Best entertainment news in the industry, we break entertainment stories as soon as celebrities post on their social media and do Pakistani drama reviews.
Engin Altan Düzyatan’s Pakistani host Kashif Zameer has claimed that the Diriliş: Ertuğrul star will be visiting Pakistan again in three days.
“Get ready for the Engin Kashif friendship blast,” said Kashif in an Instagram post.
Earlier, in an Instagram story, Kashif said that haters will be silenced soon once he and Engin are seen together.
It was earlier rumoured that Engin has cancelled his contract worth $1 million with Zameer’s Chaudhry Textiles after it was reported that the police have arrested Kashif for having a criminal record. Zameer, later trashed the rumours saying that Engin had assured him that the deal will not be disbanded.
Meanwhile, Engin has not yet commented on the matter or confirmed whether he will be coming to Pakistan.
Anam Malik has requested media outlets and bloggers to stop sharing her modelling pictures as she she has left the profession due to religious reasons.
Sharing a post on her Instagram story, the model said: “A humble request to all media pages and bloggers, please stop posting my modelling pictures. Alhamdulillah have come out of this race.”
“‘Who looks better, who does is better’,” she continued. “There’s no other competition left but to be on the right path.”
The former model has also deleted all her modelling photos from her social media except for the ones with Zara Abid. Anam was one of the late model’s best friends. Zara was on the ill-fated Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight which crashed in Karachi on May 22, 2020.
Meanwhile, Malik’s Instagram bio states, “Aur Allah jissay chahay hidayat deta hai [And Allah instructs whomever He wishes].”
Earlier, Malik had revealed that she is taking some time to educate herself on Islam and this was the reason behind her leaving her modelling career.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas has come under fire for defying lockdown and COVID-19 rules in London and visiting a salon. The United Kingdom has been put under total lockdown once again after a new strain of the coronavirus, more lethal than the first, was detected.
PC, who was shooting for Text For You in London was stranded there due to the lockdown rules. According to reports, she visited a salon in Notting Hill with her mother Madhu Chopra. Spas and salons do not come under basic necessities and after pictures of her visit were widely circulated on social media, they caught the attention of the cops and authorities.
As per details, the cops reached the salon and confronted the owner. Giving a verbal warning to the owner, they urged them to follow SOPs.
When then Quantico star was confronted, Priyanka said that she had a valid reason to visit the salon. She had to colour her hair for her upcoming film and the salon was opened only for some private appointments. She was not fined because she was out for work purposes.
Later, in an official statement, the actor’s spokesperson said Priyanka visited the salon for the purpose of the film and the exemption paperwork allowing her to be at the facility was provided to the police.
“Following government guidance, Priyanka’s hair was coloured for the purpose of the film she is currently shooting in London. The salon was opened privately for the production and everyone involved had been tested and followed both the DCMS working guidelines and the film production regulations.
“Film and TV production is permitted to continue in the UK, and locations can continue to accommodate shoots and recces that are carried out in line with government guidelines. The exemption paperwork legally permitting her to be there was provided to the police, and they left satisfied,” the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, the police, in a statement issued said: “Police were alerted at around 17:40hrs on Wednesday, 6 January to reports of a COVID breach taking place within a hairdressers on Lansdowne Mews, Notting Hill.”
“Officers attended and the owner of the salon was given a verbal reminder of the important need to comply with all regulations regarding Covid-19 and signposted to other sources of advice. No fixed penalty notices were issued.”
Priyanka has some major Hollywood projects lined up back-to-back. She has The White Tiger up for release on Netflix this month and is currently shooting for a romcom Text For You. She is reportedly also part of Matrix 4 and has officially announced the sequel to We Can Be Heroes.
Kasautii Zindagi Kay star Cezanne Khan has been accused of fraudulently marrying a Pakistani-American woman. However, the actor has denied the claims, saying that the marriage certificate has been ‘morphed’.
According to reports, the woman Aisha Pirani came forward with the allegations after Cezanne, earlier this week, announced that he has been in a relationship for the past three years.
In an interview, Pirani, who is a US citizen of Pakistani descent, said that Cezanne ‘used’ her to obtain a green card, and filed for divorce promptly after receiving one.
“I don’t care if he gets married 50 times over now, but why is he hiding the fact that he was married earlier? He cheated on me and used me to obtain a green card in the US and lived off my money. The moment he got the green card, he filed for divorce,” Pirani told The Times of India, sharing pictures of them along with a marriage certificate. The couple was reportedly married from 2015 – 2017.
Sharing details about their marriage, Aisha said that Cezanne was the reason for her divorce from her first husband.
“I had some issues in my first marriage and that’s when Cezanne started showing affection towards me when I met him at my husband’s house in Mumbai,” she said.
According to Aisha, Cezanne moved in with her in her US home after she divorced her husband and shuttled back and forth between US and Mumbai.
“He hid our marriage from his mother saying she wouldn’t approve of it, being an orthodox woman, who would want a younger daughter-in-law,” stated Aisha. “I let the matter go since I was in love with him, until the second year of our marriage when he began chatting with his former girlfriend. When I objected, he started fighting with me.”
Aisha also claimed to have written to the US Immigration authorities, and Mumbai police in January and March 2020 in which she alleged that Cezanne has two passports, both of which have a different date of birth. Aisha added that Cezanne started sending her abusive messages after her complaint, which she has saved.
Rubbishing Aisha’s story, Cezanne said: “I was never married to her. This is a case of an obsessive fan. It’s irrelevant to talk about such people. She is just trying to gain publicity through me.”
He further said: “She is the sister of my cousin’s wife who lives in Karachi, that’s how I know her. I have no idea about any marriage certificate.”
“She morphs a lot of stuff. She has been posting messages on social handles for two to three years and my fans have been asking me whether all this is true,” he added.
He went on to say the woman’s ‘obsession’ was ‘going overboard now’.
“The fact that she was married to me and we are now divorced is her fabrication. I haven’t said anything to her because I know she is obsessive,” he said.
Earlier this week, the actor, best known for playing Anurag Basu in the original Kasautii Zindagii Kay, announced that he will tie the knot soon.
“She is someone special and I am dating her for the past three years. She is from Amroha (Uttar Pradesh). I am in a happy space with her and looking at tying the knot soon. We had planned to get married by the end of 2020 but postponed it owing to the pandemic. We will tie the knot this year,” he had revealed.
Pakistani singer, Momina Mustehsan has requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit Machh mourners.
In a tweet addressed to PM Imran, the Baari singer wrote: “The nation mourns in solidarity with our Hazara kin.”
“It is crucial to show solidarity at this hour – regardless of conspiracies, those responsible and those trying to politicize,” said Mustehsan, requesting PM Imran to reconsider his stance.
“Please do not wait for them to bury their deceased, they need your shoulder to cry on,” she added.
“Honorable Prime Minister, all eyes are on you. The entire nation is well aware of the persecutions faced by Hazara community for far too long,” said Momina further. “They are one of us and we are one of them.”
Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad, PM Imran had urged the protesters not to “blackmail the premier” because “anyone will be able to blackmail the PM then”, including the Pakistan Democratic Movement.
According to the PM, the government has accepted all demands of the protesters, but their demand that they will not bury their dead unless the prime minister visits them is akin to blackmail. “If they’ll bury their deceased, I will then visit them,” said the PM.
Earlier, Malala Yousafzai also requested the Prime Minister to visit Machh mourners.
Meanwhile, the Oscar winner filmmaker, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy criticised PM to give preference to Turkish filmmakers over Machh mourners.
The team behind Diriliş: Ertuğrul, including Celal AL (who plays Abdur Rehman Alp) and producer of the Ottoman epic Kamal Tekdin, after being welcomed by Adnan Siddiqui and Humayun Saeed, enjoyed a delightful dinner in Islamabad on Thursday.
The dinner, which was hosted by The Legend of Maula Jutt producer Ammara Hikmat saw several Pakistani celebrities including Imran Abbas, Faisal Qureshi, Ahmad Ali Akhbar, Yasir Jaswal, Adnan and Humayun in attendance.
Pictures of the guests enjoying themselves were widely shared on social media.
Earlier in the day, the delegation met with Adnan and Humayun, with whom Tekdin Films and TRT production have signed a deal with as partners. Adnan had earlier shared that the partnership will infuse freshness in Pakistani content. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz and Chairman Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Afridi were also part of the meeting.
Sharing pictures from the meeting, Adnan said that it didn’t feel like they were meeting Celal for the first time. He added that Celal says that he’s fallen in love with Pakistan and our hospitality.
Later, the delegates also had a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan. According to a press release, the meeting discussed in detail the proposed television series being created in collaboration between Pakistan and Turkey on the Khilafat Movement among other future projects and the lost glory of the Pakistani entertainment industry.
PM Khan, during the meeting, emphasized on showcasing the golden era of Muslims’ Rule in the subcontinent in dramas and films to apprise the youth about that golden age and to foil negative propaganda and designs.
The PM said that the Pakistani film and drama industry needed to work for the promotion of local culture to apprise western-influenced youth of their indigenous values and to protect them from social evils, adding that the Pakistani film and drama industry will flourish by producing quality content. This will also provide a substitute for the superficial and glamourized broadcast content to the youth.
Meanwhile, producer Tekdin said that the Turkish team is very happy over Pakistan’s cooperation in this project, which will highlight cultural commonalities between the two countries. He said it will also help strengthen people to people contact.
The Prime Minister, while appreciating the project, assured the Turkish team that his government will provide full cooperation in this regard.
Pakistan’s Turkish guest Celal is thoroughly enjoying his stay in Pakistan and prayed that the love and brotherhood between Turkey and Pakistan lives long.
Google has reportedly listed Mahira Khan as Zara Noor Abbas’ mother.
While it is unclear why and how it happened, a screenshot of search has gone viral on social media. Meanwhile, in reality, the Khamoshi star is the daughter of Asma Abbas and niece of veteran actor Bushra Ansari.
Later, the information on Wikipedia was corrected with Asma listed as Zara’s mother.
Goes on to show that even Google and Wikipedia can mess things up and sometimes give incorrect information.
Earlier, Google had listed Esra Bilgiç as Yasir Hussain’s mother.
Though Netflix usually refrains from revealing it’s official viewing figures, they occasionally release stats about their own shows, in a bid to promote their biggest successes. The streaming giant recently revealed that their Christmas release Bridgerton is expected to be viewed by 63 million households in its first four weeks making it it’s fifth-biggest original series so far.
In their first four weeks, it’s projected that 63 million households will have courted Shondaland’s Bridgerton and 44 million households will have suited up for Robert Rodriguez’s We Can Be Heroes, making this our biggest viewing week between Christmas and New Year’s ever! pic.twitter.com/dWoLCWn6NO
Here is the list of Netflix’s most-watched original series, as reported by Newsweek.
5. Bridgerton Season 1
Described as a period drama which sees Downton Abbey meets Gossip Girl, Bridgerton is based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling romance novels. The show is a delightful mix of drama, romance, fantasy, gorgeous costumes and opulent sets. The series is indulgent and will have you hooked throughout.
As the world went into lockdown in mid-March 2020, Netflix’s docuseries about rival big cat owners in the United States Tiger King became a global sensation. Netflix said the series was viewed by 64 million households in its first four weeks.
3. Stranger Things Season 3
More than 64 million households watched the third season of Netflix’s mystery-thriller set in the 80s.
2. Money Heist Part 4
The only foreign-language drama to feature in the list, the fourth part of Money Heist was watched by at least 65 million people. The Spanish drama locally known as La Casa de Papel is about a group of thieves attempting to rob the Royal Mint of Spain.
1. The Witcher
Topping the list is The Witcher, which was watched by 76 million households in its first four weeks, as announced by Netflix in January 2020. Starring Henry Cavill, the series explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia and Princess Ciri, who are linked to each other by destiny.
Special mention to The Queen’s Gambit, the miniseries starring Anya Taylor-Joy which was reported to have been watched by 62 million households, making it Netflix’s biggest scripted limited series to date.
Meanwhile, here’s the list of Netflix’s most-viewed shows, as per Variety Magazine.
Allah Rakha Rahman, professionally known as A. R. Rahman, is an Indian composer, musician, singer, and music producer. On his birthday, January 6, we (The Current) asked our followers to share their favourite songs of him. Here are the ones that topped the list:
Kun Faya Kun
While the entire album of Rockstar is mindblowing but one song that stood apart and continues to be a classic is Kun Faya Kun. The song has been sung by Mohit Chauhan, Javed Ali and Rahman himself while the soulful lyrics have been penned by Irshaad Kamil. The film features Ranbir Kapoor in the lead.
Nadaan Parinde
Another magical song from Rockstar. The powerhouse performance by Ranbir, soulful vocals of Mohit Chauhan and unimaginable composition of Rahman makes it another hit.
Jai Ho
After the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture at Oscars, its song Jai Ho became an anthem for Indians at the time, symbolizing India’s victory. This song makes everyone groove even today. Rahman also won Best Original Song for Jai Ho at 2009 Oscars.
Dil Se Re
The song which features in Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala’s Dil Se continues to weave its magic even decades later. While Rahman sang and composed the song, its lyrics were penned by Gulzar. Anuradha Sriram and Anupama also gave their vocals to this beautiful song.
Taal Se Taal Mila
Released in 1999, Taal and its entire music album was a super hit in its time. The song, Taal Se Taal Mila has two versions: one has been sung by the epic duo – Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan and the other version is sung by supremely talented, Sukhwindar Singh. All songs from the film still have the same charm.
Any song that Rahman touches leaves an indelible mark in people’s memories. This remains one of the top reasons why the humble musician has a global fanbase.
Mehwish Hayat, who turned 33 on January 6, celebrated her birthday in a small and intimate party with her closest friends and family.
Sharing pictures from the celebrations on social media, Mehwish thanked her fans and well-wishers for their “wonderful birthday messages”.
“Your love means so much,” said the superstar.
Later, in a detailed post, Mehwish shared her reflections from the past year.
“As I turn 33, the past year gave me opportunity to reflect, assess my life and see what really matters to me,” said Mehwish. “Work has been so full on that I’d forgotten the simple pleasures in life; getting my hair oiled by my mother every Sunday, beating my brothers and nephew at video games, watching Netflix with my sister– all things that I’d missed.”
“Believe me nothing in life is as important as family,” she asserted.
The star went on to say: “Like everybody, I am glued to my phone most of my waking hours. While it connects us with the world, it also disconnects us from the world. We need to be present in the here and now and take in the wonders that abound. So much more to life, if only we appreciate it.”
Mehwish also talked about dealing with negative criticism and hate on social media.
“Let’s not let society dictate the way we want to lead our life. I have come to realise that it is possible for a girl in her early 30’s to be totally happy without being married and with children. It’ll happen when it will and not to some timetable,” said the actor.
Talkin about change, Mehwish expressed that it needs to be systemic.
“I am a little fed up of celebrities (including myself) made ambassadors for meaningful causes that fizzle out after a grand launch and photo op. How many times have we flooded social media, taken out rallies after some distressing event and then what.”
“Social media is great – it has really democratised freedom of speech like nothing else. But some have taken it as a licence to abuse and bully others. Others see it as an excuse to spread fake news and malicious gossip. Wikipedia giving my age does not make it true,” she wrote.
Continuing her note, she added: “Let’s not knock but support each other. We have this culture of bringing each other down. This has to stop if we are to succeed as a nation. Let’s understand that we are in this together and my success – or anyone else’s – is something of pride for every Pakistani.”
“Depression is real. Though my life may seem perfect, we all have our insecurities, shortcomings and setbacks. But as long as we work towards inner healing and connecting with the divine, we are capable of overcoming everything that life throws at us,” the actor added.
“The world was put on pause for us to reflect, how we come out of this is up to us. I, for one, know the direction I need to take. My mother always teaches that we have to create our own destinies wherever that may lead.”
“I will dare to dream and dare to dream big! Anything is possible,” she concluded.
