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The Turks Are Taking Over: Exaggeration Or Cause Of Concern?

By
Kasim Bilal
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Turkish content, specifically drama serials, was introduced to Pakistani audiences back in the early 2010s. The Urdu dubbed version of Ishq e Mamnoon aired on the then newly launched channel Urdu1, doing astounding numbers for the channel and giving a tough competition to the local content on the rating chart. This caused a tsunami of Turkish content being dubbed for our local TV channels with shows like Mera Sultan charting high on the TRP list.

Even back then, there were a number of protests from our own industry members being very loud and clear regarding their disapproval of Turkish content taking over our entertainment industry. But as supply and demand is what always drives business, the content kept on coming. Turkish dramas continued to air on some channels alongside Pakistani dramas. Then, Ertuğrul Ghazi happened.

The show, that once flopped back when it was first introduced on Hum Sitaray back in 2014, was re-introduced to the Pakistani audience when the Prime Minister Imran Khan himself endorsed the show. And unlike other Turkish dramas, that aired on private channels, Ertuğrul Ghazi got home at PTV making sure that no house with a TV in the country would miss out on it.

The brand endorsements

The show was an instant success. Pakistani audience not only accepted the show with open arms for its content because it showed the glorious history of Muslim heroes, but also its actors for portraying the characters of the said Muslim heroes. And seeing the overwhelming number of people gravitating towards the Turkish actors, it was only a matter of time before the brands got in on the whole deal. Thanks to the success of the show the Ertuğrul Ghazi actors Engin Altan Düzyatan and Esra Bilgiç have found in Pakistan, not just a loving audience but lucrative business deals.

Actors getting brand endorsements after delivering hit dramas is not an unusual thing. However, this is the first time any non-Pakistani actors who do not belong to Bollywood have gotten huge endorsements deals one after another. Esra in particular has landed multiple deals with brands like Jazz, QMobile, and Khaadi in a short span of time. Clad in traditional Pakistani attire, Esra had even wished Pakistanis Eid Mubarak sponsored by Jazz. When in Pakistan…

Engin, on the other hand, has signed an agreement with a private housing society in Islamabad to be its ambassador. The news of him visiting Pakistan for the groundbreaking ceremony of a mosque of the same housing scheme is already doing the rounds. He was also invited via Facebook live to meet three differently-abled children from Pakistan Make-A-Wish, which was a whole different can of worms.

Clear difference

It isn’t unheard of for foreign celebrities to sign such brand deals in Pakistan. However, it is certainly odd considering the number of advertisements and endorsements being thrown Esra and Engin’s way. It is also fascinating how Esra is being offered all the big brands that do not shy away from portraying the actress in a glamorous light while Engin’s Ertuğrul persona is kept intact considering how he is being brought here for a mosque’s inauguration.

Nevertheless, it ultimately doesn’t matter which persona the brand wants its ambassador to have. Advertisement is all about the money business and the brands know it best what sells. However, the lines become a little blurry when national brands that are created to support and promote local talent also join in the line to get international faces to represent them.

Blurred lines

Javed Afridi, owner of Peshawar Zalmi one of the key teams of the Pakistani Cricket League, had tweeted about getting Esra and Engin on-board as the ambassadors for the Zalmi team. Although no official confirmation about whether or not the deal has taken place has been announced yet, Esra had tweeted positively about some “good news” related to Peshawar Zalmi earlier in July.

Hamza Ali Abbasi, Mahira Khan, Mehwish Hayat, Humaima Malik, Sana Javed, Gul Panra, and Hania Amir are some of the names who have been associated with the Zalmi team since the team’s inception. All of these are big and respectable names of our industry who have contributed majorly to the country’s industry. What does it mean for the our own local talent if a team like Peshawar Zalmi, a team named after a major city of Pakistan that is meant to hone the skills of local talent of the country, might end up getting endorsed by actors that have nothing to do with the country and its local people?

What lies at the end of it?

The discussions and the debates about this topic have been on-going ever since Ertuğrul Ghazi started becoming big. It started with concerns about the country’s government endorsing foreign content instead of paying attention to improving the local productions and since then has spilled over concerns about the local artists losing out on opportunities because of foreign actors.

One side of the argument says that the quality content imported in the country has only magnified the shortcomings and flaws of our local content. So instead of blaming others for being good, the industry should concentrate on improving itself so it can raise the standard of quality. The other side argues that if the already limited resources in the country will be used on foreigners and foreign content, how will the industry even think of getting better?

Regardless of which side of the argument one chooses to support, it is an undeniable reality that the major success of Ertuğrul Ghazi in Pakistan and the subsequent benefits that its lead stars have gotten from Pakistan have given the Pakistani industry a much-needed wake-up call. For an industry solely based on supply and demand, most of the names in the spotlight are ever-changing like spokes on a wheel, and very rarely do they stick for long. For now, they are Turkish names.

However, if the Pakistani industry continues to serve subpar content without thinking of how to raise the standards for the industry so that it sustains for a long period of time, the case of Ertuğrul Ghazi, Engin Altan Düzyatan, and Esra Bilgiç might just become the start of a new norm. For now, we can only hope that this is just a small phase that will fade away with the popularity of the show. Because the longer this goes on, the bigger the concerns will get.

A Definitive 3-Step Guide For Writing Memorable Female Characters In Pakistani Dramas

By
Hammad Akbar
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Entertainment industries worldwide still need to cover a lot of ground when it comes to representing female characters in fiction. There are countless examples of stories shown on the screens where the female characters are used to prop up the value of the male characters. Surprisingly, the Pakistani drama industry seldom faces this problem.

Almost every Pakistani drama has a female character at the center of things. Most of the story revolves around women in Pakistani dramas. The real challenge here is that those characters are not memorable enough. Instead of coming across as individuals with their complex layers and nuances, the female characters appear to be more like stock characters.

So, we have made a simple 3-step guide for our Pakistani drama writers that they can follow to write more memorable and inspiring female characters for Pakistani dramas.

Give them other aspirations than getting married

Marriage plays an integral part in an individual’s life, especially in Pakistan. It is understandable when female characters in our dramas dream of the perfect fairytale wedding with a prince charming. With the way, society has drilled the idea of marriage being the only goal that women should focus on achieving, it is no surprise that our Pakistani dramas represent this mentality in their female characters.

However, it gets annoying when that is all they focus on. Every drama has that one character who is so obsessed with her marriage that it looks like she doesn’t have any other life beyond it. We’ve had some great female characters like Kashaf from Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Zara from Daam, who did not let their romantic storylines define them. Both of them did end up getting married, but only after they had achieved success in their professional lives.

There is no denying the importance of marriage but a person’s worth is not calculated by their marital status. Our female characters should represent that.

Teach them the art of ‘moving on’

Our Pakistani dramas are full of plotlines that revolve around a love triangle. Loving someone dearly and then watching them get married to someone else is an indescribable feeling. Many of the women in our dramas go through this ordeal almost every other week. And then they spend most of the drama either sulking about their one-sided love or trying to emotionally manipulate the male characters into marrying them.

Processing pain takes time and it has its own stages. But what female characters in our dramas do is threaten to kill themselves if the other person doesn’t acknowledge their ‘love.’ This emotional manipulation in the name of love is not only toxic but it sends a horrible message that if someone fails in love then their entire life becomes meaningless.

Life is all about celebrating what you have and making peace with what you don’t have; the same holds true for love as well. Shaheena from ARY’s Aangan and Zainee from Dar Si Jaati Hai Sila were prime examples of how women can move on, instead of the pain of not getting married to a particular someone destroy them.

The pain of not succeeding in love is tremendous but romantic love is not the only love in the world. It is self-love that makes you the most at peace.

Make them complex

It seems like the writers in our dramas can only think of two roles for women: either they belong to one extreme, the perfect woman, or the other extreme, the wicked woman. Saira from Mein Na Jaano is an example of the former kind, one who never spoke up against the injustice against her character until the last episode. Nigaar from Balaa is the example of the latter type with only one goal in mind: to make life miserable for those around her.

We hardly see any grey female characters in our dramas. Noori from Ranjha Ranjha Kardi and Zubaida from Bari Aapa are a few examples of grey characters. They weren’t completely good or evil, which is what made them enjoyable. And it made them more relatable as well. If people in real life cannot be easily categorized as pure good and pure bad, why demand that the same be applied to our female characters?

No person is completely good and no person is completely bad. Give your female characters layers that make them real so the audience can continue to empathize with them.

Our writers are more than capable of writing complex female characters – and they have in the past. But lately, there has been no diversity whatsoever in female roles. We hope that this little guide will help them in rediscovering their ability to write female characters that have always been the pride of our Pakistani dramas.

‘I Think Junaid And I Are Lucky For Each Other’ – Hira Mani

By
Maisooma Batool
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Hira Mani and Junaid Khan are all set to reunite on screen for the fifth time. The duo first appeared in Danish Nawaz’s Sun Yaara and had immediately enthralled the audience with their chemistry. Since then they have done three more dramas together – Thays that aired on APlus, Mohabbat Na Kariyo on Geo TV, and Kashf which is currently on-air on Hum TV.

Ever since the behind-the-scenes pictures featuring Hira, Junaid, and Armeena Khan from the set of their upcoming drama have released on social media, fans of the duo have been excitedly waiting for more details about the project. But on the other hand, there were some skeptical voices on social media about why the duo has yet another project in the pipeline while there is one that is already currently on-air.

Well, who else to better answer this question than Hira Mani herself.

The lucky charm

In this week’s edition of Galaxy Lollywood’s very own show What’s The 411, Hira Mani talked about her working relationship with Junaid Khan and revealed that usually most of the projects that she is offered are opposite Junaid Khan.

“I feel very comfortable working with Junaid. The pairing is a hit with the audience and people appreciate our work. I think Junaid and I are also very lucky for each other as our projects together receive much love and appreciation from the audience.”

She also talked about how her own kids like it when she works with Junaid. Well, when she has the stamp of approval from her own kids, who are sometimes the harshest of critics, then no wonder the Hira-Junaid pairing is so often seen on-screen.

All the praises

Hira also praised Junaid Khan both as a person and as a co-actor. She said that she prefers working with Junaid because the work environment with him is more pleasant for her.

“When your co-actor is giving you their 100% it makes it easier for you to also give your 100%. And my chemistry with Junaid has become very well established over time.”

Hira also revealed some details about her upcoming project and said that it has a very “mazzay ka script.” She praised the environment on the set by saying that she is truly enjoying working on the project. Hira promised that there is something “new” in the store for her fans and audience with this project.

“I always try to come onscreen with something new. And this time you’ll see me as Sneha which is going to be a totally new thing for me.”

For more inside scoops and what had the social media’s attention this week, check out the latest episode of What’s The 411 only on Galaxy Lollywood’s Youtube page.

https://youtu.be/Vzxt-JN0v4Y

The Norm Of Extended Episodes Is Destroying Pakistani Dramas

By
Uzair Anwer
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As the number of privately owned general entertainment channels has increased, the content that they produce has increasingly become more commercialized. This has brought fundamental changes in the quality and the quantity of the content churned out from our television channels. Today, television channels are prioritizing revenue generation instead of impactful content. The rating system has exploited the creative talent involved in the making of a small-screen series such as writers, actors, and directors.

The impact of the rating system cannot be seen more clearly than in the problematic trend of extending shows to an exhaustingly large number of episodes. This trend has deteriorated the quality of the craft displayed on television on all fronts. Storylines are stretched, episodes are dragged, and frivolous sub-plots are added in order to expand the sequences. And the only motivation to do these things is purely capitalistic.

Becoming the norm

The trend of stretching dramas beyond the scope of its actual story is becoming the norm across all the channels. The recently concluded Danish Taimoor-Hiba Qureshi starrer Deewangi ended its successful run with 41 episodes on Geo TV. Because the show was doing well on the rating chart and trending every week on Youtube, it was extended by adding in many sub-plots and delaying the final resolution of the main conflict. The show did not strictly have any quality storytelling or an organically engaging plot but it got the numbers so that’s all that matters for the channel.

Similarly, the Imran Abbas-Sana Javed’s starrer Darr Khuda Se finished at 42 episodes. Just like Deewangi, the conscious efforts to stretch the story beyond its main theme could be clearly seen in the show’s lackluster second half. Again, it got the numbers so the original intent of the drama was forgotten by the makers. Imran Ashraf-Neelum Munir starrer Kahin Deep Jalay also received negative feedback for stretching the show to 34 episodes.

Things at Hum TV are not any different. Sanam Jung, Zahid Ahmed, and Affan Waheed starred Mein Na Janoo had failed to click with the audience from the show’s starting. And yet, the show ran for 37 episodes. Imran Abbas, Alizeh Shah, and Zarnish Khan starrer Jo Tu Chahay concluded with 41 episodes. The show was panned for having a lazy screenplay, exaggerated situations, and inconsistent storyline. But this clear lack of quality made it possible for the show to have a considerable quantity of episodes.

Sajal Aly and Ahad Raza Mir’s Yeh Dil Mera shone brightly in the rating radar but received flak for its slow-paced screenplay especially towards the concluding episodes. Fans filled the YouTube comment box with complaints of the story not moving forward at a steady pace. Considering the show was a suspense thriller, its success hinged on the fast pacing of the screenplay. However, to fulfill the demands of the channel that needed at least 30 episodes for the show, the quality of the screenplay was compromised.

ARY Digital has its own array of stretched out shows. Mera Dil Mera Dushman which initially aired once a week is now broadcasted thrice a week with its episodes nearing a 55 episode-run and still continuing. Thoda Sa Haq ran for 32 episodes despite having a story that could’ve neatly been concluded in 20-24 episodes. Sana Javed starrer Ruswai which was a story about the survivor of a gang rape ran for 29 episodes however, for many of those episodes the focus wasn’t even on the main character.

The acknowledgment

Zanjabeel Asim Shah who has recently churned out two television blockbusters, Cheekh and Pyar Kay Sadqay, was asked in an interview about her scripts being a victim of drag in the later stages despite starting out strongly with a crisp pace. She revealed that the channels pressurize the writers leaving them no choice but to drag the story in order to facilitate extra episode requirements. Channels negotiate with advertisers on a per-episode basis and even the drama producers are paid per episode hence, she had to succumb to the monetary functionality of the industry as Pakistan is a developing economy and lacks essential economic resources.

Mohsin Ali Shah, writer of the recently concluded ratings hit Ishqiya, candidly confessed in an interview that he as a writer is paid on a per-episode basis. Mohsin explained that a scene’s duration is increased by cinematic gimmicks like adding unnecessary reaction shots so all the drag that ends up happening on screen is not purely due to the writer’s ministrations. He elaborated that it is actually the commercial dynamics of a channel and the people involved behind the doors in the making of a drama who benefit by increasing the length of a script even if it compromises on its quality.

Reasons behind success

Pakistani dramas are celebrated for their simplistic storytelling with a finite number of episodes. This is the reason why Pakistani dramas became such a rage across the border as out dramas have proved how a complete story can be told in a limited number of episodes.

Some of the biggest television blockbusters of the last decade had a limited number of episodes. Fawad Khan-Sanam Saeed starrer Zindagi Gulzar Hai had 26 episodes, Humayun Saeed-Ayeza Khan starrer Marvel Mere Paas Tum Ho, which broke the rating records summed up its screenplay in 23 episodes. Farhan Saeed-Urwa Hocane’s social issue centric Udaari ended its run at a mere 25 episodes. Sarmad Khoosat’s directorial classic Humsafar headlined by Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan has its glorious run with 23 episodes.

Interestingly in the preceding decade of the 2000s, local dramas were crafted within 13-15 episodic-runs and still turned out to be money-spinners for the channel owners  Be it the successful ensemble comedy Azar Ki Ayegi Baraat with 8 episodes, that kickstarted the whole Baraat franchise, or Humayun Saeed-Sanam Baloch starrer Doraha which left a solid impact and received critical acclaim within 14 episodes.

These record-breaking television series were gripping and tightly edited, which made them receive the acclaim that they did. The storyline didn’t feel dragged and the screenplays were not stretched in order to increase the episodic installments. There is a reason why Pakistani dramas were celebrated and its because they prioritized quality above everything else.

The consequences

It is not like shows being extended because of their success is a new thing. Pyaray Afzal is a good example of a show that was extended to 37 episodes despite originally being planned for having some 20 odd episodes because of its success. But this happened for occasional dramas and it depended on their success. Unlike nowadays where dramas almost all dramas are targetted to have 28-35 episodes regardless of their screenplays not having enough quality to survive the stretch.

This problematic trend has been negatively affecting the drama industry in Pakistan and this has forced the majority of the A-list actors and technicians to switch to films or web-series as they are less time consuming to execute. Once a show is on-air, an actor is bound to wrap the shooting under certain deadlines, and hence when a show is extended suddenly it affects other projects of the creative talents involves, such as losing out on projects due to date issues.

If the brilliant minds and artists that elevated the status of Pakistani drama globally will continue to shift away from this medium, leaving it to people who only have their own vested commercial interests here, Pakistani drama will soon lose all of its good reputations. In the world that has all but shifted to digital platforms, there is no dearth of options for the viewers to consume their content from. The powers that be behind Pakistani dramas need to realize that in their desire for commercial gain by dragging the length of dramas, it is the quality of the drama that is suffering. And a low-quality product will never sustain over a long period of time.

Here Are Some Heartwarming Posts With Which Celebrities Announced Their Parenthood

By
Hania Razzaq
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It is always fun watching your favorite celebrities act in blockbuster movies, walk down with the most prestigious awards, or seeing them living a glamorous life that makes them so look so unattainable. However, it is certainly exciting to be reminded that at the end of the day, they too are normal human beings who experience the same joys as we do.

Achieving parenthood is truly a blessing and celebrities are not immune to this. With social media full of various celebrities from around the world announcing pregnancies, we look down at some of our Pakistani celebrities and how they had announced the news of their parenthood with their fans on social media.

Hamza Ali Abbasi

Hamza Ali Abbasi and Naimal Khan shook the internet with the news of their marriage last year. In a similar vein, the duo announced the birth of their baby boy. Muhammad Mustafa Abbasi was introduced to the world by his father who shared an adorable picture of the newborn on Instagram. Naimal, in a separate post on her Instagram, wrote in the caption alongside the picture, “The most pure form of love” as a way of announcing her motherhood.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEVb3gOg26y/

Feroze Khan

The Khaani star announced the birth of his baby boy Muhammad Sultan Khan on 3rd May 2019 through his tweet, “Alhumdulillah this blessed Friday I have been gifted a son, literal Jummah Mubarak“. It was truly a heartwarming post to read as Feroze celebrated the birth of his child on a holy day. However, since then Feroze has either shared back shots or side shots of his son, choosing to never show his face on social media. This has raised the curiosity of his fans but Feroze is certainly within his rights to protect his child’s privacy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5uzX-chXXv/

Aiman Khan

 

The lovebirds, Aiman Khan and Muneeb Butt were blessed with a beautiful baby girl last year, Amal. The birth of the baby was revealed when Aiman posted a picture on Instagram where Amal’s face was not seen as she was wrapped in a pink cloth while Aiman gazes mesmerizingly into her eyes. The prettiest khala Minal Khan also posted an adorable picture with the sweetest caption,” My most precious” as she cuddles her Amalu.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2GnzTilzTf/?igshid=1t9cuaauquvmi

Aisha Khan

Former actress, Aisha Khan and Uqbah Malik were two years into their marriage when they were blessed with a cuddlesome daughter, Mahnoor Malik on the blessed day of 12th Rabbiul Awal. Aisha shared a picture with a heartfelt caption, ”My world” and also said that 2019 couldn’t get any better. However, just like Feroze, she also tends to hide her little angel’s face from the public by inserting an emoji over her face.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6VnQfnFhAh/?igshid=1enuqmy3zxu0x

Imran Ashraf

The much-praised actor has also gotten great news in his personal life as he is blessed with a handsome baby boy, Roham. Imran had used his Twitter to share this delightful news with his fans. In an interview, he had revealed that the son and mother both had to face a lot of complications during the birth process. Interestingly, baby Roham’s face was not revealed until on Imran and Kiran’s wedding anniversary by none other than Humayun Saeed who, in his Instagram post, revealed that Imran promised Humayun to be the first one to reveal his face.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCyqye7pK6P/?igshid=7h9nv8rl9mgy

Momal Sheikh

She didn’t hide her pregnancy and rocked her baby bump like no other when she appeared on Mashion‘s cooking show hosted by Mahira Khan. Momal welcomed her 2nd baby, Aleyha Nadar Nawaz, she posted an endearing picture of the mother-daughter holding onto each other’s fingers. She even went on to share few beautifully captures shots of her husband’s belated birthday and a gratifying caption as her son Ibrahim leans to kiss her baby sister.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEmTNuhDxvF/?igshid=fqp0hmc6gv72

Sanam Baloch

The news of Sanam Baloch having tied the knot again was not public knowledge as the talented actress and TV host had chosen not to post about it on her social media. So, the news of her achieving motherhood was a surprise. Sanam did not even announce her motherhood herself. Instead, the news of Sanam having given birth to a baby girl was confirmed via Sanam’s cousins on Instagram. Sanam might not have said anything about her daughter herself but if a picture is worth a thousand words, the pictures she shared on her Instagram stories tell a tale of a happy mother.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDyD_DSpMoD/?igshid=1cba9bdpcobka

Mehwish Hayat And Fahad Mustafa To Be The New Faces Of Lux

By
Hania Razzaq
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Lux might just be a beauty soap but in Pakistan the brand is synonymous with all things glamorous. Not only are the Lux Style Awards Pakistan’s only longstanding awards that reward the entire entertainment industry from fashion to film to drama to music; but the Lux brand itself associates with only the biggest stars of the industry. To be the face of Lux in Pakistan is a thing worth boasting about.

With the 2020 edition of Lux Style Awards in the planning and preparation stage, the question on people’s minds is who is going to be the face of this year’s Lux campaign. And it looks like a certain Billi has bagged this prestigious campaign for herself.

Rumor has it

The speculation initially started when the gorgeous filmstar, Mehwish Hayat recently posted a picture on Instagram with her Load Wedding co-star Fahad Mustafa with a caption that read that the two had reunited for “something special”. Fahad too had posted a different picture with Mehwish from the same day on his Instagram. The background of the pictures seemed like they had been taken at The Vision Factory’s office in Karachi. The Vision Factory is headed by Asim Raza, the man who has directed many memorable Lux campaigns in the past.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CETyNjontfG/

What further fueled the speculation was a comment left by last year’s Lux girl, Saba Qamar, on Mehwish’s post. Her comment read, ”Bus Zara sa…Good Luck!” This use of Lux’s famous brand tagline to wish Mehwish all the best for this special project definitely was a strong hint that Saba had passed on the Lux Girl mantle to Mehwish Hayat this year.

The new Lux couple

Sources have confirmed that Mehwish Hayat and Fahad Mustafa will be leading the Lux campaign this year as a couple. It has been a while since a couple has been used to lead a Lux campaign. Last year Saba Qamar was the sole face of Lux. A couple of years before it the campaign was led by a trio of Lux Girls (Mahira Khan, Maya Ali, Mawra Hocane in 2017; Mahira Khan, Maya Ali, Reema Khan in 2018) Last time a couple was the face of Lux campaign was when Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan showcased their powerful chemistry that left audience swooning.

Looks like the brand is going for something similar this year with Mehwish and Fahad. It is being reported that this year’s campaign with the new faces of Lux will have the same kind of elegance and grandeur used to accentuate the chemistry that is shared by Fahad and Mehwish. The duo has previously shared the screen in the film Load Wedding. Their powerful performance at last year’s Lux Style Awards was definitely one of the highlights of the ceremony. It will definitely be interesting to see how this chemistry will be captured in this year’s Lux campaign.

Chances are the TVC featuring this duo would be released ahead of this year’s Lux Style Awards to create hype for the awards. As per the norm, the faces of Lux end up playing a big part at the LSAs so it is left to be seen how Mehwish Hayat and Fahad Mustafa will create their magic at this year’s event. All that’s left to do is zara sa..wait.

Here’s The Complete Story Behind Mohsin and Nazish’s ‘Arrest’

By
Maisooma Batool
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The Mohsin Abbas Haider-Fatima Sohail case was the talk of the town in 2019. Mohsin Abbas Haider’s ex-wife Fatima Sohail had accused Mohsin of domestic abuse and had lodged a case against him. What followed afterward was months of public mudslinging between both the parties where press conferences were held and oaths on the Holy Quran were taken by both the parties, each claiming their own side to be true.

The issue seemed to have ended when both Mohsin and Fatima celebrated the court’s decision regarding their case, both claiming that they had won. Regardless, their marriage met a messy end and it seemed like things were ready to be settled down. Then, in December 2019 an explicit video went viral on the internet that allegedly featured Fatima Sohail.

The leaked video

The video that went viral featured a woman that did not look anything like Fatima Sohail. However, social media was full of comments trolling Fatima for being caught in the video. The case was taken to FIA that had, after investigation, confirms that the video did not feature Fatima Sohail in it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEKjAsdJldr/

Fatima Sohail had vowed to take strict actions against the people who had used the video against her to defame her and cause her torment. Although she did not name any names, her words seemed to point towards her ex-husband as being the perpetrator behind the video.

Recently, Fatima Sohail posted a few news videos on her Instagram account where it was reported that Mohsin Abbas Haider and Nazish Jahangir (Mohsin’s alleged girlfriend) were taken into custody by FIA. The two were interrogated for 12 hours regarding the case of fake videos and photographs made against Fatima Sohail. According to the news report, an FIR would be lodged against Mohsin Abbas Haider and Nazish Jahangir once the FIA finds sufficient proofs against the two.

Social media harassment

Fatima explained to Galaxy Lollywood that the reason why she went to FIA was that she had been continuously harassed by the hands of her ex-husband and his alleged girlfriend “for a long time”. She also claims that the two of them are living together ever since Mohsin shifted to Karachi.

Fatima Sohail also claims that Nazish Jahangir has been using threatening and abusive language using fake accounts ever since the news of FIA arresting Mohsin and Nazish came out. She called Mohsin an “immature person” and said that both Nazish and Mohsin are spreading hatred and lies against her on social media and are involved in threatening her followers from their verified accounts.

The other side of the story

On the other hand, Mohsin Abbas Haider has a different tale to tell. Regarding the news of Mohsin being arrested by FIA and being interrogated by the FIA, Mohsin clarified to Galaxy Lollywood that no such thing happened. While it is true that he, along with Nazish, had gone to the FIA but it was all for the purpose of getting their statement in the written form.

“I have been busy shooting in Karachi these days. Had I been arrested, would I be so freely going around my own business like this?”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEKVxboMec0/

Mohsin explained that ever since this whole issue started last year, he had learned a few things. One of which was the importance of having all your statements recorded in written form. That is why he had gone to FIA. Talking about the leaked video, Mohsin said that when that video went viral last year, he had been questioned by some journalists about it. Even then he had said that the video was “bogus.”

Media manipulation

Mohsin also talked about how, ever since the court’s decision had come out, he hasn’t made any public statement or talked about this matter on any platform. He claimed that the recent news is just media manipulation to degrade him now that he is finally moving on and getting back on his feet.

“I have been part of the media. I know how these news channels work. Making up clickbaity headlines that have nothing to do with the actual news is not a big thing for them. These people can claim anything like I was whipped on the road. But will that really be the truth?”

He also clarified that he has been living with his two friends in Karachi unlike what is being rumored. Regarding social media harassment, Mohsin said that he and his family too have been a target of it. Currently, he is busy shooting for his next project.

Should Bol TV Rename Itself To TikTok TV?

By
Ozair Majeed
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Gone are the days when Pakistan television produced the most sought after content that was lauded across all spheres. Shows like Bazm e Tariq Aziz that expertly blend the elements of information and entertainment have now become extinct. The new age of entertainment demands different kind of programs.

Today, in the name of modern-day entertainment we have been exposed to every degree of absurd content. For example, morning shows giving a huge complex of wearing designer lawn ke joray and teaching every kind of todka to get rid of dusky complexion have become a common norm on television. However, what is worse to see is that TV channels are now banking heavily on the popularity of Tik Tok stars to participate in the never-ending race of increasing TRP’s. Specifically, the BOL TV network is running out of content as it air’s a couple of prime time shows that seek support from Tik Tokers.

Commentary on TikTok videos

TikTok is inarguably one of the biggest social media platforms on the internet. It is used widely around the world. The easy to use features and the wide reach that it offers has made it a favorite among common folks who can make small videos of themselves, either lip-syncing to popular audios, performing stunts, or even making small cooking videos, and enjoy positive validation from the app-users.

And where there is a huge volume of content to consume, the commentary and criticism are quick to follow. And Bol TV has made an entire show out of it called The Tick Tock Show With Faheem Khan. The format of the show is simple: videos are taken from TikTok and then the host multitasks by both hosting the show and providing his critique on the videos. The people who have made the videos are rewarded with gifts if their video happens to win in the various categories the videos are divided in.

Another show that relies heavily on Tik Tok is The Insta Show With Mathira. Only here Instagram is also added in the mix. The show is in a talk show format where, in each episode, famous TikTokers or Instagrammers are invited on the show. Amidst light chitchat, various Instagram videos posted by our entertainment industry celebrities are also shown as a way of topic starters for the guests and the host to comment on.

Bizarre gimmicks by leading stars

However, what takes the reliance on the social media “stars” a step further are the game shows hosted by two of the popular actors of the Pakistani entertainment industry. The shows hosted by Faysal Qureshi (Khush Raho Pakistan) and Danish Taimoor (Game Show Aisay Chalay Ga) have these Tik Tokers as permanent members at their show.  In fact, the recent Independence Day Special Episode of Faysal Qureshi’s show Khush Raho Pakistan was entirely shot with Tik Tokers along-with Instagramers.

Danish Taimoor’s show Game Show Aisay Chalay Ga goes the extra mile; the show based on a league format, which started during Ramazan this year, not just has Tik Tokers and Instagramers but Youtubers and former champions as well. The teams compete with each other in various mini-games for prizes and glory.

But what even is reality TV without some drama sprinkled in it? In between all the games and the healthy competition, there is no lack of unnecessary arguments (possibly scripted) between the teams. For example, contestants argue with the host, blaming him for giving easy questions and situations to the opponent team.  There is little to no concern for how this kind of immature behavior is not cut out for shows being aired on national television. Of course, an argument with a star host sells faster than hot cakes and provides a healthy spike in TRP’s for the channel.

Final Word

Tik Tok stars are already popular in their respective domain and earn a good fortune. The same goes for Instagrammers. What is bizarre is the question that why do TV channels have to rely on Tik Tok for content? Television is a stronger medium and the demand for it is massive. When it comes to making trends and choosing the direction of content that the audience gets to invest it, television has the bigger power and authority to do so.

Our country is full of talented people just waiting to be discovered. Channels should be more eager to give a platform to those people who can do wonders after getting the right kind of introduction to the audience. Instead, channels like Bol TV are lazily benefitting from the hard work of the content creators found on TikTok and Instagram. This kind of uninspired television is only further crippling the foundations of quality television in Pakistan.

Pakistani Celebrities And The Trials Of Social Media

By
Atiqa Ali
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In today’s fast-paced world, anything and everything digital is immortalized. Pictures, videos, quotes all seem to live forever in the internet realm and the past is never left in the past. This applies to our celebrities as well who’ve amassed followings in millions. There have been countless cases around the world where many celebrities have gotten into trouble for something they tweeted or said in an interview years ago.

Pakistani celebrities are not exempt from this. The internet culture might have taken more time to become common in Pakistan, but the globally practiced norm of a celebrity’s internet persona reflecting their off-screen image is the same for Pakistani celebrities.

Responsible posting

Most of our celebs are followed by a huge number of common folks interested in their daily lives. Due to this, every post, every caption, every story they post is seen by hundreds of thousands of people hanging on to every word they put out. Most of their fans take our stars’ content very seriously and are quite impressionable. In such circumstances, it becomes crucial for the celebrity in question to be very careful while speaking about sensitive topics on national television or any public platform.

Recently, we’ve seen various clips from morning shows, interviews, or even social media posts where some celebrity has made an ill-informed comment regarding some important issue. These comments come across as callous and insensitive to certain groups of people and often drag the celebrity into a puddle of controversy. While sometimes, celebrities take responsibility and apologize, other times they dig themselves deeper by trying to further explain something politically incorrect.

Then there is the matter of privacy as well. Some celebrities have found themselves at the receiving end of trolling from the internet because of their private lives. The anonymity that the internet provides has blurred the lines about what is an acceptable commentary on any topic and what is not. And more often than not, the trolling that happens on the desi side of social media falls under the extremely intrusive and unacceptable category.

Digital immortality

The internet immortalizes everything. No statement can be forgotten, no interview can be erased and no clip can be deleted. Recently, Aagha Ali received backlash on a clip that resurfaced after five years and ended up creating quite the fuss. In the clip, Aagha made some statements that hurt the sentiments of the Pashtuns. This happened just a few days after Aagha Ali had gotten backlash for making a statement that came across as fatphobic.

In both cases, Aagha took to his social media and apologized for the statements. Another case of a celebrity using the opportunity to learn from their mistake was when Sonya Hussyn named Autism as one of the symptoms of schizophrenia in one of her Instagram posts. The comment came under fire when the mother of a child on the spectrum called her out for the uninformed statement. Sonya made up for the slight by arranging a live session with a mental health expert to further educate people on mental illnesses.

But some celebrities don’t even acknowledge their mistakes let alone apologizing for them. When a clip resurfaced on the social media where Mawra Hocane was shown as casually disregarding the street harassment and catcalling that women face on occasions like Eid as the boys having fun because “unki bhi toh Eid hai”, it caused the actress to receive major backlash on the social media. She has yet to address the problematic nature of her statement.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CC_kCsin8TX/

Cautious use of the platform

Celebrities, like any other human being, are prone to make mistakes. It is not right to expect them to be perfect all the time. However, cautious efforts should be taken by celebrities when they conduct themselves on social media as the huge following that they enjoy is made up of real, impressionable people who do get affected by the things they post.

Celebrities like Osman Khalid Butt, Mahira Khan, and Mehwish Hayat use their huge platforms to talk about relevant issues. They use their stardom to make space for issues that need to be in the limelight and to speak up against various social injustices. In doing so, they provide a textbook example of using fame and fortune for the greater good.

Being in the public eye in recent times means that everything a celebrity does will be scrutinized and every mistake they make will be recorded in permanent ink. In such circumstances, it is up to our celebrities to strike a balance between their public and personal life and tread carefully on digital grounds. In the words of Uncle Ben, “With great power comes great responsibility” and so, with a huge following, come greater trials.

Saraab’s First Episode Lays The Foundation Of An Intriguing Story

By
Hammad Akbar
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Sonya Hussyn and Sami Khan have been making waves with their on-screen chemistry ever since they starred in Kaisi Hai Tanhai. The duo is back on screen for the third time in Saraab. The drama, which deals with the sensitive topic of schizophrenia, had a very intriguing first episode that lay the foundation of what we hope is going to be nuanced handling of a sensitive topic.

A brief recap

The first episode introduced us to two families. The first family consisted of sisters Hoorain (Sonya Hussyn), Namal (Nazish Jehangir), Wardah (Ghana Ali), and their parents. Hoorain and Namal live with their parents while Wardah is married and lives with her in-laws. Then there’s Asfandyar’s (Sami Khan) family. Hoorain’s mother is Asfandyar’s phuppho as well as his maami because their parents got married by Watta Satta (exchange marriage). Asfandyar lives with his parents and has a sister.

The viewers also got to see the mother-in-law of Wardah though, at this point, it is hard to say whether she is a part of the family or not. Wardah has a brother in law who wants to marry Hoorain. It wouldn’t have been easy showing the relationship of the main characters – that too in just a single episode but the audience would not have a hard time connecting them with each other, thanks to the writer’s simple approach.

A compelling performance

For a drama that is dealing with a unique topic, the first episode focused more on the stock characters. From the typical phuphho who has immense hate for her sister-in-law to a woman falling for a guy who loves her sister – the first episode revealed a lot about the characters. Fortunately, Sonya’s acting balanced it all out.

It might be the first episode but Sonya did a good job of showing the viewers that there is something wrong with her character; she cannot do house chores properly and she feels afraid all the time. Sonya captured the confused and reserved personality of Hoorain perfectly. Her controlled performance as Hoorain instantly has the audience’s attention as the mystery around what is real and what is part of Hoorain’s imagination is introduced. The last scene of the episode was especially chilling where, what started as a conversation between Hoorain and Asfandyar, is revealed to be just a part of Hoorain’s hallucination. If the drama continues to retain its mystery, then the audience is going to have a great time, no doubt.

Pakistani dramas, for most of the time, have steered away from mental health topics. The few dramas that did touch the topic didn’t handle it effectively. Here’s to hoping that Saraab does a good job of spreading awareness about schizophrenia.

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