Actress Mahira Khan is about to attempt changing the Pakistani entertainment industry for good by bringing forward an array of unique projects. Yesterday, author Faiqa Mansab announced on her Instagram page that the actress, along with producer Nina Kashif had brought the rights to her novel ‘This House Of Clay And Water’ under the banner of Soul Fry Films. Mahira is grounded yet a true superstar, the novelist wrote, adding that her book is in good hands:
“I am so happy to have Mahira and Nina at the helm for this project because they really get the essence of this story. I was immediately won over by Mahira, who is grounded and yet a true superstar. In a few words she showed me how deeply she understood my novel. Few people have shown such insight. My novel is in extremely good hands. I look forward to seeing it on screen. Thank you to all who believe in my stories!”
In a statement released to Book Brunch, Mahira and Nina called the novel “one of the most poetic pieces of writing”:
‘This book is one of the most poetic pieces of writing that we have come across from our part of the world. Each character stays with you, you feel invested in all of them. A story that is so different and yet so rooted. It would be an honor for us to adapt it for our screen audience. We are so grateful to Faiqa for putting her trust in us with what we feel is a piece of her heart, and now ours.”
‘The House Of Clay And Water’ was released in May 2017 and explores the lives of two women, Nida and Sasha and how they navigate a world that makes them feel alienated.
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.
There hasn’t been a better time to watch Pakistani dramas than now, what with a whole range of shows and actors set to make their mark on our screens. It looks like finally the entertainment industry has started listening to our calls for something other than the saas-bahu jhagray, because these shows range from celebrating women in sports to satire to exploring the thrills of first love.
It also looks like Pakistanis are about to see fresh faces as well as some beloved actors make their debute on screen as Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed are coming back once more, and Instagram influencers like Mamia Shahjaffer, Khushhal Khan and Dananeer are set to star as main leads.
We’re definitely certain that you’re cancelling your plans to set up your movie night after scrolling through our list.
22 Qadam
Starring Hareem Farooq and Wahaj Ali, the drama is set to explore the lives of women in sports, through the story of Fari (played by Farooq) who aspires to become a cricketer. Speaking to The Current, Farooq called 22 Qadam “the voice of the unheard” and said that the sole inspiration behind this show was women like Sana Mir:
“The first person that comes to our mind when you talk about women and cricket is Sana Mir, she’s been an inspiration for so many women out there. It is just about breaking stereotypes and the taboos out there that women can also excel in sports, and if nothing else it makes you more independent and gives you that confidence that allows you to face the world in the best way possible.”
College Gate
It looks like the entertainment industry has finally understood that there isn’t any one out there willnigly ready to sit down and listen to another shaadi story about underaged women marrying men twice their age, because we’re finally getting a story about college students and their personal experiences. The show, starring Khaqan Shahnawaz, Mamia Shahjaffer and veteran actress Saba Hameed, promises to be a drama unlike what has been shown before with topics like addiction, peer pressure and depression thrown into the story.
Barzakh
Starring power leads Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed along with newcomer model Khushhal Khan, the series has definitely captured our attention, especially the fact that it is written and directed by the mastermind behind Churails (2018), Asim Abbasi. Speaking to Variety, Abbasi said that the inspiration for the series came after the death of his father and watching his own son grow into a young boy:
“In the aftermath of my father’s passing, and witnessing my son grow into a young boy, I found myself consumed with nostalgia, and memories of times gone and loves lost. And I began to think about my fears – the end of consciousness, the end of imagination, the end of love. And from these fears, grew a story where love was indeed eternal. Where it survived us – making it the ultimate human legacy.”
Producer of the series Kerjiwal said:
“‘Barzakh’ is a product of COVID brain – it was a time where like everyone else, Asim and I were talking about love, life, death, losing loved ones, unable to say our goodbyes. There was a sense of loss, but also confusion, because of a lack of completion. Death and parting didn’t seem like a finality like it used to because funerals and weddings were both happening on Zoom.
This new reality was surreal and to make any sense of it, physical contact or in-person meeting with friends and family became crucial. Hence the idea about a show which essentially was a family reunion came up.”
101 Talakhien
This looks like the perfect drama for anyone (especially us) who is bored to death of marriage obsessed culture, and wants something dark and satirical- which is exactly what the show promises to deliver. Zahid Ahmed stars as famous lawyer Rustom Kavasji, who artfully decodes how couples begin to fall apart after getting married.
Muhabbat Gumshuda Meri
This seems like a Pakistani version of K-dramas which will explore the thrills of high school relationships, because this trailer has already got us counting down the days to the release. TikTok star Dananeer and model and actor Khushhal Khan are the main leads of the drama and are shown to be complete opposites, who slowly come to fall in love with each other. However, their relationship is threatened by their parents leading to the couple going to any lengths to protect their relationship.
Idiot
Fans of Ahmed Ali Akbar who loved him in ‘Parizaad’ and ‘Ehd-e-Wafa’ are in for a treat because the hearthrob has already sparked anticipation with his upcoming film ‘Gunjal’ and now with his drama ‘Idiot’ where he is set to star opposite Mansha Pasha.
In an exclusive interview with The Current, cricket great and commentator Wasim Akram along with his wife, philanthropist Shaniera Akram, discussed their upcoming film ‘Money Back Guarantee’.
The film plays host to a star-studded cast with the names of actors like Fawad Khan, Ali Safina, Ayesha Omar and Mikaal Zulfiqaar on the marquee.
When asked about why he chose to venture into acting after 25 years in cricket and commentary, Akram opened up about his decision:
“I have been acting for 25 years not just for television commercial or brands. And before that, even during the time I was a cricketer”, the 56-year-old former captain of the Pakistan team said. “When you’re on the field you have to be mindful about where you have to be angry, where you want to be excited, where you have to have a go at one of your fielders when they have dropped a catch.”
Akram revealed that he had always enjoyed watching movies and television shows, and was grateful for the opportunity writer and director Faisal Quraishi gave him by casting him in ‘Money Back Guarantee’.
“I enjoy watching movies…especially on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Stand TV in Australia. I watch very different movies too, so credit goes to Faisal who convinced me to give it a go,” the former pacer told us.
Akram also shared that this was not something he was making a career out of at this stage, but thought, “Why not, let’s give it a go?”
The complete interview with Wasim Akram and Shaniera Akram will be released on The Current’s YouTube channel on the first day of Eid.
Anyone who has ever been a fan of Bollywood remembers how the earth’s axis shifted when Fawad Khan starred as Prince Vikram in the Bollywood film ‘Khoobsurat’ with Sonam Kapoor. Hearts swooned across the subcontinent en masse. No man has had the kind of impact that Fawad did, and we’re still reeling from it.
It looks like the other side of the border still can’t get over Fawad’s smoldering looks either, and this recent exchange between Kapoor and Khan proves it.
Khan shared a clip from an upcoming action film on his Instagram page, and Kapoor commented on it, saying that she missed him, and couldn’t wait to see him soon.
“FK always magic on screen,” wrote Kapoor. “See you and Sadaf soon.”
Is another collaboration in the works? A chance that Fawad Khan might star in another Bollywood film?? We’re shaking just thinking about it.
Twitter users also loved how regardless of the political tensions between India and Pakistan, Bollywood and Lollywood actors still care for eachother.
sonam kapoor is fawad khan’s biggest fan and you can’t convince me otherwise, her biggest flex and most likeable thing is she is a great friend to him and also worked with him ❤
Kapoor once said in an interview that it was Fawad Khan with whom she had the best chemistry, but was unhappy with how Karan Johar sent him back to Pakistan.
Do you guys remember which TV ads you loved? Some of the most popular commercials have been made by companies like Ufone, Cocomo and even Shan, entertaining audiences as much as the dramas they interrupted.
A few days ago, a Twitter user asked followers about their favorite ads while growing up.
Television in Pakistan went through a seismic shift when 13 years ago, the drama ‘Dastaan’ debuted on our screens. Featuring a star-studded cast like Fawad Khan, Sanam Baloch, Saba Qamar and Ahsan Khan, the series was an adaptation of the novel ‘Bano’ by Razia Butt, an exploration of the aftermath of the subcontinent’s partition.
The main leads, Hassan (played by Khan) and Bano (played by Baloch), are two lovers who meet when their relatives Suraiya and Salim get married. At first Hassan tries to befriend Bano, but Salim refuses to let them marry because he wants to marry her off to another man. However, just as their families approve and both are engaged, Hassan has to leave for University, and then the partition of 1947 takes place after which their lives are completely changed.
Pakistani dramas today can’t seem to move on from saas-bahu kay jhagray and toxic love stories where women are nothing but a prop for men, so many remember the magic of ‘Dastaan’ especially the tragedy of the love story between Hassan and Bano.
A viral tweet on Twitter had asked about a couple from a drama series that had devastated them, and the most popular reply in the Pakistani context had to be Hassan and Bano’s tragedy from ‘Dastaan’.
Something shifted in the atmosphere, Mother Nature began healing, world peace seemed like a reality when the trailer for the most anticipated film this year ‘Barbie’ dropped last week.
Featuring a stellar cast with actors like Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Dua Lipa and many more, the film has award winning Greta Gerwig as writer and director.
As soon as the trailer dropped online, its hilarious catch phrase ‘She’s everything. He’s just Ken’ took the internet by storm because what phrase better captures the brilliance and vivacity of women and how men are simple and stupid in comparison?
Twitter users began coming up with their own versions of Ken and Barbie and honestly we are rooting for the producers to consider re-making the film with a new set of cast members.
Check out some of the hilarious replies.
RUDE. But sorry Fawad, Sanam will always remain classy and outstanding.
If you’re a citizen of Pakistani Twitter, then you would be familiar with cult dramas like ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai’, ‘Humsafar’ and ‘Tere Bin’, that have dominated social media with swoon worthy romances as well as dreamboats like Fawad Khan and Wahaj Ali. We’ll admit it, we have been obsessed too.
But it might turn out that all that is old is not gold? And sadly, our fav heroes might not actually be the shehzada of our dreams but actually toxic men who needs to be re examined again.
A Twitter user shared a tweet of the main leads from the most popular Pakistani dramas: ‘Tere Bin’, ‘Zindagi Gulzaar Hai’, ‘Humsafar’ and ‘Mere Humsafar’, and in the caption she shared that arranged marriage might not be such a bad idea if it were with men like them.
But in today’s climate when more women are asking for better representation on television screens, a man like Ashar or Zarrun won’t sit well with audiences, regardless of how good looking Fawad Khan is. With that, more twitter users began sharing the ways audiences had overlooked how regressive and sexist these male leads actually were, and should not have been projected as the standard kind of man women should look for.
Users shared that in ‘Humsafar’, Khan’s character Ashar, kicks his wife Khirad (played by Mahira Khan) out of the house while she was pregnant because he suspects her to be cheating on him with her friend, Khizar.
Yea cos everyone wants a guy who doesnt trust his wife and kicks her out of the house at night while she’s pregnant and doesnt even accept he has a daughter for whose treatment he needs to give money. https://t.co/GUoTSdKdbr
Fawad Khan in zgh was a chauvinist in humsafar he was toxic didn’t trust his wife and on false accusation ninja kicked mahira out of his life… so yeah these images didn’t help ..marriages are still scary ♀️ ️ https://t.co/vlovaXrLRL
Twitter users shared how toxic Murtasim was in ‘Tere Bin’ because he slapped Meerab in episode 5, and in the most recent episode he asks her to jump to prove she wasn’t having an affair behind his back.
I hope no one gets a guy like murtasim or ashar, they both were hella toxic https://t.co/DNZFPY2kUd
Didn’t watch ZGH..but except Hamza the rest 2 are male chauvinist and hypocrite literally. Hamza is maa ka ladla. So the 3 characters are already cancelled https://t.co/KfMPT2ltQ7
We hope that the entertainment industry takes a note of this and works on improving their scripts to stop romanticizing toxic men, who can only offer the bare minimum to the women in their lives.
This Eid is the best time to head back to the cinemas as a flux of A-list celebrities are set to star in unique films.
If you’re someone who isn’t a fan of cringey rom-coms, you’ll want to check out this list because aside from comedies, the list includes thrillers with powerful leading ladies, historical action films and much more!
Let’s look in to the upcoming films set to release on Eid.
Money Back Guarantee
Written and directed by comedy king Faisal Qureshi himself, the film is set to star Fawad Khan, who is making his silver screen comeback after a long hiatus, and will also mark the debut of Wasim Akram and his wife Shaneira. The film is an action-packed comedy that is definitely the right flavour for Eid.
2. Huey Tum Ajnabi
Directed by film star Kamran Shahid, the film is based around the events of the 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh. It stars Mikaal Zulfiqar and Sadia Khan in leading roles, as well as Ayesha Omar, Samina Peerzada and Adnan Jillani.
3. Daadal
If you were disappointed by not being able to watch ‘Javed Iqbal’, then this next action film with a fiercely powerful female lead by Abu Aleeha will definitely make you want to book tickets today! This film stars a boxer from Lyari played by Sonya Hussayn who kills a gang of rich evil men to avenge the honor of her sister. Soon she teams up with a police officer to go after the criminals.
4 Lahore Qalandar
Looks like we’re also getting a Punjabi-style story with a lot of action and conflicts. Directed by Shahid Rana, this film stars Saima Noor, Bando Butt and Shafqat Cheema.
5 Dorr
A man tries to save the woman he loves from a violent gang, who have kidnapped her in exchange for a bribe. Directed by Nadeem Cheema, it stars Asad Mahmood, Shafqat Cheema and Saleem Meraj.
