After the tragic news of Maulana Tariq Jameel’s son passing away in what is being said was suicide, celebrities are urging their followers to recognise the importance of taking care of their mental health. Asim Jameel, the younger son of the Maulana, passed away after shooting himself with a gun at his ancestral home in Tulamba.
Social media was left heart broken after Yousef Jamil confirmed to the press that his brother Asim had passed away from suicide. Now more public figures like Zara Noor Abbas want people to understand that depression should be recognised as an illness.
“For all those who say that depression happens because of deen say duri, please take the example of Maulana Tariq Sahab’s son who was suffering from it even though he had a house full of religious activities and his father being such an honoured religious scholar,” the actress penned.
“Please understand that depression is real like any other illness,” Zara stressed to her followers. “It sucks everything out of you. Please seek help and support for it. My heart goes out to the family of the deceased. May Allah grant him Jannah and peace after all.”
Actress and VJ Anoushay Ashraf slammed the common assumption that depression happens when people are away from God, and spoke about how it should be recognised as a medical issue.
“I hope those celebs who unknowingly but hurt fully speak about how depression is being away from Allah (SWT) realise that it’s very much a medical issue. Many troubles and issues in life can perhaps be because of your disconnect with the higher being, I get your viewpoint but depression is a ‘real’ sickness and disease. It’s not being away from God, it’s being ill. Very ill in such cases.”
Geo Television’s serial ‘Jhoom’ has turned into a hit, with Hashim Nadeem’s writing and Ali Faizan’s direction garnering accolades.
A 7th Sky Entertainment presentation, Jhoom features the love story of a couple with a sizable age difference. Haroon Kadwani plays the character of angry young man Aryaan while Zara Noor Abbas is playing the character of the hardworking and mature Doctor Maryam. Audiences became immediate fans, with each episode of the drama garnering more than 10 million views on YouTube.
The last episode of the drama has aired and fans were in rapture, saying that the last episode made them cry with Maryam and Aryaan. Many fans were of the view that Aryaan should have not forgiven Maryam because she didn’t stand by his side when he needed her the most but mostly fans loved the happy ending.
Many fans are already demanding a second season while others were sad that the drama ended early. Read audience comments about the ending:
Its Father’s Day, and celebrities like Yashma Gill and Haroon Kadwani took to social media to share loving odes to their father, because we truly know that behind every successful individual is a strong support system.
‘Jhoom’ actor Haroon Kadwani shared a picture with his father, producer Abdullah Kadwani, and praised him for being a ray of sunshine and his role model.
Happy Father’s Day to a true superhero – my coolest and stylish Abba. A ray of sunshine for others, a king at heart and a man of his words aka my role model. Love you ❤️ Stay blessed.. may ALLAH protect us from the eyes of the evil – your proudest son, since 1999 ”
Danish Taimoor shared a card he received from his son, Rayan, for Father’s Day. The actor has married ‘Chand Tara’ co-star Ayeza Khan, with whom he shares two children.
Drama serial ‘Jhoom’ has been praised by audiences for its storyline about an older and financially independent woman and her love interest. Eight episodes in, the drama, starring Zara Noor Abbas and Haroon Kadwani, has been praised by for its empowered female characters, the electrifying chemistry between the leads, and for tackling mental health issues in a sensitive manner, especially refusing to depict being admitted in a psychiatric hospital in a negative way.
In the drama, Aryaan (Haroon Kadwani) suffers from anger issues and depression, which stem from his mother abandoning their family. In a recent episode, he is informed that reports were discovered proving he was admitted in a mental rehabilitation center for some time. But instead of denying it, Aryaan candidly speaks about depression, and reminds the authorities that they should never stigmatise those suffering from mental health issues, especially when they work hard to overcome it.
Politician Sharmila Faruqi shared the scene in an Instagram post, highlighting how important it is now more than ever that television shows learn to portray mental health issues in a sensitive and empathic manner:
“Talking openly about mental health can reduce the misconception and stigma and can encourage those suffering from it to cope, seek help and find a support network. It helps communities to be more acceptable towards those who need help. With the right treatment most people recover from depression and anxiety and can lead a normal, productive life. But is the society compassionate about this ? All forgiving ? This scene from the current drama serial “Jhoom” talks about this very important human right.. our mental health. How we feel and think is central to the way we live our lives… Suicide accounts for over 800,000 deaths globally.. Alarming isn’t it? Yes.. support those around you who need help. Every 1 person in 5 experiences a mental health condition. Urgent action is needed to strengthen mental health systems across the globe. Be a part of this.. Thank you to the makers of “Jhoom” for bringing this in the forefront. Very aptly portrayed by @haroonkadwani ”
We are in awe of how Pakistani dramas are branching out from the typical saas-bahu narratives, and are daring to tackle topics like these and executing them brilliantly!
The highly anticipated drama ‘Jhoom’ hit television screens across the country last week with Zara Noor Abbas and Haroon Kadwani starring as male leads in the exhilarating ‘enemies to lovers story’ between an older woman and a young man.
Maryam (played by Abbas) is a doctor who has dedicated her life to her younger brother’s upbringing, adopting a ‘take no crap’ attitude from men while working long shifts at the hospital. While Kadwani essays Arryan, a former car engineer who has anger issues that emerged after his mother left his family.
The first few episodes have released on media platforms and fans are already in love with the chemistry between Abbas and Kadwani, applauding the makers of the show for choosing to tackle age gap marriages while deciding to make their female lead an older and financially independent woman.
Say what you want, but I really like the way the love story is progressing & building up in #Jhoom. Everything from attraction to the awkwardness in conversation feels natural. Zara Noor Abbas looks beautiful. I liked the “munna kaaka type” line. Accurate. #PakistaniDramapic.twitter.com/ksotn93fQL
You’ve probably heard this name to death on the internet: Hamza Sohail. Women are fangirling over the ‘Fairy Tale’ alum, sharing clips from his recent dramas, while the actor’s Instagram following soared from 60K to 251K in a matter of weeks. A lot of us are shocked because a Pakistani man being thirsted over by women is a rare thing. That there is a man out there without a problematic past, is actually humble, respectful and is also an incredibly good actor?
We found it difficult to believe as well but Hamza Sohail is currently the leading man of our hearts. With his limited but stellar performances in rom-coms like ‘Fairy Tale’ thrillers like ‘Badshah Begum’ and ‘Raqeeb Se’, he has cemented himself as a star to look out for, and we want our audiences to remember his name.
So if you have likely woken up from under a rock and are taken aback by this sudden take over of Hamza Sohail on the internet, let us guide you through a brief introduction of who he is and what he has done in his career so far.
1 He’s the son of renowned comedian, Sohail Ahmed
Being a Nepo Baby is not exactly something that would strike well with an audience that is longing for fresh faces, especially when it is clear how the entertainment industry tends to sideline people who are not from a well-connected background. But Hamza spoke about this issue in an interview with Fuchsia Magazine, sharing that he wanted to become an actor not because of his father, but of his own interests. He also shared that his parents were quite strict, hoping that he would complete CSS and go into the civil service like his grandfather, which is why they often shielded him from the spotlight and urged him to work hard in school. But Sohail developed a passion for acting from participating in theatre and school plays.
2 He made his debut in ‘Raqeeb Se’
His first drama was ‘Raqeeb Se’ where he played Abdul Rehman, the love interest of Insha (played by Faryal Mehmood).
3 He also played the dashing and sensitive Shahmir in ‘Badshah Begum’, which has now reincarnated on the internet despite airing almost two years ago.
‘Badshah Begum’ was a gripping story about politics and rivalry among siblings to claim the throne. It had a star-studded cast including Farhaan Saeed, Zara Noor Abbas and Yasir Hussain. Sohail played the youngest member of the Pir clan, Shahmir. A year later, fans are still in awe of his performance and the tragic love story between Shahmir and Gulnar (played by Hiba Aziz). We’re definitely joining in on the re-watch!
Actor Zara Noor Abbas recently shared her pictures on social media while performing Umrah in Mecca alongside her husband Asad Siddiqui and mother Asma Abbas. While the majority of netizens applauded her for performing a significant religious practice, the troll brigade hopped on the bandwagon by trolling the actress in the comments section of her post. A netizen called her out for allegedly showcasing vulgarity last year. He claimed that there is no point in being an actress and performing Umrah at the year’s end when all they do is spread vulgarity all year round.
Zara was quick to spot the hater and right away gave a shut-up call to them. While responding to the comment on her Instagram post she wrote, “Whatever I do is up to me. My Allah, my grave. Why are you even trying to gain space in my grave? Sorry I have no space for you in my grave. Worry about yours.”
Zara Noor’s befitting response to the troll caught the attention of social media and both the netizens and celebrities were quick to sympathize with the actress.
Actor Zara Noor Abbas is currently garnering praise for her stellar dance performance at the Hum Style Awards. The Khamoshi star has often been frank about battling body shaming in the entertainment industry.
Now the talented performer took to her Instagram stories to slam American model and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian for projecting uncomfortable and problematic beauty standards.
Zara stated her opinion while sharing a video of the Keeping up with the Kardashian s diva. Kim was seen being severely uncomfortable and struggling to even walk up the stairs and sitting in her car because of her tight bodycon shimmery outfit.
The reality star suffered a wardrobe malfunction at the Milan Fashion Week.
The 41-year-old siren took to Instagram on Monday to share the hilarious moment she was forced to leap up a set of stairs in an extremely tight-fitting dress.
Kim donned a figure-hugging silver Dolce and Gabbana gown, showing off her hourglass curves.
Kim uploaded the side-splitting clip, paired with hilarious music, to her Instagram, sharing the funny moment with her 300 million followers.
Actor Zara Noor Abbas opened up about her traumatic experience with her miscarriage and her subsequent state of mental health in a recent interview. She also shared valuable advice for expecting mothers so they are better prepared.
On Sunday, she shared a clip from a podcast with Frieha Altaf and wrote, “It’s always a task to talk about what you have lost forever. But after so much discussion and a few months later, I could finally talk my heart out with my beautiful and compassionate friend, Frieha Altaf, and share my experience of the healthcare system, the negligence, the aftermath of trauma, and how women clap so little for themselves and don’t know how brave and strong they are when it comes to resilience.”
“I hope I can gain some hope from women who have been through the same or maybe worse and together we can create awareness and have support groups for everyone to share their story,” she added.
Frieha addressed the matter by saying there of every 1,000 births, at least 53 stillborn. She encouraged the Badhshah Begum actor to talk about her experience.
“Looking at it now, it is a lot of support from the family, very less [from] friends, I think one or two, maybe four. It has to do a lot with my family. Asad, of course, because he was his child also,” she started, discussing her support system during the time. “When you have a child together, it makes your bond extremely beautiful but when you lose a child together, it makes your bond extremely beautiful also. I think me and Asad have seen the worst now, we ask, ‘What else will we see? Okay, it’s God’s will.’ Everything for me and Asad ends at whatever God wills because whatever is His will is His will. Yes, there’s an extreme sense of loss and I think I’m still grieving.”
Altaf directed the conversation towards guilt that mothers sometimes have in the aftermath of such a loss. Abbas admitted that she did suffer those feelings too. “I did at a point. I thought maybe I didn’t eat right, maybe I didn’t make myself strong enough, maybe I should have lost more weight before conceiving, become thinner, maybe I should have had an intake of vitamins, maybe I should’ve taken folic acid. But all of that is a ‘maybe’. God gives a child to even those who aren’t physically stable. He gives to those He wants to give to and takes from those He wants to take from.”
The Ehd-e-Wafa actor said her parents consoled her with the thought that it is probably what was best for the future of the child and the parents. “When it happened, my father and everybody kept saying, ‘Who knows? Maybe he wouldn’t have been able to do things that normal children can do. Then what would we do? It’s our kid, we can’t do anything, we have to keep him.’ This is for a better future, for us, for him. I am 120 per cent sure about it.”
She stressed on the importance of timing and taking care of your mental health as much as your physical health. “What I think women should know more about is that you can have a short cervix, you can have missing amniotic fluid in your system, you can have a weak uterus but all of these things you’ll never know before time. That is the beauty and payback of it. Until and unless a woman is pregnant, you cannot figure out these things. And when you’re pregnant, this is a huge miracle so try and take care of yourself mentally and physically as much as you can. Because as important as your physical being is, your mental being is much more important than that. And loss, I think, is a lifelong thing. I am a mother and he was my firstborn.”
Abbas shed light on the hopelessness that may follow such a loss. “One more thing I’d like to add is that loss brings you to a point where you don’t want to do anything again or try anything again or you’re scared of getting attached to people again because you think that this might repeat like before,” she said. “But I think that is the breakeven point where you have to step up and be like no, even if I’m going to fall again, I will not stop trying and I will not give up on what I think will happen. I have to keep on going. This difficult work is what I think life is about because if there’s no movement there’s no constant, hustle — and there’s no life.”
The Zebaish star recounted the process and advised expecting mothers to have their gynecologist’s personal number on hand, to book an appointment beforehand in order to avoid waiting in that fragile state, and have a plan B in case something goes wrong. She explained that she had gone for a regular check-up only for it to transition into the nightmare that premature birthing can become. She said she was in such as traumatic state, she needed someone to make decisions for her because she was unable to process her surroundings. The doctors made her sign papers that shifted the responsibility in case of her death on the table off their shoulders. She wasn’t even aware what she had signed until later.
Earlier this year, her actor-husband Asad Siddiqui talked about losing his child on Gup Shup with FUCHSIA.
“We lost a baby a while ago. It wasn’t a miscarriage; Zara actually delivered a 5-6 months baby, which I buried myself, revealed Asad. We named him Aurangzeb. It was a good time when we got to know that we are going to have a baby but unfortunately, some complications occurred due to which we lost our baby.”
He continued by adding that it was a very difficult time for the family, especially for Zara.
He also told about Zara’s condition saying, she went through many breakdowns, hormonal changes and many more.
He further said that he believes that everything happens with Allah’s will. “Whatever he has written in our fate, we’ll surely get it. You never know, maybe Allah has written something better for us.”
On the work front Asad can recently be seen currently in successful dramas, Sinf e Aahan and Aye Musht-e-Khaak.
Actor Ali Abbas’ acting career kicked off with director Amin Iqbal’s drama Meri Dulari opposite Yumna Zaidi on Geo TV. He weighed 86 kilos before stepping into TV and lost around 9 kilos to look the part.
However Ali revealed on Nida Yasir’s morning show that on the first day of his shoot, the veteran director slammed him. According to the Meherposh star, Amin told him that he doesn’t look like a star and will never become one, also that he doesn’t have the qualities in him to be a leading hero. This incident dampened his confidence.
Now in an exclusive interview with The Current while promoting his movie Rehbra, Amin Iqbal responded to Ali’s allegations. The Ishq-e-Laa maker said, “The judgement could be wrong at times as I am a human too but whatever I have said about someone, it has become true. There is a difference between being a star and being an actor.
“I have introduced artists like Yumna Zaidi, Saba Qamar and Sameer Sohail from Lahore to the showbiz fraternity, even recently when I casted Azaan Sami Khan in Ishq-e-Laa, people scrutinised his casting in the play but respect and disrespect is in the hands of God.”
“I know his father and grandfather personally and have had good terms with him.”
Iqbal concluded by saying that now that Ali is in a better space career wise, it could be because of the remarks that Amin gave him early on his career as Abbas must have improved himself after it.
Earlier this year Abbas appreciated his contemporary Ahmed Ali Akbar in an interview with Maliha Rehman.
The Mere Apnay star stated that Ahmad has given a superlative performance in Parizaad and it makes him happy that underrated actors like him are now getting leading roles in mainstream projects.
He added that at the time of Ehd-e-Wafa there was noise about him being sidelined in the play which starred bigger names like Ahad Raza Mir and Osman Khalid Butt alongside him.
Ehd-e-Wafa emerged as a blockbuster in 2020 and starred an ensemble cast.
The Fitrat star mentioned that he is the biggest fan of Naumaan Ijaz and takes inspiration from him while performing, especially from his performance in Mera Saeen.
