Category: Entertainment

• 31% of teens exposed to these hoaxes had experienced a negative impact and, of those, 63% said the negative impact was on their mental health.
• As a result, TikTok strengthens protection efforts by removing warning videos on self-harm hoaxes.
• The report is designed to help the community stay safe while having fun on TikTok.

Pakistan (NUT DESK)  TikTok, the world’s leading video platform, is designed to advance joy, connection and inspiration to millions around the world. Fostering an environment where creative expression thrives requires that the platform also prioritizes safety for the online community, and especially younger community members. In this vein, TikTok shares the interests of parents and caregivers in this mission, and is committed to listening and working with external experts to inform its efforts.

Consequently, the video platform has launched a global report to better understand young people’s engagement with potentially harmful challenges and hoaxes. While not unique to any one platform, the effects and concerns are felt by all, which is why TikTok set about to learn how it might develop even more effective responses as it works to better support teens, parents, and educators. It also hopes to contribute to a wider understanding of this area.

Through this first step and the encouragement of discourse on the subject, TikTok aims to use this work with world-leading experts to make a thoughtful contribution to safety and safeguarding of families online. TikTok will continue to explore and implement additional measures on behalf of the community.

In addition to this, TikTok launched social media awareness campaigns like #AapSafeTohAppSafe to promote safety on the platform and recently also launched its online Safety Center in Urdu which provides resources, guidelines and policies to educate users on safety, security and privacy. TikTok has also held public webinars with leading publications in Pakistan to promote safety and continues to make efforts to make the platform a safe place for its users.

The study surveyed more than 10,000 people (including teens, parents, and teachers from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Indonesia, Mexico, UK, US, and Vietnam) and consulted experts from around the world. It commissioned Praesidio Safeguarding, an independent safeguarding agency, to write a report to capture key findings and recommendations.

The report was written by Dr. Zoe Hilton, Director and Founder of Praesidio Safeguarding. The study convened a panel of 12 leading youth safety experts from around the world to review and provide input into Dr. Hilton’s report. It partnered with Dr. Richard Graham, a clinical child psychiatrist specializing in healthy adolescent development, and Dr. Gretchen Brion-Meisels, a behavioral scientist specializing in risk prevention in adolescence to guide and advise us.

Key learnings about how online challenges and hoaxes are experienced:

• Online challenges: Online challenges or dares typically involve people recording themselves doing something difficult, which they share online to encourage others to repeat. The majority are fun and safe, such as the Ice Bucket Challenge or #BlindingLightsChallenge, but some promote harmful behaviors including the risk of serious injury.
  • When asked to describe a recent online challenge, 48% of teens said recent challenges they had seen were safe, categorizing them as fun or light-hearted, 32% included some risk but were still safe, 14% were described as risky and dangerous, while 3% of online challenges were described as very dangerous. Just 3% of teens said they had taken part in a challenge they categorized as really dangerous.
  • Teens use a range of methods to understand the risks that may be involved in online challenges before they participate, such as watching videos of others taking part in challenges, reading comments, and speaking to friends – 46% said they want “good information on risks more widely” and “information on what is too far.”
• Suicide and self-harm hoaxes: Some challenges are hoaxes. A hoax is a lie intentionally planted to trick people into believing something that isn’t true. The purpose of a malicious hoax is to spread fear and panic.
  • 31% of teens have felt a negative impact of internet hoaxes and, of those, 63% said the negative impact was on their mental health.
  • 56% of parents said they wouldn’t mention a hoax unless a teen had mentioned it first, and 37% of parents felt hoaxes are difficult to talk about without prompting interest in them.

 What TikTok is doing to build on existing safeguards:

• Strengthening protection efforts
  • Removing warning videos: The research showed how warnings about self-harm hoaxes – even if shared with the best of intentions – can impact the well-being of teens since they often treat the hoax as real. While TikTok already removes and takes action to limit the spread of hoaxes, to further protect the community the platform will start to remove alarmist warnings. TikTok will continue to allow conversations to take place that seek to dispel panic and promote accurate information.
  • Expanding enforcement measures: Having strong policies is an important part of TikTok’s work to protect its community, and it’s essential that these policies are coupled with strong detection and enforcement measures. The platform has created technology that alerts safety teams to sudden increases in violating content linked to hashtags, and has now expanded this to also capture potentially dangerous behavior.
• Offering new resources to support the community
  • Building on the Safety Center: TikTok has developed a new resource for the Safety Center dedicated to online challenges and hoaxes. This includes advice for caregivers that aim to address the uncertainty they expressed about discussing this topic with their teens.
  • Improving warning labels and PSAs: Should community members attempt to search the platform for content related to harmful challenges or hoaxes, a new prompt will encourage community members to visit the TikTok Safety Center to learn more. And should people search for hoaxes linked to suicide or self-harm, TikTok will now display additional resources in search.

To read the full report, visit here.

 

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  After her award winning performance in Ghisi Piti Mohabbat earlier this year, the talented Ramsha Khan is coming back with a power-packed performance in the highly anticipated serial ‘Sinf e Aahan’, representing Baluchistan in her role as  ‘Pariwesh Jamal’.

Pariwesh, Khan’s character, is a small town girl from Baluchistan who is shown to be fearless as she fights all odds to achieve her dream to join the army. She breaks all stereotypes and goes against the norms of her society to do her nation proud.

Her character teaser was released by ARY Digital today, giving the audience a sneak into Pariwesh’s character and journey to become an army cadet, and includes a personalised OST sung in Brahvi (the ethnic language from Baloch region) crooned by the talented vocalist Zeb Bangash.

From the reveal of the first announcement of the serial, ‘Sinf e Aahan’ has captured the audiences’ hearts where each of the female lead namely Sajal Aly, Syra Yousuf, Yumna Ziadi, Kubra Khan and Sri Lankan star Yehali Tashiya will be playing military cadets alongside Ramsha Khan. Each character hails from a different background and yet they all achieve their dreams despite all odds to join the army and serve the nation. Even though they are different from one another, one thing each woman has in common in the trailer is that “she doesn’t need a hero, she was raised to be one.”

The much anticipated project has been produced by Samina Humayun Saeed and Sana Shahnawaz of Next Level Entertainment along with Humayun Saeed and Shahzad Nasib of Six Sigma Plus in association with ISPR. The series has been directed by Nadeem Baig and written by the renowned playwright Umera Ahmed.

Sinf e Aahan is slated to go on-air on ARY Digital in a few weeks.

Teaser – https://www.instagram.com/tv/CWV1JFFIQwW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Likee, Pakistan’s leading short-video sharing platform, is resonating the nation’s zeal towards supporting the cricket team during the on-going ICC T20 World Cup with the #KhulKarKhel. With the short format of the game in full swing, Likee is encouraging its users to post short-form video content and become part of a collective digital celebration occurring across the country.

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

After almost 2 years, Lahore is ready for its first stage performance, by Ajoka Institute’s “Art of Acting” students. Ajoka’s two acclaimed short plays entitled “Sharam Di Gal” & “Dhee Raniay” will be performed on Friday November 12th at 7 PM, at Alhamra Hall 3, Lahore Arts Council Mall road.

These short plays were originally performed over 25 years ago, and unfortunately, still remain relevant today. Women continue to face the same challenges they faced over two decades ago and a collective awareness is the need of the hour.

Ajoka Institute’s director Nirvaan Nadeem has directed both the plays. He told that aspiring actors from Ajoka’s acting class have put in lot of hard work and exercises for their maiden appearance on the stage. All the actors are very excited for this special performance and regularly practicing their roles in rehearsal sessions.

Ajoka Executive Director Shahid Nadeem shared that “Sharam Di Gal” & “Dhee Raniay” are evergreen plays, which were originally directed by Ajoka’s founding director Madeeha Gauhar. Both the plays highlight important social issues in an interesting way providing a socially meaningful entertainment.

The programme includes screenings and certificate distribution to the acting students. The event is being held in collaboration with Lahore Arts Council.

 

~Featuring an ensemble cast, the show marks the first collaboration between Zindagi and British-Indian director Meenu Gaur ~

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Women have often been celebrated for being an epitome of patience, sacrifice, endurance and more. ZEE5 Global, the world’s largest streaming platform for South Asian content, and Zindagi are soon set to break this stereotype and unearth their unapologetic side in the upcoming original QatilHaseenaonKeNaam.  A desi noir anthology, QatilHaseenaonKeNaam is helmed by critically acclaimed British Indian director Meenu Gaur. The series features an eclectic cast comprising of leading actors from the subcontinent including Ahsan Khan, Osman Khalid Butt, SheheryarMunawar, SaleemMairaj, SamiyaMumtaz, Sanam Saeed, Sarwat Gilani, MeharBano, FaizaGillani, BeoRaana Zafar andEmanSuleman.

Written by FarjadNabi and Meenu Gaur, QatilHaseenaonKeNaam is set in the timeless lanes of AndroonSheher – a mythical neighborhood, and showcases stories of love, lust, power, and redemption woven in a web of betrayal, angst, and revenge. Each story from the anthology depicts the fearlessness of women and their determination to avenge deceit. At the core of the stories is mystery, suspense, intrigue with twist endings.

Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global, said, “After the success of the genre-bending Originals Churails and Dhoop Ki Deewar with Zindagi, we’re thrilled to bring a brilliant anthology under QatilHaseenaonKeNaam. As the foremost platform for South Asian content, we cherrypick stories from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh that will not only entertain audiences but also engage them at a deeper level. QatilHaseenaonKeNaam is one of those stories that’s not just about breaking stereotypes, but also creating new and powerful women characters who will be celebrated for their personalities.”

Talking about the series, ShailjaKejriwal, Chief Content Officer – Special Projects, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, says, “QatilHaseenaonKeNaam challenges the stereotypical portrayal of women who are often perceived as victims. Each story in the anthology showcases courageous, bold women who decide to take charge of things when their limits are pushed. These women are fatal to patriarchy and go several extra miles to seek what they want at any cost.”

Creator and Director Meenu Gaur says, “This idea for the show was like an outpouring for me and it’s no surprise that the stories here are about all that which surges within us as women – love, passion, ambition, conviction, rage, revenge, and revolution. With the dominance of a male-centric gaze especially in the noir genre, I was keen to explore a new interpretation, one which is told from the perspective of the much-maligned femme fatale (qatilhaseena) characters. It is an attempt to correct the sexism of film noir and try our hands at feminist noir.”

Co-writer FarjadNabi says, “QatilHaseenaonKeNaam waves goodbye to the victim woman as seven fatales get their way through methods that are unexpected, sometimes horrifying, but always liberating. I am glad this show will be premiering on the Zee5 platform that focuses on bringing diverse and significant stories for the global audience.”

QatilHaseenaonKeNaam is a compilation of six stories of seven women who wrestle back control and redefine the word femme fatale.

Users can download the ZEE5 app from Google Play Store / iOS App Store, on Roku devices, Apple TVs, Android TVs, and Amazon Fire Stick. ZEE5 is also available on www.ZEE5.com.

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

The director of Squid Game, the dystopic South Korean TV series on Netflix, expressed confidence that the wildly popular show will return for a second season.

“We are in the talks for Season Two,” writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk said in an interview on Monday. “It’s all in my head. I have the basic storyline, the broad plan, so we’re in the brainstorming stages.

“I’m going to go ahead and say there will be a second season, but as for when, I cannot tell you now,” Hwang added.

“He will come back, he will come back and do something about this world,” the director said, referring to protagonist Seong Gi-hun, played by actor Lee Jung-Jae.

Hwang, Lee and others involved in the show, one of Netflix’s biggest hits ever, attended a special Hollywood screening on Monday to celebrate its success.

Squid Game, in which debt-ridden people compete in a deadly game for a fortune, has inspired Halloween costumes and themed protests at the United Nations global climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, among other things.

“It feels so surreal,” Hwang said of his creation’s impact. “It’s almost like I myself am living in a fantastical world.”

“I just can’t believe this is happening,” actor Lee said. “I did not know or ever imagined it would make it this big. I didn’t ever think we would get this much love, so being here and standing in front of you, everything, I just feel so grateful.”

The series’ success echoes that of 2020 Oscar winner Parasite, which also showed the gap between rich and poor in South Korea.

Actor Park Hae-soo, who plays a contestant named Cho Sang-woo, said, “Everybody actually has that rage, but I think the Koreans are really able to express that honestly.”

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

The trailer for Sajal Aly and Bilal Abbas Khan-starrer Khel Khel Mein is finally here, delving into the heart of the 1971 war and the subsequent birth of Bangladesh following the split between East and West Pakistan.

The trailer opens with a flashback to the moment of the split, with a turban-clad man announcing, “Your country has been broken apart. You are no longer in Pakistan, but in Bangladesh.” The announcement is met with a sob from a young man, who then falls to his knees in despair.

According to the trailer, the film follows a group of students, led by Sajal’s character, who wish to put on a theatrical performance on the fall of Dhaka at a competition being held in the same city.

The decision is met with backlash from faculty who do not wish to provoke unnecessary “controversy”. The trailer then follows the trials and tribulations the students, particularly Sajal’s character, undergo in order to put on the play in Bangladesh, which includes hostile attitudes from those on the other side on the border as well as friction from those at home.

The trailer ends with a voiceover from Sajal and Bilal, “Aik jaisa hi pyaar nikle ga, dil ki lelein talaashiyan donoun. Aik ghalti hui, kisi se bhi, maang lete hain, maafiyaan donoun. [The love you find will be the same in both of our hearts. A mistake was made, by one or the other, let us both ask for forgiveness].”

The story appears to centre the people at the heart of the conflict, placing the responsibility of the split between East and West Pakistan on external factors. Judging from the trailer, Khel Khel Mein appears to employ a non-linear narrative, with flashbacks from the past constituting a large part of the film.

The fact that Nabeel Qureshi and Fizza Ali Meerza have come forward with Khel Khel Mein is highly appreicated.”

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Marvel’s latest release Eternals will not be screened in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, according to reports by several international news websites.

Eternals was set to hit the screen across the Gulf States on November 11, but it was removed from the websites after Disney refused to make the proposed edits.

The controversy surrounds Marvel Cinematic Universe’s same-gender couple, Phastos (played by Brian Tyree Henry) and his on-screen spouse Ben (Haaz Sleiman). Disney was reportedly requested to remove an intimate scene involving the two characters.

Eternals is, however, still listed among the movies that are going to be released in the UAE. Eternals has been directed by Chloe Zhao and features an ensemble cast of Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Lia McHugh, Kit Harington, Don Lee, among others. 

Angelina remarked that she is “sad” for the audiences in the countries where Eternals has been banned, but added that she is proud of Marvel for refusing to edit the proposed scenes out.

Eternals stars Kumail Nanjiani as well who is the first Pakistani actor to play a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.The movie had its world premiere in Los Angeles on October 18 and was released on November 5.

In August, Akshay Kumar’s spy thriller BellBottom was banned across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar for content “not fit for exhibition”. It was inspired by the hijackings of Indian Airlines flights in the 1980s during Indira Gandhi’s tenure as prime minister. 

The objection was that the movie showed Akshay’s character Bell Bottom (an Indian agent) as the hero of the entire episode while the UAE defence minister was kept in the dark by Indian officials. The authorities were reportedly irked by the “distortion of facts”.

 BellBottom starred Lara Dutta as Indira Gandhi and featured Vaani Kapoor opposite Akshay.   

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