Sharing a picture of himself with Humayun Saeed from a recent trip to Turkey, Imran wrote: “Someone I respect, love and admire the most in our industry, mera bhai.”
Commenting under Imran’s post, Ayeza wrote: “You two are my favourites. Amazing human beings.”
“It’s an honour for me to work with such brilliant actors with the best heart,” she added.
Responding to Ayeza’s comment, Abbas also praised the actress calling her “a gem of a person”.
Earlier, Imran also shared a picture of himself with Turkish actor, Celal AL who played the character of Abdul Rehman Alp in Diriliş: Ertuğrul. Pakistani and Turkish actors have been spotted bonding in recent times.
Meanwhile, Humayun is in Turkey to work on Pakistan and Turkey’s joint production Turki Lala. The Pakistani delegation comprising of Humayun, Adnan Siddiqui, Humayun Saeed, producers Dr Kashif Ansari of Ansari Films and Dr Junaid Ali Shah met senior ministers in the Turkish government and discussed the upcoming series.
Turki Lala is expected to go on floors soon. The plot of the upcoming venture is based on “Turki Lala who is considered to be one of the most glorious Muslim nationalists to have assisted Turkey during the Balkan War and World War I.”
Ayeza Khan has dethroned Aiman Khan to become the most followed Pakistani celebrity on Instagram with 8 million followers. Aiman has 7.9 million followers on the social media application while Mahira Khan follows closely behind with 7 million followers.
“Thank you guys so much for the love and respect! It is exciting to have such a huge number of followers here,” said Ayeza celebrating the milestone.
The actor then went to talk about her journey as an actor and how she focused on her work and not on increasing her Instagram followers.
“I must say that the only reason I am able to celebrate this today is that I know how hard I worked to achieve whatever I have on this day,” said Ayeza. “I never focused my work and life towards getting a bigger number of followers. It never works in the long run. My mother has always taught me that it’s important to work hard and build your legacy and be patient. When you have those all the good stuff comes without you knowing.”
Ayeza further talked about the disproportionate relationship between the numbers of followers and influence one can have.
“Growing number of followers doesn’t guarantee a long term success if you’re hollow from the inside. There is a reason why someone with a few thousand followers on Instagram can have more influence on people than someone with tons of millions of followers,” said Ayeza, adding: “Please don’t be that fool that runs after numbers.”
The actor continued: “For me, I never worked towards growing my Instagram numbers. Instead, I have always focused all my energy into my work, my acting and modelling especially, and the fan following grew itself.”
“I’m thankful to all of you guys because it feels great to have so many people recognise your talent and work, rather than blindly taping that follow button and not even knowing what I actually do,” she concluded.
Ayeza Khan has said that she always wanted a husband “jis per saari dunya ki larkian marti hon“.
Opening up about her marriage in arare interview on Ahsan Khan’s new show Time Out with Ahsan Khan, Ayeza said: “Mujhe jo hai na eik aisay larkay say shaadi karni thi jo hero ho, jis per saari dunya ki larkian marti hon. Aur meri hogayi (I always wanted to marry a man who is a hero and desired by all women in the world. And it happened).
She continued: “Main chahati hoon larkian marein. Main tyaar kark aksar bhejti hoon inhein. (In fact, I want women to lust over him. I enjoy it. I make sure he looks amazing when he walks out of the house).”
Later, talking about their marriage, Danish Taimoor, who was also a guest on the show said: “I only consider the time we’ve spent together after marriage because that is when you really become friends and get to know each other.”
Danish further shared that though they were together before their marriage, they always kept their relationship under wraps.
“I feel you shouldn’t disclose your relationship until you’re married. You can’t publicly own someone before you’ve married them,” said the actor.
Similarly, Ayeza said: “Danish and I were in a relationship for five years but we never talked about it in public. These days people openly post their relationships online which is not right. If you’re an unmarried couple, don’t show it on social media because once you’ve posted your personal life online, it’s impossible to erase it.”
“When your children grow up and search your name online, the things that can pop up I’m afraid of that. We need to be the strength of our children, not their weaknesses. They shouldn’t have to face anything because of us,” she added.
Danish also shared his thoughts on institution of marriage during the interview, saying: “I don’t understand why people run away from marriage these days. They think that if they get married, they’ll get stuck.”
“Let me tell you something: nikkah is the most beautiful thing in the world. And once you get married to someone, you naturally start loving them in a way you may have never loved anyone before,” he added.
Danish Taimoor has penned a heartfelt note for Ayeza Khan on her 30th birthday.
Sharing a picture of the two from Ayeza’s birthday celebrations, Danish wrote: “I cannot imagine a single second of my life without this woman, and the beautiful family she has provided me with.”
“I can’t thank you enough for the amount of peace and love you have brought to my world,” he continued. “I hope we continue to grow like this and be with each other till the very last breath of our lives.”
The actor also thanked her fans and friends for their sweet wishes.
“You guys brought me so much joy on my special day,” said Ayeza in a social media post. “The amount of love I received last night is inexpressible for me.”
With the world officially into 2021, Pakistani celebrities among others reflected upon their past year and looked forward to the upcoming one.
Sania Mirza
Sharing some photos of herself and her family, Mirza wrote: “Buh-bye 2020. You’ve been difficult, to say the least, but you have taught us so much, to be grateful for the little things, to be grateful for health, for family, you have taught us simplicity is enough, you have taught us to find joy in moments we forgot we needed to enjoy, in a year that saw so many hardships you will be special cause I made my dream comeback after becoming a mother, so yeah 2020 you were hard, and even evil at times but you taught us to find joy even when things were so so hard.”
In her year end post, Ayeza expressed love for her husband Danish Taimoor.
“No words can describe my love for you and how much I need you every second of my life. I can’t thank you enough for the joy and peace you bring to my world,” wrote Ayeza. “Thanks for being part of my family and always being there for us when we need you.”
2020 has been an interesting year for Pakistani dramas with several controversial dramas hitting our screens this year. In terms of popularity, there is no denying that Meray Paas Tum Ho was television’s highest-watched dramas with a cult following. As we look back on this year, here’s a list of dramas which had the maximum number of views on YouTube till the filing of this story.
Note – We are only including episodes that aired in 2020 in this list. Views have been indicated in brackets.
Nand Episode 1 (12M)
Despite having close to 100 episodes, Nand continues to trend on YouTube and social media. The first episode of the show was fast-paced and thrilling. Not only are we introduced to nand Gohar (Faiza Hassan) and the rest of the family, we dive straight into the story, which is about a woman who likes to control everything and everyone around her. Apart from being very masalaydar and spicy, the drama also boasts solid performances by the lead cast.
Deewangi Last Episode (13M)
Danish Taimoor and Hiba Bukhari’s Deewangi ends with Nageen (Hiba) killing Sultan (Taimoor) and getting her happily ever after with Haroon (Ali Abbas), who first divorced her. Audiences loved the drama for its depiction of love that reached a point of madness and continued to root for Sultan till the very end, even though he commits several mistakes along the way because of his mad love for Nageen. The last episode of the drama was thrilling, intense and fast-paced with viewers hooked to it.
Ishqiya Episode 1 (15M)
The first episode of this intense romance involving two sisters featuring Feroze Khan, Hania Aamir and Ramsha Khan opens with a scene which will instantly remind you of Rahul and Anjali’s basketball matches in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The rest of the episode introduces us to the different characters and their relationship dynamics. Its ends with Azeem’s (Gohar Rasheed) family asking for Hamna’s (Ramsha) hand in marriage, who is in love with Hamza (Feroze).
The last bumper episode of Ehd e Wafa was initially scheduled to hit theatres but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the plan couldn’t fall through. The grand finale, which included a special appearance by Humayun Saeed, saw Captain Saad (Ahad Raza Mir) get injured in tensions on the Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir, following which all four friends gather at the hospital to be on his side as he battles between life and death. The final episode was emotionally charged but ended on a happy note leaving viewers satisfied.
Though the second-last episode of the immensely popular Meray Paas Tum Ho was a slow one, it is one of the highest-viewed ones. The episode saw Mehwish (Ayeza Khan) shift back into her old house and use a wazeefa to try and win Danish back. She regrets the decisions she made and is wallowing in misery. On the other hand, Danish (Humayun Saeed) agreed to marry Hania (Hira Mani) and wore the ring she bought for him after Roomi proposed to her on behalf of his father. Meanwhile, Maham (Savera Nadeem) made sure she reminded Shehwar (Adnan Siddiqui) of his aukaat.
Remember the iconic scene in which Danish (Humayun Saeed) burst into Shehwar’s (Adnan Siddiqui) office and slapped him in Meray Paas Tum Ho?
Siddiqui, who has recently been sharing his highlights from 2020 on social media, recalled memories of the famous slap scene and revealed what transpired behind the scenes on the sets.
“So I reach the set and see Humayun and Nadeem Baig talking in hushed tones, darting glances at me all this while,” said Adnan while talking about what happened on set while this scene was being shot. “‘Perhaps they sold me off to aliens last night,’ I try to make light of it to myself when they decide to include me in the discussion.”
“Turns out, the matter on hand is much more serious. In the first-ever scene that will commence MPTH, Danish will be slapping Shehwar in his office as his employees look on. ‘Not bad’, I chuckle though both Humayun and Nadeem look nervous about my “seniority” and the close friendship I share with Humayun.”
“Cameras roll and there is pin-drop silence. Danish raises his hand on Shehwar and before we know it, we are rolling into full-throttled guffaws Nadeem included,” he continued. “When Humayun and I are shooting together, especially an intense scene, it is a laugh riot and this couldn’t be an exception. In fact, it became essential to put everyone at ease.”
Concluding his remarks, Adnan said: “I still joke with Nadeem why did he stop at just one slap? For a woman as beautiful as Mehwish, Shehwar would have easily taken a few more.”
Meray Paas Tum Ho also featured Ayeza Khan and Hira Mani in the lead. Written by Khalil ur Rehman Qamar and directed by Nadeem Baig, the drama was produced by Humayun and Shahzad Nasib under their production house Six Sigma Plus.
Power couple Danish Taimoor and Ayeza Khan are currently enjoying vacations with their family abroad. While it is not clear where the family is vacationing, the actors have been sharing pictures from their trip on social media. In the pictures, the duo can be seen cruising the waters with their fam including daughter Hoorain Taimoor and son Rayan Taimoor.
Gone are the days when fans would glue themselves to television screens just to get the slightest glimpse of their favorite celebrity’s personal life. God bless Instagram for ensuring that we all are a click away from stalking our favorite celebrities, giving birth to our own online identities, participating in influential social media movements, and being the Emilys in our own virtual Paris.
However, such accessibility comes with heavy responsibility which intensifies in the case of celebrities. From being an average application for posting pictures to becoming a social media giant, Instagram, and its management is now an art. So, let’s dive in and analyze how well our Pakistani celebrities have succeeded in influencing fans through their Instagram feeds. The analysis will take place through the Current ranking edition where you can find an exclusively ranked scorecard highlighting the top and the bottom three Instagram feeds of Pakistani celebrities.
The magic formula for Instagrammy perfection combines just the right proportion of posts featuring everyday adventures, western and eastern dressing styles, catchy captions, precise bios, a classy overall outlook, adequate interactivity with the followers through comments or live sessions, and lastly, a unique special strategy which sets your feed apart from all the others. The perfect score sums up to a total of 16 points with 2 points per category.
If you’re done taking notes, scroll down to see which three best and worst Instagram feeds have made it to the Scorecard. Remember, you are what your Insta feed is!
Disclaimer: Nothing Personal
Mahira Khan: 12 / 16
Although Mahira doesn’t post frequently about her everyday adventures and uses lengthy and boring letters involving her emotional experiences as captions, the girl checks all other boxes for a perfect Instagram account. Her work, individualism and nature-oriented posts give a nostalgic outlook to the feed. Popular instances of interactivity include 2018’s incident when Mahira ended up gifting her Eid outfit to a fan who expressed a desire to wear that dress in the comment section of Mahira’s Eid post. Mahira may reply to your comments as well, you never know! This feed neutralizes its western dimension which stems from a preference for western clothing by a traditional aspect added by her bio titled ‘Funkaar’.
Besides, who could not like the post featuring her incredibly hot gown for Cannes 2018? Everything aside, the point winner for Mahira’s Instagram feed is her special strategy which never lets the glory of her old characters die as fans are constantly reminded of her signature roles like Khirad (Humsafar) or Falak (Shehr-e-Zaat) via her posts. You go, girl!
Aiman Muneeb: 9.5 / 16
Acknowledging the fact that Aiman does not have a striking bio and she rarely replies to comments, her frequent highlights about travelling (Florence, Dubai, Lahore etc.), diet plans and lunch dates really capture the interest of the followers. Her feed maintains a traditional outlook with family-oriented posts about sister dates, her daughter, husband, and mother. Aiman doesn’t shy away from influencing fashion trends by posing in stunning trench coats and desi kurta shalwar. The most captivating part about this feed is its brief, catchy and impactful captions like, “Be your own muse”. All the aforementioned qualities help Aiman skillfully market her special strategy which revolves around the ‘keeping it real’ vibe of a young girl getting the best of both worlds. This strategy does a remarkable job in attracting all those Pakistani girls who dream of making it big, just like our Aiman did.
Ayeza Khan: 3.0 / 16
Jeez, that score’s pretty low but what could we do. The raw bio and majorly sponsored posts and highlights make this feed seem more like a wedding photo album than a celebrity’s feed. Don’t believe us? Try stalking this diva and all you’ll find are some breathtaking but clichéd and glossed up pictures of Ayeza in designer clothes. Her audience interactivity was pretty low until she dedicated a video post to her fans on October 3, 2020, just to let them know that she does read all their messages and comments but is unable to reply due to her busy schedule. This actor does get a decent score for her special strategy through which induced temporary curiosity among her fans. What was it?
On May 3, 2019, Ayeza made headlines by turning her Instagram private after reaching 3.1 million followers. In her own words she “wanted fans not followers” …for a short while though. This move did get her Instagram account under the spotlight. Master stroke, indeed.
And here comes the #ouch part. Below are the ranks and scores of three of Pakistan’s least followed celeb accounts on Instagram according to The Current Scorecard. The grading criteria remains the same, however, there’s a twist. Here, we have graded every category out of -2 with 0 being the highest (which means no damage done) and -2 being the lowest. The maximum score obtainable is -16. By the way, to compensate for the brutal critical analysis, The Current has given #free suggestions to help improve the feeds. So scroll down to discover who has done the most irrecoverable damage (it’s predictable though).
Meera Jee: -15.5 / -16
This feed seems outdated as videos that could have sufficed well as highlights can be seen featuring everyone but herself. Where to begin! Absolute lack of audience interactivity, lack of defined styling preferences in the very few solos posted, and a bio that seems more like a nice and concise resume are just a few of the Instagram blunders we have identified. The whole concept of public engagement seems to have been turned upside down. You’ll see plenty of posts featuring people without adequate description. For instance, did you see the post regarding a gentleman who “is a very creative man in the world of educational”?
Also, dedicating a video post to Zulfi Bukhari without having him or herself in either of them is nothing but awkward. The Current’s Instagram feed takes inspiration from this people-oriented feed to improve as news media because you shall find random posts regarding celebrities’ birthdays, deaths, marriage anniversaries, award nominations, COVID-19 test results, and makeup reviews. Moreover, we all know the major issue with captions. In the broader picture, let us ponder over the unreasonable motivation to be who we aren’t meant to be.
Free suggestion for improvement: Be Yourself
Embracing yourself and being comfortable in your skin can make you a stronger personality to be marketed on Instagram. Instead of promoting others in a language that is not exactly your expertise, why not try writing captions in Roman Urdu or Urdu? Also, we recommend using your amazing solos from your highlights as posts. After all, your fans want to see the iconic celebrity in you!
Sanam Jung: -9.5/16
Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the Jaago Pakistan Jaago feed. Although Sanam’s Instagram feed seems to have a balanced mix of work-oriented posts with a tinge of everyday adventures, it lacks maintenance. You’ll see plenty of grid photos highlighting workout routines, travelling experiences, notable literature preferences and many more, but the absence of relevant captions seem to confuse the followers between sponsored and non-sponsored content. Almost all posts uniformly follow Eastern styling trends only. Additionally, choosing a list-like format for a lengthy bio is never a good option as self-descriptions should be different from grocery lists, don’t you think? Despite zero audience interactivity, this feed might capture the attention of female fans of morning shows with its content about family adventures; however, it fails to properly grip the admiration of other genders. We expect more from you, Sanam!
Free suggestion for improvement: Get Out of the Box
Instagram can be your best resort to help separate the real you from the “the stereotyped Pakistani beti/bahu” identity of yours, thanks to the morning show fandom. We suggest you to start promoting individualism in your feed because we are sure that there’s another amazing side of the ever-empowered Sanam, which the world is yet to see.
Mira Sethi: -2.0/-16
This feed has a soothing outlook as is laden with life-oriented posts appreciating humanity, family, poetry, music, art and culture. Seeing Mira play sports or hug her pets in vividly colored sarees and some classic tank gives us an exotic feel. With brief and multi-lingual captions and a perfect bio, this lady does a considerably good job of interacting with the audience as she asks them for their reviews on her drama episodes (Yeh Dil Mera) and more. However, all these plus-points dim in comparison with a major flaw related to mass appeal. This feed does an outstanding job in luring elite Urdu/English literature enthusiasts and Pakistanis settled abroad. Unfortunately, that makes up the narrowest segment of the Pakistani population. While posts about Californian parks or #BlackLivesMatter are immensely appreciated, sadly, they will fail to interest a regular Pakistani, who can barely relate with them.
Free suggestion for improvement: Go more desi
Your Instagram displays the progressive mentality that we all hope to see among the Pakistani population one day. However, today isn’t that day and the best you can do is make your target audience inclusive of all Pakistani population segments because we all deserve to discover the charismatic international face of our country.
2020’s super hit drama serial Meray Paas Tum Ho, which broke viewership records in the country, has been nominated in five categories in the 19th edition of the Lux Style Awards (LSAs).
Thanking Lux for the nominations, Humayun, who has also been nominated in the Best Actor category, said that the project was a very special one.
“This project is very close to all our hearts not only because it broke all viewership records in the history of Pakistani television but because it was able to truly entertain audiences across the world,” said Humayun in the caption.
He also gave a big shout-out to all those who were part of the project including his production house Six Sigma Plus, ARY Digital as well as the entire cast and crew of the drama.
“It always feels great to be recognised so the biggest thank you to all of you, the viewers, for all your love and continuous support,” concluded the actor.
Starring Humayun Saeed, Ayeza Khan, Adnan Siddiqui and Hira Mani in the lead Meray Paas Tum Ho went onto becoming television’s highest-rated dramas of all time. The final episode of the drama was also aired in cinemas where it broke box-office records. At the same time, the drama also drew the irk of some viewers who criticised it for promoting misogyny and sexism.
