Tag: Pakistani dramas

  • In celebration of Mawra Hocane’s birthday, here are her three performances we loved

    In celebration of Mawra Hocane’s birthday, here are her three performances we loved

    It was actress Mawra Hocane’s birthday yesterday, and what better way to celebrate the occasion than to highlight some of her best work? Within the short time we’ve seen her on screen, the actress has delivered a range of powerful performances in serials about marital rape, domestic abuse and the pressures of social media. Let’s take a jog down memory lane to highlight some of the actress’s best performances over her career.

    1 Qissa Meharbano Ka

    The drama is celebrated as a milestone in discussing marital rape. It explores the story of Meharbano, a wife stuck in an abusive marriage with her husband Muraad (Ahsan Khan). Social media users still remember how the actress took a defiant stance to ensure that the issue of marital rape is tackled in a sensitive manner, and in no way is her character’s abusive relationship is romanticised in the show. Mawra was applauded when she revealed in an interview that she requested director Iqbal Hussain and producer Momina Duraid to rewrite the script to ensure that such a toxic relationship is not justified.

     “I said that we can’t let it pass. How can a project backed by her and me – women who have voices – let a marital rape scene just pass. Because a lot of projects let it pass. And we are angry about that. So what are we doing differently?”

    2 Nauroz

    We are just twelve episodes in the drama, but audiences have already declared that this is the project that will cement Mawra Hocane as the actress no body can compete with. The drama follows the story of a sheltered girl Rishtina, who is thrust out into a new world after facing a threat, and resorts to living in slums after she is discovered by an influencer who introduces her to the world of social media. Mawra’s powerful performance has fans raving. The actress revealed in a recent interview that the shoot took a toll on her body to the point that she lost 6 kgs because of the trauma she underwent while filming some of the scenes.

    3 Sabaat

    Mawra’s ability to pick dramas with complex, powerful female characters shone through in this drama, which is still celebrated as one of the few feminist dramas made in Pakistan. She plays Anaya, a headstrong college girl who speaks out against harassment, and clashes with Hassan (placed by Ameer Gilani) after she defeats him in an engineering competition. As the two begin developing feelings for each other, their class backgrounds and opposing mindsets threaten to tear them apart.

  • Mahira Khan’s ‘Razia’ is speaking about the plight of young women in Pakistan like no one else

    Mahira Khan’s ‘Razia’ is speaking about the plight of young women in Pakistan like no one else

    Bold, confident and hard-hitting, Mahira Khan is back once more and this time she is not afraid to hold up a mirror to society’s face. Her new drama ‘Razia’ is creating buzz on social media. Mahira is no longer the sweet and naive female lead as we have known her. She’s the narrator who tells the story of how a young girl born in a conservative household in Pakistan learns to overcome every hardship to chase her dream.

    From the get go, this show keeps you hooked by telling you a story we’re all familiar with, but every episode is a gut punch on how Pakistani girls are robbed of their dreams and hopes because of patriarchy. Mahira waltzes around the stage and speaks with the audience about the journey of the young girl Razia, whose birth was a disappointment for the grandmother who wanted a boy. From that point, she continues to be punished for the crime of being born a daughter.

    Two episodes in, and we’re already awed by how the show speaks out on the ways young women are deprived of their dreams, whether it is something as small as eating after their brother does, or as monumental as Razia’s father banning her from playing outside because she is older now. And already, some of the powerful monologues in the episodes are gaining praise on social media.

    A user praised this scene where in a monologue from episode 1, Mahira points out how young girls today are no longer murdered on their birth, but are today buried alive by the consistent backlash society imposes on them

  • Aijaz Aslam was once mistaken for another celebrity by robbers

    Aijaz Aslam was once mistaken for another celebrity by robbers

    Karachi walahs never change.

    Aijaz Aslam was a guest on Samaa News’ show ‘Had Kar Di’ where he opened up about a hilarious instance when he was robbed twice in Karachi, and how when the first time this happened, the robbers thought he was the late religious television host, Junaid Jamshed.

    The actor recalled that when he was in Karachi during Ramzan, a group of robbers approached him by first politely tapping on his car window. The ‘Cheekh’ actor chuckled saying that when he rolled down the window, the robbers greeted him by saying ‘Junaid bhai’, but after recognising him, they apologised and asked for his phone.

    The second time Aijaz recalled being robbed was when he was coming out of a friend’s studio, and when they were about to enter their car, two young boys approached him with a silver gun and demanded that the actor and his friend hand over their phones.

    “I took out my phone, he looked up to recognise me and said: ‘Array! Oh maaf kardien Aijaz bhai, mein tou boaht bara fan hoon’,” the actor laughed. The robbers handed them back their phones and apologised as they left.

    Listen to the hilarious encounter here.

  • Programs need to stop having sexist Khalil Ur Rehman as a guest after he insults yet another Pakistani woman

    Programs need to stop having sexist Khalil Ur Rehman as a guest after he insults yet another Pakistani woman

    It’s about time that television programs and producers stopped giving screen time and importance to sexist writer Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar, because it seems like he can’t stop spewing his misogyny everywhere he goes.

    We thought the entertainment industry had felt the ‘Mere Pass Tum Ho’ screenwriter had crossed all boundaries when he abused journalist Marvi Sirmad on live television for defending the slogan ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi’, and then bashed actress Mahira Khan for criticising this horrifying display of violence. It was shocking that despite this, the screenwriter was invited back on public shows and wrote dramas for entertainment channels but like always- the industry knows the best way to capitalise and earn ratings is when women are made into punching bags.

    Now once more, we have the misfortune to bear witness to Mr Qamar’s disgusting rants towards women. The writer appeared as a guest on a show by 7 News Digital along with the winner of the Miss Pakistan 2022 competition Sana Hayat, where the pageant winner can be seen talking at length about the difficult realities Pakistani women must endure at workplaces in order to achieve success. Sana spoke about how women have to face all kinds of pressures from their families and society.

    When it was Mr Qamar’s turn to respond, he started by rudely saying that Sana might have had some bad experiences. When Sana tried to elaborate, he snapped, “Don’t interrupt me,” launching into a rant about how Sana is wrong when she says Pakistani women have it hard in the workplace. Khalil Ur Rehman said any person who gives their own personal experiences when discussing issues have poor knowledge of the world.

    Acknowledging that women are being exploited by the workplace, Qamar said men are also being exploited in some places.

    “For example in the private sector if a woman is determined that she will find work based on her merit then she will find work on that basis. But then they use other ways to find work, through which men lose their right to work.”

    “If women want equality,” the screen writer further drawled. “Then they should give up on the 33% quota they are offered and make everything on merit.”

    It’s shocking that in 2023, Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar is being invited on shows to dismantle and mansplain the very issues that women in Pakistan actively suffer from. Why is it necessary to get his opinion, a man, on the issues that women are dealing with? Even after witnessing him time and time again misbehave with actresses, make light of the growing issues of rape and violence against women in Pakistan, why do our channels constantly need to offer him a platform? On top of everything, it was disappointing to watch a female host partaking in this spectacle by humiliating her female guest this way. For her to dismantle the articulate explanation by Sana Hayat by inviting a man who is known for his misogynist rants just proves how television channels are aware that women’s misery= more money for them.

    Khalil Ur Rehman represents every toxic man in our society. His popularity that surged after the meltdown on live television is proof that what our audiences love is to watch a woman in misery. Our channels endorse his mediocre scripts that peddle the narrative that an ambitious woman is a toxic woman, and turn violence inflicted upon women into comedy relief because there’s nothing that fuels money and ratings more than capitalising on the pain and misery of other women- and Khalil Ur Rehman is nothing but a sum of everything that is wrong with Pakistani men.

    We could go on and on with the numerous examples of how brazingly unfiltered Mr Rehman continues to be when it comes to his open disregard towards women and their issues- but we’re tired of constantly writing the same think pieces over and over again. We’d honestly just ask entertainment channels to stop relying on Mr Qamar for your ratings, because we can see through your formulae. Relying on toxic narratives and gossip tabloids that turns women into scapegoats is no longer acceptable, and Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar owes Sana Hayat, and every other female public figure he’s publicly misbehaved with- an apology for his actions.

  • ‘Went out for a pack of cigarettes, still waiting for him to come back’: Ushna Shah talks about her absent father

    ‘Went out for a pack of cigarettes, still waiting for him to come back’: Ushna Shah talks about her absent father

    Actress Ushna Shah responded to a thread on X, (formerly Twitter) which asked users to tell something about their fathers. The ‘Habs’ actress responded with a heartbreaking anecdote about how her father abandoned her.

    “Went to buy a pack of cigarettes when I was an infant, will be back any minute…” the actress tweeted.

    Underneath the post, users expressed sorrow but Ushna said that because of her strong mother, she grew up to be an accomplished woman.

    The actress shared a very important point yesterday about how she hoped dramas would stop turning issues like divorce into a stigma, and write scripts that encourage women to walk out of toxic marriages. She said her mother worked hard to raise Ushna on her own, which is something we also wish more Pakistani show producers would understand.

    READ MORE: ‘Divorce is not a stigma, fix the drama scripts’: Ushna Shah

    “Many scripts I work on perpetuate shame around divorce. While I can’t reshape the conventions of scriptwriting or opt for unemployment, I stand by a vision. As the child of a divorcee who hustled with three jobs to raise us, the stigma on divorced characters feels deeply personal. I’m eager to be part of a story that addresses the stigma of divorce and combats the shame of being single after, celebrating the journey to independence and joy. Convincing producers to back such a risqué script, which may face societal backlash, is very challenging.”

  • ‘Young people are difficult to work with’: Fahad Mustafa on why he’s not acting anymore

    Actor and producer Fahad Mustafa was a guest on Vasay Chaudhry’s talk show ‘Gup Shab’, where he opened up about giving a break to acting.

    The ‘Mein Abdul Kadir Hoon’ actor revealed that he missed the times when he was working with big names like Vasay Chaudhry, Humayun Saeed and Mahira Khan, and said it was difficult to work with young actors of today.

    “I worked with Vasay, Humayun, Mehwish, Mahira Khan, who are all stars now. It’s easy to work with them and there is a reason why they’re all stars because I feel that it’s incredibly easy to work with them. Currently looking at the young actors of today, it’s hard to work with them. I’m not criticising their talent, just pointing out regarding getting along on set.”

    “Because we had not witnessed any vanity on sets,” the ‘Actor in Law’ actor added. “We could all sit in a room and get along. When it gets incredibly hard to sit together in a room during set, then you can’t work together either. This is my biggest fear.”

  • ‘Divorce is not a stigma, fix the drama scripts’: Ushna Shah

    ‘Divorce is not a stigma, fix the drama scripts’: Ushna Shah

    Actress Ushna Shah took to her Twitter account to condemn drama scripts for stigmatising divorced women- and treat the topic like a taboo. The actress reflected on her own upbringing with a divorced mother, who had worked three jobs to bring her up, and said she would like to be a part of stories that refuse to resort to toxic stereotypes:

    “Many scripts I work on perpetuate shame around divorce. While I can’t reshape the conventions of scriptwriting or opt for unemployment, I stand by a vision. As the child of a divorcee who hustled with three jobs to raise us, the stigma on divorced characters feels deeply personal. I’m eager to be part of a story that addresses the stigma of divorce and combats the shame of being single after, celebrating the journey to independence and joy. Convincing producers to back such a risqué script, which may face societal backlash, is very challenging.”

    Many users on Twitter shared the opinion, stating that they wanted a stop to narratives that actively discourage divorce.

  • ‘You can’t sleep after something like that’: Mansha Pasha opens up about Jibran Nasir’s kidnapping

    ‘You can’t sleep after something like that’: Mansha Pasha opens up about Jibran Nasir’s kidnapping

    Actress Mansha Pasha recently appeared on Frieha Altaf’s podcast where she publicly addressed her husband Jibran Nasir’s illegal kidnapping. The ‘Idiot’ actress made a video narrating how the couple arrived back to their house after a dinner in June, when a white Vigo with 15 armed men stopped them and took her husband.

    After 24 hours and condemnation from all sides, the lawyer was released, thanking all those who had advocated for his release.

    At the podcast, Pasha recalled how difficult it was for her to sleep after the incident. The actress admitted that trauma shows up in different ways, and it took a while for her to make sense of what had happened.

    Mansha went on to reveal that her support system helped her during this difficult time “I think that alone, it’s impossible.. A lot of people have said to me ‘Mansha, you’re so courageous. You kept it together so well.’ But quite frankly I don’t think it would have been possible without the support of so many people. And because I knew all these people were beside me, whether I knew them or not, this is what consoles a person.”

  • Working women, pay heed to this excellent advice from Bushra Ansari

    Working women, pay heed to this excellent advice from Bushra Ansari

    Bushra Ansari keeps aging with grace and confidence, giving us more reasons to love her. Her stellar comedy skills, her decades long career, and her blunt advice to empower women keeps proving she’s the GOAT. Recently, during an appearance at ‘The Talk Talk Show’, the actress spoke in depth about two prevailing topics that more working women should take her advise on: remembering that its okay to want to work after marriage, and that the right to divorce was granted to them by Islam.

    On the show she discussed the basics of establishing a flourishing career while also remaining a full-time mom. The ‘Tere Bin’ actress said that aside from performing on screen, she kept working as a full time mother and a housewife who cooked food and dropped her kids to school. Her advice to stay-at-home mothers, especially women working in the showbiz industry, was to keep multi-tasking in different roles.

    “Allah has given us a lot of abilities so we should keep searching for them. This is the advice I also give to girls working in showbiz to keep working after marriage, whether or not they start a family.”

    Bushra elaborated that women shouldn’t stop after getting married or after having a child, giving examples of several actors who have done the same. “I worked on my career and raised my children along with this. Along side with Rubina Ashraf, Samina Ahmed, Saba Hamid. We continued to work, while also taking care of our children.”

    The ‘Dolly Ki Aegi Barat’ spoke about her divorce from her husband of 36 years, reflecting on her Nikah, when her father made sure to include the ‘right to divorce’ clause. The actress elaborated that in contradiction to what society thinks, the Quran has given women a lot of rights in Islam.

    “The right to divorce is written in the Nikkah, which is cut out. When someone is getting married, they can chose to have the right to divorce. This is initiated when a discussion is held with the boy’s family, because they can give you this right. It’s not that a woman can just hand over a divorce, but its a granted right given by her husband and in-laws. So this is something I feel even the boy’s side of the family should understand.”

    Ansari said using the right to divorce was not an easy task because ending a marriage can be painful “I had the right to divorce from the first day, but I spent 36 years in my marriage. I would have used it in a snap but no one wants to separate this way. But when the time came, I used this right.”

  • Six years later, social media users are still mesmerised by Sajal Aly’s performance in ‘O Rangreza’

    Six years later, social media users are still mesmerised by Sajal Aly’s performance in ‘O Rangreza’

    Sajal Aly is by far one of the best actors the Pakistani entertainment industry has ever produced. Her older dramas still garner praise from people who are just now getting to see the actor’s filmography. Recently, an X user responded to a tweet quoting a powerful paragraph from Trevor Noah’s book ‘Born A Crime’ where his mother talks about how men love breaking down women and molding them to their tastes, by sharing a clip from Aly’s old drama ‘Rangreza’.

    In the clip, Sajal’s character is seen shutting down her father, tired of him mistreating her mother all these years. The video has received praise from social media, with people blown away by the powerful monologue, some of them stating that they had underestimated the actress for so long.

    Pakistani dramas rare depict daughters who refuse to go down the sati savitri trope, standing up to their abusive dads to let him know that their misbehavior is not acceptable. Social media users were enthralled by Sajal’s powerful performance.