Veteran actress Noor Bukhari has expressed her concerns about the growing trend of Halloween celebrations in Pakistan. The former host took to social media to share her views about Halloween and said “Jitna Pakistanio ny Halloween celebrate kiya hai woh kafi alarming hai.“
Noor further said, “This will become a part of our culture”.
Last year Noor condemned netizens for trolling Saba Qamar over her birthday outfit. Following the outrage, someone photoshopped a hijab and tights onto her picture which also went viral on the internet.
However, Noor Bukhari did not like the photoshopped image and expressed her disappointment over it.
Sharing the picture on Instagram, Bukhari said: “Shouldn’t make fun of Saba or hijabis like this please.”
Actor Ushna Shah took to her Twitter handle to ask her followers an amusing question regarding the local house helpers.
On Thursday, the Habs diva took to Twitter to ask the ‘very genuine question’ – in her opinion – to Pakistani women. She wrote, “Do you find that house-help responds differently to men than women? In my experience, I’ve noticed that if a “Sahab” gives a task, it is completed quickly & more efficiently.”
Shah believes that if the ‘man’ of the house assigns a chore to the maids, the work is done more ‘quickly and efficiently.’
I have a very genuine question for other women in Pakistan. Do you find that house-help responds differently to men then women? In my experience, I’ve noticed that if a “sahab” gives a task, is it completed quickly & more efficiently.
Singer and actor Hadiqa Kiani mother Khawar Kiani, who was also a renowned poetess, has passed away.
The announcement came out through Hadiqa’s personal Instagram, which read: “Mother, grandmother, and poetess Khawar Kiani passed away peacefully at her home today, surrounded by her family and friends. We ask everyone to please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
As soon as the news broke out, many actors from the entertainment industry mourned Hadiqa’s loss. Actor Omair Rana wrote: “My deepest Deepest condolences Hadiqa Jee. I pray Allah grants you the Sabr needed at this time.” Whereas, Muniba Mazari commented: “Meri piyari Ammi! Inna Lillahi wa ilayhi raji’un!.”
Actress Sakina Samo also payed her condolences on the Instagram post.
Khawar Kiani was a well-known poetess, who wrote some very famous hit Pakistani songs including Boohey Barian, Intehai Shauq, Aas Pass and the Cricket World Cup 1999 anthem. She also wrote numerous critically acclaimed books.
Last year Hadiqa posted a long note in which she appreciated the government’s new policy related to allowing children of single mothers eligible to acquire CNIC without father’s information.
In a ruling, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) to issue a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) to a woman who didn’t know about her father’s whereabouts, reported Samaa.
The Zindagi Gulzar Hai singer stated: “Only Allah knows the hardships a single mother faces in our country. Today I have been sent so many clips from my conversation with Sameena Peerzada regarding only the surface of those hard realities but today our country has taken one step forward. I am so grateful to the courageous men and women who fought to make this change. Let’s continue on the right path, let’s make a stronger and safer Pakistan.”
Actor Sana Fakhar has officially announced her divorce from her husband Fakhar jaffri after fourteen years of marriage.
Taking it to her Instagram account, she officially announced the news. Sana wrote: “Breakups hurt. But sometimes breaking a relationship is so mandatory to save yourself to break so much. With all the respect me and Fakhar after several years of marriage through highs and lows decided to take a separate path.”
“It’s heartbreaking but… I strongly believe that God has better plans for both of us. All the best Fakhar Jaffri, concluded Sana.”
The duo got married in 2008 and have been together for 14 years. The couple was known to be the most stable couples from the film fraternity. Sana and Fakhar are parents to two sons.
Last year Sana responded to criticism and backlash she received for sharing a PDA-filled picture with her former husband on his birthday.
The post in which Sana had wished her husband on his birthday and thanked him “for reminding [her] how butterflies feel like,” had irked the moral brigade who heavily criticised the veteran actor, forcing her to limit the comments section on her post.
Later, responding to the backlash and hate, Fakhar in an Instagram live video said: “I can understand your pain and agony.”
“But what is it that you didn’t appreciate?” she continued. “The ‘act’? Or the person I did the said act with? It was too much. But thank you, though. I think criticism is your right. Whatever you wanted to say, you did. But it’s fine.”
She went on to say that she doesn’t really mind what people thought about the picture.
“What you say, the kind of words you use, really says a lot about the way you have been brought up. I was called names, abused over a picture. But I received love more than hate.”
“I do believe that even criticism is a form of love. It’s just a part of life,” Fakhar added.
The Lollywood heroine went on to say: “Haters don’t exist in my life. I only have love around me. I even have respect for people who discuss anything about me. Whatever you share, please do. I don’t mind. You have that access into my life and I am the one who gave you the said access. We aren’t angels. It’s not the end of the world if you abused me.”
Sana concluded her live video saying that instead of paying heed to the hate, she has decided to love the people who admire her to be the best version of herself.
Aqtia Odho has spoken about toxic marriages and abusive relationships post the horrific murder of Sara Inam by her husband Shahnawaz Amir.
Odho again wrote about her own bad relationship on her Instagram account and told other women to get out of them.
“I write this in the hope that it may help someone reading it realise that your life is in your own hands. Having survived both physical and emotional abuse as a young woman, I feel it is my duty to help others get out of toxic relationships. Abuse of any kind is unacceptable regardless of who it’s coming from. Walk away and never look back.”
“If you allow anyone to mistreat you they will form a habit to do so and it only gets worse with time. The abuser gets addicted to such behaviour and never stops. Your life, your self worth and your dignity are precious so take control of them and be strong. Many will tell you things that weaken your own resolve but never listen to them.”
“Only listen to your gut and mind, not even your heart for it falters a lot. Trust me when I say this, you can do much much better so do not compromise and put your life at risk for anyone. Get out while you still can.” she concluded.
Earlier this year, Odho opened up about her personal and professional struggles in an interview. The Humsafar diva shared her experience of being raised in a broken family and later having difficulty in finding the right spouse.
Atiqa while opening up about her early career struggles said, “I started my career as a stylist, so I worked mostly behind the scenes at first doing makeovers for actors. I studied for it in the UK.”
“When I’d go to ad shoots to prepare models behind the scenes, I would get a lot of offers with people asking me if I would like to be in front of the camera. So, after a while, I thought, “Why not?” I always loved film, fashion and the arts, so I made the decision to take the plunge,” added Atiqa while talking her career as a stylist.
“By that time, I already had two children and I was going through a divorce, so I needed the money as well. People often hide the difficult parts of their life behind a facade, but I very openly talk about them. Styling wasn’t getting me the money I needed to raise two children, so I started going in front of the camera. The first ad I did was for a tea company. That’s where Anwar sahab spotted me and offered me Sitara Aur Mehrunnisa.”
“To the young women, according to my experience, so many people have told that such and such thing cannot be done. You hear such things a lot when you’re a young woman. Always follow your instinct, because your instinct will always make the right choice. That’s what I always did,” Atiqa said while giving the advice to the young women of the entertainment industry.
The Pyar Ke Sadqay star elaborated further, “I made decisions that were okay at the time but didn’t work out in the long run. I was married at a very young age out of choice. I came from a broken home. An upper class, elite, but broken home, and I was always very starved for a father figure. I understood this later on.”
“I married young and had children young, I went to school after kids. I did a lot of catching up in my life. I realised that I did all of these things because of childhood trauma or emotional needs, I understood it, so I needed to fix it. You can fix anything at any time. This timeframe is your own construct. No one is putting a timeline on your life.
On the work front, Atiqa is basking in the glory of her blockbuster drama Kesi Teri Khudgarzi, co-starring Dur e Fishan Saleem and Danish Taimoor.
Veteran actor and singer Bushra Ansari recently appeared as a guest on Tabish Hashmi’s show, Hasna Mana Hai. The Udaari star opened up on the show whether her singing reality show, Pakistan Idol was scripted or not.
The legendary artist stated that although the show undoubtedly highlighted singing talent, some of it was staged. She claimed that while Ali Azmat could play the part, she had a very compassionate personality and couldn’t be harsh to people or exterminate them, whereas Hadiqa had a balanced attitude to strictness.
She continued by saying that she even asked management to fire her because she was unable to treat people harshly. They then played her videos of Indian Idol judges, especially Sunidhi Chauhan’s videos of interacting with contestants.
In the videos, Sunidhi was shown thrashing the contestants.
Ansari also added that several contestants on the show were merely included for comedy effect and were not meant to be taken seriously, as per the international format of the show.
Actor and singer Aashir Wajahat has opened up about nepotism in a recent interview. Director Wajahat Rauf and Producer Shazia Wajahat’s son is currently starring in ARY Digital’s Pinjra.
Aashir said: “It definitely exists around us, not just in show business but everywhere. But in the end, you’re judged on the work you do.”
He added: “Ranbir Kapoor comes from a family of performers and actors, which obviously helped him get work initially. But he ended up being the star and he is by giving good performances. In Pakistan, we have Ahad Raza Mir, who has a huge fan following which he has earned by producing good work. Every person should be judged on an individual level based on their talent and work irrespective of the family they’re born in because you don’t get to choose the household you’re born in and every parent would want to help their child in any way they can.”
The Karachi Se Lahore star also discussed his experience of working in Hadiqa Kiana and Omair Rana starrer, Pinjra, “My first reaction to the script and story was that it’s a breath of fresh air. It’s very rare that you see the story of a family or more specifically the problem that arises between parents and their children due to a generational gap. “
He added: “Asma jee, God bless her soul was one of the sweetest people I ever met. She was an exceptional writer and an even better person. Obviously, I felt honoured when she told me she sees me as Azaan.”
Talking about his character Aashir revealed, “I don’t know if a perfect child exists but in his parents’ eyes he is definitely one. Good at sports, academically strong, and well-behaved. Obviously, this leads to his younger siblings constantly being compared to him and he knows this is wrong and will only complicate his relationship with them.”
He said he had a great time while shooting for the drama. “Najaf Bilgrami, our director, and I had our visions aligned in terms of what the character of Azaan needed. Najaf Bhai really gave me the freedom and margin I needed to play Azaan.”
Aashir revealed that he was shooting for his first main lead film ‘John’ at that time and had no plans to do television. However, he knew if he didn’t play Azaan he would regret missing out on a great scrip. He further added: “Asma jee told me she had written this character keeping me in mind, I just knew I had to do it.”
Star-singer Aima Baig landed herself in hot water last month as her name has emerged in a cheating scandal. Baig was accused of cheating on her fiancé Shahbaz Shigri with Qes Ahmed by British model Taloulah Mair.
Now the talented singer has revealed that the online trolling and humiliation took a toll on her father’s health.
Baig said that when the cheating rumors spread, her father became worried. The famous person also said that he did everything he could to fix things and make her feel better.
She also said that her father wanted to get her out of the mental and physical chaos.“ His tiny concerns, where he would ask me if he can make me my favorite sandwich or his delicate knocks on my door just to check up on me if I’m okay? His soft strokes on my head while I pretend to sleep,” she wrote.
The singer added, “I could see how badly he wanted to go back to when I was in school, and if I was ever bullied, he would stand up for his little girl and take me to my favorite candy shop later, just to see that smile on my face.”
Aima said that he is the best father to her and the only parent she has now.
Controversy
The Sajna Door crooner announced that she and Shigrihave parted ways a year after their engagement. Following which, Mair took to Instagram to accuse Baig of being involved with her ex Ahmed while she was engaged to Shigri.
Now Aima has broken her silence on the controversy in a series of Instagram stories.
“Bol liya aap sab nay? Karlia bully ya abhi bhi or thora rehta ha to wo bhi karlain. [Have you all said your peace? Have you bullied me enough or have you still got some more left to do, go ahead and do it.] Without even knowing the entire truth. Ab main thora sa kuch boloun [now can I say a little something]?” she asked in a series of Instagram stories posted on Wednesday evening.
Her comments come soon after claims made by a British model named Taloulah Mair that Baig was involved with her ex-boyfriend, photographer Qes Ahmed.
“Although I did left a very respectful statement to put an end to this whole situation. But some people wants to stay [quiet because] they know how many more ugly things would come out, not just about them, but about their families too. I still want to keep up with that respect that I gave to these people. In fact to this one person and family because ‘that is not how my upbringing is’,” she wrote. Baig posted a statement announcing her breakup with Shigri on Instagram on September 17 but deleted it soon after.
“I don’t and can’t make fun of people who are deceased or how they used their significant other and then acted as if they are the victim. People who know this person personally… have nothing to say about this matter since they knew the truth way before y’all got aware of it. And trust me they know why it happened,” wrote the singer.
“Whatever happened, I’ve been going through some major trauma, depression right now because people don’t know what actually happened. And these extras who just want some followers and money…please give them that so they can move on with their lives,” she said, referring to an account that made claims about Baig’s relationship. “I’m not someone who fire up the situation by only showing parts to the people that would help them play the victim card. I’m not even going to talk about some random extras in my story since they don’t have families they care about or even dignity to accept who they really are as much as I enjoy memes but this whole thing is beyond funny.”
Calling the situation “straight up bullying and targeting people”, Baig said, “In these past couple of days I kept wondering… how can people believe or any sane person would believe in these accusations by some random people who are only looking for few followers without even knowing the actual truth and the real story behind it?”
In her next story, she asked people for recommendations for a “good doctor”.
“I need to send it to someone who badly needs it. Saath thoray say paisay bhi otherwise apkay sath bhi wohi hoga jo meray sath hua [along with it, send some money otherwise what happened to me will happen to you too] if you know you know…”
She stressed that such medical conditions are “real”. “Even when these patients are doing the same, oh no way! Not the same. But way more worse things than you… they start to live in their own reality. Just like some movie or sh*t. Because aap log aisay logo ki help karnay k bajaye unko aur hype detay hain [because you people hype them up instead of helping people like this]. Which leads to some serious damage for their own health,” she said.
“PS I’m no some doc or whatever. But my sister surely is. So I have got facts. Whereas I am just your very own baazi girl who only knows how to entertain people with her art of singing.”
In a third story, she referred directly to the videos posted by Mair and said she “knowingly bleep[ed] certain words and only posted half the video”.
She also claimed she was being “told what to say on that videos over texts and even her boyfriend knows that”.
Prior to Aima, Qes also issued an official statement on the matter.
“I’ve been made aware that a woman from my past has been saying some out-of-order things about me. She’s accused me of stealing from her and is reaching out to people I know without context screenshots and false facts,” he wrote. “Earlier this year, she did a very similar thing where she reached out to my clients with the same story. She then demanded I pay her 10,000 Euros and after much frustration upon advice from my family, I decide to pay it in order to achieve peace.”
Ahmed went on to accuse Mair and added, “This woman has not had a job ever. She’s lived off of sugar daddies for the last few years, even whilst we were together.” He commented how Mair suffers from “severe mental health issues, which is extremely sad.” Ahmed further shared, “She’s been through a lot so it’s understandable, however, I can’t just sit and allow this nonsense to continue. She’s literally extorted me for 10,000 Euros, made extremely racist remarks, cheated on me throughout the relationship and is accusing me of doing exactly all of the above to her.”
Accusing how Mair is currently unemployed and has spent the money she had ‘gotten from Ahmed’, he penned, “I won’t stand for it. I won’t take legal action at this point until her mental health is assessed.”
In another Instagram story, Ahmed wrote, “To those asking why I stayed with her [Mair] for so long, the truth is I loved her. I overlooked many red flags, like the emotional abuse, the extreme reactions, and the paranoia from her drug use. I felt empathetic up until now. I’m too sure what she wants exactly because she hasn’t asked for money this time around. I have had experiences with people with psychosis before and her behaviour seems to exhibit it. If you truly care for her, I guess I’d urge you to not encourage her behaviour until a mental health team has seen to her.”
Shigri is yet to comment on the matter.
The model made some serious allegations against the singer referring to her as “one of the famous women of Pakistan.”
Mair said in her stories that she was in a relationship with a Pakistani filmmaker (Ahmed) who cheated on her with Baig.
She added that Ahmed told her about his deceit while gloating that he is dating one of the well-known singers of Pakistan.
Mair went on to further accuse Baig of spending a holiday together with Ahmed in Dubai while adding that the singer bought the plane ticket for Ahmed as well.
She alleged that Ahmed not only stole money from her and but also from some other “Pakistani” girls, who he was involved with, and the amount constitutes to £20,000.
In a Q/A session, someone asked Mair how she was so sure that Baig was engaged when she was dating Ahmed.
In response to which, she attached a screenshot of a conversation with Shigri in which he asked the model to send him screen-grabs proving Baig’s infidelity.
Mair also accused Aima of getting her account suspended on Instagram.
After Aima shared her side of the story, fellow female artists like Mathira and Anoushey Ashraf extended support to her.
Anoushey shared that she’s saddened by the trolling that Baig became a victim of.
Mathira shared her disappointment on the cyber vilification of Aima. She also stated that Taloulah and Qes did this for publicity.
Post the celebrity reactions, both Aima and Taloulah shared new screenshots, while dwelling deeper on the matter.
Mair shared a screenshot, showing that Baig called her four times on WhatsApp. According to Taloulah, Aima wanted to convince her to not reveal more details.
On the contrary, Aima showed the last message that she sent to Mair on WhatsApp.
The Balma Baghora diva has spoken her heart out in another Instagram story. She also expressed her concern on the misuse of internet which results into a toxic atmosphere for women.
Television actor Srha Asghar and her husband Umer Murtaza have announced the news of the Pyaar Ke Sadqay star’s pregnancy on their Instagram handles.
The couple has shared an adorable video in which they have announced their pregnancy, with a happy dance. Srha captioned the post as, “Our Family is growing by 2 feet and 1 heart…loading Dec 2022 ♥️”
Actor Zara Noor Abbas opened up about her traumatic experience with her miscarriage and her subsequent state of mental health in a recent interview. She also shared valuable advice for expecting mothers so they are better prepared.
On Sunday, she shared a clip from a podcast with Frieha Altaf and wrote, “It’s always a task to talk about what you have lost forever. But after so much discussion and a few months later, I could finally talk my heart out with my beautiful and compassionate friend, Frieha Altaf, and share my experience of the healthcare system, the negligence, the aftermath of trauma, and how women clap so little for themselves and don’t know how brave and strong they are when it comes to resilience.”
“I hope I can gain some hope from women who have been through the same or maybe worse and together we can create awareness and have support groups for everyone to share their story,” she added.
Frieha addressed the matter by saying there of every 1,000 births, at least 53 stillborn. She encouraged the Badhshah Begum actor to talk about her experience.
“Looking at it now, it is a lot of support from the family, very less [from] friends, I think one or two, maybe four. It has to do a lot with my family. Asad, of course, because he was his child also,” she started, discussing her support system during the time. “When you have a child together, it makes your bond extremely beautiful but when you lose a child together, it makes your bond extremely beautiful also. I think me and Asad have seen the worst now, we ask, ‘What else will we see? Okay, it’s God’s will.’ Everything for me and Asad ends at whatever God wills because whatever is His will is His will. Yes, there’s an extreme sense of loss and I think I’m still grieving.”
Altaf directed the conversation towards guilt that mothers sometimes have in the aftermath of such a loss. Abbas admitted that she did suffer those feelings too. “I did at a point. I thought maybe I didn’t eat right, maybe I didn’t make myself strong enough, maybe I should have lost more weight before conceiving, become thinner, maybe I should have had an intake of vitamins, maybe I should’ve taken folic acid. But all of that is a ‘maybe’. God gives a child to even those who aren’t physically stable. He gives to those He wants to give to and takes from those He wants to take from.”
The Ehd-e-Wafa actor said her parents consoled her with the thought that it is probably what was best for the future of the child and the parents. “When it happened, my father and everybody kept saying, ‘Who knows? Maybe he wouldn’t have been able to do things that normal children can do. Then what would we do? It’s our kid, we can’t do anything, we have to keep him.’ This is for a better future, for us, for him. I am 120 per cent sure about it.”
She stressed on the importance of timing and taking care of your mental health as much as your physical health. “What I think women should know more about is that you can have a short cervix, you can have missing amniotic fluid in your system, you can have a weak uterus but all of these things you’ll never know before time. That is the beauty and payback of it. Until and unless a woman is pregnant, you cannot figure out these things. And when you’re pregnant, this is a huge miracle so try and take care of yourself mentally and physically as much as you can. Because as important as your physical being is, your mental being is much more important than that. And loss, I think, is a lifelong thing. I am a mother and he was my firstborn.”
Abbas shed light on the hopelessness that may follow such a loss. “One more thing I’d like to add is that loss brings you to a point where you don’t want to do anything again or try anything again or you’re scared of getting attached to people again because you think that this might repeat like before,” she said. “But I think that is the breakeven point where you have to step up and be like no, even if I’m going to fall again, I will not stop trying and I will not give up on what I think will happen. I have to keep on going. This difficult work is what I think life is about because if there’s no movement there’s no constant, hustle — and there’s no life.”
The Zebaish star recounted the process and advised expecting mothers to have their gynecologist’s personal number on hand, to book an appointment beforehand in order to avoid waiting in that fragile state, and have a plan B in case something goes wrong. She explained that she had gone for a regular check-up only for it to transition into the nightmare that premature birthing can become. She said she was in such as traumatic state, she needed someone to make decisions for her because she was unable to process her surroundings. The doctors made her sign papers that shifted the responsibility in case of her death on the table off their shoulders. She wasn’t even aware what she had signed until later.
Earlier this year, her actor-husband Asad Siddiqui talked about losing his child on Gup Shup with FUCHSIA.
“We lost a baby a while ago. It wasn’t a miscarriage; Zara actually delivered a 5-6 months baby, which I buried myself, revealed Asad. We named him Aurangzeb. It was a good time when we got to know that we are going to have a baby but unfortunately, some complications occurred due to which we lost our baby.”
He continued by adding that it was a very difficult time for the family, especially for Zara.
He also told about Zara’s condition saying, she went through many breakdowns, hormonal changes and many more.
He further said that he believes that everything happens with Allah’s will. “Whatever he has written in our fate, we’ll surely get it. You never know, maybe Allah has written something better for us.”
On the work front Asad can recently be seen currently in successful dramas, Sinf e Aahan and Aye Musht-e-Khaak.
