Best entertainment news in the industry, we break entertainment stories as soon as celebrities post on their social media and do Pakistani drama reviews.
Pakistani director, Qasim Ali Mureed is all set to tie the knot with producer Sadia Jabbar.
Qasim shared the news on social media, posting an animated photo of their wedding card on Instagram with a small caption: “Qasad,” a shorter version of Qasim and Sadia.
Meanwhile, social media is flooded with Sadia’s pictures, enjoying her Mehndi, wearing a Mayun dress.
Qasim is well-known in the Pakistani entertainment industry. He has directed various blockbuster dramas such as Prem Gali, Angan, and an upcoming movie Tich Button. Qasim was married to famous model Fia Khan and has a daughter Amelia with his ex-wife. After the couple got separated, Fia married a Turkish guy in Germany.
Sadia is also a famous film and TV producer with projects like Balu Mahi and Prem Gali respectively, in her bucket list.
Pakistani actor Sheheryar Munawar has shed some light on self-grooming for men and encouraged men to look after themselves.
Taking to Instagram, Munawar wrote: “Because there’s a Harry in all of us.”
“Sharing this with all of you because I strongly believe in the idea behind the product/campaign ; men grooming/taking care of themselves,” he added.
Talking further about it, the Parey Hut Love actor wrote: “Growing up, I was often picked on for grooming/taking care of myself, since it’s always been considered an effeminate trait and not manly. Here’s a little attempt at empowering all the men out there. It’s cool to give a shit, it’s cool to care and most importantly, it’s cool to take care of yourselves.
“Also, on a separate note, if we expect the women in our lives to always take care of themselves then why not return the favour ? We owe it to them and ourselves to do so,” he added.
An Instagram user commented on his post that it is cool to be effeminate as well. To which he replied, “Arshad, It’s cool to be whatever you want to be, without the fear to be judged.”
Earlier, when he was shooting an advertisement for this self-care product, Sheheryar talked about his brush with COVID-19, his motorbike accident and how everything resulted in him going into depression.
The controversial Pakistani writer, Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar, has once again come under fire for using foul language with a female panelist in a talk show. During the show, Qamar lost his cool during a debate and misbehaved with a lady panelist Ailia Zehra.
During a panel discussion on divorce rate and child marriages, Qamar began to use inappropriate language while attacking a fellow panelist. Upon being told by the host, Awais Iqbal, to speak respectfully, he went on an outburst and left the show while shouting.
Sharing the video clip on Twitter, Ailia said: “Just had a horrible encounter with toxic masculinity. Khalilur Rehman Qamar lost his marbles during a talk show when I called him out over his hateful rhetoric. He left the show while yelling at the top of his lungs. Called me a RAW agent and spewed sexist slurs.”
Just had a horrible encounter with toxic masculinity. Khalilur Rehman Qamar lost his marbles during a talk show when I called him out over his hateful rhetoric. He left the show while yelling at the top of his lungs. Called me a RAW agent and spewed sexist slurs pic.twitter.com/KPAKHqXv1k
It was also reported that in his fit of anger, Qamar also told the producer of the show that his action was justified because Ailia had not greeted him when he entered the studio for the show.
This is not the first time Qamar has behaved inappropriately on TV. In March last year, Qamar had abused activist Marvi Sirmed during a TV discussion on ‘Aurat March’ and the slogan ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi’ (my body, my choice).
Earlier, the Mere Paas Tum Ho writer reprimanded women writers for humiliating relationships in dramas.
In an interview when Rehman was asked what was the reason that people in showbiz are so afraid of him, he said: “People are afraid of me because I am honest with my work. They will be afraid of dishonesty.”
He added: “Female writers have stigmatised relationships like that of a sister-in-law, mother-in-law and brother-in-law.” He said that there are 99.9 per cent of women who are writing in the industry but they only write about family politics and stigmatise sacred relationships.
Turkish actor Celal Al on Sunday welcomed Pakistani actors Humayun Saeed, Reema Khan, Sadia Khan and Adnan Siddiqui in Turkey.
Sharing a picture of Pakistani celebrities enjoying their meals together in his Instagram stories, Celal wrote: “Adnan, Humayun, Reema and Sadia welcome to Istanbul. Turkey-Pakistan brotherhood zindabad.”
Earlier, Humayun Saeed and Adnan Siddiqui left their fans excited when they informed them of their visit to Turkey.
Reema also shared a picture with the production team of Diriliş: Ertuğrul on her Instagram account.
Later Reema shared some fascinating pictures and video of their tour to Hagia Sophia Mosque. Posting a video on Instagram, she also shared the history of this Mosque and wrote: “The world-famous Hagia Sophia mosque ( Which has converted into museum also in Istanbul. A world Heritage site, was originally built as a cathedral around 1,500 years ago by the Bazantine Empire.”
She also shared some pictures of the meetup with Kamal Tekdin, the famous series’ executive producer and other participants.
Adnan Siddiqui also took to Instagram and shared a video of their tour. Sharing how he felt, the actor wrote: “It was spellbinding to offer prayer at the iconic Hagia Sophia Holy Grand Mosque. It is grand in ever sense of the word—history, beauty, political significance.”
“A little lesson in history for those who may not be aware. The world-famous Hagia Sophia museum in Istanbul, also a UNESCO World Heritage site, was originally built as a cathedral around 1500 years ago by the Byzantine empire. The architectural marvel was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453. In 1934, it became a museum,” he added.
“Only in July last year, it became a mosque again and opened for prayer and worship,” he wrote.
Earlier this year, a Turkish delegation comprising Diriliş: Ertuğrul executive producer Tekdin and actor Celal visited Pakistan where they met Prime Minister Imran Khan, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz, Shehryar Afridi, Humayun and Adnan. It was reported that the two countries are working together on a joint production to strengthen ties and people-to-people contact. This tour of Pakistani celebrities to Turkey depicts that something very interesting is coming our way.
The demand for new and dynamic content in the entertainment industry continues to grow relentlessly mainly caused by the easy access and rise of online streaming platforms. This has consequently led to an increase in the amount of Film/TV Series productions on a global spectrum.
As the popularity of the entertainment industry continues to grow and film/TV series are now more in demand than ever before in the past, film festivals have become a vital and an indispensable platform for content acquisition for Broadcast Networks and Streaming platforms. They have also become the flag bearer of giving rise and recognition to emerging talent, providing an opportunity for them to compete against up and coming and seasoned filmmakers worldwide.
In the competitive and zealous International Film Festivals Circuit consisting of thousands of films from many different parts of the world, actor/filmmaker Saram Jaffery from Lahore, Pakistan has made waves in the industry and put Pakistan on the map by winning multiple awards for his acclaimed short film One Last Shot in the US at New York Film Awards 2020, Los Angeles Film Awards 2020 for Best Acting, Best Drama and Best Narrative.
The film has also won Best Canadian Short Film and Viewers Choice Award at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival and Best Romantic Drama in India at Calcutta International Cult Film Festival and in Italy at Oniros Film Awards.
Competing against a vast list of many acclaimed film submissions worldwide, One Last Shot is based on a struggling musician’s life who comes from a South Asian background.
The film is inspired by real life stories where Saram Jaffery essays the lead role of a struggling musician who is trying to make ends meet and makes bad choices along the way, which puts his relationship with his loved ones in jeopardy.
One Last Shot was a debut for Aniqa Khwaja, the female lead in the film. The Canadian-based Pakistani model has done theatre work in the past. However, this was her first film.
Zuhair Raza Jaffery played the antagonist in the film. He is a renowned veteran Pakistani actor who has appeared in countless dramas during the 80s and 90s. His most popular work includes ‘Ainak Wala Jinn’ and ‘Zameen’.
Jaffery has always been immensely passionate about acting and filmmaking and embarked on his acting journey quite early. He was a child star and appeared in a few drama serials on PTV. From there his passion grew and he ventured to theatre.
He got his formal training from Humber College Toronto while he continued to appear in several independent short films and theatre. In 2018, Jaffery got his first commercial break with Pakistani feature film ‘Na Band Na Baraati’.
One Last Shot marks Saram Jaffery’s first leading role and also his digital debut in the streaming platform market. The film is available to watch in the USA and UK on Amazon Prime Video.
Jaffery is currently working on a web series that revolves around immigrants’ issues and challenges and another feature film that focuses on mental health issues.
‘One Last Shot’ has given the Pakistani film industry notable exposure globally, however Saram wants to continue contributing towards introducing Pakistani Cinema and to build a positive image of the country through the medium of art.
Zoya Nasir and Christian Betzmann are engaged after the Pakistani actor said “yes” to the German Vlogger. The news of their engagement comes just a few days after Christian announced that he has converted to Islam.
Sharing pictures of himself and Zoya standing on a beach in the Bahamas, Betzmann revealed the big news, saying: “SHE SAID YESSSSS! The best day of my life.”
Zoya also shared similar pictures with the caption: “He asked and I said yes. Thank you for being my light in the darkest hours and showing me the true meaning of happiness.”
“Here’s to a forever with you, my soulmate,” she added.
Later, in a video posted to her YouTube channel, Zoya shared her friends and family’s reaction to the news. In the video, Zoya video-calls her family and friends including Ushna Shah, Zaid Ali T, Shahveer Jafry, Hajra Yameen and Zara Noor Abbas and reveals the big news to them. Needless to say, all her friends were shocked yet ecstatic over the news of their engagement.
Zoya and Christian have often made the news with pictures of their trips going viral on social media. The couple is currently in the Bahamas after travelling across the United States in the past couple of months.
Nida Yasir received backlash over inviting Pawri Girl’, Dananeerr Mobeen to her morning show and Nida hit back at trolls who were criticising her.
Sharing a video of herself recreating the viral video with Mobeen and ACCA topper, Zara Naeem, she wrote: “Pawri hori he. proud of you girls”. An Instagram user commented and wrote: “Qsmy ap kisi ko ni chortii,” on which Nida responded, “I take it as a compliment.”
Another Instagram user commented: “Nida baji ap bht nhi intahai farig hai, matlab isay bhi bula lia?” to which she replied, “Alhamdulillah ap se kam farig hu logo ko zaleel ni karti.”
In another video, posted by Nida, she thanked Mobeen for bringing a smile to her face. “Thanx Dananeerr for bringing a smile on my face after 2 weeks, loved the show today.”
It is pertinent to mention here that Nida’s mother Fehmida Nasreen passed away a few days back. Confirming the news on social media and sharing a throwback family photo with her mother, Nida wrote, “Our lovely strong and fighter mother left us alone.”
Bollywood Queen Deepika Padukone joined ‘Pawri Ho Rahi Hai’ bandwagon by posting her childhood pictures edited by one of her fans and Pakistani superstar, Mahira Khan also recreated the video in an epic way.
The picture shows Deepika Padukone sitting on a toy horse ride with the text, “Yeh hum hain, yeh humara ghoda hain, Aur yeh humari pawri ho rahi hain.”
Deepika shared the picture-meme on her Instagram account with the laughing emoji and wrote, “Who made this?”
“You’re suppaaa [super] my love Dananeerr, may your future be bright bright. Shine on! Ameen,” she added.
The trend began after the maker of the video, Dananeerr Mobeen posted a clip of herself with her friends. In the video, she was heard saying: “yeh humari car hai, yeh hum hain, aur yeh humari pawri ho rai hai” (This is our car, this is us, and this is our pawri going on).
As ‘Pawri Ho Rai Hai’ became a major memes trend in Pakistan, the fever caught on in India after Yashraj Mukhate of Rasode Me Kaun Tha-fame dropped a funky mash-up of the viral video.
With many Indian and Pakistani celebrities and even Hassan Ali with the Pakistan Cricket team joining in on the trend, Mobeen took the trend a notch higher after releasing a video of herself, grooving on Mukhate’s version of her clip.
Earlier on Thursday, Shahid Kapoor had also shared a hilarious video of his team recreating the viral ‘pawri’ video.
British-Pakistani-American fashion designer Tan France has collaborated with shoe brand Atoms to launch their signature collection, “Atoms x Tan France”.
The story of the couple behind the brand, went viral few weeks ago after it was shared by Humans of New York. The couple hails from Okara.
Sidra and Waqas started Atoms armed with ambition, curiosity, and a passion for making shoes. Despite coming from a modest, traditionally conservative upbringing, that drive took them from Okara, Pakistan, to Lahore, and then to Silicon Valley in the United States, and now in Brooklyn, New York where Atoms is currently based.
As per details shared on the official website of the shoe brand, Atoms has joined forces with fashion designer and Queer Eye style expert Tan France for their latest limited-edition sneaker. “The collaboration is inspired by two of Tan’s favorite things — white sneakers and stripes.”
“I am thrilled to introduce my very own Atoms — they fuse together stripes and white sneakers, two of my favorite things,” stated Tan France.
The collection will be available for pre-order for one week only fromFebruary 23 to March 2, 2021for $129 (21 thousand rupees).
In a recent interview with a local media publication Tan opened up about being a queer Pakistani-Muslim and shed light on his love for his home country.
Talking about taking the burden of representation, Tan said, “I think the pressure on me is a little different – I am the only member of the LGBTQ community, who is also South Asian and very open about the fact that I am Muslim also. And so, I’m a few things in America – I’m an immigrant, I’m Muslim, I’m South Asian and I’m gay – and there hasn’t been anybody like that on TV in the US before, or entertainment in general, so the pressure is really, really great. It’s the hardest part of this job without a doubt.”
Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda has joined the #PawriHoRaiHai bandwagon by sharing a video from the sets of his upcoming debut web series, Inspector Avinash.
Sharing a version of the now popular social media trend on his Instagram account, the actor wrote, “Shoot par Bacha Pawri Ho Rai Hai.
In the now-viral video, Hooda says, “Ye hum hain” (This is me) and then pans his camera to show the staff on the set and says, “Ye humare log hain” (These are my people). He once again pans his camera to reveal a group of children, cheering and says “Shoot par ye pawri ho rahi hai” (Party is going on during the shoot).
The maker of this video, an Instagram influencer, Dananeer Mobeen also commented under his post, saying: “Dream come true.”
The trend began after Mobeen’s video of having fun with her friends went viral. In the video, she was heard saying: “Yeh humari car hai, Yeh hum hain, aur yeh humari pawri ho rai hai” (This is our car, this is us, and this is our pawri going on).
As ‘Pawri Ho Rai Hai’ became a major memes trend in Pakistan, the fever caught on in India after Yashraj Mukhate of Rasode Me Kaun Tha-fame dropped a funky mash-up of the viral video.
With many celebrities and even Hassan Aliwith the Pakistan Cricket team joining in on the trend, making the most out of it, Mobeen took the trend a notch higher after releasing a video of herself, grooving on Mukhate’s version of her clip.
