As more people come forward with their accounts of their run-ins with vlogger Umar Khan, popularly known as Ukhano, the latter has approached the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and filed his case against alleged fake accounts who have been tarnishing his name.
Taking to social media, late Wednesday night, Ukhano had pledged his innocence and said that his “private, personal and two-way conversations were leaked.” He added that the conversations were censored and blurred to suit a certain purpose.
Umar explained that only a few of the leaked conversations were authentic, while the rest of them were fake. He claimed that even from the consensual chats, the responses of the girls were “censored to frame me as a sexual harasser and predator.” He said that he didn’t want to name and shame anyone publically which is why he has decided to take his case to the FIA. Ukhano signed off saying that he apologises to anyone who might have felt uncomfortable with his behaviour.
Following this video, on Friday morning, Ukhano shared videos and pictures of himself at the FIA office and said that that he has filed his complaint and shared the screenshots, usernames and other details to the relevant authorities. Umar is being legally represented by lawyer Hassaan Niazi.
The Pakistani film industry may appear to be just about fun Eid releases but young, independent filmmakers are working hard to expand the industry and take it up a notch.
Pakistani filmmaker Saim Sadiq’s Darling is on its’ way to becoming the first Pakistani film to be screened at the 76th edition of the prestigious Venice Film Festival. The oldest film festival, the Venice Film Festival is part of the ‘Big Three’ a term used for the three most prestigious film festivals in the world namely Cannes, Berlin and Venice.
Set in a dance theatre in Lahore, Darling revolves around a young boy and a trans girl. Speaking exclusively to The Current, the film’s director said, “Darling is loosely based on my feature film in-development ‘Gulaab’ – both being an exploration of masculinity and femininity set in a highly sexualized erotic dance subculture that exists like an open secret in an otherwise repressive Pakistani society. It’s in equal parts a coming-of-age story, a queer celebration, and a love letter to the Bollywood dream.”
The main cast of the film includes Abdullah Malik who plays Shani and Alina, a trans girl from Lahore who makes her acting debut with this film.
The supporting cast of the film includes Nadia Afgan of Suno Chanda fame and Mehar Bano. Nadia will also be producing the film along with Mahak Jiwani. The film has been directed by Saim Sadiq, who is currently a student of Film Directing at Columbia University in New York. Mo Azmi, of Cake, was the Director of Photography.
The world premiere of Darling will take place in Venice in September 2019.
Allah, the poor, poor widow, young, beautiful, with one lock of hair always on her face to give her delicate softness, she is shunned by everyone since her husband died.
The Beychari Naintara
The beychari Naintara (Minal Khan) gives birth to her dead husband’s (Shahroze Sabzwari) son (after he is killed in a robbery) and is suffering, suffering, suffering ever since. Her husband’s older brother, Farhan (Noor Hassan) feels terrible about her state and is growing sick of his uber jealous wife Zari (Arij Fatima) who is doing everything in her power to make Naintara look like a complete skank who couldn’t wait for her husband to die. Zari plays idiotic games, from trying to get her brother to rape Naintara, to faking a pregnancy and then accusing Naintara of causing her miscarriage, to getting her friends to shame Naintara for getting it on with her brother-in-law Farhan.
Oh and Naintara has a sister, whose husband wants to marry Naintara off to an Indian businessman for money. If she doesn’t marry the businessman, he will divorce Naintara’s sister. Farhan helps Naintara get out of the situation but it’s sickening – how a sister is willing to sell her blood because Oh No! Mera ghar toot jaye ga, mai kya karoon?
Hassad wali Zari
Farhan’s mother (who is also Zari’s khala) decides to get Naintara and Farhan hitched so Naintara can have her “rightful, respectable” place in the society after Farhan’s first wife Zari leaves in a huff and goes back to her house. Farhan, not so reluctantly agrees and Naintara doesn’t put up much of a fight either (aye hai, beychari, how can she) and they get nikkahofied when Zari isn’t there. Right after the qabools, Zari walks in and has an (obvious) crisis. She leaves and later decides that she needs to come back and break up this marriage.
Okay. What the hell. Did the writers not know that it is now A CRIME to not ask your first wife for permission before you marry again? And why is it that Naintara cannot attain a “rightful” place in society without having a man by her side? The dialogues are literally cringe-worthy, to the extent of being really, really sexist. Oh, aurat ka ghar tou admi se hi bunta hai. What a terrible, terrible social message. Don’t get me wrong, its fantastic mirch masala, the oh NO! Oh nahi, kya! that comes up every time there is a twist. But is it really important to pass such messages to society? Sparring wives, sad, sad widow, jealous crazy wife?
Crying-all-the-time Naintara and Saas
If you actually watch Hassad, it shows all that’s wrong in our society. Glorifying the male child and showing women as being mental devils with nothing better to do than ruin reputations. Get a job, Naintara. You can do it.
Fatema Sohail’s account of being domestically abused by her husband actor-singer Mohsin Abbas Haider has sparked a much-needed debate on the practise which is so prevalent in Pakistan behind closed doors. Fatema, while speaking to the media, had shared that many women had come forward and recounted their ordeal of being domestically abused.
One such person who has also opened up about being a victim of domestic violence is actor Humaima Malick. Humaima revealed that she was beaten almost to death multiple times and she feels ashamed that she did not stand up for herself earlier. The actor, however, did not name or shame anyone.
Humaima was married to actor-director Shamoon Abbasi for a brief period before the couple parted ways.
Previously Humaima’s sister, Dua Malik had come forward to support Fatema’s claims and said that she herself has witnessed Mohsin’s cruel behaviour towards his wife.
Fans and followers are waiting, with bated breaths, for Bollywood’s IT couple Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor to tie the knot. The two made their relationship official last year in May when they made an appearance at Sonam Kapoor’s wedding together and since then we’ve been waiting for the big day. After all, what’s more fun than a celebrity wedding?
According to reports in the Indian media, Alia has ordered her wedding lehenga. And it is no surprise who the designer is! Just like Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra, Alia is all set to be a Sabyasachi bride. An exclusive report by SpotboyE revealed that Alia met Sabyasachi earlier this year to discuss her wedding lehenga and it appears that the preparation for it has already begun.
Alia has donned Sabyasachi saris, lehengas and dresses on many occasions in the past.
Meanwhile, Rishi Kapoor – who is completing his cancer treatment in New York – has told IANS that he is looking forward to coming home as he has a “wedding to plan”.
Looks like the Kapoors and the Bhatts are gearing-up for an early 2020 wedding!
In an explosive account posted to social media late Saturday night, Mohsin Abbas Haider’s wife, Fatema, came forward with accusations of cheating and domestic abuse against the actor-singer.
In a tell-all account posted to Facebook, Mohsin’s wife Fatema Sohail recounted her ordeal in which she alleged that in November 2018, she caught Mohsin cheating on her. When she confronted him, “instead of being embarrassed he started beating” her even though she was pregnant at that time. Luckily her child survived and Fatema said that she moved past the incident for the sake of her child. She continued that her childbirth was a complicated process but Mohsin never supported her and was instead, busy having an affair with an emerging model, Nazish Jahangir.
Fatema further alleged that Mohsin’s talks about being depressed and suicidal are just attention-seeking stunts. She signed off her post telling her husband that she will now see him in court. Fatema also attached proofs of the incidents of violence in her post.
On Sunday night, Mohsin held a press conference in Lahore in which he denied all allegations. Mohsin placed a copy of the Quran in front of him as he spoke and kept his hand on it during the entire conference. He began by saying that his upbringing doesn’t allow him to drag women into the public eye and disrespect them. He said that he has been brought up in a female-dominated environment where he cannot even think about raising his hand on a woman.
Sharing details of his marriage, Mohsin shared that their marriage happened in the heat of the moment and there was no mutual understanding between the couple and throughout the marriage, they were aware of this. He said that his marriage was toxic and he felt suffocated in his own home. Mohsin added that his only reason to stay in this marriage was his son.
Mohsin and Fatema tied the knot in 2015. Mohsin claims that he and his wife only lived together for one out of the four years they were married. Their son Haider was born earlier this year in May. Mohsin often posts pictures of himself with his son on social media. They previously also had a daughter who passed away when she was only a month old.
Mohsin said that the picture in which Fatema had a bruised face and hand, was from 2018 and taken after she fell off the stairs. He then invited Fatema to come to the press club or to even go to the police and submit a medical report of any recent injuries. He said that he has recorded his statements at the police station where the FIR against him has been registered.
He alleged that Fatema has a habit of lying and cheating and that her whole family can testify to that.
“A few days after our wedding, her lies started to surface,” Mohsin claimed. “She used to tell me she was going someplace but went somewhere else.”
Haider asserted that Sohail’s father was a witness to her lies. “When his daughter’s lies were caught, he told me, ‘Son, even God forgives one sin.’”
Mohsin said that he has always fulfilled his responsibilities, including the financial ones, as a father and husband. He said that he bears his family’s expenses and has all the bills of Fatema’s hospital visit and discharge slips. Fatema had alleged that Mohsin refused to bear the financial burden of her and their son.
Mohsin said that Fatema is trying to play the “woman card,” before adding that she is a troubled woman and the only way forward is a divorce. He said that he doesn’t have anything against her and the entire situation is because of Fatema’s jealousy.
Nazish Jahangir’s statement
Following Mohsin’s press conference, his alleged girlfriend Nazish Jahangir shared her version of the story. She explained that she has been unnecessarily dragged into the couple’s marital issues and that only Mohsin can explain why her name is being dragged through the mud. Nazish said that the entire episode has left her mentally shattered and she has no idea why Fatema dragged into this, especially because she considered Fatema to be a friend and well-wisher.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0MDetIn-bP/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0MD-GTnlm_/
Meanwhile, members of the Pakistan film industry came out in support of Fatema and raised their voice against domestic violence.
Gohar Rasheed and Dua Malik claimed that they witnessed Mohsin’s abuse first hand but did not do anything because Fatima wanted them to maintain silence.
Hamza Ali Abbasi stepped forward to support Gohar’s account while Humaima Malick corroborated Dua’s claims.
I’m a witness ! @DuaMalikk use to call me and tell me how painful it was for her to listen to Fatima sohail and her suffering from pain it’s been 3 years … I wish Fatima did this before what she did now
Mahira Khan said that no one has the “right to raise their hand on anyone.”
Sick to my stomach. What gives anybody the right to raise their hand on anyone? Nothing. No excuse. For eons now we have normalised abuse (of all kinds) and for the sake of our children this needs to stop.
Shaan said that “real men don’t hit or disrespect women and the ones that do are not one of us.”
Real men don’t hit or disrespect women .. the ones that do are not one of us ..they should be treated as criminals and given the same treatment by the law..
Mohsin’s Baaji co-star Osman Khalid Butt said he had no words for the allegations before proceeding to say that those men who “lay so much as a finger on a woman” deserve a special place in hell.
I’ve been staring at this screen, grappling with the images I saw, trying to form a coherent sentence. … There is a special place in hell reserved for anyone who would lay so much as a finger on a woman. You cannot justify abuse. It is indefensible. I am sick to my stomach.
The sickest person is a man who abuses and violates women. The same being who gave birth to you. To all the women violaters out there, watch out because hell has fallen for you NOW.#BeginTrial#Timesup
— Zara Noor Abbas Siddiqui (@ZaraNoorAbbas) July 21, 2019
Mansha Pasha requests all men to think twice before raising his hand on a woman.
Dear men, Before you even think abt hitting your women, JUST DONT. There is no excuse, no validation, nothing u can offer that in ANY way makes this okay. We are stronger than we look & we will fight back. Silence is not, was not & never will be an option.
Fatima’s story is heart wrenching. We should respect her courage and bravery, and stand together to support the victims of domestic violence. #StopDomesticViolence
Domestic abuse ( or abuse of any kind) should not be taken lightly!! There is a reason why women find it hard to come out and speak about this. For every man that commits this hideous crime, there are many more that will always stand against it.
The oppressed will no longer remain quiet. ThankGod #TimesUp . I hope this is made into an example & not forgotten. NO side of story can explain domestic violence. Serious action must be taken by concerned channels & production houses. Abuser must be shamed out Loud.#MohsinAbbas
“Mohsin Abbas Haider, shame on you,” wrote singer/actor Haroon Shahid on Twitter.
Growing up I remember, once my father got really upset when he saw my mother crying. Upon inquiring, he found out that one of our neighbor used to beat his wife. He went up to his house the same day and put him in his place. The guy was a wuss. #MohsinAbbasHaider shame on you!
I have just been talking all evening about walking away from domestic abuse only to come home & see this #MohsinAbbasHaider WALK OUT before it’s too late.#StopDomesticAbuse
Mohsin Abbas Haider’s wife Fatema’s explosive allegations of domestic violence and cheating against the actor-singer sent Pakistan’s entertainment industry reeling on Sunday. Members of the film fraternity stepped forward to extend their support to Fatema and raised their voice against domestic abuse.
Mahira Khan, who often voices her opinions on matters of social interest, took to Twitter to share her thoughts on the allegations.
“Sick to my stomach. What gives anybody the right to raise their hand on anyone?,” she wrote.
Sick to my stomach. What gives anybody the right to raise their hand on anyone? Nothing. No excuse. For eons now we have normalised abuse (of all kinds) and for the sake of our children this needs to stop.
A Twitter user in response to Mahira’s tweet commented that everyone from the entertainment industry is part of the abuse.
I’m sorry but everybody from the industry is a part of it. Those of you who know certain people are abusers, emotional or physical and yet you people are happy to click pictures with them and invite them to parties and after they’re exposed you ppl speak up.
In response to this, Mahira commented that she is “bloody proud of the industry she works in” because they “side with the right thing” and “use our voice for the right reasons.”
Disagree! So bloody proud of the industry I work in. We are mere entertainers but we constantly stick our necks out and side with the right thing. Go find an industry like ours where at the cost of being abused we still use our voice for the right reasons. https://t.co/BlUk9hOT5s
While sharing her thoughts on the accusations, Mahira also remarked that the matter of abuse should be dealt with seriously and people from a young age should be educated about consent, domestic abuse and sexual abuse.
We need counsellors in schools for children going through issues at home (And truth be told we have all been there). Girls and boys in school should be taught about consent, domestic abuse, sexual abuse etc. These should be subjects as basic as math and science.
If you’re an avid social media user, you must have come across several posts regarding a person, Ukhano who has been accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour by multiple women. If you’re reading this article, chances are that you’re trying to figure out what exactly is going on.
Let’s start with the basics.
Who is Ukhano?
Ukhano, whose real name is Umar Khan is a video blogger, known for his quirky and fun content. A graduate of the National College of Arts, Umar is spotted at all the it events hanging out and sharing a laugh with all the A-list celebrities. Umar has been part of several notable projects and has also worked with Peshawar Zalmi as their official vlogger. His content is popular among the Millenials.
What is the controversy?
Earlier this week, several women came forward and accused Umar of sexual harassment. The first accusation was made in a Facebook post which has now been removed. But soon the allegations gained traction and hashtags such as #Ukhano, #UkhanoExposed began to trend on Twitter, following which multiple women came forward with their accounts and shared screenshots of Umar behaving inappropriately. The women claimed that Khan would send messages with sexual innuendos and ask them to send “bold” pictures of themselves to him.
This thread has pretty much all the screenshot and harassment claims:
Soon after the allegations surfaced, Umar came forward with a video in which he said that all allegations against him are false and requested everyone to listen to his video at least once before making a judgment. In his video, he said that he’s worked with a lot of women in the course of his career and is sure that he did not make any one of them feel uncomfortable.
He continued, “The reason I’m making this video is because I owe you guys the truth and the truth is that I know this person and I’ve worked with this person and that is it. Other than that, whatever allegations and claims have been made against me are lies.”
He finished off saying that he has visual evidence to prove his innocence but he doesn’t want to use it because “someone’s life can get ruined because of it.”
Though social media continues to be divided over Umar, several well-known personalities stepped forward to support Umar. Among those was Polish travel blogger Eva Zu Beck, actor/host Anoushey Ashraf and vloggers Mooroo and Irfan Junejo.
Eva Zu Beck
Anoushey Ashraf
Mooroo
Mooroo asked everyone to wait for the full picture before making a judgment. He requested everyone to not be emotional.
So after doing a podcast with Junaid Akram, Mo*ro now gives his two cents on #ukhano issue.
The story doesn’t end there. Soon after the harassment allegations surfaced, Ahmad Butt, a singer came forward and alleged that Umar stole the music of a Pashtun music artist Naseer Afridi and sold it to a business called CPIC.
As per Ahmad, “Ukhano had conveyed to the company that Naseer Afridi was aware of this when in reality, he wasn’t. Ukhano received a good sum of money for selling Naseers songs and kept it for himself. Later when Naseer found out from people about his music being used in the videos Ukhano made for that company, he talked to them.”
Ahmad said that the company compensated Naseer for his work. However, the money Umar received is still with him.
“Hello, Upper East Siders. Gossip Girl is coming back.”
The show is on its way back to television, this time in a new series for upcoming streaming service HBO Max.
HBO Max, owned by WarnerMedia, announced that it had ordered a new, 10-episode series that will be set eight years after Gossip Girl ended its original run in 2012, and will follow a new generation of private school kids. They added that the new series will explore how much social media and the landscape of New York has changed in recent years.
It is currently unclear whether any of the original stars, including Blake Lively, Penn Badgely, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick and Leighton Meester, will return.
Gossip Girl was one of the most popular shows on television, winning 18 Teen Choice awards and inspiring fashion, hairstyles and beauty lines. You know you love me.
Given that Friends will also be shifting from Netflix to HBO Max, where do we sign up?
ARY’s Cheekh began as an ambitious project. The drama centered around the theme of sexual harassment and abuse and the importance of raising your voice even if you have to go against your own family members. The first few episodes were gripping and had you on the edge but as the drama progressed, it became mundane the point that it almost became a chore to watch the drama.
Though the characters were wonderfully written, especially Shayan, who we all agree was like a breath of fresh air in the Pakistani drama scene, the overall script of the drama weakened as the drama progressed. The storyline was also becoming depressing as Mannat continued to fight against her brother-in-law, Wajih and lost every time. However, as the drama heads towards its end, viewers got an unexpected twist and the drama caught our attention once again.
SPOILER ALERT
The last episode saw Shayan killed by his brother, Wajih after they get into a heated debate with each other. As soon as the accident happens, Wajih bolts from the crime scene while Mannat rushes him to the hospital. In her quest for justice for her friend, Mannat experiences her third loss. She first lost her child in a miscarriage caused by Wajih. Then she lost her mother and now her husband. In between all that Mannat was also admitted to a mental hospital after she lost her case to Wajih. While we agree and accept that the drama’s makers tried to be as realistic as possible, the question is did they become a little too realistic?
Though I myself am of the opinion that the drama rightfully portrayed the situation of such cases in our society, my colleague appeared to have a dissenting view and argued that what was even the whole point of fighting the case, that too against her brother-in-law when in the end you’re left with nothing. He argued that the drama went overboard and situations like these don’t happen in real life. Whatever your opinion may be, the fact remains that women who dare to raise their voice are subjected to vilification by men who are more powerful than them. For example the case of Khadija Siddiqui.
On the whole, Cheekh had its shares of highs and lows. The acting by the lead cast was brilliant. Saba Qamar, Bilal Abbas Khan, Emmad Irfani, Aijaz Aslam and Azekah Daniel all gave brilliant performances. The scenes which featured both Saba and Bilal were powerful, to say the least. Both the actors were phenomenal in their roles and deserve standing ovation.
Though the drama became a drag in the middle with a lot of pointless scenes, the plot was intriguing and made you think about how unfair society is towards victims, especially those of sexual violence. The way the rich and influential are able to maneuver the law as per their liking and get away unaffected is food for thought and the drama portrayed that brilliantly. It also highlights how the law is not equal for everyone and anyone with an iota of influence can get away from being punished.
With the latest development, it looks like viewers will be tuning into the series once again to see if Mannat will get finally get justice.
