Category: Uncategorized

  • ‘Joyland’ to release in India

    ‘Joyland’ to release in India

    After more than a decade, Joyland is set to become the second Pakistani film to release in theatres across India.

    Speaking to Express Tribune, the ‘Joyland’ team confirmed the report that the Oscar-shortlisted film is set to release in India and other countries as well.
    This news comes on the heels of the cancellation of the Indian release of The Legend of Maula Jatt after the film faced opposition by BJP politicians. Joyland will be the second Pakistani film to release in India, nearly a decade after Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol was released in the country.

    Despite the ban in Punjab and backlash from religous clerics, the film is among the shortlisted films for the ‘Best International Film’ category for the Academy Awards. The final list of nominations will be announced on 24th January, with the final ceremony to be held on 12th March.

    Speaking to CNN, Sadiq said that films like Joyland were important because they provided a realistic depiction of Pakistan:

    “What’s different in Joyland than perhaps all the other Pakistani films is that it is the most realistic depiction of our society without romanticising any aspect of it. It’s not something that people are used to seeing, that is, a reflection of yourself – that can be haunting but also uncomfortable.” 

    The filmmaker added, “For me, seeing a film set in Pakistan about patriarchy and gender roles and the impact of those on human beings was important.”

  • Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s wife Aaliya breaks silence on FIR filed against her by mother-in-law Mehrunisa Siddiqui

    Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s wife Aaliya breaks silence on FIR filed against her by mother-in-law Mehrunisa Siddiqui

    Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s mother Mehrunisa Siddiqui filed an FIR against his wife Aaliya, over a property dispute on Monday. Aaliya took to her Instagram handle to react on the same.

    Taking to her Instagram, she wrote, “Shocking. my genuine criminal complaints against my husband go unattended by the Police. However, I enter my Husband’s house and a criminal complaint / FIR is immediately filed against me within a few hours. Will I ever get justice, this way.”

    As reported by Versova Police, Mehrunnisa and Aaliya alias Zainab had a dispute over property. “Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s mother Mehrunisa Siddiqui filed an FIR against the actor’s wife Zainab. Versova police has called her for questioning. It is alleged that Zainab had an argument with Nawazuddin’s mother: Versova Police.” ANI tweeted.

  • India denies visas to 200 Pakistani pilgrims

    India denies visas to 200 Pakistani pilgrims

    Only 249 of the 488 applications for visas to travel to Ajmer Sharif, the shrine of famed Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Rajasthan, were accepted by India, Express Tribune has reported.

    Over 200 Pakistani pilgrims were prevented from paying respects to the Sufi saint, according to a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony.

    The official stated that all zaireen have received SMS instructions to travel to Lahore, where they will board their flight to India today (Tuesday).
    Despite the coronavirus no longer being a valid reason to bar International travel, India spent the majority of last year prohibiting Muslim visitors from Pakistan from visiting their country for religious reasons.

  • ‘Tuttay huey dil jayein kahan?’ Shadab Khan is a married man now

    ‘Tuttay huey dil jayein kahan?’ Shadab Khan is a married man now

    Shadab Khan announced on social media platforms on Monday that he has gotten married with the nikah taking place yesterday.
    The cricket player went on to reveal that his wife was his mentor Saqlain Mustaq’s daughter. He requested the media and fans to respect his privacy.

    ‘Salaam everyone. Alhumdulillah today was my nikkah. I am becoming part of my mentor Saqi bhai’s family. When I started playing cricket, I wanted to keep my family life seperate, my family has also opted to stay out of public life. My wife has asked for the same, she wants her life to remain private. I would kindly request everyone to respect her choice and our family’s choice. However, if you want to send salami, I will send an account number.”

    As shaadi season goes on, the list of broken heart girlies keeps growing on and on. The past weeks have seen Haris Rauf, Shan Masood and now Shadab getting married in quick succession. Soon Shaheen Shah Afridi will also be tying the knot. Sending our condolences to fan girls everywhere.

    https://twitter.com/CuteHunYar/status/1617764272096018432?s=20&t=ePTRkqxMFwsLRzhMO7-mLg

  • Fact Check: No, the person with Gen Bajwa is not Mohsin Naqvi

    Claim: Former Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari took to Twitter and posted a picture of former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and said that the person standing next to him was the newly appointed caretaker Chief Minister Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi.

    Taking to Twitter, Mazari said, “Election Commission never disappoints viz its partisan approach. Selects Mohsin Naqvi as caretaker CM Punjab, seen here on a recent Emirates flight to Dubai with General retd Bajwa. Assume his credentials below carried by a dark cloud seem to have impressed the ECP!”

    She shared the picture of Gen Bajwa standing with a man in a plane, whom she called Naqvi. She also shared another template which has Mohsin Naqvi’s picture, which stated that Naqvi was an important person during the regime change of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, he runs a news channel without license that spreads fake news for blackmailing, and that he is the front man for all of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari’s illegal work.

    According to senior journalist Hamid Mir, the person in the picture is not Mohsin Naqvi but a lawyer, Zahid Jameel.

    Mir tweeted that Mazari should stop spreading disinformation. “First of all this Bajwa was given extension by the great @ImranKhanPTI in 2019 and the whole political elite including PTI, PML-N and PPP were on one page , secondly the person in the picture is not Mohsin Naqvi but a lawyer Zahid Jameel.”

    Verdict: FALSE

  • SBP hikes key interest rate by 100 bps to 17%

    SBP hikes key interest rate by 100 bps to 17%

    The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on Monday raised the policy rate by 100 basis points to 17 per cent, which is highest since October 1997.

    The MPC of the State Bank convened today with Governor SBP Jameel Ahmad in the chair to announce the first scheduled monetary policy for the calendar year 2023.

    The SBP governor said that the MPC also performed a detailed analysis of the country’s inflation. “The committee believed that a 1 per cent hike [in the interest rate] to anchor inflation was necessary.”

    In November 2022, the MPC raised the policy rate by 100 basis points to a two-decade high of 16 per cent.

    The committee, in its meeting, noted that inflationary pressure was persistent. “It noted that price stability was required to control inflation and maintain the growth rate,” Ahmad said.

    “Our short-term challenges, including current account deficit, remain. There is some delay in the inflows we were expecting due to which our reserves are under pressure.”

    Thirdly, the committee noted the global economic situation, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank’s downgrading of the global economic growth rate and the prevailing uncertainty. “It affects our market directly or indirectly. For example, our exports and remittances are impacted.”

    The Monetary Policy Committee took the decision to raise the policy rate after a detailed analysis of the country’s external and fiscal position, the SBP governor said.

  • PTI decides to take back resignations of remaining MNAs: Asad Umar

    PTI decides to take back resignations of remaining MNAs: Asad Umar

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary-General Asad Umar has said on Monday that 44 party lawmakers have decided to withdraw their resignations from the National Assembly (NA).

    Taking to Twitter, Umar announced that the remaining 44 MNAs of the party, whose resignations are yet to be accepted, have decided to take back their decision to leave the national assembly.

    “An email has been sent to the speaker,” said the PTI leader in his tweet. He also shared the names of the MNAs who have withdrawn their resignations.

    Meanwhile, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said 45 lawmakers had decided to withdraw their resignations so that the party could take back the post of the leader of the Opposition and parliamentary party leader.

    He added that the aim of the move was to get rid of the “fake” NA opposition leader and prevent “turncoats” from voting for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a vote of confidence.

    Following the announcement, the PTI lawmakers staged a sit-in outside the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) headquarters after being barred from entering the speaker’s house.

    However, authorities restricted the MNAs from entering the building by placing barbed wires on the road leading to the ECP.

    The development comes about after the National Assembly Speaker Pervez Ashraf, in a surprise move accepted the resignations of 69 MNAs during the previous week.

  • Jemima Goldsmith shares the inspiration behind film ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’

    Jemima Goldsmith shares the inspiration behind film ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’

    Screenwriter and producer Jemima Goldsmith has revealed that she came upon the idea to make the film ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ after living in Pakistan and observing arranged marriage committees, which would look for spouses for people.

    “The film kind of started as a joke with my friends who were in their thirties, when i came back to the UK after having lived in Pakistan in those years,” Jemima said on Australian show Project TV.
    “My ex-husband’s family is quite conservative so I lived in a joint family household. I lived with his father, his sisters, their husbands and kids. There were about 24 of us, living under the same house, and all our kids,” she revealed about her marriage to former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Jemima and the cricket hero divorced in _ after __ years of marriage.
    “I did get to see arranged marriages up close, long term ones and ones that were arranged that I was on the committee for. And some of them were like surprisingly, to me, with my pre-conceptions, happy and successful. So when I came back in my thirties, my friends were at the point where they were hoping to settle down, have kids, get married, maybe not get married. We would say if you had seen functional parents..who would they choose for you and would it work? And it became a conversation point, and I think there’s quite a lot to be said for like simmer then boil and walking into love or falling in love. And the idea that they always used to say ‘Love comes at the end of the beginning of marriage’, which is a completely different point of view,” she said.
    Jemima also described the film as ‘the rom-com Pakistan’, showing the colorful, vibrant side of the country that Western audiences don’t often see on the screen
    “It’s the rom-com Pakistan aside from the darkness of politics. It’s the jazz-hands version of Pakistan. Which is nice to show because you don’t often kind to see the colorful, vibrant Pakistan we’re much more used to seeing Pakistanis and Pakistan as a kind of darker place on our screens particularly in the US and the UK.. So it’s nice to show the version of Pakistan that I grew to love.”

    ‘What’s Love Got To Do With?’ releases in cinemas on 24th February.

    You can watch the full interview below:

  • Feroze Khan’s former brother-in-law Shamoon Abbasi breaks silence on his domestic abuse controversy

    Actor Shamoon Abbasi, Feroze Khan‘s former brother-in-law, recently talked about Khan’s domestic abuse controversy.

    Abbasi recently said in an interview, “A lot of my fans and followers asked me about Feroze Khan’s issue, I usually don’t get into others’ personal problems but now I have been asked so I should reply, well, I am no one to judge in this regard, I have also faced these domestic issues which comes in married life and ironically I was married to Feroze Khan’s sister Humaima Malick.”

    Feroze Khan’s Ex brother in Law talks on controversy

    The Me Bushra star revealed, “We had a good time but there are issues that come between husband and wife, sometimes people exaggerate about it especially when they get social media support, they become a star, actors become public figures, also if social media is making you star then it has the power to ruin your career after your controversy”.

    Shamoon claimed that while he doesn’t have the time to delve into these matters, he is aware of the problem because viral stories frequently appear on his phone. Shamoon stated, “now, I have been told that Feroze has leaked addresses of actors who are now in chaos and have taken legal action against Feroze”.

    He said, “I have known Feroze since he was a cute kid, whatever has happened with him is his personal matter and no one should get into it, now the actors who spoken about it are taking legal actions, I am not taking Feroze Khan’s side but if you have a stance about it, you should be ready to face the consequences, besides this, it is a short Industry and we should not waste the fame in such fights”.

  • An Urdu translation error in ‘Mission Majnu’ is going viral on Pakistani twitter

    An Urdu translation error in ‘Mission Majnu’ is going viral on Pakistani twitter

    As if pretending we greet everybody with ‘adaab’ and wear kajal around our eyes wasn’t enough, now Bollywood can’t even get a simple Urdu text typed properly.

    Twitter was in fits after the trailer for ‘Mission Majnu’ releasedand we got some *chef’s kiss* memes from our twitter users

    https://twitter.com/maulanaglumi/status/1613202698744070144?s=20&t=1DpofqYHYMhTNLWyzCI88g

    But now, eagle-eyed netizens have found another hilarious reason to keep mocking the film and the abysmal representation it offers of Muslims.
    In a viral post by twitter user @karakmufti, a scene from the movie shows a sign in a masjid where the Urdu text is quite absurd.

    This led to users trolling the film all over again, like comedian Jeremy McLellan sharing that the makers of the film had relied on Google Translate for the Urdu text.

    There were many other hilarious reactions to this translation error that are just too brilliant to miss out.
    For instance, another translation error found in the movie.

    https://twitter.com/theasadshahbaz/status/1616747189383864321?s=20&t=L5yBc2QE2ad7ukaVJh43ow
    https://twitter.com/thenorthaspoken/status/1616820386443984897?s=20&t=L5yBc2QE2ad7ukaVJh43ow