It’s common knowledge that Pakistanis will disagree and kickstart phadda’s over every topic, but the one thing we can all agree on is that our drama OSTs will remain unmatched.
When a new drama pops up on our screen, it might not manage to shake off the already established regressive stereotypes, but there is always a good chance that we get a fun new track to listen to for the next few weeks.
Yesterday this Twitter user asked their followers about their favourite drama OST, and the responses were a like a tribute to our music industry.
I say Pakistani dramas OST bangers, you all better quote it
Another underrated but incredibly loved title song was from the drama ‘Mata-e-Jaan Hai Tu’ which was sung by Bilal Khan.
Peak Adeel Hussain era. Peak Bilal Khan. Waqar Ali & Mehreen Jabbar's magic. And it hurts even more when yk Fawad was supposed to do it initially. 🥺❤️🩹 https://t.co/yk3yaehxdlpic.twitter.com/6rvJrJ1nxu
Qudsia Ali has been on a roll- with her spectacular performance in ‘Betiyan’ and now as Taniya in ‘Kuch Ankahi’, she has been recieving rave reviews for her performance as the headstrong, youngest daughter of the family who actively pursues her dream to become a filmmaker.
Recently in a talk with Fuchsia Magazine, Ali opened up about how she struggles with criticism about her weight. She revealed that a lot of feedback she received at auditions was about her weight:
“Whenever I would go for auditions, I was told directly if I wish to come on to the main screen, then I would have to lose weight. But if we look at international work, you see people with different skin tones and body types, no one cares about such things because it is your skills that matter. Then why is it so important here?”
Ali revealed that she had recently started losing weight, but did it more for the sake of her health rather than to please the critics because she doesn’t want to change herself to prevent standing out, alluding to a remark made about her curly hair:
“I will never lose weight because of someone’s criticism, but I started this journey because I cared about my own health, to stay fit and healthy. Not for work, industry or for anyone.
People often tell me that I look overweight in scenes because of my hair, and I should get keratin treatment. No! This is how I stand out from other people. How many people do you know who have curly hair? If I’m going to find work based on my skills, then I will find it. I’m going to wait for that. I’m someone who can wait.”
Ali opened up that in the beginning of her career, hearing such negative feedback sometimes took a toll, but eventually with a positive mindset, especially with the help of colleagues like Sajal Aly, she was able to let it go and keep doing what she liked:
“In the beginning of my career, whenever I heard comments like these I had thought sometimes to listen and change my appearance. But what is the guarantee that after changing your appearance you will find work? You become slim and straighten your hair, whats the guarantee that you will find work?.. This was my own thought process. Ahmed saab and Sajal Aly would advice me a lot that I should do what makes me happy, rather than for others.”
Pakistani celebrities should stick to their day jobs of making cringe worthy dramas and films, rather than sharing their totkay about how to make marriages last and tips on how to keep their susral happy.
Muneeb Butt made news yesterday when he revealed that they did not have a chef, because his wife Aiman Khan cooks during Ramazan, stating that it improves the emotional connection between wife and husband.
Jee sir, humein batain aap nay kya kiya hai jis say aap ki marriage mein emotional connection improve hui? Or is it just women who need to work to keep the spark alive.
Sadly, this wasnt the only time celebrities did not think before speaking. We have witnessed a spectacle of events in the past few years of some cringe-inducing home making and housewifery tips from the mouths of the leading public figures of Pakistan.
Like the time model Sadaf Kanwal lectured women on how to become their hubby’s nanny by cleaning up after him because obviously feminism and Aurat March is breaking up our families.
A strong women is the one who knows how to babysit her husband… Ajeeb Logics. Bibi pehle ye to decide krlo Sherry ko pta hona chahye ya nahi pta hona chahye. 🤦 #SadafKanwalpic.twitter.com/tTRUXlgdLE
Or the time Sanam Saeed stepped in to suggest that every woman should give their husband the same attention as they would provide to a child. Video courtesy of ARY DIGITAL
Let’s not forget the moment when veteran actress Meera tried to prove her cooking skills with a 35 minute recipe that involved clean water, olive oil and thora sa namak. Video courtesy of Samaa
Or if you need a tip on how to woo your wife on national television? Agha Ali has the best advice. Video courtesy of ARY DIGITAL.
Ya phir any advice on how to pick your ideal man? Hira Mani has the best tip which involves back stabbing your best friend. Video courtesy of BOL Network.
How to ensure women are respected in their homes and not treated as domestic labor? Nida Yasir thought she was hitting the jackpot when she decided to invite saas and their bahus on national television and encourage them to reveal their petty critiques to everyone. Video courtesy of Ary Digital.
Nida Yasir just topped her own problematic af standards on this show where she invited saas bahus to complain about each other. Like here, a saas claims she hired a marriage bureau to find her a “perfect” bahu who is educated BUT MUST stay home – only to discover she’s “phuar”.🙃 pic.twitter.com/sK24FDOyiC
Every one knows about the popular film ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ and the famous moment in the film when Waymond says to Evelyn “In another life, I would have liked doing laundry and taxes with you.” Yes, we all remember how much we sobbed.
But the tragedy of Waymond and Evelyn not getting together in another life is something desi users are all too familiar with, because we can recall tragic dramas that made us wail for days. The main couple who could have had it all, end up never getting together.
So did Twitter users find an example of the Pakistani drama that is their Evelyn and Waymond? Turns out there are plenty.
One user quoted that it was Jamaal and Heer from ‘Qurbaan’ who should have been together but tragedy drove them apart.
In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you pic.twitter.com/hcoFkbvrwX
Fawad Khan’s forgotten but beloved telefilm “Behaad” made an entrance where he plays Jamaal, a man who falls in love with a single mother, who is played by the iconic Nadia Jamil, but soon begins facing difficulties from her family.
In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you pic.twitter.com/l5VuIKm3M7
Yashma Gill was a guest on the Nadir Ali podcast, a clip of which has gone viral, where she passionately spoke out against the misogynist stereotype that women are gold-diggers.
Ali said that in our society today, a man’s ugliness is considered his empty pocket:
“Regardless of whether he is good-looking or not, he looks awful without having money. He is told to go and earn money.”
Gill corrected this statement by pointing out that that many women in successful, happy marriages are earning more than their husbands so this stereotype that women are only in love with money isn’t true:
“I will not give any names, but around us there are a lot of examples where a woman is more successful than her husband, and they had love marriages…Regardless of these people belonging to my field or not..I don’t like the stigma attached to women that we are gold diggers.”
Ali brought up a sexist stereotype about women gaining financial independence and abandoning men:
“When a man earns, he hands over everything he has to the woman. Whereas when a woman begins earning she decides to abandon her man.”
Gill counteracted this statement by pointing out that financial independence only helps women become more confident within themselves, and doesn’t translate into not wanting a companion anymore.
“People are confusing this with when a woman becomes financially independent, she is no longer helpless,” stressed the ‘Pyaar Kay Sadqay’ actor. “She can stand up for herself. She can remind her parents that she is no longer a burden on them so doesn’t need to be married off. She can even provide for her children…So I think that independence for women and girls can give them strength and power, not the fact that they don’t need a man. Everyone needs companionship.”
Gill then gave the example of Hazrat Adam (S.A.W) and Hazrat Havva (S.A.W), to prove that every human being was meant to have a companion:
“Take the example of Hazrat Adam (S.A.W) and Hazrat Havva (S.A.W), this is a natural thing that evcryone needs companionship. But there must be compatibility, respect and a lot of other things.”
Listen to her complete interview here:
Gill shared the viral clip on her Instagram stories to address the misunderstanding that might rise in case audience is assuming that Ali was being sexist, to which the actor had written that the host was respectful and well mannered:
“So just to clear the air, the respectable host only meant to ask my opinion on what is a common misconception in society. Nowhere did he agree with it himself or said that it is something that he believes in. It was just one of the many things that he discussed with me – “discussed” not imposed, argued or debated. Therefore let’s not get him wrong and frame him in ways he doesn’t deserve because he was nothing but extremely kind and respectful towards me that I was honestly in awe of his nature. A true gentleman.”
Actor Yasir Hussain has talked about the recent posthumous Nishan-e-Imtiaz awarded to Qavi Khan, who passed away in March this year after a prolonged illness.
Hussain shared a screenshot of the award on Instagram and quoted lines from the celebrated poem ‘Hamesha Dair Kardeta Hoon’ by Muneer Niazi.
He also write that the Pakistani government should celebrate their actors while they are alive and acknowledge their contributions to the industry:
“You came late, but was necessary to happen. Celebrate the actors who are above 50 and acknowledge the contributions they have made. What will you do with keeping them to yourself?”
Sabeen Farooq is currently making waves for her role as the antagonist ‘Haya’ in the drama ‘Tere Bin’. But the actress addressed the feedback she was receiving including threats to her family. In an Instagram post, Farooq slammed the haters for not being able to tell the difference between what is real and what’s fake, as shown by Galaxy Lollywood.
Farooq talked about the problem in an interview with BBC Urdu, stating that the threats she received from social media trolls were directly targeting her family:
“If it was about my personality then it would be understandable, but these were personal attacks sent to my family. But thank Allah I don’t take these things personally or let my mental health get impacted by it. I don’t know how other people who have played negative characters on screen have dealt with this, but sending insults to my family and saying awful things is wrong. They did not mention my character, but would only talk about me.”
Opening up about the popularity of ‘Tere Bin’ in India, Farooq revealed that she was astonished by how polite and respectful fans over there were:
“These fans would like lovely letters to me where they would solely talk about Haya. And I’m shocked that the kind of praise I’m getting from them, it’s not how Pakistanis are reacting to my role. This is from a neighbouring country where the drama is trending. But over here, people are sending hateful messages.”
Asked why she chose to play the antagonist, Haya, who plots ways to break apart the main leads Murtasim and Meerab, Farooq revealed that she fell in love with her character’s bluntness, and always had wanted an opportunity to work with Yumna Zaidi:
“I lover her bluntness because she is not scared of anyone and can say anything she wants infront of everyone. She has the ‘pyaar kiya tou darna kya’ demeanor because she isn’t afraid to confess in front of everyone that she is in love with this man…Also. I learned that Yumna is there.. and I had always wanted to work with her. That is what made me think there is something good about this show other wise why would Yumna sign up for it?”
Ramzan is a month of restraint and patience, which, actress Ayesha Omar thinks is important for us to learn in order to refrain from being quick to pass judgement and hurting others.
In an Instagram post, the ‘Bulbulay’ actress called this her favourite month because it helps her practice self-control and discipline, as well as purify the mind, body and soul:
“My favourite month has started. Time to practice self-control and discipline, time to reset, to detox, to purify the body, mind and soul, time to find our centres and our ground, time to ponder over our being and our habits, time to practice compassion and kindness towards ourselves and others, time to pray and meditate and set a precedence for the rest of the year.”
Social media was enraged yesterday at the comments made by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senator Afnan Ullah Khan who remarked that Mahira Khan had mental health problems and Anwar Maqsood was a drunkard, in a tweet which celebrities and feminist activists slammed as sexist.
ماہرہ خان کو مینٹل ہیلتھ پروبلم ہیں اور انور مقصود عمر کےاس حصہ میں شراب کےنشہ میں دھت رہتا ہے۔ان دونوں بےشرم کیریکٹر پر عوام کی لعنت ہو۔ماہرہ خان کےکردار پر تو کتابیں لکھی جا سکتی ہیں،یہ پیسہ کےلیےانڈین اداکاروں کی خوشامد بھی کرتی ہےاور انور مقصود تعصب سے بھرا ہوا لعنتی کردار ہے
— Senator Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan (@afnanullahkh) March 20, 2023
What had prompted this reaction? It was a conversation at a session titled ‘An Evening With Mahira Khan’ held at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi. In a clip that went viral, Mahira Khan was seen commenting about two females fighting and poisoning each other. To which Maqsood responded by saying that these two women were PML-N leaders Marriyum Aurangzeb and Maryam Nawaz.
“I am restricted from talking about politics, I can’t say anything about anyone. Hopefully the situation will get better soon. What you said about poisoning, abusing each other so I gave an example, it is also happening in real life. Also both are actors, not character actors.”
ایک عورت کے ساتھ بیٹھ کر اُسی کی شہہ پر دوسری عورتوں کی تذلیل کرنا اور پھر آئیڈینس سے تالیاں سیٹیاں بجوانا پھر اینکر کا اُس کی تعریف کرنا۔ آپ کے خیال میں یہ سب قدرتی ہے ؟ ہر گز نہیں مت بھولیں یہ دونوں اداکار ہیں اور اسکرپٹ رٹ کر بول کر قیمت لیتے ہیں
Can we condemn the disparaging comment made by the PML-N senator, whose party is currently under the leadership of a woman, and is also the one ruling the country? Absolutely, because how a politician comments about their critics reveals how thin-skinned and shallow-minded they are, especially when the critic is a woman.
But to completely sideline the fact that Khan, who has been outspoken about gender inequality and the need to improve the way media represents women on screens, especially sitting next to a renowned leftist screen writer, could resort to making sexist jokes about female politicians whose views she doesn’t agree with? Twitter users could not over look this fact, and criticised Khan’s sexist behavior for directly targeting female politicians of the opposite party as a way to score points.
Feminist activist Leena Ghani mentioned that it was male politicians who are consistently over-emotional, and behave in a horrible manner, but it’s astounding why Khan chose to overlook them and target Aurangzeb and Nawaz
Lekin kub se *long dramatic pause* hum dekhtain hain ke admi larr rahay hain, cheekh rahay hain, zeher sub ko dae rahay hain but Mahira Khan never questions them.. I mean.. ehh.. why….eh? pic.twitter.com/tlS7K6M88j
The Twitter page of Aurat March condemned Khan’s and Maqsood’s comments as ‘cringe’
Cringe. Disgusting 🤢
ملک کا لڑ لڑ کے کس نے برا حشر کیا ہے؟؟؟
Stop normalising sexism against women politicians. Misogyny is not comedy 🎭 nor funny. Use your brains to create some quality content & stop relying on women hatred as the leading way of “entertainment”! https://t.co/8H1zT3GrMA
— Aurat March – عورت مارچ (@AuratMarchKHI) March 20, 2023
Twitter users like journalist Gharidah Farooqi criticised these comments as ‘shameful’:
Zebunnisa Burki criticised both Khan and Maqsood for making such disgusting comments
Disgusting. Both these people. Mediocrity dressed up as intellect on one end. Beauty dressed up as talent on the other. Man exposes self as misogynist (unsurprising). Woman exposed self as opportunist wokey (unsurprising again). https://t.co/jSIyacTeZu
Saad from the drama ‘Mujhe Pyar Hua Tha’ has won the nation’s heart for breaking stereotypes that are associated with the toxic male lead in Pakistani dramas, and being an attentive husband and care giver to the female lead, Maheer (played by Hania Amir). Twitter users have praised Wahaj Ali for brilliantly portraying the sensitive and caring Saad, and how at every step he has remained a character who was fearlessly devoted to his wife, and was a dedicated son to his parents.
saads love for her is so beautiful. him reassuring her and telling her he is proof of her good character. and the “in my very simple life you are a very important part of it”. and of course the way wahaj delivers those lines with so much devotion. #MujhePyaarHuaThapic.twitter.com/wMELC6feEy
The writer behind the iconic drama, Sidra Sahar Imran, gave an interview to Fuchsia magazine where she opened up about the character of Saad, and why she felt that it was important to address the toxic double standards in our society that shame men for showing emotions or for being ‘kind-hearted’:
“I had observed that often romance novels will depict the girl as the sati savitri who will sacrifice all that she has, but I used to think that men also exist in our society why can’t we depict them the same way?”
Looking at the feedback Saad’s character was receiving, Imran said that most people were shocked.
“I can see that mostly people are shocked that a man like Saad is acting this way. Because we are so used to men not being able to tolerate a lot of abuse. Our society cannot understand the fact that men should be sensitive and soft-spoken, since we are used to the standards telling them to be tough and loud. In our male-dominant society, we encourage men that to be a real man, they need to be aggressive and out-spoken to prove their worth. But there are a lot of men like Saad out there and I wanted to write a character like him.”
Imran also revealed that there was a way she could have catered to these expectations after Maheer and Saad’s marriage, and demonstrate his anger and possessiveness but she refused:
“I didn’t want my character to act in this manner, after coming a long way. He will not cater to such toxic standards about what a real man is.”
