Tag: Hadiqa Kiani

  • Hadiqa Kiani invited to attend concert of Palestinian singer Saint Levant

    Hadiqa Kiani invited to attend concert of Palestinian singer Saint Levant

    Hadiqa Kiani, known for her contributions to music industry and activism, continues to use her voice to support important causes.

    In a recent Instagram post, she wrote that she felt honored to be invited by Palestinian artist Saint Levant to attend his sold- out concert in Los Angeles.

    Hadiqa shared photos of her at the venue and with Saint Levant along with the caption: “This past weekend I had the privilege of being invited to and supporting Palestinian singer Saint Levant’s sold out show in LA. I was amazed by the energy of the crowd, it was like a protest, a rally for freedom and liberation – an absolutely beautiful experience.”

    Kiani emphasized the need to support Palestinian artist and stay informed about the ongoing crises in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and the broader region. “Art is a form of resistance”, she shared, encouraging everyone to support business and organizations that are striving to end the the occupation, to free Palestine and to bring back humanity.

    Saint Levant, whose real name is Marwan Abdelhamid, is a young Palestinian- French- Algerian singer. He’s making a name for himself with his unique music style that combines English, French and Arabic. His songs often touch on themes like identity, love, and the hardships faced by the Palestinian community. Using his music as a tool for activism, Saint Levant addresses the struggles of Palestinians and other communities in the Middle East, hoping to inspire positive change and empower the youth.

    Here is post of Hadiqa Kiani:

  • Hadiqa Kiani and Humayun Saeed shine together in new song ‘Baari Thaani’

    Hadiqa Kiani and Humayun Saeed shine together in new song ‘Baari Thaani’

    Music icon Hadiqa Kiani has been mesmerizing people with her soulful voice since decades. She has now collaborated on the song ‘Baari Thaani’ with superstar Humayun Saeed.

    Hadiqa Kiani is not only a singer but an actress too. The dramas she has worked such as, Raqeeb Se, Dobara, Pinjra, and Hadsa, she is also a philanthropist.

    In August 2022, Kiani launched her initiative called ‘Vaseela-e-Raah’ for the support of the 2022 Pakistan floods victims in Balochistan and in South Punjab where Hadiya Kiani led humanitarian efforts through her flood relief campaign and provided food, tents, and medical supplies, including anti-snake venoms, in flood-affected areas.

    In 2006 Hadiqa Kiani was awarded with Tamgha –e- Imitaz by the Government of Pakistan.

    Here are some pictures from the music video Baari Thaani:

    Here are some comments of the fans:

  • Hadiqa Kiani’s charity has built an astonishing number of homes in Balochistan

    Hadiqa Kiani’s charity has built an astonishing number of homes in Balochistan

    Actress and musician Hadiqa Kiani took to social media to share a monumental milestone achieved by her charity organisation ‘Vaseela-e-Raah’, revealing the organisation had surpassed their goal of building more than 200 homes in Balochistan. Taking to her Instagram account, the ‘Dobara’ actress revealed the organisation had constructed over 370 homes, and several other community facilities.

    “By the grace of Allah and your selfless help, we have surpassed our goal. The promise I made last year to the people of Balochistan, to my mother, and to my country is now complete.”

    “Our initial goal was 200 homes, but through prayer, determination, hard work, and community, we have now completed 370 homes, 2 mosques, 2 maternity centers, 1 school, and 1 grocery store in Tamboo and Kundi villages of Naseerabad, Balochistan. All funds collected over the past year have been fully utilized.”

    The actress went on to thank the love and gratitude other people had showered on her non-profit by donating medicine, water, food and other facilities to help them accomplish their goal. She said that a follow-up video will be posted with more details about their campaign.

    Hadiqa was one of the celebrities who offered support for communities effected by the devastating 2022 floods of Sindh and Balochistan, setting up her non-profit in an effort to reconstruct homes for the survivors. In March, Kiani shared that her organisation had built over a hundred homes, a maternity clinic, grocery store and primary school for children in Balochistan.

    “As many of you know, I have been in Balochistan for the past few days…by the grace of Allah + your support, we have completed the 1st phase of our project. 100 houses are complete and now occupied by flood victims, a maternity clinic, a grocery store and a primary school..”

  • ‘Hadsa’ is back, Islamabad High Court reverses suspension

    ‘Hadsa’ is back, Islamabad High Court reverses suspension

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has released a judgement ordering the reversal of the suspension on the controversial drama ‘Hadsa’, a series banned by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) after the motorway rape survivor accused the show of capitalising on her trauma. Legal expert Reema Omar shared a clip of the judgement on her Twitter account, where it was highlighted that the regulation board had not listened to the drama makers before announcing the ban:

    “The inconvenience caused to the applicant/appellant side including their irreparable loss is visible, all these ingredients compel this Court to pass the injunctive order.”

    The judgement also ordered that the explicit scene in question- the controversial gang rape of Episode 5- may not be repeated or broadcasted in the upcoming episodes.

    The controversy surrounding ‘Hadsa’ began in August when journalist Fareeha Idress shared an account of her conversation with the survivor, who shared that she was not consulted by the show runners who aired the controversial scene, and requested help from authorities to take down the drama.

    “They have made a drama on my life,” Fereeha tweeted Z told her. “As if I am nothing, no one asked me, it’s same, they are showing the same things, oh my God! Why didn’t I die before reliving this again? You know , I didn’t sleep after the incident for many many nights and it’s all back now, I haven’t slept a wink since I saw this terrible, horrendous depiction of the most terrible moments of my life which I so want to forget. It’s unbearable, I start shivering every day at 5 pm because I know the drama is coming at 7 pm. Why are they doing this to me?”.

    READ MORE: ‘I asked is this related to the motorway incident’: Hadiqa Kiani on motorway rape survivor statement

    Hadiqa Kiani released a lengthy statement on her social media accounts addressing the accusation, saying that after consulting the script writer and the rest of the team, she was sure the drama was not based on the motorway rape survivor:

    “When I was asked to do the role of Taskeen for Hadsa my first question was ‘Is this related to the motorway incident?’ ‘Is this based off the true incident?’ – I made it clear that I would not do the project if it was based off anyone’s story. The team behind the project explicitly told me ‘No’. After many conversations with the team and only after reading the script I understood that Hadsa was not related to or based off on the motorway story.”

    Director Wajahat Rauf answered the criticism by saying the drama was not based on the life of the motorway survivor, and said the purpose of the screenplay was to raise awareness about the ordeal rape survivors go through:

    “The drama is not based on the motorway incident. The protagonist, her husband, her three children, the family dynamics, the police officers who investigate the crime, the reason behind the crime, and the trial are all fictional. The only thing common is the part that the incident occurred on a highway.”

    “The last thing we would want to do is be insensitive towards someone who has been a victim of this brutal crime. It is our opinion that it would be far more insensitive towards the victims if we did not adopt a condemnation tone; in that case, one might argue that we are not at all familiar with the trauma that a rape victim goes through.”

    “Our writer did speak to actual victims who were willing to talk about their trauma and how they eventually coped with it and that is what is reflected in the play. A character should be judged after seeing her entire role. Judgement shouldn’t be passed on the basis of a glimpse of social media posts. Writers and directors can show temporary weakness to show long term strength of a character that develops.”

    On August 31, PEMRA released a statement announcing a ban on ‘Hadsa’.

  • Nadia Afghan, Nadia Jamil slam ‘disgusting’ dialogue from ‘Hadsa’

    Nadia Afghan, Nadia Jamil slam ‘disgusting’ dialogue from ‘Hadsa’

    Trigger warning: mention of rape, violence

    After the controversial drama ‘Hadsa’ was slammed by social media users for allegedly depicting without consent the ordeal of the motorway rape case that happened in 2020, several social media users slammed lead actress Hadiqa Kiani for her ‘tone-deaf’ statement, as well as writer Zanjabeel Asim Shah, and demanded that PEMRA take down the show.

    Now, a controversial dialogue from the drama has made rounds on social media, where the main character, Taskeen, can be heard saying “Jaisay murday ke jism mein rooh waapis nahi aati..waisay hee khoi hui izzat waapis nahi aati.” The clip was shared by Geo’s official Instagram account, as can be seen below.

    The dialogue was spoken in episode 5, after Taskeen is recovering in the hospital from her wounds after the violence.

    The controversial dialogue has launched more uproar on social media, with users demanding to know how it got approved by Hadiqa, who’s repertoire includes feminist dramas that empowered women.

    Activist Leena Ghani pointed out:

    ‘What excuse is Hadiqa Kiani going to give us now? That she didn’t read the dialogues? Was she forced to say ‘Khoi huwi izzat..’ Izzat victims nahi hotey balkay rapists ki koi izzat nahi hoti. Is this how @harpalgeotv wants to spread awareness by victim blaming and gaslighting survivors of sexual abuse? Why doesn’t anyone in the industry have a backbone and why can’t they ever do the right thing?”

    Actress Nadia Jamil slammed the dialogue as “disgusting”, and said no survivor of rape has her honor robbed.

    “Firstly NO HONOUR OF MINE WAS ROBBED WHEN I WAS RAPED. NO HONOUR OF ANY RAPE SURVIVOR IS ROBBED. THOSE WHO RAPED HAD AND HAVE NO HONOUR. THEY are the ones who should feel and be in shame. Not the victim.”

    The actress called out PEMRA and GEO for encouraging the ugly narrative of shame that would further marginalise survivors of rape, and said it took her years of therapy and coaching to come to a place where she herself- as a survivor of child abuse- could not feel ashamed about her trama.

    “The narrative of SHAME that is dumped on rape survivors is horrible. It’s a burden we carry through our lives. It took me years of therapy, prayer and coaching to come to a place of solid self worth and self respect within myself. Today movements like #notmyshame Shatter the Shame that survivors of abuse and rape have carried. Allowing us to belong to a tribe that recognises, the shame was never ours to carry, or suffer, to begin with. People like @ejtayloruk work hard to build a community where survivors feel empowered and safe. Please do not encourage this ugly narrative of shame for survivors @GeoTvNews @reportpemra you have a responsibility that comes with your power. Many men and women watching this may have been raped and it’s the last thing they need to hear AND it’s a lie.”

    Nadia Afghan also criticised content heads for their “insensitive and callous” approach towards sensitive topics like rape, and their only motive is to make more money out of it, saying that she was “disgusted and heartbroken.”

  • ‘I asked is this related to the motorway incident’: Hadiqa Kiani on motorway rape survivor statement

    ‘I asked is this related to the motorway incident’: Hadiqa Kiani on motorway rape survivor statement

    Intense backlash rose on Monday when journalist Fereeha Idress revealed how the drama ‘Hadsa’ was similar to the horrific motorway rape crime, stressing that the survivor was traumatised after seeing her ordeal being depicted online without her consent. Now actress Hadiqa Kiani has responded to the backlash with a lengthy statement where she clarified that initially while reading the script, she had found a lot of similarities between the crime and the storyline, but agreed to do the project after several discussions with the writer.

    “When I was asked to do the role of Taskeen for Hadsa my first question was ‘Is this related to the motorway incident?’ ‘Is this based off the true incident?’ – I made it clear that I would not do the project if it was based off anyone’s story. The team behind the project explicitly told me ‘No’. After many conversations with the team and only after reading the script I understood that Hadsa was not related to or based off on the motorway story.”

    The ‘Janaan’ singer then shared how necessary she felt it was to do a project like Hadsa which was about how rape was a reality of the world that we live in.

    “These are the realities of the world we live in. I have sadly been exposed to so many stories like this one but I can say that Hadsa is not based off on any one’s story, but based off on a sickly common part of our reality.”

    While we appreciate the fact that Hadiqa recognised the reason behind the backlash and came forward to give her side of the story in, the reality remains that the team behind ‘Hadsa’ should have done a better job in executing such a sensitive topic. If the actress had felt in the beginning while reading the script that it was quite similar to the 2020 crime, it should have been her duty right away to step away from a project that was profitting off from the misery and trauma of a survivor, or even chosen to consult her to keep them in the loop.

    Also, ‘Hadsa’ team should have consulted with experts about depicting sensitive topics- such as calling rape a “misfortune”‘, or displaying acts of violence and sexual abuse so graphically, so that rape and sexual abuse survivors are not forced to relive their trauma.

    Actress Hadiqa Kiani is starring in a new drama series ‘Hadsa’ which depicts the life of a headstrong woman, who is raped while travelling with her son on an empty highway. Many users since the drama began airing, pointed out how the drama’s storyline was similar to the horrifying motorway rape case of 2021, when a woman travelling on motorway with her two children was assaulted and raped by two men infront of her two children. The drama is written by Zanjabeel Asim Shah, and directed by Wajahat Rauf, and stars Aly Khan, Romaisa Khan, Khaqan Shahnawaz.

    Journalist Fereeha Idress, who reported the account of the anonymous survivor, has now taken to X, formerly Twitter, to slam the makers behind ‘Hadsa’ for violating the privacy of the lone survivor, who revealed that the makers, nor the star-studded cast and crew, had approached her for consent on making a drama about a horrifying ordeal she had undergone.

    In a lengthy statement, Fereeha said the survivor, Z, had tried to keep her and her family’s identity protected, after undergoing the trauma, but was once more triggered by the depictions in the show.

    “They have made a drama on my life,” Fereeha tweeted Z told her. “As if I am nothing, no one asked me, it’s same, they are showing the same things, oh my God! Why didn’t I die before reliving this again? You know , I didn’t sleep after the incident for many many nights and it’s all back now, I haven’t slept a wink since I saw this terrible, horrendous depiction of the most terrible moments of my life which I so want to forget. It’s unbearable, I start shivering every day at 5 pm because I know the drama is coming at 7 pm. Why are they doing this to me?”.

    The journalist slammed the creators for forcing the survivor to re-live the trauma and not taking into consideration the ordeal she, her loved ones, including the children had gone through. Rather than allowing her to heal and tell the incident on her own choice, they made a drama out of it.-

    “The moment the drama episode goes on air, all comments start talking about motorway incident. Can’t they let me forget about this? They have followed my life. Isn’t this harassment? How they traced things in my life when I was so clear of keeping everything so private? My in laws must be watching it, my brother in law, my mother, my neighbours, oh my God! No one even cared to ask me? I am not dead yet! Do they want me dead? Can’t I just forget about this and move on?”

    In the next tweet, Fereeha wrote that Z, the survivor, was in extreme distress, speaking to the journalist on the phone. The drama had forced her to re-live the ordeal all over again.

    “My question is when everyone knew I never wanted to come in the limelight, why was I thrown into it again and again? So many known people, celebrities, politicians etc wanted to come and meet me or talk to me post incident, but I always declined because I wanted my privacy and didn’t want anything else but the culprits punished. Is it all about making money? Does no one care what I am going through by this triggered trauma? What my kids and husband will be going through? Do they even know how I am spending my life? Everyday is a struggle. I am being thick skinned and staying alive only for my children. They didn’t even care for my children. Do you know my kids have not forgotten..”

    Z requested the journalist to get the drama stopped, so that she would stopped being approached by public figures or being recognised as the ‘motorway wali’.

    “Can you pls get this drama stopped? Can Pak pls help me stop this? It’s like whole world is watching my misery and pain as I am reliving it. Pls tell them to make this once I am dead, I am alive right now or did they think I would have died? And pls not even after my death as I have children, they can make this after we have all died”

    There has been no response from the makers behind the drama, or from the lead star Hadiqa Kiani and the rest of the actors on this accusation.

    This is not the first time Pakistani dramas have been accused of ripping of the trials and ordeals of survivors, without taking consent from the family members or giving them a portion of the profits earned. Previously, it was Bhaagi, starring Saba Qamar, which was accused for depicting the life of the social media star Qandeel Baloch, without the consent of her family members. As Nighat Dad tweeted the father of the murdered star, Azeem Baba, was informed by other villagers that a drama was made on his daughter’s life.

  • ‘Hadsa’ writer Zanjabeel Asim Shah refutes allegations from motorway rape survivor

    ‘Hadsa’ writer Zanjabeel Asim Shah refutes allegations from motorway rape survivor

    After Hadiqa Kiani, the writer behind the controversial drama ‘Hadsa’ has come forward to address allegations that the script is based on the horrific motorway rape case, in which a woman was gang-raped in 2020 in front of her young children. Episode 5 of the drama shows the female lead, Taskeen, and her son driving down a highway at night when their car suddenly stops. Soon after, a group of men arrive who subject the female lead to torture and rape. Journalist Fereeha Idrees called the story a serious violation of privacy, and demanded that PEMRA shut down the show for exploiting a survivor’s trauma for ratings, without her or her family’s approval.

    Now, in a conversation with BBC Urdu, the writer has denied these allegations, pointing out that every woman, regardless of her background, can suffer from rape:

    “The similarity is just a coincidence. Every woman who goes through this incident, whether she is rich or poor, or whether she comes from an educated family or not, will get affected. Our dramas speak about our sufferings and our situations.”

    ‘When you fight this war, you’re also getting your catharsis,” he said.

    Zanjabeel went on to discuss writing on other topics like child sexual abuse and said that sometimes, drama scripts can bear resemblance to real life cases.

    “I have shown a young son who was getting married. We often say that a woman is going out alone, but she would still be helpless even if her husband went with her.”

    Since the allegations by Idrees went viral, on X, formerly Twitter, the hashtag #banhadsa began trending, with social media users criticing the cast and crew behind for violating the privacy of the rape survivor, and called for PEMRA to ban the drama. To which, Zanjabeel had responded:

    “PEMRA had banned my drama ‘Pyaar Ke Sadqaay’ too. But does this mean girls are not abused inside their homes? PEMRA had annoyed even Bee Gul so much over her drama ‘Darr Si Jaati Hai’. If they keep doing this, then should we only make dramas about saas-bahu conflicts? If we can’t make dramas about sensitive topics, then should we only make romance dramas,” he asked.

    Hadiqa Kiani released a statement on her social media account, saying that when she first read the script there were similarities with the motorway rape case, but after discussions with the writer and team, she understood that the drama was entirely different.

    Her statement was slammed by social media users, who demanded that she stop gaslighting survivors of rape and trauma.

  • Hadiqa Kiani writes moving tribute to fellow cast as ‘Pinjra’ airs last episode

    Actress and singer Hadiqa Kiani wrote a moving tribute to her fellow cast members and fans of the drama ‘Pinjra’ as the last episode aired on Friday.

    “Our beautiful family ”, wrote the ‘Dupatta’ singer. “Grateful to be a part of such an important experience. The cast, the crew, these talented children, the story, the great late writer Asma Nabeel, the wonderful @shaziawajahat, our amazing director @najafbilgrami…just feeling so grateful. Thank you to all of those who connected with the drama  @arydigital.tv.”

    Pinjra revolved around a family where the father Javed (played by Omair Rana) and the mother Khadija (Kiani) are both strict parents, demanding their son Abaan to stay away from his interest in art and music, and to focus more on his studies. The pressure to succeed has an impact on Abaan -along with being bullied by his siblings due to his poor grades- he begins doing drugs and even harming another child.

    Twitter users praised the series for carefully discussing issues like societal pressures, bullying, and helping parents understand how to be kinder to their children.

    Kiani was previously praised for her powerful performance in ‘Dobara’ as a newly widowed middle-aged woman, who takes stand for herself after being restricted by her husband through out her marriage, and in the process she falls in love with a man who is ten years younger than her.

  • Four Pakistani dramas that broke stereotypes to introduce wide age-gap couples

    Four Pakistani dramas that broke stereotypes to introduce wide age-gap couples

    . We are all familiar with the stereotypical Pakistani lead couple, a toxic and underwhelming boy who is ‘edgy’ and ‘dark’ because of his traumatizing past, and the hoor-pari good girl who has never walked outside apnay ghar ki chaar dewariyan, and has apparently never interacted with a man in her life. They meet, stalk, harass, fall in love, shaadi, divorce, phir pyar and then happy ending.

    But quiet rarely, Pakistani dramas take a step to break these stereotypes and introduce us to a couple where either both or one person is a middle-aged woman. It’s a rare stand against stereotypical depictions of women disappearing after they turn forty.

    But it’s important now that women are reminded that their beauty and desirability doesn’t finish the moment they turn thirty. Life doesn’t end.

    Thankfully, Pakistani dramas have slowly been catching up on breaking this stigma by giving us a few very poignant and well-written dramas that had cast a middle-aged woman in a romantic relationship as the central lead of their drama.

    1 Dobara

    Pakistani dramas OST

    Dobara was embraced with open arms by Pakistani audiences when it debuted. Hadiqa Kiana starred as Mehru Nisa, a woman in her forties with two grown children who was learning to re-live her life on her own terms after being forcibly married when she was sixteen years old and deprived of doing everything she had ever loved. Mehru Nisa’s relationship with Maahir, a man who was in his twenties, is the most heart warming aspect of this drama because of the way he helps her gain confidence in doing whatever she wanted to do, and also defends her from her family members who consistently bully her.

    2 Jhoom

    This upcoming drama features Zara Noor Abbas and Haroon Kadwani as lovers with a wide age gap between them. According to the trailer, the premise revolves around backlash from society who cannot accept an older woman marrying a younger man.

    3 Samjhota

    Shahista Lodhi’s on-air drama revolved around an old man’s marriage. After his wife passes away, he decides to marry Nargis. But his re-marriage at this age doesn’t bode well with his children, who refuse to treat Nargis with kindness.

    Speaking on the importance of approaching this topic, Lodhi who starred as Nargis in the drama, said that she wanted to do this project because of how it reminds that the elderly that life doesn’t end when they grow old:

    “It showed that at a certain age when we think our elderly mother and father are only around to take care of our children, but instead you’ll witness the love story between these two main characters in the drama. I thought this was such a great example being set. The other thing is in our society at a certain age our parents are left lonely while we get busy building our own lives. We seem to think that our parents can’t find a new partner after their own spouse and they don’t have a life of their own.”

    4 Teri Raah Mein Rul Gayi

    Samiya Mumtaz essays the role of a middle aged woman whose husband passed away a year after their marriage, leaving her in grief. Her brother-in-law stands up to society by providing for her every single need, and declares that he has fallen in love with her.

  • Inspired by Aurat March, here are feminist songs suggested by women on Twitter

    Inspired by Aurat March, here are feminist songs suggested by women on Twitter

    Aurat March is a day of calling attention to the struggle for equality, as women march on the streets in cities across Pakistan to raise awareness about the numerous issues they face everyday. In spirit of this celebration, we have to pay homage to the powerful feminist anthems that have championed women to be fearless and have called for women to be raised to an equal bar with men.
    When this twitter user asked her followers to give suggestions about Pakistani feminist songs women could listen to in celebration of the day.

    https://twitter.com/apniISPdot/status/1632826963025973252?s=20

    Soon, women flooded her comment section with suggestions and we’re more than happy to share them with our audience!

    1 Hum Dekhien Gey by Iqbal Bano

    The celebrated poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz was written to counter Zia’s brutal dictatorship who had imprisoned Faiz. Legendary singer Iqbal Bano held a performance at Alhamra where she wore a black sari and sung this poem in defiance of Zia’s ban on saris.

    2 Mujhe Apnay Jeenay Ka Haq Chahiye by Tahira Syed and Roshaneh Zafar ft Shabana Azmi

    Written by celebrated Urdu poet and writer Amjad Islam Amjad, this song served as the title OST for the drama ‘Akhri Station’. It gives voice to the struggles women face and their desire to break free from the chains of patriarchy.

    3 Intehai Shauq by Hadiqa Kiani

    Hadiqa Kiani is a beloved Pakistani actress and singer who has consistently acted in dramas that raised issues faced by women, and for her efforts to provide relief to the flood victims in Balochistan. This song was suggested by women on Twitter because it motivates people to overcome their struggles and setbacks to keep striving for a better future.

    4 Rajkumari by Meesha Shafi

    Actress and singer Meesha Shafi has always used her platform to raise awareness about sexual harassment, and providing easier access for women to file cases in court and hold their abusers accountable. Last year, she dropped this feminist anthem as a surprise, to champion women from everyday life to never forget that they’re queens!

    5 Izzat by Jaan-e-Haseena

    Hussain Zaidi who goes by ‘Jaan-e-Haseena’ on social media, is a transgender rapper who wrote this powerful anthem for the Sindh Moorat March, to demand spaces for more trans women in Pakistan.

    6 Chup by Zeb & Haniya

    Fans have loved the way female desire and playfulness is the central theme to the song, so this is a must add in our feminist playlist!