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“It’s a big day for the industry,” Momina Duraid on Parwaaz Hai Junoon’s release in China

By
Amna Zubair
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Pakistani television entertainment has been appreciated around the globe, for quite some time now. However, the revival of Pakistani cinema has been an excellent upgrade for our entertainment industry, as well. Surprisingly, it seems that there’s no stopping us any time soon. While the advancement of Pakistani cinema is being highly appreciated by the people of the nation, crossing the borders is already underway too. Bin Roye became the first film to release in more than 400 screens worldwide on the same day of its release. To put it in simpler words, it was released simultaneously in Pakistan and internationally as well. 

Moving on, a while back GL reported that The Legend of Maula Jatt is all set to release in China, the same day it is to be released in Pakistan. But it looks like the delay in the movie’s release has cost it more than just money. Winning this race would be Parwaaz Hai Junoon, which is now all set to be commercially released across mainland China! The film has been produced under the HUM TV banner and we would just like to extend our appreciation to the same for taking the film to China as the country has a huge (quite literally) audience. Oh, and btw, Bin Roye was also released under HUM films and we are definitely in awe of this media entity. 

Parwaaz Hai Junoon to release in China

This Momina Duraid production proved to be a huge hit across Pakistan and is set to make its mark across the border as well. The contract was signed between Fire International Media (China) and the producer Momina Duraid, in the presence of Duraid Qureshi, CEO Hum Network, and Mr. Razzaq Dawood, the advisor to our very own Prime Minister.

This has undoubtedly been a highlighting moment for Pakistan because a Pakistani film has been released across China after 40 years! Being the second largest box office territory of the world, China has evidently become one of the most bankable territories for desi films. According to their quota, only a few are released every year, and Bollywood examples like Amir Khan’s Dangal, Secret Superstar and the recent superhit Andhadhun have done remarkably well in the Chinese territory. While others such as Bahu Bali 2, Padman, Thugs of Hindustan and 102 Not Out did not do so well among the Chinese audience, it is the exposure that the Bollywood industry got is what matters.

What Momina Duraid herself has to say about this international release

However, it looks like our very own Lollywood isn’t very far in the running either. Wishing our debut release in China the best of luck, we are sure that the film would do as well and even better than it did in Pakistan. Nevertheless, we are proud of this big step and hope that the opening of this door would bring us more victories in the future.

Talking to Galaxy Lollywood exclusively, Momina said, “It’s a big day for the entire film industry. Allah has been very kind. InshaAllah, Parwaaz Hai Junoon will open up doors to China, for all Pakistani films coming in the future just like our first film Bin Roye became the first Pakistani film to simultaneously release internationally and opened international avenues for the industry. We are expecting a release all over China which has more than 50000 screens.”

We have our fingers crossed.

“Meesha cannot become Malala by lying and running away from justice,” says Ali Zafar

By
Hassan Hassan
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Ali Zafar Meesha Shafi harassment

Seems like the infamous Ali-Meesha controversy is here to stay for at least the next few months. The controversy has been haunting the industry for a while now and with the recent LSA episode, the attention it is receiving has only increased.

While Meesha and her supporters have been rather vocal about it, Ali has stayed rather mum about all the brouhaha. The latter, however, choose to speak to media just today outside a courtroom in Lahore, in which he pretty much spoke his heart out regarding his version of the story.

Ali’s version of the story 


 According to Ali, “To tolerate cruelty is a bigger sin than inflicting it.” He further claimed that he came to court today on his own and not because the court called him. He went on to say that he was telling the truth and a truthful person like him would always come to the court. He also mentioned,” whoever doesn’t show up, we can only assume what they are (guilty).”

“A campaign was running against me on social media based on lies through fake accounts, we’ve complained to FIA to investigate it as it falls under cyber crime and bullying. I’m saddened by the fact that her allies and even one of her lawyers is following these fake accounts and endorsing them. I’m stunned, it’s been an eye-opener, how can someone do this to a decent, innocent man who for 20 years has been spreading love through his art? Can just anyone tomorrow wake up and decide to settle personal scores through an accusation on social media? While she herself leaves for Canada (amidst this),” continued Ali. 

Moreover, Ali went on to say that the “facts in front of us manifest that it was done according to a proper plan to target me for personal gains, whether she did this for international recognition or because she wants to be a Malala, I don’t know.”

“It’s been over a year, I’ve filed a defamation case. Meesha’s case has been dismissed, in the eyes of the law, I’m already innocent. This is a very important fact, her appeal has also been dismissed. My case is for the psychological and financial damages she’s incurred to me and my family. Our witnesses have come to the court eight times but they use delaying tactics to prolong the case. I appeal to our courts to give a judgment as soon as possible so that the world knows my truth and her lies. I’m thankful that the process has started today, her lawyer has started cross-examination. I request Meesha and her witnesses to come to the court and face the court,” Ali further said. 

Zafar, later in a tweet, cleared the air about mentioning Malala in his statement by saying that the lady was a true warrior who fought for justice and truth and that Meesha can’t become her by running away to Canada and hiding behind fake profiles.

Here are Ali’s tweets, for y’all!

And this:

 

What do you think of the entire situation? Let us know in the comments.

Minus the racist and sex jokes, the trailer for ‘Wrong No. 2’ promises a family entertainer

By
Hassan Hassan
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It doesn’t require Athenian wisdom to assert that an artist’s work is a window to what he’s been through in his personal life. People, experiences, and events that an artist is exposed to, ultimately play a huge role in what he brings to his artistic canvas.

The trailer for Wrong Number 2, a sequel (or rather a namesake) to the 2015 hit, cements the above rhetoric when seen from a Yasir Nawaz’s vantage point.

An artist from Sindh who grew up in the metropolitan of Karachi with a potpourri of every culture, prevalent in Pakistan, where throwing racist slurs at each other is a norm, and who (like most Pakistanis) became a director watching Bollywood films – is all that’s evident from the trailer of WN2. While some factors seem to work for the trailer (and the film), others simply don’t. While it is not a bad trailer overall, it is not the best Pakistani cinema has produced either.

A glimpse into Wrong No. 2‘s trailer

From the story, it seems that Javed Sheikh is a politician who loathes the poor yet his daughter wishes to marry one. How the Pashtun patriarch (Javed Sheikh) schemes to stop her daughter’s wedding via his confidants such as Mehmood Aslam, Sana Fakhar, Shafqat Cheema, and Ahmad Hassan, with a possible twist, is what you’re going to witness on the big screen, this Eid Ul Fitr.

Moreover, with the way Yasir’s character is portrayed, you get a clear hint that there is more than what meets the eye, in this comedy of errors. The hide and seek amongst the characters furthers the confusions and culminates into a wedding finale (the favorite setting for any and every Subcontinent filmmaker).

Of characters, beautiful locations, and songs

As was stated in its teaser review, WN2 seems to have its supporting characters designed in eccentric and colorful ways. It’s not much about the lead pair alone, it’s about how a group of talented artists comes together to enact a rather twisted story which is where WN2 becomes interesting. While some characters seem fresh (Mehmood Aslam, Javed Sheikh, Sana Fakhar and Shafqat Cheema), others may seem an expansion of what you have already seen on TV or some Bollywood flick, for example, Ahmad Hassan has done an almost similar character with a similar elfin body language and dialogue delivery in a sitcom on TV. Even Javed Sheikh’s character seems similar to what we have seen earlier (a patriarch seduced by a sexy woman, for example, Mithun’s Jagga in the Houseful Series, which also reminds us that the opening music of the trailer is very similar to Papa Jaag Jayega from the same film).

However, moving on, some well-choreographed songs (especially a grand wedding song that will help market the film to the family audiences), and beautiful locations where the narrative travels from one eye-catching place to another, make up two important factors that make the film fresh, fun and energetic. Neelam Muneer’s character looks sexy as it looked in its teaser and if the film works, she will be one crowd puller artist for the industry. Sana Fakhar playing the sexy maid and Yasir Nawaz the mysterious man who’s always on the run, just add to the curiosity. Interestingly, it’s Sami Khan’s character that doesn’t seem to drive the narrative. He appears to be limited to your quintessential one-dimensional hero who’s there to get the girl. But we hope the artist will be utilized to his full potential when the film comes out.

A family entertainer but with racist and sex jokes

While the story does seem interesting and fresher than its competitor, this coming Eid, Chhalawa, what bothers us is Yasir’s fondness for racist jokes and tongue in cheek borderline vulgar dialogues or sequences with which the trailer is (unfortunately) steaming. He did the same in Mehrunia V Lub U which led to a lot of disdain from a larger chunk of the audience. As if tasteless sex jokes weren’t enough, the trailer is tarnished further by its unapologetic tendency to stereotype.

We have seen stereotyping and racism towards certain ethnicities quite often on our big screens, directors (from Shoaib Mansoor to Wajahat Rauf) have been cashing in on the masses’ knack to fall for stereotyping a certain group and making it the butt of the joke. There is a scene where a character says “Humne Sher Khan se pyar kia ha”. This along with some other dialogues/situations might not sit well with the family audiences. Yasir had earlier claimed WN2 to be a family-friendly entertainer, however, the abundance of such scenes only negates his claims.

All in all the rather fun-filled trailer hints at an interesting and an entertaining Eid watch. The film has all the elements to create a buzz and attract the audience this Eid ul Fitr.

We, however, do wish that the film doesn’t have more sex and racist jokes than whatever is shown in the trailer and hopefully, it doesn’t rely on them to be a fun watch.

Wait, what? Is ‘Baaji’ preponing its release to Eid-ul-Fitr?

By
Momina Mindeel
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Baaji – the Meera and Amna Ilyas starrer is (was) all set to come out, three weeks after Eid-ul-Fitr, this year. We did a whole piece on its teaser, only 3 days back. The film has been on our radar for quite some time for it stars Meera in the role of a fading actress set against the backdrop of a declining old school film industry and the emergence of a new age Pakistani cinema, add to that the phenomenally talented Saqib Malik on the director’s seat and an interesting ensemble cast featuring a mix of the old and new – needless to say the expectations are well, very high!

The film preponing its release to Eid-ul-Fitr?

Anyway moving on, by this time, we are all aware that Chhalawa and Wrong No. 2 are releasing this coming Eid, for sure. As for The Legend of Maula Jatt, the rumors have been going around that the film might have to delay its release from Eid-ul-Fitr for honesty, we don’t know when. The producers and the officials associated with the film are completely silent about it but sources close to Galaxy Lollywood have revealed that the film is currently stuck with some legal issues and until they’re resolved, the film will not have a confirmed release date.

Now get this, if Maula Jatt‘s release gets delayed, there will be some space for another movie to come out, in its place. High placed sources (again close to Galaxy Lollywood) have revealed yet again that if Maula Jatt’s release is delayed, Baaji might just pre-pon its release to Eid-ul-Fitr because honestly, why not? It can benefit from the Eid crowds but it will clash with two other films releasing on Eid (Chhalawa and Wrong No. 2). Let’s wait and see how the situation unfolds.

“Aisi koi baat nahi thi, Hira ne dost ko dhoka nahi diya,” Mani clears the air about how he met his wife

By
Momina Mindeel
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Hira and Mani have been in news for one reason or the other, for the longest time. Lately, Hira has been making headlines for her brilliant performance in Do Bol. Moreover, last year in October, the actress appeared on Speak Your Heart Out With Samina. During the interview, she candidly revealed details about her childhood, how she met her husband Mani and how she is hopelessly in love with him. The interview did rounds of the internet for a long time and here is what went down:

A little background on Hira’s account of how the two met

During the interview, Hira revealed that she stole Mani’s number from a friend who was speaking to him at that point (10/10 sister code). She further told that one night she secretly took out Mani’s number from her friend’s phone and contacted him under the pseudonym ‘Maryam Khan.’ And that’s how the love story began. Hira also mentioned, during the same interview, that Mani is her identity, and that’s why she makes sure that everyone addresses her as Hira Mani, and not Hira Saqib. Well, aren’t these two adorable? Oh and Hira also talked about how she was with Mani for months while being engaged to someone else. She finally told her fiance that she was cheating on him, and he forgave her. Amidst all the bedlam, Mani disappeared on her too but then he came back and well, long story short, the two are married now and that’s that.

Anyway moving on, Hira received a lot of backlash for sharing the story and that’s that too.

Mani clears the air about how the two actually met

Very recently, Mani appeared on the same show and this time around, we got to hear about his version of how the two met and looks like, Mani may have managed to clear the air after what Hira told the world.

Mani began by explaining that a lot of women had always contacted him after seeing him on TV and that he managed to speak to all of them (rather proudly). However, he said that he always told them that he wasn’t looking for marriage (oh well). Hira aka Maryam Khan was one of them too. He, however, said that he was taken aback by Maryam (or Hira or Maryam or like whatever) from the beginning and that knew he could only marry her. He also mentioned that Hira’s friend who she stole his number from had no romantic affiliation with him whatsoever so like as Mani puts it, ‘aisi koi baat nahi thi, Hira ne dost ko dhoka nahi diya’.

Well, we certainly hope the two sit down together and work out a version that’s consistent. In the meanwhile, we wish the two of them the very best of luck and a happy married life.

You can watch the full episode here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TqRXKXHftc

The trailer for ‘Ready Steady No’ promises an indie comedy that we probably didn’t even need

By
Maisooma Batool
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It is raining teasers and trailers in the Lollywood land, these days. A surely good sign for the industry after a rather uninspiring first quarter of the year for Pakistani movies at the cinema. The teasers and trailers for Baaji, Chhawala, and Wrong No.2 have already created excitement for the audience with the diverse content these films are promising. The latest offering for the audience comes in the shape of Ready Steady No, the trailer for which was dropped yesterday.

A glimpse into the trailer

The film has been described by the debutant director Hashim Bin Munawar as a “situational satirical comedy” that focuses more on the characters than the plot.  And the trailer of the film surely reflects this basic description. It tells the story about a young couple who are in love and want to marry each other but they are facing the opposition from their respective families. So, they take matters in their own hands and with the help of a lawyer and a qazi, they plan to elope and get their own happy ending.

Creating troubles for this couple are multiple obstacles in the shape of controlling parents, a good-for-nothing detective who can’t read basic Urdu, an unhelpful police officer, and a whole lot of running around the narrow streets of Lahore.

Judging from the trailer, Ready Steady No looks like a simple enough film that takes the basic plot of a young couple in love fighting for their happiness and tries to present it a new way by inserting interesting side characters. There isn’t anything awe-inspiring in the trailer that would make us sit up and take notice. The genre of the film as per the director is “farce” and all the elements of that can be seen in the 2-minute-long trailer with how the characters talk, dress up, and behave.

The characters, an indie fest, and more

If there is anything that might make this film as a must-watch affair is the cast of the film that boasts of many veteran actors. Salman Shahid, Nayyar Ejaz, Ismail Tara, Nargis Rasheed, even Ashraf Khan in his small appearance make their mark. Personally, I was most excited by Marhoom Ahmad Bilal, who quickly became my favorite after his stint as Billu Butt in Teefa in Trouble. Amna Ilyas and the debutant Faisal Saif, who play the characters of the girl and guy wanting to elope, do what is required of them but don’t do anything worth specially mentioning.

The film looks more like an indie feature than a proper film. The visuals of the film, from the trailer at least, give more of a telefilm vibe than a cinematic feature. And considering the rather simple plot of the film, it doesn’t look the film will have the length of a proper film anyway.

Overall, the trailer for Ready Steady No doesn’t deliver anything special. But it also doesn’t try to be anything that the film isn’t. It is a simple trailer for a simple film that promises stress-free entertainment with its focus on comedy. It is too soon to decide what the fate of the film will be. Comedy is a genre that never gets old and maybe Ready Steady No will offer the kind of relatable humor that the audience would readily say yes to.

Here is everything that has happened following the Ali Zafar-LSA controversy

By
Momina Mindeel
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The nominations for this year’s LUX Style Awards were announced at the end of March and there were, of course, a few too many ‘snubs’ which have become a tradition of sorts for LSA. Most prominently, Ali Zafar was nominated for best actor, best film (producer for Teefa in Trouble) while his film Teefa was nominated in a number of other categories as well. Now, this did not sit well with Eman Suleman and trouble for Teefa started when she spoke out against his nomination and refused to share the platform with him. Here is everything that went down afterwards:

Trouble for Teefa

Here is a list of everyone who withdrew their nomination from the LSAs, following the Ali Zafar controversy:

Eman Suleman

Almost a month back – on March 30, to be precise – Eman Suleman, the model/actress, who was nominated as the ‘Best Emerging Talent’ in the Fashion category, put out a video on her social media where she expressed her discomfort in sharing her nomination with someone who has been accused of sexual harassment. Eman didn’t say any names but it isn’t wrong to assume that she was talking about the Ali Zafar – Meesha Shafi controversy. In all the reactions that followed the nominations, Eman was the only person who chose to give up her nomination, for the longest time. However, recently, a number of nominees/celebrities/brands have chosen to follow Eman’s suit, by rejecting their nominations.

 

Saima Bargfrede and Generation 

The renowned clothing brand, Generation, and designer, Saima Bargfrede, followed Eman’s suit by refusing to attend the LSA and consequently, rejected their nominations, on the 22nd of April.

The press release which was shared on Generation’s social media accounts said that the brand and Saima Bargfrede, the designer, had “been nominated for the awards of Achievement in Fashion Design (pret) and Best Hair and Makeup Artist respectively at this year’s Lux Style Awards”. It further said that the “two entities have decided to follow in Best Emerging Talent nominee Eman Suleman’s footsteps and not attend this year’s ceremony. The two brands stand with women who face and fight toxic misogyny, sexism and sexual harassment in multiple ways in pursuance of their dreams and indeed in their daily lives.”

Meesha Shafi 

Meesha Shafi, too, took to her twitter and shared the following, 23rd of April:

In her tweet, Shafi wrote that “I want to thank Eman Suleman. What she, Generation and Saima Bargfrede, have said and done is what I consider my award.”

 Sketches 

On 23rd of April, Sketches – a Sufi folk rock band from Jamshoro, Sindh – issued the following statement. The band was nominated in four categories and they rejected all four of them.

 

Rubab Ali and Fatima Nasir 

On 24th of April, Pakistani model Rubab Ali took to her Instagram to reject her LSA nomination for ‘Model of the year’.

While Fatima Nasir, who was nominated for the best hair and makeup artist, followed the suit.

Moving on, here is a list of everyone who chimed in with their two cents on the said issue:

Maheen Khan, Zara Peerzada, Jami, Omayr Waqar, and Sarmad Khoosat

The five aforementioned names spoke out against the alleged harasser’s nomination. Here is what they had to say:

Starting with Maheen Khan, the Pakistani fashion and costume designer spoke out yesterday in support of Meesha Shafi and others who have rejected their LSA nominations.

Following Maheen, our favorite Jami, simply ended the conversation by calling the LSAs ‘trash’ and well, that’s that.

Zara Peerzada, the Pakistani model, also called out the fashion industry for keeping their mouths shut, in a morally critical situation, like this one.

Moving on, Omayr Waqar, however, was the sassiest of them all. Here is how he chose to record his protest:

He also shared the following video on his Insta story and honestly, we cannot stop laughing.

 

Last but not the least, Sarmad Khoosat also chimed in with his appreciation for strong women like Meesha and everyone who have stood their ground, through this.

 

Frieha Altaf

Amidst all the bedlam, Frieha Altaf deserves a separate heading of her own for her statement was a little too confusing. While she removes herself from the situation by saying that she has nothing to do with the nominations, she also says that the LSAs are close to her heart and that she will uphold all the values that also somehow include respecting the #MeToo movement.

Munib Nawaz, Shamoon Abbasi, Sadaf Kanwal, Iman Ali, and Ahmed Ali Butt

On the other hand, those who made a decision to be for-LSA had the following to say:

Starting with Munib Nawaz, the designer employed the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ rhetoric, here is what he said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwrLfyLn-Fc/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1159ida5s9j20

Sadaf Kanwal, shared the following on her story:

Moving on, Shamoon Abbasi outrightly rejected everything Meesha and other women have said about the alleged harasser, in the most blatant way possible:

https://twitter.com/shamoonAbbasi/status/1120997671743971328

Iman Ali also took to her Instagram to share her ‘take’ on the issue. She asked us not to judge anyone too quickly.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwpS_BFnm73/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=16e50wahdx7ya

 

There was also a small argument that ensued under Iman’s post, we’ve got screenshots for you:

 

Last but not least, Ahmed Ali Butt is of the view that if someone wants to record their protest, they can definitely do it but they shouldn’t degrade an award in the process.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwpIX2YAoAI/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=luorj7j67qzq

To wrap it all up, here is the official statement from the LSAs:

 

What do you think of the whole controversy? Please let us know in the comments.

The last eight episodes of ‘Do Bol’ to come out within a week

By
Kahkshaan Ismail
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By this time, we all know about the ARY Digital production Do Bol starring Hira Mani and Affan Waheed. The drama which started airing last month has garnered much critical acclaim and has been loved by the audiences through and through. With their drama TRPs soaring, ARY had introduced the concept of double episodes with its serials. Following a recent drama, Kaisa Hai Naseeban ending, Do Bol was given its slot, giving it more running airtime. With this advancement, fans had the pleasure of enjoying the show for two days back to back.

Now, with the storyline progressing and the audiences binge-watching the show, ARY has decided to bring in more, much to the viewers’ delight.

What Jerjees Seja himself has to say about this

Speaking to Galaxy Lollywood, Jerjees Seja (CEO of ARY Digital) told us the reason behind this progression.

“The show has gained immense success in just a short span of time because of which we decided to air it twice a week. Now, with Ramazan approaching in just two weeks time, Do Bol will be airing its last 4 double episodes the coming week thereby, wrapping it up before Ramazan. The reason being less viewership of dramas in Ramazan mainly because of Ramazan transmissions and game shows like Jeeto Pakistan,” said Mr. Seja.

A final word

I, as a viewer of the drama itself, think this is a great decision.

As the show is not only aired on TV but also makes its way on the official youtube channel of ARY, people all over the world get to watch it as per their convenience.

Also, most of our Pakistani dramas mostly stretch for 20+ episodes which means 20 weeks, but if the story is intriguing, viewers want more episodes per week and it looks like ARY is willing to give them what they want and honestly, we are not complaining. 

With ARY introducing the concept of double episodes, the delight of watching a drama has increased tenfolds, which I am sure will be favorable for Do Bol.

‘Sadkay in kay fashion par’ says Miss Lollywood

By
Miss Lollywood
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Hello, my lovely readers!

I know aap sab mera kaafi wait kar rahay thay. I missed you jaans too, bohat socha kis baat par article likhoon, but there was nothing happening in the industry. Khair now that I have written this article and am about to publish this, there is this whole Lux Style Awards ka tamasha happening. I have so much to say on this, but let’s wait for all the nominees to withdraw aur phir baat kartain hain, lol

Khair anyhow, last week I had the privilege of attending the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week (Lahore) and the Hum Showcase (Karachi). Free ke passes jo milay thay tau jana tau must tha. Anyway, as usual, the three-day glamorous extravaganza had some hits and obviously, some misses and aaj I take this opportunity, as the ultimate fashion police, and give my opinion on the looks:

PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week

Hania Amir

So Nomi darling presented the sportswear collection and kaafi theek thaak; I actually quite liked the contemporary touch to it. Theme bhi refreshing tha; complete with vibrant colors and irresistible, shirtless hot men walking the ramp, one after the other. While I was busy checking them out, Hania Amir suddenly appeared out of nowhere as the show stopper and honestly, ouch! My eyes couldn’t recover from the disaster that she was. Mere regular workout clothes are far better than what she wore, kasam say!

Zara Noor Abbas 

Zara Noor Abbas, who usually toh turns up looking absolutely flawless but this time was a sheer disappointment. Haye Allah, what was she even thinking? The pink didn’t do anything to accentuate her good looks, plus the outfit didn’t compliment her figure at all. She could have gone a little easy on the accessories, given the bright color of her outfit lekin chalo marzi hai! Jaani next time when you are show-stopping you come to me, okay?

Shehreyar Munawar

Kasam se, I can’t describe the moment when Shehreyar took the stage. I was seeing him live for the first time. Imagine my haalat, aur tau aur zalim ne aik dafa bhi meri taraf nahi dekha. Anyway, it’s no use crying over spilt milk. Talking of milk, why was Sherry dressed in complete white? Na tou 23 March thi, na hee 14 August. Khair, no offense but this one was just too hard to like.

Mawra Hocane

Mawra is a stunning girl, mujhay toh pasand hay bhai, log jo marzi kahain. But this time she didn’t quite get it right. While her makeup and hairdo were on point, Hocane’s outfit wasn’t that great. The saree was strictly average but the way it was draped made it a miss for me.

HUM Showcase

Anyway moving on, uff Galaxy walay kitni zimedariyan daal detay hai mujh pe. One can’t say no to someone who has given you a break, so I had to fly to Karachi to attend the Hum Showcase. Especially when the hospitality is complementary, mujhe tau jana hi tha.

First things first, the high octane fashion event looked more of a film promotions adda where all the celebrity showstoppers somehow or the other, promoted their films. Pehle tau we saw the Heer Man Ja pair; Hareem Farooq and Ali Rehman. It felt as if Ali was badly in need of a glucose drip as his energy level was super low when he walked in. Then we witnessed Neelam Munner and Sami Khan for Wrong No 2.

Moving on, it’s been a month since Laal Kabootar released but looks like, the lukewarm response to the film has made AAA (bohat lamba naam hai) and Mansha Pasha to promote the film at every possible occasion (since it’s still showing in cinemas, thanks to the sudden exit of Bollywood films). But the winner amongst them was Wajahat Rauf who attended the show biwi, bachay and of course the star cast samait. Han bhai, HUM Films ki product hai tau HUM showcase per promotion tau banti hai. Ab chalain, fashion misses ki bat karte hain:

Feroze Khan

I personally feel that after a couple of successful projects, kamyabi thori sar par charh gaye hai Feroze kay.  He thinks whatever he does is fine… matlab kuch bhi. His outfit reminded me of my mother’s hand made tea cosy set that used to have such colors and patterns. For me honestly, the outfit did nothing for him.

Faryal Mehmood

Amidst all this shor sharaba, I really loved Rizwan Beyg’s collections but Faryal’s strapless outfit and revealing legs didn’t quite make sense to me. Why is Faryal trying so hard to be our local Bipasha Basu? Her walk was too fast and for a moment mujhe tou laga she was going to pull a Kangana Ranaut from Fashion. My advice is: expose where it is required. Simple!

Sarah Khan

I hate to say this, as I love Sarah, but her dress made her look more like a Chinese doll. I am not a fan of such prints on a dress for they always remind me of the curtains in my house. Mere ghar kay parday is se behtar hee hain wese, apas ki baat hai. Quite frankly, her outfit had a lot of unnecessary material on it which wasn’t exactly flattering. 

Sarah Khan (left)

A final word

A film without a good script is soul-less, therefore, a celebrity showstopper with a mediocre outfit is ____ (samaj tau gaye ho gay ap). My humble advice to all the designers, besides focusing on their entire collections, is to kindly pay a little more attention to the show stoppers kay kapre. At the end of the day, it’s your collection bhai and no one else’s that they represent.

Until next time it’s a bye-bye from your all-time favorite judgment ki rani – Miss Lollywood.

If you are an ‘Avengers’ fan, should you watch it in 2D or 3D?

By
Guest Author
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By Shaan Lashari*

One of the biggest superhero movies in the history of super-hero movies – Avengers: Endgame – is coming out in 2 days, on the 26th of April 2019, in Pakistan. It is 3 hours and 2 minutes long and the fans, it looks like, can’t wait to watch every minute of it. Opening weekend tickets at big international cinema chains like AMC and ODEON have already been sold out. Shows are being scheduled as early as 6:15 AM on the opening weekend to cater to the insane demand for the film. But how do we want to watch this movie event of the century? Is it a 3D watch or a 2D watch? I mean you wouldn’t want to make a mistake there if you’re an Avengers fan, now would you?

So should you watch it in 2D or 3D?

Here are some facts:

I’m going to get a little technical here so bear with me. In cinemas, the unit in which we measure the light bouncing off the screen into our eyes is called FootLambert (FLt). A normal 2D movie in a good cinema with a good projector runs on around 11 FLt. A 3D movie in the same cinema runs on around 4 FLt. This means that you’re watching the movie at 40% brightness only which is less than half the brightness the film was actually produced in.

Imagine sitting in your lounge before you put on a movie and reducing the LED’s brightness to 40% before you start watching it. The brightness in a 3D movie reduces because the light is eaten up by 2 lenses that create the 3D effect. One is right in front of the projector and the other lens is the one you wear in the form of 3D glasses. Have you noticed the screen seems brighter when you take off your 3D glasses? That is exactly what I am talking about and honestly, I wouldn’t want to do that, especially with the Avengers: Endgame.

Here’s why you should watch it in 2D

Has it ever happened to you that you start feeling a strain on your eyes during a 3D movie and sometimes a mild headache too? If yes, then let me enlighten you on why this happens. In a 3D movie, the screen has 2 images being displayed on the screen. One image is for your left eye and the other is for your right eye. In Pakistan, almost all the cinemas calibrate these left-right images manually and it is very difficult to overlap them 100% manually.

Now if the two images are not exactly overlapping on the screen, your brain receives two images, one from each eye. Now your brain does not know which image to focus on because it is not used to receiving two different images from your two eyes. So it keeps zooming in and zooming out of the left and right eye images to find a point where both are in focus (which is not possible) and that causes the eye strain or the headache we just talked about. It’s like one person is talking in your right ear while another is talking in your left ear and you can’t concentrate on either of the two conversations. Therefore, the 3D eye strain is another risk, at least, I for one, wouldn’t be taking with my Avengers: Endgame experience.

Choose your Avengers watching format wisely because you’re only going to watch it for the first time once.

*Shaan Lashari is the Director Operations at the Luxus Grand Hotels, Sozo World Cinema and the Sozo Water Park. 

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