be analysed 20 members of the CII after which a decision will be taken. The council members including the chairman will also watch the film after the report has been submitted.

    The CII has informed the censor board of all the preparations they have made but are yet to hear back from the body.

    Read more – Damning bans

    Meanwhile, no progress has been made on the review directed by the Punjab Government. They had directed Khoosat to arrange a review of the film on February 3.

    Khoosat has also made no public comment after the film was barred from release.

    Read more – Sarmad Khoosat appeals to PM, President to facilitate his film’s release

    Petition against Zindagi Tamasha screening withdrawn

    A petition filed against the screening of Zindagi Tamasha was withdrawn on Thursday (Jan 30).

    As per reports, the petition was filed on Monday (Jan 27) by a man named Chaudhry Qadeer Ahmed who alleged that that the film was against the spirit of the Constitution, hurt religious sentiments and violated PEMRA’s rules.

    The petition was heard in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) by Justice Aamer Farooq who questioned the petitioner if he had seen the film anywhere or if it had been released yet.

    In response to the judge’s question, the petitioner’s lawyer said that he has not seen the film.

    “How can you comment on something that no one has seen,” questioned the judge.

    Ahmed’s lawyer explained that the film’s trailer had been released online and it “disrespected” naat khawans.

    The court asked the petitioner’s lawyer when the film was scheduled to screen. The lawyer informed the court that the film had not been released yet as the Punjab government had made a decision against it.

    Ahmed’s lawyer then requested the court to take back the petition which the court accepted.

    Khoosat’s father had also filed a petition against the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) for trying to interfere with the release of the film. However, after the film’s release was delayed, he withdrew the petition for reasons unknown.

  • Fawad Chaudhry recommended Mehwish Hayat for Tamgha-e-Imtiaz

    Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry revealed that he was the one who recommended Mehwish Hayat for the prestigious Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.

    In a recent interview, when asked who his favourite female actor is, Fawad replied that he is a big fan of Hayat, adding that he had suggested Hayat’s name for the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s highest civilian honour.

    “Mehwish Hayat is brilliant. As [information] minister, I recommended her name for Sitara-e-Imtiaz even though I had never met her, until recently”, the minister said.

    He shared that he recommended her because her films do exceptional business.

    Read more – 5 times Mehwish Hayat was woke

    The minister also remarked that people do a lot of sifarish to receive awards, asserting that no one asked him to nominate Mehwish.

    When probed further, Fawad said that he took awards very seriously and had always wanted youngsters to be nominated for awards.

    “I take awards very seriously and I only want them to be given to those who are toppers in their respective fields”, he said. “We try to ensure that merit is followed strictly.”

    Read more – Mehwish Hayat to run for PM in 2028?

    Mehwish had received immense flak on social media when she was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in March last year. Most people were of the view that she did not deserve it though their views changed after her speech at Oslo, Norway and her strong stance against Bollywood films.

    President Dr Arif Alvi had conferred the award on Hayat during a ceremony in Islamabad.

  • Humayun Saeed responds to being part of ‘Money Heist’

    Humayun Saeed responds to being part of ‘Money Heist’

    The phenomenal success of Meray Paas Tum Ho has put Humayun Saeed on another level so much so that reports started circulating that the actor was chosen to be part of the award-winning Money Heist Season 4.

    The rumours soon gained traction and everyone started getting excited about the prospect of a Pakistani actor in the series. But turns out that the report was a work of satire and Humayun will not be part of Money Heist‘s season four.

    However, Humayun said that he will one day make his own Money Heist. That should be fun?

    Meanwhile, Humayun has started shooting his next film, London Nahi Jaunga, in Bahawalpur. The film has been written by Khalil ur Rehman Qamar and will be directed by Nadeem Baig. Apart from Humayun, the film’s cast also includes Mehwish Hayat, Kubra Khan and Gohar Rasheed. It is scheduled to release on Eid ul Azha.

  • Farhan Saeed drops new single ‘Baliyay’

    Farhan Saeed drops new single ‘Baliyay’

    Time and time again Farhan Saeed has entranced us with his melodious voice. The singer-turned-actor isn’t as active on the music scene as he used to be but he makes sure to keep reminding us that he has still got it.

    Saeed recently dropped a new single titled Baliyay. The song is soft, melodious and almost like a lullaby.

    According to the composer and producer of the song, “Baliyay is about spreading peace and working together to make the world around us a better place.”

    Baliyay has been written, composed and produced by Saad Sultan.

    Listen to it here:

    Earlier, Farhan had shared that he will be releasing a new single soon.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B73AyTTFP7s/
  • ‘I’m sorry’: Asim Azhar responds to backlash on PSL anthem

    ‘I’m sorry’: Asim Azhar responds to backlash on PSL anthem

    With Pakistan Super League right around the corner, fans are waiting with bated breaths for the fifth edition to start. What’s even more special about this season is the fact that all matches will be played in Pakistan.

    The team behind the league kick-started this season by releasing the PSL anthem. The song Tayyar Hain featured veterans Arif Lohar, Ali Azmat and Haroon along with Azhar. However, the song failed to impress the audiences who took to social media to voice their criticism.

    In a note posted to Twitter, Asim talked about the PSL anthem, the sentiments attached to it and apologised to those who didn’t like it. He also requested people not to resort to personal attacks. However, Azhar added that the memes were great and he enjoyed those.

    Read more – ‘Tayyar Hain’ gets the ball rolling for PSL V

    Haroon endorsed Asim’s statement and said that he personally loved the new PSL song, adding that it will “sound huge in a stadium”.

    https://twitter.com/TheRealHaroon/status/1223277094928560133?s=20

    Tayyar Hain has been composed by Xulfi, while Kamal Khan of Laal Kabootar fame has directed the music video which also features star cricketers including Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Rumman Raees, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood.

    According to the press release, “A total of 22 instruments have been used in creating Tayyar Hain, including indigenous instruments such as tumba, chimta, rubab and harmonium“.

    In case you missed it, watch the song here:

  • Did the 2011 film ‘Contagion’ predict the coronavirus outbreak?

    Did the 2011 film ‘Contagion’ predict the coronavirus outbreak?

    Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon’s 2011 film Contagion is re-appearing in movie rental charts in the UK and the US, in wake of the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China.

    According to reports, Steven Soderbergh’s terrifying thriller, which was inspired by the 2003 SARS epidemic and the 2009 flu pandemic bears striking similarities to the coronavirus outbreak that has the whole world scared.

    Contagion which starres Jude Law and Laurence Fishburne along with Winslet, Paltrow and Damon follows the story of a woman (Paltrow) who unknowingly catches what she thinks is a common cold during a “business trip” (read: secret rendezvous with her lover) to Hong Kong. Upon her return to the United States, the woman spreads her germs, and everyone who has come in contact with her — including her young son — is killed by what scientists call Meningoencephalitis Virus One (MEV-1).

    The film tracked the spread of a deadly virus from discovery through its global spread to, finally, a vaccine being created. However, in the process 26 million people died worldwide in only 26 days after the virus’s discovery, followed by instances of social disorder and widespread societal breakdown.

    The coronavirus is said to have originated in a live animal market in China’s seventh biggest city Wuhan. In the film, it is discovered in the final scenes that the virus was initially spread from a bat, disturbed by jungle clearance, which drops infected food into a pigpen. Additionally, the fictional MEV-1 and the coronavirus share similar symptoms which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

    Following the deadly outbreak, China, particularly the mainland areas have been sealed and most flights to and from the country have been suspended. The World Health Organisation has also declared it a global health emergency as scientists rush to discover a cure for it.