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Tag: Pakistani dramas

  • Season 2 of ‘Fairy Tale’ is back and social media users are enchanted as ever

    Season 2 of ‘Fairy Tale’ is back and social media users are enchanted as ever

    Just a few months after receiving critical acclaim for Season One, Hum TV’s beloved drama ‘Fairy Tale’ is back with a second season. The series, penned by Sarah Majeed, revolves around the energetic, fun-loved Umeed Pasha (played by Sehar Khan), a middle class girl who dreams of getting rich. Farjaad Khan (played by Hamza Sohail), her complete opposite in many ways, finds her naiveness opposing with his stiff and cold demeanor, but slowly comes to fall in love with her.

    The first season wrapped in April, with fans across India and Pakistan showering praise on the powerful female lead, the romance and the stellar script writing. The overwhelming praise

    Newcomers Hamza and Sehar were taken aback by the meteoric rise of the show, while in an interview with Fuchsia, Ali Safina admitted being shocked by how popular the show was.

    In this season, Umeed and Farjaad are more in love than they were previously, as she gears up to start her career as well as being married to Farjaad. The story wouldn’t be memorable without hilarious road blocks between our beloved kharoos and his larki right? The fanbase has not gone anywhere, already heaping praise on the first episode.

    https://twitter.com/phirleayadil_/status/1687878161491755008?s=20

  • If you loved ‘Fairy Tale’ then watch the classical drama ‘Tum Se Kehna Tha’

    If you loved ‘Fairy Tale’ then watch the classical drama ‘Tum Se Kehna Tha’

    Since ‘Fairy Tale’ is set to arrive back this month with another incredible new season, we get that fans are rewatching the episodes over and over again. For the first time, a Pakistani drama managed to actually enrapture women, with a non-problematic male-lead as well as a fun-loving, well written female lead. Yes its true that there is nothing good to watch out there that won’t make you cringe in the first 15 minutes. But plenty of our followers need to discover classical dramas, their incredible story lines about powerful, hilarious women not abiding by toxic patriarchy, and one of them is Syed Muhammad Ahmed’s ‘Tum Se Kehna Tha’.

    Directed by Sahria Kazmi, the five episode drama starred Marina Khan as Hira, a witty and fearless woman whose crush on a stranger accidently leads her to be mistaken as the fiance of a man in coma. Many Twitter users even began drawing a comparison between Hira, and the protagonist of ‘Fairy Tale’ Umeed Pasha, played by Marina Khan, as a viral tweet showed.

    And honestly, we’ve been waiting for the public to realize this so we could write another piece to praise this classical drama and just to write about how brilliant Fairy Tale is for catering to an audience nostalgic about the brilliant dramas of the 90’s. So if, like us, you’re patiently waiting till August 5 arrives when Season 2 of Fairy Tale drops, watch ‘Tum Se Kehna Tha’

    1. Brilliant, hilarious and talented female leads

    It’s no shocker that Umeed won the hearts of Pakistani women because of how similar she was to the women from dramas like ‘Tanhaiyaan’ and ‘Dhoop Kinare’, stories of head-strong, independent women who were complex and completely unlike the wailing women trope we see in dramas these days. Hira Muzzaffar from ‘Tum Se Kehna Tha’ is a wonderful example of how progressive 90s dramas were. She lived alone, was independent and fearless about pursuing what she loved. She didn’t hide away her love, and expressed it bluntly. And she didn’t adhere to the crazy tropes our dramas today think all women want, like being slapped by useless men, or engaging in some cold war with her saas.

    1. Wholesome family dynamics

    If you loved the crazy family dynamics of family members like Aghoo Jaan, Pasha Saab, Mimi and Nigo aunty from ‘Fairy Tale’, then ‘Tum Se Kehna Tha’ will draw you in without any haste because of how every single character has a hilarious role, there is no part where it feels like the episodes are dragging. Every character, like Hira’s boss Sajjad, has a special part in the episodes, even if a small one.

    1. Wholesome, well-written male leads

    We’ll get to the meat of what made a drama like ‘Fairy Tale’ so engaging for audiences: because of the rare occasion where men aren’t toxic, worthless creatures and are actually the opposite of that. Many users loved the male lead Farjaad from ‘Fairy Tale’ because aside from the splendid acting of Hamza Sohail, this intoverted and shy man matched the fierce and loud Umeed in an amazing way. Rather than taming her fire, he encouraged her to embrace it, and kept loving her regardless of how clumsy or oppinionated she was. In the same way, Bilal from ‘TSKT’ and Hira stand out because of their hilarious banter and how he becomes the loving family she had constantly longed for.

  • Humayun Saeed reveals Shah Rukh Khan once told him Pakistani films should release in India

    Humayun Saeed reveals Shah Rukh Khan once told him Pakistani films should release in India

    Humayun Saeed spoke with Indian publication Bollywood Hungama where he talked about his hit drama ‘Mere Pass Tum Ho’ which is set to release on Zindagi across India. The actor also opened up about his memory of working next to Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan back in 2005, when the two performed together for the Zee Cine Awards.

    Saeed revealed that the Bollywood Badshah was incredibly sweet, treating the actor with a lot of respect because Humayun was not sure about how the performance should take place. Khan also told Humayun that he felt Pakistani dramas should be released in India:

    “There was a lot of excitement when I met Shah Rukh. He was very sweet to me. We were in his room and he made me sit with him and discussed Indian and Pakistan films with me. That time there was a Mehreen Jabbar and a Shaan film in the theatres and SRK was talking about them. He said that Pakistani films should be released in India and vice versa. He made me comfortable. Since I had just come the previous day to the sets, I did not know exactly what to do. Shah Rukh said ‘main sambhal lunga.’ The overall moment was very special.”

    Actor Adnan Siddiqui also gave an interview to Indian Express where he said that there should be no boundaries when it comes to art, and also felt that Pakistani audiences were much more tolerant compared to Indian ones.

    “Art has no boundaries, but artistes have a certain boundary, which shouldn’t be there. There should be healthy cultural exchange. I believe that the kind of tolerance–pardon me for being so blunt–but our tolerance, in comparison to Indian audience is much higher. We accept Indian artistes, Indian cricketers, we accept everything good about India. But when this thing goes across the border, it becomes very political. I don’t know why.”

  • ‘Our tolerance is much higher’: Adnan Siddiqui thinks Pakistanis are more accepting than Indian audiences

    ‘Our tolerance is much higher’: Adnan Siddiqui thinks Pakistanis are more accepting than Indian audiences

    Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiqui spoke with The Indian Express about his 2019 hit drama ‘Mere Pass Tum Ho’ which is set to appear on the Indian channel ‘Zee Zindagi’ which has also aired previous Pakistani dramas like ‘Qissa MeherBano Ka’ and ‘Hum Kahan Kay Sachay Thay’.

    Touching upon the topic of the ban on Pakistani music and films in India and vice versa, the actor said that there should be a healthy cultural exchange between the two countries as he feels Pakistanis are more tolerant in comparison to Indian audiences:

    “Art has no boundaries, but artistes have a certain boundary, which shouldn’t be there. There should be healthy cultural exchange. I believe that the kind of tolerance–pardon me for being so blunt–but our tolerance, in comparison to Indian audience is much higher. We accept Indian artistes, Indian cricketers, we accept everything good about India. But when this thing goes across the border, it becomes very political. I don’t know why.”

    Adnan, who starred in Bollywood film ‘Mom’ in 2017 which starred the late veteran Bollywood actress Sri Devi and our very own Sajal Aly, and was met with applause by audiences both in India and Pakistan. But the actor recalled how after the Fawad Khan controversy, the filming had to be kept quiet.

    “I remember when I was filming Mom, it was kept very hush-hush, because the whole Fawad Khan controversy had happened. Boney was saying that we can’t do interviews, public appearances. This shouldn’t be happening; the responsibility should be taken by both the governments and the political parties, to at least be a little lenient when there is art involved somewhere.”

    Speaking further on the ban and his dissapointment on not being able to establish a career in Bollywood, Siddiqui revealed that it was actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s manager who reached out to him with some jobs, but it eventually didn’t work out.

    “I was thinking to have my career over there, Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s manager was in touch with me, he was offering me some work over there and I was looking at those also, but then it didn’t happen. No regrets, really.”

  • ‘Mere Paas Tum Ho’ set to air in India from August onwards

    ‘Mere Paas Tum Ho’ set to air in India from August onwards

    Pakistani drama ‘Mere Paas Tum Ho’ is set to air on Indian channel ‘Zee Zindagi’. The Humayun Saeed and Ayeza Khan starrer will join the ranks of Pakistani dramas like ‘Qissa Meherbano Ka’, ‘Hum Kahan Kay Sachay Thay’ among others, all of whom have enjoyed popular airtime on the Indian channel ‘Zee Zindagi’.

    On the official Instagram page, the channel had announced:

    “What happens when you feel money CAN buy happiness?  Here’s a glimpse of the much-awaited show!  #MerePaasTumHo, Coming Soon on Indian Television screens!”

    Penned by Khalil-ul-Rehman Qamar, the show revolves around Danish (played by Humayun), a traditional man who lives a simple life in a small flat with his wife and son. However, his wife Mehwish (played by Ayeza Khan) is an ambitious woman who dreams of acquiring wealth. When the couple meets Shehwar (played by Adnan Sdiddiqui) she falls for him and soon after, leaves her family to marry him.

    Siddiqui recently made an appearance on Junaid Akram’s podcast where he spoke about the success of the drama, playfully suggesting that he should have charged more for his role had he known how big a hit the drama would become:

    “If I knew how successful it would be, I wouldn’t have charged the money that I did. I would’ve taken a lot more. For the first time ever, Humayun asked me to play a role that he had in mind, and he was right. It was very big of him to suggest that. He told me that people had already cast me for it since like 6 years ago. Like, they had my name in mind,” Adnan shared.

  • If you loved ‘Gunah’, here are some Pakistani crime-thrillers you should watch

    If you loved ‘Gunah’, here are some Pakistani crime-thrillers you should watch

    ‘Gunah’ was a long-awaited drama, hailed by critics and fans of Sarmad Khoosat alike. Featuring powerful performances by Saba Qamar, Rabia Butt and Juggun Kazim in her comeback debut, the series revolved around the sudden disappearance of Gul Noor (played by Kazzim), who leaves her two children and husband, the powerful landlord Malik Hayat Khan (played by Khoosat) in agony. To help him deal with his grief, his in-laws suggest he marry their younger daughter Gul Meher (played by Saba Qamar). But when a new SHO Sabiha (played by Rabia Butt) begins investigating the disappearance, the clues she picks up prove that there is a lot more to the story than what she has been told.

    As the drama ends today with the final episode airing on Express TV, we know how disappointed fans will be with one more spectacular television show coming to an end. But if your ‘Gunah’ nostalgia is going to hit a bit too hard, there have been some well-written crime-thriller dramas that you could rewatch this weekend. Here are some of our best recommendations.

    1. Jurm

    Starring the starry-eyed Wahaj Ali with Dur-e-Fishaan Saleem and Tooba Siddiqui in a supporting role, this is the kind of dark, chaotic drama that keeps you hooked through the twists and turns, and completely blows your mind away with the ending. The casting is absolutely well-chosen, with Wahaj playing the humble and warm-hearted husband Daniyal who is grieving the sudden kidnapping of his wife, but a twist later reveals he is not who he appears to be. What more do you need to pull you in to watching the drama than the fact that it was directed by Mehreen Jabbar, who was behind ‘Daam’ and ‘Jackson Heights’?

    1. Ye Dil Mera

    If you are chronically online then you must have seen on several occasions how this drama was consistently mentioned as the rare, few occasions the Pakistani entertainment industry managed to hit it out of the park. We have to agree with Twitter that its true, this drama lives up to its hype with a gripping storyline, as well as powerful performances by Sajal Aly and Ahad Raza Mir. Sajal stars as Aina, the sheltered daughter of an industrialist who bags a coveted internship with Aman-Ullah Khan. As the two grow closer together, the trauma Aman suffered in his childhood and its link to someone special in Aina’s life threatens to tear apart their relationship.

    1. Cheekh

    If you’re not over Saba Qamar’s dizzying, seductive performance in ‘Gunah’ then we can’t blame you because neither are we. She could walk in a room dressed as a sack and will manage to outshine everyone. If you’re looking for more of her capitivating performances, then we recommend you watch ‘Cheekh’ starring Bilal Abbas Khan, Emmad Irfani and Ushna Shah. After the brutal murder and rape of her closest friend, Mannat (played by Qamar) pursues the murderer through court and explores the struggles she must overcome to ensure her friend is given justice.

  • ‘Put my abbu’s life in danger’: Bilal Maqsood slams fake social media accounts of Anwar Maqsood

    ‘Put my abbu’s life in danger’: Bilal Maqsood slams fake social media accounts of Anwar Maqsood

    Former ‘String’s singer Bilal Maqsood had taken to Twitter today to slam users for making social media accounts of his father, veteran playwright and host Anwar Maqsood. He requested his followers to block such accounts as they could put his father’s life in danger.

    “These kinds of fake tweets only put my Abbu’s life in danger. This guy has already blocked me. Please can you all report this account. Abbu does not post anything on social media. His actual account has only 3 posts. We made that account so we can report all the fake ones.”

    The celebrated screenwriter had clarified in 2020 with a video to prove that he only had one Twitter account.

    “My name is Anwar Maqsood and because of circumstances, I had to make this video to tell you that this is my official Twitter account,” he was seen saying in the video.

  • Meray Pass Old Gentleman Hai? Yumna Zaidi, Humayun Saeed pairing draws mixed reviews

    Meray Pass Old Gentleman Hai? Yumna Zaidi, Humayun Saeed pairing draws mixed reviews

    Yesterday, it was officially announced that actress Yumna Zaidi and Humayun Saeed will be pairing up for an upcoming drama for Green Entertainment, penned by the ‘Mere Pass Tum Ho’ screenwriter Khalil-ul-Rehman Qamar, and produced by Saeed’s wife, Samina Humayun.

    This is the first time the two will be coming together on the screen together. Social media users were thrilled that the actress never stops dominating the screen.

    https://twitter.com/kyakaruun/status/1681005153023926273?s=20

    However, not everyone agreed that the news was exciting, slamming screenwriter Rehman and Humayun Saeed for once more, pairing an older actor with a woman decades younger than him. Yumna Zaidi is currently 33 years old, while Humayun is 51.

    Many were happy with the casting because of the stellar performances both actors have given in past projects, but were concerned because of the age difference.

    Saeed has been criticised in the past for working with younger women as romance leads in films, like Ayeza Khan is 32 years old but had played his wife in ‘Mere Pass Tum Ho’. While in the film ‘London Nahi Jaunga’, Kubra Khan was 30 years old.

    https://twitter.com/xakyanaseem/status/1681199828414476290?s=20
    https://twitter.com/mytimemotsjjk/status/1680316145860067329?s=20

    If we revert back on Pakistan’s pop culture history a bit, then some would remember in 2019, veteran actor Firdous Jamal was a guest on an ARY show where he said that Mahira Khan is of the age where she should be playing grandmother roles. A bit rich considering that men of the same age are still romancing younger women?

    Hopefully, Pakistani dramas can listen and get out of this creepy mindset!

  • ’22 Qadam’ is the long awaited sports drama Pakistan truly needed

    ’22 Qadam’ is the long awaited sports drama Pakistan truly needed

    It’s no surprise that Pakistan is bursting with stories that desperately need to be told on the big screen, but our attention always falls back to the same old ‘saas bahu jhagray’. But this time, Green Entertainment is proving that good, diverse story telling is back in the game with a series of dramas released last week that have been receiving praise from audiences. Among them ’22 Qadam’ looks like a real game-changer because it is truly the first time that we’re getting a good sports drama, that too about women.

    There haven’t been good sports biopics made on Pakistani players, considering how impressive the list of icons is. There was the rare gem of a telefilm ‘Bhaag Amina Bhaag’ released in 2011, starring Amina Sheikh as female Pakistani athlete Naseem Hamid, who won a gold medal at the 11th South Asian Games in Bangladesh. Since then, a biopic on Shoaib Akhtar was in the works but the former cricket star announced that he was leaving the project. It’s disappointing how no attempt was made by our entertainment industry to explore the lives of sports stars, but it feels like ’22 Qadam’ is taking a step in the right direction. The story revolves around a woman’s passion for cricket, leading her to becoming a national player.

    Helmed by the powerful performances by Hareem Farooq and Wahaj Ali, ’22 Qadam is for all those who grew up loving the Bollywood film ‘Chak De! India’ and how it championed women in sports, a long neglected issue that remains pushed out of the spotlight because of patriarchal assumptions that women can’t play sports, and how underfunded this issue remains. The series focuses on a spirited, confident woman Fari who dreams of becoming a cricket player, and her luck turns around when she gets an opportunity to meet the famous cricket player Sana Mir, who makes a cameo in the second episode as a visitor in a girl’s college, and advises Fari to never give up on her dream. As Fari is climbing up the ladder to success, the series alternates with the story of Jimmy, a former cricket star who after an injury, was forced to give up on the game and take a back seat.

    “When we came up with this concept,” Farooq told The Current when the series was announced. “The thought behind it was that we need to empower women in the best way possible and there is no way better than projecting women in sports. Cricket, especially being the most loved sport in South-Asia.”

    She also stressed on the importance of such a drama that would not only be enjoyed by people, but also educate them about breaking stereotypes, calling ’22 Qadam’: ‘the voice of the unheard’.

    Since the two episodes went up on social media, clearly online audiences share our joy because the feedback has been nothing but positive.

  • Kuch Ankahi goes out with a bang, leaving audiences wanting more

    Kuch Ankahi goes out with a bang, leaving audiences wanting more

    The last episode of Kuch Ankahi aired on Saturday night, receiving high ratings from audiences for a satisfying wrap up to its gorgeous story telling and moving performances by Sajal Aly, Bilal Abbas and Qudsia Ali. The build up to this spectacular finale was besieged with questions about who would Aliya finally pick: Salman or Azfar? Would Sofia phupoo give in and marry uncle Thanvi? Would Samiya abandon her husband and his toxic mother to start being independent on her own? But in the final episode, Kuch Ankahi wrapped up all these questions, leaving all of us hoping that this is the show that should be getting a season 2.

    We finally see Aliya and Salman put aside their differences, a win for fans of the show who had shipped the cat-and-mouse duo from the very first episode. Many were left heart broken by how Azfar was rejected, despite the love he had for Aliya. But hopefully, there are better things in store for him?

    We also got a beautiful wedding as Sophia Phupoo and Uncle Thanvi wed, a satisfying resolution to her reluctance of letting go of her first love and husband who had passed away quickly. But then their heart tugging meeting at the train station, when Thanvi promises to prove his love to Sophia, just proved the show made a breakthrough by focusing on two aged people getting married.

    Clearly, we’re not over the episode, and neither is social media. As since yesterday, users sobbing over the ending of a gorgeous drama that gave us everything we’ve been asking Pakistani dramas to provide us.