In the video, the actor, following the director’s instructions, picks up a burning shawl and tosses it aside for the scene. However, as the shawl lands, flames spread on the ground. Unaware of the fire, Ayeza Khan continues moving backward, unintentionally stepping into the flames. A voice can then be heard calling Ayeza’s name to warn her. She quickly becomes careful and narrowly avoids an accident. Along with the video post, Ayeza thanked Allah for keeping her safe. She wrote that being an actor is not easy. “When the director says ‘action’ we forget what is going to happen next and just give our best. The quest to put on a performance dawns on us.” She wrote that sometimes unexpected things happen on the set which the on-screen viewers don’t see but Allah protects them.
“I am thankful to Allah that He keeps me safe every day.”
Adnan Siddiqui appeared on a recent episode of Ahmed Ali Butt’s podcast ‘Excuse Me’ where he addressed his role in the controversial drama ‘Mere Pass Tum Ho’ and the dialogue ‘do takkay ki larki’ which sparked intense outrage from women in Pakistan.
Butt revealed that he had a conversation with the writer Khalil ul Rehman about the line, to which the writer had responded that he used the word ‘larki’ for one woman. Siddiqui pointed out it was solely directed towards the female character Mehwish (played by Ayeza Khan) rather than a generalisation of all women. He further stressed that audiences should contextualise the dialogue within the drama.
“Mehwish and Shehwaar were both equally blamed for this. Danish, who was deeply in love with his wife, sacrificed a lot for her happiness and was madly in love with her. When he discovered the affair he was outraged, which led to the dialogue. In his rage, he couldn’t use a slur because he’s a man of culture. So this was his slur. Let’s stick to that scenario because that dialogue was solely meant for Mehwish and not all women of Pakistan.”
The host behind reality TV series ‘Tamasha’ urged audiences not to conflate characters to real-life people, pointing out that the characters in the story line were not a reflection of reality.
Actress Ayeza Khan was caught in a controversy over a social media post addressing her silence on the war on Palestine. Several users criticised the actress for writing that praying daily is better than pointing fingers and blaming others.
“Because I know that praying daily is more powerful than posting daily, please pray for the world as much as you can and avoid pointing fingers and blaming each other on this platform. We all have children and loved ones, and we can all feel the pain. We cannot imagine how painful it is for them, but I’m keeping my faith in Allah, and very soon, Allah will bring justice, Ameen.”
After severe backlash, Khan deleted the statement and apologised by clarifying her support for Palestine:
“I would like to take a moment to address an issue that has been misinterpreted and circulated. I won’t attempt to justify or explain because God knows that my intentions were not malicious, but I may have failed to articulate it well. I take full responsibility for this, both personally and on behalf of my team. I sincerely apologize to those who were hurt by my statement. I appreciate you all for bringing this matter to my attention, as I, too, am only human. I take full responsibility and assure you nothing of such sort shall ever happen again.”
“While my awareness may not bring on immediate resolution,” the Chupke Chupke actress further penned, “I maintain faith in Allah in the possibility of change through prayer. Therefore, alongside our continuous awareness efforts, let us unite in prayer to end this cruelty. For indeed, we need Him and His divine help. My prayers are with the Palestinians.”
Pakistani drama ‘Mere Paas Tum Ho’ is set to air on Indian channel ‘Zee Zindagi’. The Humayun Saeed and Ayeza Khan starrer will join the ranks of Pakistani dramas like ‘Qissa Meherbano Ka’, ‘Hum Kahan Kay Sachay Thay’ among others, all of whom have enjoyed popular airtime on the Indian channel ‘Zee Zindagi’.
On the official Instagram page, the channel had announced:
“What happens when you feel money CAN buy happiness? Here’s a glimpse of the much-awaited show! #MerePaasTumHo, Coming Soon on Indian Television screens!”
Penned by Khalil-ul-Rehman Qamar, the show revolves around Danish (played by Humayun), a traditional man who lives a simple life in a small flat with his wife and son. However, his wife Mehwish (played by Ayeza Khan) is an ambitious woman who dreams of acquiring wealth. When the couple meets Shehwar (played by Adnan Sdiddiqui) she falls for him and soon after, leaves her family to marry him.
Siddiqui recently made an appearance on Junaid Akram’s podcast where he spoke about the success of the drama, playfully suggesting that he should have charged more for his role had he known how big a hit the drama would become:
“If I knew how successful it would be, I wouldn’t have charged the money that I did. I would’ve taken a lot more. For the first time ever, Humayun asked me to play a role that he had in mind, and he was right. It was very big of him to suggest that. He told me that people had already cast me for it since like 6 years ago. Like, they had my name in mind,” Adnan shared.
Happy birthday Hamza Ali Abbasi! Since his debut thirteen years ago, he has been gracing our screens with powerful performances revered by audiences. Within a short time, he has played a lovelorn man willing to decieve parents for his crush, a rebellious filmmaker who learns how to find a path back to God and a terrifying villain, cementing his status as one of Pakistan’s most versatile stars. While Abbasi has announced that he is set to come back on the big screen with two new projects, lets take a jog down memory lane in celebration of his birthday, and review three outstanding performances.
1 Alif
If there will be a Pakistani drama remembered years from now, it will definitely be ‘Alif’. The serial aired I 2020 but has remained alive within Pakistani pop culture as one of the few times a drama dominated all public discourse. Abbasi plays the troubled and rebellious Momin, who is grieving from childhood trauma and has completely lost his way in life. When he crosses paths with Momina (played by Sajal Aly), a struggling actress trying to make a living for her family, they help each other reach their destinations, and Momin learns to find refuge in God.
2 Maula Jatt
Action-thriller Maula Jatt made a wave around the world, raking in money and praise alike. Abbasi and Fawad Khan took the remake to dizzying heights, recreating old magic and generating plenty of new thrills. Hamza took the feared Noori Natt to new heights with his chilly portrayal of a psychopathic killer.
3 Pyarey Afzal
If Maula Jatt changed the way Hamza Ali Abbasi went from being the token good boy to a dark villain, then the lovelorn aashiq in ‘Pyarey Afzaal’ was the role that cemented his position in the industry. Acting opposite Ayeza Khan, who played Farah, Abbasi portrayed the titular character Afzal, who has a crush on Farah, and writes letters to himself that he claims to have received from her. But his world changes when Farah reaches out to him and requests him to pretend to be a love interest, so her parents don’t marry her off against her wishes.
Ramzan dramas have long had the habit of reusing the same stories about marriage-obsessed women chasing after the bad boy, then add some slaps and misogynist behavior, a tarka of badtameez in-laws, the extra masala that is divorce, fights, crying, breakdown and then all’s well that ends well as the battered and bruised woman decides to forgive her husband and move back in with him.
However, in the last few days, ‘Chand Tara’ has been receiving accolades for taking the same tropes and re-writing them to provide audiences with a hilarious rom-com about wedding season. The drama stars Ayeza Khan and Danish Taimoor as lovers from different backgrounds who try to convince their families to agree to their marriage. Sarim Chand is a software engineer who comes from an extroverted, loud family and is used to catering to the whims of his sassy siblings, and Nain Tara is a doctor who lives with her strict mother and longs for a loud home filled with love and laughter.
Written by powerhouse drama writer Saima Akram Chaudhry, who was previously responsible for the iconic ‘Suno Chanda’ and then ‘Chupke Chupke’, it was obviously a guarantee that this drama will quickly win the hearts of fans all over Pakistan because of how cleverly it debunks sexist stereotypes and brings forward a refreshing male lead who loves and supports the women in his life and is not afraid to stand up for her. In several episodes, the show has championed the rights for women to include the ‘right to divorce’ clause in the nikkahnama, encouraged brides to be cheerful and FINALLY, no cousin marriage shenanigans.
This is an appreciation tweet for @saimakramwriter ! Love her unique ideas for the characters of her plays! Every character in chand tara has something to offer & all of them are sm fun! Please never stop writing these fun characters & stories! #chandtara
#ChandTara is slowly growing on me (as expected). Really enjoying Ayeza and Danish. Love Saarim.
One of the reasons why I love Saima Akram’s script is because there is always something that hits home for me – 6 episodes in and I have already felt exposed and relatable twice
What’s also notable here is how Danish Taimoor has decided to pick a male lead who contradicts his past roles, to be more supportive and loving towards the female lead in the drama. Fans have praised Taimoor for getting them to fall in love with the character’s kindness and dedication. One scene that is making audiences swoon depicts Chand carefully removing Tara’s shoes after she’s exhausted from their wedding.
Fans have appreciated how the drama refuses to follow the same road of woman giving up everything for the man, Tara loves her work and will keep practicing after her marriage while Chand is nothing but incredibly supportive of her ambitions.
“Mai tumse bahut mohabbat karti hu Sarimpar apne kaam se na ishq hai mujhe ” I always thought of how @saimakramwriter will give address this issue of professional vs personal life. For doctors, their ist duty is always towards the mankind! Thank you for this convo! #ChandTarapic.twitter.com/gGxW97kHTJ
Really loved the character of Tara as doctor. Just loving that how she is dealing with her duties as a doctor and always giving first priority to her profession and giving a great message being a doctor Hats off to Ayeza #AyezaKhan#Chandtara
Actor Danish Taimoor was a guest on “The Talk Talk Show” where among many things, he opened up about his relationship with wife Ayeza Khan , who is also an actor. The two have been married since 2014 and have two children. In the interview, Taimoor revealed that he always made sure that the couple’s household expenses would remain his responsibility, and that whatever Ayeza had earned in her career would solely belong to her, leaving her free she to do whatever she liked with it.
“I do this because even in Islam, this is what we’ve been told to do,” said the actor. “What ever earnings your spouse makes, these are her own and for me to even use Rs1 from it is haram. If its her intention, then she may give it to me if she wishes. But anything regarding grocery or household, I tell her that it is solely my responsiblity,” he categorically said.
Taimoor also talked about those roles that attracted a lot of public criticism in dramas like Deewangi and Kaisi Teri Khudgarzi. He said that it was not his responsibility to become a teacher, as he was an entertainer: “Do not connect these characters with myself…I don’t take responsibility for all of this. I am here to entertain public, otherwise I would have become a teacher.”
Be it daily soaps or serials, Pakistani dramas have an enormous viewership around the globe. In 2022, we witnessed blockbuster gems like Parizaad, Mere Humsafar, Hum Tum, and Pinjra, depicting unconventional stories that kept the audiences hooked to their screens.
While 2022 was a good year for Pakistani television, 2023 seems to be even better with a good line-up of projects with some fresh concepts and pairings.
Here’s a list of the year’s most promising serials:
Tumhare Husn Ke Naam
Currently, in its last leg of the shoot, Saba Qamar, Sidra Niazi, and Imran Abbas starrer, THKN has already become the talk of the town, ever since it was announced. The project will touch on themes like jealousy, friendship, and complicated love.
Kuch Ankahi
Although its first episode aired last week, the drama is purported to be a social comedy with a message. Written by Mohammed Ahmed and directed by Nadeem Baig, it is co-produced by Kashf Foundation and Six Sigma Plus. Kuch Ankahi is about family values, women empowerment, and strong female characters. While the cherry on the top is its hit-leading pair. The drama stars Bilal Abbas Khan, Sajal Aly, Mohammed Ahmed, Irsa Ghazal, Mira Sethi, Adnan Samad, Babar Ali, Vaneeza Ahmed and Qudsia Ali.
Main Manto Nahi Hoon
Director Nadeem Baig, superstar Humayun Saeed, and writer Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar will be reuniting for this project after London Nahi Jaunga. Saeed has roped in Maya Ali as his romantic interest in the play. Contrary to the title, the plot is not based on Manto’s life but will have a symbolic representation of the writer in a contemporary narrative, and you won’t regret setting the bar of your expectations high.
Chaand Tara
Celebrity spouses, Danish Taimoor and Ayeza Khan are set to star in a Ramadan 2023 serial, Chaand Tara. The series is set to be directed by Danish Nawaz and written by Saima Akram Chaudhry, the maestro of Ramadan serials. While this is Danish’s first Ramadan play, Ayeza has earlier wowed her fans with comic characters in Chupke Chupke and Chaudhry & Sons.
22 Qadam
This is a project that is being awaited for the longest time, featuring Wahaj Ali as a cricketer, opposite Hareem Farooq, and Kinza Razzak. ’22 Qadam’ is directed by Anjum Shahzad of ‘Pehli Si Mohabbat’.
Serial Killer
Another Saba Qamar starrer, this one is certainly a unique and promising show, which is evident in the title. Saba plays a cop alongside Daniyal Raheal. Serial Killer is written by Umera Ahmed and will hit our screens soon on ‘Green channel’.
Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samait Lo
Ever since Farhat Ishtiaq announced her next novel that is going to have a drama adaptation is JBHSSL, fans and viewers have been speculating a mega blockbuster. Be it Ahad Raza Mir and Mahira Khan’s debut project together or Mohammed Ehteshamuddin’s supposed direction, the project has been in the news for a long.
Seems like Pakistani television has an exciting lineup of star-studded upcoming dramas that will hopefully set new benchmarks of viewership and success in the near future.
Actor and morning show host Nida Yasir recently appeared on The Talk Talk Show where she marked the leading ladies of Pakistan out of ten for their acting skills.
The host Hassan Chaudhry first asked her about Sarah Khan, and Nida gave her 7.5 marks for her acting chops. She then marked 8.5 to Ayeza Khan, 9.5 to Maya Ali, 7.5 to Minal Khan, and 7.5 to Mawra Hocane.
The Nadaaniyaan diva stated that there isa scope for improvement in their performances.
Nida also addressed other controversies surrounding her. She has long been under scrutiny for the type of guests she invites on her morning show, Good Morning Pakistan. From the likes of Dananeer Mobeen, Ayesha Mano to Ahmed Shah, Nida has invited them all to her popular show.
However, throughout the years, many spectators have also criticised the TV host for not highlighting people with more academic achievements, and only catering to people who go viral online for ‘foolish theatrics’. Taking her chance, the famous host has finally set the record straight and reminded her audience about the many times she has provided limelight to such guests on her show.
“I want to respond to this criticism by recalling the time I invited Ayesha, the girl who became viral on TikTok for her dance to my show. Many people started asking me why I didn’t invite a specific guest who has won academic awards. The truth is, you cannot even fathom how many shows I conduct that feature academic champs, but they never get high ratings,” said the Hum Tum actor.
She then went on to highlight how Mobeen and Zara Naeem were invited on the same day together. “Once I even invited 7-8 people on one show, and they all possessed so many talented skills, but the episode went unnoticed. I also invited Zara and Dananeer together, still, people only remember the latter one better. How does the audience not recall Zara? This is not my fault, but actually of the people who want to see these guests on my show.”
Yasir elaborated her stance by speaking about the repetitive narratives used in dramas. She noted, “If our Pakistani dramas are still stuck on producing family politics storylines, it’s because of the demand too. The channels will obviously try to create more dramas that give them more profitable responses.”
Tired of the ongoing fuss, the Nadaaniyaan actor then put forth an interesting question for her critics. She asked, “When I do invite educated people to my show, why aren’t people watching them?”
She also further explained how fans request her to feature guests on her show. “I also would like to add that people even tag me in photos now to show who they want to see on my show. When I woke up one morning, I saw a picture online of the ‘Lahore Da Pawa – Akhtar Lawa’ man doctored beside me, and that’s how I learned about the viral meme circulating on the internet. I also once got a call from a man who married a woman much younger than his age asking me to invite him as a guest because he’s gone viral. Like, should I just invite you because of your marriage?”
Yasir then concluded the conversation by highlighting how viewers don’t give her the complete credit she truly deserves. “People just watch the viral clips of my show and assume that’s the only type of guests I invite, but that’s really not the case. I run a morning show that takes place every day, so I keep a proper balance of my guest list,” expressed the Yeh Zindagi Hai actor.
Celebrity spouses, Danish Taimoor and Ayeza Khan are set to star in a Ramadan 2023 serial, Chaand Tara.
The series is set to be directed by Danish Nawaz and written by Saima Akram Chaudhry, the maestro of Ramadan serials. While this is Danish’s first Ramadan play, Ayeza has earlier wowed her fans with comic characters in Chupke Chupke and Chaudhry & Sons.
The Jab We Wed duo tied the knot in 2014 and have two children daughter Hoorain, and son Rayan Taimoor.
Khan recently won the best actor award for her performance in Chupke Chupke at the Hum Style Awards.
