Tag: Mira Sethi

  • Mira Sethi slams trolls for picking on Hiba Bukhari

    Mira Sethi slams trolls for picking on Hiba Bukhari

    Actress Mira Sethi has come out in support of her fellow artist Hiba Bukhari, giving a strong reply to the trolls who were shaming Bukhari for showing her baby bump.

    On Instagram, she shared an story in Hiba’s support who became the center of attention at Hum Awards in London where she showed up in a gown, baby bump proudly on display.

    Earlier, the actress had been silent on rumors of her expecting a child, but later, she not only confirmed it through her YouTube channel but also explained the reason for keeping the news a secret.

    Hiba then became the target of online morality police trolls for choosing an outfit they deemed inappropriate for a pregnant woman.

    Mira Sethi shared a screenshot on her Instagram story where Hiba Bukhari was being criticized : “How is it disrespectful to be pregnant, look attractive, and work?”

    She further wrote, “Hiba Bukhari’s body and her beautiful green dress are her own choice.”

    Mira then praised all women who continue to work with a smile on their face, even in such situations.

    Describing the criticism as unwarranted, she added, “Working while pregnant and showing a baby bump is not disrespectful at all.”

  • Kuch Ankahi goes out with a bang, leaving audiences wanting more

    Kuch Ankahi goes out with a bang, leaving audiences wanting more

    The last episode of Kuch Ankahi aired on Saturday night, receiving high ratings from audiences for a satisfying wrap up to its gorgeous story telling and moving performances by Sajal Aly, Bilal Abbas and Qudsia Ali. The build up to this spectacular finale was besieged with questions about who would Aliya finally pick: Salman or Azfar? Would Sofia phupoo give in and marry uncle Thanvi? Would Samiya abandon her husband and his toxic mother to start being independent on her own? But in the final episode, Kuch Ankahi wrapped up all these questions, leaving all of us hoping that this is the show that should be getting a season 2.

    We finally see Aliya and Salman put aside their differences, a win for fans of the show who had shipped the cat-and-mouse duo from the very first episode. Many were left heart broken by how Azfar was rejected, despite the love he had for Aliya. But hopefully, there are better things in store for him?

    We also got a beautiful wedding as Sophia Phupoo and Uncle Thanvi wed, a satisfying resolution to her reluctance of letting go of her first love and husband who had passed away quickly. But then their heart tugging meeting at the train station, when Thanvi promises to prove his love to Sophia, just proved the show made a breakthrough by focusing on two aged people getting married.

    Clearly, we’re not over the episode, and neither is social media. As since yesterday, users sobbing over the ending of a gorgeous drama that gave us everything we’ve been asking Pakistani dramas to provide us.

  • Saying goodbye to ‘Kuch Ankahi’ with the five times it completely blew us away

    Saying goodbye to ‘Kuch Ankahi’ with the five times it completely blew us away

    From the moment it graced our screens, ‘Kuch Ankahi’- with its story of three sisters dealing with marriage pressure, workplace harassment, taking on a challenging careers- seared itself on the Pakistani entertainment industry as a cultural milestone that told a gorgeous story about the bond of sisterhood.

    Only 26 episodes long, ‘Kuch Ankahi’ won our hearts with its flawless story telling and brave portrayal of issues that today’s political climate would have prevented them from doing so.

    With the final episode coming up on Saturday, our hearts are heavy as we will no longer have to look forward to Shamoo Begum and Agha Jaan kay jhagray, Alia and Salman’s cat and mouse chase and the wholesome love between the three sisters. Let’s look back at the five moments where ‘Kuch Ankahi’ truly proved that it was a masterclass in good story telling.

    1 The men in the drama won our hearts.

    At a time when dramas today think a hit series needs a man slapping a woman or a girl being forcibly married without her consent, ‘Kuch Ankahi’ set the bar higher by proving that what audiences want is not violence, but well-written characters that are supportive of the women around them. The bond that the father Agha Jaan had with his daughters, and how he kept taking their side regardless of what society told him, moved us to tears. His defence of youngest daughter Tanya and her passion to become a filmmaker, or backing Samiya if she wanted to back out of her marriage at the last minute.

    2. When the show made a breakthrough by supporting Joyland

    In a scene in episode four that takes place in Tanya’s room, Aliya stands behind her wall of posters, among which is Saim Sadiq’s film ‘Joyland’, a love story between a transgender woman and a man. It was a small, but powerful display of support towards Pakistani filmmakers.

    3 The nikkah scene that defended the right to divorce clause and urged for women to be aware of their rights in the marriage contract

    The nikkah scene from episode 11 received praise on Twitter when Sofia phupoo (played by actress Vaneeza Ahmed) passionately urged the molvi sahab to not cut out the clauses from the nikkah where the woman writes down her demands, highlighting that these are essential for a woman’s safety in marriage, as Islam has rightfully granted them.

    4 Child sexual abuse

    With the story of Deepak, the son of the family’s Hindu house helper, the drama dwelled into the growing issue of child abuse, as he is raped by the tailor he works with. Later, when Sofia phupho and the family learn about the crime, they take in Deepak as a family member and enroll him in a good school so that he regains his confidence in a safe environment.

    5 Neha and her dream to become a tiktok star

    Any woman on screen who isn’t a gharelo good girl married off at the age of 20, is either an awaragard or too bold for society or someone who meets a tragic end. Especially so for women who are obsessed with using social media apps like TikTok . But ‘Kuch Ankahi’ debunks this mindset with the wholesome story of Neha, the daughter of a Hindu working class family, who loves using TikTok. However , she fears her father will beat her if her videos are found. But as the story progresses, Neha finds new-found courage with the support of Taniya to keep making videos, and soon she gets a job as an actress, with her father completely supporting her choice.

  • After ‘Kuch Ankahi’, ‘Fairy Tale’, Is 2023 the year we’re finally not glorifying toxic masculinity?

    We have been wasting our breath for years, criticising the entertainment industry and asking it to stop scraping the bottom of the barrel to give us another done-to-dust drama about saas-bahu jhagray. It seems like somebody has been listening to our laments. Recent serials, starring the likes of actors such as Mira Sethi, Ali Safina and Wahaj Ali, have us wondering whether the industry has finally begun to understand that toxic masculinity is not something to glorify or even a trait that women think is swoon worthy?

    In the disastrous year that was 2022, we got drama after drama with the same topic: bad boy meets good girl, he’s broken and needs fixing which apparently no therapist can do, his severe mommy issues need to be resolved by some naïve girl who has lived under a bunker all her life and is now the saviour she never signed up to be.

    However, this year with dramas like ‘Kuch Ankahi’, the popular Ramzan show ‘Fairy Tale’ and even Wahaj Ali’s hit ‘Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha’, main leads are stepping away from toxic characteristics that symbolized what patriarchy thinks an ideal man must be like. Instead, men in these dramas are gentler, caring about the women they love and showcasing that being a man is not about being loud and brash, but infact it is about how attentive you are to the people around you.

    ‘Kuch Ankahi’ was like a breath of fresh air for audiences who were nostalgic for the days of Haseena Moin dramas, where the women were fearless and outspoken, not props to the men around them. The women in ‘Kuch Ankahi’ come in different shades of femininity: Samia is a shy homebody who wants to fulfil her parents wishes and get married to the man they pick, while Aliya is the complete opposite because she’s a headstrong, career-obsessed woman who wants to succeed in her retail-estate business. Their differences don’t prevent the siblings from bonding with each other or from standing up for their families. Many have praised the series for depicting a healthy relationship between siblings and called it the desi version of ‘Little Women’.

    https://twitter.com/decalsajal/status/1614558374787432456?s=20

    But what is also heartening to witness in ‘Kuch Ankahi’ is how all the men in the dramas are gentle and actively work around the family, rather than the typical men who lounge around, while the women cook. Agha Ji, the patriarch, champions his daughters, refrains from asking them to do his chores and continuously encourages the girls to pursue their dreams.

    Bilal Abbas’ character, Salman, Aliya’s professional rival in the drama, is also a fan favourite. He’s ambitious but he never resorts to sexist or demeaning jokes to push her out of the game. He is also respective and caring to his mother and even pulls his weight by helping around the house.

    Among the current on-going Ramzan dramas, ‘Fairy Tale’ has been winning hearts across Pakistan because of how it has re-written the grumpy x sunshine trope in a humorous, addictive story where the women lead the show and where the male lead treats women with respect.

    If audiences were left horrified when the male lead from last year’s ‘Kaisi Teri Khudgarzi’ forced the female lead to keep repeating his name in exchange for her dad’s release, this time they have better content to cheer on. Many Twitter users have found Farjaad’s dedication to Umeed quite moving as he keeps coming back to her despite convincing himself that they’re too different.

    We can not say that we’re okay with the current pacing of ‘Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha’ and how the storyline features the trope of the selfish female lead and the money-obsessed mother-in-law, but credit to Wahaj Ali’s character Saad, the anti-thesis of the typical misogynist Pakistani male lead, if ever there was one. He refuses to engage in abuse or violence to pressurize the woman he likes to be with him, instead supporting Maheer in all of her decisions.

    Might we be witnessing the rebirth of the golden age of Pakistani dramas? Fingers crossed .

  • Teach boys to be better: here are some hot takes Twitter has on desi culture

    Everyone can agree that desi culture may have the finest food or the grandest weddings, but will also have the biggest closet full of family secrets and important discussions we need to talk about.

    It’s incredibly important that adults and children in the family learn to keep their communication open with each other and discuss things that we often prevent opening up about.

    So when a Twitter user asked their followers tat if given an opportunity, what are the things they wished desi culture would change?

    And it turns out, there are a lot of them. We’re happy to share them with our followers.

    A little louder for the people in the back.

    If you’re grumbling about disrespectful children, maybe some adults should reflect if it is them who are being disrespectful.

    We completely agree. Getting divorced is not a shameful thing.

    https://twitter.com/yixewoah/status/1641306625972527106?s=20

    We should encourage more people to be respectful at funerals and stop treating it like a meet-and-greet moment

    YOUR CHILDREN ARE NOT YOUR PROPERTY!

    Choose yourself over toxic relationships

  • Feroze Khan sends public apology to fellow actors for leaking confidential information

    Feroze Khan sends public apology to fellow actors for leaking confidential information

    Feroze Khan has issued a public apology to the ten celebrities whose personal information was leaked to the internet when he posted their personal phone numbers and home addresses on Twitter in a screenshot.

    Khan had written in a statement: “As an actor, I know the importance of privacy and value it the most. I never intended that anyone’s peace be disturbed. If any one of my colleagues had to go through any inconvenience I’m deeply sorry for that.”

    Actor Muneeb Butt and his wife, Aiman, along with her sister Minal, were among the celebrities whose private info was leaked, but yesterday Butt shared a picture of him and Khan together, and revealed that they had settled their differences and decided to drop the charges against the “Habs” actor.

    His statement read:

    “..To give us pain and mental distress wasn’t FK’s intention it was a mistake I announce to drop all of the charges.”

    Butt had previously filed a stalking report with the cyber crime department against Khan for leaking his and his family’s personal information.

    “Whoever is suggesting this to you has thrown you into deep trouble my friend I feel bad for you now you will have to face all of this… Initially I thought it’s a stupid mistake waited for 24 hours but no apology or excuse proved that it was a deliberate move, I thought you were better than that seriously. Complaint registration/ verification process has been completed FIA cyber circle has intiated the inquiry. The process has started, you will have to taste your own medicine now wait for the call,” he had written.

    Celebrities like Yasir Hussain had slammed Khan for being ‘stupid’ for first beating up his wife, and then leaking his number to the world.

    Actor Sarwat Gilani had shared a screenshot on her Instagram page of the numerous phone calls she had received since her number was leaked by Khan, and publicly announced that she was suing him along with the other celebrities.

    Gilani had written: “It is bizarre and despicable that private information, including phone numbers, of various famous individuals has been publicly shared on the absurd pretext of issuing legal notice to them by @ferozekhan Not only are such actions clearly illegal but also demonstrates the total lack of maturity to handle matters in a civilized way.”

  • ‘Jahil’: Celebrities, activists slam Senator Afnan Ullah Khan for horrifying remarks about Mahira Khan, Anwar Maqsood

    Yesterday, a clip from a session named An Evening With Mahira Khan went viral on social media, featuring Anwar Maqsood. The renowned writer made a disparaging comment about two female Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, Maryam Aurangzeb and Maryam Nawaz.

    In the clip, Khan was seen asking about two women who are fighting and shouting with each other, to which Maqsood responded that these women are Maryam Nawaz and Maryam Aurangzeb,

    “I am restricted from talking about politics, I can’t say anything about anyone. Hopefully the situation will get better soon. What you said about poisoning, abusing each other so I gave an example, it is also happening in real life. Also both are actors, not character actors.”

    This comment was rightfully criticized because of how it chose to directly target the female politicians through the same misogynist stereotypes Khan was condemning in her session. Twitter users also slammed Khan for her selective morality, urging the actor to reflect on the feminist morals she is presenting because repeatedly calling out misogynist slurs used to put down women, but in the same breath applauding this way of publicly targeting female politicians and humiliating them? Baffling.

    https://twitter.com/Bubbleskhanum/status/1637942268773519367?s=20

    “I don’t expect anything good from him, because he is a man, but it’s so baffling to see Mahira Khan applauding over this incitement of misogyny and sexism, she literally made a brand by capitalizing over feminism, but is not consious about how harmful this is for Pakistani women,” one user wrote.

    This is the proper manner of responding to an opinion you disagree with, by pointing out mistakes and urging the other person to reflect and correct themselves. Because after all, celebrities have a public platform through which they can influence other people to follow their actions.

    What is the most vile, awful way to counteract? By using abelist, abusive language and making personal remarks like the way Senator Afnan Ullah Khan did on Twitter

    “Mahira Khan has mental health problems and Anwar Maqsood has become a drunkard at this stage of life. Both of them are shameless characters and the public should condemn them for it. There are books written about Mahira Khan’s character, and she is known for even flattering Indian actors for the sake of money and Anwar Maqsood is filled with hatred at this point of his life,” wrote the PML-N senator on Twitter.

    To condemn a misogynist remark is the right of any politician, but to go even lower and make personal, completely distorted and abusive comments about someone is completely not acceptable.

    Targetting Khan and Maqsood with such awful comments from the politician whose party is currently ruling the country proves how deep misogyny runs in this country. Celebrities like Atiqa Odho and Farhan Saeed openly condemned these comments for showcasing Dr Ullah Khan’s misogynist state of mind.

    Farhan Saeed retweeted this comment and condemned the way free speech in Pakistan has been suppressed

    “This is the mentality that doesn’t let #Pakistan grow , this is what they do when someone just gives an opinion or has a political preference . They get personal so people stop giving their opinion . Senator ? Zuban jahilon wali,” he wrote.

    Odho shared a picture of both Khan and Maqsood on her Instagram account and in the caption she condemned the PML-N politician for using such foul language against two “hard working and committed people.”

    She wrote: “#AnwerMaqsood a living legend and mentor and #MahiraKhan our beloved star. Both shine where ever they go and leave others way behind. Shameful when anyone dares to say anything against such hard working and committed people as these are national treasurers. PMLN should expel the senator who behaved so poorly from their party at once to teach him a lesson and show their sincerity towards our iconic soft image ambassadors. Such acts must not go unnoticed as these are not political people and as citizens have a right to an opinion within a true democracy. Hope action is taken and a public apology is given by #PMLN !”

    Actor and writer Mira Sethi tweeted that these remarks are ‘utterly shameful’.

    https://twitter.com/sethimirajee/status/1638106602828865539?s=20

    Actor Iffat Omar, who is critical of Imran Khan, also condemned the tweet and tagged Maryam Nawaz, urging her to take action against the senator.

    The twitter account of Aurat March called out the Senate of Pakistan to teach their politicians to refrain from using such abusive, sexist language against their critics, especially when it is a woman involved.

  • Mira Sethi meets boy who stood up to misogynist reporter at Aurat March

    At this year’s Aurat March, a boy went viral on Twitter when he was seen schooling a reporter by explaining to him why marching for women’s rights is incredibly important.

    Actress and writer Mira Sethi revealed yesterday that she had met the boy by tracing him down on Twitter, and described him as her ‘hero’.

    “Remember the kid who stood up to that vile reporter at Aurat March Lahore?” she wrote, “I found him on Twitter, asked if I could come over to express my gratitude and met his whole family. Muhammad Ali is only 20, but he radiates clarity and courage. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure his light is never dimmed. So full of gratitude today.”

    Syed Aly Jaffery also shared the interaction on his Twitter page and called her a ‘nice and amazing person’

  • Yasir Hussain slams Feroze Khan for leaking his private phone number

    Yasir Hussain slams Feroze Khan for leaking his private phone number

    Actor Yasir Hussain called out Feroze Khan in his Instagram stories for leaking his private number to the public in a now-deleted tweet. Khan had shared a list of celebrities on Twitter, mentioning that he was sending them defamation notices.
    Hussain shared a screenshot of a man who was consistently spamming his messages with requests to be cast in TV serials. He criticized Feroze Khan for the breach of private data.

    “A stupid man had first beat up his wife and then leaked our numbers to the public. Because of this now this child is asking me to cast him in some drama, or otherwise he wants Rs 1 lac. Now tell me what I should do.”

    In the next post, he shared the list of messages the person had sent him, but pointed out that he refused to defame him by sharing his number, the way Feroze Khan had.

    Hussain also shared a screenshot of Meesha Shafi’s Instagram post where she sent her solidarity and support to the ten actresses sent defamation notices by Feroze Khan, saying that she could empathize having also been in the same place.

    “Having suffered the most malifide defamation case…I just want to tell anyone who might be stressing about this stupid case that he’s going to lose in every way in the end. Karma is real. All my solidarity to each and everyone of you, especially Alizeh.”

    Hussain put up a screenshot of his messages where the spammer had apologized, stating he was a big fan of actor Falak Shabir and wanted Hussain to help him reach out to him.

    ‘Moron’, ‘Stupid’, ‘Despicable’; Celebs slam Feroze Khan for phone numbers leak

    A growing chorus of disgruntled celebrities slamming Feroze Khan has now been joined by Sarwat Gillani and Mira Sethi. Khan had posted on Twitter the private phone numbers of 10 celebrities including Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Osman Khalid Butt and Minal Khan.

    Actor Sarwat Gilani has slammed Feroze Khan in an Instagram post by sharing a screenshot of the numerous spam calls she had received since the leak, and in the caption she warned Khan that his illegal actions will now severely backfire on him

    “It is bizarre and despicable that private information, including phone numbers, of various famous individuals has been publicly shared on the absurd pretext of issuing legal notice to them by @ferozekhan Not only are such actions clearly illegal but also demonstrates the total lack of maturity to handle matters in a civilized way.

    Two days ago @ferozekhan had one ex wife and her lawyer now he will have to face 10 celebrities and their lawyers after him. Good luck!”

    Oscar winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy had responded in the comment section, by writing that she had faced the same issue of numerous spam calls.

    ‘Wait till you see mine,” she wrote.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-18.png

    Actress and writer Mira Sethi has also responded to the leak by sharing Gilani’s post in her Instagram stories, and clarifying that she will continue to stand behind survivors of domestic violence despite the threat

    “Echoing what Sarwat says here about leaked numbers. Unbelievable. My lawyer will respond to the notice, and I will continue standing with Alizeh Sultan.”

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-19.png

    Actor Minal Khan has uploaded a post on her Instagram page, where she critcized Feroze Khan’s ‘shameful act” for breaching her privacy and putting her family’s life in danger.

    “Yesterday my private information including my personal phone number was leaked on social media. it was an utterly shameful act which was carried out intentionally by Feroze Khan on the absurd pretext of a legal notice.

    This action of his has has caused me severe mental distress as I have been receiving hundreds of calls and messages. My personal security has been breached & out at risk as I have been mentally harassed, tortured & threatened by multiple numbers. Me and my family’s life has been put in danger.

    Such actions are illegal- This being said I will be taking very strict legal action against Feroze Khan for leaking my private information on social media along with multiple other famous individuals.”

    More female artists like Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and Meesha Shafi also reacted to Feroze’s bizarre antic.

    Celebrities Criticism on Feroze Khan For Sharing Personal Details
    Celebrities Criticism on Feroze Khan For Sharing Personal Details
    Celebrities Criticism on Feroze Khan For Sharing Personal Details
  • ‘Wholesome and endearing’; twitter users are already in love with the drama ‘Kuch Ankahi’

    ‘Wholesome and endearing’; twitter users are already in love with the drama ‘Kuch Ankahi’

    The ARY drama ‘Kuch Ankahi’ debuted on Sunday with a star studded cast including Sajal Aly, Bilal Abbas Khan, Shehryar Munawar and Mira Sethi. The drama’s plotline revolves around the lives of three sisters and their family.
    In the first episode we get to see the family prepare for the future in-laws of the elder sister Samia (played by Mira Sethi), while the middle child Aaliya (played by Sajal Aly) is a powerful real estate agent who is trying to secure a client. The youngest child Taniya (played by actress Qudsia Ali) loves teasing her mother and keeps urging her elder sister not to marry her future husband Saif-ul-Rehman (played by Ali Safina) as he has kept her waiting for three years to secure the proposal.
    On its debut, it has secured itself among the top trending hashtags in Pakistan.

    Twitter users love the calming vibes of the show, and are calling it a fresh, progressive start for 2023 where a show centers around the bond between three women who stick with each other in the toughest of times.

    https://twitter.com/koilak2/status/1612296720037068801?s=20&t=kck6Zkw2O0kJHjftU0Ocnw

    Fans are also applauding the amazing chemistry between Aaliya and Salman (played by Bilal Abbas) who are both rival real estate agents trying to secure a wealthy client.

    https://twitter.com/fIwrluvr/status/1609907222645207040?s=20&t=kck6Zkw2O0kJHjftU0Ocnw