To honour those fighting on the frontlines against the COVID-19 pandemic, producer (Naqsh Shany) Haider has released a rendition of Mehdi Hassan’s Ye Watan Tumhara Hai.
The song features a plethora of celebrities including Adnan Siddiqui, Imran Abbas, Zara Noor Abbas, Faysal Qureshi, Ahsan Khan, Asma Abbas, Zhalay Sarhadi, Asad Siddiqui, Anoushey Abbasi and Gohar Rasheed among others.
According to the song’s producer, “Tum Se Hai Yeh Watan is a symphonic tribute to the sovereignty of Pakistan featuring silver screen artists as singers. This song is dedicated to our nation’s unsung heroes during COVID-19 pandemic and a salute to the armed forces, doctors, engineer’s, scientists, artists and our overseas Pakistanis and the entire nation.”
The song has been recorded and produced over social media apps in a completely virtual environment.
“It is a special effort to uplift nationalism within our hearts”, says the producer.
As the teasers of Bushra Ansari’s latest drama, Zebaish, hit the screens and are doing the rounds on social media, the veteran actor says she is done with “saas-bahu” dramas which is why she decided to work on something different. Ansari remarked that drama makers need to move away from the traditional storylines which depict a mazloom larki and focus on something with more substance. And from the look of the teasers, it appears that she has succeeded in achieving that because the teasers of Zebaish promise a story which is dark yet intriguing.
Without giving away the theme or plot of the drama, Ansari said that her upcoming drama Zebaish, which she has also written, aims to step away from the typical storylines that build on a woman’s distress. She said as drama makers, it is their responsibility to upgrade the audiences.
Talking about Zebaish, Ansari said that the drama’s story has multiple interconnecting tracks.
“The drama will focus on the complexities of human nature and how one’s behaviour defines their life,” said Bushra while speaking to The Current about it from Toronto where she is currently isolating.
She said that the drama will show raw human emotion and shed light on the human feelings of insecurity and selfishness. The actor further shared that in order to make the serial entertaining for the viewers, they have added a lot of glamour and drama. The teasers also show shrine culture and when asked about this, Ansari said that the spiritual and Sufistic elements have also been weaved into the plot.
Shedding light on her character, Ansari said that her character is of a simple, yet confident woman, and how relationships and loss affect her personality and life. She also revealed that she plays a glamorous star in the drama.
The drama also features Ansari’s sister Asma Abbas, niece Zara Noor Abbas and Zara’s husband Asad Siddiqui. Talking about why she chose her family members, Ansari joked that it was convenient. However, she added that the actors suited the characters she had written and it’s not like she was giving them a big break.
“Asma, Zara and Asad are already well-established actors, so it’s not like I am launching their career. I wanted people who would be willing to listen, learn and not show unnecessary attitude on set which is why I decided to go with people I know,” said Ansari. She added that this was also the reason they managed to wrap up the shoot within four months because there were no unnecessary delays caused by actors and their “tantrums”.
“Asma, being a veteran is a professional, while Asad apna bacha hai,” said Bushra. “He was so involved in the drama that he would sometimes shock me too – the director made him rehearse 25 times for some scenes and he would willingly oblige. And Zara, Allah na karay woh nakhray karay. Uss say pehlay hee hum ussay seedha kardein.”
Other cast members include the legendary Shabbir Jan and Babar Ali, both of who were the director’s call. Both the actors will play Ansari’s husband in the serial.
When asked where she got the inspiration for the drama, Bushra shared that stories are all around us but developing a plot and writing a screenplay is what is tough. She revealed that it took her seven months to pen the screenplay for Zebaish because she was tied up in other commitments. She added that she has several other stories in mind but because the process of doing a drama is so tedious, it takes time for things to come into shape.
The drama has been directed by Iqbal Hussain and Ansari shared that though she had written the screenplay, she gave the director full authority to make any changes he wanted. She praised Ahmed for being a master at his craft and said that no one does dramatic elements and dialogues better than him.
Meanwhile, Zara Noor Abbas, on the other hand, had earlier shared that the project was very close to her heart as it was shot during a very difficult phase of her life.
Ghani Tiger is among the first singers and rappers in Pakistan who got famous through TikTok. Hailing from Pasrur near Sialkot, Ghani is one of the most followed Tiktokers of Pakistan. The rapper recently took to social media to tell how his father was brutally murdered.
In a video message, he explained the incident of his father’s murder. Ghani told how a group of men came with rods and pistols and murdered his beloved father. They also shot his brother who is now in the hospital.
He accused his city’s organization of ATI Pasrur and named the culprits involved. According to Ghani, almost 50 to 60 people beat up his father. He urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to take notice of the incident. Ghani said he would not be quiet until his appeal was heard among the highest official ranks.
Soon after he posted, the video went viral and #JusticeForDawoodButt started trending. Zara Noor Abbas also condemned the incident and demanded justice for Dawood.
It pierces my heart to see that even in times like this and the day and age like this, a son has to beg for justice for his father’s death, Online. How many more murders to happen before we can get goons behind bars? #justicefordawood
— Zara Noor Abbas Siddiqui (@ZaraNoorAbbas) May 3, 2020
This video has shocked me! This young tiktoker named Ghani Tiger is speaking of an ordeal that is unbearable.
Fortunately, Punjab police took immediate action against the culprits and have claimed to have arrested three culprits involved in the incident. However, further inquiry is still in progress.
پولیس نے اس افسوسناک واقعہ کی ایف آئی آر فوری درج کر کے 3 ملزمان کو گرفتار کر لیا ہے جلد دیگر ملزمان کو بھی گرفتار کر لیا جائے گا۔
— Punjab Police Official (@OfficialDPRPP) May 3, 2020
A host of Pakistan’s much-loved celebrities have come together for a short film titled Call To Action to raise awareness on the coronavirus pandemic.
Among those who feature in the film includes Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humayun Saeed, Reema, Shehzad Roy, Ali Rehman Khan, Zara Noor Abbas, Maya Ali, Anwar Maqsood, Bilal Maqsood, Sheheryar Munawar, Wasim Akram, Shaniera Akram, Ayesha Omar, Iqra Aziz, Yasir Hussain and Mikaal Zulfiqar. The film follows them as they talk to each other on the phones. While the conversation appears to be like one anyone would be having with their friend or family on the phone, each dialogue has a message behind it.
For example, Shehzad Roy talks about how important it is to keep washing our hands, while Iqra says, “Fasla rakhain, kaheen corona na ho jaye.” Ayesha Omar expresses her annoyance at unverified Whatsapp forwards. The dialogues are fun, short and witty.
The film has been written and directed by Faisal Qureshi.
With everything and everyone in lockdown and quarantine, we often find ourselves scrolling through our phone galleries and reminiscing about the happy moments we spent with our loved ones.
Sheheryar Munawar, who in his previous post made it clear that he was done with the coronavirus, in his latest post shared pictures of himself with his most special people. Among those people is director Asim Raza, Mahira Khan, Adeel Hussain, his Parey Hut Love co-stars Maya Ali, Zara Noor Abbas, Ahmed Ali Butt and Shahbaz Shigri and makeup artist Adnan Ansari.
“In these times of the lockdown, emotional highs and lows have become part of everyday life. Whenever I’m feeling a little low, going through old pictures always puts a smile on my face,” wrote the actor.
“I’ve always heard people say ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’, but since I’ve been missing human interaction like the deserts miss the rain (yes, being a little dramatic for effect here) I’ve discovered that ‘A picture is worth a thousand a thousand emotions a thousand memories’,” he wrote further before adding, “Sharing a few pictures of some special people. Some of whom where friends before they become colleagues and some colleagues who became friends…but all of them are now friends who are like family.”
Sadaf Kanwal seems to have ruffled some feathers once again. The model, who is rumoured to be in a relationship with Shahroze Sabzwari, recently raised eyebrows after she left a questionable comment on her rumoured beau’s photo.
According to details, Sadaf had commented ‘Happy Birthday Mama’ under Shahroze’s post in which he was wishing his mother Safina Behroze on her birthday.
Though Sadaf later deleted her comment, it was not before many followers took screenshots and soon it went viral on social media.
While Shahroze and Sadaf have kept silent, Zara Noor Abbas took to social media to express her displeasure on the matter.
Someone called someone’s mother ‘mama’ today and it became national news. Surprised to know we are all locked in Quarantine but guess didn’t lock our inner demons. You wasted 3 weeks of your life if you still thought this was the biggest news of the month! #LocktheGossip
— Zara Noor Abbas Siddiqui (@ZaraNoorAbbas) April 14, 2020
Shahroze and Sadaf reportedly became friends late last year met while rehearsing for their performance at the third IPPA Awards held in Oslo, Norway. The two have maintained that they are just friends. Zara had also performed on the same awards.
Meanwhile, Shahroze recently split from Syra Yousuf after eight years of marriage. The couple in their official statement said that ended their marriage due to “irreconcilable differences”.
In between all the coronavirus crisis, one of television’s most-loved couples Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly tied the knot in Abu Dhabi on March 14. While some leaked pictures from their event went viral on social media, fans were still not satisfied and waited for the couple and their families to share pictures from the event.
Apart from a stellar star cast, Hum TV and ISPR’s joint project Ehd e Wafa also boasted some breathtakingly beautiful shots of Pakistan. And it turns out that the drama was shot in 16 cities across the country.
Osman Khalid Butt, who played the spoiled Malik Shahzain, revealed this little fun fact in a social media post in which he thanked director Saifee Hasan for his unrelenting effort in making the drama. Butt also shared that the drama’s shoot was spread over nine months.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zZS1ep8oX/
The last bumper episode of the drama was released on Sunday (March 14). It was initially supposed to be screened in cinemas but the coronavirus outbreak lead to a closure of cinemas across the country.
Earlier Zara Noor Abbas also took to social media to share some fun BTS from the sets of the drama and thank her co-stars for the experience. She also offered “special thanks to Col Asif and Major General Asif Ghafoor for all his love and hard work for this project which was his dream to fulfil.”
Directed by Saifee Hassan and written by Mustafa Afridi, Ehd-e-Wafa is centred around the SSG, short for Secret ‘S’ Gang, consisting of Shehryar (Ahmed Ali Akbar), Shariq (Wahaj Ali), Saad (Ahad Raza Mir) and Shahzain (Osman Khalid Butt). The series won the hearts of the audiences because of its heartwarming storyline and great performances by the ensemble cast which also includes Alizeh Shah, Hajra Yamin, Vaneezah Ahmed, Zara Noor Abbas, Faraz Yahya, Syed Muhammad Ahmed and Adnan Samad Khan (Gulzar) among others.
Sadia Ghaffar and Hassan Hayat Khan’s wedding festivities have kicked off and pictures from the event are going viral on social media. After all, who doesn’t enjoy a star-studded wedding? The couple recently got engaged in a small ceremony but the wedding functions are full of mauj masti and dhol dhamaka.
The mayun event was very bright with lots of celebrities, Saadia was donned in a simple white lehenga while the groom put on a yellow mayun kurta.
Celebrities including Sajal Aly, Yasir Hussain, Iqra Aziz, Saboor Aly and Kinza Hashmi danced with the couple.
The mayun was followed by a dholki ceremony where Sadia was wearing an emerald green and gold outfit by Khadija Batool, coupled with Ali Javeri jewels. Hassan kept it simple in an off-white sherwani.
Aiman Khan and Muneeb ButtL-R: Yasir Hussain, Iqra Aziz, groom, bride, Shazia Wajahat, Wajahat RaufZara Noor Abbas and Sajal AlySaboor Aly, Zara Noor Abbas, Iqra Aziz, Minal Khan
Ehd e Wafa’s last episode is coming to cinemas on March 14 and it appears that audiences will be in for a thrilling ride. At least, that’s what the trailer promises.
To celebrate ‘Surprise Day’ – the day Abhinandan’s plane was shot down in Pakistani airspace – Momina Duraid Films released a trailer for the last episode of the super hit drama serial.
The two-minute teaser doesn’t give away much but introduces two new characters in the drama – Major Humayun and Indian Airforce’s Wing Commander Abhinandan. It is likely that the episode will shed light on the retaliatory attack by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) after India’s Balakot airstrike.
Apart from that, there is also a glimpse of the Kartarpur Corridor which marked a monumental moment in Pakistan’s history and action on the Line of Control.
The teaser ends with an injured Captain Saad (Ahad Raza Mir) trudging through the trees.
Directed by Saifee Hassan and written by Mustafa Afridi, Ehd-e-Wafa is centered around the SSG, short for Secret ‘S’ Gang, consisting of Shehryar (Ahmed Ali Akbar), Shariq (Wahaj Ali), Saad (Ahad Raza Mir) and Shahzain (Osman Khalid Butt). The series won the hearts of the audiences because of its heartwarming storyline and great performances by the ensemble cast which also includes Alizeh Shah, Hajra Yamin, Vaneezah Ahmed, Zara Noor Abbas, Faraz Yahya, Syed Muhammad Ahmed and Adnan Samad Khan (Gulzar) among others.
