Category: Entertainment

Best entertainment news in the industry, we break entertainment stories as soon as celebrities post on their social media and do Pakistani drama reviews.

  • ‘Glaring double standards’: Susan Sarandon, Melissa Barrera pay the price for speaking up for Palestine

    ‘Glaring double standards’: Susan Sarandon, Melissa Barrera pay the price for speaking up for Palestine

    Two pro-Palestinian voices in Hollywood had to pay the price for speaking up for the cause. Hollywood legend Susan Sarandon, a vocal supporter of the Palestinian people, was dropped by her talent agency UTA.

    X (formerly Twitter) users were horrified, given Susan’s impressive career as a Hollywood leading lady.

    ‘Scream’ franchise lead actor Mellisa Barerra was fired from the series after she took to Instagram to voice criticism against the genocide of Gaza. The actress had written:

    “I too come from a colonized country. Palestine will be free.”

    witter users pointed out how genocide supporters like Sarah Silverman and Amy Schumer continue to have careers in Hollywood but it takes one pro-Palestine post that gets actors fired from their jobs.

  • PTV News ne Faiz Ahmad Faiz ko Ahmad Faraz bana dia

    PTV News ne Faiz Ahmad Faiz ko Ahmad Faraz bana dia

    On the 39th death anniversary of renowned poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz, another poet Ahmad Faraz’s picture was aired on PTV (Pakistan Television Corporation) News.

    Multimedia Journalist Farhan Khan took to X (formerly Twitter) and stated, “This was
    @PTVNewsOfficial ‘ bulletin at 9 o’clock last night. On 39th death anniversary of renowned poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz, another poet Ahmed Faraz’s picture is being shown. How could this mistake have happened?”

    X user Muhammad Ali wrote, “Looks like someone at @PTVNewsOfficial got ‘autocorrected’ re Faiz/Faraz . Whatever the case may be, the producer doesn’t deserve the job, must be fired.”

  • ‘Do takkay ki larki’ ka yeh matlab nahi’: Adnan Siddiqui defends controversial dialogue from Mere Pass Tum Ho

    ‘Do takkay ki larki’ ka yeh matlab nahi’: Adnan Siddiqui defends controversial dialogue from Mere Pass Tum Ho

    Adnan Siddiqui appeared on a recent episode of Ahmed Ali Butt’s podcast ‘Excuse Me’ where he addressed his role in the controversial drama ‘Mere Pass Tum Ho’ and the dialogue ‘do takkay ki larki’ which sparked intense outrage from women in Pakistan.

    Butt revealed that he had a conversation with the writer Khalil ul Rehman about the line, to which the writer had responded that he used the word ‘larki’ for one woman. Siddiqui pointed out it was solely directed towards the female character Mehwish (played by Ayeza Khan) rather than a generalisation of all women. He further stressed that audiences should contextualise the dialogue within the drama.

    “Mehwish and Shehwaar were both equally blamed for this. Danish, who was deeply in love with his wife, sacrificed a lot for her happiness and was madly in love with her. When he discovered the affair he was outraged, which led to the dialogue. In his rage, he couldn’t use a slur because he’s a man of culture. So this was his slur. Let’s stick to that scenario because that dialogue was solely meant for Mehwish and not all women of Pakistan.”

    The host behind reality TV series ‘Tamasha’ urged audiences not to conflate characters to real-life people, pointing out that the characters in the story line were not a reflection of reality.

  • Cardi B announces she’s dropping support for Biden for funding wars in Ukraine, Israel

    Cardi B announces she’s dropping support for Biden for funding wars in Ukraine, Israel

    Grammy winning rapper Cardi B has announced that she is no longer endorsing Democrat President Joe Biden for the 2024 elections, citing him funding wars in Ukraine and Palestine, leading to cuts in local budgets. Speaking on a live stream with her 169 million followers, the ‘Bodak Yellow’ rapper criticised the President for initiating budget cuts in library spending and sanitation, while sending massive aid packages to Ukraine and Israel.

    “I don’t give a f*** the résumé they send,” Cardi responded. “I’m not endorsing no presidents no more.”

    “Joe Biden is talking about, ‘Yeah, we can fund two wars.’ Motherfucker’s talking about, ‘We don’t got it, but we got it, we’re the greatest nation.’ No the fuck we’re not. We’re going through some shit right now. We are really, really, really f****d right now.”

    Cardi criticised the budget cut she said will worsen the sanitation in New York City “In New York, there is a $120m budget cut that’s going to affect schools, public libraries and the police department. And a $5m budget cut in sanitation … We are gonna be drowning in … rats.”

    Cardi had previously endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 elections as a strong candidate against Republican president Donald Trump.

    Previously, the ‘WAP’ rapper went viral for shutting down an Israeli supporter who claimed Cardi was pro-Israel because she followed her TikTok account. To which the rapper responded ‘I DON’T LIKE YOU’ and unfollowed her.

    Cardi B’s criticism follows a fall in Biden’s support among American voters, with the latest poll by NBC showing the Democrat’s public approval has sank to 40 per cent now. Among the voters aged between 18-34, 70 per cent said they did not approve of Biden’s handling of the genocide of Gaza.

  • ‘Crashing Eid’ is the hilarious Arabic Netflix comedy that is the talk of the town

    ‘Crashing Eid’ is the hilarious Arabic Netflix comedy that is the talk of the town

    ‘Crashing Eid’ is currently dominating Netflix Pakistan and seriously, this is the comedy series we have all been waiting for. Created by Saudi filmmaker Nora Aboushousha, the family drama tackles Saudi norms with comedy and ends with the enduring message that love conquers all.

    The drama follows the hilarious and fiercely independent Razzan, a single mother who lives in Britain with her daughter Lamar. She proposes to her British-Pakistani boyfriend Sameer, under the assumption her family back home in Saudi Arabia would approve of their marriage. However, sheer hilarity breaks out when her parents refuse to recognise their engagement, and the couple tackle racial divisions, prejudice and cultural norms to get married.

    Since this series hit Netflix, it is already getting rave reviews from Pakistani users, who praised the series for not holding back on tackling the racism Pakistanis face in Arabic countries.

    “The comedy series “Crashing Eid” is a good window into Arabs’ racist tendencies, bigotry, and toxic masculinity. As someone who visited a Gulf country earlier in the year, this comedy series portrays only but the tip of the iceberg,” one user wrote.

    Speaking to Arab News, Aboushousha spoke about how she came up with the concept of the series.

    “We started off with a concept of someone who is different from their family, and that grew into this story of a single mother who returns from abroad. We started wondering, what will inspire the clash with the rest of the family? And immediately we realized, ‘oh, she should come back ready to be married to someone from outside the culture!’ Everything fell into place from there.”

  • ‘Gunjal’; What is it about and when is it releasing? We have the details

    ‘Gunjal’; What is it about and when is it releasing? We have the details

    Upcoming thriller ‘Gunjal’ is the talk of the town, a film that promises to revive the industry with an insight into the crisis of child abuse in Pakistan. The film boasts of a star-studded cast with the likes of Ahmed Ali Akbar, Resham, Ahmed Ali Butt, Samiya Mumtaz and Amna Ilyas. The team behind ‘Gunjal’ was present at the prelaunch event held at University of Management and Technology (UMT) where we got some interesting details about the film, including the wholesome reason why Resham wanted to work with Ahmed Ali Akbar.

    When is ‘Gunjal’ releasing?

    Gunjal will release in theatres across Pakistan on 8th December.

    What roles will Ahmed Ali Akbar and Resham be playing?

    Ahmed Ali Akbar will be playing the role of journalist Shahbaz Bhatti, who investigates the murder of prolific child activist Iqbal Masih. Speaking at the event, Ahmed opened up about his reason for choosing the role.

    “Gunjal is inspired by the life of a prolific child activist and is an insight into the trials and tribulations of Iqbal Masih and what he went through, and the conditions he was working in under and the events that took place. It’s also about the life of a regular person who overtime, through the eyes of Iqbal Masih, starts to see things that are very common around us, yet we don’t notice them.”

    “It’s about the rights of children… and is inspired by Iqbal Masih’s legacy,” stressed Ahmed. “It’s very relevant, on what Iqbal wanted to accomplish, it was relevant then and is still now. It’s happening in front of us. So I feel it is our duty but it takes time to act upon it.”

    Resham said her role in ‘Gunjal’ was quite different from her previous films. She plays Sarwat, the founder of a newspaper ‘Nai Subh’. Resham explained that her character tries to ensure her journalistic stories are focused on truth and justice.

    The sweet reason behind why Resham wanted to work on Gunjal: Ahmed Ali Akbar

    Resham also shared the sweet reason that propelled her to take part in the film, revealing it was her desire to work with Ahmed Ali Akbar.

    “I had watched all of ‘Parizaad’ from that point on I really wanted to work with him. While Ahmed’s drama was airing I didn’t watch it because I was suffering from depression and had lost a lot friends. Then I decided to watch all the episodes on Youtube. After finishing it, I made a prayer to Allah while watching alone, that I hoped to work with this man some day. Two-and-a-half months later the film’s director Shoaib sahab reached out and asked if I would act in his film. I asked who would be the hero, and he said ‘Ahmed Ali Akbar’. I said ‘The Parizaad one!’ and was overjoyed!”

    Resham shared she had watched the last episode of Parizaad with Ahmed, which she said she was extremely lucky for. “Despite the fact that I’m his senior, but I’m still a huge fan of his.”

  • Fan passes away from cardiac arrest during Taylor Swift’s concert

    Fan passes away from cardiac arrest during Taylor Swift’s concert

    Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Rio, Brazil, suffered a setback when a fan passed away of cardiac arrest. Ana Clara, 23, had flown in from the centre west region to see her favourite musician perform live. According to People, she fainted before Taylor’s gig began, dying shortly after in the hospital where she was taken for treatment.

    Brazil is in the grip of intense heatwaves. On Friday, the temperature in Rio hit 39.1C. Multiple fans have revealed they were not allowed to take water bottles inside with them during the show. In several videos, Taylor was seen passing out water bottles while performing ‘All Too Well’ when fans began chanting “water, water”.

    Swift released a statement on Friday on her Instagram account, expressing grief on Ana’s passing, writing that she was devastated by the loss.

    “I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I sasy we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show. I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this. There’s very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young.”

    “I’m not going to be able to speak about this from stage,” Taylor continued, “because I fell overwhelmed with grief when I even try to talk about it. I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to her friends and family. This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil.”

    On Saturday, the ‘Anti Hero’ singer released another statement, announcing that she was postponing her Saturday night concert in Rio due to extreme temperatures. The show has now been rescheduled for Monday.

    “I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium. The decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rip. The safety and well-being on my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and will always come first.”

  • ‘Content creators are selling their families for influence’: Fahad Mustafa

    ‘Content creators are selling their families for influence’: Fahad Mustafa

    Actor and producer Fahad Mustafa was a guest on Shoaib Akhtar’s show where he was asked about the rise of social media influencers and content creators in Pakistan and whether he would accept them as co-actors in any drama he works in. The ‘Mayi Ri’ producer responded with a scathing remark on the lengths people from this profession are willing to go to for the sake of going viral.

    “They are selling their families for content,” asserted the actor. “Their content is making kheer in the kitchen, rubbing their mother’s feet and then going as far as visiting a graveyard…Matlab yeh kya hai, yeh kaunsa content hai?” [What is this, what kind of content is this?]

    Fahad further explained he would never want to be known for this kind of work. “I can tell both good or bad story, but I will never sell my house for the sake of views. I will never sell myself this way.”

    The ‘Mein Abdul Kadir Hoon’ actor further compared content creators to those working in the acting industry, and pointed out how such influencers would never survive in such an industry because of the extensive time it took to produce a project.

    “If you ever go on a shoot, or you’re sitting on a set here, it takes time,” shared Fahad. “There’s a process. They can’t work longer than two or eight hours. And how would they understand? They have their phone and can make something in 10 seconds.”

  • Alia Bhatt is done with criticism of husband Ranbir Kapoor

    Alia Bhatt is done with criticism of husband Ranbir Kapoor

    Bollywood A-list couple Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor were embroiled in several controversies due to the latter’s sexist comments. In August, the actor was slammed by netizens for being a “toxic, privileged man” following Alia’s revelation in a Vogue interview that Ranbir didn’t allow her to wear lipstick when the two were dating.

    READ MORE: ‘While we were dating, Ranbir told me not to wear lipstick’: Alia’s Vogue interview sparks outrage

    Now, Alia has addressed the criticism directed at her husband in an interview on Koffee With Karan.

    “I have a very candid way of speaking…things just get picked out of context which happened recently. My team told me ‘Ye kuch out of hand jaara hai’. There were serious articles written about how he was a toxic man.”

    Alia added that she was concerned about the criticism, as Ranbir is the opposite of toxic.

    Ranbir’s advice was to ignore what the media said about her, as long as her career was doing well, Alia narrated.

    “Ranbir says this, ‘Alia the audience owns you, they can say whatever the hell they want to say about you, as long as your movies are doing well please don’t complain sitting in your apartment in Bandra.”

    Speaking about the criticism, Ranbir revealed he was okay with being labelled as an example of ‘toxic masculinity’, because the fight was bigger than him:

    “Recently, I was reading an article about being toxic and something relating to some statement I made, and I understand. Listen, I am on your side. Whatever you are fighting against this toxic masculinity, I am on the side of people who are fighting for it. So, if they want to use me as a face, I am fine because their fight is bigger than just me feeling bad about them having an opinion on what I said.”

    READ MORE: ‘It doesn’t matter’: Ranbir Kapoor responds to label of ‘toxic masculinity’

  • Deepika finally responds to criticism of Koffee with Karan interview

    Deepika continues to live her best life while living rent free in the minds of haters.

    A few weeks back, Deepika and Ranveer raised eyebrows with their ‘Koffee With Karan’ interview where the two revealed they casually dated for a couple of months before getting engaged. The ‘Om Shanti Om’ actress recalled ending an abusive relationship not ready for a serious commitment. The two actors, therefore, kept seeing other people while dating each other. After the two got engaged, they decided to remain a monogamous couple.

    Deepika became the target of sexist jokes, and claims that she cheated on Ranveer during their relationship. Now, during an interview with Vogue India, the actress has declared she is past the point of letting trolls dictate her opinions.

    “When I feel really strongly or passionately about something, I don’t think twice about expressing myself. I’ve grown to become this person where I’m not afraid of speaking my truth or owning up to mistakes. I’m not afraid of saying sorry,” Deepika responded, as according to Mashable India.

    While social media users had Deepika’s back to protect her from the naysayers, the industry did as well. Host of ‘Koffee With Karan’, Karan Johar, did a livestream where he addressed the criticism over Deepika’s comment, and shut down her critics.

    “Do what you need to do because no one’s looking,” responded the celebrated director according to The Hindustan Times. “Trolling gets you nowhere. You are landing nowhere.”