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.

  • Inspired by Aurat March, here are feminist songs suggested by women on Twitter

    Inspired by Aurat March, here are feminist songs suggested by women on Twitter

    Aurat March is a day of calling attention to the struggle for equality, as women march on the streets in cities across Pakistan to raise awareness about the numerous issues they face everyday. In spirit of this celebration, we have to pay homage to the powerful feminist anthems that have championed women to be fearless and have called for women to be raised to an equal bar with men.
    When this twitter user asked her followers to give suggestions about Pakistani feminist songs women could listen to in celebration of the day.

    https://twitter.com/apniISPdot/status/1632826963025973252?s=20

    Soon, women flooded her comment section with suggestions and we’re more than happy to share them with our audience!

    1 Hum Dekhien Gey by Iqbal Bano

    The celebrated poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz was written to counter Zia’s brutal dictatorship who had imprisoned Faiz. Legendary singer Iqbal Bano held a performance at Alhamra where she wore a black sari and sung this poem in defiance of Zia’s ban on saris.

    2 Mujhe Apnay Jeenay Ka Haq Chahiye by Tahira Syed and Roshaneh Zafar ft Shabana Azmi

    Written by celebrated Urdu poet and writer Amjad Islam Amjad, this song served as the title OST for the drama ‘Akhri Station’. It gives voice to the struggles women face and their desire to break free from the chains of patriarchy.

    3 Intehai Shauq by Hadiqa Kiani

    Hadiqa Kiani is a beloved Pakistani actress and singer who has consistently acted in dramas that raised issues faced by women, and for her efforts to provide relief to the flood victims in Balochistan. This song was suggested by women on Twitter because it motivates people to overcome their struggles and setbacks to keep striving for a better future.

    4 Rajkumari by Meesha Shafi

    Actress and singer Meesha Shafi has always used her platform to raise awareness about sexual harassment, and providing easier access for women to file cases in court and hold their abusers accountable. Last year, she dropped this feminist anthem as a surprise, to champion women from everyday life to never forget that they’re queens!

    5 Izzat by Jaan-e-Haseena

    Hussain Zaidi who goes by ‘Jaan-e-Haseena’ on social media, is a transgender rapper who wrote this powerful anthem for the Sindh Moorat March, to demand spaces for more trans women in Pakistan.

    6 Chup by Zeb & Haniya

    Fans have loved the way female desire and playfulness is the central theme to the song, so this is a must add in our feminist playlist!

  • In spirit of Aurat March, watch these five dramas that champion powerful women

    In spirit of Aurat March, watch these five dramas that champion powerful women

    Azadi Mubarak, saheliyon.
    Today is Aurat March, the day when women march in the streets to champion social, economic and political issues for females across Pakistan. It’s an important day to celebrate the struggles of the feminist movement that called for equal rights for women everywhere in Pakistan.

    However, the struggles of women weren’t just present on the roads but have been recorded and displayed on our television screens for decades. Pakistani films and dramas are powerful tools to spread awareness on social issues, and have consistently given voice to the demands of women for years. Thanks to powerful women working in the entertainment industry like Bee Gul, Sania Saeed and Haseena Moin, there are several dramas that have spoken about feminist issues and also championed powerful women. So to set up your feminist-themed movie night, here are some dramas you should definitely give a watch!

    1 Dobara

    Pakistani dramas OST

    Penned by Sarwat Nazir and starring the multi-talented Hadiqa Kiana, the drama explores the life of a middle-aged woman who gets a second chance at life after the death of her husband. Forced into marriage when she was only 16 years old, Mehru Nisa decides to take a stand and do everything she was restricted from such as taking tennis classes, jogging in the park and even dancing at her son’s wedding, despite the backlash she faces from her in-laws. This drama was lauded by fans for centering around the life of a middle-aged woman at a time when they are pushed to be relevant only as mothers or grandmothers.

    2 Kitni Girhain Baqi Hain

    Bee Gul has been celebrated by Pakistani women for championing the issues women face in her dramas, being upfront about bringing stories told by women to the screen and dismantling misogyny. The anthology series which debuted on Hum TV was a collection of short stories about women and the struggles they faced in Pakistani society, discussing issues like sexual assault, relationships and even homosexuality, which had gotten earned it a notice from PEMRA.

    3 Kuch Ankahi

    The powerful drama has been dominating conversations since its release because of how it completely changed how women’s stories are told in the entertainment industry. Focusing on a family living in Karachi, the series doesn’t shy away from discussing issues like forced marriages, child sexual assault, property rights of women and even body shaming.

    4 Sar-e-Rah

    Sar-e-Rah

    Another drama that has been lauded by women for championing female friendships and showcasing how powerful women can become once they learn to be independent and make their own living. The limited series follows the life of Rabia, who decides to become the breadwinner of the family after her father suffers from a heart attack, and persists through despite being criticized by her family. With her journey, she comes across women from different backgrounds who face issues like infertility, social media trolling or harassment at the workplace, but Sar-e-Rah demonstrates how women can overcome anything with the help of another powerful woman.

    5 Tanhaiyaan

    Haseena Moin will always be remembered in history as a champion for women-centered stories. She did it fearlessly in the era of dictatorship of General Zia. Her drama ‘Tanhaiyaan’ is still celebrated as one of the finest feminist dramas that championed original, independent women on screen who didn’t just obsess around the men in their lives. It explores the lives of two sisters Sanya and Zara, who move in with their aunt after the death of their parents, and lose their house due to their father’s debt.

  • Bollywood singer Jubin Nautiyal allegedly plagiarises Taher Shah’s ‘Eye To Eye’

    Bollywood singer Jubin Nautiyal allegedly plagiarises Taher Shah’s ‘Eye To Eye’

    A video by Indian composer Mayur Jumani is going viral on social media after he claimed that there are a lot of similarities between the newly released song ‘Mast Aankhen’ by Jubin Nautiyal and ‘Eye-to-Eye’ by Pakistani singer Tahir Shah.

    The composer uploaded a video on Instagram where he said:
    “I just heard this new song called ‘Mast Aankhen’ on T-series and this is how Jubin Nautiyal looks in the video. Am I the only one who thinks that the song is inspired from..”

    Nautiyal also shared that both Nautiyal and Shah had the same look in the video.

    T-series has been criticized by Pakistani singers in the past for copying songs without providing credit to the original artists. Musician Farasat Anees wrote an open post to the Indian organization, calling them a ‘disgrace’ for stealing his song ‘Biba’.

    “What a disgrace @tseries.official stealing out work because it has been trending in the world.

    Me & my brothers @toshaayy@slicktrickk worked day & night to bring this song where it is. PLEASE HAVE SOME SHAME & stop ruining every good song from

    The love & respect indians showed to our version of Biba was massive. We will always be greatful for that. Also Supporting us on the comment section of this cheap copy of BIBA. Will always be thankful to listeners across the border! ♥️

    Even if you wanted to reproduce the song, you should have done with original stuff. Clearly stole chords, intro, arrangements of our version. CLEAR THEFT!

    Really hoping someone responsible take action from @tseries.official & I request all of our fans, friends & family to share this.”

  • ‘Character assassination’; Nawazuddin Siddiqui slams wife’s allegations

    ‘Character assassination’; Nawazuddin Siddiqui slams wife’s allegations

    Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Sidiqqui has addressed his wife Aaliya’s allegations of the star evicting her out of her house and refusing to grant her custody of her children. She had recorded a video and posted it on Instagram, saying that she and her children were thrown out of the house in the middle of the night.

    In a statement posted from his twitter account, Siddiqui revealed that his children were being held hostage by their mother, Aliya, and had not been sent to school for the last 45 days.
    “Does any one know why my kids are in India and not attending schools for 45 days, wherein the school is sending me letters everyday that it’s been too long an absence. My kids have been made hostage for the past 45 days and are missing their schooling in Dubai,” he wrote.

    Siddiqui further went on to address the Aliya’s allegation he had refused to pay child support, and criticized her for blackmailing him for more money in the past.

    “She had abandoned the kids in Dubai for the last four months before calling them here on the pretext for demanding money. On average, she is being paid approx 10 lakhs per month for the past two years and 5 to 7 lakhs per month before moving to Dubai with my children, excluding the school fees, medical, travel and other leisure activities. I have also financed her three films costing me crores of rupees, just to help her set up her income stream since she is the mother of my kids. She was given luxurious cars for my kids, but she sold them and spent the money on herself. I have also bought a lavish sea-facing apartment in Versova, Mumbai for my children. Aaliya was made the co-owner of the said apartment as my kids are small. I have given my children a rented apartment in Dubai, where she was also living comfortably. She only wants more money and hence has filed numerous cases against me and my mother. It’s her routine, she has done the same in the past too and withdraws the case when paid as per her demand.”

    Siddiqui also replied to claims of child abandonment:

    “Whenever my children came to India during their vacation, they used to stay with their grandmother only. How could anyone throw them out of the house? I myself was not in the house during that time. Why didn’t she make a video of being thrown out, whereas she makes a video of every random thing? She has dragged the kids into this drama and she is doing all this to simply blackmail me, malign my reputation, her intent to spoil my career and fulfill her illegitimate demands.”

    Siddiqui concluded the note by stating that he loved his two children, and would go to any length in order to secure their well-being and safety:

    “Any parent on this planet will never want their kids to miss out on their studies or hamper their future, they will always try to give their best of the best possible things. Whatever I am earning today is all for both of my kids and no person can change this. I love Shora and Yani and I will go to any extent to secure their well-being and their future. I have won all the cases so far and will continue to place my faith in the judiciary. Love is not to hold one back, but to let one fly in the right direction.”

    Read his full statement here:

    Last week Aliya had accused Siddiqui of abandonment when she uploaded a video on Instagram of her and their two children in the streets, and revealed that they had been left on the road by their own father without any financial expenses or a place to go.

    “This is the truth of Nawazuddin Siddiqui,” she had written. “Who did not even spare his own innocent children..when after being in the house for 40 days I stepped out as office bearers at Versova police station called me urgently..but when I went back to the house with my children Nawazuddin siddiqui had deputed a number of guards to not let us in.. me and my children were bruetly left by this man to be on the road.. my daughter could not believe that her own father can do this to her and was howling and crying on the road.”

  • Ayesha Omar shares advice for women who wish to enter the industry

    Actor and singer Ayesha Omar was a guest on UrduFlix’s “The Shoaib Akhtar Show” where she offered advice to young women who wanted to form a career in the entertainment industry.

    Omar stressed that the most essential tip for women to remember is that if they’ve shifted to a new city, it is safer to live in an apartment building rather than a house:
    “I was just giving this advice to a girl who had shifted to Karachi and was an actor. She was terrified because someone had smashed the windows of her car outside her house. I told her it’s essential that if she’s living alone, she lives in an apartment rather than a house. This is for all women who are divorced, or moving out of their parents homes and want to live independently, it’s the safest thing for them to live in apartment buildings. Given the realities of this country, we have to adjust to it. You can’t change them. You have to be careful, you can’t fight everything.”

    The second tip Omar revealed was to learn to be independent, and stop relying on other people to complete your tasks:

    “Take care of your health and your expenses on your own. You cannot expect that you’ll find help out there. It’s your body and your life so take care of it. I take care of my own food, clothes and makeup wherever I go, and there is a lot of joy in doing so. You’re less stressed out as well… I’ve learned that if there are 20 people whom you keep requesting to do your work, those 20 people won’t do it. So you must conserve your energy and do things on your own.”

    Sanam Jung was also a guest along side Omar, and she also told aspiring actors to remember not to reveal your personal struggles to people in the industry.

    “Never share your home issues or financial problems with anyone in the industry, because they take advantage and they will take you for granted.They will know how desperate you are for work, so they’ll call you at inappropriate hours,” she said.

    Watch the complete interview here:

  • ‘Dekha mein kitna smile karti hoon’: Jaya Bachchan’s interaction with the press goes viral

    ‘Dekha mein kitna smile karti hoon’: Jaya Bachchan’s interaction with the press goes viral

    Veteran actress and politician Jaya Bachchan wouldn’t consider celebrity photographers to be her best friends, as in the past few years she has had a few altercations with them when they tried to approach her at events.
    However, lag raha tha bahaar agayi when Bachchan pleasantly posed for photos with two other women and cheekily remarked, “dekha mein kitna smile karti hoon.”

    Since yesterday, this clip has gone viral on Twitter with users calling Bachchan an icon for her hilarious interaction with a photographer.

    Same with us

    Perhaps the most iconic moment of this entire interaction

    Truly the GOAT

  • Child actor Emaan Khan opens up about ‘being dark’ in the entertainment industry

    Child actor Emaan Khan opens up about ‘being dark’ in the entertainment industry

    Emaan Khan is currently winning hearts across Pakistan with her moving perforomance as Neha in the drama ‘Kuch Ankahi’.
    She was recently a guest on Fuchsia Magazine’s talk show where she opened up about being shamed for her skin color when she was in the early stages of her career.
    Khan recalled an instance when a director commented about her dark skin to her mother while she was auditioning.
    “When I came here I had to listen to a lot of hurtful comments about my complexion. My color is a bit dull. When I was young I had gone somewhere for an audition, so they called me in and then ask ‘Is this Eman?’ And my mother said ‘Yes’.
    “‘She’s so dark!’ they said right away. And I remember at that point tears came to my eyes.”
    Khan recalled that the people told her mother that they were looking for fair skinned people for this project, and didn’t want people like her.
    Khan further mentioned how her mother stood up for her at that point:
    ‘I went outside and stood there. From inside, I could hear my mother saying ‘From now onwards, Emaan will never work with you’. And this has happened. Recently, they called me again and my mother refused to allow them to work with me again.”
    Khan said that she will never be ashamed of her own skin color because she likes it so much. She also revealed how makeup artists will try to encourage her to lighten her skin for shoots.
    “They would say to me ‘Tum na thori white base use kya karo’ And I would simply tell them that this is my complexion and this is the base I will keep using. I don’t need any suggestions from you. I know what exactly I have to do here.”
    Khan said directors still do taunt her about not having fair skin, but she refuses to work in the same project and leaves, and finds better opportunities because of these insults.

    Listen to the complete interview here:

  • Five Pakistani dramas with tragic endings that shocked the audience

    Five Pakistani dramas with tragic endings that shocked the audience

    We are all familiar with the token Pakistani drama formulae: boy meets girl, romance begins, saas intervenes, marriage, fights, divorce, forgiveness and then happily ever after. It’s such a prevalent formula that it’s no wonder that audiences crave a change with complex stories that can draw them in.
    However, once in a blue moon we have gotten interesting stories that deviated from the stereotypical shaadi drama to give us a heart-wrenching love story and left their audience completely devastated. Despite the ever-standing belief among drama creators that audiences need to keep being fed the same ‘Humsafar’ formulae, these dramas elevated themselves among the rest because they remind us that despite all our efforts, we never get the happy ending we crave and that is what life is all about. After a lot of careful searching, here are the five Pakistani dramas that deviated from the expected ‘happy ending’ and gave us a heart-wrenching love story audiences will never forget!

    1 Daastan

    Bano and Hassan’s love story was the epitome of what made Dastaan the timeless drama it remains today. Both fell in love when they met at Suraiya’s wedding. Both are engaged and Hassan immediately leaves for Rawalpindi to begin his job, promising that he would bring Bano along. However, this love story is torn apart by the violence of partition, after which Bano is forcibly married and Hassan believes her to be dead. When they meet up after years, Bano has a child, and because of the trauma of the violence she underwent and then at the hands of her abuser at her workplace, she gets admitted in a mental assylum.

    2 Ye Dil Mera

    Sajal Aly and Ahad Raza Mir broke hearts across the country when they chose to part ways, but real fans know that the couple had already been breaking hearts with this tragic drama about family trauma and long lost secrets. Aly plays Noor-ul-Ain, a student who starts interning at AK Oil Industry, whose CEO is Aman-Ullah Khan (Mir). Both get closer and are married in a few days, but are driven apart after Khan realizes that it was Noor’s father who had murdered his family. By the end of the drama, the couple decide to part ways in order to heal from their own wounds, and leave us unsure on whether they would come back together or not.

    3 Pehli Si Muhabbat

    Rakshi (played by Maya Ali) and Aslam (played by Shehryar Munawar) are childhood friends who start getting closer, but tragedy strikes when Rakshi’s father get’s married for the second time to Nargis, who was a former sex worker. Aslam’s elder brother, Akram, is the one who opposes this relation the most and orders the entire community to ostracize Rakshi and her family. Despite their efforts to convince their families to let them get married, Rakshi and Aslam are married off to other people. When they meet up years later at the marriage of their children, both reminisce their times together and say they were happy being each other’s first love.

    4 Ishq-e-Laa

    Shanaya (played by Sajal Aly) is a dedicated journalist who seeks to empower oppressed voices through her work, but her husband Azlan (played by Azaan Sami Khan) is unable to understand her passion for social issues and asks her to quit her job after marriage. However, when Shayana is killed while investigating a murder committed by the son of a rich man, Azlan is heartbroken and decides to fulfil her wish to fund Azka’s medical education. By the end of the series, when Azka and Azlaan are married, he goes to Shayana’s grave to tell her how much he loved her for influencing him to change his mindset.

    5 Mata-e-Jaan Hai Tu

    Haniya (played by Sarwar Gilani) and Ibad Uzar (played by Adnan Sami) are college students in America who fall in love and want to get married Ibad’s parents oppose the marriage. When Haniya’s grandmother passes away and she is distraught, Ibad decides to marry her. To convince his parents, Ibad flies back to Pakistan ten days after his wedding, but is killed on the day he is flying back. Haniya is distraught but decides to go back to Pakistan herself to start working for Ibad’s parents office. By the end of the drama, his parents and Haniya are incredibly close and are able to grieve together over the loss of their loved one.

  • Hadiqa Kiani has built 100 homes for flood victims in Balochistan

    Hadiqa Kiani has built 100 homes for flood victims in Balochistan

    After devastating floods wrecked havoc in Sindh and Balochistan in 2022, singer and actor Hadiqa Kiani announced a new initiative ‘Vaseela-E-Rah’ which was set up to provide rehabilitation facilities for flood victims.

    Today, Kiani took to Twitter to proudly share the success of her project, having built over at least a 100 homes, a maternity clinic, grocery store and primary school for children in Balochistan.

    “As many of you know, I have been in Balochistan for the past few days…by the grace of Allah + your support, we have completed the 1st phase of our project. 100 houses are complete and now occupied by flood victims, a maternity clinic, a grocery store and a primary school..”

    The actress further reflected how watching her initiative grow was a blessing, and will continue to put her efforts in providing relief to more flood victims:
    “Coming back to Balochistan & seeing this progress is a blessing and I am so grateful we could play our part. Vaseela-E-Raah was a mission of mine to complete, a promise I made to my mother and to the people of Balochistan, IA we will continue our efforts!”

  • Shaista Lodhi wants more dramas about older people falling in love

    Shaista Lodhi wants more dramas about older people falling in love

    Dr. Shaista Lodhi spoke to BBC Urdu about her on-air drama ‘Samjhota’, which revolves around an elderly man getting married for the second time to a divorcee, after his first wife passes away.

    Lodhi revealed that she wanted to do this drama because it explored the kind of stigma elderly people face, and encouraged them to remember that they can restart their lives after retirement.

    “Whenever I’m offered a project, I try to make sure that it is on a subject that can be relatable for a lot of people…So when I heard about this story, I felt like I should do it because we need to address this issue in our society…It showed that at a certain age when we think our elderly mother and father are only around to take care of our children, but instead you’ll witness the love story between these two main characters in the drama. I thought this was such a great example being set. The other thing is in our society at a certain age our parents are left lonely while we get busy building our own lives. We seem to think that our parents can’t find a new partner after their own spouse and they don’t have a life of their own. We are busy with our own life, we aren’t able to give them any time, or the responsibilities we have as their child. We also can’t imagine if our father gets married for the second time. So I thought this would be food for thought for our society, and I liked the script and decided to take it on.”

    She also talked about the ways ‘Samjhota’ breaks away from formulae drama, and brings the love story between an elderly couple to the forefront.

    “It’s incredibly important that we remind our elderly that life doesn’t end when you grow old. Once they age, we restrict them in a box, and I don’t think any other drama has taken a step to discuss this topic…If our father is coughing, why do we want to send our house help to get him a glass of water and cough syrup? Instead, why don’t we show our father getting up and keeps working in this age so he can prove that he is an active part of the social set up. We snatch this energy from elderly people by telling them that they’re retired so they must sit at home…Don’t you think that as a society we are cruel to the growing segment that we call ‘elderly’ because we completely ignore them? We ignore children the same way we ignore our elderly. We only cater to the middle ground because that is the only way we can get ratings.”

    On the feedback she has been receiving on ‘Samjhota’, Lodhi said a lot of people meet her on planes and continuously ask her questions about her dramas, and have praised her for her performance.

    Listen to the full interview here: