Celebrity couple Aiman Khan and Muneeb Butt hosted a lavish bash for their daughter Amal’s second birthday. The entire family enjoyed a colorfully decorated venue with a cat themed wall and a live magic show.
Soon to be spouses, Minal Khan and Ahsan Mohsin Ikram made sure they capture their special moments together.
Many A-list celebrities attended the bash.
Actor Sidharth Shukla passed away on Thursday, an official at the Cooper Hospital revealed that he suffered a massive heart attack early in the morning. He is survived by his mother and two sisters.
He was 41, and recently won the thirteen season of Bigg Boss. Hospital Authorities said that he took some medicine before sleeping and didn’t wake up. Later, the hospital confirmed that he passed away due to a heart attack. According to the sources, he was brought dead to the hospital.
He began his career in showbiz as a model and made his acting debut with a lead role in the television show Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na.
Pakistani actresses took to their Instagram handles to mourn the untimely death of the Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya star.
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, and Captain Muhammad Safdar Awan’s son Junaid Safdar married Ayesha Saif Khan in London on Sunday in a lavish ceremony. The duo tied the knot at The Lanesborough, a 5-star hotel in Knightsbridge.
Although they hired a professional singer, Navin Kundra, who enthralled the audience with his songs, he asked Junaid to sing a song.
Junaid impressed the guests with his singing skills, especially his wife Ayesha by crooning the chartbuster song, Kya Hua Tera Waada from the hit Bollywood film Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahi starring Rishi Kapoor.
Singer Bilal Maqsood was quick to comment on social media that the decoration at Junaid Safdar’s wedding is from his tax money.
Taking to Instagram stories, the Dhaani singer wrote: “Some of the flowers in the background might be from my tax money. But I have to give this guy full marks for his singing.”
Female stars, Areeba Habib and Mathira were quick to condemn this statement citing that it’s a moment of happiness for Junaid’s family and it shouldn’t be dampened.
They also appreciated his singing skills with multiple comments.
Sun Yaara star Ghana Ali supported Bilal amidst the backlash and mentioned that ‘usko sub jaiz hai’.
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, and Captain Muhammad Safdar Awan’s son Junaid Safdar married Ayesha Saif Khan in London on Sunday in a lavish ceremony. The duo tied the knot at The Lanesborough, a 5-star hotel in Knightsbridge.
Although they hired a professional singer, Navin Kundra, who enthralled the audience with his songs, he asked Junaid to sing a song.
Junaid impressed the guests with his singing skills, especially his wife Ayesha by crooning the chartbuster song, Kya Hua Tera Waada from the hit Bollywood film Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahi starring Rishi Kapoor.
After the videos of him singing went viral, several female celebrities have showered his singing skills with appreciation.
Jalan fame actor Areeba Habib took to her Instagram account to share pictures from her Baat Paaki ceremony with Saadain Imran Sheikh. The Koi Chand Rakh star looked radiant in an off white and gold dress.
The talented actor went big on décor and made sure every frame of her venue looks picture-perfect and elegant.
Areeba also sent goodies to her colleagues in the entertainment industry.
Have a look at some of the pictures:
After Areeba uploaded the pictures congratulatory messages started pouring in.
Areeba Habib appeared on Geo’s Jashan-e-Cricket where she had a discussion about her industry, work and sociopolitical matters. The Jalan actress said that before joining politics, politicians should go to schools to learn manners.
The actress was commenting on the recent incident of the use of foul language during the budget speech of Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif. Moments after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president started speaking, he was greeted with loud slogans and whistles from the treasury benches.
“I think they all should be admitted to a finishing school before getting into politics so that they can learn [manners] and learn how to behave with each other.”
“But not everyone is like this, there are some good [politicians] too,” she added.
When the host asked what should they learn in finishing school? Areeba replied that they should learn how to be civilised and to be patient.
Ekta Kapoor has thanked Areeba Habib for praising her latest web series.
Habib took to her Instagram story, to praise Kapoor’s web series Broken But Beautiful, which has been recently released. “Next level must watch”, wrote Areeba, while sharing the screengrab of the web-series. She also tagged Ekta in the post.
Ekta, re-shared the story saying, “Aaadaab! Thank you for your love [from] across the border.”
Areeba, sharing Ekta’s story wrote : “Brilliant show”.
Amidst the political turmoil between the two neighboring countries, this cross-border camaraderie is a breath of fresh air.
2020’s most controversial Pakistani drama, actually one of the most controversial dramas, Jalan came to a close Wednesday night after 31 painful episodes which had all the ingredients of an over-the-top soap opera. There was a love triangle, infidelity, abortion sprinkled with lots and lots of drama to draw all the haw hais and ensure that audiences are hooked.
As expected and predicted, Jalan ends with Nisha (Minal Khan) losing her wits and ending up in a sorry state with a disfigured face after getting involved in a car accident. On the other hand, Asfi (Emmad Irfani), who spent the final couple of episodes feeling desolate and depressed over everything that transpired died with what we assume was a heart attack – the makers never clarify how he died. Karma finally catches up with the ‘bad’ characters with the makers giving them the end they assumed would satisfy audiences.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t. The last episode was a bit of a drag with Asfi getting constant flashbacks of his life and relationship with Meenu. He seeks redemption by going to her grave and praying and giving away charity in her name – as if that was enough to cover up all the pain he caused her with his actions and callous behaviour. But as always our writers give the heroes an easier end compared to the female protagonist, who has to suffer every day for her sins. Even Kinza Apa (Nadya Hussain) in the end prayed that Asfi and Meenu would reunite in heaven.
Nisha, on the other hand, has a sudden bout of pagalpan in which she starts dragging and pushed Areej (Hajra Yamin) out of the house. In an attempt to protect herself, Areej locks herself up in her room till Ahmer (Fahad Sheikh) comes home and orders Nisha to her room. And Nisha obediently listens to him and goes upstairs to sleep. When she wakes up, she starts seeing Meenu (Areeba Habib) which causes her to lose her mind further and she eventually ends up crashing her car and burning her face. I’m no expert, but from whatever little knowledge I have, I am assuming that Nisha clearly had psychological issues and instead of getting her proper help, her family abandoned her and let her become a mess. They never really addressed the problem and in the end, packed up and left her alone.
Areej and Ahmer are the only ones who got a happy ending with a fulfilling marital life and a baby on the way. Though I have to add that I am still confused over how Ahmer suddenly had a change of heart for Areej. I’d also like to add here that in 31 episodes, never once did we get to see Areej’s family or brother who is married to Ahmer’s sister Humaira (Maira Khan). There were so many loopholes and missing pieces that you wonder if the writer dropped half the script on her way to the sets.
Jalan’s finale was as absurd as the rest of it and the makers only used sensationalism to build up the drama and hype. While the initial couple of episodes could have qualified as a guilt-watch for some, after Meenu died in a tragic and melodramatic manner, things went downhill. The direction and production were weak and the script even poorer. There was a lot of violence in the drama with Nisha being slapped right, left and centre. There was also a scene in which Asfi almost strangled Nisha to death. Such scenes are unwarranted, unnecessary and serve no purpose except to create furor.
The only highlight of the drama, for me was probably the performances. It was refreshing to see Minal play a strong and villainous character unlike the damsel in distress she usually plays and she and Emmad both gave good performances. The scenes in which they fought were actually pretty intense and credit for that goes to them and not to the writer or director.
Jalan has also given Pakistani television and new hero – Fahad Sheikh and a new hit pair – Fahad and Hajra. The two have good onscreen chemistry and it seems like audiences also enjoyed this pairing because their short film Naam Kya Rakha on See Prime gathered a million views within a week of being released.
I, for one, am glad that Jalan has ended and though it unfortunately did leave a mark, I hope that writers and producers will focus on intelligent scripts which along with entertaining audiences also give a positive message – like Sabaat for instance. However, given the success of the show, I have little hope.
Every season, there is at least one, if not more, drama which creates a stir and causes an uproar on social media. This season, it is Jalan, with its twisted and very problematic storyline.
For those who have been oblivious to the drama and PEMRA’s short-lived ban on it, Jalan is about two sisters Nisha (Minal Khan) and Misha (Areeba Habib) who are after the same guy. While Misha is the sweet and obedient sister, Nisha is a spoiled brat and wants to be better than her sister, so she sets her sights on her brother-in-law Asfandyar (Emmad Irfani) because he’s rich and good-looking. Ignoring the fact that her sister is married to Asfandyar (Asfi) and pregnant with his child, Nisha openly flirts with him and urges him to divorce his wife. Nisha eventually gets her way and Asfi not only divorces his wife but also pushes her as a result of which she falls to the floor and ends up delivering their baby prematurely. Nisha’s parents throw her out of the house and she seeks refuge with Asfi pushing him to marry her as soon as possible. As Nisha and Asfi get married, Meenu, who cannot bear the heartbreak and humiliation sets herself on fire and eventually dies leaving behind her infant child.
Asfi and Nisha’s marital bliss doesn’t last long and the cracks become wider when Nisha’s ex-fiance Ahmer (Fahad Sheikh), makes a dramatic re-entry into her life richer and better-dressed. Nisha then sets her sights on him, straight-up asking him to marry her the second time they meet after their breakup.
If the entire situation wasn’t bizarre enough, it’s execution is even more mind-boggling. The script is weak and the characters terribly developed. It’s as if the writer after every scene forgot what she had written in the previous scene and started the new chapter afresh – there is no flow in scenes. Even though Nisha is the protagonist, her character and callous actions are incomprehensible and beyond basic understanding. The drama’s writer Sidra Sehar Imran, in a recent interview, said that the drama is a true story but I’m finding that a little hard to believe. In the past (I’m looking at you Meray Paas Tum Ho), several writers have used the ‘true story’ trope as a marketing gimmick in an attempt to hype up their dramas and push up ratings. This time round I am not definitely not buying it.
If we thought Nisha was messed up, Asfi is even worse. He barely has any dialogues and mostly just moves around with either a sullen expression on his face or screaming his head off. While Irfani does a decent job with the role, Asfi’s one-dimensional personality is irritating, to say the least.
I am unable to fathom what the makers of the drama are trying to show with this plot and storyline. A few words simply cannot sum up the disaster this drama is. It is quite clear that ARY just wanted to create a stir with this and they have gotten exactly that. Substance and content do not matter. It appears that with Jalan, we’ve hit a new low.
Jalan is one of those dramas which are so bad that they don’t even qualify as a guilty pleasure. Every time you tune into it, you are bound to get your blood pressure high.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has ordered an immediate ban on ARY Digital’s ongoing drama Jalan, saying that the content of the drama goes against the “social and moral ethics of Pakistani society”.
In a notification, PEMRA said that the content of Jalan goes against the values of the Pakistani society and that viewers and audiences have been strongly criticising the drama and its storyline. It further said that the channel and the drama’s makers had been repeatedly told to modify the script and content of the drama and bring it in line with Pakistani morals and ethics. But because they did not comply with PEMRA’s order and ignored its warnings, the regulatory body had no choice but to ban the drama under Section 27 of the PEMRA Ordinance.
Jalan is about two sisters Nisha (Minal Khan) and Misha (Areeba Habib). While Misha is the sweet and obedient sister, Nisha is a spoiled brat and wants to be better than her sister, so she sets her sights on her brother-in-law Asfandyar (Emmad Irfani) because he’s rich and good-looking. Ignoring the fact that her sister is married to Asfandyar, Nisha openly flirts with him and urges him to divorce his pregnant wife. Despite, its convoluted and twisted storyline, the drama trends on TV and social media every week.
Earlier, in a notice issued on September 4, PEMRA had directed ARY Digital and the makers of Jalan to review its content and script and modify it in accordance with Pakistani values.
In the press release, the media regulatory body said that it has been getting multiple complaints regarding the drama, its content and script through the Pakistan Citizens Portal, PEMRA social media accounts, and PEMRA call centres. It added that the content of the drama, especially the main storyline, is being strongly criticised by audiences on social media.
“Audiences have strongly criticised the drama saying that it has made a mockery of sacred relationships,” the notification had read.
PEMRA had also requested all stakeholders, including TV channels and production houses, to immediately review the content of their future dramas.
“Regardless of the cost and time invested in the drama, if the content of a play is against national values and expectations of the audience, the play will be banned without any warning,” stated the press release.
While the lead cast and makers of the drama have yet to respond to the ban, Fahad Sheikh who plays Ahmer in the drama, expressed his disappointment over the decision.
