Imran Ashraf has proven himself to be an actor worth getting excited for. His diligence, dedication, and hard work, alongside his talent as an actor has made him a hero that the audience loves to love. Which is why every project that Imran Ashraf gets associated with ends up being hyped and anticipated by his loyal fans.
When Imran officially revealed the first look of his character from his next drama, the excited and positive reaction it received was not a surprise. Not only does the character look impressive, but Imran’s caption which was full of excitement for the project further piqued the curiosity of his fans.
An action hero
For Imran, who is known to opt for projects that challenge him as an actor, to be this excited for a drama is not a small thing. When Galaxy Lollywood reached out to him, Imran shared some details regarding what exactly about his character Moosa in the upcoming drama Raqs e Bismil has him excited.
“Moosa is an action hero,” said Imran. “I know people are pointing out that Moosa looks similar to [the drama’s writer] Hashim Nadeem’s previous male protagonists but Moosa is completely different from them. In fact, Moosa is different from all the rest of Hashim Nadeem’s scripts.”
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Imran also revealed that he was ready to take a break from dramas after he was done shooting for his film Dum Mastam.
“I had decided to take a break and wait for the film’s release. I know people have a lot of expectations from me and I don’t want to make any mistake again. During the COVID lockdown, I got a call from Shazia Wajahat. And when she started narrating the story to me, it took me two minutes to make the decision in my heart that this was a script that I just had to do.”
Imran was all praises for Raqs e Bismil‘s script and team. He said that the director Wajahat Rauf was doing an excellent job on the drama and that it is being produced on a very large scale.
“I am excited!” declared Imran Ashraf.
Exciting things in store for Mushk
While Raqs e Bismil still has some time before it airs on television, Imran’s current drama Mushk continues to enthrall the audience with its impeccable script and story. When asked about how Raqs e Bismil‘s Moosa will be different from his character in Mushk, Adam, Imran said that Adam is yet to reveal himself.
“The audience has yet to see Adamin Mushk. The character of Adam will slowly start to reveal who he actually is in the upcoming couple of episodes. Mushk‘s story has yet to start focusing on Adam.”
With such interesting revelations from Imran about his dramas, it seems obvious that his fans are going to be in for a treat.
Stayed tuned to Galaxy Lollywood for all the latest updates!
The Pakistani entertainment industry has a knack for repeating pairings that have already worked in a project before. So, when an unusual pair of actors are spotted working together, it immediately captures the interest of the audience. This is exactly what happened when Yasir Hussain uploaded a picture on his Instagram where he was seen alongside the talented actress, Minal Khan.
Trusted by the fans to bring all the accurate news, Galaxy Lollywood’s What’s The 411! answered all the fans curious questions and reached out to Yasir Hussain himself to find out – what exactly is that Yasir Hussain and Minal Khan have worked together for?
An exciting telefilm
Yasir revealed that the project is a telefilm directed by Syed Wajahat Hussain. Talking about some details of the telefilm, Yasir said that it was shot around Haripur and he was very excited about the project.
“This is the first time I worked with Minal Khan and it was a pleasure working with her,” said Yasir Hussain about his experience of working with Minal.
Yasir was all praises for the telefilm’s direction and its cast. Although he didn’t reveal any details about the story of the telefilm, he did promise that it was going to be something he has never done before.
“The cast also includes Madiha Rizvi and Tipu as well. The story revolves just around these four main characters. It was my first experience working in locations like this. It is the first time I have shot for something like this. It is completely different from anything I have done and the audience will surely enjoy it.”
Well, we will be looking forward to the telefilm whenever it releases. In the meanwhile, check out the full episode of this week’s What’s The 411! to have your weekly catchup on all the trending topics of the Pakistani entertainment industry.
The conversation around the Turkish drama Diriliş: Ertuğrul, that took the Pakistani drama audience by the storm, still continues on. Even as Pakistani dramas carry on raking in views in the millions every week on Youtube and the rating graph for channels never seems to decline, the demand for a Pakistani drama like Ertuğrul can be noticed all over social media.
It wouldn’t be right to assume that our drama industry is unaware of the audience’s demand for such a particular kind of drama. So, why haven’t the Pakistani dramas been modified to reflect the sentiments of this popular dizi that the audience is so loudly demanding for? Well, according to the actor Muneeb Butt it is all because of the audience itself.
Equal blame
Muneeb Butt recently gave an interview to Rafay Rashidi for his online web show Behind The Curtain With Rafay Rashdi. Muneeb, who has been part of many dramas that were a huge ratings hit, talked about the projects that he has done and what satisfies him as an actor. But before he got into that, Muneeb addressed the trending topic of the Pakistani drama industry being criticized for not making Ertuğrul quality drama shows.
Muneeb called Ertuğrul a rare show and said that dramas like Ertuğrul are seldom made, to begin with. And when dramas set a certain kind of standard, it ends up pressurizing the entire industry.
“Just like how Mere Paas Tum Ho was the kind of drama that had the entire nation in its grip. Everyone watched the show. Ertuğrul did the same.”
Muneeb continued to say that it has ended up in the industry and the artists being criticized and bashed. He addressed the issue and said that it is important to let the people know just why the industry is unable to produce such shows.
“I have been deliberately telling people that I’m meeting nowadays that if the industry is to be blamed for not producing such shows, the audience is to be equally blamed for it! The public doesn’t watch these kinds of shows. Channel owners sell what the public is willing to watch.”
The rating race
Giving the example of Alif, a show based on the them of spirtuality, that was aired around the same time Mere Paas Tum Ho aired and was its direct competition in terms of airing-day and time slot, Muneeb explained that despite being an amazing show, it didn’t get impressive ratings.
“I love Alif. When I had watched the show, I was blown away by how amazing the drama was. But when it came to the ratings, Mere Paas Tum Ho constantly beat Alif on the rating chart. Although Mere Paas Tum Ho was a very well knitted story, its central theme was infidelity. Yet, people loved the show.”
Muneeb said the power to choose what content channels and production houses make is all in the hands of the audience. Talking about how often the industry is blamed for limiting the content for the audience so they have no choice but the consume whatever is being dished to them, he clarified that the audience can choose to switch away from the content at any time.
“It’s all a business. If the audience will stop watching this kind of content that they are criticizing on social media, the makers will stop producing them. The remote control is a small but powerful thing. But if the audience is not switching away from the channel and is continuing to watch the dramas, it means they are interested in it. And until that interest is there, the dramas will continue to be produced.”
Well, this topic is definitely something that needs to be discussed thoroughly as there are various points to be considered here. We are just glad that conversations are now happening where artists are also making valid points based on their experiences. Will these conversations and discussions lead to a change in the Pakistani drama industry? Only time can answer that.
People in the sub-continent have always been obsessed with fair skin. Colorism, or discrimination on the basis of skin color within the people of the same race, is the direct consequence of the centuries-long British colonization. And while the colonizers have long left the sub-continent physically, the deep-rooted inferiority they inflicted upon our forefathers is still rampant in our generation.
Darker-skinned people, especially women, have faced discrimination for a lot of years now. Be it in their professional or personal lives – people with light skin color tend to be favored by society. Although the discussion on the topic of colorism and the toxicity that it perpetuates has been going on for a long time now, things took a whole new turn with the Black Lives Matter movement gaining momentum on a global scale this year after the death of an African American man, George Floyd.
And yet, our celebrities continue to endorse the products that directly and indirectly promote colorism. But it seems like their industry colleagues are now tired of this behavior and are actively calling them out!
The hypocrisy
After the brutal death of George Floyd, many celebrities all over the world lent their support to the Black Lives Matter movement. Pakistani and Indian celebrities also did the same. However, their support wasn’t well-received by the netizens of the countries. People called these celebrities out for their hypocrisy and said that on one hand, they raise their voices for dark-skinned people, yet on the other hand, they endorse fairness creams, such as Fair & Lovely.
The backlash that the company Unilever faced, when the conversation about race and color was being held at a global level, led to Unilever changing the brand’s name from Fair & Lovely to Glow & Lovely, since the brand’s original name equated whiter skin with beauty and confidence. Mawra Hocane, who has been endorsing the product for a while now, continues to be associated with it post its rebranding.
Changing a product’s name and marketing technique doesn’t change its disturbing and deeply rooted history. Sajal Aly and Sanam Jung who have also endorsed skin whitening products have received their share of criticism as well.
Irresponsible associations
A few months ago, Zara Noor Abbas posted a video of a small girl talking about the discrimination she faces as a kid with dark skin. Netizens were quick to point out how Zara was sympathizing with the dark-skinned girl, yet she starred in a Pond’s beauty face wash advertisement earlier this year. She even made a perplexing comment under one of her Instagram posts where she said starring in such an advertisement has nothing to do with being a racist.
Zara seemed to have completely missed the point that while colorism and racism are two different things, they are equally dangerous. A face wash might not be killing someone in the literal sense, but the ideas that the brand perpetuates through their products kill the self-esteem of countless people every day.
Recently, Ayeza Khan shocked the internet when she endorsed a fairness cream that is known to have harmful chemicals and has been banned in the country a couple of years back. Ayeza enjoys a very good social media following and she is definitely one of the country’s most in-demand actors as all her dramas get good TRPs and online views. For her to choose to associate with a brand like Faiza Beauty Cream is truly an astonishing move.
Celebrities against fairness creams
Thankfully, in Pakistan, many celebrities have revealed themselves that they said no to promoting fairness creams. In an interview, Sanam Saeed said that she would never do anything to change her complexion because that’s who she is. Mahira Khan, Ayesha Omar, and Momina Mustehsan admitted on Twitter that they have been turning down fairness product endorsements ever since they started their careers. Iqra Aziz and Mansha Pasha also voiced their strong opinions about not promoting such products.
Models turned actresses Amna Ilyas and Eman Suleman often criticize their fellow actresses for promoting skin whitening creams. Amna Ilyas even went on to mock Ayeza Khan for starring in a Faiza Beauty Cream commercial. These actresses haven’t shied away from calling a spade a spade, and more power to them for doing so.
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It is 2020, and if our actresses are still proudly starring in commercials that deem dark-skinned women as undeserving, then it isn’t just about starring in commercials; it is about believing in a wrong ideology. And it is good that the celebrities’ colleagues are not shying away from calling them out for it.
These popular actresses and celebrities can change the way standards of beauty are perceived in society by promoting how to love one’s own natural skin color. More power to those who do so! And to those who continue to promote products that prioritize a person’s skin color over everything else, may they see the light soon.
Despite having women at the center of everything, Pakistani dramas are notorious for representing a rather miserable side of womanhood. Women in Pakistani dramas are often shown as the repressed victims whose entire lives are dictated by factors beyond their control. The factors can be spotted in the form of a toxic family, abusive in-laws, or just the society in general which thrives on making the life of a woman as miserable as it can be.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
When Pakistani dramas are hell-bent on perpetuating the idea that a woman is a woman’s biggest enemy, there is no respite for women that can be found in them. So, when the latest episode of Sabaat showed the positive, uplifting, and a more realistic side of what it means to be an educated and empowered woman of today’s time, we could not help but give the drama and its team a standing ovation!
The strength to move on
To those unaware of what has been happening in the drama, here is a quick recap. Anaya chose to walk out of her marriage when her husband accused her of infidelity. Back at her parents’ house, Anaya had to deal with the shock of her once-loving husband accusing her of being dishonest all the while hiding this truth from her dying father. When Anaya’s father passes away, a pregnant Anaya and her now widowed mother are the only ones left to support each other.
To make matters worse, a couple of frauds scam Anaya’s mother into given them all her bank details. Now, the pair of women don’t even have any money left in the bank account to respectfully continue on in their lives.
In any other drama, the narrative would’ve spent episodes just portraying the tragic circumstances of these, now alone and seemingly helpless, women. But this is where Sabaat proved why it is one of the better-written shows on Pakistani television. Because instead of long montages of women crying, Sabaat showed the two women dealing with their grief together and finding the strength to move on in their lives.
The episode started with Anaya lamenting the sad incidents of her life and even wished that she could’ve died with her father instead of having to face these difficulties on her own. That was a person’s grief-induced depression speaking and Sabaat dealt with it very sensitively. Anaya’s mother doesn’t scold her for having such thoughts and instead encourages her to find the strength to look forward to her own happiness in life especially when she was so close to being a mother.
And it is done not just with empty words. A beautiful scene between the mother and daughter shows how the mother is making efforts to go back to her normal routine of dressing up and taking care of her appearance, so the daughter can take courage from her to do the same. Very rarely has a Pakistani drama shown the reality of a mother and daughter being each other’s support system in such a nuanced manner.
The power of women supporting women
Pakistani dramas can show a million and one ways that a woman’s life becomes miserable but it doesn’t bother to show any practical solutions to those miseries. Sabaat thankfully didn’t go the same route. The drama showed Anaya taking charge of her life by choosing to start a home-based business to support her family during their financial crisis. And the best bit? She had the support of her friends and mother in doing so!
Supportive female friendships done right can make the best of the stories. And Sabaat proved it. Anaya’s loyal and supportive friends start by offering her financial help but when Anaya refuses to take their charity and instead asks them to support her baking business, her friends readily agree to do so. In a beautiful montage, the episode shows Anaya being helped by her friends in the kitchen as she bakes as well as helping her take care of the orders she receives. The message this montage delivers is profound and empowering.
And when Anaya is rushed to the hospital to give birth, her friends are there with her mother to lend her their support. Her friends are there when Anaya is holding her baby and are proudly introducing themselves to the little baby as being his khalas.
Self respect above all
Through Anaya, Sabaat made a very strong case of how a woman’s self-respect should be her first priority. If a woman takes a stand for herself and her self-respect, no matter how badly the man in her life ends up treating her, the woman wouldn’t fail.
Anaya sticks by her decision of completely kicking her husband out of her life when he insulted her character. While she is sorrowful that her child would not have a father figure in his life, Anaya knows that her child deserves more than having a father who didn’t trust his mother. Anaya even chooses to not name her child after his father and ends up giving it the name that Anaya has lived with all her.
These are small but empowering messages that Pakistani dramas need to show more of. A woman’s existence is for more than just being the miserable character in a story. Women are complex creatures capable of being both gentle and hard when the situation demands. Anaya, her mother, and her friends have shown the Pakistani drama audience how the real women of today’s time and age act. And we can only hope more and more dramas will now start to explore the complexities of female characters instead of the standard one-dimensional portrayal they have normalized.
There was a time when Pakistani dramas that specifically catered to the youth demographic were made. However, those kinds of dramas had become almost extinct. Pakistani dramas nowadays usually don’t resonate with fun-loving Pakistani youth. There is hardly any content produced and created for them. But last year this genre of drama where young characters and their lives take the center stage was brought back on television with Candi Meray Dost Meray Yaar.
Last year when Candi Meray Dost Meray Yaar (MDMY) ended, it left its audience a little off-guard. It was Pakistan’s first-ever musical TV series that featured original songs, and it proved to be a good break from mundane storylines and never-ending tragedies shown in the standard Pakistani series.
It is back and bigger than before
What was it that the youth connects with when it comes to Candi MDMY? Well, it is a story of a group of friends and their friendship that sees all ups and downs; while having each other by the side and their will to be together. Furthermore, it is beautifully knit on some of the most amazing musical tracks that cannot be forgotten.
The good news is that Candi Meray Dost Meray Yaar is coming back with its second season, with a more engaging storyline and promising music. The ever talented and beloved Asim Azhar is making a debut as a music director, bringing five tracks on 5 different tangents of mood as well as genres to the show.
Asim Azhar’s musicality
The title track has been rewritten by Asim while keeping in mind the story of Zoya, Sherry, Zain, and Mohib and their friendship and relationships. The song will prove to be a game-changer. But that is not all. Another prominent track one must look forward to is nothing short of a masterstroke. It is again a song that is Asim’s composition, and our favorite, Ali Hamza has sung it. It already sounds like a dream.
When we talk about Pakistani occasions, how can we miss shaadis? Shaadi is like the biggest occasion ever and Asim knew it. One of the 5 songs in Candi MDMY Season 2 is a shaadi song. And from what we can tell now, it is going to give tough competition to all shaadi tracks ever produced. The song is not a simple dance or bhangra number but is more musically expression. We can foresee larki walas concluding their dances on this song’s emotional note in upcoming mehendis.
Considering his track record, it is hard not to expect the best from Asim Azhar. He has conquered the industry as a singer, he will certainly not leave any stone unturned as a music director either.
Season 2 of Candi Mere Dost Mere Yaar is all set to release soon. Directed by Mehreen Jabbar, the cast of season 2 include Hania Amir, Maryam Nafees, and Asad Siddiqui alongside Asim Azhar in leading roles.
In the 90s, a Pakistani action film called International Gorillay released in the context of The Satanic Verses controversy. The movie portrayed Salman Rushdie as its main villain and it was denied a certificate by the British Board of Film Classification, effectively banning its cinema release in the UK. The board cited the safety of Rushdie as an argument for refusing the certificate, that the film could inflame some to violence. Rushdie, however, opposed the ban. And when the ban was overturned he said, “If that film had been banned, it would have become the hottest video in town: everyone would have seen it”.
Rushdie’s statement echoes true even today. As 2020 approaches its end, the Pakistani entertainment industry seems to have realized that the only way of making sure their product is seen by everyone is to ban it. And, with the way things are going on, the strategy appears to be working pretty well.
Corporates taking advantage
A few days ago Mehwish Hayat posted teasers of a project that was “very close to her heart”. The project turned out to be a TVC for the biscuit Gala. It was a standard ad marketed and promoted as per the brand’s usual style.
The rather loud and kitschy ad film, which would’ve been ignored and forgotten by the audience if it was left alone, catapulted to popularity (or notoriety) when PEMRA suddenly decided to ban it; citing reasons that were as ridiculous as the presentation of the advertisement itself.
The Gala biscuit ad is directed by the Dekh Magar Pyar Se director Asad Ul Haq, who has a history of directing visually stunning ad films. Looking at the branding strategy of Gala biscuit – the presence of a leading filmstar and a director who has a knack for colorful visuals in his works, the ad shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. However, a ban by PEMRA made sure that the ad trended all over social media. It became a conversation topic both online and in the drawing rooms. An ad, that otherwise, at most, would’ve been criticized for its poor production values, was now being talked about in the context of the artistic freedom in the country. People started making memes for it. The corporate scored a complete win.
Interestingly, the “ban” that made the ad a hot-topic in the first place was never really put into practice. The ad continued to run on television screens ever since it was released, its absence not noticed by anyone. And when it was pointed out, the clarification that PEMRA had only issued a strict warning against the content of the ad was given. But that was never highlighted. The entire focus was kept on the word “ban”.
As a marketing tool
Just as the Gala ad ban controversy came to a closure, Pakistani people other saw back to back bans. Cake director Asim Abbasi’s maiden web-series Churails available for streaming on an Indian’s OTT platform Zee5 was banned for viewing in Pakistan by “concerned authorities”. And then, the controversial Chinese app TikTok was also banned.
Understandably, both the bans have been met with equally conflicting reactions by the public. The ban that was put on Churails was particularly spurious as it was as short-lived as Gala’s. The timing of the ban, as it happened just a few days before the platform was ready to release the trailer for its next original web-series, and the lifting of the ban just a day after the said trailer was released, raised suspicions. It further raised questions that whether such moves were deliberately being designed by the marketing staff/creators themselves to bring their product back in the news, wrapping them in the foil of controversy and hence, helping them sell more. Such conspiracy theories hold strong footings especially when the “banning culture” is becoming a trend in Pakistan.
Deliberate sabotaging
There is no denying that the media practitioners and artist community are not happy with the way PEMRA has been dealing with the expression of art across our media platforms. Banning an ad, just on the premise that it depicts dancing and music to sell the product, seems like an illogical approach; especially considering how this has been happening for years now. People who confuse and mix religion and culture are offended by anything that doesn’t conform to their kaleidoscopic versions of the two separate entities. However, an official regulatory authority encouraging people with such a mentality that calls for banning anything that does not conform to their ideas of culture, religion, aesthetics, or art, just sets up dangerous precedents.
At the same time, the blame should also be placed on the minds in marketing, who have been using the “ban tag” irresponsibly to bring their products in the limelight. Inside sources claim that films like Maalik have used this tactic to catch the attention of the masses and sell the film to them. The film, which had opened to a lukewarm response, had managed to recover its costs when it was released after it was banned. There have been rumors of the ban being self-imposed, though there isn’t concrete evidence of these views.
Dubious intents
The Wikipedia page of PEMRA states that it has a constitutional mandate “to enlarge the choice available to the people of Pakistan including news, current affairs, religious knowledge, art, and culture as well as science and technology.” The authority, however, seems to play an opposite role limiting art in one or other forms.
There have been various press releases by PEMRA where it is stated that the regulatory body receives numerous complaints from viewers on Pakistan Citizen Portal and PEMRA’s social media accounts about the content of different programs. PEMRA states that these programs are “highly inappropriate, vulgar, obscene, and dangerous to our social fabric.” It is thus obvious that PEMRA’s approach is constrained by populist factors acting in response to a section of consumers’ demands. But the real question is, should a regulatory body sit in judgment of what it thinks the consumers want?
The rampant banning a country’s official regulatory body sets dangerous precedents for the future where any form of cultural or artistic expression could be banned from reaching the people. It is a particularly dangerous and sad trend in a country like Pakistan that is said to be at the crossroads of transforming into a more accepting and moderate society after a long and troubled period of unrest and extremism.
PEMRA has been throwing bans here and there off-late and most of its decisions seem to be based on populist rhetorics rather than logistics. Like when it recently announced a ban on the repeat telecast of two popular Pakistani drama serials – ARY Digital’s Ishqiya and Hum TV’s Pyar Ke Sadqay. It made us think where the authority was at a time when these two dramas were originally being telecasted and how banning these dramas now when they have already been watched by the audience on television and are available for free streaming on Youtube, can help to preserve the cultural values of the country that these dramas allegedly threatened?
Diverting attention from important issues
Another important factor that cannot be denied is how the news of any content be it an ad, a drama, or a web-series, manages to take over all the social media trends. At a time when the country is facing the worst kind of catastrophe with news of rapes and sexual harassment coming out every day, with little to no development happening to eradicate the society from this evil, these bans appear like diversion tactics.
Instead of making way for conversations and reforms to tackle this deep-rooted issue of the society, our official regulatory bodies have turned their attention to the country’s entertainment industry. Instead of addressing the systematic misogyny and sexism, the toxic patriarchal mindset, and the corrupt power structures that tend to favor the culprits than providing safety and assurance to the victims, PEMRA seems to be taking the easy way out by blaming the country’s entertainment industry to avoid addressing the actual elephant in the room.
Final word
Several media activists have been maintaining that TV and radio regulation should be through the participation and representation of the stakeholders. Also the production of programs that highlight some of our country’s most divisive social issues such as child abuse, family planning, and minority rights, or even simple expression of art forms such a music and dance should not be curtailed until an element of hate in it.
Should ideas and expression of art not be given a chance to be presented to the audience, compete, and then either gain or lose traction based on their own merit? An outright ban on a program or content will not provide the result that the regulatory body assumes it would. Such actions only send a signal to the content creators and producers that resources should not be spent on programs that encourage critical and rational thought in art, social sciences, religion, or any field for that matter. More producers will go on producing substandard content where controversial but important socio-legal issues are shunned.
The abuse of “banning power” both by authorities, the creators, and marketeers is a dangerous trend that would ultimately affect the artistic expression of a society that’s already a quagmire of innumerable issues. It is our collective loss at the end of the day. Because what needs to be “banned” is the dangerous mindset that has given birth to the elements of disruption in society. Banning the content created in our country, which merely reflects the realities of our society, only further makes sure that the dangerous and toxic elements of the society carry on festering unchecked.
In Pakistan, music collaborations have always worked wonders. Back when the Pakistani pop music scene was alive and thriving, collaborations between different musicians were not a rarity. Whether it was the trio Strings, Junaid Jamshed and Haroon who got together for the patriotic Tu Hai Kahan or just about any song from the Coke Studio franchise – listeners have always enjoyed their favorite musicians get together.
Keeping up with this spirit of Pakistani music, in what is said to be the first of its kind, a unique collaboration is in store for the audience. For the first time, a mainstream actor-singer has collaborated with a trans-woman singer. Yes, Mohsin Abbas Haider and Shyraa Roy have collaborated together for an upcoming music single. Titled Kamli, the song has already started hyping up the audience.
Kamli – the biggest collaboration of the year
Speaking exclusively to Galaxy Lollywood, Mohsin and Shyraa shared their experience working with each other and revealed details about how the collaboration came to be. Shyraa called Kamli as the biggest collaboration of the year and said that Kamli was not going to be just another random song.
“It is a Sufi song. It consists of stories that are about religion, honor, and love. It is not just a song; it’s like a movie. There is a story in it.”
Talking about what the audience can expect from the song, Shyraa added that so much hard work has been put in the song as it took around eight months to be made. The song is said to be a fusion of darbari and pop music.
Mohsin corroborated Shyraa’s statement and said that they had been working on the song for a very long time.
“Shyraa used to send me a composition every few days. Until the composition didn’t click with me personally, I kept on rejecting them. It was a whole process and I think Shyraa deserves credit for being patient.” Said Mohsin about the collaboration.
Mohsin said that as a musician he is very pleased with how the song turned out. He personally likes the song and he credits Shyraa for all the hard work that she put in the song.
The music video for the song, produced in association with Stardom Entertainment, has been shot in Wazirabad and is shot on a grand scale.
Experience working together
When asked about how the idea of collaboration with Mohsin Abbas Haider happened, Shyraa replied that she had initially not expected it to happen. Revealing the story about how they connected, Shyraa said that she had messaged Mohsin on Facebook and asked him if he would be interested to collab with her for a song.
“When he said sure to my project, I became quite excited. I was not even sure whether he’d agree to my proposition or not since he’s a celebrity. I thought he would decline later on, but he never did that.”
Talking about the experience of working with each other, Mohsin and Shyraa had nothing but nice things to say about each other.
“It was fun working with Shyraa. She is brilliant, talented, hardworking, and completely on merit. She did not enter the industry because someone did a favor for her.” Mohsin said.
Shyraa was also nothing but praise for Mohsin. “It was a very nice experience. Mohsin gave me so much respect; he was very humble. Whether we were recording or shooting on set, he respected me very much.”
Views about the transgender community
When asked about the experiences and the reactions that transgender people face in the industry, Mohsin and Shyraa both had profound things to say.
Speaking about the mistreatment that transgender people get in the industry, Mohsin said transgender people deserve to be treated with respect. He confessed that he had not gotten entirely positive and encouraging responses from people when he revealed about the collaboration and that did not sit well with him. Not just the people around him but even the senior anchors in the industry had used indecent words when they commented on the news of him collaborating with Shyraa.
“We think it is really cool to write thesis on the transgender community and we think it is cool to protest for their rights but when it comes to respecting them and giving them professional opportunities, we are either reluctant or we pass comments about people who choose to work with them, just like the comments I got.”
Shyraa also talked about some bad experiences that she had go through because of her identity. She spoke of an incident where she was invited to a show on national television only to be humiliated and harassed. However, Shyraa maintained that one bad experience does not mean that the entire industry is bad.
“I can’t say everyone is bad. There are people who support me and appreciate that a girl from the trans community is standing up confidently and talking about her ambitions.”
Shyraa also revealed that in Kamli she will not be playing the character of a transgender woman but she will appear just as a woman, as who she is.
“It shouldn’t be an abnormal thing. If someone identifies as a woman then they should be treated as such. Yes, I agree that there is a stigma around, and the stereotypes associated with transgender people are many. But when someone, despite all these setbacks, has gone ahead and made a project on a huge scale which features a mainstream celebrity, then they should be given extra encouragement and appreciation for managing to accomplish this task.”
Mohsin added that the naysayers who had wanted him to not do this collaboration initially have now begun to appreciate and like the song seeing the end product. He hopes that this collaboration will set a positive precedent in the industry and will open up new avenues for the artists from the transgender community.
What’s next for Shyraa Roy?
Shryaa shared some details about her upcoming projects and sounded very excited about them.
“I am doing a film revolving around cyber crime as the main lead. The film is for an OTT platform, and it is called Hello Shabnam.“
Apart from Kamli, she has also worked on two solos, a seductive and romantic song Qareeb Aao and a sad song Dil Daariyan. Additionally, as a Galaxy Lollywood exclusive, Shyraa also revealed that she is set to collaborate with none other than the music maestro Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for a classic song.
Kamli is set to release in October, with no date confirmed. Galaxy Lollywood wishes Mohsin and Shyraa all the best for their collaboration and hope that it paves way for more such collaborations.
Asim Abbasi’s directorial web series, Churails premiered on the Indian OTT platform Zee5 on 11th August. The series, that has been lauded for its unconventional story line, progressive characterization, and a liberal approach towards societal taboos, is unlike anything that has come from the Pakistani entertainment industry in a long time. Churails received both praise and some criticism for its content upon its release, but for the most part the series was left undisturbed on the platform leaving it open for any viewer to stream it as per their own choice.
However, two months after the series’ release, Churails was once again trending on social media. The reason? Churails was restricted for viewing in Pakistan. In other words, Churails was banned in Pakistan.
The ban
On 7th October, Churails was removed from the streaming platform Zee5 for its Pakistani subscribers. Zee5 had received a directive, allegedly issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), demanding that the show be restricted for viewing in Pakistan because of the backlash it has received in the country.
Director Asim Abbasi of Cake fame, expressed his disappointment about the supposed ban on his Twitter account. His women-led ensemble cast expressed their displeasure publicly whereas celebrities such as Osman Khalid Butt, Sanam Saeed, and Mansha Pasha condemned the trend of controlling creative freedom by imposing frequent bans on media artifacts.
How strange for #Churails to be lauded internationally, and now be shut down in its country of origin. In the very country where hundreds of artists came together to create something that could initiate dialogue and open doors for new narratives. (1)
Unfortunately we are moving towards a Zia-esque time of Moral policing. Meanwhile the state silences journalists, runs after biscuit ads and begins its bans on OTT content. What started off as a causal critique by bloggers of what content should or shouldnt be on tv has now https://t.co/86aAm9i0FW
Oh, you got Churails banned? Congratufuckinglations. Now please focus your outrage on the fact that police have failed to arrest the prime accused in the motorway rape incident.
Banning dancing ads, outspoken films and webseries will not end rape if that's the agenda. Why are we riddled with such hypocrisy? Buss bandh darvaazon kay peechay ho sub. God forbid hamari bholi awaam influence na ho jai if we take creative liberty to be honest and open.
A snippet from the series featuring Hina Bayat and Yasra Rizvi went viral on social media platforms, primarily Twitter, last week. The video crafted a monologue of Hina’s character in which she talks about providing physical favors to earn a livelihood and receive hierarchy promotions. The monologue consisted sexually explicit words, which became a subject of cyber vilification. This clip circulated on digital platforms and irked the conservative elements in the country.
The concept of consuming local web series is comparatively new, and a section of the audience confuses web series with television dramas, hence Churails’ content was scrutinized in regards to television’s code of conduct. A section of the local netizens reported complaints to the media regulatory bodies, i.e, PEMRA and PTA against the streaming of Churails in the country.
Earlier today, director of Churails Asim Abbasi shared on his Instagram that Churails was now back Zee5 and was available for viewing in Pakistan again.
Zee5 stated in its official statements said that, “Our aim has always been to create content that resonates strongly with viewers across the globe. Churails has been a phenomenal success story for us and has been lauded and loved the world over.”
The statement further clarified the reason why Churails was taken down by the platform.
“The show was taken off the platform in Pakistan purely in compliance with a directive that we received. We have now addressed the matter and reinstated the show on our platform.”
Things not yet answered
According to the statement that was issued by Zee5, the platform had received a directive from Pakistan to remove Churails from its platform for the Pakistani audience. However, the statement does not say who had sent this directive to the platform in the first place.
A story published by the Reuters claims that PTA had contacted the OTT platform after receiving complains regarding the content of Churails.
“We cannot block (content) on our own, but we can write to the platform, which we have done,” a PTA official said on condition of anonymity to Reuters.
However, according to an article published in Independent Urdu, no such comment on the Churails ban in Pakistan was made by anyone associated with the PTA. According to the Independent Urdu article, they had reached out to both Zee5 and Asim Abbasi for their comments on the ban. The officials of Zee5 refused to comment on the matter whereas Asim Abbasi said that he had said everything he had to say on his social media accounts. He refused to answer about who had issued the ban and how was he informed of it.
The article also claims that PTA had first shown unawareness regarding the whole issue. However, later the spokesperson for PTA Khurram Mehran did say that PTA was well within its lawful rights to ban any content available on the internet. The Churails ban, however, was not caused by PTA.
This is what is known as a half-truth. Journos should understand bureaucratic nuance. #Churails was taken down by Zee5 on threats by PTA that it would ban the entire website/app in Pak. https://t.co/xnrIjv28Fa
Journalist Hasan Zaidi did not endorse the report made by Independent Urdu. Quoting the news of PTA having no involvement in the Churails ban, he said that it was a matter of bureaucratic nuance. He claimed that Zee5 was being threatened by PTA that it would ban the entire platform in the country if they fail to comply to their directive.
Zee5 has not issued any clarification about the issue yet.
A planned move?
Seeing how the current trend in Pakistan is to ban something if one wants people to get more interested in it, it does not seem far-fetched to assume that the trend was used as a publicity stunt by the platform for its advantage. Zee5 has not made any clarifications about who issued them the directive to take down the content in Pakistan; what objectionable content was raised as the reason which led to the demand of the ban, and what negotiations did the platform and the yet-unnamed body that issued the directive reach for Churails to be unrestricted in Pakistan without any changes made to it. The conspiracy theory about this whole sudden-ban-followed-by-a-quick-unban being a planned move seems to have some weight to it.
When an official regulatory authority decides to ban or criticize any kind of content that is on-air or online, it does so by issuing an official statement. PEMRA did it when it decided to ban Jalan. It did it again when it issued warning against the recent Gala commercial. So, it is quite suspicious that the same was never bothered to be done for Churails.
A web-series, unlike a regular series, is not able to hold the limelight for a long time. Because the entire series is available for binge watching all at once, there is no waiting period for its audience to properly discuss and dissect the show. The fervor for a web-series might be huge, but it is short-lived nonetheless.
Which is what happened with Churails. The web-series was released, discussed, commented on, criticized, and then ultimately left behind as the audience moved on to other things, all within a span of a month. However, when the news of the ban came out, Churails was back on the trending list. People were talking about it again. And what a co-incidence, it happened right at the same time when Zee5 was all ready to release the trailer for its next Pakistani web-series – Ek Jhoothi Love Story.
It is quite suspicious to see how the official statement released by Zee5 barely addresses the ban and is instead more focused on how much Churails was loved worldwide. An official statement that was meant to clarify rumors and put to rest any conspiracy theory instead uses this incident to promote its next venture. Planting a controversy to promote a project? Well, it is quite a common publicity stunt that is used quite often across the border.
Final word
This is, after all, pure conjecture from our part based on the news that we have on our hands. Until some more detailed and transparent information about the ban is not released, conjectures and conspiracy theories will continue to raise skepticism about where this sudden ban on the web-series came from and why it was over by the time the platform was ready to introduce new original content on it. Meanwhile, Churails is now available on the streaming platform internationally, including Pakistan, like it was never gone.
The trailer for the second Pakistani web-series that will be streamed on Zee5 dropped yesterday. Titled Ek Jhoothi Love Story, the series boasts of some of the biggest and most talented names in the Pakistani entertainment industry as a part of its team. Written by the Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Alif fame Umera Ahmed and directed by the ace director Mehreen Jabbar, Ek Jhoothi Love Story has Bilal Abbas and Madiha Imam as its leads. Respected names like Mohammad Ahmed, Hina Bayat, Mariam Saleem, and Beo Rana Zafar are also part of the project.
By all means, everything associated with the project is enough to raise excitement for the viewers. However, after the trailer was released, some netizens pointed out how the story that the trailer is showing a preview of, might not be entirely original. More specifically, Ek Jhoothi Love Story seems to have taken its inspiration from a Bollywood movie Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge.
A coincidence?
The snippets shown in a trailer are meant to give the viewers an idea about what to expect from the story. While there is no way of knowing what the actual story of Ek Jhoothi Love Story is until the show is released for streaming at the end of this month, the bit shown in the trailer where the characters played by Bilal Abbas and Madiha Imam make fake profiles and pretend to be someone else, seems to be heavily inspired by a Bollywood movie.
https://youtu.be/yHVsWCtTn2Y
Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge is a Bollywood movie that was released in 2011. The film’s plot revolves around two characters who pretend to be someone else on Facebook in order to fulfill their romantic fantasies online. The characters remain oblivious to the fact that the deception is happening from both sides and this causes much confusion and chaos.
Ek Jhoothi Love Story seems to be going the same way judging by the trailer. The characters played by Bilal Abbas and Madiha Imam are also shown to be making fake profiles on Facebook in order to establish relationships online. The trailer also shows that both Bilal and Madiha end up meeting the other’s online persona in real life, without knowing that the person that they think they have been dating online all this time, does not know about them in real life. Which, we assume, will end up causing much confusion and chaos.
All speculation
This is all pure speculation at this point. Catfishing is a reality of the virtual world of social media. It is also a common trope that can be found in much of our media. The 2018 Netflix movie Sierra Burgess Is A Loser was also based on the idea of catfishing. There’s a long-running reality show in America Catfish: The Tv Show that documents the truths and lies of online dating.
Umera Ahmed is a highly respectable name in the industry. While Ek Jhoothi Love Story is very different from the kind of projects and scripts that Umera Ahmed is usually known to be doing, it doesn’t feel right that she would choose to get so blatantly inspired by a Bollywood movie like this.
We hope that the web-series has more to offer and that it would not actually end up being lazily inspired by a Bollywood film.
