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.
Went to buy a pack of cigarettes when I was an infant, will be back any minute… https://t.co/VLJOMTPjPh
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.
“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.”
Great news for Pakistani Bollywood fans who bemoaned missing out on the excitement surrounding the release of Karan Johar’s much-lauded romantic comedy ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’, because there is finally a chance for them to watch the Alia Bhatt starrer on their screens. The Ranveer Singh-Alia Bhatt film is finally out on the streaming platform Amazon Prime with a special twist: it will feature a full-screen version of the song ‘Kudmayi’.
Director Karan Johar announced the release of the film on his Instagram account.
The romantic comedy stars Singh as a West Delhi playboy and Alia Bhatt as the headstrong feminist journalist, who cross paths after both realise there was a special connection between their grandparents. The film also stars veteran actors Jaya Bachchan, Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi.
The film was hailed by audience members and film critics for the strong feminist message, as well as the performances by both Ranveer and Alia, with many saying this was Karan Johar’s comeback film. The film grossed more than $23 million in India and a further $21 million overseas, making it the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.
Canadian-Indian rapper Shubhneet Singh is facing backlash from conservative politicians and social media users accusing him of being a Khalistan supporter, after the rapper’s post from March recirculated around social media. Several cricket players like Virat Kohli, Hardick Panday and KL Rahul had unfollowed the rapper on Instagram following the controversy.
Singh’s tour in India in September was cancelled, after sponsor BoAt announced they were no longer sponsoring the tour as they announced in a post on their X, formerly Twitter, account.
“At boAt, while our commitment to the incredible music community runs deep, we are first and foremost a true Indian brand. Therefore, when we became aware of the remarks made by artist Shubh earlier this year, we chose to withdraw our sponsorship from the tour.”
BookMyShow, the online ticket portal confirmed on their X account that they were refunding customers who had purchased ticket’s for Shubh’s concert in Mumbai and other cities.
Singer Shubhneet Singh’s Still Rollin Tour for India stands cancelled. To that end, BookMyShow has initiated a complete refund of the ticket amount for all consumers who had purchased tickets for the show. The refund will be reflected within 7-10 working days in the customer’s…
In light of these accusations, Indian rapper AP Dhillon released a lengthy statement on his Instagram stories where he publicly sided with the ‘We Rollin’ rapper, condemning the way artists are targeted by special interest and political groups.
“As an artist it has become almost impossible to stay focused on your craft and do what you love. I try to be mindful of everyone’s sentiments but it has gotten to a point where we have to second and triple guess our every move due to the fear of unintentionally fueling even more division.”
“Spread love, not hate,” wrote the ‘Brown Munde’ rapper. “Let’s start thinking for ourselves and not let hateful influences program our beliefs. We are ALL one. Let’s not let man made social constructs divide us. Division has gotten us to this point but unity is the key to the future.”
Shubhneet Singh addressed the backlash in a lengthy statement posted on his Instagram account and said he found the allegations “extremely disheartening.”
“My intent in resharing that post on my story was only to pray for Punjab as there were reports of electricity and internet shutdowns throughout the state. There was no other thought behind it, and I definitely didn’t intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments.”
The backlash to Shubh arrives after relations between India and Canada took a sour turn when Justin Trudeau publicly accused the Indian government for being involved in the death of the Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who had been a vocal supporter of setting up a separate state for Sikhs living in India.
“Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” said Trudeau.
“In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter.”
After the Instagram post by Shubhneet went viral, the youth wing of the BJP party in India BJYMP filed an FIR against the rapper with the Mumbai Police, calling Singh a Khalistan supporter.
“Shubh is openly a Khalistani supporter,” the complaint read. “And if he is allowed to hold a concert here, he will be influencing a lot of youth in Mumbai and our country to support his agenda…He has evidently proven that he is a pro-Khalistani activist and openly supports their agenda and [he] is also influencing the youth of the country to do the same and wage a war against the Government of India by posting such absurd and derogatory post about Government of India.”
Fast bowler Shaheen Afridi’s valima to Ansha Afridi was held on Thursday in a lavish ceremony in Islamabad, where several A-list celebrities and sports stars were present to celebrate the occasion. Check out some pictures of all the big names who were at the event.
Former cricket star Shahid Afridi shared several pictures, posing along with members of the cricket team including Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Imam ul Haq, Shadab Khan, and with former pacer Shoaib Akhtar. He thanked his friends for gracing his daughter’s valima with their presence.
“I would like to Thank Team Pakistan, My former team mates, diplomats and dignitaries from different walk of life for gracing my daughter’s Valima. Their presence made me feel loved and honored. I am grateful that we got to celebrate this moment together.”
I would like to Thank Team Pakistan, My former team mates, diplomats and dignitaries from different walk of life for gracing my daughter’s Valima. Their presence made me feel loved and honoured. I am grateful that we got to celebrate this moment together. pic.twitter.com/sRPTh0A6Ta
Geo reports there the scrumptious menu featured biryani, lamb korma, chicken reshmi kebab, tandoori lamb chops and prawns.
Shaheen and Ansha’s nikah was held in February at a daytime ceremony. Shaheen shared pictures on his Instagram account, requesting fans to respect the privacy of his wife and the rest of his family members, after a picture of Ansha’s face was leaked on social media.
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 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…
Many users on Twitter shared the opinion, stating that they wanted a stop to narratives that actively discourage divorce.
There’s absolutely no shame in divorce or any stigma attached to it in Islam. Our prophet SAW himself married a divorced woman. If only we understood our religion.
Canadian Punjabi rapper Shubhneet Singh has been targeted by right wing politicians after sharing a cryptic post on his Instagram stories, leading to allegations that he supported the notion of setting up a separate state for Sikhs in India. On Thursday, ticketing platform Book My Show announced on X (formerly Twitter) that they had cancelled bookings for the Punjabi rapper’s shows in cities like Delhi and Kolkata, refunded money to the customers.
“Singer Shubhneet Singh’s Still Rollin Tour for India stands cancelled. To that end, BookMyShow has initiated a complete refund of the ticket amount for all consumers who had purchased tickets for the show. The refund will be reflected within 7-10 working days in the customer’s source account of the original transaction.”
This development came after members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM)- the youth wing of the right wing party BJP, launched protests against Shubhneet. On March 23, the rapper had shared a map of India on his Instagram stories, which didn’t show Punjab or occupied Jammu and Kashmir as part of the country, along with the hashtag #prayforpunjab.
Members of the BJYM wrote to the Mumbai Police, calling for an FIR to be registered against Shubhneet “for waging war against Government of India and posting anti-government posts”.
“Shubh is openly a Khalistani supporter,” the complaint read. “And if he is allowed to hold a concert here, he will be influencing a lot of youth in Mumbai and our country to support his agenda…He has evidently proven that he is a pro-Khalistani activist and openly supports their agenda and [he] is also influencing the youth of the country to do the same and wage a war against the Government of India by posting such absurd and derogatory post about Government of India.”
The tensions arrive after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a strongly worded statement about the murder of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Monday, stating that there was credible evidence of the connection between the murderers and the Indian government.
“Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” said Trudeau.
“In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter.”
Nijjar was a vocal supporter of the creation of Khalistan- a separate state for Sikhs living in India. He was branded as a terrorist by the Indian government, which maintained that he was wanted by the state for his active involvement with the Khalistan Tiger Force (KLF) an organisation declared as a terrorist group by the country. Nijjar was shot outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in Surrey, which was deemed as a targeted attack by the police.
While we love the fact that Pakistani celebrities are respected and valued by their fans-especially cricket stars- it’s important to remember that it doesn’t mean fans are allowed to invade anyone’s privacy. Former cricket captain Shahid Afridi addressed this issue as a guest on Vasay Chaudhry’s show ‘Gup Shab’ where he opened up about his distaste for fans who have crossed boundaries and invaded the privacy of his family. Boom Boom Afridi said he finds it unpleasant that fans make videos of him and his family when they go out.
But, Shahid said, it was disappointing to watch his family’s privacy further invaded when they were in Makkah for Umrah, sharing that it was disrespectful even for the people claiming to be a fan of the cricket player.
“When you’re going for your Umrah or Hajj with your family, your privacy is completely breached over,” Shahid noted.
“My wife does pardah. During Tawaaf, I have snatched phones from several people who were making videos. Even though I apologised to them afterwards, I have asked several times to stop making videos during that moment.”
The topic of fans crossing their limits and invading the privacy of celebrities, especially when they’re with their family members, is not new.
Cricket player Imam ul Haq spoke on Daniyal Sheikh’s podcast about an occasion when he was at a restaurant with his family. A few people shouted ‘parchi’ at him. This bullying has gone to the point that his family members no longer attend his matches, in fear of being heckled by the attendants.
“They really want to come and watch me play, but I’m just scared- this is the first time I’m talking about this. But when I’m standing on the boundary, I don’t want my mother to listen to the taunt ‘parchi’ in the stadium. If I was batting and I was out, it wouldn’t matter if I had played better before or not, while going back I would hear taunts of ‘parchi’.”
Previously, actress Romaisa Khan slammed nurses who approached the ‘John’ actress for photos when she was in tears and praying for her mother’s recovery in the ICU, an act she recalled as “insensitive” in a detailed post on Threads.
“Some people are so insensitive,” lamented the ‘John’ actress on her Threads account. “I know we are public figures but not public properties, so it’s unethical that my mom is in the ICU screaming in pain almost fighting for her life and where I am crying and praying outside and nurses literally making videos and asking for a selfie.”
So please remember that while it is natural to have immense respect for a public figure’s talent and skills, fans should also remember to respect the privacy. Celebrities are only in the public spotlight as a job, and it doesn’t give any fan the right to treat their entire existence as a public affair.
Taylor Swift was not joking around when she wrote, “Karma’s on your scent like a bounty hunter”.
Media organisations and social media users sent their sleep and work commitments to the devil on Wednesday when the ‘Anti Hero’ singer was spotted at a girl’s night out with none other than Sophie Turner, actress and estranged wife of Joe Jonas.
Taylor had famously dated Joe back in 2008, later publicly accusing him of breaking up with her in a cruel manner. She revealed on The Ellen Show that the band member of the Jonas Brothers broke up with her on the phone in 25 seconds. The ‘Mastermind’ singer went on to write ‘Forever and Always’, ‘Last Kiss’ and ‘Mr Perfectly Fine’ about the ‘Burnin Up’ singer, however the two reconciled over the years and become close friends after Joe dated model and close friend Gigi Hadid in 2015.
Recently, Joe and Sophie announced their divorce after four years of marriage. Several reports allegeded that the ‘This Is Me’ singer’s PR team blamed the ‘Game Of Thrones’ actress for the failure of the relationship, with sources alleging the singer was an absent mother, working on projects in the UK. The internet slammed this as a terrible attempt to pin the home wrecker narrative on the woman while refusing to hold the man accountable.
Now that Sophie has decided to play the game and was spotted partying with Taylor Swift in New York, Twitter users are applauding how vicious of a move this was.
“Joe Jonas tried with every PR strategy he could to turn the public against Sophie but Sophie was like hold my purse and played her biggest card,” wrote a user.
Joe Jonas tried with every PR strategy he could to turn the public against Sophie but Sophie was like hold my purse and played her biggest card https://t.co/w5tiCxrmIL
a certain someone has tried to ruin sophie turner’s reputation in the press and nobody knows how that feels more than taylor swift does – she knows by being seen with her sophie will have the support of millions of swifties (who are die hard supportive)… that is sisterhood https://t.co/CuXZ7Z3WSb
Joe Jonas used their children as PR after Sophie advocating to keep them out of the press for years, so she got snapped with his ex. Absolute https://t.co/PDvo67VrFo
For fans in Pakistan who are bummed out on missing the opportunity to watch Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Jawan’ in theatres, there is finally a chance to see the film because the action thriller is coming to OTT platforms quite soon. According to India Today, the film is set to release on streaming platforms with a special twist: it will include scenes that were omitted from the theatrical release.
While the film was approximately two hours and 45 minutes long, the OTT release is expected to be 3 hours and 15 minutes with the extra scenes.
There is no release date confirmed yet by the team or Netflix.
‘Jawan’ has recently broken records, becoming one of the fastest Bollywood films to join the 500 crore club, beating Shah Rukh Khan’s previous film ‘Pathaan’ and Sunny Deol’s ‘Gadar 2’ according to Bollywood Hungama.
If you Google the name Taylor Swift, you’ll spot a blue vault on the right side of your screen, and when you click on it, a screen pops up with a series of letters asking you to decode the right answer, which will eventually lead you to the next puzzle.
Millions of Swifties across the globe have been screaming, crying, perfect storms in attempting to decode the crossword puzzles- so we’ll explain what is happening and really what is the purpose behind these crossword puzzles.
Taylor Swift has partnered with Google ahead of the release of her re-recorded album 1989 (Taylor’s Version) to design crossword puzzles which will eventually lead to the names of the new tracks included in the vault- previously written songs that weren’t included in the original album. Before the release of her previous rerecorded versions, Taylor teased fans by asking them to decode the names of the song tracks hidden in the puzzles. But it looks like this time she wasn’t kidding when she said “Darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream!”
According to Google’s blog, there are 89 puzzles each user can solve, totaling up to 33 million puzzles worldwide- and solving them will uncover new song tracks to be included in the upcoming album. Swifties rose to the challenge on whether it’s gonna be forever or will it go down in flames, because Google tweeted on their X account that the app was jammed due to the overload of responses.
nah they broke google even yajooj majooj tremble at the sight of swifties https://t.co/p2X54u8Sm5
Taylor had broken the internet when in August she announced 1989 (Taylor’s Version) on the last day of the US leg of the Era’s Tour, and sang the track ‘New Romantics’ for the audience after unveiling the album artwork and release date on the screen.
“The last time that I was so pleasantly surprised by some stuff that you guys did was when I announced that I was going to be re-recording. That was something that I expected to be just a me thing, just a personal thing. Since I was a teenager, I wanted to own my music. The way to do it was to re-record my albums, and the way that you have embraced … that you have celebrated, that you really decided that it was your fight too, and that you were 100 percent behind me … I will never stop thanking you for that.”
She continued, “And so now, here we are on the last night of the U.S. leg of the Eras tour in the eighth month of the year on the ninth day. You might have noticed there are some new outfits in the show. There’s something that I’ve been planning for a really, really, really ridiculously, embarrassingly long time, and instead of telling you about it, I think I’ll just sort of show you.”
