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Tag: Pakistani dramas

  • I have always been a ‘Churail’, says Sarwat Gilani

    Sarwat Gilani says that she has always been a churail.

    In a recent interview Sarwat candidly talked about her character in Churails and her definition of feminism.

    Responding to a question about who her favourite character, Sarwat said: “Sara in Churails. Undoubtedly.”

    IN PICTURES: Sarwat Gilani’s ‘Churail’ themed birthday

    When asked how the web series changed her, Sarwat said: “I was a very Churail-like person myself, I have always tried to carry women along.”

    “I have travelled in all kinds of public transport during my university days to save money, so I have always been a Churail,” she continued. “But Churails taught me how to take ownership of your own problems.”

    Later while talking about her thoughts on feminism, Sarwat said: “I would not say I am a feminist.”

    She continued: “I feel a man has his own place. I feel that a certain time a woman needs a man, no matter how independent she is. I am an independent woman, but at the end of the day I feel like I need somebody, who would say that I will take care of you and who I can depend on.”

    “But at the same time, especially in Pakistan when we talk about feminism, people think that men have nothing to do with it but there are so many men who help to promote feminism because they support their women to come forward, so I feel feminism is a very balance sort of idea where you say everything belongs to whoever earns it,” she added.

    When the host questioned if Sarwat why she is hesitating to call herself a feminist, the actor said: “A lot of people think that feminism is all about women. I feel it has to do with men also. If a man is making changes in himself we can also call that feminism.”

    “We misunderstand feminism, that is why I don’t call myself a feminist,” said Sarwat. “But yes I talk about equal rights.”

    “I’m feminist but I also talk about the problems faced by men,” she added.

    Read more – Who banned ‘Churails’?

    Meanwhile, in a recent interview with The Current, Sarwat talked about her experience of working in Churails and how she felt when the series received backlash in Pakistan.

  • Hareem Shah to make her acting debut on UrduFlix

    Hareem Shah to make her acting debut on UrduFlix

    TikToker Hareem Shah is all set to foray into the world of acting with a web series on Pakistan’s first Urdu OTT platform – UrduFlix.

    According to a press release, UrduFlix will be featuring the TikTok star in a never-seen-before avatar in a new Urdu web series. Expected to release on the streaming platform after its launch, the web series will star the debuting actress in a lead role.

    Shah is one of Pakistan’s most influential social media celebrities, famous for her TikTok videos.

    Pakistan’s first Urdu OTT platform, UrduFlix will provide viewers with access to original Urdu series, films, web series, drama serials, and Urdu dubbed Turkish dramas. The platform aims to bring in a plethora of new-age content from original to already popular dramas and films.

    Earlier, it was announced that Alizeh Shah will be featuring in UrduFlix’s first exclusive web series Dulhan aur Aik Raat.

  • Imran Ashraf, Sarah Khan shine in ‘Raqs-e-Bismil’

    Imran Ashraf, Sarah Khan shine in ‘Raqs-e-Bismil’

    While most of the time, we critics or drama viewers, complain about how Pakistani dramas have become redundant and monotonous with the same old storyline based on unrequited love, marital woes, or love triangles, every now and then comes a new drama that shakes things up and makes you believe in the drama industry once again.

    Sarah Khan and Imran Ashraf’s ongoing drama Raqs e Bismil is one such example. Directed by Wajahat Rauf and written by Hashim Nadeem, the drama’s plot revolves around Sarah and Imran’s characters – Zohra and Moosa. Moosa comes from a very conservative background – he refuses to let his sister marry her love because he did not belong to the same sect – while Zohra belongs to a family of dancers and entertainers. The two cross paths on a bus and Zohra, who is wearing a burka at the time, catches Moosa’s attention, who immediately falls for her and her gutsy nature and asks her to marry him after their second meeting.

    While Zohra initially rejects Moosa’s advances with some powerful dialogues, she later invites him to her home so that he can find out her reality first-hand. The third episode of the drama ends with Moosa finding out Zohra’s reality and viewers are excited to know what will happen next for the two protagonists, who are worlds apart.

    Read more – Sarah Khan hits back at troll who criticised her over father’s death

    The first three episodes were engaging and fast-paced with brilliant performances by the lead and supporting cast. Imran and Sarah were brilliant as Moosa and Sarah, while their chemistry was also lit. Moosa, in particular, has many shades and Imran manages to portray them flawlessly; fluidly switching between a hardened family-man and a man smitten. A special mention to Momin Saqib, who really gave a solid performance as Essa, Moosa’s brother and wingman.

    Raqs e Bismal has quickly made it to our list of must-watch dramas and one we are delighted to recommend.

  • IN PICTURES: Nadia Khan’s valima

    After tying the knot in a low-key and intimate ceremony, Nadia Khan and Faisal Mumtaz hosted a small valima for their closest friends and family. Pictures from the event are being widely circulated on social media.

    Check out pictures below:

    Nadia looked splendid in a peach-pink dress with glowy makeup.

    Nadia also shared highlights from her valima on her YouTube channel.

    Nadia and Faisal tied the knot on January 3. Later, Nadia shared that this is her second marriage and that her husband is a retired PAF officer and fighter pilot.

  • It’s a wrap for Saba Qamar’s ‘Manjogi’

    It’s a wrap for Saba Qamar’s ‘Manjogi’

    Saba Qamar who was shooting for her upcoming project Manjogi has shared a picture from the last day of shoot with her co-star Agha Mustafa Hassan.

    “It’s a wrap!”, wrote Saba in caption.

    Expressing her delight of working with Mustafa, Qamar wrote: “It was lovely working with you. You’re such an amazing co-star! Sada khush raho.”

    Reposting the photo, Agha said praised Saba, saying that working with her “has been the best experience of my career thus far.”

    Manjogi is an upcoming web series expected to release on Zee5. The web series has been directed by Kashif Nisar and written by Saji Gul.

    The drama will reportedly challenge traditional gender roles.

    The cast of the web series includes Saba Qamar, Naumaan Ijaz, Uzma Hassan, Gul-e-Rana and Agha Mustafa Hassan. The web-series has been shot in different areas of Lahore.

  • ‘Pakistan to expedite work on joint entertainment productions with Saudi Arabia’

    ‘Pakistan to expedite work on joint entertainment productions with Saudi Arabia’

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz has said that Pakistan is working to speed up work on joint entertainment productions with Saudi Arabia. Three serials – Dhoop Kinare, Tanhaiyan and Aahat – have been selected for dubbing in Arabic.

    According to a report in Arab News, Faraz said that Islamabad wanted to enhance cultural cooperation with Riyadh, which is why the government aims to ‘speed up’ work on joint film and television productions to bring the people of the two countries closer.

    “Some dramas and films have been dubbed and sent there [Saudi Arabia],” said Faraz, adding that a few were even watched by the royal family, including Hareem Farooq and Ali Rehman Khan’s Parchi.”

    Parchi was the first Pakistani film ever to release in Saudi Arabia in 2018 and one of the first international releases in the Kingdom after a nearly 40-year ban on cinemas came to an end.

    In April 2019, the then Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, in a press conference in Riyadh, had announced that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were in talks for increasing cultural exchange between the two countries.

    Chaudhary confirmed Pakistan’s wish to participate in Saudi Arabia’s cultural revival and said it was willing to support its newly established performing arts academies by sharing the expertise of its actors, directors and other artists like calligraphers.

  • Highest-viewed Pakistani drama episodes in 2020

    Highest-viewed Pakistani drama episodes in 2020

    2020 has been an interesting year for Pakistani dramas with several controversial dramas hitting our screens this year. In terms of popularity, there is no denying that Meray Paas Tum Ho was television’s highest-watched dramas with a cult following. As we look back on this year, here’s a list of dramas which had the maximum number of views on YouTube till the filing of this story.

    Note – We are only including episodes that aired in 2020 in this list. Views have been indicated in brackets.

    Nand Episode 1 (12M)

    Despite having close to 100 episodes, Nand continues to trend on YouTube and social media. The first episode of the show was fast-paced and thrilling. Not only are we introduced to nand Gohar (Faiza Hassan) and the rest of the family, we dive straight into the story, which is about a woman who likes to control everything and everyone around her. Apart from being very masalaydar and spicy, the drama also boasts solid performances by the lead cast.

    Deewangi Last Episode (13M)

    Danish Taimoor and Hiba Bukhari’s Deewangi ends with Nageen (Hiba) killing Sultan (Taimoor) and getting her happily ever after with Haroon (Ali Abbas), who first divorced her. Audiences loved the drama for its depiction of love that reached a point of madness and continued to root for Sultan till the very end, even though he commits several mistakes along the way because of his mad love for Nageen. The last episode of the drama was thrilling, intense and fast-paced with viewers hooked to it.

    Ishqiya Episode 1 (15M)

    The first episode of this intense romance involving two sisters featuring Feroze Khan, Hania Aamir and Ramsha Khan opens with a scene which will instantly remind you of Rahul and Anjali’s basketball matches in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The rest of the episode introduces us to the different characters and their relationship dynamics. Its ends with Azeem’s (Gohar Rasheed) family asking for Hamna’s (Ramsha) hand in marriage, who is in love with Hamza (Feroze).

    Read more – ‘Ishqiya’ ends on a bittersweet note

    Ehd e Wafa Last Episode (16M views)

    The last bumper episode of Ehd e Wafa was initially scheduled to hit theatres but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the plan couldn’t fall through. The grand finale, which included a special appearance by Humayun Saeed, saw Captain Saad (Ahad Raza Mir) get injured in tensions on the Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir, following which all four friends gather at the hospital to be on his side as he battles between life and death. The final episode was emotionally charged but ended on a happy note leaving viewers satisfied.

    Read more – Did you know ‘Ehd-e-Wafa’ was shot in 16 cities?

    Meray Paas Tum Ho 2nd Last Episode (21M)

    Though the second-last episode of the immensely popular Meray Paas Tum Ho was a slow one, it is one of the highest-viewed ones. The episode saw Mehwish (Ayeza Khan) shift back into her old house and use a wazeefa to try and win Danish back. She regrets the decisions she made and is wallowing in misery. On the other hand, Danish (Humayun Saeed) agreed to marry Hania (Hira Mani) and wore the ring she bought for him after Roomi proposed to her on behalf of his father. Meanwhile, Maham (Savera Nadeem) made sure she reminded Shehwar (Adnan Siddiqui) of his aukaat.

    Which 2020 drama was your favourite?

  • Yasra Rizvi hits back at critics of ‘Dunk’, ‘Churails’

    Yasra Rizvi hits back at critics of ‘Dunk’, ‘Churails’

    Yasra Rizvi has hit back at critics of her latest projects Dunk and Churails. She also responded to those who are criticising her character, Jugnu Chaudhary, from Churails.

    In a social media post, Yasra wrote: “Many saw Jugnu as a drunkard druggie who was selling be-hayai in the name of women empowerment and many think Saira will cause serious negative repercussions for harassment victims because she is a character in a story about false allegations.”

    Read more – Who banned ‘Churails’?

    “No one really knows who I am and what I do every day, how I work, what I truly believe in, many haven’t watched Churails or will not watch all the 20 something episodes of Dunk,” she continued.

    “Many don’t know anything about my body of work and its detail to really understand what is it that I even stand for BUT everyone gets to talk because I am out there doing my thing so talk away,” remarked Rizvi.

    Rizvi has done a number of dramas on television along with web series Churails and Ayesha. Senti Aur Mental is her upcoming Lollywood comedy film debut. The film is directed, written and cast by herself along with Zain Afzal, and Yousaf Bashir Qureshi as a lead cast. Initially, the film was set to release in 2020 but was stalled due to COVID.

    Her latest project Dunk which has been produced by Fahad Mustafa has come under fire after Mustafa stated that the drama “is a tribute to every victim who has been falsely accused of sexual harassment”.

    Beside Rizvi, Dunk also features Bilal Abbas Khan, Sana Javed, Shahood Alvi, Fahad Sheikh, Tara Mahmood, Saifi Hassan, Salma Hassan, Kanwal Khan, Noman Ejaz, and Azekah Daniel. It has been written by Mohsin Ali Shah and directed by Badar Mehmood.

  • Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar reprimands women writers

    Pakistani writer Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar reprimanded women writers for humiliating relationships in dramas.

    In an interview when Khalil-ur-Rehman was asked what was the reason that people in showbiz are so afraid of him, he said: “People are afraid of me because I am honest with my work. They will be afraid of dishonesty.”

    He added: “Female writers have stigmatised relationships like that of a sister-in-law, mother-in-law and brother-in-law.” He said that there are 99.9 per cent women who are writing in the industry but they only write about family politics and stigmatise sacred relationships.

    The Mere Paas Tum Ho writer spoke on a variety of topics. While giving his opinion on the friendship between males and females, he said that there is no such thing as a friendship between a girl and a boy. “This is the biggest lie in the world.”

    Qamar has been involved in many controversies including a debate on Aurat March slogans with Marvi Sirmed. He said to Ms Sirmed that “no one would even spit on your body” and that she was a “cheap woman” who should “shut up”. He was criticised by politicians and prominent figures, while Geo TV suspended his contract. He said, he did not interrupt her but she interrupted him when he was talking.

  • Fahad Mustafa says ‘Dunk’ is a tribute to victims of false allegations of sexual harassment

    Fahad Mustafa, in a recent interview, shared that the plot of Dunk revolves around false accusations of sexual harassment. Starring Bilal Abbas Khan, Sana Javed and Naumaan Ejaz, Dunk premiered on ARY Digital Wednesday night.

    Talking about why he decided to produce this drama, Fahad said: “95% cases of sexual harassment are genuine but in some cases, people are falsely accused, so we have to tell every kind of story.”

    “We [Big Bang Productions] have always tried to show different kinds of stories,” said Fahad. “We also made a drama Meri Guriya which told the story of [the rape victim] Zainab.”

    “As producer it is my responsibility to tell every kind of story and I believe people will enjoy watching this drama,” added Fahad.

    The actor-producer further said that his new drama depicts reality very closely and that Dunk “is a tribute to every victim who has been falsely accused of sexual harassment”.

    When asked about his opinion regarding Meesha Shafi’s harassment case against Ali Zafar, Fahad said: “I do not know much details about the case, but all I know is that Ali has suffered a lot at professional front, it Is a huge lose for Ali and his family.”

    Mustafa went onto say: “I think, brands should set an example by working with the people who have been falsely accused of sexual harassment.”

    Dunk had earlier stirred controversy for its problematic presentation of harassment in universities in the promos.

    The drama serial features, Bilal Abbas Khan, Sana Javed, Shahood Alvi, Fahad Sheikh, Tara Mahmood, Saifi Hassan, Salma Hassan, Kanwal Khan, Noman Ejaz, and Azekah Daniel. Written by Mohsin Ali Shah Dunk has been directed by Badar Mehmood.