Something shifted in the atmosphere, Mother Nature began healing, world peace seemed like a reality when the trailer for the most anticipated film this year ‘Barbie’ dropped last week.
Featuring a stellar cast with actors like Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Dua Lipa and many more, the film has award winning Greta Gerwig as writer and director.
As soon as the trailer dropped online, its hilarious catch phrase ‘She’s everything. He’s just Ken’ took the internet by storm because what phrase better captures the brilliance and vivacity of women and how men are simple and stupid in comparison?
Twitter users began coming up with their own versions of Ken and Barbie and honestly we are rooting for the producers to consider re-making the film with a new set of cast members.
Check out some of the hilarious replies.
RUDE. But sorry Fawad, Sanam will always remain classy and outstanding.
Actor Ushna Shah has been in hot waters in the past few days after she shared a picture of herself with controversial actor Feroze Khan at a gym on Instagram. She quoted a hadith that called for Ramzan to be a month of mercy and forgiveness. In her next post, she recalled the death of controversial televangelist Amir Liaqat, and asked her followers not to pass quick judgement that could lead to people committing irreversible acts.
Feroze Khan has been accused of domestic violence and neglect by his former wife Aliza Sultan. The two divorced in 2022, after multiple celebrities including Oscar winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and actor Sarwat Gilani rallied behind her.
In November, Feroze Khan was criticized for leaking the personal phone numbers and home addresses of ten celebrities -including Mira Sethi, Osman Khalid Butt and Yasir Hussain- who had declared that they would take action by suing Khan for emotional and mental trauma.
On Saturday, Shah once more defended her stance by sharing a detailed statement on Twitter, where she called herself a “human sympathizer” rather than an “abuser sympathizer”.
Shah went on to reveal that as someone who became the target of unfair bullying, like the backlash to her Indian lehnga that Shah wore on her Mehndi, she didn’t think that social media users should abuse a person and their families for something they “allegedly did”.
“The backlash at my choice to wear the supposed ‘Indian style lehnga’ and dance at my own wedding, was prime example. So when hundreds and thousands of people abuse a person for whatever they allegedly did and abuse their families relentlessly, day and night, non-stop, I know what that can do and it isn’t fair punishment.”
Shah’s statement has received extensive backlash on social media for refusing to recognize how problematic her stance to support Khan is, and for being an abuse apologist.
One Twitter user wrote:
“Sympathizing with a human who is an alleged abuser/involved in domestic violence is basically being an abuser apologist. “even if the alleged criminal was found guilty” so u r telling me that a guilty criminal shouldnt have to face the consequences. also what even’s w the lehnaga.”
sympathizing with a human who is an alleged abuser/involved in domestic violence is basically being an abuser apologist. “even if the alleged criminal was found guilty” so u r telling me that a guilty criminal shouldnt have to face the consequences. also what even’s w the lehnaga https://t.co/j2Z8BgFCJA
“Pakistani celebrities are hypocrites,” another user wrote.
Domestic violence is not a personal issue . She wants to sympathise with an abuser but not with the victim . Pakistani celebrities are hypocrites . Shame on you . https://t.co/LN8CSnyvqf
the mental & physical harm feroze did to his ex-wife he deserves to be bullied like anything. sit down madam, you’ve completely lost it https://t.co/jTalF9n6bF
“Why is it always ”let’s forgive abuser Muslim m3n because it’s Ramzan”, that man has literally brutalized his wife, you are not only a domestic violence apologist but a traitor to your own women class, using your privilege to disregard the voices of numerous DV women victims,” another user wrote.
Actor Armeena Khan has slammed Pakistan Muslim League Noon (PML-N) for harassing her by sharing a picture of her with her newborn daughter from the party’s media Twitter account. Khan had defended people’s right to call out politicians, in response to the viral video where a woman was seen trolling Maryam Nawaz. The actress wote that freedom of speech was an essential right, because in Pakistan people are kidnapped for holding politicians accountable.
“Had this happened in Pakistan, the selfie lady would’ve ‘disappeared.’ ;),” wrote Khan. “I’m glad we have such freedoms in the U.K where we hold our politicians to account. If you’re going to live on British soil then it is OUR rules. We have freedom of speech.”
In response to this comment, an account associated with PMLN shared a picture of Khan with her daughter with a huge cross drawn around it, with the caption saying “How will the sick minded youthias train the coming generation and the fifth generation youthia will be at the lowest level.”
Khan slammed PMLN supporters for harassing her by what she said was an attempt at invading her personal life, especially by targeting her daughter, saying that she had never seen such a vile act committed by a political party before.
“Maryam Nawaz hates babies I guess. Poor thing couldn’t take it with her thin skin so sent her official goons to harass a private citizen of another country. I’ve never seen such a thing before from a mainstream political party before,” Khan tweeted.
Khan’s husband, Fesl Raza-Khan critcised PML-N and demanded that the political party send them an apology for targeting their daughter.
“PMLN leadership, you are responsible for this account. You have posted a photo of my infant, just to troll my wife, thus crossing all bounds of decency. My daughter & I have no interest in PK politics. But as a Father I will protect my child. Apologise immediately,” he wrote.
PMLN leadership, you are responsible for this account. You have posted a photo of my infant, just to troll my wife, thus crossing all bounds of decency. My daughter & I have no interest in PK politics. But as a Father I will protect my child. Apologise immediately. https://t.co/hf499mKNgP
Twitter users criticised PMLN politicians for refusing to condemn this heinous act, and for choosing to stoop so low to even target an infant child of a critic. Because political opinions aside, choosing to target the personal life of an individual is completely wrong and demonstrates how classless and disgraceful your morals are.
so embarrassing to not delete this even after 8 hours. disgusting mindset of a party w almost no morals, what else. https://t.co/0bFjxXGiai
New loww That video was a harmless sarcasm on a politician, directly or indirectly responsible for worst living conditions Pak people suffer with daily, & PMLN media is tweeting hate for a citizen, who has the right to criticise the ppl involved in state affairs. https://t.co/0VIUUzMFhF
‘Kuch Ankahi’ has made an indelible mark on the Pakistani entertainment industry, for tackling sensitive issues like marriage pressure, body shaming, as well as infidelity. However, many audience members won’t know that the writer as well as the actor who plays the dad in the drama, Syed Mohammad Ahmed, has written countless scripts for film and television, including the iconic PTV drama ‘Tum Se Kehna Tha’ which was his debut effort.
Directed by the brilliant Sahira Kazmi, the drama is an adaptation of the Hollywood rom-com ‘While You Were Sleeping’ which is about a young woman, who is accidently mistaken to be the fiancée of a man in a coma. The drama is incredibly funny, with powerful performances by actors Marina Khan and Ali Haider, and if our audiences are hung up on the fact that there are no good dramas out there that outshine the way ‘Kuch Ankahi’ did, here are some reasons why they should definitely check out this cult classic.
1 The powerful chemistry between Hira (played by Khan) and Bilal (played by Haider)
Hira and Bilal are feuding opposites in the beginning of the drama, because the family completely takes her in once they find out she was Saad’s (played by Farhan Ali Agha) fiancee, but Bilal opposes this because he suspects that she is telling a lie. As the episodes progress, their rivalry turns into friendship and then in to love, giving us a healthy and meaningful relationship.
2 Powerful women lead the drama
Powerful, witty Hira immediately captures the hearts of the audience, especially due to the exceptional acting shown by Marina Khan. Hira works in a travel agency under her boss who was her late father’s best friend, and is like father figure to her. She has everything that any woman would want: friends, an apartment and lots of wealth, but deep down, Hira longs for a family so she won’t remain alone. If fans of ‘Kuch Ankahi’ love the sisters and their fierce devotion and dedication to each other, then they will love the way Hira loves and defends her family members, helps her sister in law tackle with the grief from divorce, and especially how drama refuses to pit women against each other.
3 Debunks the stereotype that divorced women can never find happiness
‘Kuch Ankahi’ has definately engaged Pakistani audiences with its refreshing script that provided us with complex female characters who refuse to be dictated around by patriarchal expectations, then they would also find ‘Tum Se Kehna Tha’ addictive because in the same manner, it engages with the societal disgrace that divorcees often face. Through the journey of Meher (played by Seemi Pasha), a divorced woman who is still recovering from the betrayal of her first marriage, she learns to empower herself through becoming friends with Hira, and forming a friendship with Sajjad, another divorcee who encourages her to keep living her best life.
4 Humorous and engaging side characters
A lot of times one of the biggest criticisms of Pakistani dramas has been that the side characters are incredibly dense, and limited to only showing up to push the main lead’s story forward. However the brilliance of Syed Mohammad Ahmed is that in his scripts, each character is interesting and keeps us engaged with the show. In ‘Kuch Ankahi’, fans are in love with the Tiktok star Neeha who is the househelp’s daughter, or Shakeel, the clumsy nephew. In a similar way, in ‘Tumse Ye Kehna Tha’ side characters like the neighbour Gringo or Buwa who add to the humor of the drama.
If you’re a citizen of Pakistani Twitter, then you would be familiar with cult dramas like ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai’, ‘Humsafar’ and ‘Tere Bin’, that have dominated social media with swoon worthy romances as well as dreamboats like Fawad Khan and Wahaj Ali. We’ll admit it, we have been obsessed too.
But it might turn out that all that is old is not gold? And sadly, our fav heroes might not actually be the shehzada of our dreams but actually toxic men who needs to be re examined again.
A Twitter user shared a tweet of the main leads from the most popular Pakistani dramas: ‘Tere Bin’, ‘Zindagi Gulzaar Hai’, ‘Humsafar’ and ‘Mere Humsafar’, and in the caption she shared that arranged marriage might not be such a bad idea if it were with men like them.
But in today’s climate when more women are asking for better representation on television screens, a man like Ashar or Zarrun won’t sit well with audiences, regardless of how good looking Fawad Khan is. With that, more twitter users began sharing the ways audiences had overlooked how regressive and sexist these male leads actually were, and should not have been projected as the standard kind of man women should look for.
Users shared that in ‘Humsafar’, Khan’s character Ashar, kicks his wife Khirad (played by Mahira Khan) out of the house while she was pregnant because he suspects her to be cheating on him with her friend, Khizar.
Yea cos everyone wants a guy who doesnt trust his wife and kicks her out of the house at night while she’s pregnant and doesnt even accept he has a daughter for whose treatment he needs to give money. https://t.co/GUoTSdKdbr
Fawad Khan in zgh was a chauvinist in humsafar he was toxic didn’t trust his wife and on false accusation ninja kicked mahira out of his life… so yeah these images didn’t help ..marriages are still scary ♀️ ️ https://t.co/vlovaXrLRL
Twitter users shared how toxic Murtasim was in ‘Tere Bin’ because he slapped Meerab in episode 5, and in the most recent episode he asks her to jump to prove she wasn’t having an affair behind his back.
I hope no one gets a guy like murtasim or ashar, they both were hella toxic https://t.co/DNZFPY2kUd
Didn’t watch ZGH..but except Hamza the rest 2 are male chauvinist and hypocrite literally. Hamza is maa ka ladla. So the 3 characters are already cancelled https://t.co/KfMPT2ltQ7
We hope that the entertainment industry takes a note of this and works on improving their scripts to stop romanticizing toxic men, who can only offer the bare minimum to the women in their lives.
Actress and singer Hadiqa Kiani wrote a moving tribute to her fellow cast members and fans of the drama ‘Pinjra’ as the last episode aired on Friday.
“Our beautiful family ”, wrote the ‘Dupatta’ singer. “Grateful to be a part of such an important experience. The cast, the crew, these talented children, the story, the great late writer Asma Nabeel, the wonderful @shaziawajahat, our amazing director @najafbilgrami…just feeling so grateful. Thank you to all of those who connected with the drama @arydigital.tv.”
Pinjra revolved around a family where the father Javed (played by Omair Rana) and the mother Khadija (Kiani) are both strict parents, demanding their son Abaan to stay away from his interest in art and music, and to focus more on his studies. The pressure to succeed has an impact on Abaan -along with being bullied by his siblings due to his poor grades- he begins doing drugs and even harming another child.
Twitter users praised the series for carefully discussing issues like societal pressures, bullying, and helping parents understand how to be kinder to their children.
Khadija didn’t give in & knows her worth now. I was hoping the narrative would address the relationship that lay at the core of all issues surrounding #Pinjra Effective parenting & happy families means respect & love in a relationship ❤ @Hadiqa_Kiani the journey was worth it. pic.twitter.com/CIPhfAjI66
Pinjra a master piece. a little dragged but the drama beautifully depicted how parents shape up behaviour in their children and how society can be manipulated to help those in power. Beautiful message and a good ending. #pinjra great work @Hadiqa_Kiani@omairana@sunitamarshal1
Kiani was previously praised for her powerful performance in ‘Dobara’ as a newly widowed middle-aged woman, who takes stand for herself after being restricted by her husband through out her marriage, and in the process she falls in love with a man who is ten years younger than her.
Drama serial ‘Tere Bin’ had been hitting the right notes for a while with electrifying chemistry between Yumna Zaidi and Wahaj Ali who star as conflicted enemies turned lovers. Fans have lauded the series for Ali’s powerful acting as well as Zaidi’s feisty and headstrong character Meerab who isn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes in. However, a recent episode has left fans conflicted with some arguing that the series has diverted away from the true nature of the male lead, Murtasim.
In the previous episode, Meerab is kidnapped by her male friend, Rohail, who takes her to his house and confesses his feelings to her. After being unable to contact his wife and panicking, Murtasim rescues her from Rohail’s clutches and threatens to shoot him if he ever comes near her again. But this incident leaves our hero traumatised, thinking that Meerab is still in love with Rohail and had gone to Karachi solely to meet him.
Now in the latest episode, Murtasim refuses to engage with his wife, despite her attempts to make him happy while cooking his favorite dishes. As the attempts fall flat, Murtasim accuses her of cheating by visiting Rohail in Karachi. When Meerab’s explanation doesn’t satisfy him, he takes his wife to the rooftop and asks her to jump from there to prove herself.
WHAT??@&?! how did the whole dynamic of the scene change in two seconds like what was the point of putting in such a dramatic scene just to act like nothing happened after… he literally asked her to jump off the roof and khs and then he’s all soft??!/? #terebinpic.twitter.com/zswBD0Zts4
Fans have slammed this scene as a complete betrayal to Murtasim’s character. Something Haute editor Aamna Isani wrote that the scene was completely unnecessary and had shattered the efforts the show had made in the previous episodes to put Murtasim in a positive light.
“Like the slap, the jump scene was also totally unnecessary and stripped Murtasim of the human light he was portrayed in when he cried. Very confused, poor writing I’d say. #TereBin,” she wrote.
Like the slap, the jump scene was also totally unnecessary and stripped Murtasim of the human light he was portrayed in when he cried. Very confused, poor writing I’d say. #TereBin can’t wait to review it.
Journalist Marvi Sirmed criticised ‘Tere Bin’ for turning Murtasim in to an ‘alpha male’ who tries to domesticate the free-spirited and ambitious Meerab, and slammed the writer Noor Makhdoom for this controversial scene.
“But this final nail in the coffin of sanity was put when a stupid toxic Murtasim asks Meerab to jump from roof in order to prove her innocence. A grim reminder of Seeta’s Agni Priksha. What nonsense. Really Ms Makhdoom, what bloody nonsense?” she wrote.
But this final nail in the coffin of sanity was put when a stupid toxic Mirtasimnasks Meerab to jump from roof in order to prove her innocence. A grim reminder of Seeta’s Agni Priksha. What nonsense. Really Ms Makhdoom, what bloody nonsense?
Many users had to point out that in previous episodes, Murtasim had spent two nights in his village with the antagonist Haya, an act that had angered Meerab. But did it lead to Murtasim being forced to prove his innocence? Then why was this imposed over Meerab?
It was ridiculous- So many flaws honestly. The way meerub is she should have brought up how he went with Haya to village and why is he being a hypocrite but no writer just cant stand giving Meerub any good dialogues but yeah make her jump and possibly fall and die ♀️
This is not the first time Tere Bin has attracted criticism for including controversial scenes that were contrary to the characters’ build up. For instance, the slap scene in episode five attracted intense backlash as social media users criticised the show for peddling sexist stereotypes once more.
Ramzan dramas have long had the habit of reusing the same stories about marriage-obsessed women chasing after the bad boy, then add some slaps and misogynist behavior, a tarka of badtameez in-laws, the extra masala that is divorce, fights, crying, breakdown and then all’s well that ends well as the battered and bruised woman decides to forgive her husband and move back in with him.
However, in the last few days, ‘Chand Tara’ has been receiving accolades for taking the same tropes and re-writing them to provide audiences with a hilarious rom-com about wedding season. The drama stars Ayeza Khan and Danish Taimoor as lovers from different backgrounds who try to convince their families to agree to their marriage. Sarim Chand is a software engineer who comes from an extroverted, loud family and is used to catering to the whims of his sassy siblings, and Nain Tara is a doctor who lives with her strict mother and longs for a loud home filled with love and laughter.
Written by powerhouse drama writer Saima Akram Chaudhry, who was previously responsible for the iconic ‘Suno Chanda’ and then ‘Chupke Chupke’, it was obviously a guarantee that this drama will quickly win the hearts of fans all over Pakistan because of how cleverly it debunks sexist stereotypes and brings forward a refreshing male lead who loves and supports the women in his life and is not afraid to stand up for her. In several episodes, the show has championed the rights for women to include the ‘right to divorce’ clause in the nikkahnama, encouraged brides to be cheerful and FINALLY, no cousin marriage shenanigans.
This is an appreciation tweet for @saimakramwriter ! Love her unique ideas for the characters of her plays! Every character in chand tara has something to offer & all of them are sm fun! Please never stop writing these fun characters & stories! #chandtara
#ChandTara is slowly growing on me (as expected). Really enjoying Ayeza and Danish. Love Saarim.
One of the reasons why I love Saima Akram’s script is because there is always something that hits home for me – 6 episodes in and I have already felt exposed and relatable twice
What’s also notable here is how Danish Taimoor has decided to pick a male lead who contradicts his past roles, to be more supportive and loving towards the female lead in the drama. Fans have praised Taimoor for getting them to fall in love with the character’s kindness and dedication. One scene that is making audiences swoon depicts Chand carefully removing Tara’s shoes after she’s exhausted from their wedding.
Fans have appreciated how the drama refuses to follow the same road of woman giving up everything for the man, Tara loves her work and will keep practicing after her marriage while Chand is nothing but incredibly supportive of her ambitions.
“Mai tumse bahut mohabbat karti hu Sarimpar apne kaam se na ishq hai mujhe ” I always thought of how @saimakramwriter will give address this issue of professional vs personal life. For doctors, their ist duty is always towards the mankind! Thank you for this convo! #ChandTarapic.twitter.com/gGxW97kHTJ
Really loved the character of Tara as doctor. Just loving that how she is dealing with her duties as a doctor and always giving first priority to her profession and giving a great message being a doctor Hats off to Ayeza #AyezaKhan#Chandtara
This Eid is the best time to head back to the cinemas as a flux of A-list celebrities are set to star in unique films.
If you’re someone who isn’t a fan of cringey rom-coms, you’ll want to check out this list because aside from comedies, the list includes thrillers with powerful leading ladies, historical action films and much more!
Let’s look in to the upcoming films set to release on Eid.
Money Back Guarantee
Written and directed by comedy king Faisal Qureshi himself, the film is set to star Fawad Khan, who is making his silver screen comeback after a long hiatus, and will also mark the debut of Wasim Akram and his wife Shaneira. The film is an action-packed comedy that is definitely the right flavour for Eid.
2. Huey Tum Ajnabi
Directed by film star Kamran Shahid, the film is based around the events of the 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh. It stars Mikaal Zulfiqar and Sadia Khan in leading roles, as well as Ayesha Omar, Samina Peerzada and Adnan Jillani.
3. Daadal
If you were disappointed by not being able to watch ‘Javed Iqbal’, then this next action film with a fiercely powerful female lead by Abu Aleeha will definitely make you want to book tickets today! This film stars a boxer from Lyari played by Sonya Hussayn who kills a gang of rich evil men to avenge the honor of her sister. Soon she teams up with a police officer to go after the criminals.
4 Lahore Qalandar
Looks like we’re also getting a Punjabi-style story with a lot of action and conflicts. Directed by Shahid Rana, this film stars Saima Noor, Bando Butt and Shafqat Cheema.
5 Dorr
A man tries to save the woman he loves from a violent gang, who have kidnapped her in exchange for a bribe. Directed by Nadeem Cheema, it stars Asad Mahmood, Shafqat Cheema and Saleem Meraj.
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?
If you’re grumbling about disrespectful children, maybe some adults should reflect if it is them who are being disrespectful.
elders must not get special respect just by virtue of time spent on this planet. Many of them have regressive views which shouldn’t be passed on to newer generations. https://t.co/HSV7SyBh87
We should encourage more people to be respectful at funerals and stop treating it like a meet-and-greet moment
absolutely FUCK desi jinaza culture this is not a little hangout, aunties!! its not eid!! do NOT sit for hours torturing the family of the deceased do NOT repeatedly ask them what happened!! Go HOME https://t.co/xBN8mbSmFc
Your children are not your second chance at life, stop implementing your takes on “life” and “profession” on them. Not everything needs to be controlled https://t.co/RBn9sHWlQM
