Best entertainment news in the industry, we break entertainment stories as soon as celebrities post on their social media and do Pakistani drama reviews.
Great news for Pakistani Bollywood fans who bemoaned missing out on the excitement surrounding the release of Karan Johar’s much-lauded romantic comedy ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’, because there is finally a chance for them to watch the Alia Bhatt starrer on their screens. The Ranveer Singh-Alia Bhatt film is finally out on the streaming platform Amazon Prime with a special twist: it will feature a full-screen version of the song ‘Kudmayi’.
Director Karan Johar announced the release of the film on his Instagram account.
The romantic comedy stars Singh as a West Delhi playboy and Alia Bhatt as the headstrong feminist journalist, who cross paths after both realise there was a special connection between their grandparents. The film also stars veteran actors Jaya Bachchan, Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi.
The film was hailed by audience members and film critics for the strong feminist message, as well as the performances by both Ranveer and Alia, with many saying this was Karan Johar’s comeback film. The film grossed more than $23 million in India and a further $21 million overseas, making it the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.
Canadian-Indian rapper Shubhneet Singh is facing backlash from conservative politicians and social media users accusing him of being a Khalistan supporter, after the rapper’s post from March recirculated around social media. Several cricket players like Virat Kohli, Hardick Panday and KL Rahul had unfollowed the rapper on Instagram following the controversy.
Singh’s tour in India in September was cancelled, after sponsor BoAt announced they were no longer sponsoring the tour as they announced in a post on their X, formerly Twitter, account.
“At boAt, while our commitment to the incredible music community runs deep, we are first and foremost a true Indian brand. Therefore, when we became aware of the remarks made by artist Shubh earlier this year, we chose to withdraw our sponsorship from the tour.”
BookMyShow, the online ticket portal confirmed on their X account that they were refunding customers who had purchased ticket’s for Shubh’s concert in Mumbai and other cities.
Singer Shubhneet Singh’s Still Rollin Tour for India stands cancelled. To that end, BookMyShow has initiated a complete refund of the ticket amount for all consumers who had purchased tickets for the show. The refund will be reflected within 7-10 working days in the customer’s…
In light of these accusations, Indian rapper AP Dhillon released a lengthy statement on his Instagram stories where he publicly sided with the ‘We Rollin’ rapper, condemning the way artists are targeted by special interest and political groups.
“As an artist it has become almost impossible to stay focused on your craft and do what you love. I try to be mindful of everyone’s sentiments but it has gotten to a point where we have to second and triple guess our every move due to the fear of unintentionally fueling even more division.”
“Spread love, not hate,” wrote the ‘Brown Munde’ rapper. “Let’s start thinking for ourselves and not let hateful influences program our beliefs. We are ALL one. Let’s not let man made social constructs divide us. Division has gotten us to this point but unity is the key to the future.”
Shubhneet Singh addressed the backlash in a lengthy statement posted on his Instagram account and said he found the allegations “extremely disheartening.”
“My intent in resharing that post on my story was only to pray for Punjab as there were reports of electricity and internet shutdowns throughout the state. There was no other thought behind it, and I definitely didn’t intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments.”
The backlash to Shubh arrives after relations between India and Canada took a sour turn when Justin Trudeau publicly accused the Indian government for being involved in the death of the Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who had been a vocal supporter of setting up a separate state for Sikhs living in India.
“Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” said Trudeau.
“In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter.”
After the Instagram post by Shubhneet went viral, the youth wing of the BJP party in India BJYMP filed an FIR against the rapper with the Mumbai Police, calling Singh a Khalistan supporter.
“Shubh is openly a Khalistani supporter,” the complaint read. “And if he is allowed to hold a concert here, he will be influencing a lot of youth in Mumbai and our country to support his agenda…He has evidently proven that he is a pro-Khalistani activist and openly supports their agenda and [he] is also influencing the youth of the country to do the same and wage a war against the Government of India by posting such absurd and derogatory post about Government of India.”
October is shaping up to be an exciting month for K-drama fans with projects featuring big names like Cha Eun-Woo, Bae Suzy and Kim Ro-Woon. Scroll through this list to check out what your favorite star’s next show is all about.
A Good Day to be a Dog
If you loved Cha Eun-Woo in ‘True Beauty’ and ‘Rookie Historian’, you will be happy to watch him back in another romantic comedy. Starring Park Gyu-Young, the serial revolves around a woman who is cursed to turn into a dog every midnight, and she must find the man who can help her break this spell, but it turns out that he is also deeply terrified of dogs. The series is set to stream on Netflix from October 11.
The Wedding Battle
K-Drama fans who can’t get enough of Kim Ro-Woon in ‘Destined With You’ are in for a treat with his upcoming rom-com. In this historical drama, the heart throb plays a widow, who teams up with a rival matchmaker to marry off four young maidens. But circumstances change when the two matchmakers realise they’re falling for each other. The series is set to premier from October 30.
Doona!
‘Alchemy of Souls’ actress Bae Suzy is set to come back after a year with ‘Doona!’ where she plays a singer in a band, who shocks audiences by announcing her retirement, and begins living in a shared home with a college student. The nine-episode series will release on Netflix on October 20.
Doctor Slump
Starring Park Hyung Sik (Strong Girl Bong-Soon) and Park Shin-Hye (The Inheritors), the drama is a slice of life focusing on four doctors who are burned out from their profession. The two meet at the time they’re at the lowest point of their lives and are trying to rediscover themselves after quitting their jobs.
Looks like Naseem Shah is not only raking up trophies, but also the hearts of millions of girls, Bollywood being no exception.
After actress and model Urvashi Rautela, another Indian actress, Isha Shah, has expressed her admiration for the cricket star.
According to The Times Of India, the ‘Hate Story 4’ actress told media outlets she admired the cricket player “He (Naseem) is very good looking… and woh bahut zyada reels pe India me bhi trend kar rahe hain.”
Isha Shah definitely confirmed that she has a thing for the 20-year-old bowler when she said: “Khuda ne banaya to kya banaya, Naseem Shah banaya.”
Previously, model and actress Urvashi sparked rumors about having a crush on Naseem, when during the exhilarating match between India and Pakistan on September 3, she shared a post on her Instagram stories of her watching the match on the screen where Naseem Shah was featured.
Actress Meera recently appeared on Mohsin Abbas Haider’s show ‘Public Demand’ where she opened up about meeting various Bollywood actors during her trip to India.
Meera also met the legendary icon Dilip Kumar who invited the actress to dinner at his house, where she met his wife Saira Banu, staying there for three days. The ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ actor told Meera he knew she was from Lahore, because he could smell the scent of the city from her.
“Aap kay badan say khushbu arahi hai Pakistan aur Lahore ki. Mehak raha hoon mein,” Meera recalled the ‘Tragedy King’ telling her.
Meera also revealed that during her trips to India, she met Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan three times. The first time was after completing her film ‘Nazar’ and met the actor in London. The second time was at a dinner with celebrated director Yash Raj, Dilip Kumar and actress Rani Mukherjee. Her last meeting was at a birthday party held for actor Abhishek Bachchan, where she was invited along with actor Moammar Rana and singer Rafaqat Ali Khan by Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who had personally called the ‘Baaji’ actress and requested her presence at the party.
Previously the ‘Mushkil’ actress was a guest at the comedy talk show ‘Hasna Mana Hai’ where she revealed that Shah Rukh Khan had personally wanted to cast her in his film ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’, but the offer didn’t work out as Meera revealed she wasn’t able to secure a visa to London.
Yashma Gill should add stand up comedy to her skill set, because seriously, we’re in fits since this hilarious revelation.
At the ‘The Talk Talk Show’ the actress narrated that efforts to get married led to a hysterical situation for which her on-set colleagues still mock her to this day. Yashma revealed she had wanted to get married for some time, but because of her hectic work schedule it was difficult for her to find someone she liked, adding that she wasn’t a fan of the proposals her mother was sending her.
All of this, the ‘Bebak’ actress recalled, led her to joining a matrimonial site.
“I joined a matrimonial site, but they couldn’t believe that they were speaking with Yashma Gill,” the actress laughed. “So they requested me to hold a video call to confirm if it was truly me. We talked on video call and they asked me about my preference and everything.”
But then, the actress said the rishta website asked her to pay four lacs for registering on their website, and then fork out another four lacs after she secures the rishta!
“I said no thank you, I’ll find someone on my own”, Yashma chuckled, putting an end to her rishta hunting process.
Actress Mansha Pasha recently appeared on Frieha Altaf’s podcast where she publicly addressed her husband Jibran Nasir’s illegal kidnapping. The ‘Idiot’ actress made a video narrating how the couple arrived back to their house after a dinner in June, when a white Vigo with 15 armed men stopped them and took her husband.
After 24 hours and condemnation from all sides, the lawyer was released, thanking all those who had advocated for his release.
At the podcast, Pasha recalled how difficult it was for her to sleep after the incident. The actress admitted that trauma shows up in different ways, and it took a while for her to make sense of what had happened.
Mansha went on to reveal that her support system helped her during this difficult time “I think that alone, it’s impossible.. A lot of people have said to me ‘Mansha, you’re so courageous. You kept it together so well.’ But quite frankly I don’t think it would have been possible without the support of so many people. And because I knew all these people were beside me, whether I knew them or not, this is what consoles a person.”
Model Robina Khan has publicly addressed her recent feud with makeup artist Bryan William, by sharing that the two had patched out their differences. She shared a picture of the two of them together and wrote:
“Everything is sorted and I would like to extend my deepest apologies to Bryan and Nabila Salon and to anyone’s sentiments that I might have hurt. This should not have happened and I take full responsibility to make amends and do the needful.”
In August, several models had taken to Instagram to call out Robina after the makeup artist refused to carry the model’s personal belongings while she was on a shoot. Robina’s husband arrived on the scene with gunmen and assaulted Bryan in front of several witnesses. Robina had defended herself in a lengthy Instagram statement, sharing that the makeup artist called her a “do takkay ki model.”
Several actors like Mansha Pasha, Saboor Aly and Komal Aziz condemned the incident and lent their support to Bryan, demanding that the model is held responsible.
Shah Rukh Khan is fresh off another professional high as his film ‘Jawan’ gets rave reviews from audiences and film critics alike. However, the actor was once again targeted by social media for sending birthday wish to the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi. Many felt the message was a complete departure from the actor’s image as a driving force against extremism. Others felt that the actor was mocking the PM in a subtle manner.
“Happy Birthday to Hon. PM Shri @narendramodi ji!!! Have a healthy and joyful day. May u get some time off from work and have a bit of fun too. Best wishes.”
Happy Birthday to Hon. PM Shri @narendramodi ji!!! Have a healthy and joyful day. May u get some time off from work and have a bit of fun too. Best wishes.
The Bollywood Badshah was slammed for still supporting the PM, whose controversial regime is mirred with extremism, rising Islamophobia, and for jailing the superstar’s son Aryan Khan in 2021 on misled charges, cleared in May 2022.
“With great success comes great responsibility,yet nobody is cancelling srk for a political stance.We are easily riled up against our artists,” wrote a user.
With great success comes great responsibility,yet nobody is cancelling srk for a political stance.We are easily riled up against our artists. https://t.co/4xQ4N2crqp
How hard life must be when you wish a fascist leader birthday. Phr log kehte hai hum kabhi nazi na hote hum Hitler ki game plan samhj jate https://t.co/R6zbwvqaqr
Many were critical of how the ‘Pathaan’ actor has remained silent about the ongoing persecution of Muslims in India.
The richest actor who didn’t have anything to say about Hijab wearing girls denied entry into schools in Karnataka or the violence in Nuh, posting happy birthday tweet for the PM laced with “sarcasm” that only his fans can see is not doing any “silent rebellion”.
But for others, many interpreted the actor advising Modi to “ake time off work” as a sarcastic dig implying that he is too old for the position any longer..
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has released a judgement ordering the reversal of the suspension on the controversial drama ‘Hadsa’, a series banned by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) after the motorway rape survivor accused the show of capitalising on her trauma. Legal expert Reema Omar shared a clip of the judgement on her Twitter account, where it was highlighted that the regulation board had not listened to the drama makers before announcing the ban:
“The inconvenience caused to the applicant/appellant side including their irreparable loss is visible, all these ingredients compel this Court to pass the injunctive order.”
The judgement also ordered that the explicit scene in question- the controversial gang rape of Episode 5- may not be repeated or broadcasted in the upcoming episodes.
IHC has suspended PEMRA’s order banning #HadsaCourt says drama can be aired provided the r*pe scene in episode 5 isn’t “repeated/broadcasted in any manner in the subsequent episodes” pic.twitter.com/kRPwHWSazI
The controversy surrounding ‘Hadsa’ began in August when journalist Fareeha Idress shared an account of her conversation with the survivor, who shared that she was not consulted by the show runners who aired the controversial scene, and requested help from authorities to take down the drama.
“They have made a drama on my life,” Fereeha tweeted Z told her. “As if I am nothing, no one asked me, it’s same, they are showing the same things, oh my God! Why didn’t I die before reliving this again? You know , I didn’t sleep after the incident for many many nights and it’s all back now, I haven’t slept a wink since I saw this terrible, horrendous depiction of the most terrible moments of my life which I so want to forget. It’s unbearable, I start shivering every day at 5 pm because I know the drama is coming at 7 pm. Why are they doing this to me?”.
When the phone rang, I never expected this to be Z’s call. Z was the person whom I had spoken to a couple of years ago post her traumatic experience on motorway. Those were tumultuous times when everyone’s attention was focused on Z, while she was grappling to keep her sanity…
Hadiqa Kiani released a lengthy statement on her social media accounts addressing the accusation, saying that after consulting the script writer and the rest of the team, she was sure the drama was not based on the motorway rape survivor:
“When I was asked to do the role of Taskeen for Hadsa my first question was ‘Is this related to the motorway incident?’ ‘Is this based off the true incident?’ – I made it clear that I would not do the project if it was based off anyone’s story. The team behind the project explicitly told me ‘No’. After many conversations with the team and only after reading the script I understood that Hadsa was not related to or based off on the motorway story.”
Director Wajahat Rauf answered the criticism by saying the drama was not based on the life of the motorway survivor, and said the purpose of the screenplay was to raise awareness about the ordeal rape survivors go through:
“The drama is not based on the motorway incident. The protagonist, her husband, her three children, the family dynamics, the police officers who investigate the crime, the reason behind the crime, and the trial are all fictional. The only thing common is the part that the incident occurred on a highway.”
“The last thing we would want to do is be insensitive towards someone who has been a victim of this brutal crime. It is our opinion that it would be far more insensitive towards the victims if we did not adopt a condemnation tone; in that case, one might argue that we are not at all familiar with the trauma that a rape victim goes through.”
“Our writer did speak to actual victims who were willing to talk about their trauma and how they eventually coped with it and that is what is reflected in the play. A character should be judged after seeing her entire role. Judgement shouldn’t be passed on the basis of a glimpse of social media posts. Writers and directors can show temporary weakness to show long term strength of a character that develops.”
On August 31, PEMRA released a statement announcing a ban on ‘Hadsa’.
