Category: Uncategorized
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Humayun Saeed is overwhelmed with the response to ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’
The 11th episode of the superhit drama Meray Paas Tum Ho practically broke all records and people across the country couldn’t get over Humayun Saeed’s emotional performance as Danish. Many fans referred to his role as his career’s best.
The drama was trending on Youtube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – basically everywhere.
Following the “outpour of love and appreciation” from the audiences, Humayun took to social media to thank his fans for their “overwhelming feedback and all the praise.”
Humayun also thanked the director Nadeem Baig, writer Khalil ur Rehman Qamar and his co-stars Ayeza Khan and Adnan Siddiqui for their input and support.
“Itna pyar itni mohabbat, aisa lag raha hai kay yeh serial ka last episode tha, ya shayad meray career ka last episode (So much love and appreciation, feels like it was the last episode of the serial or the last episode of my life)”, Humayun wrote.
For the unacquainted, Meray Paas Tum Ho is centred around the theme of infidelity and cheating in a relationship. Danish (Humayun) is married to Mehwish (Ayeza Khan). They have a son and Danish is desperately in love with Mehwish, who wants the finer things in life. Enter Shehwar (Adnan Siddiqui) who is super loaded and in a very unhappy marriage – he lives alone and his wife lives abroad. He plays on Mehwish’s desire to be rich and the fact that all Danish can afford is a small apartment and gets with Mehwish. Eventually, Mehwish starts an affair with Shehwar and decides to leave her husband for him.
What makes the drama even more interesting is the fact that it is based on a true story. Though only 11 episodes of the series have aired so far, the audiences are captivated and cannot wait to see what the next episodes have in store.
Will Danish and Mehwish find happiness?
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VIDEO: Inside Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s bombproof container
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam–Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman kicked off his Azadi March from Karachi on Sunday. Elaborate preparations are in place for the march as the opposition attempts to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government.
Among those elaborate arrangements were the bombproof containers of Maulana Fazlur Rehman which were specially imported from Japan for the march.
Several media outlets have shared videos that show the inside of the container. The container has been equipped with all the things Maulana will be requiring on his march. The special container is air-conditioned, has a kitchen with a stove and an oven, a bedroom for Maulana Fazlur Rehman, washrooms as well as a meeting room. The container can accommodate up to 12 people.
Meanwhile, as the ‘Azadi’ caravan was moving from Karachi to Hyderabad, the container that Maulana was travelling in, got stuck at an overhead bridge. According to reports, the 40 feet long and 10 feet wide container was too tall to pass beneath the bridge.
Senior Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) leader Senator Faisal Javed Khan poked fun at the incident and said that the containers for their dharna were “tailored according to the height of all the bridges across Pakistan.”
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Four moments from Fashion Pakistan Week more interesting than the clothes
The Winter/Festive Edition of the Fashion Pakistan Week took place in Karachi last week and more than the clothes, the happenings at the event were what caught our attention. From stars dancing down the ramp to a model helping his fellow model with her shoes to religious songs playing in the background, things at the event were sensational, to say the least.
Here’s rounding them all up:
4. Boys take over the ramp
Humayun Alamgir put up a star-studded show as heartthrobs from the Pakistan film and drama industry took over the ramp with their shenanigans.
A particularly eye-catching moment was when Asad Siddiqui stopped midway and had wife Zara Noor Abbas add a scarf to complete his look.
4. Hina Altaf’s walk and Sadaf Kanwal’s reaction
As Hina Altaf walked down the ramp for Zellbury #FPWF19 Day 2, she added a little dance to spruce up her walk.
However, it didn’t appease the crowds or the models – check out Sadaf Kanwal’s reaction.
2. Subhan Awan helps fellow model take off broken shoe
This moment from the fashion week is going viral.
During the final ramp walk for SFK Bridals, model Kesha Siddique had an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction where her shoe broke. Her fellow model, Subhan Awan stopped with her and helped her take off her shoes. We can’t stop Aww-ing!
- Hadiya Hashmi performs Allah Hoo as models walk down the ramp
Hadiya Hashmi famously known for her song on Nescafe Basement sang the hamd Allah Hoo as models strutted down the ramp. This particular moment from the FPW caused a stir on social media and people were outraged at this mixing of religion and fashion.
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EXCLUSIVE: Bhuttos haven’t approved BB’s biopic, Mehwish Hayat responds
The mystery shrouding Benazir Bhutto’s biopic keeps getting complicated.
While the Bhutto family maintains that they have given no consent for a biopic (read full story here), Mehwish Hayat, who is set to play the former prime minister in a recent interview confirmed that a film on her is indeed in the works.
The Current reached out to Mehwish for further details and she told us that she “cannot say much at this stage” as she has “signed strict NDAs (non-disclosure agreements).”
However, she said that a film was indeed in the works and it is “currently in the early development stages.”
“We are just beginning to talk to writers at the moment,” Mehwish said. “The basic understanding of biopics is that we actually don’t need formal approval from the family.”
She continued, “Just look at The Crown – they don’t get permission or clearances from the Royal family or any of the other people portrayed. There are many other films in the West where information is taken from what is in the public domain.”
Mehwish further said that “when we get further down the line, I am sure that the producers will engage the family to ensure that our script is factually correct.”
“I for one would love their [the family’s] insights to help my research,” she concluded.
Perhaps it is pertinent to mention here that Sarmad Khoosat also did not seek formal permission from Sadaat Hassan Manto’s family or engage them in the making of the late writer’s biopic.
News of Mehwish playing Pakistan’s first female prime minister had first surfaced in June 2018 when Mehwish on Benazir’s 65th birthday had shared that a biopic on BB was on the cards and that she was preparing to “play the role of a lifetime.”
The announcement had taken social media by storm and everyone was excited to see the life of the slain Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader come to life on the silver screen. However, Benazir’s daughter, Bakhtawar, slammed the idea, saying that no consent was sought from the family for the project.
Mehwish at that time had responded to Bakhtawar saying that the project was in its early stages and that it would not progress without “the consent or blessing of the family.”
While the conversation on this project died soon after, it resurfaced again recently when an interview of Mehwish with BBC Urdu started doing the rounds on social media.
In the interview, Mehwish confirmed that she will be playing Bhutto.
“InshAllah. It is a huge subject and a very complicated one,” Mehwish told the host when asked her whether the news was correct. “The story is one of a hero – Benazir Bhutto is a hero to me and I love that woman. Her story is so inspirational. [I think] that our current generation and the one that is to come, need to see her contributions, struggles, progress, her life.”
Mehwish continued, “While people write about [her] in books, films are easy access for people to know about things.”
When the host asked Mehwish that expectations with the role will be high, the actor responded, “Indeed it is a difficult character to play. It is being written as of now and it is going to take some time, but I cannot wait to play it.”
Has Mehwish started preparing for the role?
Mehwish said, “I’ve been reading up about her. The more I get to know her, the more inspired I get and I feel a lot of pride. But at the same time, I feel sad also that we lost such a great leader.”
“But the world needs to see her whole story.”
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The episode that’s breaking Pakistan’s internet – Meray Pass Tum Ho’s climax
There is no bigger discussion happening on social media right now other than the epic performance given by Humayun Saeed on Meray Paas Tum Ho’s 11th episode. Facebook groups are discussing how they, and their mothers, cried while Danish gives up the love of his life.
When Danish finds out his wife wants to leave him The drama is in its 11th episode and come to a major twist. Danish (Humayun Saeed) is married to Mehwish (Ayeza Khan), they have a son and Danish is desperately in love with Mehwish, who wants the finer things in life. Enter Shehwar (Adnan Siddiqui) who is super loaded and in a very unhappy marriage. He lives alone and his wife lives abroad. He plays on Mehwish’s desire to be rich and the fact that all Danish can afford is a small apartment and gets with Mehwish.
The pink nightie scene in episode 9 The popular ‘pink nightie’ scene, in Episode 9, where Mehwish ends up in a hotel room with Shehwar, is also confirmed in this episode. Mehwish went to Islamabad with Shehwar and didn’t tell Danish she was going. She had taken a job as Shehwar’s secretary, and it was obvious that Danish knew something was up, but he let it go on anyway. We see her in a pink nightie which eludes that Shehwar and her were having an affair but it wasn’t confirmed.
In this episode, which has broken Pakistani social media, Shehwar shows Danish pictures of Mehwish in the pink nightie in the hotel room, confirming that they were indeed having an affair. He convinces Danish to give Mehwish a divorce since she’s just not in love with Danish anymore. Danish, after hearing a recorded conversation between Mehwish and Shehwar, is convinced to give her up.
Danish comes home, and both wait for their son to sleep before Mehwish can leave He tells Mehwish she can go. Mehwish gets ready to leave and he asks her to stay the night and leave in the morning.
The episode was beautiful in its simplicity, the explosive performances caused tears because of how genuine they seemed. It was very obvious in Humayun Saeed’s acting that he was in love with his wife and would eternally be. He didn’t rant, didn’t scream, he spoke simply and he cried silent tears, which made him even more real. Humayun Saeed gave the performance of his life in the simple way he portrayed how deeply love can hurt – without having to scream it. When Danish tells Shehwar that “larki jubh bewafa hoti hai tou poori tarhan bewafa hoti hai,” Shehwar also has a sheen of tears in his eyes.
Ayeza Khan also gives a stellar performance because she isn’t the typical female villain. She doesn’t act like the spoilt, jean-wearing, bad girl that Pakistani dramas love to create. She is aware of her beauty, maintains her simplicity and knows what she wants. You don’t hate her; you can’t. She has made her decision to take what she wants and even though it’s selfish and terrible, Ayeza’s performance shows that it happens and there’s nothing dramatic about it. Which is why she doesn’t lose any respect. She maintains her dignity and makes her choice – without being behaya about it. The affair isn’t just Mehwish – it’s also Shehwar and the episode does a good job showing that the guy is just as much to blame as the woman. Shehwar is the one who has to face Danish first – showing that they are a team and man and woman, both are to blame.
Mehwish getting ready to leave Danish The lessons in this drama are also incredibly important – especially this episode. Danish is concerned about his son, Rumi and what Rumi will do when he wakes up in the morning and finds his mother gone. Mehwish also tells Danish to tell Rumi the truth in a few days so that Rumi doesn’t have any expectations when his mother doesn’t comes back and if he spots her on the road. It shows the importance of how an affair – no matter who has it – affects a family and especially children.
The dialogues by Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar is the spine of the whole episode and the drama. He writes how it happens – every single phrase is something that could’ve and would’ve been said. It plays to the heartstrings, making each dialogue so real that there is no one watching who is not entranced – and is wondering how these are words that anyone could be unlucky enough to hear.
If you missed it, watch the episode here:
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Khaadi’s Kanteen bursts with positive energy
Nestled happily on the first floor of Khaadi at Bilawal Chowrangi, Kanteen is a sight for sore eyes with its bohemian look, comfy sofas, lovely woodwork and lots of green plants. The whole place is bursting with positive energy.
This is a place where you would want to go with your friends for a happy evening or dinner with your family. And yes this place welcomes children of all ages. I finally made it to Kanteen after hearing good reviews from friends and I’m happy to report that I wasn’t disappointed.
Kanteen’s menu is pretty elaborate and is dominated by a desi palette – you’ll find butter chicken, mutton karahi, palak paneer etc on the menu. The best part is that it is not very heavy on the pocket. The cafe is run by Meher, who started off as a home-based party planner. She did my bridal shower almost 5 years back and had impressed me with her services back then also.
We started off with some crunchy Meethi Puri and Paani Puri and thoroughly enjoyed it – just what you want on a rainy day. We also tried some desi dynamite prawns which were different but delicious.
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Paani Puri -
Meethi Puri
Desi dynamite prawns Next, we had the mini chapli kebabs on small parathas which were just perfect with just the right amount of spices.
What’s life without a plate of good old daal chawal. Kanteen’s daal chawal was elaborate and was served with fried bhindi, paapar, aalo, qeema kabab, achaar and raita. It was a wholesome dish on its own and one of my personal favourites.
We also tried Kanteen’s tawa chicken and that was also tantalising to the taste buds.
For a sweet ending to a lovely evening, we ordered the Rabri & Jalebi and Caramel Bread Pudding. Both the desserts were delectable and absolutely delicious. One thing I particularly liked was that the sweet was nicely balanced and did not send you into a sugar coma.
Rabri & Jalebi 
Caramel Bread Pudding Khaadi’s Kanteen lived up it to its expectations and hype and I will definitely be venturing there again soon to treat myself to some delightful desi food.
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Arts vs Politics: A contentious debate engulfing India
The criticism of spinelessness and shamelessness is perhaps validly applied to the fraternity, although this covers players as diverse as the Hindutva poster-boy, Akshay Kumar, and the liberal-with-a-saviour-complex, Aamir Khan.
As two of Bollywood’s most popular Khans, Aamir and Shah Rukh, join a procession of celebrities who now regularly play courtiers to the country’s Public Relation (PR) minister, sorry prime minister (PM), the morale of progressive India is at its lowest ever and Bollywood finds itself, yet again, in the midst of an intense debate on arts versus politics, best showcased in the 1984 film Party.
In that classic, a young, idealistic K K Raina sees this as a false binary, but after a heated argument with the more jaded Om Puri, he realises that making a choice between the two might, someday, become inevitable. The argument we see today in Bollywood is one of its worst iterations.
Those who willingly become Modi’s props are using the “arts, not politics” justification with as much vigor as those who make good, political cinema while claiming to be apolitical.
The criticism of spinelessness and shamelessness is perhaps validly applied to the fraternity, although this covers players as diverse as the Hindutva poster-boy, Akshay Kumar, and the liberal-with-a-saviour-complex, Aamir Khan.
The median truth is perhaps to be found in Ranveer Singh, who embraced Modi with a big bear-hug Modi himself reserves for heads of states, before facetiously explaining to Anupama Chopra that he is very apolitical. He was piggy-backing on a more carefully worded statement by his Gully Boy co-star Alia Bhatt who claimed, “I don’t think we give out a strong political vibe as actors.”
Bhatt goes on to obliquely refer to the effects of trolling before concluding that she would rather focus on making movies than getting into any legal trouble. Chopra, at this point, is ready to let go but Singh insists on describing himself as an apathetic man who only cares about his films and his own life.
The interview summarises the crisis in Bollywood, showcased this week by the presumed betrayal of Aamir and SRK. There are celebrities like Bhatt, who has a political view but is keeping it to herself because there is much to lose and then there are those like Singh, who has no qualms publicly stating that he doesn’t care about anyone but himself. They shower Modi with love when the PM is only coercing Bollywood to be his personal marching band.
According to a HuffPost article, Modi’s PR team has been putting enormous pressure on Bollywood to participate in their events and follow them up with social media posts. Those who did not post their PM selfies were “gently reminded” to complete their homework.
Whether they are spineless or shameless or both, they are under pressure. As Deepika Padukone, who happens to be Singh’s wife, could testify, even people with relative power can be vulnerable in the face of relentless right-wing hysteria whipped up in campaigns such as the anti-Padmaavat one.
SRK and Aamir are not insulated from this world – Aamir has had several ugly episodes with the right-wing already. Modi’s machinery works on both ends – the endless appetite for trolling and threats of violence is the ugly underbelly for such glitzy PR events.
The pathetic state of Bollywood stars today, reduced to playing cheerleaders, mirrors the larger public sphere. Some chose to enthusiastically follow Modi or due to a herd mentality; others kept their politics private due to fear of repression or routinely protest despite shrinking civil liberties.
Regardless of these differences, we, today, stare at a breakdown of collective morale and an inclination, as a society, to surrender.
The stakes are only higher for the Indian Muslim community. This month also saw liberal stalwarts like Zameeruddin Shah and religious establishments like the Sunni Waqf Board surrendering their community’s claim over the Babri Masjid land if it could end the unbated communal hatred and violence.
The fall of King Khans represents nothing more than a symbolic victory march for an emperor who is parading the more colorful representatives of a collective that has now surrendered. The question of arts versus politics holds no weight in a world without choice.
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Instagram to remove cosmetic surgery filters
Instagram is removing all filters that represent or promote cosmetic surgery. It believes these filters are harmful to people’s mental health.
These filters include ones that make your lips bigger, contour your face or make your wrinkles or fine lines disappear. The company says the ban is being applied to promote wellbeing.
A spokesperson for Instagram said “We’re re-evaluating our policies—we want our filters to be a positive experience for people. While we’re reevaluating our policies, we will remove all effects from the gallery associated with plastic surgery, stop further approval of new effects like this and remove current effects if they’re reported to us.”
The move comes after an update to the app that allowed users to create their virtual effects that can be superimposed on images and videos. Some popular filters copied the effects of cosmetic surgery.