Tag: Javed Iqbal

  • ‘People said I was making a mistake’: Director Abu Aleeha on casting Yasir Hussain for ‘Kukri’

    Director of the anticipated crime thriller ‘Kukri’, Ali Sajjad Shah aka Abu Aleeha, sat down for an interview with Geo Digital, where he opened up about his decision to cast actor Yasir Hussain for the film, revealing that initially people thought he was making a mistake with casting the actor:

    “They said I am committing suicide and Yasir can’t pull off this character, I received many calls from the people associated with our industry; however, the statements changed when the poster came out, and the very same people spoke to me again and said ‘Tum ne ye kiya bana diya hai!’”

    He further praised the ‘Badshah Begum’ actor for being one of the finest in the industry:

     “I have seen Yasir’s best work in the theatre, I know how far I can go with him. People have seen his work in dramas but that’s not his finest work.”

    Speaking on how Aleeha and Hussain built up the notorious serial killer Javed Iqbal’s character, who reportedly murdered and raped more than a 100 boys in Lahore giving himself up to the police, the director said that he and Hussain researched to get the accent right:

    “I took Yasir to many chai dhabbay in Androon–e –Lahore. There, I observed local people chatting in different Punjabi accents. I used to record their conversations and that’s how we picked one of the accents for Javed Iqbal. Later, Yasir practised it.”

    Aleeha also talked about why he had chosen to work on the serial killer, a topic that had intrigued audiences last year when the film was announced under the name ‘Javed Iqbal’. The ‘Taxali Gate’ director cited his stint working as a crime news reporter for ten years, which was when he heard about Javed Iqbal:

    “I’ve been working as a crime reporter for a private channel for 10 years. [I remember] a criminal was arrested in Lahore and accused of raping 100 children. It was around 1999 and since then, the character has been stuck in my mind.

    “Musharraf Sahab’s take over and Javed Iqbal were the two most sensational stories at that time.

    “The case was handed over to the honorary Supreme Court and Javed Iqbal was detained, where he committed suicide. 

    “I got a copy of the challan after a month, from a lawyer and decided to make a web series on the serial killer but no one took me seriously. Then, I published the first book about his crimes and it got a massive response.

    “The second edition I published was about the investigation and the back story of this notorious man; the book came out in eight editions and sold out in six months — which indicated that people are intrigued by the story.

    “Then I decided to make a film on Javed Iqbal.”

     

  • ‘Agar mulk chalana hai toh NAB ko khatam karey’: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

    ‘Agar mulk chalana hai toh NAB ko khatam karey’: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former Prime Minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has demanded the abolishment of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), blaming the watchdog institution for the ongoing crisis in the country.

    While speaking outside an accountability court in Islamabad after attending a hearing in the LNG case, he said, “Agar mulk chalana hai toh is idaray [NAB] ko khatam karain (If you want the country to progress, this institution [NAB] should be abolished).

    He said the “so-called” accountability was aimed at defaming only politicians. “The so-called process of accountability operates just to ridicule politicians,” he added.

    Lambasting ex-chairman of NAB, Javed Iqbal, the former premier said that he should confess who told him to register false cases.

    It is pertinent to mention that PML-N has repeatedly criticised NAB and said that false cases were made against party leaders.

    In August, the National Assembly passed the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022, which sought to exclude private transactions from the scope of NAB.

    Under the amended bill, the pecuniary jurisdiction of NAB had been fixed to only take action against mega scandals. Furthermore, it had been proposed that supplementary references can only be filed with the permission of the court to expedite the proceedings of the court within one year.

  • ‘He should never host, saath walay banday ka bhi khayal kia karo’: Faizan Sheikh grills Aagha Ali

    ‘He should never host, saath walay banday ka bhi khayal kia karo’: Faizan Sheikh grills Aagha Ali

    Morning show host Shaista Lodhi is currently hosting PTV’s morning show, she recently invited celebrity couple of Faizan Sheikh and Maham Aamir and played a customised rapid fire round with them.

    On being asked for an advice for actor Aagha Ali, the Mera Naam Yousaf Hai star was quick to state that, “Aagha should act more and never host.”

    Host Shaista gave a dramatic response to his statement and walked away from the camera while controlling her laughter, whereas Maham was slightly embarrassed on his blunt response.

    Emax Media to bring an exciting couple's show with Hina Altaf and Agha Ali - Daily Times

    He continued, “Shazia once asked that who shouldn’t host? To which I answered that Aagha shouldn’t.” Especially when you are co-hosting, you should let the co-host do their job also.”

    Emax Media to Bring an Exciting Couple's show with Hina Altaf and Agha Ali

    Actress Maham Aamir also stated that, “their shouldn’t be a gender factor in hosting.” They hinted towards the Mere Bewafa star hosting The Couple Show with his wife Hina Altaf.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZTRd-Bowg4

    You can get exclusive details in our new show, Maslay Aur Masala:

    Earlier this year on his show Faizan has lashed out at Punjab government for halting the release of Abu Aleeha’s Javed Iqbal starring Yasir Hussain and Ayesha Omar.

    The hosting duo of Faizan and Aadi Adeal Amjad criticised the decision and justified the film by saying that the film based on a serial killer has viewer rating of over 13 years old, so it shouldn’t be an issue in their perspective.

    Aadi went onto compare it with the Hollywood biggie Joker, and asked that if they can release Joker then why not Javed Iqbal.

    Abu Aleeha’s film Javed Iqbal: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer. The Ayesha Omar and Yasir Hussain-starrer, which is set for its countrywide premiere tomorrow (January 28) after several months of postponement, has had its release in Punjab halted by the Punjab government, according to the director.

    The film is based on the investigation into Javed Iqbal, the serial killer who killed 100 young boys in Lahore and sent evidence of his crimes to the authorities and media in 1999. The film has been directed by Abu Aleeha who has written the screenplay of the film as well. It’s been produced by Javed Ahmed Kakepoto.

    Several social media platforms reported about Javed Iqbal’s release being halted by the Punjab government, despite having clearance from all censor boards. The report was later confirmed by Abu Aleeha on Twitter. “The latest news is that [Chief Minister] Sardar Usman Buzdar’s government has stopped the showing of Javed Iqbal. This unwarranted action comes after the censor board approved the film, which is why we will be [taking the matter] to the high court,” he said.

    The film had its Karachi premiere at Nueplex Cinema on January 25, attended by the cast and crew as well as other members of the entertainment fraternity.

    Earlier, this year in July Faizan called out Pakistan’s justice system in a series of Instagram stories. The Mazedaar Show host slammed the system by adding hashtags reflecting violence against women and children in the country.

  • Javed Iqbal’s release halted by Punjab government a day before Lahore premiere

    Javed Iqbal’s release halted by Punjab government a day before Lahore premiere

    Ayesha Omar and Yasir Hussain starrer movie Javed Iqval‘s release has been halted by the government of Punjab.

    The film’s director Abu Aleeha in a tweet said that Punjab Government has stoped the release of the movie despite the approval of censor board. He further said that he is going to High Court for appeal. The movie was set for its countrywide premiere tomorrow (January 28).

    Javed Iqbal was supposed to premiere in October, but it was pushed back to December 24 due to censor board approval.

    The Karachi premiere of the movie was held this week and it turned out to be a star studded event.

    Bulbulay diva Ayesha Omar, will also be seen alongside with Yasir in the biopic after their successful film, Karachi Se Lahore. The Untold Story of a Serial Killer: Javed Iqbal has been written and directed by Abu Aleeha.

    The Jhooti actor will be essaying the role of the Serial Killer while the Zindagi Gulzar Hai diva will be playing the role of a cop.

  • PM Khan ‘stopped’ NAB chairman from attending parliamentary meeting that the chairman had called himself

    PM Khan ‘stopped’ NAB chairman from attending parliamentary meeting that the chairman had called himself

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan stopped the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (R) Javed Iqbal from attending the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting on Thursday which was convened by the chairman himself, reports The News.

    The chairman had asked for an in-camera meeting to present the figures on the recovery from NAB proceedings and its utilisation. Instead of appearing, the chairman asked NAB Director-General (DG) to represent him which resulted in the dismissal of the meeting as a protest.

    It has also been reported that PM Khan also barred the chairman from appearing in any parliamentary committee meeting.

    Opposition members blasted the NAB chairman over his non-attendance and even asked PAC chairman Rana Tanveer to move a privilege motion against him in the National Assembly (NA).

    Tanveer argued that the chairman was accountable to the parliament and he would have to be accountable for the money he had spent during his tenure.

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Saleem Mandviwala said, “NAB is the worst department of Pakistan. It is destroying Pakistan’s economy.”

    This is not the first time that the NAB chairman has avoided such meetings. Last year in December, he appeared before the PAC for the first time but requested to convene an in-camera meeting to review the performance of his organisation.

  • Authority to remove NAB chairman taken back from SJC, given to president

    Authority to remove NAB chairman taken back from SJC, given to president

    The power to remove the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman from office has been withdrawn from the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and given to the president, as per the National Accountability (Third Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, which has been approved by President Arif Alvi, reports Geo News.

    The NAB chairman’s tenure, as per the new ordinance, will be of four years. The criteria for the removal of a NAB chairman will be the same as the one for the removal of a Supreme Court judge, according to the new Ordinance.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif criticised the new Ordinance and said that the government had spared no efforts to push the Opposition to the wall. He claimed that the government had introduced a new NAB ordinance to give itself National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

  • Government decides to give extension to NAB chairman

    The government has decided to give an extension to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal and a draft ordinance has been prepared, Ayaz Akbar Yousafzai reports for Geo News.

    Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan, and Adviser on Interior and Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar suggested changes in the law.

    According to sources privy to the matter, more than one amendment has been proposed.

    Geo reports that Prime Minister Imran Khan will chair a meeting today (Tuesday), in which a final approval will be given to the proposal drafted in consultation with federal ministers.

    The tenure of a NAB chairman cannot be extended under section 6(b) of the NAB Ordinance 1999.

    Earlier, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari tweeted that the PPP will forcefully oppose the illegal extension in the tenure of Chairman NAB.

  • ‘PPP will forcefully oppose NAB Chairman’s illegal extension’: Bilawal Bhutto

    ‘PPP will forcefully oppose NAB Chairman’s illegal extension’: Bilawal Bhutto

    Reacting to news that the government may give an extension to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Javed Iqbal, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweeted: “PPP will forcefully oppose the illegal extension in the tenure of chairman NAB.”

    “Even attempting an extension, for most controversial chairman in history, would serve to prove our argument that NAB is an extension of [prime minister Imran Khan] IK’s govt not impartial.”

    The four-year tenure of NAB Chairman Javed Iqbal will end early next month.

    The non-extendable tenure of the NAB chairman has led to rumours as Prime Minister Imran Khan refuses to consult the Leader of the Opposition and the President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Shehbaz Sharif.

    PM Khan has refused to hold talks with Shehbaz Sharif as the latter is accused of corruption references filed against him by NAB.

  • Vasay Chaudhry and Yasir Hussain indulge in a heated fight, thrash each other’s films

    Vasay Chaudhry and Yasir Hussain indulge in a heated fight, thrash each other’s films

    Yasir Hussain, is set to appear in the biopic of Javed Iqbal, a serial killer.

    On being asked about the reason for headlining the biopic of a serial killer, the Jhooti star said, “Someone asked me what would be the message of this film? What’s the purpose of it? I want to know what kind of message does Jawani Phir Nahi Ani, Punjab Nahi Jaungi or such films really give out?”

    The Baandhi actor’s statement was shared on different social media portals and it offended Vasay Chaudary who is a writer of the blockbuster film Jawani Phir Nahi Ani.

    Vasay shared Yasir’s statement on his Instagram stories and said, “Besides providing quality Family entertainment, these films played a vital role in the growth and resurfacing of Pakistani Box Office so that films like Lahore Se Agay could also run in cinemas #dontgetcarriedawaybysocialmedia.”