Category: Entertainment

Director Adnan Qazi paid glowing tribute to brilliant young Talent.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) The sudden demise of brilliant young visual artist Ahsan Anwar has saddened the Industry and his peers. Ahsan passed away in a traggic road accident a while ago and left behind great memories of his untapped potential and talent.

Ahsan Anwar, was a 21 year old creative Visual Artist with base in Lahore Pakistan, has recently created waves in the Media industry. His first job which is a Bilal Saeed new single’s cover shot tilted “THE UMBRELLA SONG” is set to release this month. Anwar has made a name for himself as an A-class and National photographer with his own distinctive style.

While mastering his craft across multiple creative fields, Anwar has consistently honed his passion for travel photography as well and simultaneously balances high profile photography projects.

Famous Director Adnan Qazi, paid rich tribute to Ahsan Anwar. He said Ahsan was a creative jem, who made his own space in a very short span of time. He will be remembered as a brillaint visual artist in future. A recent poster release of Farhan Saeed’s new single KADI KADI starring Humaima Malick directed by Adnan Qazi has been photographed by Ahsan Anwar.

Already building buzz ahead of its release, Anwar conceptualised the poster for the fun track against the beautiful ocean backdrop of southern Pakistan. His work ethic and professional approach was appreciated by everyone equally, as his uncanny ability to straddle lines that, when crossed, can only be rendered beautiful when snapped by Ahsan Anwar. 

Ahsan was still a student at institute of Art & design and was very passionate about learning new skills and encourages everyone who wants to do the same.

 

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

Phavur Releases Melodious an Ode to the romance of Mirza Sahiban by Amanat Ali starring Urwa Hocane and Hassan Khan

Phavur Studios just released their song production “Sahiban”. Against the backdrop of theee melodious voice of Amanat Ali, the gorgeous Urwa Hocane and handsome Hassan Khan tell the Punjabi folklore, Mirza Sahiban.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/5EymM-fPHv4

The infamous Mirza Sahiba story is retold by two dynamo women, Hira Yousafzai (Director), Hirra Farooqi (Producer), and pushed forward by the multi-talented Zayan Agha(On-set Producer). The story is retold using a modern language and a female empowering twist.

The song sings to the younger generation who want to hear of strong individuals unwaveeringn in their aspirations.  For the first time ever, we see the female lead, Urwa Hocane, as Sahiba basks in the essence of love for Mirza (Hassan Khan) AND more importantly, herself. 

Phavur Studios is an up and coming production house based in Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Toronto, and now investing in content in Pakistan and under-privileged communities around the world to bring untold stories to life. Spearheaded by a strong team of independent filmmakers, Phavur is launching their first project with the power of music through folkware story-telling. 

The music video is the first of its kind where we see that old traditional story-telling is being met with empowering values. When two empowering women are the driving force of a story, you can see that reflected on screen and that is definitely the case with Mirza Sahiban. There is no doubt that this catchy song will be a hit, especially since romance is in the air with the wedding season in full swing.

Pakistan is home to many inspiring romantic folk stories that tell the tale of pure love. Punjab is one of the regions within Pakistan that is home to the folk stories of Mirza-Sahiban, Sassi Punnu, Sohni-Mahiwal and more. We’re so excited to see that international platforms like Phavur are focusing on ancient, traditional, and cultural storytelling to capture the essence of story-telling in Pakistan. 

The video opens with the beautiful song that plays for the duration as we see glimpses of the blooming of love but by the end, we see why it is important for women to be in full control of their own fate and their are better outcomes for women outside of the ‘damsel in distress’ trope. 

The song is sure to be the song of the season and the go-to song for all the romantic souls!

 

 

 

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

Under its Orphan Sponsor Program, The Secours Islamique France (SIF) organized a puppet show at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) Islamabad for the recreation and awareness of the children on their rights and protection. These children are mostly from sponsored orphan families in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Secours Islamique France (SIF) is implementing an Orphan Sponsorship Program in Islamabad and Rawalpindi at the community level, target group of the program are vulnerable orphan families which are targeted for the provision of stipend to support the education of the orphan children in addition to awareness raising to the sponsored families regarding child rights and protection. SIF is currently supporting 683 orphan children in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Tharparkar. To enable vulnerable families to afford their children’s education, SIF provides cash assistance every year. SIF also provides livelihood support to sponsored families through vocational training programs, apprenticeship, enterprise development assistance and livestock support.

Speaking at the occasion, Head of Mission SIF Pakistan Dr. Altaf Abro Said” Puppet show organized under the orphan sponsorship program (OSP) of SIF is not only to entertain children, but also to relay messages highlighting the importance of education, especially for girls, skills development for youth and children’s rights and protection in general”.

Founded in 1991, SIF is an international non-Governmental solidarity Organization acting in the fields of humanitarian and development sectors. Working in the field for over 30 years, SIF is now active in more than twenty countries, mainly in sectors including Water and Sanitation (WASH), Food Security & Livelihoods (FSL), Education, and Child Protection. SIF is present in Pakistan since 2010.

The program was attended by a large number of Children their guardians and extended families, SIF staff and volunteers. All the participants appreciated the program and efforts of SIF in arranging such a delightful and informative program. Participants stressed that in  future such programs should also be organized on a regular basis for grooming the children and creating a healthy & vibrant society in Pakistan.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

Using Emergency powers under IT Rules 2021, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India has issued directions for the immediate blocking of the original web series Sevak: The Confessions (HTTPS://Sevak.Vidly.tv) and Pakistani OTT platform Vidly.tv.

Vidly.tv launched ground breaking content in the form of an original, Sevak The Confessions, web series which can be streamed at https://sevak.vidly.tv. It is an original action thriller web series based on true stories set between 1984 and 2022 in India.

The Indian governments knee jerk reaction to the nail-biting suspense story comes in lieu of it being a bold and true depiction of the Hindutva movement in India and faith-based atrocities taking place in the country. The statement that the series makes is an important one on many levels, especially in raising awareness and voices on the terrorism and crimes against humanity taking place by extremist elements in India. It showcases how the power-hungry saffron clad fascists are misleading people towards hate crimes against minorities.

The Government of India has taken strong objection to the series for highlighting the extremist elements in India. The series is based on the life of Deep Singh Sidhu along with events inspired by the stories of Gauri Lankesh, Hemant Karkare, Graham Staines, Junaid Khan, and Surekha Bohtmange and based on the events of the Babri mosque demolition, 2002 Gujarat pogrom among others.

This historical action thriller is based on the true story of an assassin. Mannu, who leads Vidya on a path to reveal the dark secrets of Jeet’s death. Vidya unwillingly enters the labyrinth of Mannu’s tales encountering many ghosts of his past. The stories shared by Mannu, unravel the horrors of hate crime, atrocities and genocide. As the truth is revealed, both of them find themselves in danger for their lives.

Mannu is navigating life with a story hidden deep in his heart and as they encounter Vijay Karkare, Preet Kaur, Arun, Vinayak and Sadhu, the series thrills us with intrigue and mystery entwined with true events that blur the lines between fiction and the truth, making the series all the more gripping.

Several Indian publications and channels have reported on the ban on the Vidly.tv OTT platform because of the original web series, Sevak The Confessions,  and have raised unfounded concerns.

It is sad and shocking that a country like India that proclaims to be a champion of freedom of speech and expression is banning the Vidly.tv OTT Platform because of a web series that is sharing the truth behind events and movements. It seems that the current BJP government is seriously concerned about its citizens finding out the truth.

Do watch the series on HTTPS://Sevak.Vidly.tv and you will realise the truth for yourself.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)

Thaap , The Eqbal Ahmad Project and Documentary association of Pakistan jointly arranged the screening of socio-political film entitled “Nasser’s Republic : The Making of Modern Egypt – revisited “ at Thaap secretariat on Saturday evening. The film presented a detailed insight of challenges for the Post-Colonial states like Egypt etc connected them with current local and global contexts.

“Nasser’s Republic, the Making of Modern Egypt- revisited “ produced and directed by Michal Goldman and Eqbal Ahmad’s incisive and illuminating analysis, explored the life and career of Gamal Abdel Nasser.

The film highlights and traces the life and legacy of Gamal Abdul Nasser, who In 1952, as an unknown young Egyptian army officer led a revolution. Over the next 18 years he challenged Western hegemony abroad, confronted Muslim brotherhood at home, and faced deep divisions among the Arabs, emerging as a titanic figure, champion of Arab progress and African liberation. But what he could not offer was democracy; instead, he established the region’s first and much-emulated military authoritarian regime. A man of enormous charisma and ambition, Nasser became caught in the coils of his own power, dying at 52 with many dreams unrealized. “

“In the 1950s, the United States was alarmed by the assumption of power by nationalists like Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran, Abdul Nasser in Egypt, and the Baath Socialist parties in Syria and Iraq. Their rhetoric of non-alignment and anti-imperialism and nationalization of such multinational enterprises as Iranian oil and the Suez Canal were viewed as harmful to American and Western interests. Then began the efforts to undermine them.

The film also shed light on various events which eventually led to the downfall of Gamal Jamal Nasser. The screening was followed by the Question Answer session, in which Post Screening , an interactive session with Professor Joel Gordon was also held . Prof Joel from University of Arkansas appreciated the questions and issues raised post screening and also shed light on the relevance of Nasser in today’s global context .

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) The global blockbuster The Legend of Maula Jatt’s 18+/uncut version was released in theaters across United Kingdom on 2^nd December 2022 upon huge public demand. Cineworld, Odeon, Reel Cinemas, and Showcase will be playing The Legend of Maula Jatt’s uncensored version for audiences in their cinemas.

The UK audience previously saw a censored version of the film, whereas in Pakistan and the rest of the world full version of The Legend of Maula Jatt was released. For the last week of the film’s exhibition in UK, the distributors and producers have released an uncensored full version, available over 76 locations throughout UK.

The Legend of Maula Jatt has led to Pakistani cinema’s miraculous domination on the Subcontinent’s box office, post-COVID. The mega-hit directed by Bilal Lahsari and produced by Ammara Hikmat is the highest grossing film from the subcontinent in the past 4 years. The film broke records by becoming the highest grossing Punjabi film of all time worldwide in the 4^th week of its release. The film also surpassed the lifetime earning of all the Punjabi hits including Carry on Jatta 2, Saunkan Saunkne & Chal Mera Putt 2 as it sits tall with the box office earnings of 209 CR+ worldwide collection and still going strong despite numerous releases every week ever since its release.

Before this, the film has managed to make many other records and has many titles to its name including; Highest Grossing Pakistani Film, 2^nd Highest Grossing film from the Subcontinent in UK for the year 2022 & the Most Watched South Asian film in Norway.

TLOMJ was released on 13^th October 2022 globally in 25 different territories with 500+ screens making it one of the biggest releases to come out of Pakistan. However due to popular demand the film continues to grab more screen in both the local and overseas market. The film has also recently been released in France and has had a great reception in that market.

The Legend of Maula Jatt is the directorial masterpiece of Bilal Lashari. The film boasts an ensemble cast starring Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Humaima Malick, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Mirza Gohar Rasheed, Ali Azmat, Saima Baloch and Faris Shafi alongside veterans such as Shafqat Cheema, Nayyer Ejaz, Resham, Babar Ali and Raheela Agha. Produced by Ammara Hikmat and Asad J. Khan under the joint venture of Encyclomedia & Lashari Films in association with AAA Motion Pictures of Ali Murtaza with a screenplay by Bilal Lashari and dialogues by Nasir Adeeb, the movie is a hard reboot of the 1979 cult classic ‘Maula Jatt’.

The filmmakers have partnered with Geo Films as their presenting partner, the largest media group and key contributor to the revival of cinema in Pakistan. The film is being locally distributed by Nadeem Mandviwalla of Mandviwalla Entertainment, who is well known for his contribution to the cinema over the decades. Internationally, the film is being distributed by MovieGoers Entertainment.

Lahore (Qasim Ali)

Ajoka Institute children presented Shahid Nadeem’s Acclaimed play “Border Border” at the Punjabi Institute of Language and Literature (PILAC) on Friday 02 Dec to a packed and appreciative audience. The play was originally performed by children from Amritsar and Lahore 25 years ago, relates the story of two families from India and Pakistan who go to witness the flag ceremony at the Wagha Border. The play addresses the issue of prejudice and propaganda against each side and promotes the ideals of peace and friendship with humour and enjoyable songs. Directed by Nida Sajid, under the mentorship of Ajoka Institute director Nirvaan Nadeem, the cast included children aged 6-10 years. The play was developed during an Ajoka children’s theatre workshop. The cast included: Humayl Mushtaq, Eshan Ahmed, Saania Hasan, Areej Ahmad, Innayah Umer, Zaid Salman, Rimsha Ali Tahir, Ismail Omer, Kashif Khalil, Arham Qazi, Zainab Shehryar, Zahra Shehryar & Hassan Awais. Ajoka Executive Director Shahid Nadeem, who distributed certificates to the participants, appreciated the energetic and entertaining performances of the children. Nirvaan Nadeem thanked the parents for encouraging their children to participate in a play with a message of peace, and PILAC for its continued support for healthy cultural activities for the young.

Lahore (Qasim Ali)

Series aims to present glowing tributes to illustrious Photographers of Pakistan.

2nd December 2022 To present the befitting tribute to extra ordinary services and contribution of Ace photographers of Pakistan, Aangun has launched an exclusive series entitled “Celebrating Pakistani Photographers”. Held at Aangun, Model Town Lahore in collaboration with Tasweerghar , Camera for people and The Little Art, the series focused on bringing together a community and sharing works of proclaimed photographers from Pakistan. The first program of the series was dedicated to celebrated Photo journalist Azhar Jafri (late). Azhar Jafri, leading photojournalist of Pakistan took many memorable pictures during an eventful career which spanned almost four decades. Some of the pictures took by Azhar Jafri during his professional life became the reference of socio-political history of Pakistan. Jafri joined Musawaat newspaper in 1972 and then went on to work for The Muslim before joining Dawn in 1983. One of his most compelling images was that of Late Nusrat Bhutto, whom he captured, covered in blood, during a police baton-charge of PPP protesters in Gen Zia ul Haq’s time and activist Bushra Aitzaz protesting the Law of Evidence in Lahore, 1983. His personal definition of a photograph was that it must be as unique as a fingerprint itself. During the program, some of the most memorable pictures were played on the projector. Umair Ghani host of the evening discussed the passion and dedication of Azhar Jafri for his work. The speakers including Aun Jafri, Azhar Jafri’s son , Mustafa Nazir Ahmad and others friends remembered his illustrious career, exemplary service to the profession, for which he was awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz by the Govt. of Pakistan.

The event was attended by a large numbers of professional and amateur photographers and Azhar Jafri’s colleagues who all paid their rich tributes to the legendary photojournalist. All the speakers acknowledged the remarkable services of legend photographer and opined that young photojournalists should follow his great legacy. At the end of the program Shoaib Iqbal from The Little Art, thanked the participants and collaborating partners. He vowed that Aangun will continue to host such more memorable programs dedicated to promotion of Arts, Culture and other related disciplines of performing Arts. Aangun is a space in the heart of the city that aspires to host various events in arts and culture, and open for collaborations with like minded organisations and individuals. You can reach out to us if you have any ideas for the events and showcases, Shoaib concluded.

 

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) “Zarrar” is unstoppable at the box office, became first choice of moviegoers. Filmed in Turkey and UK, the film closed the first week with excellent business at home and abroad. Versatile artist Shan Shahid’s latest action thriller offering “Zarar” has closed the first weekend with excellent business at the box office in home circuit Lahore, Karachi & Ialamabad and in global market as well. The action suspense thriller was comeback of Shaan on the silver screen after gap of couples of years. Produced under the banner of Jehan Films and released from the platform of Distribution Club “Zarrar” opened with decent numbers at the box office and continue the excellent business during the whole week in Pakistan and international cinemas. With the tremendous sense of patriotism “Zarrar” is the story of the struggle of a secret agent who foils the plans of anti state elements in his undercover operation. Shaan Shahid and Adnan Butt have played the roles of protagonist and antagonist in the movie and both the stars has excellent screen presence in their respective roles. This added another layer to the film’s appeal and contributed to its box-office success. Famous model and artist Karan Malik has appeared in the role of a journalist, she has received rave reviews for her flawless performance. The action, suspense, thriller film directed by the versatile artist Shaan Shahid has been shot in the beautiful locations of Turkey and Great Britain, while the star cast includes Nadeem Baig, Shafqat Cheema, Rashid Naz and Nayyer Ijaz also.

All the actors have done complete justice and portrayed their role very convincingly and make Zarrar a very complete film. Film circles have expressed happiness over the success of “Zarar” saying that “Zarar” is a different Genre film from traditional Lollywood films whose box office success has encouraged the filmmakers and will speed up the production process of new films.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) YouTube has released the lists of the top trending videos, top music videos, top creators, breakout creators, and top shorts for Pakistan for the Year 2022. It is safe to say that Pakistani audiences enjoyed a wide range of content that kept them entertained throughout the year

Farhan S. Qureshi, Country Director at Google, said: “YouTube has helped create an ecosystem in Pakistan that allows people to pursue their passions as full-time jobs while also enabling them to support their households financially. Pakistan has over 5,400 YouTube channels with over 100,000 subscribers, and over 350 of them have more than a million subscribers. It is also thrilling to see that the number of Pakistani YouTube channels making 1 million or more in revenue (PKR) has increased by more than 110 percent in a year. This year, we’ve had some amazing content creators who topped our lists in different categories and won over the hearts of average YouTube users with a wide range of content and creativity.”

In 2022, we saw a variety of videos that were the most popular in the country, dominated by the Pakistani drama and film industry. A Telefilm ‘RUPOSH’ on a young couple embarking on the journey of love and matrimony took the number one spot on the Top Trending Videos list followed by the first episode of the famous Pakistani dramas Kaisi Teri Khudgharzi’s and Sang-e-Mah’s. Here is the complete list of all the top trending videos.

Top Trending Videos

1. RUPOSH | Telefilm – [Eng Sub] – Haroon Kadwani | Kinza Hashmi | Har Pal Geo
2. Kaisi Teri Khudgharzi Episode 1 – 11th May 2022 (English Subtitles) ARY Digital Drama
3. Sang-e-Mah EP 01 [Eng Sub] 9 Jan 22 – Presented by Dawlance & Itel Mobile, Powered By Master Paints
4. 100 Days Building A Modern Underground Hut With A Grass Roof And A Swimming Pool
5. Make a longest toy train with Pepsi cans 🚂 Cars at Home – DIY
6. CHAKKAR’ Full Movie | Neelum Muneer | Ahsan Khan | Yasir Nawaz | Javed Sheikh | Ahmed Hasan
7. The Best Crushing things with Car Compilation!
8. Drama Serial Sinf e Aahan | 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟭𝟬 | 29 January 2022 | ISPR
9. Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain Ka Humshakal – Awaz Aur Andaz Bhi Dr Aamir Liaquat Jaisa
10. Ertugrul Ghazi Urdu | Episode 108| Season 5 Finale

Top Shorts
This year in Pakistan, funny, entertaining, and creative shorts resonated well with the Pakistani audience. In 2022, the list reflects the persistent popularity of various types of content. ‘Power Tools Racing Is INTENSE!!’ ‘, ‘Meri bhen Meri jaan Meri kanwal🥺❤️,  Ye kya hogaya 😂 Roman khan #Shorts’ , He was fed up 😂 | #shorts  and Bhabi Ki Chalaki – Inteqam #shorts were the top five shorts of 2022. Here is the full list.

1. Power Tools Racing Is INTENSE!!
2. Meri bhen Meri jaan Meri kanwal🥺❤️

 

3. Ye kya hogaya 😂 Roman khan #Shorts
4. He was fed up 😂 | #shorts
5. Bhabi Ki Chalaki – Inteqam #shorts
6. Zara Noor Abbas – 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 #Ehd_e_Wafa #Shorts #HumTv
7. Cewek Bercadar Nemu uang Ditungguin Sampai Kepanasan azizah N Ferry
8. BRED ASMR! 🖤❤️ #satisfying #shorts #asmr #asmrsounds #relaxing #davidbeck #fyp #fun #relax #trend
9. This little guy turned out so perfect 😭❤️ #satisfying #snow
10. The Olympics NEEDS This Sport!!

Top Music Videos
For the top music list, 2022 was defined by the success of Coke Studio Pakistan. Unsurprisingly, Ali Sethi and Shae Gill’s song  ‘Pasoori’ topped the chart and garnered over 450 M views on YouTube. The famous Sufi song on Coke Studio  ‘Tu Jhoom’ took the second spot whereas, ‘BAMB AAGYA’ by Gur Sidhu got the third spot. The list is diverse in music genres and ranges from folk to classical, trendy to hip hop indicating how Pakistani audiences listen to all kinds of music. Check out the complete list:

1. Coke Studio | Season 14 | Pasoori | Ali Sethi x Shae Gill
2. Coke Studio | Season 14 | Tu Jhoom | Naseebo Lal x Abida Parveen
3. BAMB AAGYA (Official Video) Gur Sidhu | Jasmine Sandlas | Kaptaan |New Punjabi Song 2022
4. THE LAST RIDE – Offical Video | Sidhu Moose Wala | Wazir Patar
5. Coke Studio | Season 14 | Kana Yaari | Kaifi Khalil x Eva B x Abdul Wahab Bugti
6. Kacha Badam Song | Bhuban Badyakar | Kacha Badam Song Remix | Badam Badam Song | New Song 2022
7. Humraazi | New Song | Haroon Kadwani | Kinza Hashmi | Wajhi Farooki |
8. KAKA New Punjabi Song – Mitti De Tibbe (Official Video) | Afsha Khan | Latest Punjabi Songs 2022
9. LEVELS – Official Video | Sidhu Moose Wala ft Sunny Malton | The Kidd
10. Aj Kal De Yaar Lootere | Sonia Khan | Ansaar Khan | Ibrar Khan | ( Official Video ) | Shaheen Studio

Top Creators

This year saw YouTube Creators at the top of their game with the majority of them coming up with more innovative and creative videos than ever before. Daily vloggers Maaz Safder World and Ducky Bhai occupied the top two slots due to their entertaining and funny content throughout the year followed by the famous Pakistani food channel, Ijaz Ansari Food Secrets. Check out the complete list below.

1. Maaz Safder World
2. Ducky Bhai
3. Ijaz Ansari Food Secrets
4. Salman Noman
5. BaBa Food RRC
6. Shaz Safder World
7. Sistrology

 

8. Zulqarnain Sikandar
9. Mr How
10. Naya Pakistan

Breakout Creators
Meanwhile, the list of breakout creators who have demonstrated impressive growth and created a massive following on YouTube was led by Salman Noman, who has managed to cross 10M subscribers, which is an incredible milestone for an individual YouTube creator. Other content creators like Shaz Safder World, and Its Roman khan took the second and third spots in the list of Breakout Creators. Their content, consistency, and creativity have inspired every content creator. Here is the list of the top wonderful breakout creators in 2022.

1. Salman Noman
2. Gulshan Kalra
3. mujjuu___14
4. Azhan5star
5. Pragati Verma Shorts
6. Shorts Break
7. Shaz Safder World
8. sagar kalra (Shorts)
9. jaanvi patel
10. Ishaan Ali 11