Tag: editors-pick

  • Passive-Aggressive Danish sweeps one of the fastest episodes in Pak history

    Passive-Aggressive Danish sweeps one of the fastest episodes in Pak history

    You won’t be able to tell that 40 minutes went by in one of the fastest episodes of Meray Pass Tum Ho. Just 12 episodes in, the show is bound to be one of the biggest blockbusters in Pakistani drama history.

    Mehwish (Ayeza Khan) has decided to leave her son and husband for loaded Shehwar (Adnan Siddiqui). Husband Danish (Humayun Saeed) relents and tells her that she can go and as predicted serves her with divorce papers in this episode.

    READ MORE: Are those divorce papers in MPTH’s promo?

    Danish gives Mehwish a divorce

    She doesn’t flinch when he gives them to her but there is a flicker – of shock or happiness, one can’t be certain – but she is definitely taken by surprise when he hands them to her.

    One can’t be sure in the beginning of the episode of Danish’s motives. He brings a cake to celebrate his wedding anniversary with Mehwish, which seems like a really weird and creepy thing to do since she’s leaving him for another man.

    Making Mehwish cut a wedding anniversary cake with him

    The weirdness of it freaks Mehwish out too and she tell Shehwar to come over and get her – eight hours before she actually has to leave. We start to see cracks in Danish’s cool demeanour as he starts passing comments on his marriage with Mehwish – and we finally see that he really is incredibly angry and just very good at hiding it.

    Mehwish on the other hand, couldn’t care less and one loses a little respect for her in this episode. When Danish hands her her phone, she finds that the phone is covered in Danish’s blood – blood from an accident he had had the same night. She ignores it – and checks for Shehwar’s message. Ouch.

    Mehwish realizing Danish’s blood is on her hands

    Her soon-to-be ex-husband and father of your child is bleeding and she couldn’t care less. Seems like a whole new Mehwish. Ayeza Khan had warned her fans not to watch this episode since they would hate her at the end of it. Don’t hate her but definitely don’t like her anymore.

    Danish’s biting responses and out of the blue reactions make this episode a truly riveting watch. Humayun Saeed has done it again, proving he is the best actor in the industry. He succeeds in making everyone watching feel for him and also feel incredibly uncomfortable watching him behave and react so strangely. He offers his cheating wife and her lover tea and asks them to sit in his house- until he tells Mehwish to leave with Shehwar.

    Danish made Shehwar and Mehwish chai after he gave Mehwish permission to call Shehwar over to take her

    When walking them to the door, he says to Shehwar that, “waisey tou bohat intelligent businessman lagte hain aap, lekin yahan bhao karte huye hairaan kardia aapne mujhe. Is do takay ki larki kay liye aap mujhe 50 million dey rahe thay…“
    and that’s it.

    Danish telling Shehwar that Mehwish is a do take ki aurat

    Mehwish hears it and realizes that that’s the moment she truly lost her husband – not when she told him she wanted to leave, not when he found out that she had an affair, not when he gave her divorce papers.

    Mehwish realizes she’s lost her husband forever

    She realizes that she’s lost the man who truly loved her when she’s walking out of her house and he reveals how he truly feels, you can tell – she has a flicker of admiration and fear for him. Admiration that he finally, finally stood up for himself and fear because now she knows that she can never come back.

    READ MORE: The episode that broke the internet: MPTH EP 11

  • Why did the Newsline project matter?

    Why did the Newsline project matter?

    Newsline was always so much more than just a publishing project… it was always about making the dream of editorial integrity a reality

    The announcement that the December issue of Newsline magazine would be its last, was greeted by rather emotional comments on social media from people who had been associated with the venture or somehow touched by it.

    Their often emotional comments expressed a real sense of sadness and almost personal loss, and while these remarks may have seemed surprising to those unfamiliar with the Newsline project, they really resonated with those who had lived through General Zia’s — direct as well as indirect — martial law periods.

    This is because Newsline was not just another publication: for those in journalism, it was a venture that symbolised hope — the hope of the triumph of the journalist over the seth or owner/proprietor/media baron.

    Newsline was founded by a group of women journalists in late 1988. The team was led by Razia Bhatti, the longtime editor of The Herald, the Dawn Group monthly that was famous for its stylish production values and its hard-hitting content.

    Razia, perhaps the best editor Pakistan has ever produced, was summoned by management and told it was time for her (after some two decades) to leave. This happened soon after General Zia dismissed the civilian government and announced fresh elections and it was a time when the military establishment was seeking to regain control of the political narrative and tame the increasingly outspoken media.

    The editorial team was so appalled by the management’s decision to get rid of Razia that most of us opted to resign in protest and leave with her. I was a newcomer in the group (as was Tehmina Ahmed). I’d been with the team for less than a year, but my other colleagues were well-known names in the field, particularly Rehana Hakim, Samina Ibrahim and Sairah Irshad. Talat Aslam stayed on as did Zahid Hussain, our star reporter, who then joined us several months later.

    Soon afterward, Razia had the bright idea that we should start our very own magazine. It seemed a complete impossibility, but we began to work on developing the idea anyway. Zia, the cause of most of our woes, had been killed in the Bahawalpur crash and within a few months of that the country’s publishing laws were liberalised and we were able to get a publishing license or ‘declaration’. 

    We decided we must have a controlling interest and so we invested whatever we could in the company and were also lucky enough to find some investor friends who wanted to come in not for the profit (there never were any), but because they had faith in the venture.

    The first issue came out in July 1989 and the legend of Newsline gained strength with every new issue. The legend was that the journalists had won, that editorial integrity would not be compromised, that the news narrative was not tailored according to financial or political interests.

    The Newsline launch, Karachi July 1989. L to R: Rehana Hakim, Razia Bhatti, Zahid Hussain, Samina Ibrahim, Umber Khairi, S.A. Baqri, Baseer Ashraf, Tehmina Ahmed

    But keeping the legend alive and carrying the torch for this sort of idealism was not an easy task. Financially we struggled and the pressures we faced were many, but we carried on.

    Even after Razia died suddenly in 1996, Rehana and the team kept the flame of this hope alive. The names of staffers who passed through the intense training ground that was the Newsline office reads like a Who’s Who of journalism, politics, literature and academia (Abbas Nasir, Mohammed Hanif, Nafisa Shah, Naziha Syed Ali, Marvi Memon, Kamila Shamsie to name just a few). But apart from the commitment of the core team what perhaps helped most to keep the venture alive was the support and good wishes of so many people – friends, colleagues and readers.

    But eventually, we reached a stage where the magazine could no longer function as a small independent operation and we became part of a media group (again) when we sold Newsline to the HUM group. When I told a friend about this she asked, “If you sold it and it didn’t belong to you, why are you getting so worked up about it?”

    She’s right of course. Legally, we no longer owned Newsline and the decision to cease publication was rightfully the owner’s, but emotionally and idealistically perhaps we will always own Newsline because it was always so much more than just a publishing project… it was always about making the dream of editorial integrity a reality.

  • Cracks emerge among PML-N ranks as ‘leadership disobeys Nawaz’

    Cracks emerge among PML-N ranks as ‘leadership disobeys Nawaz’

    Amid reports of a rift between opposition parties as the
    Azadi March of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) to Islamabad continues, cracks
    are also emerging among ranks of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), The Current has learnt.

    According to sources, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s orders were disobeyed by the Punjab leadership of his party on Wednesday as 70,000 people were not mobilised to welcome Fazl’s caravan in Lahore.

    The Current reached
    out to several PML-N leaders to confirm or deny what rumour had and on the condition
    of anonymity, one of them rejected the same.

    “Both MNAs and MPAs of the PML-N were in Lahore to receive
    Maulana’s caravan and they did. We even distributed food among his buses, which
    were over a thousand in number,” the PML-N leader added.

    “There were six different points in Lahore where our party
    members gathered to welcome and facilitate Maulana Fazl. Our workers gathered to
    welcome the caravan hours before its arrival.”

    When asked why the PML-N leadership was nowhere to be seen at the Lahore stage of the Azadi March as JUI-F leaders addressed a mammoth gathering, the PML-N leader said they were asked to come on stage at the last minute and that too by a junior party worker.

    “Not Maulana or any other JUI-F leader invited us on stage and we told them that we will come in an hour. However, later we were told that the caravan will not stop for us.”

    The PML-N leader also said that they are on their way from Lahore to Islamabad with a huge crowd and plan on holding a small rally in the federal capital even though their leadership has been told by the JUI-F that the Azadi March will commence tomorrow.

    When The Current reached out to other PML-N leaders for confirmation of the postponement, former National Assembly (NA) speaker Ayaz Sadiq said, “Akram Durrani Sahib called me today and said that Maulana will address Azadi March at 2 pm tomorrow after Friday prayers in Islamabad.”

  • Sheheryar Munawar reacts to his viral interview with ‘The Current’

    Sheheryar Munawar reacts to his viral interview with ‘The Current’

    Sheheryar Munawar in an exclusive interview with The Current revealed that his engagement was called off at the behest of his family.

    When we asked Sheheryar what is the most daring thing he’s done, Sheheryar said, “The most daring thing that I’ve done is telling my mother, that I’ve tried once on your call and you yourself ended it. But this time, I’ll choose the girl I want to get married to.”

    When probed further, Sheheryar laughed it off by saying, “Akalmand kay liye ishara hee kaafi hai.”

    Sheheryar got engaged to Halaa Soomro in March 2019. Though the event was a private affair and very hush-hush, pictures from the event had gone viral.

    Sheheryar & Halaa with his sister, brother & brother-in-law

    Following the social media outburst on the news of his engagement, Sheheryar released an official statement on the matter.

    “I will not comment on a decision taken by my family. This is a private matter that involves two families, and I would like to take this opportunity to request everyone to give our families, myself and my ex-fiancé our due share of privacy and time to deal with this new development in our lives.”

    “I would like to thank my fans for all their love and understanding and members of the media for their continued support and request everyone to respect my need for privacy at this time. I will not be commenting any further on this matter,” he said.

    Meanwhile, when we asked him what he thinks is the most important thing in a relationship, Sheheryar said, “Loyalty.”

    “Loyalty encompasses everything. If you love, you love loyally. If you fight, you fight in a loyal way. Everything is loyalty because loyalty brings you trust and peace. It is loyalty that ensures that even if you fight, you won’t have the fear of losing them.”

    Check out the full interview here:

  • EXCLUSIVE: Bhuttos haven’t approved BB’s biopic, Mehwish Hayat responds

    EXCLUSIVE: Bhuttos haven’t approved BB’s biopic, Mehwish Hayat responds

    The mystery shrouding Benazir Bhutto’s biopic keeps getting complicated.

    While the Bhutto family maintains that they have given no consent for a biopic (read full story here), Mehwish Hayat, who is set to play the former prime minister in a recent interview confirmed that a film on her is indeed in the works.

    The Current reached out to Mehwish for further details and she told us that she “cannot say much at this stage” as she has “signed strict NDAs (non-disclosure agreements).”

    However, she said that a film was indeed in the works and it is “currently in the early development stages.”

    “We are just beginning to talk to writers at the moment,” Mehwish said. “The basic understanding of biopics is that we actually don’t need formal approval from the family.”

    She continued, “Just look at The Crown – they don’t get permission or clearances from the Royal family or any of the other people portrayed. There are many other films in the West where information is taken from what is in the public domain.”

    Mehwish further said that “when we get further down the line, I am sure that the producers will engage the family to ensure that our script is factually correct.”

    “I for one would love their [the family’s] insights to help my research,” she concluded.

    Perhaps it is pertinent to mention here that Sarmad Khoosat also did not seek formal permission from Sadaat Hassan Manto’s family or engage them in the making of the late writer’s biopic.

    News of Mehwish playing Pakistan’s first female prime minister had first surfaced in June 2018 when Mehwish on Benazir’s 65th birthday had shared that a biopic on BB was on the cards and that she was preparing to “play the role of a lifetime.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BkShLv1Db4A/?utm_source=ig_embed

    The announcement had taken social media by storm and everyone was excited to see the life of the slain Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader come to life on the silver screen. However, Benazir’s daughter, Bakhtawar, slammed the idea, saying that no consent was sought from the family for the project.

    Mehwish at that time had responded to Bakhtawar saying that the project was in its early stages and that it would not progress without “the consent or blessing of the family.”

    While the conversation on this project died soon after, it resurfaced again recently when an interview of Mehwish with BBC Urdu started doing the rounds on social media.

    In the interview, Mehwish confirmed that she will be playing Bhutto.

    “InshAllah. It is a huge subject and a very complicated one,” Mehwish told the host when asked her whether the news was correct. “The story is one of a hero – Benazir Bhutto is a hero to me and I love that woman. Her story is so inspirational. [I think] that our current generation and the one that is to come, need to see her contributions, struggles, progress, her life.”

    Mehwish continued, “While people write about [her] in books, films are easy access for people to know about things.”

    When the host asked Mehwish that expectations with the role will be high, the actor responded, “Indeed it is a difficult character to play. It is being written as of now and it is going to take some time, but I cannot wait to play it.”

    Has Mehwish started preparing for the role?

    Mehwish said, “I’ve been reading up about her. The more I get to know her, the more inspired I get and I feel a lot of pride. But at the same time, I feel sad also that we lost such a great leader.”

    “But the world needs to see her whole story.”

  • The episode that’s breaking Pakistan’s internet – Meray Pass Tum Ho’s climax

    The episode that’s breaking Pakistan’s internet – Meray Pass Tum Ho’s climax

    There is no bigger discussion happening on social media right now other than the epic performance given by Humayun Saeed on Meray Paas Tum Ho’s 11th episode. Facebook groups are discussing how they, and their mothers, cried while Danish gives up the love of his life.

    When Danish finds out his wife wants to leave him

    The drama is in its 11th episode and come to a major twist. Danish (Humayun Saeed) is married to Mehwish (Ayeza Khan), they have a son and Danish is desperately in love with Mehwish, who wants the finer things in life. Enter Shehwar (Adnan Siddiqui) who is super loaded and in a very unhappy marriage. He lives alone and his wife lives abroad. He plays on Mehwish’s desire to be rich and the fact that all Danish can afford is a small apartment and gets with Mehwish.

    The pink nightie scene in episode 9

    The popular ‘pink nightie’ scene, in Episode 9, where Mehwish ends up in a hotel room with Shehwar, is also confirmed in this episode. Mehwish went to Islamabad with Shehwar and didn’t tell Danish she was going. She had taken a job as Shehwar’s secretary, and it was obvious that Danish knew something was up, but he let it go on anyway. We see her in a pink nightie which eludes that Shehwar and her were having an affair but it wasn’t confirmed.

    In this episode, which has broken Pakistani social media, Shehwar shows Danish pictures of Mehwish in the pink nightie in the hotel room, confirming that they were indeed having an affair. He convinces Danish to give Mehwish a divorce since she’s just not in love with Danish anymore. Danish, after hearing a recorded conversation between Mehwish and Shehwar, is convinced to give her up.

    Danish comes home, and both wait for their son to sleep before Mehwish can leave

    He tells Mehwish she can go. Mehwish gets ready to leave and he asks her to stay the night and leave in the morning.

    The episode was beautiful in its simplicity, the explosive performances caused tears because of how genuine they seemed. It was very obvious in Humayun Saeed’s acting that he was in love with his wife and would eternally be. He didn’t rant, didn’t scream, he spoke simply and he cried silent tears, which made him even more real. Humayun Saeed gave the performance of his life in the simple way he portrayed how deeply love can hurt – without having to scream it. When Danish tells Shehwar that “larki jubh bewafa hoti hai tou poori tarhan bewafa hoti hai,” Shehwar also has a sheen of tears in his eyes.

    Ayeza Khan also gives a stellar performance because she isn’t the typical female villain. She doesn’t act like the spoilt, jean-wearing, bad girl that Pakistani dramas love to create. She is aware of her beauty, maintains her simplicity and knows what she wants. You don’t hate her; you can’t. She has made her decision to take what she wants and even though it’s selfish and terrible, Ayeza’s performance shows that it happens and there’s nothing dramatic about it. Which is why she doesn’t lose any respect. She maintains her dignity and makes her choice – without being behaya about it. The affair isn’t just Mehwish – it’s also Shehwar and the episode does a good job showing that the guy is just as much to blame as the woman. Shehwar is the one who has to face Danish first – showing that they are a team and man and woman, both are to blame.

    Mehwish getting ready to leave Danish

    The lessons in this drama are also incredibly important – especially this episode. Danish is concerned about his son, Rumi and what Rumi will do when he wakes up in the morning and finds his mother gone. Mehwish also tells Danish to tell Rumi the truth in a few days so that Rumi doesn’t have any expectations when his mother doesn’t comes back and if he spots her on the road. It shows the importance of how an affair – no matter who has it – affects a family and especially children.

    The dialogues by Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar is the spine of the whole episode and the drama. He writes how it happens – every single phrase is something that could’ve and would’ve been said. It plays to the heartstrings, making each dialogue so real that there is no one watching who is not entranced – and is wondering how these are words that anyone could be unlucky enough to hear.

    If you missed it, watch the episode here:

  • ‘Gone but never forgotten’: Wasim Akram pens emotional note for late wife

    ‘Gone but never forgotten’: Wasim Akram pens emotional note for late wife

    Former captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team Wasim Akram, on the 10th anniversary of his late wife Huma Mufti Akram, penned an emotional note in her memory.

    Sharing a collage of their two sons, Tahmoor (23) and Akbar (19), Akram wrote on Instagram, “You will never be forgotten, you gave me the biggest gifts of all and they continue to grow and carry on your spirit.”

    “Gone but never forgotten, you are always in our hearts,” wrote the 53-year-old former cricketer.

    We’re not crying, you are.

    Huma Mufti was Wasim’s first wife. The two tied the knot in 1995 and were married for fifteen years before Huma’s untimely death in October 2009. She died of multiple organ failure at Apollo Hospital in Chennai, India. They had two sons together.

    In August 2013, Akram got married to Shaniera Thompson, whom he had met on a visit to Melbourne in 2011 while participating in a Poker tournament at Crown Casino. Wasim and Shaniera, who are one of the country’s leading power couples, have a daughter, Aiyla together.

  • ‘Ye Dil Mera’s’ teasers take a dark turn

    ‘Ye Dil Mera’s’ teasers take a dark turn

    Ever since the teasers of Ahad Raza Mir, Sajal Aly and Adnan Siddiqui’s upcoming drama Ye Dil Mera debuted, they’ve created a stir and dominated headlines. The initial teasers had received immense criticism for romanticising workplace harassment so much so, that the writer Farhat Ishtiaq had to defend the drama on social media (Read full story on that here).

    Nonetheless, Sahad fans are excited to see the return of their favourite couple and Ye Dil Mera is set to air on Wednesdays starting October 30.

    Following the announcement, Hum TV shared five more teasers of the drama, two of which are terrifyingly dark. While the first of the latest teasers show Ahad and Sajal in a professional environment, the other three teasers are dark and show the two battle with their respective demons. It appears that Adnan Siddiqui will be playing Sajal’s father in the drama.

    Hum TV also revealed that the drama will be a “tale of love and revenge.”

    Ye Dil Mera has been directed by Ahson Talish of Suno Chanda fame and written by Farhat Ishtiaq.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B3_0GMmhCEk/
  • ANF embarrasses Afridi, denies his claim of video evidence in Rana Sanaullah case

    ANF embarrasses Afridi, denies his claim of video evidence in Rana Sanaullah case

    Minister of State for Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi’s claims regarding the recovery of heroin from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah’s possession seem to have put him in a tight spot as the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has reportedly denied making any videos or taking photographs at the time of the raid.

    According to reports, the ANF’s denial has made all other claims made by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) during press conferences and in television interviews dubious while he continues to insist that Sanaullah was monitored for three weeks and all the video evidence is available.

    “The video of heroin recovery from Rana Sanaullah was also shown to the prime minister,” Afridi had claimed in a recent interview on Geo News, adding that the evidence will be produced before the court once the trial begins.

    He has also claimed that four judges have refused to hear the case against Sanaullah as “he is El Chapo of Pakistan and threatens people”.

    Interestingly, the anti-narcotics judge hearing the case was repatriated to the Lahore High Court (LHC) in the midst of the proceedings against Sanaullah and the duty judge has refused to conduct the indictment proceedings against the PML-N leader till the appointment of a regular judge.

  • EXCLUSIVE: What did Mehwish Hayat & Prince William talk about and other inside details from the grand royal reception

    EXCLUSIVE: What did Mehwish Hayat & Prince William talk about and other inside details from the grand royal reception

    Prince William and Kate Middleton may have bid goodbye to Pakistan for now but that doesn’t mean us Pakistanis are getting over the royal visit anytime soon. The couple’s maiden trip was the first royal trip in almost 13 years and frankly speaking one we very much needed as we try to build ourselves up after years of being labelled a terrorist and backward country.

    The first full day of the Royals tour wrapped up with a grand reception hosted in their honour at the Pakistan Monument in Islamabad. The reception saw who’s who of Pakistan in attendance and it was without a doubt one of the most lit nights in recent times as the royals mingled with celebrities, sportspersons, politicians, humanitarians, business tycoons and entrepreneurs.

    While Kate glittered in a gown by Jenny Packham, Prince William donned a teal sherwani by Karachi-based designer Nauman Afreen becoming the first-ever Royal to do so.

    I secretly wished that I had attended the event and my Insta and Twitter stalking throughout the event I was glued to my phone getting excited over every update. Lucky for me, I managed to speak to a few people who attended the event and gave me all the inside details including what was on the menu and how it was like meeting William and Kate.

    First things first. Everyone who attended the event literally had the same thing to say about the Duke and Duchess. They described the couple as extremely pleasant, down to earth and very friendly. They said that they paid great attention to whoever they were talking to and had lots of positive things to say about Pakistan and it’s people.

    Mehwish Hayat, in a Whatsapp conversation, said that Willam “was genuinely very happy to visit Pakistan and getting the chance to meet ‘amazing people’ and receiving so much love and warmth.”

    “No wonder my mother loved coming here,” he said to Mehwish.

    Mehwish also shared that she spoke to him about running the London Marathon next year for girl’s education in Pakistan and her work with the Ministry of Human Rights for girl’s rights in the country, something the Prince was very delighted to know about.

    “He shared their experience of visiting the kids at the school earlier during the day and how the kids were so keen to get an education,” Mehwish revealed.

    The event was invite-based only. Cars were parked a little bit away from the venue, and rickshaws were in place to take everyone from the parking to the main event. The decorations were beautifully done and the ambiance was very nice.

    Initially, the guests mingled among themselves. There were two sections – one section for the VVIPS and one for all the others who were invited. When the royal couple arrived, they went there directly to the VVIP section where they made rounds and spoke to people before Prince William delivered his first speech.

    During his keynote speech, Prince William highlighted the relationship between the UK and Pakistan – and also referred to when his grandmother the Queen visited more than fifty years ago, saying: “Stood here with this magnificent monument behind me, I am struck by the great strides Pakistan has made since its birth seventy-two years ago.”

    “And with successive visits by my mother and my father, this view has continued to change, with the city constantly growing and with it my family’s affection for Pakistan.”

    William also spoke of the “unique bonds” between the two countries and that Pakistan can “rely on the UK to keep playing an important role as a key partner and [a] friend”.

    The most important part of any event is the food so we did some research on what was served to the guests. As per our sources, the menu had a variety of options available. There was paneer tikka, savoury tarts, small quiche bites, lemon tarts and macarons.

    It was a royal night indeed and everyone seemed to have had a ball. Kate and William’s maiden visit will go down in history and will definitely be one to remember for times to come.