Best entertainment news in the industry, we break entertainment stories as soon as celebrities post on their social media and do Pakistani drama reviews.
Atif Aslam is creating waves with his latest single Raat.
The music video of the songwalks the viewer through the journey of a striving artist – making it big and subsequently losing everything else in the process. It features Syra Yousuf, Kiran Malik Mansha Pasha, Gohar Rasheed and Khalid Malik.
As the song commences, we see Khalid introducing Atif as Asif as he doesn’t know his name in the first ‘dimension’. In this phase, Atif is a struggling artist, hoping to make it big in the entertainment industry. The scene then shifts towards the next dimension where we are introduced to an Atif who has made it big. Looking dapper in a well-fitted suit, the singer can be seen working in a romantic scene with the gorgeous Syra. The two break eye-contact as the director asks them for a re-take and right on cue, the two throw a starry tantrum.
In the next dimension, we see the Aadat singer in an argument with a woman, presumably his wife, played by Mansha. The two are embroiled in an argument as a child sits in the back. The rift causes Atif to lose control of the car, resulting in an accident.
In the final dimension, we see Atif who could be seen defeated and broken. Just as he walks towards an unknown location in an alley, he is caught up in a mugging attempt and we see Gohar as the notorious robber. In a failed attempt to rob the man, the two wrestle, which results in Atif being shot. In the last dimension, we see an Atif who was left to die – alone and in dark.
The song, directed by Yasir Jaswal, is beautifully shot. Raat encapsulates the essence of how anything and everything is possible in the darkness of the night.
“The night is as beautiful as it is mysterious,” reads the tagline of the song and the video appears to do justice to it. The music of the song has been composed by Atif while the lyrics have been penned by Aslam and Munir Niazi.
Meanwhile, fans are thoroughly enjoying Aslam’s new song.
Irrfan Khan’s son Babil Khan has revealed that he is a fan of Pakistani television. Responding to a comment by journalist Maria Memon, Khan said: “Pakistani television is one of my loved indulgences.”
Maria had commented on Babil’s post in which he had shared a screenshot of a Whatsapp conversation with his late father.
The legendary Bollywood actor, who had visited Pakistan on several occasions passed away on April 29, 2020, at the age of 53. The actor was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in March 2018. He sought treatment for it in the UK for a year and returned to India in February 2019. In April 2020, he was admitted to the hospital for a medical complication arising from a colon infection, following which he passed away.
Meanwhile, Khan had also worked with Adnan Siddiqui in the Hollywood production A Mighty Heart.
Parineeti Chopra has appreciated Pakistani makeup artist Natasha Ali Lakhani’s recreation of her look from her latest film The Girl on the Train. The Bollywood actor shared the tutorial of Natasha’s look on her Instagram story.
Sharing screenshots of Parineeti’s story, Natasha wrote: “When Parineeti Chopra reposts the recreation that I did of her look in her latest movie The Girl on the Train.”
“I know it’s shameless self promotion but so fun,” she added.
Earlier, Natasha also shared pictures of the recreation on social media along with the reason why she decide to recreate this look.
Natasha said that she was inspired by a fellow makeup artist to recreate the look and also wanted to do it for fun.
“I went back to my roots as an editorial makeup artist and other than the makeup created fake wounds/blood/bruising and I loved the end result,” wrote Natasha.
The Girl on the Train is the Hindi remake of a 2016 Hollywood film featuring Emily Blunt, which was an adaption of Paula Hawkins’ bestselling novel. The movie released on February 26 on Netflix. The cast of the movie includes Aditi Rao Hydari and Kirti Kulhari, besides Parineeti.
The name Abhinandan rings a bell on both sides of the border — and while the Subcontinent is still arguing over who came out on top after a military face-off in 2019, rapper-vlogger Ali Gul Pir has released a song on it.
Titled Chaar Darkht, the song is a humorous tribute to the four trees Pakistan lost in the Balakot airstrike. He sings about fantastic tea and fallen trees while gyrating in a forest in the video.
“This is our celebration of Pakistan’s Peace Gesture, Diplomacy, and Goodwill. We will celebrate it as Fantastic Tea Day, where we stand by our decision of returning Wing Commander Abhinandan and averting a nuclear confrontation,” said the rapper.
He also mentioned having a lot of respect for men in uniform, regardless of which side of the border they were on.
“We have all the respect for armed personnel from any country, who risk their lives for the security and prosperity of their nations; whether they’re from Pakistan or not,” he added, reiterating that returning a captured pilot and encouraging peace was a sign of courage and victory on his country’s end.
“While war-mongering media outlets may think of this as our weakness, we perceive it as our strength, henceforth we now celebrate 27th Feb as ‘Fantastic Tea Day’.”
Soon after the song released, appreciation poured in for the rapper on social media.
Meanwhile, hashtags like #HappyAirStrikeDayIndia, #BalakotAirStrike, #Abhinandan and #SurpriseDay are trending on Twitter Pakistan. Australian journalist, Dennis also jumped in on the occasion and is celebrating the World’s Biggest Tea Party.
In February 2019, Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan, who was captured by Pakistan after his MiG 21 Bison aircraft was shot down by a Pakistan Air Force jet, was handed back to his country as a gesture of peace at the Wagha Border.
A video was then released by Inter-Services Public Relations showed the officer conversing with military officials in a congenial environment and acknowledging that he has been treated well. “I hope you like the tea?” a Pakistani officer had asked him, to which Abhinandan replied that: “The tea is fantastic, thank you.”
Pakistan was hailed across the world for demonstrating responsible behaviour and averting a nuclear confrontation.
Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (HSY), in a recent interview with The Current, agreed that recent fashion weeks have lost their charm.
Responding to a question on if he thinks fashion weeks have lost their charm, HSY said: “I do. Fashion weeks have lost their charm because everyone looks alike now. All shows are sticking to the same formula now.”
“I think all shows should have a different identity because two shows with similar choreography, background and format would leave people bored,” he continued.
“The spice in fashion is diversity,” added the designer.
When asked which fashion statement he thinks need to be thrown out of the window, HSY said: “A fashion statement is your self-reflection. If I tell you to throw something out of the window, then that’s not your self-reflection. I don’t believe in trends, trends are what you like.”
“If you think a statement is good for you, do it,” he added.
Later, while responding to a question on if the fashion industry is a toxic place, HSY said: “I’ve heard that working at a grocery store is also very toxic. I’ve heard that a fight between your aunts at home is also very toxic. I’ve heard that if two people get into a fight while changing a car’s tyres at a workshop, even that is very toxic.”
“Toxicity is where you find it,” said the designer. “And peace is where you find it. If you find peace in where you are, it’s not [toxic].”
“I think people should talk less and work more,” he added.
Meanwhile, HSY also shared that he does not tire of dressing Reema because “she is not only beautiful but she is also very appreciative”.
HSY, during the interview, also gave a tour of his new studio in Lahore, shared details of his fan moment with Tom Cruise, and opened up on how he deals with controversies when people pass unwarranted statements during his talk shows.
Ahmed Ali Butt has opened up and shared his struggle with COVID-19 while being stranded in a foreign country.
“I have been in quarantine for a better two weeks of my life after getting covid +ve, in a country not my own and with people who didn’t understand me,” shared Butt in an Instagram story. “This has been the most isolated and challenging experience of my life as I didn’t have anyone. With Allah’s blessing, I had decent living and eating arrangements.”
The actor further said: “The isolation was something that I wasn’t prepared for at all. Your mind has the tendency to be your best friend and your worst enemy and mine had a field day with me. These were not the best days I would like to remember from any part of my life,” adding that he wouldn’t wish this experience upon anyone.
Butt then went on to say that the isolation and experience with COVID taught him to be grateful for his wife and family who helped him recover.
“I am back in my country and with my wife and son and recovering. Thank you to all the people who found out and stayed in touch during my madness. It means a lot,” concluded the actor.
Butt did not reveal in which country he was stranded.
Meanwhile, Ahmed has a string of projects lined up. He was recently in the news for his international film debut, Phatte Dinde Chakk Punjabifor which he was shooting in the United Kingdom.
According to details, the film is a comedy-drama directed by Smeep Kang and produced by Gippy Grewal. Other members of the cast include famous Punjabi movie stars Grewal, Neeru Bajwa and Anu Kapoor.
Omair Rana, who plays a key role in TV One’s Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi, has responded to the notice issued by the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to the makers of Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi directing them to review the drama’s content and modify it according to the regulatory body’s guidelines.
In a series of tweets, the actor appreciated the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) efforts to combat human trafficking in Pakistan and said: “Our humble effort is to help them with their honourable cause by educating the masses of our everyday actions that feed the menace that is the modern slave trade.”
Rana further said that all evil is ugly and invited PEMRA “to do what is right, not popular”.
“Join us in this jihad and help us make our beloved Pakistan, pak (clean) of such vile elements in our society,” he added.
Founder of the Kashf Foundation Roshaneh Zafar, who has produced the show, responding to PEMRA’s notice said: “Indeed evil is ugly and reality has to be faced so we can do something about changing it.”
Indeed evil is ugly and reality has to be faced so we can do something about changing it. Thank you @omairana for being part of team #dnutn#dilnaumeedtonahin We must fight in the trenches for all victims of human trafficking as such bondage strips an individual of all dignity. https://t.co/rfDzK0EzaV
Zafar also shared a news report which highlighted widespread child labour in Islamabad and said: “This why we need shows like Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi to raise awareness on issues like human trafficking, child labour and human bondage.”
“Realisation is the first step towards redressal and resolution,” she added.
This why we need shows like #DilNaUmeedToNahi#dnutn to raise awareness on issues like human trafficking, child labour and human bondage. Realization is the first step towards redressal and resolution. pic.twitter.com/tmFe2BFbSz
According to the Federal Investigation Agency, human trafficking is the third-largest source of organised crime revenue in Pakistan. Furthermore, statistics from the US Department of State on Pakistan provincial police reported identifying 19,954 trafficking victims in 2019, with the majority of victims recorded as women and children.
Featuring Yumna Zaidi, Yasra Rizvi, Wahaj Ali, Nadia Afgan, Naumaan Ijaz and Samiya Mumtaz besides Rana in the lead, Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi is a harrowing tale of child abuse and human trafficking in Pakistan. The drama has been written by Amna Mufti and directed by Kashif Nisar and is a Kashf Foundation Presentation.
Six episodes of the drama have aired so far. According to a press release issued earlier, Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi will “bring some of the most heinous and deeply sensitive issues to light – while showing how humanity can still prevail in even the most insurmountable of situations.
The press release further said: “With three parallel stories on prostitution, human trafficking, and child abuse, the drama exposes the lowest ebb of our society.”
Yumna, in an earlier interview, while talking about the drama had said: “The story is based on multiple causes. It has three major tracks: human trafficking, child abuse and a young girl who wants to become a cricketer. As far as my track is concerned, it is about women trafficking. Parents from slums sell their young daughters. The drama explores where these girls end up and what kind of a life they spend. And, if any of them dreams big, how does she manage to pursue that.”
Earlier, PEMRA had also banned ARY Digital’s Jalan for going against the “social and moral ethics of Pakistani society” and had also directed the makers of Fitoor to check for “inappropriate dialogues and content” in the drama.
Yasir Hussain should just add ‘controversy’ as his middle name given the number of controversies he is involved in. The actor is famous for his online banters and heated exchanges with followers and colleagues. This time, the actor has gotten into an online feud with Nausheen Shah after he claimed that she attended his wedding as an uninvited guest.
While appearing on Vasay Chaudhry’s new talk show Ghabrana Mana Hai, when the host asked Hussain if anyone from the entertainment industry attended his and Iqra Aziz’s wedding uninvited, Yasir went on to name Nausheen Shah. A series of wisecracks followed after which Yasir tried to gloss over the matter by saying that he admired Nausheen’s sense of style. This made the situation even worse.
As expected, the clip from the interview went viral on social media with people criticising Vasay and Yasir for their crass comments.
Nausheen initially ignored the matter, opting to post two quotes on her Insta-story instead.
“Weak people revenge. Strong people forget. Intelligent people ignore,” read one, while another said: “When you are building an empire you don’t pay attention to nonsense. I am too busy to get distracted.”
Later, while speaking to a local media publication, Nausheen said that there was no truth to Hussain’s claims.
“Would anyone go to someone’s house uninvited? I wouldn’t go to anyone’s house if I wasn’t invited, let alone someone’s wedding,” she said. “A fool is known by his speech and a wise man by his silence. Yasir called me himself and invited me. I feel so sorry for Yasir because certainly has serious memory issues. I also feel really sorry for Iqra. She is taking one for the team,” she snapped back.
Later, responding to Nausheen’s comments and social media outrage, Yasir said that social media needs to get over the whole issue. In a series of Insta-stories, he defended his comments saying that he was telling the truth and if that made him wrong, then the TV channel airing the show was also wrong and the bloggers and Instagram pages pumping up the issue were also at fault.
“Poora system ghalat hai mai akela nahi (the whole system is wrong and not just me alone),” said Yasir, adding that if audiences wanted to watch shows following the Koffee with Karan format, they needed to be able to bear with the answers as well.
“Enjoy the show and move on,” said Yasir. “Sarr per sawaar na ho jao.”
The actor further went on to say that he once requested a blogger to publish a poem on rape victims that he read, asking them to also post good things about him, “Magar nahi. Negativity hee bikti hai, positive cheez post kar k likes lena mushkil hai toh enjoy karen sab.”
“Ghussa aur sawal kyon?” he questioned.
In another story, Yasir stood by his stance and asserted that Nausheen did attend his wedding uninvited.
“I shared the truth about senior actor Nausheen ‘that some people came forcefully’,” wrote Yasir.
“If Miss Shah insists, then I can share the voice notes she sent after which I sent her the location of the wedding. She continued to annoy everyone at the event. She was desperate to come to my wedding just as she is being right now. After sharing to ignore things, she couldn’t even resist herself for 30 minutes,” continued the actor.
“And Miss Shah please stop using my wife’s name for views. You feel sorry for her? Good… After your voice note, she also felt sorry for you,” he added.
Meanwhile, speaking to another publication, Shah said: “I am just shocked. I am following a different path than this and I really don’t want to get involved in this sort of controversy. Yasir and the host chose to discuss all this and they can keep discussing it if they like. I was ignoring the whole matter but I am thankful for all the support that I have gotten from the media and from my fans commenting on social media.”
“If I had known that going to Yasir and Iqra’s wedding was such a big problem, I wouldn’t have come. I don’t really want to get involved in this,” she repeated. “The only reason why I am saying all this is that you reached out to me.”
While the industry till now has chosen to remain silent on the matter, Noor Bukhari commenting on a post said: “I have worked with Yasir and Nausheen Shah. We were in London and Yasir and Nausheen were good friends. And Nausheen is not somebody who will go anywhere without an invite. But this shouldn’t be dragged this much. He should have apologised politely.”
Anoushey Ashraf, who had earlier gotten into a spat with Yasir on social media, also lashed out at the actor, saying: “People don’t remember what you said and what you did but they certainly remember how you made them feel.”
What are your thoughts on the matter? Let us know in the comments below.
Social media users have found the former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s lookalike in an Indian content creator Vinita Khilnani. The collage comparing the two celebrities is going viral and people are convinced that the two are each other’s doppelganger.
Vinita Khilnani is a content creator and TikToker. Her recent video, ‘How our parents used to take pictures’ went viral on social media that resulted in people comparing her with Akhtar.
Indian-American comedian is aware of the situation herself. She pasted her face in the cricketer’s photos and asked her fans about her resemblance with Akhtar on Instagram.
“So everyone is saying I look like this man? @imshoaibakhtar – what do you think?” the Tiktoker wrote in the caption.
Priyanka Chopra reacted to the meme fest on her Orb Dress and it is breaking the internet.
The 38-year-old actress wore an orb dress by Halpern Studio recently, which started a meme fest on the Internet. Priyanka joined in and had a good laugh, each meme at a time.
She also shared some of her favourite ones on her social media, adding a reaction for each of them on her Instagram stories. In the memes, Priyanka, wearing the quirky orb dress, as compared to things ranging from firecrackers and types of pufferfish to Pokemons and hot air balloons. Virat Kohli was also dragged into one of the memes while one user summed up Priyanka’s outfit in these words: “When mom says: ‘Boriya bistar samet aur nikal ja yahaan se’.”
“This is too much,” Priyanka wrote in one of her Instagram stories while sharing more memes, she added: “They just keep getting better.” She wrapped the meme fest on Instagram with these words: “Thanks for making my day guys.”
This is not the first time that the Desi Girl has captured the attention of netizens. Her look from the Met Gala 2019 also went viral when she opted for a silvery caged ensemble by Dior. The actor opted for dramatic makeup and let loose with some wild curls.
