Tag: trending

  • Marvi Sirmed, Ertuğrul, coronavirus: Here’s what Pakistanis have been searching for in 2020

    Marvi Sirmed, Ertuğrul, coronavirus: Here’s what Pakistanis have been searching for in 2020

    To say that 2020 has been a rollercoaster would be an understatement. Though the coronavirus pandemic pretty much defined 2020, there were lots of other things that kept Pakistanis engaged throughout the year. Some that we might even have forgotten.

    Lucky for us, Google released its annual ‘Year in Search‘ list on Wednesday, giving us a quick roundup of the year and reminding us of our obsessions which included Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Meray Paas Tum Ho, Money Heist, Sarah Khan and Falak Shabbir’s wedding and Pakistan vs England series besides of course corona.

    Meanwhile, check out the complete lists here:

    Top Search

    1. Pakistan vs England
    2. Coronavirus
    3. Zimbabwe vs Pakistan
    4. Google Classroom
    5. US Election 2020
    6. PSL 2020
    7. India vs New Zealand
    8. England vs Australia
    9. England vs West Indies
    10. Worldometers

    People

    1. Marvi Sarmad
    2. Uzma Khan
    3. Joe Biden
    4. Alizeh Shah
    5. Hareem Shah
    6. Minahil Malik
    7. Falak Shabir
    8. Asim Azhar
    9. Esra Bilgiç
    10. Sarah Khan

    Events/Occasions

    1. US elections
    2. Leap day
    3. International women’s day
    4. Australia fire
    5. Gilgit Baltistan election 2020 result
    6. Beirut blast
    7. Motorway incident
    8. Kabaddi world cup 2020
    9. Under 19 world cup
    10. Khabib vs Gaethje

    Movies & TV

    1. Ertuğrul
    2. Mere Paas Tum Ho
    3. Money Heist
    4. Bigg Boss 14
    5. Mirzapur Season 2
    6. Deewangi
    7. Mera Dil Mera Dushman
    8. Kuruluş: Osman
    9. Ehd-e-Wafa
    10. Joker

    Gadgets

    1. Huawei Y9a
    2. Infinix Note 7
    3. Vivo V20
    4. iPhone 12
    5. Infinix Hot 9
    6. OPPO F17 Pro
    7. Vivo S1
    8. Vivo Y20
    9. Vivo Y51
    10. Huawei Y6p

    According to Google, these lists are based on search terms that had the highest spike this year as compared to the previous year (2019).

  • High-tension video shows police ‘forcefully picking up’ DJ Butt ahead of Opp’s Lahore jalsa

    High-tension video shows police ‘forcefully picking up’ DJ Butt ahead of Opp’s Lahore jalsa

    A high-tension video doing the rounds has shown Punjab Police personnel detaining popular disc jockey and political activist DJ Butt.

    According to journalist Munizae Jahangir, Butt, who is responsible for the sound system arrangements at the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) anti-government protest in Lahore on December 13, was “forcefully taken to Model Town police station”.

    https://twitter.com/MunizaeJahangir/status/1336582648488226817?s=19

    The video that shows Butt resisting arrest and seeking the reason behind his detention comes at a time when tensions run high among the country’s political quarters.

    The joint opposition is determined to send the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government packing with its protests.

    The government, on the other hand, has refused to let the opposition “blackmail the state into giving them a clean chit in corruption cases”.

    While the government has also not allowed the PDM member parties to gather in Lahore amid the second wave of COVID-19, leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) among other joint opposition parties say the gathering will be held come what may.

    Meanwhile, the premier has also announced to hold by-elections on vacant seats if PDM leaders go forth with plans of resigning from assemblies.

  • Anti-govt protests: PML-N’s Khokhar brothers resign as lawmakers

    After MPA Rana Munawar Ghous, Lahore’s Khokhar brothers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have also handed over their resignations from respective assemblies to the party leadership.

    As per the details, MNA Malik Afzal Khokar and MPA Saiful Malook Khokhar submitted their letters amid talks of mass resignations by opposition lawmakers in protest against the government.

    PML-N leader Azma Bukhari has said that the party has not asked lawmakers to hand in their resignations but they are submitting them on their own.

    On the other hand, the leadership of the 11-party opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), will meet in Islamabad today to devise strategy for the second phase of the anti-government movement.

    Resignations from the assemblies by PDM lawmakers will also be discussed in the meeting.

  • ‘The Fab Lives of Bolly Wives’ falls flat despite the glam and starry special appearances

    ‘The Fab Lives of Bolly Wives’ falls flat despite the glam and starry special appearances

    What are the three things you look for in a reality tv series? Drama, drama and more drama. Unfortunately, Netflix’s latest reality television series The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives has everything to offer besides that. You have glitz, glam, a fancy holiday, discussions on plastic surgery and the cherry on top – lots, and I mean lots, of starry special appearances. But all this fails to add to the oomph factor and you end up watching the show only because of your love for Bollywood.

    The Fab Lives of Bolly Wives (let’s just call it FLBW) centres around four Bollywood wives – Maheep Kapoor, wife of Sanjay Kapoor, Seema Khan, wife of Sohail Khan, Bhavana Pandey, wife of Chunkey Pandey, and Neelum Kothari, wife of Samir Soni. Maheep is the queen bee of the gang which has been together for 25 years. Mind you, this has been repeated a gazillion times in the entire show, lest we forget. Seema is the one with the wit and sarcasm, while Bhavana is the superstitious one. And Neelum, throughout the series is just worried about one thing: should she make a comeback to films.

    While each woman has her own distinct personality and they are interesting to see in the first episode, the problem with the show is that there is just no drama. The girls are chill with one another and no one gets pissed at the other, except in one episode. Even then, their ‘showdown’ was just very dry. What is this relationship? Where is the spark? The fire? Twice Karan Johar had to come in and be the phoppo he is so that he can instigate them. Unfortunately, the fire never really lights – they really should have taken classes from our favourite Sima Taparia from Indian Matchmaking on how to say the most outrageous things and still not be hated for it. Most of the stuff we saw in the series was all that the paparazzi have already shown to us or they have posted on their Instagram feeds. Even their conversations were terribly safe as if they were scared to give viewers a sneak peek into who they are behind the facades. Just goes on to show that reality tv is not everyone’s piece of cake.

    The two things I did find interesting was that one Maheep is a stalker. An actual stalker. She observes people through her binoculars and she apparently caught glimpses of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan’s wedding through her binoculars. And secondly, Seema and Sohail, despite being married don’t live in the same house. They live across the street from one another and are very happy with this arrangement.

    Interestingly the show is called FLBW, but we barely get to see them as wives. We end up watching them as mothers mostly because my God they are obsessed with their kids. Even the series opens with Maheep fretting over her daughter Shanaya’s Le Bal debut.

    The biggest takeaways from the show had NOTHING to do with the wives. For me, there were two major ones. SPOILERS AHEAD. One that Janhvi Kapoor got a wish from Kylie Jenner on her birthday and second which fascinated me the most – on their trips abroad, Shah Rukh Khan would be the one to babysit all the children when the wives would go party. In fact, my favourite episode from the season was the one which had SRK. Damn that man can charm even a cactus. His witty one-liners and dry humour had me smiling throughout the episode. Gauri Khan in an Instagram post has said that she will be gatecrashing the second season and I do hope that if there is a second season, I’d like to see more of Shah Rukh in it than anyone else.

    The makers of the show tried to create a desi version of Keeping up with the Kardashians meets Sex and the City, but they somehow forgot to add the main ingredient – drama. In this review, I am not even going to recommend or not recommend the show. Because I know that if you’re a Bolly freak like myself, you will still sit and spend five hours watching the eight episodes. All I’m going to say is keep your expectations low.

  • ‘Accha’ is now a dictionary word

    ‘Accha’ is now a dictionary word

    Accha, probably one of the most commonly used words in the country, has been recognised as a real word and added in the Cambridge Dictionary.

    https://twitter.com/munimmatin/status/1335116240440975365?s=20

    The Cambridge Dictionary, produced by Cambridge University Press, is one of the world’s most well-known, trusted and credible English dictionary sources and they have added word Accha also Achha as an expression which, according to it, means “That’s good. Go ahead.”

    The word in it is used for showing surprise or happiness. “I managed to buy it for half the price. Accha!“

    Meanwhile, the Cambridge Dictionary has also declared Quarantine as its word of the year. According to the dictionary, quarantine was the third most-searched for word during the year, with maximum searches between March 18 and 24, when restrictions began to be imposed due to the pandemic.

    Alongside quarantine, other coronavirus-related words, including pandemic and lockdown, ranked highly on Cambridge Dictionary’s most popular list for 2020.

  • Five Pakistani dramas PM Khan should watch

    Five Pakistani dramas PM Khan should watch

    Ever since he assumed office, Prime Minister Imran Khan has given us plenty of recommendations on drama serials and books – the most prominent being Turkish drama series Diriliş: Ertuğrul and Elif Shafak’s The Forty Rules of Love. Earlier this week, PM Khan recommended the youth to watch another Turkish show on Sufism Yunus Emre: Aşkin Yolculuğu, which is also being aired on PTV in Urdu.

    While we love the fact that the PM takes out time to recommend stuff to the youth, we decided to turn the tables and recommend him a few recent (in the past two years) Pakistani drama serials which are worth watching. Check out our suggestions below:

    Sabaat

    While Hum TV’s Sabaat in its essence is a family drama exploring familial relations and dynamics, its presentation was very refreshing, in particular Anaya and Hassan’s storyline. The drama highlighted the importance of having a healthy, loving relationship with your children and gave out a strong message on the importance of empowering women and daughters and gave viewers a new heroine after Zindagi Gulzar Hai‘s Kashf. It also showed how ego, money and misunderstandings can ruin relationships and your life. All these themes are the ones which PM Khan has time and time again urged our drama writers to show on television.

    Read more – ‘Sabaat’ manages to tie up loose ends in a rushed finale

    Alif

    Starring PM Imran’s BFF Hamza Ali Abbasi and Sajal Aly in the lead, Alif, written by Umera Ahmed and directed by Haseeb Hasan focuses on the spiritual journeys of two individuals Qalb-e-Momin (Hamza) and Momina Sultan (Sajal), who despite coming from completely different backgrounds help each other find peace in righteousness. Alif was a brilliant example of good storytelling and sensitive direction. Moreso, the entire cast of the drama including Hamza, Sajal, Ahsan Khan, Manzar Sehbai and Kubra Khan gave strong and solid performances. It is pertinent to add here that Hamza in several interviews has shared that his life reflects what is shown in the drama.

    Suno Chanda Season 1

    Perhaps one of the most-loved dramas in the country, Suno Chanda (Season 1) is chaotic, fun and will leave you with a warm feeling. The show which ran through Ramadan and had everyone hooked is about a household in which the children of two brothers get married just before the family’s patriach passes away. Directed by Aehsun Talish and written by Saima Akram Chaudhry, Suno Chanda is a comedy drama done just right. From the performances to the witty dialogues to the direction, everything about this drama was brilliant. The show gave us some memorable characters and there was bound to be one person in the cast you could relate too.

    Out of the list, if there is one drama the prime minister should be watching, it should be Suno Chanda. Will also give him some much-needed respite from the day-to-day political tensions.

    Aangan

    Yet another multi-starrer drama starring some big dramas of the drama industry, Aangan brought back and romanticised living in joint family systems while at the same time highlighting the issues that come with it. The drama very delicately and tactfully challenged societal norms while keeping viewers engaged and hooked. Aangan is without a doubt one of Faiza Iftikhar’s finest works. I am pretty sure Khan sahab is going to love this one. It is everything he wants to promote through television and dramas.

    Sammi

    Perhaps the darkest drama on this list, Mawra Hocane and Adnan Siddiqui’s Sammi sheds light on the custom of vani (or exchange brides) and how women are forced to continuously bear children in the quest for a son. It is gritty and makes you uncomfortable but that is because you know that this is exactly what happens to women in this country. The drama has been sensitively written by Noor ul Huda Shah and directed by Saifee Hassan.

    Is there any other drama you would recommend PM Imran to watch? Let us know in the comments below.

  • Diljit Dosanjh gave Kangana Ranaut a piece of mind and we’re here for it

    Diljit Dosanjh gave Kangana Ranaut a piece of mind and we’re here for it

    An epic Twitter feud between Kangana Ranaut and Diljit Dosanjh over the ongoing farmer’s protests in India is making headlines across the subcontinent. In case, you have no idea what happened, keep reading.

    The fight started when Dosanjh hit out at Ranaut for misidentifying an elderly Sikh woman from the farmers’ protest as Bilquis Bano – the octogenarian who made international headlines during the anti-CAA protests earlier this year in the Delhi neighbourhood of Shaheen Bagh – and said the woman joined the protest for Rs 100 only. Ranaut later deleted the tweet after she was called out for spreading misinformation.

    Sharing a video of the woman speaking on the issue, Dosanjh advised Kangana to listen to the video.

    “One should not be this blind,” he added.

    What followed was an ugly war of words with Dosanjh counter-attacking in Punjabi. Kangana did not hold herself back while attacking Diljit, referring to him as “Karan Johar ke paltu“.

    In response to this, Dosanjh told Kangana that she is well-versed with the art of playing with people’s emotions. No surprises there. The actor has on several occasions also propagated hate against Pakistan.

    Kangana continued to drag KJo into the conversation without any reason. Her hatred for the filmmaker is hardly a secret.

    Diljit further pointed out to Kangana that he is a Punjabi and not a “Bollywood wala” and that Bollywood invites him to do films.

    Kangana then hit back by accusing the Punjabi singer of provoking farmers against the country.

    When one Twitter user called out the actor for insinuating that Johar offers work in exchange for sex, Kangana attacked him also.

    However, Diljit did not stop and continued to school Kangana over her irresponsible statements.

    Other Punjabi artists including Mika Singh and Gippy Grewal stepped in to support Diljit and voice their distaste over Kangana’s comments.

    Case registered against Kangana

    Meanwhile, the Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has sent a legal notice to actor Kangana Ranaut, seeking an unconditional apology for her “derogatory” tweets against farmers and activists involved in the protest against the Centre’s farm laws. They have also requested Ranaut to remove the particular tweets.

    “We have sent a legal notice to Kangana for her derogatory tweet calling the aged mother of a farmer as a woman available for Rs 100. Her tweets portray farmers protest as anti-national. We demand an unconditional apology from her for her insensitive remarks on farmers protest,” said president of DSGMC Manjinder Singh Sirsa, in a tweet.

    Farmer’s Protest

    Thousands of farmers have gathered at Delhi’s gateways to demand a repeal of the Centre’s three new farm laws. The protesting farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana as well as Uttar Pradesh, are worried the new laws will eliminate the safety cushion of a Minimum Support Price and procurement system, while rendering ineffective the mandi system that ensures earnings for various stakeholders in the farm sector.

    The government has been in talks with farmer leaders to resolve the issue.

  • Bilal Abbas needs a fresh haircut, says Ben Dunk

    Bilal Abbas needs a fresh haircut, says Ben Dunk

    After being tagged on the posters of upcoming drama Dunk, Australian cricketer Ben Dunk has advised Bilal Abbas Khan to get a fresh haircut.

    Ben was tagged in a poster of drama serial Dunk by Zohaib Azhar, who is a host at Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    “Pakistan drama industry is also impressed by Ben Dunk,” wrote Zohaib in the caption.

    “I’ve been getting tagged in this a bit today, surely the actor needs a fresh haircut,” said the cricketer while sharing the poster of Bilal on his Instagram story.

    In response to Ben’s comment, Bilal joked: “I agree! I’m sure you can understand how difficult it is to maintain long hair.”

    “Love you man. Big fan,” he added.

    Dunk is an upcoming drama on ARY Digital, featuring Bilal and Sana Javed in lead roles. Other cast members include Yasra Rizvi, Shahood Alvi, Fahad Sheikh, Laila Wasti, Saifi Hassan, Salma Hassan, Kanwal Khan, Noman Ejaz, and Azekah Daniel.

    Bilal was last scene in Zee5’s Eik Jhoothi Love Story alongside Madiha Imam.

    While details about the drama are being kept tightly under wraps, Bilal in an interview had shared that the drama is a murder mystery. Dunk is being produced under the banner of Fahad Mustafa’s BigBang Entertainment.

  • Getting wet is the new viral trend in photoshoots

    Getting wet is the new viral trend in photoshoots

    If you are an Insta-stalker like myself, you may have noticed that several A-list celebrities were spotted lounging and posing away in the pool. While I initially thought that it was just a new Pakistani trend, I stumbled upon pictures of Hollywood celebrities posing in the pool as well, establishing the fact that getting wet (and wild) is the new trend in fashion and editorial photoshoots.

    It all started with Emmad Irfani, who did an entire editorial shoot wearing dress pants and a dress shirt while standing in a pool.

    Damn, check that style and swag.

    Photo Credits – Natasha Zubair

    Sheheryar Munawar was next, who took it a notch higher and wore a full suit in the pool while inviting us to join him for a cup of tea.

    Photo Credits – Rizwan Haq

    Munawar then went on to do another shoot in the pool, this time without a shirt.

    Photo Credits – Rizwan Haq

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

    We then spotted Minal Khan also posing away in the pool wearing a black high-neck sweater.

    Next up we have Jennifer Lopez aka JLo, who turned up the heat and she stood in the pool. The shoot was from her upcoming skincare brand ‘JLo Beauty’. From where does the actor look 51?

    Last but not the least there is Sacha Baron Cohen, who also suited up in the pool. Though we do have to add here that our boys slayed it better.

    Which pool shot was your favourite? Ours has to be JLo and Sheheryar.

  • ‘Leave the judging to God’: Ahsan Mohsin Ikram responds to backlash

    ‘Leave the judging to God’: Ahsan Mohsin Ikram responds to backlash

    Ahsan Mohsin Ikram, who has recently been criticised for his alleged relationship with Minal Khan and for posting loved-up pictures of the two, has reacted to the backlash by asking people to worry about “his/her own life instead of others”.

    “Oh you who believe! Let not some people among you laugh at others, perhaps they may be better than them,” said the actor in a story posted to his Instagram.

    He then went onto say: “Human beings tend to judge others. They describe differences and are quick look down and those who may be different from themselves. It is as though they think that they are so right and so special, that anyone who is not like them has something wrong with them. We may not admit this, even to ourselves judging others and mocking them, openly or covertly, that is probably the most behind our attitude.”

    Ahsan then said that to “respect the differences is to respect the God who made us all so unique”.

    “Each one of us is special the way we think, talk act or behave,” he asserted. “Diversity adds to the richness of the world.”

    “Islam teaches us not to condemn others. Leave the judging to God. Worry about, and judge, only yourself,” he added.

    He further explained his stance by quoting a Hadith.

    “According to Hadith, fortunate is that person who is so busy with his own faults, that he has no time to think about the faults of others. Even if you see something we don’t like in someone, you may be guilty of the same thing, but are less likely to see in yourself.”

    Concluding his comments, Ahsan said: “Also, there may be a lot good in the other person which you are not aware of. The fourth Imam (a) taught us to see every person we meet as better than ourselves.”

    Fans, followers and social media users have criticised the alleged couple for sharing pictures of themselves in which they can be seen hugging one another. Netizens believe that the actors are giving out wrong message thorough their actions.

    Former actor Noor Bukhari was among those who expressed her reservations over the alleged couple’s public display of affection.

    In a post featuring the two, Bukhari commented: “I really [like] both the sisters. But if they are married, then being close and posting these pictures is fine.”

    “But if not, they are misleading the youth by making it alright to post intimate pictures before marriage,” stated the actor, adding, “Or maybe they are nikaofied (married). Aur unke parents khush hain (And their parents are happy).”

    Though Ahsan has turned off the comments on his post, the picture of the purported duo has gone viral on social media with people leaving hateful comments.