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  • UK Government wants Netflix to classify ‘The Crown’ as fiction

    UK Government wants Netflix to classify ‘The Crown’ as fiction

    The Culture Secretary of the United Kingdom Oliver Dowden has suggested that each episode of The Crown should begin with a disclaimer stating that the show is not factual.

    “It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction, so as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that,” Dowden said in an interview. “Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.”

    He added that will write to Netflix this week to express his view.

    The fourth season of The Crown follows the life of the royal family during the late 1970s and the 1980s, which means many of the main characters’ real-life counterparts are still living. Charles and Princess Diana’s rocky married life and the Charles-Diana-Camilla love triangle is one of the main storylines in the season. It is pertinent to add here that the creators of the show have clarified that creative liberty has been taken while making the show. This season also shows Margaret Thatcher’s years in office as prime minister.

    Read more – Season Four of ‘The Crown’ is a Pakistani arranged marriage nightmare

    Meanwhile, Dowden is not the only one who thinks that The Crown should be classified as a work of fiction. Earl Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana, has also said that he believes the series should warn viewers that it takes artistic license with actual events.

    “I think it would help The Crown an enormous amount if, at the beginning of each episode, it stated that: ‘This isn’t true but it is based around some real events,’” Spencer had said in an interview.

    Season 4 of The Crown is now streaming on Netflix.

  • Rajkummar Rao’s ‘Ludo’ rap ‘Paneer Tikka’ is winning the internet

    Rajkummar Rao’s ‘Ludo’ rap ‘Paneer Tikka’ is winning the internet

    After Yashraj Mukhate’s ‘Woh Rashi Thi’, Rajkummar Rao’s Paneer Tikka in a retro style beat is going viral on social media.

    The song Paneer Tikka has been made into a rap by composer Mayur Jumani. Rao said the dialogue in the film Ludo, where his character is telling the menu very fluently. The new composition is catchy and has gone viral on social media.

    Ludo is a multi-starrer Netflix movie directed by Anurag Basu. Apart from Rao, it also features Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Sheikh in the lead.

    Watch the movie review here:

  • KYA BOLA? (Dec 1): ‘Lekin Banda Emandaar Ha’, ‘PDM Ky Barwain Khilari’, ‘Facebook Ki Her Larai Py Parcha’

    KYA BOLA? (Dec 1): ‘Lekin Banda Emandaar Ha’, ‘PDM Ky Barwain Khilari’, ‘Facebook Ki Her Larai Py Parcha’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on Dec 1, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Lekin Banda Emandaar Ha’

    Maryam Nawaz has taken a jibe at Prime Minister Imran Khan for his allegedly involvement corrupt practices, as per a report in Daily Jang. “Kehty thy Imran Khan banda emandaar ha, Niazi Services banai tax bachany ky liye, lekin banda emandaar ha; Aleema Baji ny salai machine sy arabon rupee kamaye, lekin banda emandaar ha.”

    ‘PDM Ky Barwain Khilari’

    Information Minister Shibli Faraz has compared JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to an extra player in a cricket team. Daily Jang reported Faraz as saying: “Maulana Fazlur Rahman Pakistan Democratic Movement ky barwain khilari hain. Maulana logon ko tashadud per uksaa rahy hain.”

    ‘Facebook Ki Her Larai Py Parcha?’

    According to Dunya News, the Islamabad High Court has asked whether the FIA will file a complaint on every Facebook fight. Dunya News quoted the Islamabad High Court as saying, “Mehz darkhwast per accounts block, internet laraion per karwaion hony lagi tou kaam kon kary ga. Aj tou her baat internet ky zareay hoti ha. Kiya FIA her case py PECA lagaye gi?”

  • ‘Revise your course, do homework, these aren’t holidays,’ Shafqat Mahmood to students

    Pakistan’s educational institutions had to be closed down because coronavirus infections were rising very fast, Federal education Minister Shafqat Mahmood tweeted Tuesday morning.

    He said it was done with a heavy heart, Geo reported.

    “I request all students to use this time not as a holiday but to revise their courses, do homework,” he said.

    The federal education minister asked students to continue with their studies “as much as possible”.

    Mahmood had made similar remarks last week while talking to Geo Pakistan. He had said the decision to close down educational institutes was taken due to non-compliance with government-issued coronavirus SOPs.

    “The SOPs were not being followed as they should have been,” he had said, adding that health department data showed rapid virus transmission in education institutes.

    Stressing that children’s health cannot be taken lightly, Mahmood said there were around 50 million students across the country i.e. one-fourth of our population. “They can become carriers. So it was necessary to shut down schools.”

  • LPL 2020: Shahid Afridi’s clash with Afghanistan’s Naveenul Haq goes viral

    LPL 2020: Shahid Afridi’s clash with Afghanistan’s Naveenul Haq goes viral

    Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi’s clash with Afghanistan’s Naveenul Haq has gone viral over the internet.

    As per the details, the clash followed a heated exchange of words between Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir and Haq during a match of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) on Monday.

    Haq’s Kandy Tuskers beat Afridi and Amir’s Galle Gladiators by 25 runs.

    As the match continued, Haq misbehaved with Amir during the latter part of the game. Everyone tried to stop him, including India’s Munaf Patel, but he continued hurling abuses even after winning the match.

    It had all started when Naveen was bowling to Amir and he hit a six.

    During final fist-pump, Afridi asked him angrily “Kia hogya hai [what’s the matter]?” while also giving him the now viral death stare.

    Naveen was also seen saying something to Afridi.

    Meanwhile, Gladiators lost their third match in a row. Their next match is on Thursday.

  • Ishaq Dar says owns just one property

    Ishaq Dar says owns just one property

    Former finance minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ishaq Dar, who is in a self-imposed exile after corruption cases were filed against him, has said that he and his wife own only a single property that’s located in Pakistan.

    Dar made these comments during his appearance in BBC show, HardTalk.

    During the show, the host asked Dar: “Is it your contention that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has no integrity? To this, Dar responded that NAB has lost its integrity. “It is an institution that has been used against political opponents.”

    Dar said the prime allegation in the Panama Papers Joint Investigation Team report on which the Supreme Court directed NAB to file a reference against him was that he didn’t file his tax returns in Pakistan for 20 years i.e. 1981-2001. Dar said as a chartered account, he had never missed filing his tax returns while living in the UK and North America, as he called these “blatant allegations”.

    At this the host asked Dar about the number of properties owned by his family. The PML-N leader responded, “It’s all in my tax returns.”

    Upon the insistence of the host, he said: “I have my main residence in Pakistan which has been taken over by this regime… I haven’t got too many properties.”

    “How many properties do you and your family own,” the host asked him again. At this, Dar said: “One.” At this, the show host asked him about the news reports in the Pakistan press that claim that the former PML-N minister owned multiple properties in and outside Pakistan. “You are sitting in London and you don’t own anything here,” the host asked Dar.

    Dar responded that he doesn’t own any property in London or anywhere else as claimed by the media reports.

    However, he went on to admit that his sons recently acquired a villa in Dubai. “They are adult and are in the business for the past 17 years,” he clarified.

    Dar, 69, is currently in London, “undergoing medical treatment”. He is absconding from several cases in Pakistan since 2017 and has been declared a proclaimed offender by the courts. He is facing charges of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

  • Sajal Aly wins big at DIAFA for her contribution to film and television

    Sajal Aly wins big at DIAFA for her contribution to film and television

    Sajal Ahad Mir (Aly) achieved another milestone as she received the prestigious Distinctive International Arab Festivals Award for her contribution to Film and Television.

    Distinctive International Arab Festivals Award (DIAFA), which is held annually in Dubai, honours distinguished international and Arab figures for their annual achievements and contributions towards communities and societies betterment.

    According to DIAFA’s official website, “DIAFA is a unique and prestigious annual event that honours distinguished international and Arab personalities in recognition of their annual achievements and contributions towards communities and societies betterment. These personalities are selected by a qualified committee and honorees are chosen from all fields such as music, arts, culture, business, humanitarian services, etc.”

    Sharing a picture of herself with her golden trophy, Sajal said: “This award is special to me not just as an artist, but as a proud Pakistani. Thank you DIAFA and Thank you Dubai for honouring artists from around the world.”

    While receiving the award, Sajal on-stage said: “I am really honoured to be here with such amazing actors and amazing people. I really want to thank all my fans for believing in me. Thank you DIAFA, Thank you so much for this honour.”

    Soon after Sajal shared her picture with her award, congratulotory messages poured in from fans and colleagues.

    “Proud of you,” said husband Ahad Raza Mir, while sister Saboor Aly called her the “pride of Pakistan”.

    Sajal wore a black outfit for the function and tied her hair in a bun. She accessorized her look with small earrings.

    Meanwhile, it is pertinent to add her that Sajal shared the table with the star of 365 Days: Italian actor Michele Morrone, who was also recognised for his contribution to the film and television. Morrone also performed at the ceremony.

  • Security guard accidentally shoots himself while recording TikTok video

    A security guard accidentally shot himself while recording a TikTok video in Karachi.

    According to reports, the incident happened in the city’s Gulshan-e-Maymar area. The security guard employed at a floor mill was recording a video with his friend to post it on the popular short-video sharing app TikTok when he accidentally shot and killed himself.

    The police said the video saved in his mobile phone shows him putting a rifle on his chest. During the recording, he accidentally pulls the trigger of the rifle resulting in his death.

    The deceased, identified as Anwar Ali, was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where he was declared dead.

    Meanwhile, his friend, who was filming the video with him has been taken into custody.

  • Adnan Siddiqui is ‘super stoked’ to be part of a partnership that ‘transcends borders’

    Adnan Siddiqui is ‘super stoked’ to be part of a partnership that ‘transcends borders’

    The Pakistani entertainment industry is all set to witness a new era as Pakistan and Turkey join hands through a new collaboration.

    According to details, Adnan Siddiqui and Humayun Saeed will be part of the new project that has Tekdin Films and TRT production as partners. The former has produced Diriliş: Ertuğrul that has taken audiences in Pakistan by atorm

    In a post on Instagram, Siddiqui revealed that Tekdin Films, which is the name behind the hit series Diriliş: Ertuğrul, will be working with Pakistan’s TRT Films. Adnan added that he along with his Meray Paas Tum Ho co-star Humayun will be overlooking the pre, on-going and post-production activities of this collaboration.

    “As millennials say: ‘super stoked’ to bring to you a partnership that transcends borders. Pakistan and Turkey have joined hands in a collaboration between Dr Kashif Ansari’s Ansari films, TRT films and Mr Kamal Tekdin’s Tekdin Films to usher in a fresh era in Pakistani industry. The new venture has also got on board yours truly and Humayun as an extended arm, ” he wrote.

    Adnan further shared: “For the uninitiated, Tekdin Films is the name behind the blockbuster Diriliş: Ertuğrul. I have always believed that art should be free from the shackles of international and geopolitical boundaries. This is my small step towards that.”

    “Dr Kashaf Ansari and Mr Kamal Tekdin have formed a new production that will infuse freshness in Pakistani content. He asked me and my friend and colleague Humayun Saeed to come on board and here we are,” said Siddiqui in a statement.

    On being asked what would the new alliance mean for native entertainment industry, Siddiqui, who has not let borders constrain his work, said, “Art should not be a slave to international boundaries and political agendas. It should be allowed to flow freely and prosper.”

    The project is expected to release by the end of this year.

  • Ali Tareen ‘welcome to join PPP’ after saying Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari is ‘pretty cool’

    Ali Tareen, who is the son of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s close aide and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) bigwig Jahangir Tareen, was on Monday offered to join the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in response to a tweet calling Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari “pretty cool”.

    “Political differences aside, Aseefa is pretty cool,” Tareen had tweeted after Aseefa’s address to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) jalsa in Multan, which was seen as the formal entry into politics by the daughter of the late former PM Benazir Bhutto and ex-president Asif Ali Zardari.

    “Shukriya [thank you] Ali Tareen we welcome you to join PPP [sic],” tweeted a PPP supporter in response to the Multan Sultans co-owner’s praise for Aseefa.

    Here’s what the younger Tareen had to say in response:

    The tweets came as several netizens took to Twitter to praise Aseefa, who was filling in for her coronavirus positive brother PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, over her maiden public address. Many said she reminded them of her mother Benazir.

    Earlier, Aseefa delivered a short and brisk speech. She vowed to stand by her brother “every step of the way”.

    She began her speech by heaping scorn on the “selected” government. “Despite the cruelty and oppression by the selected [government], so many of you have gathered here. This selected [government] will have to go!”

    She said those who think the opposition will be cowed into submission are mistaken, Geo reported.

    Aseefa said that the people had announced their decision and that they wanted PM Imran to “pack up and leave”.

    Speaking about her mother, she said Benazir Bhutto had carried on her father’s mission — to establish a welfare state — and faced several setbacks.

    “[Former] president Asif Zardari introduced the 18th Amendment and BISP [Benazir Income Support Programme] and fought for the people’s rights,” she said and promised supporters that she would continue their mission and would not back down.

    “They think that we are afraid of arrests. If they arrest our brothers, then they should know that every woman of PPP is ready to take up the struggle,” she said.