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Cinemas In Pakistan To Reopen From 10th August

pakistani cinemas

In the light of Pandemic COVID’19, a series of lockdown imposed over the last few months restricted the functionality of local cinemas, which became a setback for the proceedings of local movies and the artists associated with them. In the latest development, the Federal Government has announced the reopening of cinema halls across the country from 10th August, bringing joy to the cinema enthusiasts and the fraternity.

SOPs to be followed

Federal Minister Asad Umar reaffirmed that despite the reopening of cinemas, people would be expected to follow the SOPs, prescribed by the government. The SOPs are currently being finalized and will be disclosed in two days. There is still no update on whether there would be any working hours restrictions for the cinema halls.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) on Covid-19 chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan. After the Bollywood ban, the closing down of cinemas due to the pandemic caused a major loss to the distributors and cinema owners across the country. The latest development indeed means good news for the industry as apart from major local releases, Hollywood movies will also be screened in the country.

Good news for the local releases

Unlike other movie industries, Pakistan does not have any profitable means of releasing movies digitally. Our local content relies on our local cinemas and a few of the major releases of this year had to be postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic. But with the cinemas opening up it looks like our filmmakers will not have to worry about their films not getting a proper release.

The excitement for movies like The Legend of Maula Jatt, London Nahin Jaunga, Quaid e Azam Zindabad, and Tich Button was already high but after months of lockdown, the audience will definitely be even more excited to watch these movies on the big screen. It remains to be seen how the cinema culture in a post-COVID lock-down world will fare but for now, reopening of the cinemas is a piece of happy news that the cinema lovers are celebrating.

 

Here’s Why Sonya Hussyn’s Uneducated Statement About Autism Is All Sorts Of Problematic

sonya hussyn

Utilizing artists and celebrities to promote various causes isn’t a novel phenomenon. The practice has been in vogue, equally, both on domestic and international fronts with palpably fruitful results. This of course is subjected to a celebrity’s level of involvement and their research into the concerned subject before hopping onto the job and promoting the corresponding cause. An ill-prepared individual could lead to futile efforts or even negative results.

Sonya Hussyn, whose upcoming drama project Saraab, revolves around her character that suffers from schizophrenia, made an enlightening post on her Instagram. While her intention behind the post was commendable as it listed symptoms of mental illnesses in an attempt to normalize having a conversation about them, her one rather uneducated comment under the post ended up doing more harm than good.

Autism and Schizophrenia

One of the conditions included in Sonya’s post about mental illnesses was “autism” which is not a mental illness. What could’ve been passed as a mistake ended up being a show of ignorance from the actor’s part as she defended her stance and said that autism was a symptom of schizophrenia when the comments called her out on it.

In medical science and psychiatry, both autism and schizophrenia are separate entities. Autism or more accurately Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurotic disorder that manifests in early childhood and is characterized by qualitative abnormalities in social interactions, markedly aberrant communication skills, and restricted repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities (RRBs). ASD is a group of conditions with deficits in social interaction and communication.

The patients are completely different from those suffering from Schizophrenia which is a brain disorder that affects how people think, feel, and perceive. The hallmark symptom of schizophrenia is psychosis, such as experiencing auditory hallucinations (voices) and delusions (fixed false beliefs).

Why is it problematic

One of the major problems that our society faces when it comes to mental illnesses and is the way all the complexities and nuances of mental health are often clubbed as being the same thing. Just like our human body gets inflicted by different diseases and illnesses, our brain too is susceptible to different illnesses. Each illness and condition demands separate diagnosis and treatment.

The struggles of autistic people demand separate conversation and carelessly clubbing it under schizophrenia, which is the topic most relevant to Sonya currently due to her upcoming drama, is belittling those struggles. Sonya’s post was clearly in good intentions but it is high time our celebrities learn to first properly educate themselves about the topics they choose to talk about. With the kind of reach and influence they have, these mistakes followed by the defense of them instead of rectification, end up causing more harm.

While there is no doubt social media users tend to be cruel and rude in their comments more often than not, the comments under Sonya’s post took a justified stance that a little research or a more prudent selection of words while promoting a certain cause holds utmost importance. Acknowledging her mistake when she was called out for it would not have done any harm to Sonya. But seems like our celebrities still have a long way to go in owning up to their mistakes.

‘If I’m Not Being Offered Good Scripts, How Will I Prove That I Can Do Better?’, Says Minal Khan

minal khan

Minal Khan might still be a young woman in terms of age but with a career spanning almost a decade, she has worked alongside some of the most prominent actors in the industry. Starting her career as a child actor and now working as the leading lady, Minal Khan has all the experience of an established actor.

However, despite having worked in many successful dramas, it seems like Minal Khan is still waiting to truly display her acting prowess. Recently, she sat down for an interview with Something Haute where she made some interesting points about how actors are forced to limit themselves in the roles they are being offered because of the lack of good content being offered to them.

Actors forced to limit themselves

Her latest drama Jalan continues to be a hot topic every week. Talking to Something Haute, Minal Khan shared insights about her past and current projects. Speaking about her desire to work with all kinds of directors and not limiting herself to just one channel, Minal says that all she looks for is a good script.

“I want to work with every director. I don’t want people to say that Minal is only working on this one TV channel. If you guys offer me nice scripts, why won’t I work with you on different channels? You’re not offering me good enough scripts.”

Far too often the audience assumes that an actor does similar kind of role because they like doing it. However, judging from what Minal said in the interview the issue is more complex than it appears to be.

“If I am not being offered good projects, how will I prove that I can do better?” Minal raised a very valid question.

Lack of good content

There is no dearth of talent in our industry. But our actors are still being typecast in similar roles. Minal talked about how the actors are not the ones deciding the kind of content that gets aired on television.

“We don’t have content. How is that my mistake? I am not the one deciding the names of the dramas or writing them.” Minal answered when asked about why her characters all seem to be similar to each other.

There are several channels creating dramas with different directors, writers, and actors but there is no diversity in the storyline whatsoever. We are still dealing with decade-old topics like women being forced to marry men older than them, spouses having extramarital affairs, and sisters going after their brothers-in-law.

Who is to blame?

No doubt there are projects which are beyond the typical saas-bahu stories but unfortunately, the channels and the teams making those projects decide early on the actors that would be working with them. That is precisely the reason why only a few actors are mostly seen working on mainstream TV, a point that Minal also raised in the interview. One may argue that playing favorites isn’t a bad thing but when actors with potential are not utilized properly, at the end of the day it is only the industry that suffers.

It is easy for viewers to blame the actors for doing monotonous characters. But producers, writers, and directors should also be held responsible for not doing enough to make a difference. Actors with years of experience continue to compromise on the quality of the project because the alternative would be to do no work at all. TV channels recycle the same kind of content and production houses stick to the same bunch of actors, causing many young actors to choose mediocre or controversial scripts.

Actors like any other artists need to constantly practice their craft to get better at it. And it is the responsibility of the channels and producers to come up with scripts and projects that can properly utilize the actors’ skills. Otherwise, the industry will be stuck at a stagnation point from where the downfall would become inevitable.

Celebrities Express Their Grief Over The Beirut Tragedy

beirut

The explosions that shook Beirut yesterday shocked the world. A massive explosion in the capital city of Lebanon which has left hundreds dead and thousands of people injured and displaced from their homes is all that people have been talking about. This sudden tragedy which has resulted in tremendous property damage and casualties truly is one of the most shocking events of 2020, a year that is already filled with many shocking realities.

Thoughts and prayers for Lebanon poured on social media from all over the world as common people and celebrities alike used their platforms to bring attention to this tragedy and possible ways to help the country that is already going through an economic crisis. Our Pakistani celebrities too sent their thoughts and prayers to the people of Lebanon.

On Twitter

Humayun Saeed, Ayeza Khan, Mansha Pasha, Ahsan Khan, Farhan Saeed, Faysal Qureshi, and Aijaz Aslam were among the celebrities that took to Twitter to show solidarity and send prayers to Beirut when the explosions took place yesterday.

Mansha Pasha pointed out how the year has been filled with tragedy yet with every new tragedy it becomes harder to find words to come to terms with them.

On Instagram

Other celebrities like Mahirah Khan, Maya Ali, Aagha Ali, Hina Altaf, Ahmed Ali Butt, Usman Mukhtar, Yasir Hussain, and Yumna Zaidi shared their prayers on their Instagrams.

Galaxy Lollywood also stands in solidarity with all the victims of this tragedy. We send our thoughts and prayers to the people of Lebanon and hope that in these testing times they get the needed aid and support to be able to begin recovering from the colossal loss the city and country had to go through.

Saba Qamar Talks About Debuting As A Director With ‘Qubool’

saba qamar

To say that Saba Qamar is a woman of many talents is an undeniable truth. She is one of the few artists who can express herself in many ways. Her journey as an artist has comprised of her taking on many roles be it as an actor, a dancer, or the host of a political satire show. With her starting her own Youtube channel, Saba Qamar proved once again just why she enjoys an unparalleled position in the industry both as an artist and an entertainer.

Now, Saba is taking on a new challenge by stepping in the director’s shoes. The news of Saba Qamar starring in the music video for Bilal Saeed’s new song Qubool created waves on social media because the music video has been directed by Saba Qamar herself!

The inspiration

Speaking about her decision to take on this new challenge, Saba revealed that her journey as an actor and an artist has allowed her to develop a keen eye for details and emotions as well as technical aspects like framing and compositions. And this development has led her closer to her “true passion” that is directing.

However, it has not been easy for Saba to take on two challenging tasks of acting and directing at the same time.

“Being an actor you need to ensure that your emotions are at your finest and that requires soul focus and attention but when you’re directing there are endless things going across your mind, from framing to composition to acting to lighting, you’re not just responsible for yourself anymore, you’re responsible for the hard work of every individual present on set.”

What to expect

Saba Qamar shared her excitement and hopes from the upcoming music video as she anticipates that the song will be heard by the masses. She predicted that it is a song that will be played on all television channels, radio stations, and mobile phones.

“I pray that it stays with the audience just like it will always stay with me.”

The excitement for the song and the music video could certainly be felt from the first teaser image itself which showed Saba and Bilal as black and white silhouettes all decked up in wedding attire. Saba revealed hat the reason they decided to use that picture, which went viral on social media, was because of how natural and believable it looked. She added that it was just a mere reflection of what’s in the store for the music video and that there’s more of it which will be seen once the music video will be released.

 

‘Woh Umeed Ki Manzil’ Is A Love Letter To Songs Of Classic Lollywood

Pakistan’s musical history has always been rich. The music that was composed in the classical era of the Pakistani cinema remains a favorite to this day. The current trend of Pakistani music aims to have a more global touch however, there is someone that has stuck with the classical roots of Pakistani music.

The grandson of renowned Pakistani music director Khawaja Khurshid Anwar is following in his late grandfather’s footsteps. Rameez Khawaja Anwar who was born and raised in Texas had always shown a keen liking and interest in the music composed by his grandfather. His childhood was shaped by an eclectic mix of music ranging from western pop to classical Lollywood and Bollywood music.

Reminiscing the classical melodies

Rameez’s musical journey consists of him covering western pop songs on classical instruments like sarangi and the tabla. The music that he has composed for the song Woh Umeed Ki Nayi Manzil also features these instruments. The arrangement of the song is similar to how the old Lollywood songs used to be. The song is an audio-visual treat that immediately transports the listener to the world of classic Lollywood cinema.

Zeb Bangash has led her strong and melodic vocals to the song’s poetry. She decorates the melody with the kind of delicate flourishes typical of singers from that era while maintaining a pathos that is perfectly tailored to the emotional lyrics and musical accompaniment.

A visual treat

The music video was directed by Maham Khwaja, Rameez’s cousin, and another of Khurshid Anwar’s grandchildren. From the black and white images; to the makeup, hair, and wardrobe; to the stunning garden setting overlooking a winding river; to the frames full of fog – the entirety of the music video has been shot with much care so that it closely reflects the time and world of the movies which originally featured the melodies composed by Khawaja Khurshid Anwar.

The level of thought and care that went into this project is plainly evident, and it’s safe to say all that effort has paid off: it’s hard to shake the feeling that one has unearthed some long-lost music video from the heyday of the Bollywood-Lollywood film industries.

A fitting tribute

Khurshid Anwar’s concern for preserving music traditions was well-documented; after all, that concern is what animated his production the 96-volume Ragamala. In producing Woh Umeed Ki Manzil a song that attempts to revive a rich tradition of Subcontinental film music, Rameez and Maham have hit on fitting tribute to their grandfather.

https://youtu.be/SzfVHUQ7eEA

Teasers Of Imran Ashraf and Urwa Hocane Starrer ‘Mushk’ Offer Excitement And Mystery

Riding high on the success of consecutive television blockbusters such as Yeh Dil Mera, Suno Chanda, and Alif Allah Aur Insaan, maestro Aehsun Talish is back with another promising outing, Mushk starring Imran Ashraf, Urwa Hocane, and Momal Sheikh in the lead roles. Moreover, adding to the excitement of this team is the fact the script of the drama is written by Imran Ashraf.

This is Imran Ashraf’s second drama as a writer. Previously he has penned the script for Tabeer which also had Aehsun Talish in the director’s seat. Urwa Hocane, who had taken a break from doing television dramas after delivering the blockbuster hit Udaari, will be making a comeback to dramas with Mushk. And the teasers filled with action and mystery have definitely left us wanting more.

Varying emotions

The world of Mushk as seen in the teasers seems to encompass emotions ranging from love, romance, intrigue, and action. While the teasers do little to tell the story of the drama, from what we can guess is that the story will revolve around a range of different characters. The teasers have done well in creating the mystery and suspense around the story and the characters.

Love and money also seem to be a central part of the story as Urwa Hocane’s voice over talks about the different kinds of love. And with the show’s cast comprising of many names, it is to be expected that the show will have one or two love stories fueling the narrative.

Interesting visuals

What immediately catches the eyes are the fascinating visuals of the show. Shot in real outdoor locations as well as elaborately designed interiors, the visual appeal of the show is high. The costumes and make-up seem authentic and in synchronization with the world that the show is portraying. The scenes where only expressions are used instead of dialogues, such as Momal and Imran’s rain sequence, are nicely edited for a teaser.

Rightly balanced

The teasers have hit the mark of creating a nice balance of light-hearted moments and dramatic action sequences. The dialogues add to the whole mystery of the show as one dialogue alludes to a hero wanting to give his all for a heroine that doesn’t even belong to him. If the job of the teaser is to get the audience excited enough to start counting down to the show’s premiere, then the teasers of Mushk have done their job perfectly.

Teasers for Sami Khan And Sonya Hussyn’s ‘Saraab’ Are Full Of Intrigue

saraab

The conversation around mental illness has never gotten the spotlight in our dramas. However, the recent trend shows a positive change as more and more dramas are shedding light on the complexities and nuances of mental illnesses. The Sonya Hussyn and Sami Khan starrer Saraab is the latest drama to do so.

The teasers of the upcoming drama have been released. Written by Edison Idrees and directed by Mohsin Talat, this Hum TV offering aims to shed light on schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that causes people to experience an altered reality. It is a serious mental illness that causes delusions, hallucinations, and an impaired ability to function in daily life. And going by the teasers, Saraab seems to have done a good job in presenting the plights of patients suffering from schizophrenia.

The intrigue factor

The teaser shows the characters played by Sonya Hussyn and Sami Khan as lovers who seem excited to start the new chapter of their life together. The things then take a turn for worse when suddenly Sonya Hussyn’s character refuses to recognize Sami Khan’s character as the latter looks on at her sadly. There are snippets of Sonya being admitted in a mental asylum. The teaser ends with her holding the hand of Sami Khan as she walks out of the asylum and it is revealed that she is walking all alone, holding nothing in her hand.

This is Sonya and Sami’s third drama together. Previously the two have worked together in shows like Aisi Hai Tanhai, which was a drama based on social media abuse, and Ishq Zahenaseeb that brought to light Multiple Personality Disorder. With such an impeccable track record, the excitement for Saraab is definitely very much expected.

Well researched

Sonya Hussyn had talked about her character in an interview and the preparation she did to portray it. She revealed how she, along with the show’s crew, had visited mental asylums and rehab centers to better understand the conditions of these patients and to get a better understanding of the realities of these patients.

While it is important for Pakistani dramas to start conversations about topics revolving around mental illness, it is also necessary that the dramas don’t misinterpret and wrongly portray the reality of the said illnesses. Judging by the teasers it looks like Saraab is on the right track in portraying schizophrenia’s reality as it is an illness that is found commonly around us but most often goes undiagnosed. How it all turns out can only be known once the drama goes on-air but for now, the intriguing teasers definitely have our attention.

Was Bilal Abbas Khan Given A Cold Shoulder In This Live Interview?

Bilal Abbas Khan

Trends and favorites in the world of entertainment are always changing. What was popular yesterday may fade into oblivion tomorrow based on the direction the winds blow. In this ever-changing industry, few artists manage to get to a position through their sheer hard work and dedication where their talent and popularity can not be denied or ignored. Bilal Abbas Khan is one of those actors.

However, a recent interview that aired live on Hum News showed some disregard towards Bilal Abbas Khan as he was apparently given the cold shoulder by the show’s hosts. This has yet again shed light on just how sometimes the hard working artists of the industry are treated badly by some journalists during interviews.

Starting from the title

Pyar Ke Sadqay is one of the popular dramas of this year. The drama has been the topic of conversation for many critics ever since its beginning. The drama’s story, direction, and acting have all garnered much praise from the audience and critics alike. This is Bilal’s third consecutive hit drama after he starred as the male lead in Balaa and Cheekh. With Pyar Ke Sadqay, Bilal has solidified his position in the industry as being an actor whose inclusion in the cast can attract both attention and the audience.

A live program on Hum News invited the main cast and the director of the show to talk about the show’s popularity. However, the title of the interview as uploaded on Hum News’ official Youtube channel, didn’t bother to include Bilal Abbas’s name as part of the main cast. Clubbing the male protagonist of a drama under the “etc” rightfully irked the fans of the talented actor as the comment section of the interview was full of comments calling out the uploader for their disrespect towards the actor.

Uninspiring interview

Considering how the interview was being aired live on national television, one would expect the interviewers to conduct themselves in a proper manner and ask relevant questions from the guests. But not only was Bilal Abbas asked silly questions in the guise of jest, he wasn’t given much time to talk to. Bilal looked visibly disinterested throughout the duration of the interview.

It is high time that channels and show hosts take deliberate care when conducting any artist’s interview. To treat all the invited guests with respect and dignity that they deserve should be a given. Fans of any actor flock towards these interviews because they want to see more of their favorites talking about their body of work. But shallow questions that are not backed by any proper research and favoring one guest over the other are all indicators of irresponsible behavior bordering on disrespect.

Exclusive: Nabeel Qureshi’s Next Is A Web Series Based On The Lyari Gang War!

Nabeel Qureshi webseries

The words “Pakistani web series” had been thrown around a lot in the past year or so. Some of the most popular names in the Pakistani entertainment industry, both in front of and behind the camera, had been working on some highly anticipated web series for quite some time, that were aiming to be released on an Indian OTT platform. However, the sociopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan as well as the global situation in 2020 had seemed to cause a question mark on the fate of these projects.

Well, those projects are going to be out soon on Zee5. And with the kind of extremely positive and welcoming response their first looks have gotten, it only reiterated the fact that Pakistani audience is craving for some well-made digital content that is not bound by the typical tropes and limitations of Pakistani television.

Nabeel Qureshi jumps on the bandwagon

Director Nabeel Qureshi, producer Fizza Ali Meerza and their team have established themselves as one of the most authentic Pakistani voices of the Pakistani entertainment industry. With projects like Na Maloom Afraad, Actor in Law, and Load Wedding, they have always tapped into the stories and characters that a common person in Pakistan relates to the most. And now Nabeel Qureshi alongside his team will be taking his vision from the big screens to the digital space as he announces the plans for his next venture.

Talking exclusively to Galaxy Lollywood, Nabeel said that the plot of the web series will be based on the Lyari gang war. The show has been written by the men who wrote the script for the critically acclaimed Laal Kabootar, Ali Abbas, and Basit Naqvi. He also revealed that the production of the web series will begin very soon. Interestingly, this time the project will be co-directed by Nabeel Qureshi and Fizza Ali Meerza who up until now has been involved as the producer/writer for the projects. Moreover, she will also serve as the producer and the project will be produced under the Filmwala production banner.

And that’s not all. Nabeel revealed to us that he plans on releasing the web series on a Pakistani OTT platform. The details of which platform will that be, have not been disclosed yet but this web series truly will be Pakistan’s first major web series that will get its release on a Pakistani platform.

The Karachi connection

Karachi has always been Nabeel’s home turf. So, his decision of basing his first web series in Karachi comes as no surprise. What is interesting is the topic of the Lyari gang wars because despite it being one of the major realities of this metropolitan city, it has never been represented by any film or a drama in a major way.

Pakistani audiences have always been an appreciative audience for web series and films based on the topic of real-world crime and gang wars. It is definitely going to be interesting watching a web series on this topic that will also be representative of Pakistan’s own reality.

With the announcement of this web series, Nabeel Qureshi has three major projects lined up for release. First is the Fahad Mustafa and Mahira Khan starter Quaid e Azam Zindabad, then there is Ahmed Ali Butt’s Fatman, and third is this yet to be titled web series. Stay tuned to Galaxy Lollywood for all the updates.