After Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, Imran Abbas is the latest Pakistani to visit the set of superhit Turkish drama Diriliş: Ertuğrul and Kuruluş: Osman in Turkey.
Taking to Instagram, the Khuda Aur Mohabbat star shared posted the photos with Turkish star Celal AL, who portrays the role of Abdur Rehman in Diriliş: Ertuğrul, and producer of Kuruluş: Osman.
Celal also presented him with a flag of the Kayi tribe. Thanking them, Abbas wrote: “Thank you, Celal Al and Ozcan Ayma, for presenting me this handmade flag and showing me around the sets of Ertugrul Ghazi and Kuruluş: Osman.”
Last week, Imran posted a video of himself and Celal jamming to the late Junaid Jamshed’s popular song Dil Dil Pakistan.
Celal also hosted Pakistani actors Reema Khan, Sadia Khan, Adnan Siddiqui and Humayun Saeed in Turkey last month.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry visited Turkey on a trip with his family. He also visited the sets of Kuruluş: Osman where he interacted with the actors of the Turkish historical series.
In December 2020, Hamza had announced that he will be writing a book on religion and God.
“Will be a little inactive on social media because of that,” he had said, adding that he hopes to be done with it by June 2021.
In the process of writing a book….obviously it,ll be about God …hoping to be done by June 2021 Insha Allah. Will be a little inactive on social media bcz of that.
In November 2019, the Alif actor had announced that he is taking a break from acting to focus on his spiritual journey and get a better understanding of Islam.
“I had this divine revelation some time back, that all that I am doing in this world will end the moment I die,” Hamza had said in a video message, adding that death is inevitable.
“All these trophies, all these accolades will not bring me any good on the day of judgment when I meet my Maker. I have decided that I want to leave everything that might be a hurdle when it comes to making my matters easier on the day of Judgment.”
Hamza later clarified that he is only taking a break from acting and will continue to make videos and use his voice and popularity to spread the message of Islam and inspire others to undertake this spiritual journey.
Meanwhile, Hamza often engages with his followers on social media and shares his thoughts and understanding of religion with them.
In my opinion, the biggest mistake we Muslims have done collectively is to make it a standard that unless Quran is not understood through the lens of Islamic history, it can never be fully understood. This statement goes very much against a clear and repeated order in Quran.
Yes. I believe as a Muslim tht Bible does contain sum bits of the will of Allah & its my persnl opinion tht what Jesus Peace Be Upon Him said in the book of Mathews as chargesheet against the Pharisees is 100% applicable today to most of the popular clergy of all religions.
Because we have always had the same quran throughout the world for 1442 yrs with even some variant readings well preserved, so there is no incentive to doubt.
Ahmed Ali Butt has opened up and shared his struggle with COVID-19 while being stranded in a foreign country.
“I have been in quarantine for a better two weeks of my life after getting covid +ve, in a country not my own and with people who didn’t understand me,” shared Butt in an Instagram story. “This has been the most isolated and challenging experience of my life as I didn’t have anyone. With Allah’s blessing, I had decent living and eating arrangements.”
The actor further said: “The isolation was something that I wasn’t prepared for at all. Your mind has the tendency to be your best friend and your worst enemy and mine had a field day with me. These were not the best days I would like to remember from any part of my life,” adding that he wouldn’t wish this experience upon anyone.
Butt then went on to say that the isolation and experience with COVID taught him to be grateful for his wife and family who helped him recover.
“I am back in my country and with my wife and son and recovering. Thank you to all the people who found out and stayed in touch during my madness. It means a lot,” concluded the actor.
Butt did not reveal in which country he was stranded.
Meanwhile, Ahmed has a string of projects lined up. He was recently in the news for his international film debut, Phatte Dinde Chakk Punjabifor which he was shooting in the United Kingdom.
According to details, the film is a comedy-drama directed by Smeep Kang and produced by Gippy Grewal. Other members of the cast include famous Punjabi movie stars Grewal, Neeru Bajwa and Anu Kapoor.
Pakistani actor Sheheryar Munawar has shed some light on self-grooming for men and encouraged men to look after themselves.
Taking to Instagram, Munawar wrote: “Because there’s a Harry in all of us.”
“Sharing this with all of you because I strongly believe in the idea behind the product/campaign ; men grooming/taking care of themselves,” he added.
Talking further about it, the Parey Hut Love actor wrote: “Growing up, I was often picked on for grooming/taking care of myself, since it’s always been considered an effeminate trait and not manly. Here’s a little attempt at empowering all the men out there. It’s cool to give a shit, it’s cool to care and most importantly, it’s cool to take care of yourselves.
“Also, on a separate note, if we expect the women in our lives to always take care of themselves then why not return the favour ? We owe it to them and ourselves to do so,” he added.
An Instagram user commented on his post that it is cool to be effeminate as well. To which he replied, “Arshad, It’s cool to be whatever you want to be, without the fear to be judged.”
Earlier, when he was shooting an advertisement for this self-care product, Sheheryar talked about his brush with COVID-19, his motorbike accident and how everything resulted in him going into depression.
The demand for new and dynamic content in the entertainment industry continues to grow relentlessly mainly caused by the easy access and rise of online streaming platforms. This has consequently led to an increase in the amount of Film/TV Series productions on a global spectrum.
As the popularity of the entertainment industry continues to grow and film/TV series are now more in demand than ever before in the past, film festivals have become a vital and an indispensable platform for content acquisition for Broadcast Networks and Streaming platforms. They have also become the flag bearer of giving rise and recognition to emerging talent, providing an opportunity for them to compete against up and coming and seasoned filmmakers worldwide.
In the competitive and zealous International Film Festivals Circuit consisting of thousands of films from many different parts of the world, actor/filmmaker Saram Jaffery from Lahore, Pakistan has made waves in the industry and put Pakistan on the map by winning multiple awards for his acclaimed short film One Last Shot in the US at New York Film Awards 2020, Los Angeles Film Awards 2020 for Best Acting, Best Drama and Best Narrative.
The film has also won Best Canadian Short Film and Viewers Choice Award at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival and Best Romantic Drama in India at Calcutta International Cult Film Festival and in Italy at Oniros Film Awards.
Competing against a vast list of many acclaimed film submissions worldwide, One Last Shot is based on a struggling musician’s life who comes from a South Asian background.
The film is inspired by real life stories where Saram Jaffery essays the lead role of a struggling musician who is trying to make ends meet and makes bad choices along the way, which puts his relationship with his loved ones in jeopardy.
One Last Shot was a debut for Aniqa Khwaja, the female lead in the film. The Canadian-based Pakistani model has done theatre work in the past. However, this was her first film.
Zuhair Raza Jaffery played the antagonist in the film. He is a renowned veteran Pakistani actor who has appeared in countless dramas during the 80s and 90s. His most popular work includes ‘Ainak Wala Jinn’ and ‘Zameen’.
Jaffery has always been immensely passionate about acting and filmmaking and embarked on his acting journey quite early. He was a child star and appeared in a few drama serials on PTV. From there his passion grew and he ventured to theatre.
He got his formal training from Humber College Toronto while he continued to appear in several independent short films and theatre. In 2018, Jaffery got his first commercial break with Pakistani feature film ‘Na Band Na Baraati’.
One Last Shot marks Saram Jaffery’s first leading role and also his digital debut in the streaming platform market. The film is available to watch in the USA and UK on Amazon Prime Video.
Jaffery is currently working on a web series that revolves around immigrants’ issues and challenges and another feature film that focuses on mental health issues.
‘One Last Shot’ has given the Pakistani film industry notable exposure globally, however Saram wants to continue contributing towards introducing Pakistani Cinema and to build a positive image of the country through the medium of art.
Ahsan Khan has been creating waves with his performance as Rashid in Qayamat. The renowned actor has been winning praise for his portrayal of a spoilt and abusive husband. In fact, the actor has even received love from across the border for his role in the drama serial.
Veteran Bollywood actress Zarina Wahab, in a Whatsapp message sent to the actor, praised him, writing: “As Rashid, you are too much… Excellent work.”
Written by Sarwat Nazir and directed by Ali Faizan, Qayamat features Neelam Muneer, Haroon Shahid, Saba Faisal, Shabbir Jan and Amar Khan besides Khan.
Meanwhile, Khan in a recent social media post opened up on the challenges that come with being an actor.
“Actors do go through intense practice specifically so you can’t tell how hard they’re working, so you can’t see the years and years of hard work that got them to this point,” said the actor. “There is a disguised virtuosity in the complex craft of acting that doesn’t show itself in skilled acting.”
“Good quality, complex acting must always come down to an invisible naturalism that makes the challenging components of it far less apparent than every other art form,” he added.
On the other hand, the actors of the drama serial have been celebrating the success of Qayamat on social media. Amar recently shared a video of herself and Ahsan, dancing and enjoying.
“In the meanwhile, yeh hai Rashid aur Samra, or off set in dono ki pawri ho rai hai,” she wrote in the caption.
Humayun Saeed has opened up on his visit to India several years ago and has revealed that Aamir Khan hosted him at his home while he was in Mumbai.
When asked by Vasay Chaudhry, on his show, Ghabrana Mana Hai, Saeed shared that he had visited Khan in India for a role in Ghajni.
“I met Aamir at his house in Bombay [Mumbai]. He called me there,” revealed Humayun. “I was there for a role in Ghajni.”
When asked why he was not cast in the film them, Humayun said that Aamir said: “You [Humayun] are much too good-looking for this character.” However, the actor did not state which role he was being considered for.
When probed further about his visit, Humayun said that Aamir hosted him at his house for three days.
“Yes he called me, and I stayed at his house for three days. Bohat maza aaya tha. I met him twice and he also served us many desi food and dishes and then we came back to Pakistan,” said Humayun nonchalantly.
During the conversation, Humayun also shared that he had a friendly rapport with the late Rishi Kapoor and was even looking to cast him in Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2. Saeed said that they two remained in touch and Kapoor enjoyed his films. Humayun further shared that he enquired about Rishi’s health just a few days before he passed away on April 30, 2020.
Meanwhile, when asked about his famous dance with Shah Rukh Khan, Priety Zinta and Reema at the Zee Cine Awards in 2005, Humayun said that he was very excited for it but very nervous at the same time because they had not prepared for it at all.
“We arrived one night before [the award function] and were immediately taken to where the rehearsals were going on,” said Humayun. “I met Shah Rukh there but there was no rehearsal going on. The next day, one hour before the show, we arrived and just learned the steps and did it.”
When asked whose company he enjoyed more – Shah Rukh or Aamir’s – Humayun said: “Both actually. But I spent more time with Aamir. We sat the whole night [at his house] and talked.”
“But Shah Rukh was also very sweet,” he added.
Later, while sharing his thoughts on the ongoing Indo-Pak tensions and the effect it has on the cultural exchange, Humayun said: “I don’t like it. We can’t meet each other. We can’t go to India. There are visa issues. They [Bollywood stars] can’t come here.”
“But yes if we meet abroad somewhere, we always greet each other very warmly,” added the actor. “Whatever is happening is not right and it does make me upset.”
Yasir Hussain has said that “we have made Urdu a symbol of illiteracy,” and the “English language cool”.
Sharing his thoughts on the Cannoli incident and the criticism the owners received for humiliating their manager, Yasir said: “[The] interesting fact is that owner of Cannoli made fun of their manager’s English and everyone (including my actor fraternity) raised their voice in English.”
“Did anyone think why the manager needed to speak English?,” he questioned. “From where did this complex come into our society?”
“We have made English cool and Urdu a symbol of illiteracy. It is something to be ashamed of,” he added.
In the viral video, the owners of Cannoli Café Soul in Islamabad, Uzma and Diya joked that their manager, who has been working at their café for nine years, has taken three language courses until now and still cannot speak fluent English.
The two ladies asked the manager Owais to introduce himself in English and when he struggled with speaking fluent English, they made fun of him by commenting on his salary. Owais was visibly uncomfortable in the video.
Soon after the video was posted on social media, people started calling out the women for their elitist behaviour and though they later issued an apology, people called them out for their “arrogant non-apology”.
Several celebrities including Sheheryar Munawar, Adnan Siddiqui, Sarah Khan and Ahsan Khan among others slammed the women for their distasteful comments and behaviour.
Meanwhile, Ameer Gilani took to Instagram and shared details about his meeting with Owais. In a story posted to his Instagram, Gilani said that Awais is a very nice and positive man. He also urged people to focus on the good side to eradicate the wrong.
Ever since the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020, there has been a lot of debate on nepotism in the film and entertainment industry. While the debate did not gain a lot of traction in Pakistan, it is still being discussed. Ahad Raza Mir, whose father Asif Raza Mir is an established actor, recently discussed the topic on Anas Bukhash’s talk show.
Talking about his childhood, Ahad, who grew up in Canada, said that his father always kept him away from the limelight.
“When I moved back to Pakistan in 2009, I had no idea what this industry was like,” said Ahad.
The actor went on to say that the reason behind this was probably that his father wanted him to make his own independent decisions and not be influenced in any way.
“He just wanted me to live my life,” said Ahad. “He himself is the same outside as he is indoors, it’s not like he becomes a star as soon as he walks out of his house. So I guess he never wanted it to get to my head.”
Ahad then went on to say how there are people who think his presence and success in the industry has everything to do with his father.
“There will always be that criticism that you’re an actor because your father was an actor. But no, I never knew he was and I went to university, studied, worked professionally in Canada for many years and I think I was just fortunate when I came to Pakistan,” said the actor.
He continued: “My career started doing well and people said it’s cause I’m a star kid. But there are doctors whose kids are doctors, there are generations in the army and generations in politics, no one bats an eye. But as soon as there’s a child of an actor who starts doing well, everyone starts yelling ‘nepotism’.”
It is pertinent to add here that Ahad, who debuted in 2017 with Sammi, has several successful projects to his credit including Yakeen ka Safar (for which he bagged a Lux Style Award for Best Actor), Ehd-e-Wafa, and Parwaaz Hai Junoon. He also won the prestigious Betty Mitchell Award for his performance in Hamlet in Canada.
The Betty for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama, sponsored by Erin Flash, Realtor, goes to Ahad Raza Mir! #Bettys19pic.twitter.com/IGdUK2xruW
— BettyMitchellAwards (@BettyMitchells) June 25, 2019
During the conversation, Ahad also opened up about his childhood, his decision to move back to Pakistan and marry young.
“I think it was good, pretty normal, kind of hectic because I moved between Pakistan and Canada, so I guess sometimes identity is a challenge,” said Ahad when asked about how his life was while growing up.
Speaking of his relationship with his parents, Ahad said that he is very close to his parents.
“My mom is my best friend and with my dad, there’s this respect factor, not that there’s any formality, but I’m good friends with my dad too,” he said.
Ahad is married to his Yakeen ka Safar co-star Sajal Aly. The two tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Abu Dhabi in March 2020.
Meanwhile, Ahad is reportedly all set to step in as executive producer for upcoming film Kalasha.
Later, while responding to a question on when is he is getting married, the actor said: “Not any time soon.”
Meanwhile, responding to a question on his studies, the actor said that he is currently doing his Masters and would like to pursue a PhD some time in the future. Gilani is enrolled at Harvard University for an LLM. He has been attending classes online due to the pandemic.
Gilani rose to popularity with Hum TV’s Sabaat in which he shared the screen with Hocane, Sarah Khan, and Usman Mukhtar. The drama was a critical and commercial success. While Ameer hasn’t revealed the details of his next project, he has shared that he will be returning to the screen soon.
