Zara Noor Abbas could win the cutest pregnancy announcement award if there ever was one, with a hilarious picture she posted holding a desert with a simple caption: “Round 2- – InshaAllah “.
The actress married Asad Siddiqui in 2017, becoming pregnant in 2021. But sadly, the actress announced she had suffered a miscarriage and lost her son. We’re praying for her health and hope a miracle lies ahead.
It was also wonderful to witness celebrities showering love and prayers upon Zara and her husband. A-listers Saboor Aly, Mawra Hocane and other actors sent warm congratulations in the comments.
Among the celebratory notes was actress Merub Ali, who expressed her joy at becoming a khala.
Two Pakistani films are winning prestigious awards at international platforms. ‘In Flames’, directed and written by Zarrar Kahn, has won local and international praise since its release. The film has now won the prestigious ‘International Newcomer Award’ at the International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg. Taking to his Instagram account, Zarrar quoted a statement from the festival’s jury along with a picture where he posed with the award:
“Our award goes to a filmmaker who manages to shift and play with genre while maintaining a connection both to his audience as well as his protagonist throughout the film. The main character is a young woman who is allowed to be both brave and fragile, and she is brought to life through a wonderful debut performance that complements the mise-en-scene. The winner is In Flames.”
The Instagram account for the movie shared another clip from the event, adding in the caption that this was the first time in 70 years a Pakistani director had the honour to take home such a prestigious award.
While Sarmad Khoosat’s film ‘Kamli’ continues to win accolades even a year after its release. In Belarus, the Saba Qamar starrer bagged three awards at the prestigious Minsk International Film Festival. Qamar received the Best Actor Award, director Sarmad received Best Director and the Viewer’s Choice award.
Happy Hearthrob Day Pakistaniyon! Fawad Khan is turning 42 today and will remain the reason why we keep winning the dilf game against India. But aside from his good looks, the actor has won over audiences with his performances. Whether it is playing a swoon-worthy prince, a ferocious warrior, or even a dorky villager, he’ll pull you in and keep you glued to your screen. Aap haar man lo bas.
Chalien phir aaj National Heartthrob Day hai aka Fawad Khan’s birthday, we’re celebrating it with our favourite five roles that prove he will keep ageing like fine wine.
Khoobsurat (2014)
Yes we know, the film was a flop. But holy moly Fawad outshone like nothing else. He had limited screen time compared to Sonam, but created a cult following on the internet that has Indian fans, to this day, pleading with their government to give this man an exception and cast him in another Bollywood rom com. And yes, we’re also adding in a TikTok that proves why the film established a cult following online.
If critics thought Fawad only had the ability to work as eye candy on the screens, this film singlehandedly proved them wrong. The actor played a closeted writer Rahul Kapoor, who arrives back at his home to celebrate his grandfather’s birthday and also navigate fragile relations with his family.
Dastaan (2010)
Dastaan is celebrated today as one of the best dramas to come out of Pakistan, and Fawad cemented his role as a promising actor with his performance as Hassan. He plays a man who is deeply in love with Bano (played by Sanam Baloch), but both are tragically split apart due to the partition when she is forced into a marriage with a Sikh man.
Akbari and Asghari (2011)
Don’t call yourself a Fawad stan if you don’t remember this hilarious gem of a drama. Fawad had a small role as Akbari’s dorky husband from the village, but he still wins hearts for his comedy skills and hilarious acting.
Humsafar (2011)
Yes yes coming to the drama that made Fawad into the household name he is today. Ashar will continue to tower over all the leading men on our screens, and the reason behind this entirely is how Fawad enlarged the role with his seductive looks and charm. We were all Khirad every single time he stepped into the screen. And just to keep the fans happy, here is a TikTok of him in the serial.
#12Yearsofhumsafar Though it was ZGH that introduced me to Fawad Khan, it was Humsafar that cemented my love and displayed the immense talent he has. No other drama has come close since then. Both Fawad and Mahira gave their best performance and it will remain a classic forever. pic.twitter.com/tDvckzU3F5
It’s 2023, can we please stop prying into religious beliefs? On Sunday, actress Merub Ali shared pictures on Instagram of her visit to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.
Some users responded with hateful rhetoric. Instagram commentators trolled the actress by claiming she wasn’t Muslim enough and that she wasn’t supposed to visit a Sikh temple. And honestly, we love the way Merub responded to a troll.
“News flash: ANYONE can go to a gurwara!! You should go to. The people were really kind there. Maybe you can learn a thing or two.”
We also have to appreciate how some users responded warmly to Merub’s visit, and encouraged others as well to visit the temple.
Upcoming thriller ‘Gunjal’ is the talk of the town, a film that promises to revive the industry with an insight into the crisis of child abuse in Pakistan. The film boasts of a star-studded cast with the likes of Ahmed Ali Akbar, Resham, Ahmed Ali Butt, Samiya Mumtaz and Amna Ilyas. The team behind ‘Gunjal’ was present at the prelaunch event held at University of Management and Technology (UMT) where we got some interesting details about the film, including the wholesome reason why Resham wanted to work with Ahmed Ali Akbar.
When is ‘Gunjal’ releasing?
Gunjal will release in theatres across Pakistan on 8th December.
What roles will Ahmed Ali Akbar and Resham be playing?
Ahmed Ali Akbar will be playing the role of journalist Shahbaz Bhatti, who investigates the murder of prolific child activist Iqbal Masih. Speaking at the event, Ahmed opened up about his reason for choosing the role.
“Gunjal is inspired by the life of a prolific child activist and is an insight into the trials and tribulations of Iqbal Masih and what he went through, and the conditions he was working in under and the events that took place. It’s also about the life of a regular person who overtime, through the eyes of Iqbal Masih, starts to see things that are very common around us, yet we don’t notice them.”
“It’s about the rights of children… and is inspired by Iqbal Masih’s legacy,” stressed Ahmed. “It’s very relevant, on what Iqbal wanted to accomplish, it was relevant then and is still now. It’s happening in front of us. So I feel it is our duty but it takes time to act upon it.”
Resham said her role in ‘Gunjal’ was quite different from her previous films. She plays Sarwat, the founder of a newspaper ‘Nai Subh’. Resham explained that her character tries to ensure her journalistic stories are focused on truth and justice.
The sweet reason behind why Resham wanted to work on Gunjal: Ahmed Ali Akbar
Resham also shared the sweet reason that propelled her to take part in the film, revealing it was her desire to work with Ahmed Ali Akbar.
“I had watched all of ‘Parizaad’ from that point on I really wanted to work with him. While Ahmed’s drama was airing I didn’t watch it because I was suffering from depression and had lost a lot friends. Then I decided to watch all the episodes on Youtube. After finishing it, I made a prayer to Allah while watching alone, that I hoped to work with this man some day. Two-and-a-half months later the film’s director Shoaib sahab reached out and asked if I would act in his film. I asked who would be the hero, and he said ‘Ahmed Ali Akbar’. I said ‘The Parizaad one!’ and was overjoyed!”
Resham shared she had watched the last episode of Parizaad with Ahmed, which she said she was extremely lucky for. “Despite the fact that I’m his senior, but I’m still a huge fan of his.”
Actor and producer Fahad Mustafa was a guest on Shoaib Akhtar’s show where he was asked about the rise of social media influencers and content creators in Pakistan and whether he would accept them as co-actors in any drama he works in. The ‘Mayi Ri’ producer responded with a scathing remark on the lengths people from this profession are willing to go to for the sake of going viral.
“They are selling their families for content,” asserted the actor. “Their content is making kheer in the kitchen, rubbing their mother’s feet and then going as far as visiting a graveyard…Matlab yeh kya hai, yeh kaunsa content hai?” [What is this, what kind of content is this?]
Fahad further explained he would never want to be known for this kind of work. “I can tell both good or bad story, but I will never sell my house for the sake of views. I will never sell myself this way.”
The ‘Mein Abdul Kadir Hoon’ actor further compared content creators to those working in the acting industry, and pointed out how such influencers would never survive in such an industry because of the extensive time it took to produce a project.
“If you ever go on a shoot, or you’re sitting on a set here, it takes time,” shared Fahad. “There’s a process. They can’t work longer than two or eight hours. And how would they understand? They have their phone and can make something in 10 seconds.”
Asim Azhar was attending a literary festival held at the Institute of Public and Business Adminstration (IBA) when he was heckled by some members of the crowd while talking to Yasir Hussain. The crowd began taunting the singer by chanting the name of Hania Amir, the actress Asim had previously dated.
In a viral video clip, Asim can be seen shutting down the misogynist chants by responding “IBA hai ya pagal khaana?”
Yasir also slammed the hecklers by telling them to act like educated people.
We have to applaud Asim for refusing to be bullied by hecklers. It’s not so hard to understand that nobody deserves to be taunted in such a demeaning manner about their private lives, let alone at an institute that is recognised as one of the superior universities of Pakistan.
Another male actor has decided to raise the misogyny flag with a gross comment and this time, its Mohib Mirza. The actor was featured in a podcast for FHM Pakistan where he talked at length about his career and the controversy surrounding the actor’s marriage to Sanam Saeed. Everything was going well, and we were quite proud of how Mohib shut down allegations of cheating against his first wife Amina Sheikh.
But this was all shot down when Mohib was asked about whether it was him or Sanam who controlled the house.
To which Mohib responded:
“If you’re a man you cannot be shareef. No one should remain in this delusion that a man can be innocent. A woman can be innocent but not a man. It can’t be possible because of genetics. The way it was made it’s not possible for that reason. Do you know how many cells you generate in THAT specific area? Billions! You are made like a machine so you are a machine.”
Where do I even begin with this nonsense. Why do women need to deal with this?
Sab say pehlay tou Mohib sir, equating manliness with strength and femininity with weakness is a relic of the past. If such a thing were real, then men wouldn’t be throwing around chairs and breaking television sets every time their favourite team lost a cricket match. And women wouldn’t be quietly toiling while suffering intense period pain. Have you ever had a chance, Mr Mohib, to read up on our history? Or even perhaps spoken with the women of this country? Sit down with an ordinary Pakistani woman who is not only working at a job, but also taking care of her children, cleaning her house and then dealing with her in-laws. While men in this country, who were apparently born with superior genes, can’t provide proper financial support for the family. The gender you’re calling weak by associating it with femininity is the one holding families together.
And also sir, this is not the first time you and Sanam went viral with your sexist comments. Earlier this year, both Mohib and Sanam were guests on Fahad Mustafa’s show. Sanam was asked whether men need to be dealt with like babies, to which she responded: “You need to take care of men like they are children.” The statement reeks of entitlement and ignorance, and as a couple with a lot of power and social status, you need to be mindful of the kind of words you say publicly.
But you’re lucky Mr Mohib, you’re not the only celebrity who made us want to slam our heads on the wall this week. Javed Sheikh decided it was super cool to publicly announce that he refuses to believe in the slogan ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi’. He emphasised that a woman is beautiful when she is covered.
Please tell us when and where did any woman ask you for your opinion? Did Haseena Moin ask you for reference when she cast you in her critically acclaimed drama ‘Ankahi’ where you acted opposite a head-strong, opinionated woman who didn’t need to cover up to demand respect from a man? Exactly, sit down.
Why are we still addressing this topic? There’s a war in the Middle East. India is making more progressive movies like ‘Rocky and Rani’ centring around consent and holding men accountable for misogyny, and we’re still debating whether femininity makes a woman weak?
All we will say is these are distractions from real issues, and we are done lecturing men on the basic elements of feminism. Which is why I didn’t bother to go into any details in this piece. Google is free, and at this point celebrities need to realise we can see through their PR attempts. We know what you’re doing when you bring up sexism because it will bring along another month’s easy coverage. Women don’t owe any man an explanation for why they deserve to be respected, and we’re done doing so as well.
Actress Armeena Khan slammed philanthropist and wife to former cricketer Wasim Akram, Shaniera, for remaining silent about the genocide of Palestinians.
Shaniera tweeted her sorrow at the recent tragedies around the world, writing:
“Helpless. I feel so totally and utterly helpless. Ive never been scared of saying what I want or how I feel, but right now im very emotional and actually just don’t have any words left to give and i am really sorry if that offends anyone”
Helpless. I feel so totally and utterly helpless. Ive never been scared of saying what I want or how I feel, but right now im very emotional and actually just don’t have any words left to give and i am really sorry if that offends anyone
In a now-deleted tweet, Shaniera criticised Armeena’s response by writing: “Seriously? With the state of the world and the pain we are seeing daily, you are still throwing hate at me. For what? You don’t know me or what I am dealing with. Whatever we are, we are both mothers, you should be using your voice to promote unity and sisterhood. I think it’s about time you grew up. You are really sinking pretty low for headlines now.”
Pakistani actress Armeena Khan has called for an end to the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Armeena wrote:
“It would be CRIMINAL of me not to talk about 1.7 million Afghans who are being displaced from Pakistan, their homes being bull dozed. This is absolutely vile! How can we treat them this way? I cannot talk about Gaza without talking about the plight of the Afghans. This is so sad.”
It would be CRIMINAL of me not to talk about 1.7 million Afghans who are being displaced from Pakistan, their homes being bull dozed. This is absolutely vile! How can we treat them this way? I cannot talk about Gaza without talking about the plight of the Afghans. This is so sad…
When a user tried to school her, Armeena slammed him on the double standards of Pakistanis who are protesting for a Free Palestine but on the other hand, are pushing Afghan refugees out of their country.
“People like you are no different than the war mongering factions of the Israelites. Two sides of the same coin. Spare the Palestinians your hypocrisy. The Pakistani Afghans are also your Muslim brothers and sisters.”
People like you are no different than the war mongering factions of the Israelites. Two sides of the same coin. Spare the Palestinians your hypocrisy. The Pakistani Afghans are also your Muslim brothers and sisters. https://t.co/csUzuScnNq
Veteran actress and model Iffat Omar also joined in by sharing a picture of a boy stranded on a truck and writing in the caption “This is really heart breaking.”
