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  • Indian film industry bans Mika Singh after Karachi performance

    Indian film industry bans Mika Singh after Karachi performance

    The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) has banned singer Mika Singh from the Indian film industry for performing at an event in Karachi, Pakistan.

    According to details, Mika performed at the mehndi ceremony of former President General Pervez Musharraf’s close relative’s daughter. After a video from the wedding went viral, social media went into uproar since this move came after India stripped Kashmir of its special status by removing Article 370.

    https://twitter.com/HamidMirPAK/status/1160062315544403968?s=20

    Mika was granted permission to perform in Karachi even though Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on the same day, August 8, had reiterated that no Indian movie will be screened in Pakistani cinemas. Talking to media, Awan said a policy was being formulated to ban all kinds of Indian cultural content in Pakistan.

    Following Mika’s performance, AICWA President Suresh Shyamlal Gupta in a letter stated: “AICWA bans and boycott singer Mika Singh from the Indian film industry for performing at a high profile event at Karachi dated August 8, 2019.”

    The statement further read that “AICWA workers will make sure that no one in India works with Mika Singh and if anyone does, they will face legal consequences in the court of law”.

    “When the tension between the countries is at the peak, Mika Singh puts money above the nation’s pride,” the film association said.

    Mika and his crew were given visas for 30 days to perform in three cities – Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.

  • Indian anchor drowns while reporting Karnataka floods

    Indian anchor drowns while reporting Karnataka floods

    An Indian television anchor reporting on Karnataka floods drowned.

    Well, not really. A clip of an anchor of a Kannada TV channel has gone viral where the anchor drowns in water graphics reporting on the recent floods in Karnataka.

    While some people found the clip funny, others thought it was an insensitive way to report on floods that actually take lives and causes mayhem.

    Well, India cannot outdo Pakistan when it comes to flood reporting. A reporter of GTV News actually reported on floods while he was neck-deep in the water. Now, this is called reporting!

  • Eid releases: A starry affair

    Eid releases: A starry affair

    Three major releases, namely Parey Hut Love, Heer Maan Ja and Superstar, are hitting the screens this Eid ul Azha and the excitement and promotions for the films are in full swing. Moreso, all three films have A-listers in their cast. From Mahira Khan to Hareem Farooq, from Sheheryar Munawar to Ali Rehman Khan, the casts of all the films are lit which make them all the more appealing.

    But what’s interesting is that it appears that every member of the Pakistani film industry is part of at least one of three films which makes the films even more starry than before. While Meera Jee and Fawad Khan have cameos in Parey Hut Love, Hania Aamir and Syra Shehroz make an appearance in Superstar. Mikaal Zulfiqar and Ahmed Ali Akbar have guest appearances in Heer Maan Jaa. The names above are just a few and the makers of the film have promised us even more stars.

    Essentially cameos, especially starry cameos, are added to draw more attention towards the films and increase their star value and every film’s director and producer has applied that formula in their films. Basically, this means that even if the films have no storyline, no plot, we’ll still be excited to watch them because you don’t know who’ll pop up onscreen next.

    Nonetheless, The Current asked the makers behind the films to decode this concept for us and this is what they had to say.

    Speaking exclusively to The Current, Asim remarked, “Feature films are made to entertain people and you have to keep looking for any and every possibility on how you can entertain them. Mixing things such as cameos or guest appearances by known faces with characters brings vibrance and excitement that is needed for any film.”

    “This is not the first time that I have done this,” he continued. “In my first feature film, three years ago, Ho Mann Jahaan, I introduced this concept. Why others are doing it, I don’t know, but I’m doing it because I believe in it. It’s a way of adding more entertainment for my viewers.”

    Asim concluded his remarks saying that his films are for the masses and he would do anything that is decently possible to keep them entertained and engaged.

    We also caught the producer of Heer Maan Ja, Hareem Farooq as she was promoting the film and asked her the same. Hareem started off by laughing that this was done to add more star power to the film and make it more attractive for the audiences. She then commented that guest appearances were the need of the film as the script demanded it.

    When asked how the filmmakers decided who to cast, Hareem replied, “Some actors were decided when we were writing the script. So some of the guest roles were written keeping in mind the actor. Others were cast once the script was finalised and we felt that they would be best suited for the role.”

    Looks like this Eid is all about the more the merrier. But hey, we’re not complaining.

    Which film are you most excited for?

  • ‘Its all love everywhere’: Hamza Ali Abbasi shares Hajj experience

    ‘Its all love everywhere’: Hamza Ali Abbasi shares Hajj experience

    Among the many celebrities who went for Hajj this year is actor/host Hamza Ali Abbasi.

    In an interview with Arab News, Hamza recounted his wonderful experience and praised Saudi authorities for making the pilgrimage a smooth experience.

    “To Muslims everywhere, please come here once,” Hamza said. “You cannot even begin to imagine the experience. You have to be here in person to experience each and every bit of it.”

    “When I came here, my first impression was inclusiveness,” Hamza continued. “Seeing people from literally every country on the face of this planet, united under this one creed that there is only one God.”

    “My second impression was just the scale of it. More two million people at one place. You can’t help but imagine what kind of logistical nightmare it would be, but it goes very smoothly; having no issues, well-taken care of…It goes so seamlessly that you don’t realise what kind of a mammoth effort goes behind it,” he added.

    Sharing further, Hamza said, “The attitude of the people; they’ve been travelling for a long time. And if you travel for any other cause except Allah, you’d be tired, fatigued or irritable. But because they are travelling for a cause, for Allah, you see them smiling. You see them charitable…the pilgrims, they’re very helpful, [as are] the volunteers.”

    “The atmosphere is like a very big brotherhood. And it’s all love everywhere,” he concluded.

    Hamza is among the 200,000 Pakistani pilgrims who undertook their spiritual journey to Islam’s holiest cities of Makkah and Madinah this year. Spotting him in the crowd in his bright white ihram, many fellow pilgrims requested to take pictures with him.

    Other known faces who also performed Hajj this year include singer Atif Aslam and actor Feroze Khan. Feroze even shared a picture of all of them in Makkah.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B1CcWWXhV-z/
  • Shireen Mazari urges UNICEF to remove Priyanka Chopra as Goodwill Peace Ambassador

    Shireen Mazari urges UNICEF to remove Priyanka Chopra as Goodwill Peace Ambassador

    Priyanka Chopra’s response to a Pakistani woman who accused her of warmongering has caused an uproar worldwide, except in India of course.

    Minister for Human Rights Pakistan Shireen Mazari, in a tweet, asked UNICEF to take immediate action and remove Priyanka as their peace ambassador.

    Actor/humanitarian Armeena Khan also shared an open letter to UNICEF in which she outlined all the details and asked UNICEF if this is how a Goodwill Peace Ambassador is supposed to behave like.

    https://twitter.com/ArmeenaRK/status/1160994762582908929?s=20

    Senator Sherry Rehman also expressed her contempt on Priyanka’s comments.

    Meanwhile, Pakistanis began to compare Priyanka’s comments with those of Mehwish Hayat and asked Priyanka to learn a thing or two from the Pakistani actor. Mehwish, who received the Pride of Performance from the Norwegian Government gave a strong speech in which she highlighted the plight of the Kashmiris and called out Bollywood and Hollywood for misrepresenting Muslims and Pakistanis.

    Mehwish in her speech also urged Bollywood to decide whether their nationalism is more important or a peaceful future is.

  • Police arrests a man for a TikTok video of firing gunshots in the air

    Police arrests a man for a TikTok video of firing gunshots in the air

    A man in India was arrested for posting a video on
    TikTok of himself firing in the air with a  pistol.

    As per reports, Faizan is addicted to TikTok and he was celebrating his 32nd birthday with his friends and wanted to make it memorable. So he fired some shots in the air from a pistol, recorded it and later uploaded the video on TikTok.

    The video went viral on Facebook and Whatsapp sending the Delhi Police a security alert. The Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police tracked the exact location of the video after which the police arrested Faizan from his residence.

    Faizan’s father is a popular caterer in old Delhi. He
    helps his father in his business. He confessed to his crime. The weapon and the
    mobile phone used in the crime were also seized from him.

  • Hollywood has built an image of my country that I certainly don’t recognise: Mehwish Hayat

    Hollywood has built an image of my country that I certainly don’t recognise: Mehwish Hayat

    Mehwish Hayat makes Pakistan proud once again. The actor has received the Pride of Performance award from Norway’s Prime Minister Madam Erna Solberg for doing films which are based on women empowerment and for spreading the message of peace on multiple national and international platforms.

    Mehwish shared the video of herself receiving the award from Norway’s PM on Twitter. The host of the event gave her a stellar introduction and said that they are “proud to have her here in Norway.”

    Taking to the podium, Mehwish thanked the Norway PM and government for bestowing her the honour before speaking about films and regional peace.

    “It is fitting that we are here in Oslo this evening, the home of the Nobel Peace Prize,” Mehwish began. “Peace is something that unfortunately my country Pakistan has not known since its inception. We have been embroiled in one conflict or another for as long as I can remember. For us in Pakistan, peace has become a relative state of mind,” Mehwish said.

    She continued, “Even as I speak today, we are yet again in another conflict with our neighbours over Kashmir, which literally blew up last week.”

    Mehwish remarked that as an actor she could very easily just do her films and forget about the rest.

    “Cinema is a very powerful tool. It has the ability to change people’s mind, behaviour and attitude. I sincerely believe that Hollywood films and programs vilifying my country and portraying us as terrorists has had a profound effect on the psyche of the West. It has greatly influenced what people think of Pakistan.”

    Naming a few films, she commented that “Hollywood has built an image of my country that I certainly don’t recognise.”

    “A country branded a terrorist, we have lost over 70,000 lives and billions since 2001. That is more than any other country. But where is that being shown?” Mehwish questioned, adding that these films which portray a negative image of Muslims have fueled Islamaphobia.

    Mehwish then took on Bollywood. She said that it is one of the largest film industries in the world and they had the power to bring us [Pakistan and India] together.

    “But what do they do?” Mehwish said, “They make countless films showing Pakistanis as the villains. I have lost count of the number of films in the last year where Pakistan has been shown in bad light.”

    She said that she understands that one has to appear patriotic but if “we want some peace in the future, we as artists need to see beyond nationalism and take a stance.”

    She said that she believes that through films, we can present a more “nuanced picture” of the country. Mehwish said, “there is more to us than gun-breeding terrorists and subjugated women.”

    Mehwish then addressed India directly and said that they need to decide whether their nationalism is more important or a peaceful future is. She finished off her speech with a quote from Prime Minister Imran Khan, which was met with huge applause.

    “If they [India] are willing to take one step forward [towards peace], we are willing to take ten steps.”

  • QUIZ: Which Pakistani Flick Should You Watch on Eid?

    QUIZ: Which Pakistani Flick Should You Watch on Eid?

  • Priyanka Chopra’s response to a Pakistani woman on war infuriates people

    Priyanka Chopra’s response to a Pakistani woman on war infuriates people

    When a Pakistani woman confronted Priyanka Chopra at a beauty event in Los Angeles for warmongering, the actor did not have the wisest of response. In fact, her response came across as crass, callous and unbecoming of someone who is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

    As Chopra was taking questions at BeautyCon, the Pakistani woman Ayesha Malik, called the Bollywood star a hypocrite for “encouraging nuclear war against Pakistan.”

    “So it was kind of hard hearing you talk about humanity because as your neighbour, a Pakistani, I know you’re a bit of a hypocrite,” Malik can be heard saying in the video posted on Twitter. “You tweeted on February 26, ‘Jai Hind #IndianArmedForces.’”

    Malik continued, “You are a UNICEF ambassador for peace and you’re encouraging nuclear war against Pakistan. There’s no winner in this. As a Pakistani, millions of people like me have supported you in your business of Bollywood and you wanted nuclear war.”

    However, the microphone was taken away from Malik before she could make any further comments.

    Priyanka started off her response by saying “Whenever you’re done venting … got it, done? Okay, cool.”

    She then said, “So, I have many, many friends from Pakistan and I am from India, and war is not something that I am really fond of but I am patriotic. So, I’m sorry if I hurt sentiments to people who do love me and have loved me, but I think that all of us have a sort of middle ground that we all have to walk, just like you probably do as well.”

    “The way you came at me right now?” Chopra remarked. “Girl, don’t yell. We’re all here for love. Don’t yell. Don’t embarrass yourself. But we all walk that middle ground, but thank you for your enthusiasm and your question and your voice.”

    Priyanka’s response and comments did not impress anyone and people were mostly infuriated with her condescending tone and attitude.

    Ayesha later took to Twitter to share her side of the story.

    In case you missed it, Priyanka in a tweet on February 26, cheered an announcement from India that it had launched airstrikes in Pakistan.

    The airstrikes escalated tensions between the two countries and everyone was fearing war. Tensions between the two continues are currently high again after India suspended Article 370 which granted Indian occupied Kashmir a special status.

    Meanwhile, Pakistanis have taken to Twitter to express their anger and disgust at Priyanka.

  • The Five-Hour Goat

    The Five-Hour Goat

    In 1996, farmers in the United States asked that the label of goat meat be changed to mutton since people were confusing it with sheep meat. That’s how underrated the goat was – and still is – in the United States. To promote the great goat in Europe, certain cities celebrate the month of October as Goatober. But the goat is still second, third, fourth-best to other animals. Even though it’s lower in fat than chicken and has more protein than beef. Basically, it’s pretty darn special but underrated.

    In the Middle East, special takes time but minimal effort. An age-old way to cook goat meat, a method that involves underground ovens and whole goats, still practiced in Arab countries, especially Jordan and Palestine. A skinned goat, with its head intact, is made to sit on a bed of potatoes and vegetables on a large silver platter and slowly lowered into the ground, into an oven with hot coals.

    The Goat is skinned and lowered into an underground oven with hot coals

    The oven is then closed with a lid and covered with the earth. Five hours later, it is slowly raised out, its meat divinely falling off the bone, its eyes, small black dots. In Jordanian and Palestinian culture, its tradition for the guest of honor to get the first bite of the goat tongue.

    Five hours later

    With a steaming goat, proudly displayed in the middle of the dining table, the host breaks open the jaws of the goat, rips out the tongue and tears out a piece. It is then presented to the guest of honor who has to eat it, with pleasure. Tradition also states that if the host presents a guest with the black eye of the goat, he is declaring enmity and showing his disdain towards the guest.   

     In the modern version, using a goat leg, make cuts in the leg and stuff the grooves with garlic cloves. In meat, you can never have enough garlic so use as many as you can fit in. Rub salt and pepper.  Using a large, oven safe pot, put the leg in with carrots, whole garlic heads, onions and potatoes. Add as much as six potatoes, three large onions cut in portions like the aloos in a biryani. Cook it in the oven on low heat, around 190 C for five hours. Keep checking to see if it’s drying out, and if it is, add water or better yet, add vegetable or chicken broth. Cook it until the meat fall off the bone. Tongue and black eye optional.