Rejection in the entertainment industry is a harsh reality and actor Fahad Sheikh has faced it too. Even though he’s gained success and praise, he’s faced setbacks along the way.
Recently Fahad appeared as a guest on ‘Mazaq Raat’, hosted by Imran Ashraf, where he talked about the most challenging moments of his career.
“One of the bitter mosy rejections I’ve faced is when, after Jalan drama, the phone calls finally started coming in. Production houses were suddenly reaching out, but there was still a sense of formality. My principle has always been that I don’t beg for work, and I hadn’t until now,” the actor began.
He went on to narrate a story. “So, I went for a meeting, dressed in a full black kurta, wearing Peshawari Chappal, with glasses on. I walked in, and there was the director, seated in a small room. I didn’t know him at all. He looked at me, but didn’t care much. He looked towards the GM, and I could sense the dismissive attitude.”
“Now, I’m standing at the door, thinking about what I should do next. It was an awkward moment; both of us felt embarrassed. And the gentleman who had brought me there was relaxed, probably because he already knew I was being rejected before we even got there. Then they offered me coffee, and I politely refused. We wrapped up the meeting quickly, made our way out, and left the place with disappointment. You know, every new city breaks you a little, but if it didn’t, perhaps the refinement in my work wouldn’t have come,” the Hasrat actor added. Fahad Sheikh has starred in dramas such as Uff Ye Mohabbat, Waada, Hasrat, and Bojh.
It’s too early to know where ‘Aik Chubhan Si’ will go, but with Sonya Hussyn and Sami Khan on screen, there’s more to the story than meets the eye. Here’s why we’re giving this one a go.
The story is different from the usual stuff on screen. There’s no love story with our hero and heroine falling in love at first sight. This Pakistani drama is about post-marital (non-marital) bliss. Naila and Haroon are happily married, but we see a husband who’s not too happy to serve Naila’s family. However, the story’s subtle and relatable details keep us watching.
Naila insists on looking after her uncle because he raised her. Haroon agrees, but reluctantly, with no toxicity (yet) in his attitude. There’s curiosity about Maheen, played by Hira Khan, as her character seems to have more to reveal, especially in the final scene of the first episode. Is there a hint of mystery, thrill, or something else in the drama? The first episode sets the stage and keeps us intrigued to learn more.
As the drama unfolds quickly, we hope the story won’t fall into the trap of overly stretched plots and typical ‘other woman’ conspiracies. Sonya Hussyn and Sami Khan share great on-screen chemistry. If you’re a fan of this couple, then Aik Chubhan Si is a drama you should try. They appear comfortable on screen and make their characters believable and true to life. Their effortless interactions make the drama more enjoyable to watch.
Fahad Sheikh plays Moiz, Hira’s cousin, and his performance here is a step up from his past roles. Whether it’s the direction or Fahad’s acting, his character evokes sympathy, even in the first episode. We’re looking forward to more from him. Hira Khan’s character seems a bit toxic, but we hope she will prove to be more complex and interesting.
‘Aik Chubhan Si’ is written by Rukhsana Nigar and directed by Mohsin Talat. The cast features Sonya Hussyn, Sami Khan, Asma Abbas, Hira Khan, Fahad Sheikh, and others.
Actor Bilal Abbas candidly opened up with Fuchsia Magazine about his experience of falling in love. He said, “So far I am not seeing anyone but I do believe in love, I do believe in marriage but I think if something has to happen it eventually happens, I don’t know why I am fumbling, I am getting confused while talking about love but it will happen when it is meant to be. Also, I will deal with such a situation despite my confusion.
The Dobara star elaborated on the concept of a soul mate, Bilal said, “I do believe in asoul mate, for me, love is about honesty, respect, loyalty, companionship, and mutual admiration with each other, if you claim that you love someone then these essentials are important, if there is nothing like that then you are just talking with each other and not in love, currently, I am not seeing anyone.
Last year the Dunk star got candid about his co-stars Sajal Aly, Yumna Zaidi, Sarah Khan, and Hadiqa Kiani.
Several prominent celebrities have come forward to condemn the death of a vendor selling crackers in Pattoki in their posts and have reacted to his demise. Let’s see what our celebrities have to say in response.
Noted Pakistani actor Mishi Khan erupted over the demise of the vendor. Female actor, Mishi Khan has shared a video on her social media account in which she lashed out and condemned the cruelty displayed by the people present at the wedding.
Bilal Qureshi got furious and refused to wish Happy Resolution day.
TV fans everywhere were shocked Friday when they heard death a vendor who was selling crackers at a wedding hall was brutally tortured to death by the guests in Pattoki city in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
A papad vendor was allegedly murdered by wedding guests in Pattoki. The guests present at the wedding allegedly tortured the daily wager while mistaking him for a pickpocket. A video circulating on social media shows the dead body of victim Ashraf Sultan lying on the ground in the wedding hall as guests enjoyed their meal.
Punjab Police have taken action against the incident and have arrested 12 individuals and the manager of the wedding hall.
In the initial postmortem report, the doctors didn’t affirm torture on the dead body. However, every side of the incident is being investigated, Punjab Police said in a statement.
Leading heroes of Pakistani film and television industry, Humayun Saeed, Faysal Qureshi, Adnan Siddiqui, Wahaj Ali, Fahad Sheikh and Faizan Sheikh amongst others danced their hearts out at a mutual friend’s wedding in Karachi.
The videos from the wedding have circulated across social media platforms.
Actors Minal Khan and Ahsan Mohsin Ikram tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Karachi on Friday. The duo made a stunning pair together in designer attires.
The event turned out to be a star-studded affair with leading actors being present on the function. The industry guests donned stylish outfits and oozed fashion goals.
Actor Fahad Sheikh recently appeared on Ahsan Khan’s show Time out with Ahsan Khan along with his Azmaish co-star Yashma Gill.
While the host and the guests were discussing Fahad’s diet and fitness routine, the Jalan star said that he often threatens Yashma that he will star as a hero opposite her daughter hence he focuses on his fitness. He said on a lighter note, “Mein Yashma ko dhamki deta hun kay mein ne tumhari beti kay sath hero ana hai, for that I have to be fit.”
The Udaari star replied to Fahad’s statement by saying, ‘Soch dekh iski’.
The Pyar Ke Sadqay diva is currently single, she opened up on her idea of companionship, “Companionship is something everyone desires. But I think you should get married to someone you can actually live a happy and satisfying life with, so you should be careful and not rush into it.”
The duo can be currently seen in ARY Digital’s drama serial Azmaish also featuring Kinza Hashmi.
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.
SPOILERS AHEAD
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.
Pakistan’s fastest growing web-channel, See Prime released a short film titled Nam Kya Rakha on Friday, starring Hajra Yamin, Fahad Sheikh, Faizan Shaikh and Shawaiz.
“Shayan (Fahad Sheikh), the lead protagonist in the story is a cricket fanatic who ends up on a hospital bed due to a car accident, unaware of what waits for him. There he meets up the only woman he ever loved. The story discloses how healing touch of love that can happen in unlikely places at unlikely times,” reads the film’s official synopsis.
Penned by Shaha Jamshed and directed by Sohail Javed, the short story has been produced by Ali Hussain and Mahib Bukhari.
The Executive Producer of the film, Seemeen Naveed, in a statement, said, “Naam Kya Rakha is a reminder to each one of us that it is okay to look back if it will allow you to move forward – and we are glad that with See Prime we are able to tell such simple stories for our audiences.”
Fahad and Hajra are currently winning hearts as a couple in ARY Digital’s ongoing drama Jalan.
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, Jalanis 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.
