A British-Pakistani man woke up from a 25-day coma to discover that his mother had passed away from COVID-19.
According to a report in Geo News, Sohail Anjum went into a coma for almost a month after contracting a severe form of the deadly virus. He was admitted to the Croydon University Hospital in London. When he regained consciousness, he was told that his mother, 81, had passed away a few days after he was admitted to the hospital.
Hospital staff lauds Sohail as he leaves the hospital
Speaking to the publication, Anjum shared that he was in an induced coma when his mother passed away. He said that his brother was allowed to meet their mother under “exceptional circumstances” as the hospital had been put under lockdown and no visitation was allowed.
He said that his mother asked his brother about him [Sohail] and told him that she was praying for his health.
“I was told that while I was in a coma, it was only when she passed away that my vitals started improving. I believe it was my mother’s prayer before she passed away that saved my life,” said Anjum, who has now returned home after spending six weeks in the hospital. He shared that though he has recovered, he still feels weak and will be requiring physiotherapy to get back on his feet again.
“It’s been an emotional homecoming. I guess I’m not used to not seeing mum around anymore,” said Anjum, in another interview. “She would be the first person I would see whenever I came home and she was constantly checking up on me as mothers do.”
While Anjum is not exactly clear how he contracted the virus, he shares that he regularly travelled on London’s public transport network and could have contracted it from there. He developed symptoms around the second week of March and remained in self-isolation at home. The doctors told him to have paracetamol but when his health worsened and he started having difficulties in breathing, he was taken to the hospital where the doctors put him to an induced sleep. Anjum remained on a ventilator for over three weeks and was then placed under sedation. He woke up after a week. Doctors didn’t tell him his mother passed away to save him from trauma.
However, Anjum said that when he woke up, he was almost certain that his mum had passed away.
“I had a suspicion she had died. It may sound strange, but it came to me in a vision,” he said, adding “We never even got to say goodbye.”
Anjum’s mother had started showing symptoms a few days after he was admitted. She was taken to the same hospital, where she passed away a few days later.
Anjum, who is an entertainment executive, has worked with prominent Bollywood and Pakistani celebrities as a photographer. His case garnered a lot of media attention and well-wishes poured in for him from all over the world.
Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, who passed away last week, was not only a cricket buff but was also a big fan of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In an interview with Telegraph India, Irrfan had expressed his fondness for two legendary Pakistani cricketers Imran Khan and Zaheer Abbas and recalled his meeting with them.
“There was an India-Pakistan match. I was very young. Zaheer Abbas was there. I went to take his autograph. That was the first time as I never took autographs from anybody in my life. He just looked at me… and I felt so humiliated. I felt really bad,” said the late actor. “I was a Zaheer Abbas and Imran Khan fan.”
Speaking about PM Imran, Irrfan had said, “Imran kitna khubsoorat lagta hai! What a persona… open-chested, aisi uchhal ke bowling karta tha. Even now, he looks great.”
Irrfan had also expressed his appreciation about other sportsmen including Kapil Dev and David Beckham.
“David Beckham is also very good-looking. Beckham ka ajeeb sa hai… anything suits him. Very stylish,” he said about Beckham.
He added, “At one point in time, I used to like Sachin (Tendulkar). Kapil (Dev) was also a favourite. (M.S.) Dhoni has shown some character. He is a great captain.”
It is a well-known fact that Irrfan was a huge cricket fan. In fact back in 2018, while he was in London for his treatment, Irrfan was spotted in the stands during Pakistan versus England Test match.
Irrfan had also expressed his desire to be a cricketer but due to financial issues, he decided to give up that dream and pursue acting instead.
“I played cricket. I wanted to become a cricketer. I was an all-rounder and the youngest one in my team in Jaipur. I wanted to make a career out of it. I was selected for the CK Nayudu tournament I think and then I needed money and didn’t know who to ask. That day I decided I cannot pursue it,” Khan had said in the same interview.
Six episodes in, Sabaat has managed to capture the audiences with its compelling and entertaining storyline and strong performances. The drama had intrigued viewers before it even aired thanks to one of the main leads Mawra Hocane, who is an ace at the social media game – but a few episodes in, it has everyone, myself included, hooked.
Sabaat is centred on two families: Hasan Fareed (Ameer Gillani) and Anaya Aziz’s (Mawra). Anaya belongs to an average middle-class family. She has big dreams and wants to make a difference in society. She actively campaigns for harassment against women in workplaces and is a class topper. Hasan, on the other hand, is from an affluent and well-off family. He and Anaya are class fellows and start off as fierce competitors but an incident changes that and the two become acquaintances following which Hasan develops feelings for Anaya and wants to marry her. Though Hasan’s character development is a little weak, given how the swiftly the drama is progressing and how sparkling the chemistry is between him and Anaya, we are willing to overlook this.
While these two are in their own little university bubble, Hasan’s elder sister Miraal (Sarah Khan) is the real devil of the show. She is a spoilt brat who cannot take no for an answer. Miraal is rude, arrogant and selfish and thinks she can get away with anything because she is rich to the point that she goes to her brother’s university and slaps Anaya for no reason. She generously uses the dialogue “Tumhari aukaat kya hai” and is enabled by her father who is also a snob.
While Mawra’s character, for now, is one-dimensional, it is Sarah who steals the show with her bratty act. Her facial expressions, body language and moods are on point and she delivers a convincing performance making you hate Miraal. Nonetheless, it is refreshing to see both women essay strong and confident characters. At this point, I’d like to add here that Sarah’s wardrobe, hair and makeup are brilliantly done and she looks super chic in all of her scenes.
Usman Mukhtar is yet to make an entry and fans are waiting with bated breath for it. While the theme of the drama is still unclear, Mawra in an interview had shared it is primarily a love story which is meant to entertain audiences and not deliver sermons or lessons. However, she added that the drama will highlight several issues including classism in our society.
Sabaat has been penned by Kashif Anwar and directed by Shehzad Kashmiri of Anaa fame. Apart from the four leads, the drama also starres Simi Raheel, Laila Zuberi and Mohammad Ahmed.
It appears that Prime Minister Imran Khan is a big fan of Turkish cinema because Senator Faisal Javed Khan has revealed that the premier wants Yunus Emre: Aşkin Yolculuğu to be telecast in Pakistan.
In a Twitter update, Khan shared that PM Khan wants Pakistanis to watch this drama because it highlights Islamic history.
….for unity. Yet another hit created by Mehmet Bozdag is a Journey of Transformation. Yunus Emre was well versed in mystical philosophy, esp that of the 13th-century poet and mystic Jalaluddin Rumi. Serial is a great example of a meticulous attention to detail work @trtworldpic.twitter.com/svDX4Z2M2L
— Faisal Javed Khan (@FaisalJavedKhan) May 4, 2020
Yunus Emre: Aşkın Yolculuğu is a Turkish biographical historical television series created by Mehmet Bozdağ, the man behind Diriliş: Ertuğrul. It starres Gökhan Atalay in the lead role. According to Faisal, the series is a journey of transformation. It centres around the life of Yunus Emre, the 14th century Anatolian Sufi poet, who greatly influenced the Anatolian culture.
The first episode of the series was released on June 18, 2015 and over the years it has become a favourite among the Turkish audiences. It has an IMDb rating of 7.8.
Meanwhile, on the recommendation of PM Imran, PTV has started airing Diriliş: Ertuğrul with Urdu dubbing. The drama has proven to be a big hit among Pakistani audiences.
To make decision-making easier for their users, Netflix has recently started sharing a list of ‘Top 10’ movies or seasons which are trending in different countries. According to a blog post from the company, the Top 10 row will be updated every day with “the most popular titles within a subscriber’s country, and the position of the row will also change depending on how relevant the shows and movies in the list are to their interests.”
As of Friday (May 1) night, the top three things trending on Netflix are Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Love Aaj Kal and Extraction, while the two films are also the top two in the Movie Category. While we all know that Diriliş: Ertuğrul is a hit among Pakistani audiences, Extraction and Love Aaj Kal are new additions to the streaming service.
Like any other Pakistani who grew up on Bollywood films, I couldn’t resist watching Love Aaj Kal. I mean Imtiaz Ali, Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aryan — bring it on. As for Extraction, because for the most part, my job does require me to keep up with the latest trends, I decided to step out of my usual romantic comedies/dramas zone and watch something different and see whether it was worth the Netflix hype.
Let’s start with Extraction. The Chris Hemsworth action-thriller has been creating a buzz since he went to India for its shoot. A day before its release, Hemsworth on social media had said that “making this film was one of the most exhausting but rewarding experiences I’ve ever had on a set.”
He further said: “We set out to make the most insane, intense action film and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved.” Unfortunately, the film only made me insane with the amount of bloodshed it had it in. To be honest, I’m generally not a big fan of action films but I do enjoy them from time to time. The two-hour-long film, which I finished in three sittings, was just a Bollywood film on steroids given that a lot of actors [for example Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi] in the film were from India.
The film is focused around Tyler Rake (played by Hemsworth), a black-market mercenary and former Australian Special Air Service Regiment soldier with a troubled past. From Rake’s first scene in the film, one can tell that he is the sort of person who likes to challenge and see death in the eye. Except for a few glimpses from his past, Rake’s character isn’t adequately developed. Anyways, Rake is hired by a fellow mercenary Nik Khan (Golshifteh Farahani) to rescue Ovi Mahajan Jr. (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), the son of India’s biggest drug lord (Pankaj Tripathi), from Dhaka, Bangladesh who has been abducted by Bangladesh’s biggest drug lord, Amir Asif (Priyanshu Painyuli).
The film is just one, long and bloody action sequence. There are limited dialogues and the characters just run through the narrow streets of Dhaka as they try to escape Bangladesh’s most notorious drug lord. They jump from building to building, kill countless people on the way and lockdown an entire city. The ending is as abrupt as the beginning – there is no character development or plot development. So unless you want to see only action, I’d advice you to skip the film altogether.
Now onto Love Aaj Kal. If I had to sum up the film in one word, or two, I’d say half-baked. The story, the characters, the plot, everything about the film is half-baked. The film follows the same premise as Imtiaz Ali’s first Love Aaj Kal, which had two love stories running side by side.
Zoe (Sara Ali Khan) is a free-spirited but ambitious girl who wants to make a career. She is bold, speaks her mind and does what she feels like, which sometimes gets a bit over the top. Veer, on the other hand, is a sensitive guy who looks at life differently than Zoe. The two meet in a club and while Zoe just wants to have a one-night stand, Veer decides that it’s not right because Zoe is “special”. How he decided that within an hour is beyond my understanding. Zoe gets annoyed with this and leaves his house and goes back to her life. Except Veer starts stalking her, not in the 90s way by singing songs and all, but by getting a spot at the co-working space where she sits. Soon the two grow closer and get into a relationship but Zoe’s mother who wants her daughter to become independent first urges her to not give up on her career for marriage. This confuses Zoe who then breaks up with Veer. The breakup scene was so ridiculously cringed that you cannot help but wonder how Imtiaz Ali even came up with it. What follows afterwards is a typical Bollywood story of how two people who are meant to be together will find their way back to each other. In between all this, Raghuvendra “Raghu” Singh, who is the owner of the cafe where Zoe works, narrates his 20-year-old love story to Zoe to help her understand her own feelings and make her decisions.
What I did not like about the film was first Zoe’s character. It was highly irritating and Sara’s acting was also terrible. Especially the scenes in which she was drunk or crying. In fact, her own dialogue basically sums up her acting: “Tum mujhe tang karnay lagay ho“.
It appears that all the attention was paid to Zoe and Raj’s character because Veer’s character was highly underdeveloped. We don’t understand his profession, neither do we understand why he spends his days just buzzing around Sara – does he not have his own life. And to top it all, his insecurities deriving from his parent’s relationship are summed up in a rap song, which is more confusing than explanatory.
While the plot did have its heart in the right place, the film was not engaging enough. It lacked the humour [like in Jab We Met] or simplicity [Highway] which Imtiaz usually beautifully weaves into his films. Sorry, Imtiaz, I really did try my best to like the movie but it just wasn’t happening.
With a heavy heart, the world has bid goodbye to veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, who breathed his last Thursday morning. A few hours after his death, an old tweet of the actor surfaced in which he expressed his desire to visit Pakistan so that his children can see their roots.
In the tweet, shared in November 2017, Kapoor appeals to Kashmiri politician Farooq Abdullah to solve the Kashmir issue so that he can visit Pakistan before he dies.
Unfortunately, the actor passed away before that could happen and the past couple of years has seen Indo-Pak relations go from bad to worse.
Rishi, himself had strong ties with Pakistan. Not only are his ancestral roots in the country but he was also connected with the people here especially via social media and often engaged in heated debate with them.
A few weeks before his demise, Kapoor had asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to “advise his country to take adequate precautions.”
“People of Pakistan are also dear to us,” the actor had written in a tweet.
Rishi’s ancestral home, popularly known as the ‘Kapoor Haveli’ is located in Qissa Khwani Bazar, in Peshawar Pakistan. Rishi’s father Raj Kapoor, grandfather and patriarch of the Bollywood royalty Prithviraj Kapoor and grand uncle Trilock Kapoor were all born in this building. According to details, the house was constructed between 1918 and 1922 by Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor, father of Prithviraj Kapoor. However, after the partition the Kapoors’ migrated to India.
The magnificent haveli has about forty rooms with exquisite overhanging balconies and astonishing floral motifs in its front.
In 2019, Rishi had requested the Government of Pakistan to preserve his ancestral home and convert it into a museum.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi, at that time, had said, “There was a call from Rishi Kapoor. He requested that his family’s home in Peshawar should be made into a museum or some sort of institution. We have accepted his request.”
Similarly, Shehryar Afridi, who was serving as the Interior Minister at that time had shared that the actor had called him personally with his request.
“He had called me and talked about making his ancestral home into a museum. Now the federal and provincial governments are working on this and will transform the house into a museum soon,” Afridi had stated.
Rishi had last visited Pakistan with Shashi Kapoor and Randhir Kapoor in 1990. They had travelled to Peshawar to see their family’s house and also took some soil from the house to keep their heritage intact.
Decades later, Rishi shared a picture from the visit on social media.
Somebody sent this. Picture showing Randhir and me outside the Kapoor Haveli, Peshawar.Warmly greeted as seen in pic pic.twitter.com/TjfugQ9daw
Kapoor breathed his last a day after he was admitted to the hospital after he complained of breathing difficulties. The actor had been battling with cancer for a while now.
Announcing his demise, the actor’s family in a statement had said that he remained his jovial and entertaining self till the end and that he would “like to be remembered with a smile and not with tears.”
While the rest of the country is excited to watch Turkish historical fiction series Diriliş: Ertuğrul with Urdu dubbing on PTV, Shaan is disappointed with the state-owned channel’s decision to air foreign content.
Following Shaan’s comments, people jumped in to support PTV’s decision, but Shaan was not having any of it.
Bohat achee baat hai … magar hum kab tak maangay howay lafzoon sai apni khudi ki dewaar mazboot karain gai… Ptv should produce epics like this … where is the funding … no tamasha phir bhi paisa hazam ♥️
Meray khayaal main to bohat kuch bun sakta hai magar haqeeqat main itna bara project hakoomat kay interest kai baghyar nahee ho sakta . Meray Khail main to Chand per pakistani percham hona chahiye kya rocket khud bana loon ?
We each must play our role . My pockets are deep but enough to carry me through hard times as I would not want you to pay my bills .. but I pay my taxes … why not use that?
Shaan stood by his stance and asserted that PTV should fund projects of such magnitude, instead of spending money acquiring them.
like you are supporting now ? I’m not against anyone I’m pro my own .. ♥️ .. but the opportunity is not given as historical plays like this cost a lot it should be the initiative of PTV to do something
Ghalat nahee hai magar kahani kisi aur ki hai … yeh sab kuch pakistani kahanioo mai bhi likha ja sakta hai .. ptv should make dramas like this from the budget they have and no one knows where they spend it..
Who were making these kind of projects.. pls get your facts straight and actor is a part of the given script… he is not the producer … what has PTV made in the past 30 years? .. or any other producer till now?
When the debate got more heated, Shaan clarified that he is not against Turkish dramas but wants the government to support local content.
I’m not against Turkish dramas plzzz for the last time understand that,I’m against the govt supporting imported content .. &giving local industry a thumbs down .. when pvt producers brought Turkish dramas the whole tv industry stood against it
Shaan ended the debate by appealing to Prime Minister Imran Khan to support the entertainment industry and stop cultural imports like these. It is pertinent to mention here that Shaan was also very critical of Bollywood films being released in Pakistan and had always voiced his dissent against them.
@ImranKhanPTI sir I believe in this economic crisis we were not supporting imports .then why cultural imports are open . Why Ptv showing imported dramas believe in your own talent and history .With your supportive policies we can bring on the entertainment map of the world
Shaan’s latest venture Zarrar, which has been in the works for a few years now, was expected to hit cinemas this year but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is likely that its release will be affected.
Zainab Abbas had the sweetest entry on her shendi.
The cricket commentator entered on the Pakistan Super League Anthem Seeti Baje Gee. As she entered amid bats and her close ones, fast bowler Mohammad Amir and his daughter bowled to Zainab who hit back with her bat.
Watch the video here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5e6fRag3-g/
The dulha’s entry
Zainab looked breathtaking in a deep pink outfit by Rano’s Heirlooms and makeup by Zara Gul.
As they say, “Happy brides are the prettiest.”
Meanwhile, Mohammad Amir, who is a close friend of the journalist, also shared a picture of himself from the event.
Zainab, who is also the daughter of PTI MNA Andleeb Abbas tied the knot in an intimate Nikkah last Sunday. Her husband Hamza Kardar is the son of the former finance finance minister and former governor of State Bank of Pakistan, Shahid Hafeez Kardar and the grandson of the renowned cricketer Abdul Hafeez Kardar.
Pictures of her from her mayun also went viral on social media.
Romanian pop band Akcent’s lead singer Adrian Sina, after his concert at the Alhamra Cultural Complex in Lahore, paid a visit to the ISPR Headquarters where he had a “fantastic cup of tea” with DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor.
Taking to Twitter, the singer shared a short video of himself with Gen Ghafoor in which he says, “I am so happy that I had a chance to travel from Romania to Pakistan to meet General Asif Ghafoor and ISPR.”
Sipping on his tea, he added, “I discovered, once again, that Pakistani tea is fantastic.”
Meanwhile, Akcent’s concert in Lahore on Sunday was embroiled in controversy. The pop band was initially scheduled to perform at Governor House to ‘express solidarity with the Kashmiris’.
However, the event drew ire on social media with users questioning the logic behind holding a concert to raise voice for Kashmir. Following the backlash, the Punjab government, including Governor Chaudhry Sarwar and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, withdrew its support and logistics. The government also did not allow the organisers to provide Kashmir flags to the concert participants. All flexes referring to the oppression of Kashmiris were also pulled down.
Since the Romanian band was invited and payments were made, it performed at the Alhamra Cultural Complex before a large crowed but without any gesture for held Kashmir – it was held as a music concert without any political or diplomatic agenda.
Akcent performing at Alhamra
The development upset many including Sina, who was reportedly disappointed that he could not speak a word about the Kashmiris. Sina’s press conference, which was scheduled at the Governor House, was also reportedly cancelled.
Chief Minister’s Taskforce on Women Development chairperson Tanzila Imran Khan, the host of the event, also expressed her disappointed saying that she herself had contacted the band’s lead and made payments from her own pockets to raise voice for the Kashmiris.
As promised by Ali Rehman Khan, there is more to the story than what initially met the eye.
A day after a video of Ali losing his cool at a McDonalds employee went viral on social media and became the number one Twitter trend, McDonalds has released a ‘Behind the Scenes’ video which shows the crew of the fast-food joint and the actor delivering their takes and sharing a few laughs.
On Saturday afternoon, a video of Ali Rehman Khan screaming at a cashier of a local restaurant went viral. The ‘leaked’ video showed Ali shouting at a McDonald’s employee, saying “Aapko pata hai main kaun hoon? Aapne kabhi mujhe TV pe dekha hai? Aap employee hain, aapka kaam hai meri baat maanna.” (“Do you know who I am? Have you ever seen me on TV? You are an employee, your job is to listen to what I am saying.”)
The restaurant employee responds by saying, “Please sir, don’t be angry with us. You’re absolutely right. I was just joking.”
The employee tried apologising to Ali multiple times but the actor only stopped when he realised he was being recorded.
Following the outrage on social media, Ali released a video in which he explained his actions and revealed that the video was part of a marketing campaign. He also said that more details will be revealed soon.
Ali, in his video message, said that the purpose of making the video viral has been fulfilled and it was done to highlight the #TumJantayHoMainKaunHoon culture.
Ali elaborated that the video was shot to highlight the “so-called VIP culture in our country” and that he is very glad that his video sparked a debate on the topic and made people “uncomfortable”.
Sharing his own thoughts on the matter, Ali said that we often talk about and raise voice about a matter on Twitter but don’t act upon it.
Ali also thanked the staff at McDonalds for being the “best partners in crime.”
He ended his video by requesting people to focus more on the message and less on his actions.
