Best entertainment news in the industry, we break entertainment stories as soon as celebrities post on their social media and do Pakistani drama reviews.
Renowned Indian sculptor Manjit Singh Gill has paid homage to Pakistan’s legendary singer Shaukat Ali with a big sculpture. Ali passed away on April 2 in Lahore.
According to a report in the Indian Express, Gill’s artwork was installed at a park in Ghal Kalan village. The report added that India’s Punjab also grieved Ali’s death.
Speaking to the publication, Ali’s son Imran Ali said that the singer was battling liver cirrhosis for more than a year and was being treated for it.
“He had recovered but four months back [but] his condition deteriorated again and his liver stopped working completely,” said Imran.
Ali sang his first song Pagdi Utaar Chora in 1962 and received a silver jubilee award for it.
Meanwhile, Gill is renowned for his statues worldwide. Previously, he made a sculpture of philanthropist and humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi and Punjabi poet Bashir Husain Najmi, more popularly known as Baba Najmi.
To meet the ever-growing demand for new and fresh content, Netflix has started bringing in pre-streaming platforms and classic films, giving older people a chance to revisit their teenage years and youngsters a glimpse into how films were before the smartphone took over. This week Amanda Bynes and Colin Firth’s What a Girl Wants hit Netflix and the film is already trending on number seven in Pakistan.
The premise of What a Girl Wants is as simple. A young teenager Daphne (Bynes) living in New York with her single mother, on her 17th birthday decides that she is done waiting for her father to come, so she decides to fly across the Atlantic to London to find her father Lord Henry Dashwood (Firth). Her parents had been pulled apart before her birth by external forces and Henry had no idea that he had fathered a child. Naturally, when Daphne turns up on his doorstep, he is shocked and turns her away – more so at the behest of his evil fiancée Glynis – but Daphne’s grandmother takes her in. Over the course of the film, the father-daughter get to know each other, realising how similar they actually are. And as Henry put it, they both have the same eyes.
What a Girl Wants is warm, fuzzy and strikes all the right chords. The film will instantly make you want to give your father a hug and cherish your relationship with him. It has all the qualities of a feel-good movie but the cherry on top is Firth’s performance. The English actor may be more popular for his role as Mr Darcy in Bridget Jones Diary or as King George VI in The King’s Speech, but his performance in What a Girl Wants will tug at your heartstrings.
Firth is perfect as Lord Dashwood, a man who put forward his duties above his own feelings. He is endearing yet aristocratic at the same time and looks like an absolute dream. The way Firth plays with the character as it evolves is noteworthy. My favourite scene has to be the one on which he speeds away in an “indecorous” fashion with Daphne on a motorbike in a bid to evade the paparazzi.
Firth also shares great chemistry with Bynes which is also one of the reasons why the film manages to keep audiences entertained throughout the film.
What a Girl Wants is easy, charming and will give you a good laugh during this dark, pandemic-striken time.
Speaking to a local magazine, Zaidi shared that before her divorce, she requested her husband to leave their house as their children were growing up but he refused because the other woman had told him to end things with her first. Zaidi has two children – a daughter and a son.
“I don’t understand why women cry after divorce for a person who is leaving them,” said Zaidi. “Crying is for when your husband passes away and you are in shock. I always wished that my house would not break or my husband should not divorce me. And even if he has no relations with me, his relationship with the children should not be bad so that it does not affect them.”
She shared that after being in a relationship with the other woman for two years, her husband forcibly divorced her at the behest of his second wife.
“I told him to do whatever you want but do not break our family as our children are growing but the other lady made sure to end our family,” said Ismat.
The actor went on to say that when her husband divorced her, her in-laws stepped in to support her.
“After the divorce, my husband wanted me to leave the house but my in-laws were very supportive. They said no one will leave the house and no extra person will enter this house. She will live here because we brought her,” said Ismat, adding that she was married for 23 years.
“After my divorce, I have been really strong because my in-laws were really supportive and they even kept me in their house.”
She shared that because of their support, she started working in the television industry right after her divorce and has been working since.
Zaidi has been part of several super hit dramas including Mann Mayal, Beti, Meri Guriya, Deewangi, Meherposh and most recently Fitoor.
Regé-Jean Page will not return for the second season of record-breaking Regency romance Bridgerton, Netflix said Friday, prompting howls of despair from fans of the dashing Duke of Hastings.
The wildly popular series from Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes puts a modern twist on the books about an upper-class family in early 19th-century England. British-Zimbabwean actor Page was a breakout star for the first season, but his character’s storylines largely conclude in the opening volume of Julia Quinn’s original books, which each follow a different sibling of the Bridgerton family.
“Dearest Readers, while all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu to Regé-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings,” said a letter on the show’s Twitter account.
“We’ll miss Simon’s presence onscreen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family.”
In January, Netflix announced that Bridgerton had become the streaming platform’s most popular new series, watched by over 82 million households.
“Remember: the Duke is never gone,” wrote Rhimes on Instagram. “He’s just waiting to be binge watched all over again.”
But some fans were apoplectic, with one writing: “It’s a joke, right? If not then you just killed that show.”
“This better be a belated April fools joke,” wrote another.
The first season followed Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) as she made her debut in Regency London, seeking a husband, while the second will focus on her brother Lord Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey).
“Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sister, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer— more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear,” read the announcement letter further.
The actor also mused that retiring the character at the end of season one provided some closure for audiences.
“I have nothing but excitement for Bridgerton continuing to steam train off and conquer the globe,” he said, adding: “But there is also value in completing these arcs and sticking the landing.”
Mahira Khan, Yasir Hussain, Yumna Zaidi and Aima Baig among others have extended their love and support to Saba Qamar after she announced her breakup with Azeem Khan.
“You do YOU. Happiness is just around the corner,” said Mahira, commenting under Saba’s post.
Saba’s co-star from Lahore Se Aagey Yasir Hussain also sent love and strength to the actor, saying: “Jitni strong Saba hai wo utna hi strong mard deserve karti hai (Saba deserves a strong man like herself).”
“Aur yaad rakhna mard darhi mooch se nahi balky apni sachai aur imandari se banta hai. Stay strong my friend,” he added.
Others who sent love to Saba include Bilal Ashraf, Rabia Butt, Aima Baig, Hadiqa Kiani and Yumna Zaidi.
“You’re a strong badass woman,” said Aima. “Also deserves the best of the best of the best.”
“Sending you a lot of love and light,” said Hadiqa, while Yumna said: “Your journey has been tough and you have made it worth it, we all love it for who you are.”
“Always pure best wishes for you,” added Zaidi.
Other actors and celebrities like Noor Bukhari, Adnan Ansari and Abdullah Sultan also commented under Saba’s post to show their support in her difficult time.
Earlier, Saba had announced her split, saying: “It’s a very hard time on me right now but as we all know ‘This too shall pass’.”
Later, Azeem in a statement, Azeem took full responsibility for the breakup saying: “Saba you have the most amazing soul and you deserve all the happiness in the universe.”
“May God bless you with all the success and love,” he added.
On April 1, April Fool’s Day, Hania Aamir announced that she has gotten engaged. Sharing a picture of her hand with a ring on it and a rose, Hania wrote “01/04/2021”.
Soon after, people from her close friend’s circle started congratulating her. While Hania initially did not share who she had gotten engaged to, her friend Umer Mukhtar later revealed that the actor had gotten engaged to musician Shamoon Ismail.
Ismail added more fuel to the fire by resharing the story on his Instagram account leaving fans confused over whether the two had actually put a ring on it or were just fooling around.
Turns out Hania was just playing an elaborate April Fool’s joke on her fans and has not gotten engaged to Shamoon.
“Thanks guys. I’ll definitely have a better quality photo when it’s real. I love you guys,” said Hania.
She also thanked Shamoon for being “such a sport”.
The archbishop of Canterbury has confirmed that he legally married Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle in May 2018, despite the couple’s claim that they had another, private, ceremony three days earlier.
During a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey last month, Meghan had said that “three days before our wedding we got married.”
“We called the archbishop and we just said, look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us,” she said. “So the vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the archbishop of Canterbury.”
Though Meghan didn’t elaborate on the private service, many people said that it wasn’t legally binding because of the absence of witnesses.
Justin Welby has now contradicted the couple’s claims and said that they legally married at the castle on May 19, 2018, but would not disclose what occurred at private meetings before that.
“I signed the wedding certificate, which is a legal document, and I would have committed a serious criminal offence if I signed it knowing it was false,” said Welby, who is head of the church of England.
Welby told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that “I won’t say what happened at any other meetings,” adding that he’d had “a number of private and pastoral meetings with the duke and duchess before the wedding.”
In the interview with Winfrey, Meghan had claimed that she had experienced racism and callous treatment from the royal household and the press during her time as a working member of the royal family. William rejected Meghan’s claims saying that “We’re not a racist family”, while the Queen said that they will address the couple’s concerns privately.
In early 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media.
Pooja Bhatt has sent love to Pakistani journalists Mehmal Sarfaraz, Benazir Shah, Reema Omer and Natasha Zai for appreciating her latest web series Bombay Begums. The four journalists host the Aurat Card, a wide-ranging show which discusses everything from politics to Netflix, from a female perspective.
“Thank you Begums. Loved this,” said Pooja, while responding to their review on the series.
Featuring Shahana Goswami, Amruta Subhash, Plabita Borthakur and Aadhya Anand besides Bhatt, Bombay Begums is a series about five women from different parts of society trying to get ahead in modern Mumbai, formerly called Bombay. Bhatt plays Rani in the series, who is the CEO of The Royal Bank of Bombay. A former bank teller from Kanpur, Rani is a self-made woman who has seen the dark side of life. The show deals with a variety of issues faced by women, including menstruation, menopause, sexual harassment, fertility issues and infidelity.
The show earlier ran into controversy after India’s National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) demanded a ban on the show for normalising minors indulging in casual sex and drug abuse and objected to a scene showing “minors having cocaine”.
Bombay Begums released on International Women’s Day (March 8) on Netflix and was trending at the number one spot in Pakistan for a few weeks.
Announcing the news on social media, the official Twitter account of Swipe said: “Celebrations! Swipe has made an official selection at Annecy Festival 2021.”
“Swipe is the first Pakistani animated film to be featured at the oldest and highest-profile animation festival in the world,” said the announcement further, adding: “It’s a dream come true for Puffball Studios which was launched just 2 years ago.”
CEELBRATIONS! Swipe has made #officialselection at @annecyfestival 2021! Swipe is the 1st Pakistani animated film to be featured at the oldest and highest-profile animation festival in the world! It’s a dream come true for @PuffballStudios which was launched just 2 years ago! pic.twitter.com/VwfwB98rOY
According to the film’s official synopsis, “Swipe is a hand-painted animated short film about Pakistan made by a team of 20 Pakistani animators, musicians, storytellers, and actors over the course of one year.”
It was been “written, drawn, animated, composed [and] acted all under one roof, Puffball Studios.”
“Swipe is our attempt confronting a growing crisis resulting from a culmination of the nexus of technology, extremism and fascism. At the heart of this story is a confrontation with increasingly hostile, alienating, divisive circumstances and a plea for greater empathy, before it’s too late,” adds the official description further.
The short film has been directed and produced by Arafat Mazhar and co-produced by Rasti Farooq.
Sorry guys, but Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid have not gotten married in secret as being speculated and reported.
Social media was recently abuzz with news that the former One Direction star and his long-time girlfriend had tied the knot in secret after Zayn’s collaborator Ingrid Michaelson referred to him as a married man during a live session. Soon after fans of the couple started trending the hashtag #ZaynisMarried on social media to express their excitement.
Turns out Michaelson made a blunder because she later issued a clarification, apologising for the accidental blunder.
“So, I should be asleep, but it’s been a crazy hour, hour and a half,” said the 41-year-old Girls Chase Boys performer in her Instagram stories. “On my Patreon live stream, I said that I’m working with Zayn. I mentioned that he was married, and he’s not married. As far as I know, he’s not married. It was a mistake. I’m so sorry, I said I was sorry.”
“I don’t live in this world. So the level of fame, makes me really, truly admire Zayn and anybody with that level of fame. Every little thing you say is just, wow! I’m not built for it,” she continued.
Michaelson further said: “My apologies to Zayn and Gigi, if any of this trickles to you and is annoying. I’m sorry—that’s not my intention.”
“And to his fans, I’m sorry for getting you all riled up, and much love to you all,” she added.
Zayn and Gigi, who welcomed their daughter Khai in September 2020, have been dating on and off over the years. They reportedly met at the 2015 Victoria’s Secret after-party, where Zayn recognised the model “from her picture”. In an interview, Zayn revealed that he asked her to have dinner with him at a New York City restaurant called Gemma.
“She’s a very intelligent woman. She knows how to carry herself. She’s quite classy and that. She’s not, like, arrogant in any way, she’s confident. She carries it well. She’s cool,” Malik had said in the interview.
They confirmed their romance in December 2015, though they have had several breakups along the way. Their most recent split happened in January 2019, and the couple spent nearly a year apart before they reportedly began casually talking again 11 months later. In April, the couple gave fans a surprise when they announced that they were expecting their first child together. After the birth of baby Khai, rumours have often circulated that the two have gotten married. However, there has been no official announcement by the couple.
