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Tag: Pakistani dramas

  • Bushra Ansari apologises for lashing out at fan

    Bushra Ansari apologises for lashing out at fan

    Late last week, Bushra Ansari had come under fire for lashing out and wishing death upon a fan who criticised her on-going drama Zebaish.

    Though Ansari later deleted her comments, she continued to receive criticism. Following the backlash, Bushra released an official statement in which she apologised to the person in question and other fans for her comments and outrage.

    “Artists, writers, directors and producers are creative people who put a lot of heart and soul into their work. In a way, their project becomes like a child for them that they create with love for their audience,” wrote Bushra. “They work night and day, in heat and in sickness to make these productions for the screen. I am sure you can understand if someone ridicules your work, it can hurt your feelings. I believe that everyone has a right to like or dislike our work, but language is important.”

    She continued, “I realise that last week, I overreacted and wrote harsh words on Instagram. In a moment, I realised my mistake and deleted it, but in the time of social media, it became a tamasha and sadly spread like fire.”

    “The fact is my words were too harsh and I did not handle my anger well,” said the actor.

    Concluding her statement, Bushra said: “In my performances and words, I have always tried to uphold our values. And in the same manner, I want to show my fans and younger generation that I am accepting my mistake. We have to be good role models for our youth so our society and values continue to improve.”

    Bushra had lashed out at Lubna Faryad, who has gained acclaim as the Amma who reviews dramas on the digital media platform Galaxy Lollywood. In a review Amma had criticised Zebaish following which Bushra lashed out at Amma, referring to her as “cheap low-class person”.

    Bushra had used very harsh words against Amma, remarking “They are the coronas in our lives. Allah will finish them InshaAllah.”

  • Naumaan Ijaz slams Pakistani dramas for spreading negativity

    Naumaan Ijaz is not one to mince words and more often than not speaks his mind.

    Read more – Humayun Saeed vs Naumaan Ijaz: What’s going on?

    In a recent interview with director and producer Rafay Rashdi, Ijaz slammed Pakistani dramas for failing to educate audiences and being limited to the four walls of the house.

    Responding to Rafay’s question on how content has changed since he entered the industry, Ijaz said, “If you watch our dramas on YouTube or television, you will see that our characters move from the lounge to the drawing-room, from there to the kitchen and from the kitchen to the bedroom. And from the bedroom, it ends.”

    “They don’t want to go outside; they don’t even want to look outside the window. How many stories can you make within the four corners of a house?” asked Ijaz.

    Ijaz said that things took a turn for the worse after the arrival of private TV channels.

    “Almost all the issues they highlight are similar. Before these private channels came in, dramas used to come in from all four provinces. Because of which one got a chance to learn about their cultures, their customs, their folk stories, and sitting at home just watching those dramas you used to get so much knowledge.”

    Ijaz continued to slam private channels and said that nowadays, they only inform the audiences about how someone was having an affair with someone else’s husband or got married to some other irrelevant person. “Or you end up seeing someone take revenge from someone else for somebody else, or a mother hating on this person’s daughter. What is happening? What are we doing?” he said.

    Read more – Bushra Ansari says she is done with ‘saas-bahu’ dramas

    “Your dramas have diminished, you need to wake up! These people are just sleeping and feeding an empty box,” said the actor, adding that audiences nowadays have access to Netflix and Amazon Prime and that channels need to work harder to provide quality and informative content to them so that they return to Pakistani television.

    “You can’t hold the private/independent producer responsible, you are responsible – the broadcasters are responsible,” Ijaz pointed out. “I remember when Sultana aapa made her first private production which was on the concept of khula, it became so controversial that people stood up, it created awareness. But what is this father taking revenge from his son or mother taking revenge from her daughter or bahu, where does this happen?” said an exasperated Ijaz, adding that drama producers are not even attempting to educate their audiences.

    Ijaz added that through such dramas, private television channels are instilling hatred into the audience.

    “These kind of things happen on a small scale, but if you start showing such negativity on a channel watched by the masses, they will adopt it.”

    “I personally think our media should be hanged, they’re not educating anyone,” he remarked. “They think their audience is not smart enough, the audience has become aware but the media is still stuck. They are not interested in experimenting or growing – they just want volume.”

    “For example, we talk about women empowerment but in our dramas we show women being insulted, beaten up and abused.”

    When asked if lack of professionalism is the reason behind this problem, Naumaan said: “This industry – producers, broadcasters, actors – don’t know what professionalism is. Producers have to beg the broadcasters to pay them their money that is due. Directors are also not as respected as before. Unfortunately, we have lost everything including morals, values, respect, norms, everything.”

    Naumaan concluded by saying that the country is it’s own worst enemy and that we don’t need any external enemies.

  • Govt pledges to promote the film industry

    Govt pledges to promote the film industry

    The government has announced that it will be creating a film task force which will be responsible for promoting the entertainment industry and resolving its issues.

    In a virtual meeting with artists and stakeholders involved, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz shared the government’s intentions and discussed issues being faced by the film industry and their proposed solutions. Among those present included Humayun Saeed, Vasay Chaudhry, Ali Zafar, Fizza Ali Meerza and Nadeem Mandviwala.

    According to APP, Senator Faraz, while addressing the meeting, said that artists were assets of the nation who play an important role in the promotion of national culture and image apart from the growth of society. He added that the government realises the importance of artists and values their contribution to society.

    The minister elaborated that the government is working towards setting up a task force which will play a key role in promoting the film industry, assisting in the implementation and improvement of the film policy and resolving related issues. The task force will include government officials and those associated with the film industry.

    Read more – PM Imran urges TV writers’ to promote family values, national identity through dramas

    Speaking to The Current, Vasay Chaudhry said that the meeting went “really well” and that the “Honourable Minister showed a lot of interest in matters pertaining to film and seemed very committed and serious.”

    He added, “Being the son a great Urdu poet (Ahmed Faraz Sahab), Faraz showed keen interest in the issues of royalties when it was brought up by me. He told us that the issue of royalties of artistes is very close to his heart and he will make sure to do something about it.”

    Addressing this topic, Faraz in the meeting had said that artists had the right to receive royalties for their work and that practical steps will be taken to ensure that their copyrights are protected.

    Information Secretary Akbar Durrani briefed the participants about the national film policy and the Artist Welfare Fund. He said that a database of artists across the country was being created which will help them financially. It is pertinent to mention here that the Artist Welfare Fund has been increased from Rs 25 crore to 1 billion in the new budget on the recommendation of President Dr Arif Alvi.

    Meanwhile, Ali Zafar thanked Senator Faraz for calling this meeting and assuring the entertainment industry of the government’s support.

  • Bushra Ansari lashes out at fan for criticising her drama ‘Zebaish’

    Bushra Ansari lashes out at fan for criticising her drama ‘Zebaish’

    Bushra Ansari has lashed out at a fan who criticised her ongoing drama Zebaish and wished death upon them.

    Read more – Bushra Ansari says she is done with ‘saas-bahu’ dramas

    Lubna Faryad, who has gained acclaim as the Amma who reviews dramas on the digital media platform Galaxy Lollywood, in her recent review criticised Ansari’s ongoing drama Zebaish. In response to her criticism, Bushra lashed out at Amma, referring to her as “cheap low-class person”.

    Bushra used very harsh words against Amma, remarking “They are the coronas in our lives. Allah will finish them InshaAllah.”

    While Bushra did not further comment on the matter and later deleted her original comment, the team of Galaxy Lollywood expressed their disappointment and said that Amma is a simple house-wife, who enjoys watching dramas and shares her thoughts on them in her videos.

    “Amma has not and has never claimed to be a critic,” said the digital media platform in a post.

    Meanwhile, audiences also expressed their disappointment over Bushra’s comments.

    Later, the digital media platform also shared a short clip in which Amma is praising Bushra Jee and expressing her appreciation for her.

    Zebaish, which airs on Hum TV, has been written by Bushra, who also the leading lady of the drama. The drama also stars her sister Asma Abbas, niece Zara Noor Abbas, Asad Siddiqui, Babar Ali, Zoya Nasir and Shabbir Jan.

  • PM Imran urges TV writers’ to promote family values, national identity through dramas

    PM Imran urges TV writers’ to promote family values, national identity through dramas

    Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a video meeting with renowned writers across the country, urged them to promote family values and national identity through their writings and dramas. Writers who were part of the meeting included Hasina Moin, Amjad Islam Amjad, Bee Gul, Fasih Bari Khan, Zafar Meraj, Zanzbeel Asim Shah, Amna Mufti, Saima Ikram Chaudhry and Jahanzeb Qamar.

    According to APP, the prime minister assured the government’s support for the promotion of national culture and identity. In the meeting, PM Khan discussed the importance of highlighting national culture and identity and said that the education and training of the youth had been jeopardized by modern communication tools, internet, easy access to objectionable content and onslaught of alien culture and traditions.

    The PM asserted that foreign content – such a Bollywood – is putting our history, culture and social values in danger and reducing the youth’s knowledge about Islamic personalities, sagas and national history.

    PM Imran also said that the government was aiming to revamp and digitalise Pakistan Television (PTV) and revive its previous glory.

    Fasih Bari Khan, and other writers present on the occasion, speaking to a private media outlet, said that PM Khan had highlighted that the whole society was in a state of moral decay and that the country was leading in child pornography. PM Khan attributed rising divorce rates to the moral degradation of society and the influence of Western cultures. He expressed his distress at the rising divorce cases in society and spoke at length on the topic. He urged playwrights to help the new generation in moral training and character building.

    Read more – PM Khan calls out Bollywood for spreading vulgarity

    PM Khan also expressed his desire for an Ertuğrul -type drama to be produced in Pakistan.

    Meanwhile, when Bee Gul disagreed with PM Khan’s point of view and said that while divorce should be discouraged, it should not be stigmatised as it puts stress on the woman, her mic was switched off and PM Khan said that divorce has a negative effect on children and the family structure.

    The writers hoped that this meeting would bear fruit and would bring positive changes, because more often than not, they are pressurised into writing a certain type of story by private channels.

    Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Lt Gen (Retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa were also part of the meeting.

  • Mansha Pasha says her upcoming drama is not inspired by Bollywood film ‘Judaai’

    Mansha Pasha says her upcoming drama is not inspired by Bollywood film ‘Judaai’

    Ever since the teasers of Mansha Pasha, Sonya Hussyn and Zahid Ahmed’s Mohabbat Tujhe Alvida released, audiences have been speculating and discussing the drama’s striking resemblance to Bollywood film Judaai starring Anil Kapoor, Sri Devi and Urmila Matondkar.

    Following extensive debate on social media, Mansha took to social media to clarify that the story of her upcoming drama is inspired by the Sindhi folk tale Lilan Chanesar. The actor added that the Bollywood film was also inspired by the same folklore. According to Wikipedia, Judaai is about a woman, Kajal, who lured by wealth, asks her husband, Raj, an honest engineer, to get married to Janhvi, the rich daughter of his boss. However, Kajal soon realises that the wealth has pulled her away from her family. The film also featured a song Mujhe Ek Pal Chain Na Aye which was copied from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s qawwali Sanu Ek Pal Chain Na Aave.

    Meanwhile, it is being reported that Zahid has no idea that the drama’s plot was “inspired” or copied from somewhere.

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

    Read more – Zahid Ahmed apologises to the nation for choosing a script ‘so blindly’

    Mohabbat Tujhe Alvida is set to air on Hum TV from March 17. Watch the teasers for the drama below:

  • ‘Sabaat’ will have you hooked

    ‘Sabaat’ will have you hooked

    Six episodes in, Sabaat has managed to capture the audiences with its compelling and entertaining storyline and strong performances. The drama had intrigued viewers before it even aired thanks to one of the main leads Mawra Hocane, who is an ace at the social media game – but a few episodes in, it has everyone, myself included, hooked.

    Sabaat is centred on two families: Hasan Fareed (Ameer Gillani) and Anaya Aziz’s (Mawra). Anaya belongs to an average middle-class family. She has big dreams and wants to make a difference in society. She actively campaigns for harassment against women in workplaces and is a class topper. Hasan, on the other hand, is from an affluent and well-off family. He and Anaya are class fellows and start off as fierce competitors but an incident changes that and the two become acquaintances following which Hasan develops feelings for Anaya and wants to marry her. Though Hasan’s character development is a little weak, given how the swiftly the drama is progressing and how sparkling the chemistry is between him and Anaya, we are willing to overlook this.

    While these two are in their own little university bubble, Hasan’s elder sister Miraal (Sarah Khan) is the real devil of the show. She is a spoilt brat who cannot take no for an answer. Miraal is rude, arrogant and selfish and thinks she can get away with anything because she is rich to the point that she goes to her brother’s university and slaps Anaya for no reason. She generously uses the dialogue “Tumhari aukaat kya hai” and is enabled by her father who is also a snob.

    While Mawra’s character, for now, is one-dimensional, it is Sarah who steals the show with her bratty act. Her facial expressions, body language and moods are on point and she delivers a convincing performance making you hate Miraal. Nonetheless, it is refreshing to see both women essay strong and confident characters. At this point, I’d like to add here that Sarah’s wardrobe, hair and makeup are brilliantly done and she looks super chic in all of her scenes.

    Sarah Khan Sabaat

    Usman Mukhtar is yet to make an entry and fans are waiting with bated breath for it. While the theme of the drama is still unclear, Mawra in an interview had shared it is primarily a love story which is meant to entertain audiences and not deliver sermons or lessons. However, she added that the drama will highlight several issues including classism in our society.

    Read more – We take it back; ‘Ghalti’ is ARY’s best running drama

    Sabaat has been penned by Kashif Anwar and directed by Shehzad Kashmiri of Anaa fame. Apart from the four leads, the drama also starres Simi Raheel, Laila Zuberi and Mohammad Ahmed.

    It aires every Sunday at 8 pm on Hum TV.

  • We take it back; ‘Ghalti’ is ARY’s best running drama

    When ARY’s drama ‘Ghalti’ started, it seemed like a huge mistake. Typical saas bahu, beychari bahu and crazy saas. Husband is a complete disaster, giving talaaq after talaaq, which is so typical of Pakistani dramas.

    But after this week’s episode, we are happy to issue an apology and say, WOW, what happened? It’s turning out to be one of the best running dramas on ARY.

    Hina Mani delivers a stellar performance

    That being said, it’s not like it has much competition. The drama ‘Jhooti ‘ is probably Iqra Aziz’s biggest mistake and the high that Ayeza Khan got from ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’ crashes in ‘Thora Sa Haq’.

    In this week’s episode, three massive twists made ‘Ghalti’ a fantastic watch. Zaira (Hira Mani) is married to her cousin Saad (Affan Waheed) and Saad’s mother Zaitoon (Saba Hamid) has it out for them. She tries her best to destroy their marriage and finally succeeds.

    The best part about this latest episode was Zaira. Hira Mani delivers a stellar performance, one in which you shockingly and immediately feel her pain. She acts perfectly. So perfect that you immediately are drawn to her. There is no overacting when her husband delivers the final blow and when she tells her mother. This is so realistic that you can imagine it happening in real life. And that is where the drama takes a turn.

    You can only be team Zaira then.

    At such important moments in this episode Hira Mani hits constant sixers.

    You feel her pain and she so elegantly takes on what what Zaitoon has handed her and the drama no longer becomes about divorce but actually becomes about a woman’s strength.

    Zaitoon is also not to be messed with and Saba Hamid does her total justice. She is perfect in her narcissism and her selfishness and Saba’s every expression reflects what Zaitoon is.

    Saba Hamid is full of expression and elegance, making a stellar villain

    The voice of reason is Shanzay (Mehr Bano). She is a strong, independent, working woman married to Saad’s brother. When her character was first introduced, you wondered: Ugh, here is another drama demonising the working woman. But wait. It didn’t.

    What’s going on? How is this drama getting so good?

    Shanzay tells off Zaitoon, Saad, the sisters, so well that you feel like clapping and feeling like wow, how is this possible that her husband is taking HER side? This isn’t typical at all. And it’s done so normally, matter of factly, simply. No dramatic angles, dialogues, music.

    Mehr Bano delivers a performance that rivals that of Saba Hamid

    The teaser for the next episode promises to be even better, filled with confrontation and dare we hope, a not dragged out end. We have our theories on what might happen but it isnt the time to speculate just yet. It’s almost the beginning of the week and we are already waiting for the next episode.

    So we take it back and apologise because this is one drama we wait for every Thursday and hope you guys have the time to catch up. This is the one to wait drama to look forward to during the lockdown.

  • ‘Kaheen Deep Jalay’ keeps getting worse

    ‘Kaheen Deep Jalay’ keeps getting worse

    Saach baat bataoon toh Neelum Munir and Imran Ashraf’s Kaheen Deep Jalay on Geo was my guilty pleasure. The drama was full of well, drama, and it had a heavy dose of masala complete with over-the-top twists and turns which were oh-so-fun to watch. But the last couple of episodes have turned the serial into a painful watch.

    Let’s take a quick run through the plot. Rida (Neelum Munir) is the only sister of three brothers: Hatim (Hammad Farooqui), Fahaam (Ali Abbas) and Asim (Syed Arez). The brothers dote on their sister and pamper her to no extent. Rida’s maternal cousin Shamila (Nazish Jahangir) gets married to her eldest brother Fahaam. Shamila is a conniving and manipulative girl who is jealous of Rida because of the attention she gets from her brothers. Shamila’s only brother doesn’t pamper her much and seeing Rida get so much attention from her brothers irks Shamila who then uses every opportunity to mentally torture her sister-in-law.

    Meanwhile, Rida gets married to Zeeshan (Imran Ashraf). Zeeshan, who was Hatim’s colleague had fallen in love with Rida from the moment he saw her. The two get married and are happy but soon Zeeshan’s insecurities coupled with Shamila’s manipulation cost them their marriage.

    Read more – ‘Kahin Deep Jalay’ is terribly typical but full of masala

    The recent episodes have seen the plot spiral completely out of control. A misunderstanding on Zeeshan’s part leads him to believe that Rida cheated on him. This gives Shamila a chance to lash out on Rida even more and Rida’s brothers who doted on her through the course of the drama now refuse to even acknowledge her to the point that they wish that she was dead. It is impossible to understand how Rida’s brothers just suddenly turned their back on their sister and refuse to believe her innocence. This plot twist is beyond my understanding.

    Hatim, Asim and Rida’s mother

    Though Zeeshan later realises his mistake and asks Rida for forgiveness, she refuses to forgive him (and rightly so) and the two spend their days crying. Zeeshan, in particular, is very annoying. He cries all the time (not that I’m against men crying) and feels sorry for himself and doesn’t really make much of an effort to make amends. He just hopes that Rida will come around.

    On the other hand, Shamila, whose husband Fahaam is shot dead, manipulates her brother-in-law Hatim into marrying her so that she can once again become the bahu of the house. Another over-the-top and absolutely unnecessary plot twist. It’s so annoying to see how the men in the family are so oblivious to Shamila’s actions.

    Shamila and Hatim

    Despite the frustrations, I don’t want to overlook the positive which is Rida’s relationship with her mother-in-law (Saba Faisal). It is refreshing to see a mother-in-law stand up for her daughter-in-law and criticise her son for being unfair to her. Her character is probably the only balanced one in the entire drama – the rest of them are an emotional mess.

    Rida and her mother-in-law

    While Kaheen Deep Jalay continues to test my patience, the only reason I will continue to watch the drama is because I’m curious to know Shamila’s end. And I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be a pleasant one. So that should make up for the frustrations. In my opinion, things could have been accelerated and the drama should have wrapped up by now.

    Another thing that has been bothering me is how Geo repeats the last ten minutes of the previous episode in the new episode.

    Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a masalaydaar drama which does not require too much of your brain cells, give Kaheen Deep Jalay a go. Otherwise given how it’s progressing, or regressing, you can skip it.

  • 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.