Best entertainment news in the industry, we break entertainment stories as soon as celebrities post on their social media and do Pakistani drama reviews.
The sudden demise of football legend Diego Maradona of Argentina sent waves of grief across the world with celebrities and dignitaries mourning his loss. The 1986 World Cup winner passed away at home in Tigre after suffering a heart attack at the age of 60.
Soon after his demise, social media was flooded with tributes from all parts of the world.
Pakistani celebrities including Adnan Siddiqui, Ali Rehman Khan, Shoaib Malik and Shoaib Akhtar also mourned the footballer’s loss.
Easily the greatest footballer to grace the pitch ever. #DiegoMaradona is the man my generation will always identify the sport with. U shone the brightest. May u find peace in the other world. Goodbye, legend pic.twitter.com/gvEJ3dL2cc
So sad to hear about legendary Diego Maradona passing away. Always been a huge inspiration for all sportsmen. His legacy will always stay. #Maradona#Legendpic.twitter.com/t6ewLiVJP9
From across the border, Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh among other Bollywood celebrities also paid rich tributes to the former Napoli and Barcelona star.
Diego Maradona….you made football even more beautiful. You will be sorely missed and may you entertain and enthral heaven as you did this world. RIP…. pic.twitter.com/PlR2Laxfj2
Have followed Maradona’s game & life for years. Maidaan brought me closer to the game. He was a football legend and a passionate sportsman. Sad to see him go. RIP Diego Maradona.
Meanwhile, renowned names from the world of football also mourned their fraternity’s loss.
Cristiano Ronaldo called Maradona an “unparalleled magician”.
“Today I say goodbye to a friend and the world says goodbye to an eternal genius. One of the best ever. An unparalleled magician. He leaves too soon, but leaves a legacy without limits and a void that will never be filled. Rest in peace, ace. You will never be forgotten.”
Sharing a picture with Maradona, Lionel Messi said it was “a very sad day for all Argentinians and for football”.
“He leaves us, but he is not gone because Diego is eternal. I stay with all the beautiful moments I lived with him and I wanted to send my condolences to his family and friends.”
“A sad day for Argentina and a sad day for football as we celebrate the greatness of what this man gave us. Someone that played with passion, spirit and was nothing less than a pure genius. I was so excited to meet Diego and we will all miss him,” said David Beckham.
Rabab Hashim, famous for her roles in Qarrar and Piya Mann Bhaye, has gotten married to Sohaib Shamshad. Pictures from the actor’s big day have gone viral on social media.
Rabab looked stunning in a green lehnga on her mehndi, which reportedly took place Wednesday Night.
Female-led drama The Queen’s Gambit, set in the 1960s chess world, has become Netflix’s most popular limited scripted series ever.
In a statement, Netflix shared that “some 62 million households watched the show in its first 28 days”. The seven-episode series is ranked in the top 10 most watched on Netflix in 92 countries, including first in 63, the company added.
More fun facts related to The Queen’s Gambit:
♕ The series made the Top 10 in 92 countries & ranked #1 in 63 countries
♕ The novel has entered The New York Times bestseller list, 37 years after its release
♕ Google searches for “How To Play Chess” have hit a nine-year peak
The Queen’s Gambit follows an orphaned female chess prodigy, Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), who struggles with drug addiction as she rises to become one of the world’s best players. But there is so much more to this incredibly fast-paced series that has proven to be the best binge-watch Netflix has produced in a long time. A riveting watch it will leave you with reasons to love it and to be inspired by it for days, months after.
1. You will feel like you can do anything
The feeling of utter inspiration after watching Beth defeat world champions at chess will make you either want to order a chess set or feel like you can achieve anything you set your mind to. Why? Beth is an orphan after she survives a car crash in which her mother passes away and there is no record of her father after her mother leaves him. Her mother dies in an attempted suicide, which could’ve taken Beth’s life but she escapes unharmed.
We then follow Beth on her journey as a brilliant chess prodigy, taught by the janitor, Mr Shaibel (Bill Camp) in an orphanage and watch her become addicted to antidepressants, which were apparently legally handed out to children in the 1950s to help them become calm and easy to handle; and to chess – a board which not only relaxes her but makes it easier for her to sleep at night.
She grows up fighting her inner demons, adopted by a family in which the father leaves, and raised by a foster mother who loves her but passes away as well. And chess becomes her ultimate solace and one that she uses to reach the heights of success. To see her grow from a child who had nothing to a woman who slays chess grandmasters in Russia leaves one with the feeling that they can conquer the world – and play chess.
2. You will appreciate your closest and best friends
In the middle of the series, you see Beth becoming lost in her drug addiction, her uneasy arrogance that she can only defeat grandmasters with the help of her pills and her lack of confidence in being with the guy that she likes. What gets her through her darkest times are her friends – and what’s amazing is that her friends are actually her former rivals – the men she defeated to get to where she is. It becomes obvious near the end that she is nothing without them and you know that warm, fuzzy feeling everyone gets from a cheesy romance movie? You will get it but it will be because of the best kinds of friendships- the ones that cheer others on, even if they are getting what you wanted all along.
3. You will marvel at the setting – and the clothes
Make no mistake – the chessboard style patterns you see on most of the clothes that Beth is wearing were deliberate and there is no woman who would not be drooling over her black and white dress that she wears for the tournament in Russia. The thoughtful costume designs and the settings of the scenes make it one of the most beautiful series to watch – from the hallowed hallways where the chess finale happens – to the retro home where Beth lives with her foster mother – are all a wonder to watch. You will be transported to the 50s and the 60s in every scene, with every leather jacket and loud wallpaper, with the waves in their hair and the even by the way they walk – every character does justice to their roles and what we are left with is a true delight in seven episodes.
The Queen’s Gambit is among Netflix’s more culturally resonant programmes of recent years. Netflix, in a blog post, also shared that since the series’ debut in October, searches for chess sets on eBay are up 250 percent, and Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel that inspired the series has returned to bestseller lists. And there is zero doubt that it deserves to be where it is. A must watch for all.
Uzair Jaswal just dropped a new single Yaadaan, the music video of which features Minal Khan. And like most of his songs, this one is also about heartbreak.
According to the singer, “Yaadaan is a song about heartbreak. It’s a nostalgic journey down memory lane. Bittersweet, just how life is.”
In the music video, Uzair can be seen reminiscing about lost love. The video shows Uzair and Minal first as a happy couple but their love story ends up having a sad ending.
The video has been directed by Adnan Aslam and Umair Mushtaq, while the vocals and guitars were recorded by Sarmad Ghafoor.
Prior to the release of the single, there was a lot of buzz surrounding it after Jaswal posted pictures with Minal on Instagram, with fans speculating whether the two celebrities were starring together in a drama or a music video.
Jaswal is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and actor who has been making waves in the Pakistani music scene. He was also the youngest Coke Studio’s sensation. Meanwhile, Minal has gained popularity with of her recent drama Jalan in which she perfectly portrays the evil and narcissistic sister, Nisha.
An Indian state on Sunday asked police to investigate Netflix series A Suitable Boy after a member of the country’s ruling party objected to scenes in the series, in which a Hindu girl kisses a Muslim boy against the backdrop of a Hindu temple.
The series, based on an English novel by one of India’s leading writers Vikram Seth, follows a young girl’s quest for a husband in the backdrop of newly independent India (1951). It is directed by celebrated Indian filmmaker Mira Nair.
“It has extremely objectionable scenes that have hurt the feelings of a particular religion,” Narottam Mishra, the interior minister of the central state of Madhya Pradesh, said on Twitter.
“I’ve directed police officers to get this controversial content tested” to determine “what legal action can be taken against the producer-director of the film for hurting religious sentiments”.
He later said: “For objectionable scenes in the web series A Suitable Boy, an FIR has been lodged against Monika Shergill (Vice President Content, Netflix India) and Ambika Khurana (Director, Public Policy at Netflix) associated with the management under Section 295 A (willfully hurting religious sentiments) in the Civil Lines Police Station of Reeva.”
वेब सीरीज ‘A Suitable boy’ में आपत्तिजनक दृश्यों के लिए #OTTPlatform#Netflix के प्रबंधन से जुड़ीं मोनिका शेरगिल और अंबिका खुराना के खिलाफ रीवा के सिविल लाइंस थाने में धारा 295 ए (धार्मिक भावनाओं को जानबूझ कर ठेस पहुंचाने) के तहत एफआईआर दर्ज की गई है। pic.twitter.com/84A4ZlLz6Y
— Dr Narottam Mishra (Modi Ka Parivar) (@drnarottammisra) November 23, 2020
Gaurav Tiwari, a leader of the youth wing of India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which also governs Madhya Pradesh, has filed a separate complaint against Netflix and warned of street protests by Hindus if the series is not taken off the platform. He also accused the show and streaming platform of promoting ‘love jihad’ – a term radical Hindu groups use to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women by marriage.
A Netflix India spokesman declined comment on the police complaint.
It is pertinent to mention here that the six-part series was officially commissioned by BBC Studios and produced on a budget of £16 million making it one of the most expensive BBC series ever made. Netflix is the exclusive distributor of the series for all global territories, except continental North America and China. It released on the streaming platform on October 23, 2020.
Social media commentators say the scope for creative freedom is narrowing in India, especially when it involves any depiction of Hindu-Muslim relations.
Many Indians took to Twitter demanding a boycott of Netflix, which sees India as one of its most promising growth markets, but where its shows have faced legal challenges.
Last month, a unit of India’s Tata conglomerate withdrew a jewellery advertisement featuring a Hindu-Muslim family celebrating a baby shower, following threats to one of its stores and wide criticism on social media.
Earlier this month, the Indian government announced rules to regulate content on video streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Walt Disney’s Hotstar.
Indian television comedian Bharti Singh was taken into custody by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Saturday for alleged possession and consumption of the banned drug marijuana after the department conducted a raid at her house. A day after her arrest, her husband Harsh Limbachiya, who is also a popular television comedian, was arrested on the same charges.
According to a NCB official, 86.5 grams of marijuana (ganja) was seized from Singh and Limbachiyaa’s home and office.
“Both Singh and her husband accepted the consumption of ganja,” confirmed the NCB official.
The arrest of the popular television comedian stunned the entertainment world. Fellow comedian Raju Shrivastava shared, “I am really shocked and hurt and because of her the entire fraternity gets defamed.”
Meanwhile another comedian Ehsaan Qureshi said,“ I have worked with Bharti on shows and live events but I have never seen her doing drugs in front of people or during shoots maybe she did it on the sly. I am really shocked to know that she has confessed to doing Drugs.”
He added: “The industry has still not been able to come to terms with Sushant Singh Rajput case who died due to drugs or maybe depression.”
The couples’ arrest comes as a part of the ongoing probe by the NCB into alleged drug use in Bollywood, after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput from alleged suicide in June. The central agency had earlier arrested Rajput’s girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, her brother, some employees of the late film star, and a few others during investigation. Moreover, top Bollywood actors including Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and Arjun Rampal have also been questioned by the NCB.
The agency has said this is part of its attempt to unravel a network of supply of drugs to Bollywood celebrities.
“If you have a complaint about not being loved or appreciated in this marriage, I suggest you take it up with the people who arranged it”.
The line that says it all. In the fourth season of Netflix‘sThe Crown, there is zero doubt that you will be reminded of someone you know or have heard of, who is currently suffering in an arranged marriage. Which is why when Prince Charles (Josh O’ Connor), the future king of England complains about his arranged marriage to his incredibly sad wife Princess Diana (Emma Corrin), it really hits home.
The Crown shows the engagement interview given by Diana and Charles which was truly cringeworthy (because of Charles)
The Crown, a series on the popular streaming site Netflix, is based on the lives of the ruling royal family in England. It follows the life of Elizabeth II, who is the current ruling Queen of England, her journey as Queen and also gives insight into the private lives of the royals. Although it is based on true events, the producers have said that artistic license has been taken while filming the series.
The most-awaited royal story was the one of Prince Charles and the iconic Princess Diana and the depiction of the two in season four does not disappoint. You will literally watch this season with your phone in hand, googling to see if the events that made you cringe are actually true – and be shocked and saddened that they indeed are.
Diana and Charles’ wedding was a fairy tale – one that even if you weren’t old enough to see it when it happened, there is zero doubt that you have seen images of how perfect it actually was. Their divorce shook the world and Diana’s death had everyone mourning. There was and most likely will never be a more iconic and charming royal than Diana. Pakistanis, in particular, are drawn to her even more after seeing pictures of how much she enjoyed visiting Pakistan with a handsome Imran Khan and his then-wife Jemima Goldsmith.
SPOILERS AHEAD
This was the first time I learned about how Diana had an eating disorder and was bulimic. After Googling, I discovered that she had spoken about it in an interview, about how after marrying Prince Charles, eating a lot of food and then throwing up somehow became therapeutic for the emptiness she felt in her life. The series shows how a very young Diana gets married at the age of 19 years in a whirlwind marriage to a prince who is in love with someone else. Prince Charles had been seeing a married woman – Camilla Parker-Bowleswho he is currently married to – and continued to see her after he was married. Charles wanted to marry Diana and thought she was sweet, but not before she was ‘approved’ by his ‘ex-girlfriend’ Camilla. According to Google, Camilla had approved Charles’ marriage to Diana, thinking she could control her in the future but hadn’t realise how popular Diana would become.
Camilla Parker Bowles invites an engaged Diana to lunch – while she was having an affair with Diana’s fiance
We are also introduced to a Diana who tries very hard to make Charles happy – and a Charles who tries somewhat but is unable to let go of his affair. What makes one hate Charles even more in the series is that it’s not that the dull and arrogant Charles doesn’t have the capacity to love – he loves Camilla so much he tells Diana after years of their marriage that if she hurts Camilla, she hurts him – but that he loves the wrong person. He can’t stand how popular and loved Diana is, how she shines, how people love her and how wherever she goes – excitement follows. He is not strong enough to let her shine – and in turn, his lack of compassion for her – ruins her life.
There was a time when they were happy. The real life dance of Charles and Diana shows a happy time
Discussions about the royal family being the first and ultimate joint family began soon after people finished the season – discussions about how arranged marriages can ruin lives and how people need to spend time together to find out if they really get one another. If Diana had not been so young and had grown into her personality and understood what she wanted out of life, maybe she would not have picked Charles or been besotted with the thought of marrying a prince. Maybe Charles, who gave into his family’s pressure of marrying a girl who had a similar background as him, would’ve held strong and said he wouldn’t marry if he couldn’t marry whom he wanted. But it seems painfully obvious that Charles was pressured into marrying Diana and Diana fell for the fairy tale love story that Charles represented.
It’s true. Princess Di did a dance with singer Billy Joel for Prince Charles’ birthday
What’s more painful is to see how Diana tries to make Charles happy. She knows from day one that Charles has not left Camilla – even goes out for lunch with Camilla (yes, that’s true!) – and tries her best to make her marriage work. In two very painful parts of the season, Diana plans a dance with the famous rockstar Billy Joel, for Charles’ birthday and after seeing the performance, Charles tells her how horrified he was to see her performance and how she made his birthday about her (she did do a performance for him on his birthday at the theater, that is also true) and then for their wedding anniversary she tries again and films her singing a song for him with a live orchestra (wasn’t very good and also true). He makes fun of her both times, showing that no matter what she tried, nothing was going to work.
We all have that one friend or family member stuck in a marriage that is not of their choosing. Having issues with in-laws is so common that it’s scary at times. Diana also has a difficult time with her in-laws and tries to reach out to her mother-in-law, the Queen who is very distant from her. Charles’ sister, Princess Anne, also resents Diana for being more popular than her and they too, don’t seem to get along. The only person who does seem to like her is her father-in-law Prince Philip but near the end, that also changes. So we see Diana fairly alone throughout the series, clinging onto her children to feel whole. Until it seems she can’t do it anymore.
Last scene showing a very unhappy Diana
The ending scene of the series finale is one of a family photo being taken for Christmas and Diana is standing at the edge of the photo, away from the others. The camera zooms into her, showing how alone she is and I didn’t have the heart to Google if the picture was real – because it so obviously must be. What is more devastating is that it feels like such a big loss. We know that Diana finally breaks free and most likely, finally finds happiness and then dies in a fatal car crash. She never really gets her fairy tale and as we see people around us going through the same, we feel the same pain. Maybe if they break free – if she had broken free earlier – they might be happier.
Despite being such a difficult season to watch, season four is the best season so far. Other than the stellar performances given by both Connor and Corrin, the role of Britain’s first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is played so brilliantly by Gillian Anderson that it is a true pleasure to watch. She literally captures the essence of one of England’s most controversial rulers and it is a delight to watch the minute she comes on screen. The minute you see Thatcher on screen, you can’t wait to see what she will do next. And you also cannot help but compare.
Gillian Anderson was absolutely perfect as Britain’s Iron Lady PM, Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher, raised to be brilliant by her father, supported by her husband who is totally at ease with his wife’s success, pushes her to be the absolute best that she can be – the leader of a superpower for eleven years. The support she gets and her own brilliance make her shine in ways that have changed the course of history. And then we see a parallel with Diana – a woman absolutely phenomenal in her own right – but pushed down by the people around her, never realising her full potential.
Makes one think how different life can be if you can manage to convince yourself that you need some iron from the British PM famously called the Iron Lady and also realise that it is finally time to break free before it is too late, like the tragedy that was Diana.
Imagine getting a chance to stay at Shah Rukh Khan’s house and living like a superstar. That too for free.
That dream might just become a reality on Valentine’s Day 2021 as SRK’s wife Gauri Khan offers a couple a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend two nights at their home in Delhi, the city where she and her husband grew up.
In a tweet, the interior designer shared that she has collaborated with Airbnb and is offering fans a chance to be their guest. To get a chance to stay at the Khans’ residence, fans need to share what an ‘Open Arms Welcome’ – a nod to SRK’s signature pose – means to them by November 30.
Sharing details, Gauri in an interview said: “I have personally curated the itinerary for our Airbnb guest. They will be treated to a special home-cooked meal which has all of our family’s favourite foods, a movie marathon session of watching Shah Rukh’s favourite films, and souvenirs as keepsakes, to fondly remember and cherish their time in our home.”
When asked why they decided to host guests at their residence, Gauri said: “Our family loves hosting people at home and we feel that it is truly the best way to welcome and bond with loved ones.”
“One of the central aspects of staying at an Airbnb that has always fascinated me is the role that the hosts play. They add a touch of warmth to one’s entire travel and stay experience, and that’s why I believe their role is so critical. The idea to open our Delhi home came after a trip to LA with the entire family — we had stayed at an Airbnb and had a fantastic experience. It was then that we decided that we want to welcome people into our home too and give them a memorable experience as hosts.”
Further while talking about the house and its decor, Gauri shared while the whole house is special to her two corners of it are her absolute fav.
“The first is what I like to call the ‘nostalgia wall’ in Shah Rukh’s and my bedroom,” shared Gauri. “It is a selection of things which hold significance to us as a family. It includes Aryan’s first badminton racket; Suhana’s favourite make-up brushes and butterflies she has collected over the years; AbRam’s first birthday gift, which is an exquisite silver mirror and comb. Even an art piece that Shah Rukh bought from his early travels, that is emblematic of his love for pizza, is on the wall.”
“The second is a wall adorned with handmade cards that Shah Rukh and I exchanged during our early courtship period.”
SRK and Gauri’s residence is located in the South Delhi neighborhood of Panchsheel Park.
“With so many memories of our early days in Delhi, the city holds a very special place in our hearts,” shared SRK while talking about the house.
Everyone’s favorite cat and mouse Tom and Jerry are all set to make their big-screen debut in 2021.
The trailer of ‘Tom and Jerry Movie‘ dropped Tuesday and shows the two frenemies up to their usual antics. According to the teaser, Jerry has taken up residence at an upscale New York hotel, which is going to host the “wedding of the century”, and Tom arrives to help terrorize the mouse out of this house. But we all know that the cat rarely wins and Jerry’s pranks always succeed.
The film is currently scheduled for a theatrical release in March though the trailer is quick enough to leave the film as ‘Coming Soon’.
The upcoming film is directed by Tim Story and produced by Chris DeFari.
Tom and Jerry are an animated cat-and-mouse duo created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The Hanna- Barbera duo had written and directed 114 ‘Tom and Jerry’ cartoons from 1940 to 1957, at the MGM cartoon studio in Hollywood. The pair won a total of 7 Oscar awards for Best Animated Short Subject, more than any other character-based theatrical animated series.
In each cartoon, Tom the cat would try to chase and catch Jerry the mouse, often because the housemaid would demand that Tom catch the mouse or be thrown out of the house. Ironically, most of Tom’s plans would fail.
British Pakistani boxer Amir Khan got into an accident late Sunday night after he rammed his car into a barrier while driving on a Motorway in Manchester, United Kingdom.
https://youtu.be/MOCEpvt8THU
According to a news details, the boxer lost control of his £90,000 car as the road surface was extremely wet following a day of rain.
Khan shared photos of the accident on social media which showed his Mercedes S350 completely damaged with its front bumper hanging off and the window mirrors completely broken.
Khan shared that everyone was safe and shared that “smashing into the side of the motorway barrier felt like being hit with a combo.”
The Bolton-born star has an impressive luxurious car collection that includes a £271,000 Lamborghini Aventador, a £233,000 Rolls Royce Phantom, and a £65,000 Range Rover.
