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  • Did you know Sarwat Gilani has royal roots?

    Did you know Sarwat Gilani has royal roots?

    Sarwat Gilani, in an exclusive interview with The Current, has revealed that she has royal roots.

    “My maternal grandfather was the Nawab of the princely state of Manavadar, which included 70 villages in India,” shared Sarwat in the interview.

    “Junagarh and Manavadar were two princely states. Junagarh was his brother’s and Manavadar was his [Sarwat’s Nana’s] own state,” she continued. “And they chose to come to Pakistan at the time of Partition.”

    “So they left everything over there: their palaces, their cars, guns, everything. They left all their treasure over there in love for Pakistan,” she added.

    Sarwat then said: “When people ask me how I feel about being such a big star, they come to my mind. Because they are real stars who left everything for Pakistan and spent a very simple life after migrating.”

    The actor had earlier revealed that her family did not approve of her career choice. When asked how she managed to convince them, Sarwat said: “I convinced them by being consistent at being decent. For me, convincing my maternal grandmother, my mother and her family was very hard. So I thought if I do well, and constantly do well, they will someday be convinced on their own.”

    “And I think, I did that,” she added.

    The actor in the interview also talked about her infamous kiss with husband Fahad Mirza, meeting Karan Johar, her Whatsapp group with Mahira Khan and Sanam Saeed and how she feels that the “government has nothing better to do, [other than being] busy with banning things and [getting involved] in petty issues.”

    Watch the full interview below:

  • Ayesha Omar gets emotional as she recounts opening up about sexual harassment

    Ayesha Omar gets emotional as she recounts opening up about sexual harassment

    Ayesha Omar, in a recent interview with Waseem Badami, opened up about being sexually harassed at the age of 22 by a powerful person in the industry. The actor has shared her experience of being harassed on several occasions but has never named her perpetrator. However, while recounting the experience on Badami’s Masoomana Sawaal, Ayesha got emotional and started crying on live television.

    During the interview, the actor said that she has never cried while talking about this incident before.

    “Maybe it was your question,” said Ayesha, while explaining why she felt emotional.

    “Nobody said it was easy,” said Ayesha later, in an Instagram post, while referring to the interview.

    “Not sure if I’ve ever cried on live television before,” said the actor. “To be able to let your guard down and be vulnerable…to be able to talk about your painful, difficult experiences from an honest place…to relive and recall traumatic times…to describe your feelings and talk to your younger self…it’s not easy.”

    “It’s not even easy doing it one on one with someone trained to ask the right questions, in private, let alone publicly on live television,” she continued. “But I hope by doing so, I was able to make other humans who have had painful experiences or faced sexual/verbal/physical harassment at any point in their lives, feel a little less alone and a little more hopeful…to try to let go of self-blame and self-deprecation and hold their perpetrators responsible.”

    Read more – Ayesha Omar opens up about her childhood struggles

    On the show, Ayesha, while sharing her experience, had said: “I had just joined the industry, I was hardly 22 years old. He was a man in power and I was scared to go against him. I did not have the courage to tell anyone about it. I’m sorry about that.”

    “I am sorry to the person I was; had I shared it then, I would have been a stronger person today. A lot of other girls also suffered at the hands of the same person. Had I spoken up against him then, maybe he might have stopped.”

    Meanwhile, fellow female stars supported her in the comment section of her post.

  • We can’t show a woman being assaulted and falling in love with the same man, says Mahira Khan

    We can’t show a woman being assaulted and falling in love with the same man, says Mahira Khan

    Mahira Khan, who was recently listed in BBC’s ‘100 women of 2020′ for being outspoken about social issues, in a recent interview said that the media, including actors, filmmakers and drama makers, need to take responsibility to change the narrative.

    In a recent interview, the actor said: “Something happens, there is a lot of noise about it. Everybody gets on the streets, everybody talks about it on the media, and then what? And then it dies out. Another news comes out, another story comes out or another rape happens! Then that is just another name or another hashtag attached to it. The problem is that we are not ready to educate our public, create programs that educate children, we are not ready to talk about it openly and I think we need to change that narrative.”

    She continued: “I also take responsibility for it. I am a big part of the media of this country. I feel that our films, our television serials, we have to change the narrative.”

    “We can’t just show a woman being assaulted (by a man) and then falling in love with him and show him to be the hero. A hero cannot be someone who is abusive. So, I think somewhere even we have to take that initiative.”

    Mahira also talked about her stance on fairness creams and why she refuses to endorse them.

    “I’ve been approached from the beginning of my career, not just as an actor – even when I was a VJ – I was approached to do a lot of fairness cream products, skin whitening products,” shared the actor. “It doesn’t make sense to me, it never made sense to me. So, I am endorsing the idea that a darker girl, a man is not as attractive as someone with a fairer complexion? It just didn’t make sense to me.”

    Mahira also took a moment to recall her first award as an actor. In the interview, she said that though she has received many awards over the years, the award – Lux Style Award for Best Actress – she received for Humsafar is her most special.

    “This is my first award as an actor, for a drama that really launched me, in the year that I was launched,” said Mahira. “I won many awards after that but this remains very, very special.”

  • Abhishek Bachchan is unrecognisable in leaked pictures from upcoming film

    Abhishek Bachchan is unrecognisable in leaked pictures from upcoming film

    Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan is unrecognisable in the pictures leaked from the sets of his upcoming thriller Bob Biswas. Pictures of the actor wearing a blue shirt and dark pants, a wig and large glasses have gone viral on social media.

    Bachchan is even sporting a big paunch.

    According to details, the actor is currently shooting for the film in Kolkata. In the film, he will be playing the character of Bob Biswas, an intriguing character from Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani, starring Vidya Balan. The film also stars Chitrangda Singh.

    The movie is a spin-off to the 2012 thriller Kahaani. It is produced by Gauri Khan and Gaurav Verma under Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment alongside Sujoy Ghosh’s Bound Script Production.

    It is directed by debutante filmmaker Diya Annapurna Ghosh. The film went on floors on January 24, 2020. Balan is most likely to have a cameo in the thriller.

    Bachchan’s last release Ludo was well-received by audiences and critics alike.

  • Sheheryar Munawar hits back at troll who called him ‘ghareebon ka Bradley Cooper’

    Sheheryar Munawar hits back at troll who called him ‘ghareebon ka Bradley Cooper’

    Not one to lose his cool, Sheheryar Munawar recently hit back at a troll(s) who called him “Ghareebon k Bradley Cooper”.

    Responding to the user Nasir Ali, who posted the comment on Sheheryar’s post, the actor said: “Ghareeb isn’t a stigma. Thank you for associating me with a group that works hard day and night to earn for themselves and their families.”

    For reference, this the picture from the actor’s recent shoot under which Ali had posted the comment.

    Read more – Syra Yousuf, Sheheryar Munawar turn up the heat with their latest photoshoot

    Meanwhile, responding to another social media user who advised him to say his prayers, Sheheryar said: “Alhumdulliah. 5 waqt partha hoon. Kabhi kabhar rab ki meharbani se tahajud bhi naseeb ho jaati hai.”

    The actor further said that the matter is between him and his God and that his work is also a form of worship for him.

    Munawar also advised the social media user to stop judging people on Instagram and focus on his own deeds.

  • Every working mother will relate to Sania Mirza

    Every working mother will relate to Sania Mirza

    Juggling a heavy-duty sports career and motherhood is not easy and Sania Mirza, in a heartfelt note, opened up on the challenges it entails. In an emotional letter, Sania talked about motherhood and what it takes to defy all odds and balance family and professional life.

    The tennis champion said that she took inspiration by American Tennis player Serena Williams and her journey to pen her note.

    “Serena Williams your story has inspired me to pen this letter,” said Sania. “The ‘Being Serena’ echoes my experience and that of women worldwide who everyday balance family and personal goals.”

    “Pregnancy is something that I had experienced for the first time in my life. I thought about it and I think we all have a certain picture about it, but, once you experience it, you really understand what it means. It absolutely changes you as a human being,” wrote Sania further.

    In her post, she encouraged women to experience pregnancy.

    “It’s an extraordinary thing. It’s an experience I recommend women should go through because it really does teach you to respect yourself and your body but also teaches you the selfless kind of love that at least I never knew existed for me.”

    Read more – Sania Mirza is a ‘proud mumma’ after Izhaan Mirza Malik fluently recites his duas

    She also opened up about her physical transformation.

    “Having put on around 23kg during my pregnancy, I wasn’t sure if I was ever going back to being fit and playing tennis again. However, I lost around 26 kilos with a lot of workout regimes and very strict diets and came back to tennis because that is what I know, love, and do.”

    “Finally, when I won at Hobart after coming back, it was pretty amazing. I was honestly very proud of myself to have been able to put myself to compete at the highest level again and I think that’s where I was mentally,” she added.

    “It sometimes becomes hard to find hope in difficult situations but our love for our profession and family equally, helps us gain that balance. It makes us what we are and proves that women can achieve what they want,” concluded the tennis champion.

    Sania dedicated the letter to all the mothers who are going through a similar phase.

  • PTV won’t give coverage to Opp, says new chairman

    Newly-appointed Pakistan Television (PTV) Chairman Naeem Bukhari, who has also remained the lawyer of Prime Minister Imran Khan, has the national television will not broadcast any speeches by the opposition parties.

    Bukhari’s comments pertaining to the blackout of the opposition on PTV came despite the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) manifesto that promised to transform PTV on the lines of BBC — the British state broadcaster. The ruling party had also protested during the PML-N government after the latter refused to allow PTI leaders air-time on PTV.

    Speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court building, Bukhari said there will be no equal air-time for the opposition parties on PTV, as being a state-run organisation, it will only air the stance of the incumbent regime. “Only government?” asked the reporter. “Yes, only government,” Bukhari said.

    On Monday, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting notified Bukhari, who has a vast experience of doing TV programmes, as chairman of PTV. The appointment was made after a court ruling in Sept 2020 declared the appointments of PTV chairman Arshad Khan and independent members of the board of directors illegal while directing the government to fill the vacant slots in accordance with the law. 

    Bukhari, who has worked as an anchorperson and commentators on PTV for decades, had joined PTI in June 2016. At the time, he called Imran Khan the “only political leader who had the courage to speak the truth”. Bukhari also represented Imran when he went to the Supreme Court against then prime minister Nawaz Sharif following the Panama Papers leak.

    The pleas that were later admitted by the apex court which disqualified Nawaz Sharif for being “dishonest” under Article 62 (1)(f).

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had also hired the services of Bukhari as a special prosecutor to take up cases against close confidants of Sharif brothers — former Lahore Development Authority chief Ahad Cheema and former principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad.

  • Farhan Saeed and Urwa Hocane reportedly part ways

    One of Pakistan’s most-loved celebrity couples, Farhan Saeed and Urwa Hocane have reportedly parted ways with mutual understanding.

    According to reports, the couple has decided to mutually end their three-year marriage.

    While the couple has not yet made an official statement, reports have stated that the reason behind their separation is mounting tension and irreconcilable differences.

    Recently in an interview, Hocane had said if her husband wants to remarry, she will remain silent.

    The couple tied the knot in an intimate Nikkah ceremony at the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore on December 16, 2016.

    Meanwhile, fans have rejected the reports and are waiting for the couple to make an official announcement.

    https://twitter.com/Arslan62572201/status/1331278271217065984?s=20
    https://twitter.com/ibushrra_/status/1331266244964720641?s=20

    https://twitter.com/Arslan62572201/status/1331276788132143104?s=20

  • Cher is coming to Pakistan on Nov 27 to see Kaavan off

    American music sensation Cher, who has long been campaigning for Kaavan’s release will reportedly be arriving in Pakistan on November 27 to see the elephant off.

    According to a report in Gulf News, Cher is arriving in Islamabad on November 27 to see Kaavan off as he leaves for Cambodia, where he will spend the rest of his life in a wildlife reserve. The singer says that it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and that she “will sob” when she sees him for the first time.

    Earlier, the singer had revealed that she had composed two songs for Kaavan.

    “Can’t wait to sing to him on way to Cambodia,” Cher had said in a tweet.

    36-year-old Kaavan is being relocated to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia for retirement after the Islamabad High Court in May this year ruled that the Margazhar Zoo is not fit for animals. Kaavan has spent most of his life in a small enclosure with meagre shelter, and the last eight years alone after his companion elephant Saheli died. The court’s decision came after a four-year global campaign, backed by Cher. He is set to fly out of Pakistan on November 29 on a Russian cargo plane, specially chartered for his transportation.

    Kaavan’s travelling crate

    “All arrangements have been made, a Russian plane has been chartered that will land at Rawalpindi’s military (Chaklala Airport) in the morning of November 29, the same evening Kaavan will depart the Marghazar Zoo at 3 PM in VIP protocol paying his last regards to the city where he was brought as a calf from Sri Lanka in 1985. Kaavan was brought up at the same Marghazar Zoo. Here he had a female companion Saheli who later died of gangrene in 2012,” shared Director of the Four Paws Project Dr Amir Khalil. Four Paws International, the global animal welfare organisation in collaboration with another animals’ rights group, Free the Wild, has raised funds for the relocation of the elephant from Pakistan to Cambodia.

    “Now at the age of 36, Kaavan is leaving for yet another home into retirement,” added Dr Khalil.

    Meanwhile, Islamabad Zoo on Monday gave a farewell party to Kaavan which was attended by the public and government officials. The party was held right outside Kaavan’s enclosure and also included performances by Haroon, Natasha Baig, Khumaariyan and Arieb Azhar.

    Speaking at the farewell, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said: “It is a sad but the right step to send off the animal to a sanctuary where it will be in a much bigger space and with its own kind.”

    PTI Senator Faisal Javed Khan, who was also at the event, tweeted: “Sorry and farewell to Kaavan as our dearest (from childhood) is off to Cambodia.”

    Later, President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi also paid a visit to Islamabad to bid farewell to Kaavan.

    During his visit, President Alvi said that he hopes that Kaavan finds happiness in Cambodia.

  • Mubasher Lucman wants Pakistan to establish ties with Israel

    Mubasher Lucman wants Pakistan to establish ties with Israel

    A day after the reports of a secret meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, journalist and anchorperson Mubasher Lucman urged the Pakistani state to revisit its foreign policy and “establish diplomatic ties with Israel”.

    The anchorperson who appeared on an Israeli news channel to supposedly comment on the controversy surrounding the latest push of Arab countries to normalise ties with Israel said that it was time for Pakistan to be “friends with everyone”, including Tel Aviv.

    https://twitter.com/TeamMLucman/status/1328780163283226624

    According to Lucman, Pakistan needs to put itself first and stop fighting for the rights of other nations — Palestinians in this case. “I am one of those people who believe both countries should shake hands and establish diplomatic ties,” said Lucman, as he went on to call Israel a “vibrant country”.

    The journalist also undermine the struggle for self-determination of the Palestinian people, while trying to play down the atrocities committed by the Israeli troops against the Palestinian people. “People in Pakistan do not know much about Israel, except that it is a zionist state carrying out ‘whatever it is doing against Palestinians’”.

    “The Israeli nation is a great nation in their own way. They are fighters, they are survivors,” said Lucman, comparing it with Pakistan which is a “great country in its own right with many accolades”.

    Lucman also commented on a recent media reports that claimed Pakistan was being pressurised by the US and another Muslim country to recognise Tel Aviv. He said: “If Israel and Pakistan ever ever have to shake hands, it must not be due to a third party, it must be directly. We don’t need to be subservient to anyone, be it the US or Saudi Arabia.”

    He also said the “animosity between Pakistan and Israel” existed for over 70 years now, and both states needed to educate their masses if things have to “progress” from this stage to the next.

    Earlier this month, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Pakistan would not accept Israel unless Palestinians get their right to self-determination. He also told a journalist that US outgoing President Donald Trump and a Muslim country wanted Pakistan to accept Israel, which it cannot do.

    MBS-NETANYAHU MEETING:

    On Monday, Netanyahu allegedly met MBS in Saudi Arabia, which observers see a step towards recoginsation of Tel Aviv by Saudi Arabia. There has been widespread speculation, within Israel and the US, that Washington may push for other Arab states to follow suit before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

    However, the reports of the meeting were denied by the Saudi foreign minister. “I have seen press reports about a purported meeting between HRH the Crown Prince and Israeli officials during the recent visit by @SecPompeo. No such meeting occurred. The only officials present were American and Saudi,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud wrote on Twitter on Monday.