Tag: trending

  • Actor Humaima Malick says ‘Aurat Card’ is easily used

    Actor Humaima Malick says ‘Aurat Card’ is easily used

    Is ‘Aurat Card’ even a thing now? Apparently actor Humaima Malick claims it is, implying that it helps women get away with causing trouble.

    The wife of the late controversial television host Amir Liaquat, Bushra Iqbal, was a guest on a recent podcast where she addressed her husband’s leaked video scandal. Bushra said that honour is not just important for a woman, but for a man as well.

     “Honour is not just a woman’s. A man has honour as well. Had this happened to a woman, the entire country would have been out on the street, burning things. But a woman had done this. Men and women are kept equal. God has not kept the level of punishment different in the Quran.”

    The videos were allegedly leaked by the late television host’s third wife Dania Shah, who claimed in May 2022 that she was several beaten and forced to make sexual videos to send to people abroad.

    Read more: Syeda Dania files for divorce from Aamir Liaquat, reveals he takes drugs and does domestic violence

    In the videos, Amir Liaquat could be seen in a compromising state, unclothed as he walks around a room.

    Dania Shah was arrested from her home in December 2022, and later released in 2023 after her lawyer argued that the phone number that had leaked the videos did not belong to the woman.

    Read more: Aamir Liaquat leaked video case: Dania Shah released on bail

    Actress Humaima Malick has backed Bushra Iqbal’s comment by sharing the clip where the widow speaks about honor, and in the caption of her Instagram stories she wrote: “Waqai Aurat Card is too easy, a man is also a human being.”

    We are completely in favor of Bushra Iqbal’s views that no person, whether man or a woman, should be publicly humiliated with their personal videos but Humaima Malick trying to claim that this only happened because the ‘Aurat Card’ exists is extremely disappointing, and proof of how easily women are bunched up in a whole as culprits to blame for the actions of a single person.

    There is no proof that the person responsible for the video leak was a woman. If the ‘Aurat Card’ did exist then more women, like Humaima Malick’s brother’s ex-wife Syeda Aliza, could have benefitted from such a thing as ‘Aurat Card’, because then she wouldn’t have had to suffer from domestic violence during her marriage to Feroze Khan, Humaima’s brother.

    Read more: Syeda Aliza shares heartbreaking evidence of Feroze Khan’s violent attacks on her, Celebrities react

    For an actor to publicly claim the ‘Aurat Card’ exists in a country like Pakistan, where more women are beaten, tortured by family members and very few cases are brought to the light, proves how little it takes to side against all women. Nothing is done for those who are consistently clamoring for justice. It’s incredibly dissapointing to witness such a sexist mindset among women.

  • 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.

  • AI-generated song with vocals by Drake, The Weeknd submitted for 2 Grammy’s

    AI-generated song with vocals by Drake, The Weeknd submitted for 2 Grammy’s

    ‘Heart On The Sleeve’ has been submitted to the Grammys for two awards this year, including ‘Song Of The Year’ and ‘Best Rap Song’. The song, featuring vocals by Drake and Abel Tesfaya aka The Weekend, is AI generated. The New York Times reports that an anonymous songwriter, Ghostwriter, has written the track, as well as another song ‘Whiplash’ which features vocals by Travis Scott and 21 Savage.

    Here’s the catch: none of these singers have actually sung the songs.

    ‘Heart On A Sleeve’ racked up 600,000 streams on Spotify as well as 15 million views on Tiktok but was removed immediately after Drake and The Weeknd’s label, Universal Music Group, reacted. But, the publication reports, the song was eligible for two awards, since the category recognizes writers, rather than performers, taking refuge in a loop hole in the announcement by the Recording Academy in June which banned AI-generated songs from being submitted for consideration, since the song was written by a human.

    Harvey Mason, chief executive of the Recording Academy, said:

    “I knew right away as soon as I heard that record that it was going to be something that we had to grapple with from an Academy standpoint, but also from a music community and industry standpoint. When you start seeing A.I. involved in something so creative and so cool, relevant and of-the-moment, it immediately starts you thinking, ‘OK, where is this going? How is this going to affect creativity? What’s the business implication for monetization?’”

    Meanwhile Ghostwriter wrote a lengthy statement on Twitter where he called for both 21 Savage and Travis Scott to post a collaboration, and clarified that to respect the artists, he would direct royalties earned from the song to them:

    “The future of music is here. Artists now have the ability to let their voice work for them without lifting a finger. If you’re down to put it out, I will clearly label it as A.I., and I’ll direct royalties to you. Respect either way.”

  • #Jawanday trends on Twitter as Shah Rukh Khan’s film releases in theatres across India

    #Jawanday trends on Twitter as Shah Rukh Khan’s film releases in theatres across India

    Shah Rukh Khan wasn’t joking around when he said “I don’t release my film on festivals. The day my film is released is a festival.”

    Fans around the world are celebrating #JawanDay as the action thriller was released across cinemas all over India. Numerous videos on social media show audiences rushing to the theatre to watch ‘Jawan’, several holding festivals outside cinemas to rejoice King Khan’s undefeated run as the Badshah of Bollywood.

    Videos on social media show fans praising the film and the performance of the ‘Pathan’ actor.

    We think the government should declare public holidays the day Shah Rukh films are released because holy moly, the amount of people dancing in theatres is something we’ve never witnessed before.

    https://twitter.com/imran666111/status/1699669899390697795?s=20

    Film critics are also joining in on the celebration, terming the film another hit by the Bollywood Badshah. The Hindustan Times called Jawan a “massy, meaningful actioner” which doesn’t conform to any set templates or tropes, “that makes for an engaging and entertaining watch”. Their critic also praised SRK’s performance, from his heroic entry scene to his fights and even dance performance.

    The Indian Express called Jawan “an all-time blockbuster” that provides an action packed drama for cinephiles. Pinkvilla gave the film 4 stars, writing praises about SRK’s performance and called it “a performance that would be remembered for a long time.”

     “From the display of his heroism and machoism to the emotional sequences, action blocks and the hard-hitting dramatic monologues – He does everything that one expects of a Hindi Film Hero.”

  • Hollywood or Pakistan, female entertainers are a troll’s favourite target

    Hollywood or Pakistan, female entertainers are a troll’s favourite target

    Once again, its common knowledge that at the heart of every single celebrity scandal, a woman is targeted with the most blatant misogynist taunts by the public. Over the past two days, two major scandals have broken out in Hollywood. The way publications framed out the narrative to paint the women as scheming shrews who have manipulated the men in their lives proves the public loves nothing more than pushing women down as a public sport.

    Today, news outlets confirmed ‘Jonas Brothers’ singer Joe Jonas has officially filed for divorce from his wife of four years, actress Sophie Turner, and sources representing the actor told TMZ that the breakdown of their marriage happened because Sophie, who was by the way 23 when she married 30 year old Joe, was to be blamed for her extravagant lifestyle:

     “She likes to party, he likes to stay at home. They have very different lifestyles.”

    The source also claimed Joe was the one who was taking care of the couple’s two children while Sophie had been shooting for a project in the UK. We have to ask, why does a man need to be applauded over the fact that he took up the parental responsibility, and a woman is being blamed for working. Suddenly, she’s a bad mom?

    On the other hand, actor Timothee Chalamet and beauty tycoon Kylie Jenner decided to go public with their long-rumored relationship. The two were filmed kissing at a Beyonce concert- but most of the talk on the internet once more was sexist, blaming Kylie for stealing a heartthrob just so that she could get ratings for the reality show ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’. Several users have come to Kylie’s defence.

    A few days ago, a now deleted article written by Vogue about Timothee Chalamet and Kylie’s relationship went viral, where the writer expressed that it was difficult for her to believe that the two could be a couple because Kylie’s career was nothing compared to Timothee Chalamet’s as the quote goes:

    What do they do together? Does he hold her makeup brushes while she contours? Does she help him sift through Wes Anderson scripts? Does he give Stormi French lessons?”

    “And how did they end up together, anyway? Legend has it that Kylie’s sister Kendall introduced them, but it’s hard for me not to picture Kris sifting through a laminated binder full of leading men, debating which of the Hollywood Chrises would pair best with Kylie’s latest haircut.”

    The piece was criticized for insensitivity and for diminishing the reality TV star’s achievements, including Kylie Cosmetics, an enterprise worth around $750 million.

    While the rest of the world is angry at the way the two women are being publicly humiliated and blamed for events they weren’t responsible for, we have to reflect on the way this is commonly happening in Pakistan. Female celebrities like Sadaf Kanwal, who married Shahroze Sabzwari, was subjected to brutal trolling on social media for months because it was insinuated that she had played a hand in the break up of her husband’s previous marriage, even though both partners confirmed that their breakup was consensual.

    Similarly, Sanam Saeed was targeted by trolls for being a ‘home wrecker’ and a cheater when she went public with her relationship with actor Mohib Mirza, after his divorce to actor Aminah Sheikh. Or when actress Ayesha Omar had to clarify that she was not a home wrecker, because some modelling shoots between her and cricket player Shoaib Malik fuelled the fire that she was the culprit behind his rumored divorce to Indian tennis star Sania Mirza.

    We’d really like to urge our audience to keep their opinions to themselves, especially those about female celebrities. How Kylie and Sophie choose to live, and who they date, is none of our concern because by the end of the day, they’re human beings as well as public figures. It is natural to be a fan of a celebrity and to respect their work- as its understandable since its Timothee Chalamet- but its crossing a line when you’re ranting about the women he dates.

    But most importantly, its necessary now more than ever that women- even female celebrities like Sadaf, Kylie or Taylor Swift- are no longer held responsible for the decisions made by the men in their lives, and we learn to understand the fact that it is not our business to know who they’re dating or not. There are better things on this planet to worry about!

  • ‘Made my day’: Celebs are delighted with Pakistan women’s cricket team win

    ‘Made my day’: Celebs are delighted with Pakistan women’s cricket team win

    Pakistanis were jubilant over their men’s cricket team’s splendid performance against India, however, very little was said about the Pakistani women’s cricket team’s whitewash win against South Africa.

    Female celebrities have risen to the challenge, advocating for more recognition to be given to the team.

    Cricket player Shadab Khan shared a picture of the team, calling for them to be treated with equal respect as the men’s cricket team.

    Actress Urwa Hocane gushed about how the win made her day, and hoped to see more women entering into every field and succeeding the same way.

    “The news made my day! The kind of win I wish to see for #Pakistan everyday in every field regardless of gender, we need our full force! With all that potential our only option is to work harder & win at everything for the world to see!”

    Actress Saba Qamar posted a congratulatory note on her Twitter account for the women’s cricket team.

    Mawra Hocane posted a caption on her Instagram stories where she congratulated the team captain Sidra Amin, and the rest of the women’s cricket team for their fabulous performance.

    Social media users celebrated the powerful performances by cricket players Nida Dar and the rest of the team.

    https://twitter.com/acricketaffair/status/1698956002727506153?s=20

  • Shah Rukh Khan slammed by right-wingers for visiting Hindu temple ahead of ‘Jawan’ release

    Shah Rukh Khan slammed by right-wingers for visiting Hindu temple ahead of ‘Jawan’ release

    Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was spotted along with his daughter Suhana Khan visiting Sri Venkateshwara Swamy temple in Tirupati on Tuesday to offer prayers and ask for blessings ahead of the release of his action thriller ‘Jawan’.

    The news however was met with backlash from right-wing conservatives on social media. The extreme-right brigade condemned the Bollywood actor for what they said was using religious temples as props for movie promotions. Many accused the ‘Pathaan’ actor of making a mockery of religious places, calling for a ban on Muslim actors visiting Hindu temples.

    “Seriously? Why are we allowing our temples to be used as publicity props by non idolators ?” one user wrote.

    Another wrote:

    “Hindu temples are not places of tourism & publicity stunt. Such gimmicks must stop and Hindus must resist such Nautanki. If you wanna take the blessings of our gods & goddesses then simply accept the Sanatan Dharma & carry on with your Yatra & not Temple Run publicity stunts.”

    However, Bollywood actors have commonly visited temples before film releases to offer prayers for its success. Vicky Kaushal had visited the Siddivinayak temple in June to offer gratitude prayers after his film ‘Zara Hatke Zara Bachke’ became a box office success. Akshay Kumar visited BAPS Hindu Mandir in UAE to pray.

    Shah Rukh Khan has been vocal about his secular family, not asking his children to follow Islam or Hinduism.

    “We have never discussed Hindu-Muslim. My wife is Hindu, I am a Muslim and our kids are Hindustan. When they went to school, they had to write their religion. My daughter came to me once and asked ‘what is our religion?’ I simply wrote in her form that we are Indian, we do not have a religion.”

    Many praised the superstar for his massive respect for all religions

    https://twitter.com/srklover1994/status/1698780134101459020?s=20
  • ‘Impressive, beautiful’: Social media lauds Shehzad Roy for introducing music education at Zindagi Trust school

    ‘Impressive, beautiful’: Social media lauds Shehzad Roy for introducing music education at Zindagi Trust school

    Is there anything Shehzad Roy can’t do? A phenomenal singer, pro at the youthful glow (we’re still convinced he’s a vampire) and a philanthrope working towards changing the education system of Pakistan are just proof that he’s the G.O.A.T.

    Recently the singer wowed social media with a new education initiative at his Zindagi Trust where students from working class families are given the best education. A clip, showing three young students playing violins in the music program of Fatima Jinnah government school, has gone viral.

    “This isn’t an elite private school,” the ‘Laga Re’ singer wrote. “It’s Fatima Jinnah government school adopted by @ZindagiTrust Here V also run a world-class music program in professionally designed studios. Young girls play everything from Beethoven to Eastern classical & there is no fee. We are driving change.”

    The short clip has recieved praise from politicians like Sherry Rehman and other social media users who attended institutions run by Zindagi Trust, confirming that the organisation was making sure their students are well provided for, and are giving them quality education.

    Digital Rights activist Hija Kamran wrote:

    “As an all-time fan of ZindagiTrust, I just want to say that this particular school can easily beat elite private schools based on how it looks, managed and taken care of. I miss the few mornings I spent here for work. Did you know that they also have their own vegetable garden?”

    Another user wrote:

    “I’ve been to the Fatima Jinnah School on two occasions: once to judge an inter-class dramatics competition (in which a Chacha Chakkan rendition was particularly delightful) and once to judge oratory. Roy and his team are doing such good work there—and they keep aiming higher!”

    Social media users lauded how the education initiative continued to take progressive steps that even private schools could not provide, and hoped more schools could introduce arts programs to their students.

  • ‘I am not just hopeful, I am certain’: Kakar on elections

    ‘I am not just hopeful, I am certain’: Kakar on elections

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has confirmed that general elections will be held in the next three to four months, adding that polls are “certain”.

    To a question about his plan of action if the caretaker Prime Minister gets an extension, he told a local TV station that he could see the country going to polls in the next three to four months, The News reported on Wednesday.

    “I think within a few months… a few months can be translated into three, three-and-half or four…that needs to be seen…this will conclude and we will go to the electoral process,” he commented.

    On asking the same question on elections, he replied, “I am not just hopeful; rather, I am certain”.

    He stated that because of the short time, the caretaker government is giving priority to policy matters to make the journey of the future government smoother.

  • This BTS member and his dad silently donated to poor families across South Korea

    This BTS member and his dad silently donated to poor families across South Korea

    Not just a hero on the stage but a hero behind the scenes as well

    BTS’s band member Jimin and his father Park Hyun-soo have been playing an important role in providing groceries for low-income families across South Korea. Since September 2020, Hyun-soo has been using the name ‘Ramyeon Fairy’ to deliver donations in Busan, where he provided at least 100 tuna gift sets and 5,250 boxes of ramyeon to struggling families. He has made a total of eight contributions to households across Nam-gu, which can be valued up to 75.95 million Korean won.

    On August 5, Hyun-Soo visited the Nam-gu district office to donate five million Korean won under his son Jimin’s name and also personally delivered boxes of ramen to the office. An official source shared with the Korean media organisation SBS:

    “[Jimin’s father] asked us to use the items to ensure that no one in need goes hungry. He personally loaded the boxes of instant noodles onto the truck and left them at the district office.”⁠

    Jimin himself is also a charitable icon. In 2021, he donated a 100 million won to polio patients, and then another 100 million won to UNICEF Korea to aid children and families struggling from the earthquakes of Syria and Turkey. Among other donations, the ‘Like Crazy’ star pledged 1200 new desks and chairs to the Busan High School of Arts and then gave away 100 million won to the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education.

    Kindness must be a common quality among the Korean pop band because it’s not just Jimin, but also other members like Namjoon, who aren’t afraid to give back to the community with what they earned. In 2019, on September 12, when the icon turned 25 years old, he donated 100 million Korean won to The Seoul Samsung School, a specialised institute for deaf children, for music education. In June 2020, the group won praise when they donated $1 million to the human rights organisation ‘Black Lives Matter’.