Author: optimum_tech

  • Is ‘Alif’ trending for the right reasons?

    Is ‘Alif’ trending for the right reasons?

    Every Saturday night, the hashtag Alif – a nod to Hamza Ali Abbasi and Sajal Aly’s drama – begins to trend on Twitter, intriguing everyone. But that probably has more to do with Hamza Ali Abbasi’s star power on Twitter because if you look at the views and compare them to the views of rival drama, Meray Paas Tum Ho, you get a completely different picture.

    While Alif in its essence is thought-provoking, layered and intense, the pace of the drama is killing interest and ultimately making it tiresome to watch.

    Read More: Meray Pass Tum Ho EP 13: Predictable or more to it?

    The sixth episode shows Momin get rid of his ladylove Neha, played by Sadaf Kanwal after she continuously pushes him to cast her ‘friend’ in his next film. The breakup isn’t very pleasant and the two vow to get their revenge from each other. While I do commend Sadaf for doing an above-average job as far as her acting is concerned, her performance doesn’t match that of Hamza, who is giving this character all of him. Sadaf’s dialogue delivery is monotonous and sounds as if uss nay ratta maara hai – it is completely devoid of emotion.

    Other than that, we are given another flashback to Momin’s childhood, when someone mentions Husn-e-Jahaan. To be very frank, I’m sick of watching these flashbacks because all Kubra does in them is cry, while the child Momin is borderline annoying.

    On the other hand, Momina (Sajal Aly) is struggling with the death of her brother Jahangir. The entire family is broken after his death and the emotions shown by the actors are brilliantly raw and invoke sympathy in you.

    While the rest of the episode was slow, it picked up in the last ten minutes with the interactions between Momin and Neha and Momina and her master (Saifee Hassan).

    Oh and one thing: a message for the producers/director – that cut jump in one of the scenes was abrupt and highlighted lazy production. Not cool guys, we expect better.

    Read More: ‘Alif’ is slow-paced but intense

    The teaser for the next episode is catchy with the return of a previous character and Momin heading to Turkey to visit his grandfather.

    Everyone on Twitter keeps praising Alif for its “great acting, storyline and powerful dialogues.” I do agree with the great acting and [somewhat] powerful dialogues bit, but I’m still waiting for a proper storyline to develop and become more engaging. Six episodes should be more than enough to get the ball rolling. No?

  • ‘Alif’ is slow-paced but intense

    ‘Alif’ is slow-paced but intense

    Hamza Ali Abbasi and Sajal Aly’s Alif hit screens early October amid a lot of hype and fanfare. This is their first pairing and fans were naturally excited to see two acting powerhouses come together. Not only that, the speculation that this might be Hamza’s last venture also added to the drama’s attraction.

    So far five episodes of Alif have aired and though the drama’s plotline is engrossing and interesting, it’s slow pace distracts you from it.

    Alif follows the life of two individuals Momin and Momina – oh the irony. The two belong to completely different worlds: Momin is a hotshot director who objectifies women and promotes vulgarity to sell his films, while Momina is a struggling actor, who is only in the profession to raise money for her sick brother. Their paths cross when Momina auditions for one of the Momin’s films and given their dissenting views, they clash.

    Till now, the drama largely focuses on Momin and his relationship with his grandfather with constant flashbacks to his childhood and Momina and her financial struggles.

    While the plotline and synopsis of the drama is captivating, the slow-pace makes your attention waiver. It is not gripping enough as yet but considering only five episodes have aired so far, we’re willing to let this go for now. The dialogues are also powerful.

    Both Hamza and Sajal have put up remarkable performances. Sajal as the struggling Momina is great – her expressions and the way she portrays the depth of her character is superb. Sadaf as Hamza’s love interest is also charming. We haven’t seen much of Kubra Khan but she does fit into the character of Husn-e-Jahan smoothly. The supporting cast is also commendable.

    Alif has been penned by Umera Ahmed and directed by Haseeb Hassan of Parwaaz Hai Junoon fame.

    The drama does appear to be promising watch given the teasers and cast but I do hope the pace doesn’t make it mundane and tiresome to watch.

  • Book review: ‘The Testaments’ keeps the reader engrossed till the end

    Book review: ‘The Testaments’ keeps the reader engrossed till the end

    The Testaments by Margaret Atwood is the much-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale which has almost a cult following around the world. The book was released with much fanfare and publicity and recently also won the Booker Prize along with Girl, Woman, Other. The reactions to the book, however, have been divisive.

    The Testaments picks up fifteen years after the previous book. Gilead is still the same; if anything else the fundamentalism and extremism has gotten worse. For some reason, all of the stringent laws mostly apply to women in an attempt to suppress them further. Which is probably why this aspect resonated with me as currently many cultures are receding into their traditional roots.

    Women in this military-controlled zone are merely instruments for childbearing as in this dystopian future, humanity has self-destructed to the point of rampant infertility. Girls in schools, even the elite are not allowed to learn how to read and write in the fear that they may develop independent thought. The male commanders rule all and they use older women called ‘Aunts’ to control the younger members. The atmosphere of suffocation and fear that Atwood has created is almost palpable.

    Read more: Elif Shafak’s ’10 minutes 38 seconds’ is thought-provoking, insightful and relevant

    Without giving away spoilers, the storyline revolves around Aunt Lydia, an influential all-powerful force to be reckoned with; Agnes, a young girl in Gilead who doesn’t quite belong; and Daisy a young girl living in the free world whose story has some surprising twists and turns. Each of these women are struggling with their own troubles and adversities in an atmosphere of extreme mystery and secrecy which adds to their fear and tribulations.

    Margaret Atwood

    Is this book as powerful as The Handmaid’s Tale? Perhaps not. I reckon Atwood wrote this more for the large television viewership that the series enjoys. I found it an easier read than the prequel but perhaps less profound. However, this is not to say that it is not a good book – it brings the story to a satisfying conclusion and keeps the reader engrossed until the end.

  • Terror Attack Alert: Terrorists may target Maulana Fazl in Azadi March

    Terror Attack Alert: Terrorists may target Maulana Fazl in Azadi March

    Ministry of Interior has expressed fear that terrorists can attack the ongoing ‘Azadi March’ of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), targeting Maulana Fazlur Rehman, ARY News reported.

    According to the details, the Ministry has issued a fresh alert saying that terrorists want to attack JUI-F chief and for that, they can use an explosive-laden vehicle.

    The interior ministry has directed officials for the provision of Maulana’s security and has informed Home Secretaries of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in this regard.

    Earlier on October 25, the interior ministry had issued an alert notice of possible terror attacks by banned militant outfits. The copies of the notice were also sent to chief secretaries of all province by the authorities.

    The notice stated, “The protest march announced by JUI-F increased risks for the internal security of the country besides creating the situation of instability. The notice warns that anti-state elements could take benefit of the instability by targeting public gatherings”.

    Dubbed the ‘Azadi’ March, the caravan, which set off from the Sindh province, left Punjab’s city Lahore on Wednesday and culminated its journey last night in Pakistan’s capital city, Islamabad.

  • Why did the Newsline project matter?

    Why did the Newsline project matter?

    Newsline was always so much more than just a publishing project… it was always about making the dream of editorial integrity a reality

    The announcement that the December issue of Newsline magazine would be its last, was greeted by rather emotional comments on social media from people who had been associated with the venture or somehow touched by it.

    Their often emotional comments expressed a real sense of sadness and almost personal loss, and while these remarks may have seemed surprising to those unfamiliar with the Newsline project, they really resonated with those who had lived through General Zia’s — direct as well as indirect — martial law periods.

    This is because Newsline was not just another publication: for those in journalism, it was a venture that symbolised hope — the hope of the triumph of the journalist over the seth or owner/proprietor/media baron.

    Newsline was founded by a group of women journalists in late 1988. The team was led by Razia Bhatti, the longtime editor of The Herald, the Dawn Group monthly that was famous for its stylish production values and its hard-hitting content.

    Razia, perhaps the best editor Pakistan has ever produced, was summoned by management and told it was time for her (after some two decades) to leave. This happened soon after General Zia dismissed the civilian government and announced fresh elections and it was a time when the military establishment was seeking to regain control of the political narrative and tame the increasingly outspoken media.

    The editorial team was so appalled by the management’s decision to get rid of Razia that most of us opted to resign in protest and leave with her. I was a newcomer in the group (as was Tehmina Ahmed). I’d been with the team for less than a year, but my other colleagues were well-known names in the field, particularly Rehana Hakim, Samina Ibrahim and Sairah Irshad. Talat Aslam stayed on as did Zahid Hussain, our star reporter, who then joined us several months later.

    Soon afterward, Razia had the bright idea that we should start our very own magazine. It seemed a complete impossibility, but we began to work on developing the idea anyway. Zia, the cause of most of our woes, had been killed in the Bahawalpur crash and within a few months of that the country’s publishing laws were liberalised and we were able to get a publishing license or ‘declaration’. 

    We decided we must have a controlling interest and so we invested whatever we could in the company and were also lucky enough to find some investor friends who wanted to come in not for the profit (there never were any), but because they had faith in the venture.

    The first issue came out in July 1989 and the legend of Newsline gained strength with every new issue. The legend was that the journalists had won, that editorial integrity would not be compromised, that the news narrative was not tailored according to financial or political interests.

    The Newsline launch, Karachi July 1989. L to R: Rehana Hakim, Razia Bhatti, Zahid Hussain, Samina Ibrahim, Umber Khairi, S.A. Baqri, Baseer Ashraf, Tehmina Ahmed

    But keeping the legend alive and carrying the torch for this sort of idealism was not an easy task. Financially we struggled and the pressures we faced were many, but we carried on.

    Even after Razia died suddenly in 1996, Rehana and the team kept the flame of this hope alive. The names of staffers who passed through the intense training ground that was the Newsline office reads like a Who’s Who of journalism, politics, literature and academia (Abbas Nasir, Mohammed Hanif, Nafisa Shah, Naziha Syed Ali, Marvi Memon, Kamila Shamsie to name just a few). But apart from the commitment of the core team what perhaps helped most to keep the venture alive was the support and good wishes of so many people – friends, colleagues and readers.

    But eventually, we reached a stage where the magazine could no longer function as a small independent operation and we became part of a media group (again) when we sold Newsline to the HUM group. When I told a friend about this she asked, “If you sold it and it didn’t belong to you, why are you getting so worked up about it?”

    She’s right of course. Legally, we no longer owned Newsline and the decision to cease publication was rightfully the owner’s, but emotionally and idealistically perhaps we will always own Newsline because it was always so much more than just a publishing project… it was always about making the dream of editorial integrity a reality.

  • ‘Ye Dil Mera’ is off to a mysterious start

    ‘Ye Dil Mera’ is off to a mysterious start

    The anticipation for Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly’s latest drama Ye Dil Mera was high. Even though the drama’s teasers made headlines for all the wrong reasons and were touted to glorify workplace harassment, fans and audiences were excited to see the real-life couple on the big screen.

    The first episode of the drama aired this Wednesday and it was off to a mysterious start as audiences are introduced to the characters.

    Noor-ul-Ain, played by Sajal Aly, is a happy-go-lucky girl with a dark past – viewers are just shown snippets of it. She lives with her overprotective Agha Jaan, played by Adnan Siddiqui, who has his daughter followed by guards at all times. Agha Jaan is so possessive of his daughter that he has his men beat up Aina’s university colleague because he flirted with Noor. So we’re a little wary of Agha Jaan’s character – he seems dubious.

    On the other hand, we are introduced to Amaan, played by Ahad Raza Mir. From the glimpse the audiences are given, we’re assuming that he also has a mysterious past. Amaan is confident, successful and rich and Ahad gives off strong Christian Grey vibes as Amaan. There is more to Amaan than what meets the eye.

    Noor and Amaan cross paths at a dholki where Amaan draws a sketch of Noor. What’s puzzling to both Aina and the viewers is that Amaan in his sketch drew a mark on Aina’s neck, a reminder of a haunting past, that she has covered up. The two later meet again when Amaan visits Aina’s university for an internship drive.

    The pace of the first episode was a little slow while the flow was slightly bumpy because of weak editing. But considering it was only the first episode, we’re prepared to give it some time.

    As far as the acting is concerned, Sajal, Ahad and Adnan delivered strong performances. Particularly noteworthy was Ahad’s performance as Amaan. Amaan has many shades to him and Ahad played them all finely – his expressions, mood and body language changed swiftly according to the mood of the show and deserve a round of applause. Looks like all his theatre work has polished his acting skills – not that he didn’t have them before.

    Ye Dil Mera has been penned by the award-winning Farhat Ishtiaq and directed by Aehsun Talish of Suno Chanda fame. Along with Ahad, Sajal, and Adnan, the drama’s cast also includes Rabia Butt, Zarnish Khan and Mira Sethi.

    Hum TV has described it as a tale of “love and revenge” and from the look of it, the drama will be a thrilling one – unusual for the Pakistani screens.

  • ‘Team’s bowling attack weak against Australia,’ Shahid Afridi

    ‘Team’s bowling attack weak against Australia,’ Shahid Afridi

    Pakistan’s former all-rounder Shahid Khan Afridi has said that the cricket team’s pace bowling is not competitive enough to compete against Australia at their home ground, ARY News reported.

    According to the details, all-rounder while talking to the media said, “Our team has taken some very young pacers in Australia. I think these bowlers can’t get rid of Australian batsmen especially at their home conditions”.

    He also said, “I will only talk about what I think and in my opinion pace works in Australia and Pakistan’s team management would have added a couple of bowlers with good pace for this tough tour”.

    It is important to mention here that the men in green are in Australia where they will play three T20Is and two Test matches against the Aussies.

    Azhar Ali will lead the team as captain of the Test team while young Babar Azam will lead the team in shorter format. Team’s head coach and chief selector Misbahul Haq announced the squad which consists mostly of young faces.

    T20 squad:

    Babar Azam (captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Muhhamad Amir, Muhammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Rizwan, Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir, and Wahab Riaz.

    Test squad:

    Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafique, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Sr, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Muhammad Abbas, Muhammad Rizwan, Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, and Yasir Shah. 

  • EXCLUSIVE: Bhuttos haven’t approved BB’s biopic, Mehwish Hayat responds

    EXCLUSIVE: Bhuttos haven’t approved BB’s biopic, Mehwish Hayat responds

    The mystery shrouding Benazir Bhutto’s biopic keeps getting complicated.

    While the Bhutto family maintains that they have given no consent for a biopic (read full story here), Mehwish Hayat, who is set to play the former prime minister in a recent interview confirmed that a film on her is indeed in the works.

    The Current reached out to Mehwish for further details and she told us that she “cannot say much at this stage” as she has “signed strict NDAs (non-disclosure agreements).”

    However, she said that a film was indeed in the works and it is “currently in the early development stages.”

    “We are just beginning to talk to writers at the moment,” Mehwish said. “The basic understanding of biopics is that we actually don’t need formal approval from the family.”

    She continued, “Just look at The Crown – they don’t get permission or clearances from the Royal family or any of the other people portrayed. There are many other films in the West where information is taken from what is in the public domain.”

    Mehwish further said that “when we get further down the line, I am sure that the producers will engage the family to ensure that our script is factually correct.”

    “I for one would love their [the family’s] insights to help my research,” she concluded.

    Perhaps it is pertinent to mention here that Sarmad Khoosat also did not seek formal permission from Sadaat Hassan Manto’s family or engage them in the making of the late writer’s biopic.

    News of Mehwish playing Pakistan’s first female prime minister had first surfaced in June 2018 when Mehwish on Benazir’s 65th birthday had shared that a biopic on BB was on the cards and that she was preparing to “play the role of a lifetime.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BkShLv1Db4A/?utm_source=ig_embed

    The announcement had taken social media by storm and everyone was excited to see the life of the slain Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader come to life on the silver screen. However, Benazir’s daughter, Bakhtawar, slammed the idea, saying that no consent was sought from the family for the project.

    Mehwish at that time had responded to Bakhtawar saying that the project was in its early stages and that it would not progress without “the consent or blessing of the family.”

    While the conversation on this project died soon after, it resurfaced again recently when an interview of Mehwish with BBC Urdu started doing the rounds on social media.

    In the interview, Mehwish confirmed that she will be playing Bhutto.

    “InshAllah. It is a huge subject and a very complicated one,” Mehwish told the host when asked her whether the news was correct. “The story is one of a hero – Benazir Bhutto is a hero to me and I love that woman. Her story is so inspirational. [I think] that our current generation and the one that is to come, need to see her contributions, struggles, progress, her life.”

    Mehwish continued, “While people write about [her] in books, films are easy access for people to know about things.”

    When the host asked Mehwish that expectations with the role will be high, the actor responded, “Indeed it is a difficult character to play. It is being written as of now and it is going to take some time, but I cannot wait to play it.”

    Has Mehwish started preparing for the role?

    Mehwish said, “I’ve been reading up about her. The more I get to know her, the more inspired I get and I feel a lot of pride. But at the same time, I feel sad also that we lost such a great leader.”

    “But the world needs to see her whole story.”

  • Khaadi’s Kanteen bursts with positive energy

    Khaadi’s Kanteen bursts with positive energy

    Nestled happily on the first floor of Khaadi at Bilawal Chowrangi, Kanteen is a sight for sore eyes with its bohemian look, comfy sofas, lovely woodwork and lots of green plants. The whole place is bursting with positive energy.

    This is a place where you would want to go with your friends for a happy evening or dinner with your family. And yes this place welcomes children of all ages. I finally made it to Kanteen after hearing good reviews from friends and I’m happy to report that I wasn’t disappointed.

    Kanteen’s menu is pretty elaborate and is dominated by a desi palette – you’ll find butter chicken, mutton karahi, palak paneer etc on the menu. The best part is that it is not very heavy on the pocket. The cafe is run by Meher, who started off as a home-based party planner. She did my bridal shower almost 5 years back and had impressed me with her services back then also.

    We started off with some crunchy Meethi Puri and Paani Puri and thoroughly enjoyed it – just what you want on a rainy day. We also tried some desi dynamite prawns which were different but delicious.

    • Paani Puri
    • Meethi Puri
    Desi dynamite prawns

    Next, we had the mini chapli kebabs on small parathas which were just perfect with just the right amount of spices.

    What’s life without a plate of good old daal chawal. Kanteen’s daal chawal was elaborate and was served with fried bhindi, paapar, aalo, qeema kabab, achaar and raita. It was a wholesome dish on its own and one of my personal favourites.

    We also tried Kanteen’s tawa chicken and that was also tantalising to the taste buds.

    For a sweet ending to a lovely evening, we ordered the Rabri & Jalebi and Caramel Bread Pudding. Both the desserts were delectable and absolutely delicious. One thing I particularly liked was that the sweet was nicely balanced and did not send you into a sugar coma.

    Rabri & Jalebi
    Caramel Bread Pudding

    Khaadi’s Kanteen lived up it to its expectations and hype and I will definitely be venturing there again soon to treat myself to some delightful desi food.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Has the Bhutto family given consent for a biopic on Benazir?

    Mehwish Hayat, in a recent interview, confirmed that she will be playing Benazir Bhutto in the former Prime Minister’s biopic and that the project is currently in the works.

    However, according to The Current‘s sources, the Bhutto family is unaware of this project and has not given anyone any consent as yet. In fact, the source added that the family is completely in the dark regarding this upcoming project.

    Meanwhile, Mehwish in a recent interview with BBC Urdu confirmed that she will be playing Bhutto.

    When the host asks Mehwish if the news of her playing Benazir is true, Mehwish said, “InshAllah. It is a huge subject and a very complicated one. But the story is one of a hero – Benazir Bhutto is a hero to me and I love that woman. Her story is so inspirational. [I think] that our current generation and the one that is to come, need to see her contributions, struggles, progress, her life.”

    “She was the first woman Prime Minister of the country. The world needs to know about her.”

    Mehwish continued, “While people write about [her] in books, films are easy access for people to know about things.”

    When the host asked Mehwish that expectations with the role will be high, Mehwish responded, “Indeed it is a difficult character to play. It is being written as of now and it is going to take some time, but I cannot wait to play it.”

    Has Mehwish started preparing for the role?

    Mehwish said, “I’ve been reading up about her. The more I get to know her, the more inspired I get and I feel a lot of pride. But at the same time, I feel sad also that we lost such a great leader.”

    “But the world needs to see her whole story,” Mehwish concluded.

    News of Mehwish playing Pakistan’s first female prime minister had first surfaced in June 2018 when Mehwish on Benazir’s 65th birthday had shared that a biopic on BB was on the cards and that she was preparing to “play the role of a lifetime.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BkShLv1Db4A/?utm_source=ig_embed

    The announcement had taken social media by storm and everyone was excited to see the life of the slain Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader come to life on the silver screen. However, Benazir’s daughter, Bakhtawar, slammed the idea, saying that no consent was sought from the family for the project.

    Mehwish at that time had responded to Bakhtawar saying that the project was in its early stages and that it would not progress without “the consent or blessing of the family.”

    The Current has reached out to Mehwish for a comment.