Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has gone from strength to strength, initially by becoming the first Pakistani and woman of color to first win two Oscars, then to helming Marvel projects and now to taking on the mantle of the first female director to take on the iconic franchise ‘Star Wars’.
Chinoy’s remarkable achievements have made Pakistanis incredibly proud, putting the country on the global map of the entertainment industry.
The ‘Star Wars’ announcement has prompted a lot of people to congratulate Chinoy, including local and international stars. However, Hollywood actress Priyanka Chopra’s sentimental note about the director irked a lot of people, including actor Adnan Siddiqui.
Chopra has shared a note for Chinoy on Instagram, calling her the first ‘South Asian’ woman to achieve such monumental heights.
Adnan Siddiqui then schooled her in a tweet, reminding her that Chinoy was a Pakistani first, then a South Asian
“With due respect, @priyankachopra . Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is a Pakistani first just to brush up your knowledge. Much like the way you flaunt your Indian nationality whenever you get the opportunity before claiming to be a South Asian.”
With due respect, @priyankachopra . Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is a Pakistani first just to brush up your knowledge. Much like the way you flaunt your Indian nationality whenever you get the opportunity before claiming to be a South Asian. pic.twitter.com/B7wy8gD8QB
Level of insecurity shown by @priyankachopra here is mind boggling. She is a big name herself and yet can’t digest someone from neighbouring country make a name for Pakistan. Unreal hate they have for Pakistan. https://t.co/CC7TOgaWau
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.
I’ll be there for you but not when you’re making offensive jokes.
Since its debut in 1993, the popular American sitcom ‘Friends’ has won hearts of generations across the world with its hilarious depiction of the struggles of five adults living in an apartment near Central Park. Neat-freak Monica, the line “JOEY DOESN’T SHARE FOOD!”, Rachel and her lewks, but especially Ross and the line “PIVOT!” are part of our psyche.
But it turns out, not all that glitters is gold because recent generations have found the popular sitcom to be insensitive for the copious amounts of sexism, body shaming, and especially Joey and his creepy flirting.
Jennifer Aniston, who starred as the fashionista Rachel Green on the show, has addressed these controversies in an interview with AFP, while she was promoting her upcoming Netflix film ‘Murder Mystery 2’ which will co-star Adam Sandler. The actress lamented the dearth of comedy shows and criticism of ‘Friends’.
“There’s a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of ‘Friends’ and find them offensive,” Aniston said. “There were things that were never intentional and others… well, we should have thought it through — but I don’t think there was a sensitivity like there is now.”
The ‘Dumplin’ star went on to lament how difficult it is to make humor today.
“Now it’s a little tricky because you have to be very careful, which makes it really hard for comedians, because the beauty of comedy is that we make fun of ourselves, make fun of life,” she said. “[In the past] you could joke about a bigot and have a laugh — that was hysterical. And it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were. And now we’re not allowed to do that.”
Anniston went on to stress that it was necessary now more than ever that more shows like ‘Friends’ are made:
“Everybody needs funny! The world needs humor! We can’t take ourselves too seriously. Especially in the United States. Everyone is far too divided.”
Are you worn out and tired by constantly hustling under capitalism? Adulting can be incredibly hard, especially when you’re working from 9 to 5 on a regular basis, its hard to find a good show to bring some peace of mind.
With the constant flow of sexist and repetitive plot lines and utlra-cringey jokes that Pakistani dramas can’t seem to put a cap on, we can understand the frustration our audiences could be going through to find something they can binge watch.
Especially now that one has to fast, you might be looking for a good show to help pass the time.
So ranging from some iconic Pakistani dramas to a spooky murder mystery and even some captivating Korean dramas, we have carefully crafted a list of shows we know our followers will drain in a day!
1 Dolly Ki Ayegi Baraat
How can we forget the iconic Saima Chaudhry, the fashion designer from Faisalabad? The hilarious comedy drama may have aired in 2010, but years later fans still binge watch the iconic drama and its sequels every Ramzan. The series starts with Dolly’s wedding preparations and the cultural clashes between two families as relationships form, misunderstanding emerge and discrimination based on class are pointed out.
2 Akbari Asghari
This one is for the ‘Dastaan’ fans, if you couldn’t get enough of Sanam Baloch and Fawad Khan’s jorri in a tragedy, then get prepared to wheeze in this hilarious family drama. A modern adaptation of the popular Urdu novel ‘Meerat-ul-Aroos’, the story follows two sisters, Akbari and Asghari living in the US, and their parent’s plan to get them married to their cousins living in Pakistan. While Akbari is a wild child who is unafraid to be bold in front of her parents, Asghari tries to be a dutiful daughter but resents the idea of marrying her cousin, when she actually wants to marry Roger.
3 The Haunting of Hill House
Not a fan of light-hearted comedy? Do you need something dark and spooky to beat the work fatigue? Then this is the perfect series that blends in the works of popular Gothic writers like Shirley Jackson, Edgar Allan Poe and explores themes like trauma, mental health and love. The series drifts between the present and the past, following the lives of five siblings and the aftermath of a tragedy they suffered in a house they moved into for the summer of 92. Slowly, strange events begin occurring, leading to each family member begins doubting each other.
4 Abbott Elementary
Have memorized ‘The Office’ and ‘Friends’ and now need another feel-good comedy series that makes you giddy in the same way? This comedy drama has received rave reviews from audiences for its stellar writing and especially performances from the likes of Quinta Brunson. Set at a Philadelphia public school, it follows five teachers who are passionate about their job, despite the limited funding they receive from the district to provide supplies to their children.
5 Mr Queen
We obviously cannot form a list of good television shows without including Korean dramas, because literally every one has a comfort K-drama on their list. And this is the one we want our audience to look up, for a feel-good time travel rom-com involving gender bending and romance. When modern chef Na In-Woo accidentally falls from a building while trying to escape cops, he wakes up to realize he’s in the body of a woman, who is set to become the queen in the Joseon era.
6 Tomorrow
Need something dark and broody to really draw you in? Fans of heartthrobs Rowoon and Lee Soo-Hyuk would definitely want to include this show in their watch list. When an accident causes Choi Joon-Woong to go into a coma and turn into a half-spirit, he is enlisted in a team of Grim Reapers whose job is to counsel people struggling with suicidal thoughts. Brilliantly performed with a gripping script that engages with a dark topic with humour and gentleness, this is definitely a drama you should look up.
Priyanka Chopra made headlines when she chose to leave Bollywood and start a career in Hollywood with the series ‘Quantico’. The star went on to act in prominent films such as ‘A Kid Like Jake’ and ‘Baywatch’.
Talking on the podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Chopra opened up about the reason that compelled her to leave Bollywood, revealing that the ongoing politics and feuds of the industry had worn her out:
“I was being pushed into a corner in the industry (Bollywood). I had people not casting me, I had beef with people, I am not good at playing that game so I kind of was tired of the politics and I said I needed a break,” said the ‘Love Again’ actress. “This music thing gave me an opportunity to go into another part of the world, not crave for the movies I didn’t want to get but I would require to schmooze certain clubs and cliques of people. It would require groveling and I had worked a long time by then that I didn’t feel like I wanted to do it.”
Chopra had started a music career in Hollywood by releasing ‘In My City’ feat Will.I.Am in 2012, and later “Exotic’ in 2013, but decided to shift from music to acting.
“You have late nights, and early mornings, you’re travelling to a different city every day and you do it for three months,” she told People. “That’s why my music career lasted two seconds…I was not meant to do that. This rock star life is… I admire it tremendously. It’s definitely not for the weak-hearted.”
Every one knows about the popular film ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ and the famous moment in the film when Waymond says to Evelyn “In another life, I would have liked doing laundry and taxes with you.” Yes, we all remember how much we sobbed.
But the tragedy of Waymond and Evelyn not getting together in another life is something desi users are all too familiar with, because we can recall tragic dramas that made us wail for days. The main couple who could have had it all, end up never getting together.
So did Twitter users find an example of the Pakistani drama that is their Evelyn and Waymond? Turns out there are plenty.
One user quoted that it was Jamaal and Heer from ‘Qurbaan’ who should have been together but tragedy drove them apart.
In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you pic.twitter.com/hcoFkbvrwX
Fawad Khan’s forgotten but beloved telefilm “Behaad” made an entrance where he plays Jamaal, a man who falls in love with a single mother, who is played by the iconic Nadia Jamil, but soon begins facing difficulties from her family.
In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you pic.twitter.com/l5VuIKm3M7
Director Sofia Coppola and her husband singer Thomas Mars are known for being a power couple in Hollywood. The notoriously private pair have two daughters. Coppola, who is the daughter of ‘The Godfather’ director, Francis Ford Coppola, revealed in an interview that she wants her daughters to live a normal childhood without the pressures of fame.
Yesterday, Coppola’s daughter, Romy Mars, took social media by storm with a 50 second TikTok video where she revealed that her parents had grounded her after she tried to board a helicopter from New York to Maryland in order to visit her camp friend. She also further revealed her babysitter’s boyfriend in the video who was helping her make a pasta, and called them her “replacement parents”, because Coppola and Mars were never around.
Although the video has since been deleted, Twitter users are crowning Mars as “nepo baby of the year” and saying that the video was proof that the powerful storytelling capabilities of Coppola and her father are reflected through her.
Francis Ford Coppola: The Godfather Sofia Coppola: Marie Antoinette Romy Coppola Mars: Make a vodka sauce pasta with me because I’m grounded for trying to charter a helicopter using my dad’s credit card and visit my friend
Her grounded teen daughter making a single TikTok and being immediately acclaimed as a filmmaking genius across the web has gotta feel like a worst-case scenario for Sofia Coppola.
Priyanka Chopra was recently asked to comment on Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan’s statement about not working in Hollywood because “I am comfortable here.”
Chopra was attending the SXSW festival where she was promoting her upcoming series Citadel. The actress and Khan had previously worked together in Don and Don 2, before she shifted to Hollywood to star in the series Quantico.
In response to Khan’s statement, Chopra had said that she doesn’t share the same sentiments:
“Comfort is boring to me. I am not arrogant, I am self-assured. I know what I am doing when I walk onto a set. I don’t need the validation of executives. I am willing to take auditions, I am willing to work. I do not carry the baggage of my success in one country when I walk into another country.”
Priyanka Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan worked together in Don 1 in 2016. The two were rumoured to be romantically involved during the shoot.
Chopra further went on to say that her father, who was from the military, had taught her to be disciplined and remain focused on her job:
“I am very professional and if you ask people around me, I am known for my professionalism. I take pride in it. My father was in the military and he taught me the value of discipline. He taught me not to take the value of what you have been given for granted.”
The ‘White Tiger’ actor further stressed that she was able to build a legacy for herself because of her hard work, because of which she has learned to dodge bullets and just focus on her job.
There was a wholesome moment at the Oscars when Harrison Ford stepped up to announce the Best Picture award, and the winner was ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’. A viral clip of the moment shows Ke Huy Quan and Ford hugging each other on the stage as the team walked up to receive their award.
It is perhaps not well known that this pivotal moment between Quan and Ford is much more significant than it seems because the two actors had worked together in ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’, Quan’s debut Hollywood project.
Quan had starred as the popular archaeologist’s tiny side kick, Short Round, who helped him find an ancient stone in India which had been stolen by an evil priest. Speaking about his experience in ‘Temple of Doom’, Quan regarded it as one of the happiest moments of his life because he had been able to travel to Sri Lanka.
After the success of the film, Quan went on to act in television series like ‘Together We Stand’, but chose to leave Hollywood as he wasn’t getting any roles that weren’t racist or stereotyped.
It was only after the success of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ that Quan decided to venture back in to acting. Hiring a friend as an agent, he came across the script for ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ and recalled to the Telegraph that he laughed a lot while reading the script: “I laughed so hard and I cried so hard and I told my wife, ‘I think this role was written for me.’”
Former film mogul Harvey Weinstein has been convicted for attacking an actress in a hotel room during a film festival, and has been sentenced to 16 years in prison on Thursday by a Los Angeles court. On 19 December, a Los Angeles jury found Weinstein guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault innvolving an actress, who identified herself as Jane Doe 1. The survivor recounted her experience in court before the sentence was announced: ‘Before that night I was a very happy and confident woman. Everything changed after the defendant brutally assaulted me. There is no prison sentence long enough to undo the damage.’ Weinstein had told the Los Angeles Court judge that he did not know the victim and had not assaulted her ‘I never raped or assaulted Jane Doe 1,’ he said. Weinstein also critcized the case for having ‘too many loopholes’ and even said there were ‘so many things wrong’ with it. He especially accused the woman of being an ‘actress with the ability turn on her tears’. Before the sentencing was announced, Weinstein begged for leniency with the court, saying ‘ I don’t deserve it’. Weinstein had been previously sentenced in 2020 to 23 years in prison in cases of assault pertaining to a production assistant in 2006 and an aspiring actress in 2013. He is now appealing the sentence.
