Renowned ghazal singer and Padma Shri awardee, Pankaj Udhas, breathed his last on Monday at the age of 73 after a prolonged illness, Indian media has reported.
The confirmation of the death of the iconic singer, known for ghazals like ‘Chithi Aayi Hai’ and ‘Chandi Jaisa Rang’ came through his daughter, Nayab Udhas, in an Instagram post.
The singer had been unwell since the past few days and was admitted to Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital for treatment.
Pakistan’s senior actress Saba Faisal has revealed that many young men have offered her marriage through messages.
The actress recently appeared as a guest on a show where the host asked her, “Have you ever encountered a fanatical fan who is absolutely crazy? Affected by you to the point of insanity or harassing you with messages etc?”
In response, Saba said, “Maybe the fans think that I am very bored but the fact is that this has never happened to me,” but, she also said, “the messages keep coming.”
“Recently a 22-year-old boy sent me a message that if you give me a green signal even at this age, then I am ready to leave everything for you, if you say yes, then I will immediately come and hold your hand.” To which I told him that you will ask my 9-year-old grandson for my hand in marriage.”
Saba Faisal then showed the message to her husband. “I have been married for 40 years but Masha Allah my husband still expresses love to me through long messages because I am in Lahore more due to work.” She continued, “In response to their messages I call them and say thank you Faisal, we are far away, so this love is established,” to which they complain, “that I never respond to them in a romantic way.”
An old interview of former Indian tennis player Sania Mirza has appeared online with host Kamiya Jani, where she discussed her marriage with Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik. The pair are now divorced and Malik has gone on to marry again.
The interview, which took place in October 2022, sheds light on Sania’s experiences visiting Pakistan and the cultural dynamics of marrying someone from across the border.
“We go there actually once a year because Shoaib’s family still lives there and obviously Izhan goes to meet them, and you know we do meet them every year, once a year, and they come here once a year,” Mirza said about visiting Pakistan.
Discussing the differences and similarities between India and it’s neighbour, Sania acknowledged both aspects. Drawing on her South Indian background, she admitted feeling a cultural difference but highlighted the resemblance between Lahore and Delhi, saying, “If I was from Delhi, I wouldn’t feel that much of a culture shock. Because Lahore is a lot similar to Delhi. The way they speak, the way they eat, the things they eat, you know, all that kind of… Culturally, they’re just Punjabis, right? So it’s a little more similar.”
Despite the similarities, she noted, “But they are different in some ways also. You can tell, I mean, at least I can tell when there is a Pakistani speaking or an Indian person speaking…to another person, they might not be able to tell but I can tell the differences.”
In a surprising development, Shoaib announced his third marriage to Pakistani actor Sana Javed, leading to the revelation of his split with Sania. The newlyweds shared joyous pictures from their wedding ceremony on social media.
Shortly after, Indian news outlet PTI confirmed that Sania and Shoaib had divorced. Sania’s father Imran Mirza disclosed to PTI that Sania took a khula from Shoaib, officially confirming the end of their relationship. Taking to Instagram, Imran addressed speculation about his daughter’s marriage, emphasizing the need for privacy and confirming their divorce.
A woman wearing a dress with Arabic writing printed on it was attacked by a violent mob on Sunday. Videos of the incident quickly spread online, showing the mob surrounding her while she was at a restaurant in Lahore’s Ichhra Market.
Some people there accused her of having Quranic verses printed on her dress, which they found offensive. They were angry because of the Arabic writing on her dress, not knowing what it really meant. The dress actually has the word ‘sweet’ written on it.
While some tried to protect the terrified woman her from the false accusations, the police came to control situation and took the woman home safely.
Later, it was found that there were no Quranic verses on her dress, just Arabic words.
Celebrities reacted to the news with shock and horror. Many expressed admiration for the female police officer who led the woman to safety.
Here are some reactions:
The Punjab Assembly will likely elect new a chief minister of the province today (Monday). Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz is expected become CM Punjab as her party has the majority in provincial assembly after February 8 elections.
Maryam Nawaz will be the first female chief minister of the province in history.
The session has been summoned to meet at 11am and will be presided by newly-elected Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan.
The PML-N has support of 224 MPAs in the provincial assembly.
The candidate fielded by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Aftab Ahmad Khan, who is a senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has the support of 103 MPAs. Maryam will face him as her opponent.
Aftab has served as a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA thrice in the Punjab Assembly in 1988, 1993 and 2002. He joined PTI in 2013 and is now serving his fourth term.
Even though they got divorced, Aamir Khan is often seen in public with his ex-wife, Kiran Rao. Kiran was a big part of their daughter Ira Khan’s wedding. Recently, Kiran talked about her divorce with Aamir Khan for the first time.
“Marriage can be tough for anyone,” said Kiran Rao, “We’ve had our disagreements, but we’ve never had big fights. It’s strange, but Aamir and I never really fought.” Kiran also mentioned that Aamir Khan Productions supported her latest film.
From Kiran’s words, it’s clear that she still lives in the same building as the famous actor. Speaking to India TV, Kiran said that explaining things to the family was tough because society didn’t understand, and their opinions couldn’t be changed.
Kiran explained that divorce is seen as a bad thing in society, but their situation was different. People usually think divorce means completely separating, but for them, it’s a different kind of divorce. It might take some time for society to understand and accept it.
Rambo and Sahiba are one of Lollywood’s power couples. The two have been married since decades, entertaining us throughout their marriage. And even though the two have always appeared happily in love, Jan Rambo developed cold feet just before the wedding.
In a recent interview, he revealed that Sahiba was so humble that she didn’t even wear her own shoes on set. He admitted feeling scared about their future together at first, but Rambo noted, “Sahiba changed a lot over time.”
Rambo confessed, “Sahiba helped me become a better person, steering me away from past mistakes.”
Rambo shared that Sahiba’s early movies weren’t doing well, so she was searching for a good co-star. “As we spent more time together for work, I got to know her better, especially admiring her respectful behavior towards women.”
He confessed he first saw Sahiba’s picture in a newspaper interview and immediately fell in love with her. Convincing Sahiba’s mother, former superstar Nisho, took six years. They agreed after four years, with the condition to work for two more years before tying the knot.
Rambo admitted his initial worries about whether Sahiba could adjust to his family’s lifestyle, given her celebrity background. He recalled, “Sahiba used to come to the set before our marriage, accompanied by her manager, a security guard, a driver, and a female servant who helped her with her shoes.”
However, Rambo’s fears vanished after seeing Sahiba adapt after marriage. He praised Sahiba’s mother for raising her daughters well despite her own fame in the entertainment industry.
Rambo concluded by saying, “My family now admires Sahiba, considering her a wonderful wife, and we couldn’t have asked for anyone better.”
Kashif, a stylist at Kashees Salon, works wonders by transforming laborers into stunning models, giving them a whole new look that boosts their confidence and reveals their inner beauty.
Each makeover shows Kashif’s commitment to celebrating diversity and challenging stereotypes about beauty. His work reminds us that everyone has their own kind of beauty, waiting to be discovered.
With every transformation, Kashif not only changes their appearance but also inspires others to feel good about themselves. Through his skills, Kashif spreads positivity and empowerment, making the world a more beautiful place, one makeover at a time.
Tom Cruise and his girlfriend Elsina Khayrova, who lives in Britain but is originally from Russia, have reportedly broken up.
According to reports, Elsina, 37, who is well-known in London’s social circles, and Cruise, 61, seemed to have a close relationship. However, they broke up during a recent meeting in London earlier this month.
It’s reported that Tom Cruise met Khayrova’s children earlier this week. Elsina and her ex-husband got divorced in 2020.
The couple attended a charity gala dinner in London separately, supporting the Air Ambulance Charity.
Tom Cruise and Elsina Khayrova were neighbors in the same London block, and their friendship began last year.
“Oppenheimer”, Christopher Nolan’s epic movie about the creation of the atomic bomb, swept the board at Sunday’s BAFTA film awards in London, delivering a serious statement ahead of next month’s Oscars.
The movie earned seven awards in total, including best film, best director for Nolan, best actor for Cillian Murphy and best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr.
In the film, Murphy plays J. Robert Oppenheimer, the US theoretical physicist often called the “father of the atomic bomb” who was haunted by the consequences of his creation.
The film has grossed more than $1 billion, already won big at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards and is now the clear frontrunner for Oscars glory.
It was Murphy’s first BAFTA, and he thanked Nolan for “seeing something in me I probably didn’t see myself” when collecting the award at the ceremony in London’s Royal Festival Hall.
He later told reporters the success was “mind-blowing”, adding he was “thrilled and a little shocked”.
Despite boasting numerous commercial successes such as “Inception” and “The Dark Knight”, Nolan had never won the best director BAFTA before.
It was Downey Jr’s second BAFTA, having won the best actor gong 31 years ago for playing Charlie Chaplin.
On accepting the award, the US star joked that Nolan advised he attempt an understated approach to the role of Lewis Strauss, a member of the US Atomic Energy Commission, in order to restore “my dwindling credibility”.
‘Poor things’ wins five
It was also a good night for surreal dark comedy “Poor Things”, which won five awards including best actress for Emma Stone, who also won the gong in 2017 for “La La Land”.
In the film, Stone plays a Victorian reanimated corpse brought back to life with the spirit of a child by a mad scientist in a female “Frankenstein” story.
The US actress has already scooped Golden Globe and Critics Choice best actress awards for her no-holds-barred performance.
She beat off competition from “Barbie” star Margot Robbie, with both earlier hitting the red carpet along with fellow Hollywood heavyweights Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper.
Britain’s royal family was represented at the ceremony, hosted by Scottish actor David Tennant, by Prince William in his capacity as BAFTA president.
It was his most important engagement since returning to duties following his wife Catherine’s abdominal operation, and news of his father King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis.
William saw US actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph pick up the best supporting actress award for her role in 1970s-set prep school comedy “The Holdovers”.
Randolph raised a laugh when she turned to UK actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, who gave her the award, and told him: “You are so handsome. I was hoping you were going to be here and woah. Worth it.”
‘Barbenheimer’
In the best film category, “Oppenheimer” won out ahead of French courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall”, “The Holdovers” and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”.
Both Scorsese and his historical epic’s leading man Leonardo DiCaprio missed out on individual BAFTA nods but the movie amassed nine nominations in total, including for best film.
Cooper’s biopic about US conductor Leonard Bernstein was also nominated for original screenplay (shared with screenwriter Josh Singer) and best actor. However, “The Hangover” star left the ceremony empty-handed.
The BAFTA shortlist was another disappointment for “Barbie” — the other half of last summer’s “Barbenheimer” box office phenomenon — which only managed five nominations.
Greta Gerwig’s film, which turned nostalgia for the beloved doll into a sharp satire about misogyny and female empowerment, has so far failed to capture the number of top prizes expected of it this awards season.
Jonathan Glazer’s harrowing “The Zone of Interest”, about a Nazi concentration camp commander and his family living next to Auschwitz, took home three awards including best British film, best film not in the English language and best sound.
“The Boy and the Heron” by celebrated Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki won best animated film.