ZEE5 Global announces Zindagi’s next original ‘Mrs. & Mr. Shameem’; premiering on 11th March 2022

~Featuring Nauman Ijaz and Saba Qamar, the show conveys a new meaning of true love ~

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Copious love stories exist around us, each one equally unique. However, it’s time the conventional mould built by society is dropped and the meaning of true love is explored through a new lens. ZEE5Global’sZindagi original “Mrs.& Mr. Shameem” is set to premiere globally on 11th Marchon ZEE5 Global, the largest platform for South Asian Content,and paints a real picture of love for the viewers, one that originates from a sense of belonging and friendship.

Featuring prominent actors Saba Qamarand Nauman Ijaz as Mrs.& Mr. Shameem; the series is directed by noted director Kashif Nisar who has helmed several artistic drama series including shows Dumpukht – Aatish E Ishq, and O Rangreza. The show has been written by Sajjad Gul(Saji), a contemporary playwright with a focus on social issues who is also the writer of the show – O Rangreza.

Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global, said, “Our audiences across the globe are always eager to discover all the contemporary stories that are coming out of South Asia. We are happy to now expand our rich content library with the upcoming Mrs. & Mr. Shameem, a story of two people and their unique love story.”

Speaking about the seriesShailja Kejriwal, Chief Creative Officer, Special Projects, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. shares, “Mrs.& Mr. Shameem aims at redefining the meaning of true love and at the same time challenges society’s preconceived gender biases. It is an uncommon bond of two people based on nothing superficial.”

Shedding light on the series, Director Kashif Nisar shares, “It is the story of Shameem who embodies effeminate traits while Umaina is outspoken and bold in her ways. Despite their significant personality differences, there develops a beautiful bond between them of love, respect and companionship.”

Sharing his thoughts on the show writer Sajjad Gul (Saji) says, “It isa contemporary story which traces the journey of Umaina and Shameemaka Mrs. & Mr. Shameem who discover love in its unusual ways and the show challenges the gender barriers that exist in society. We hope that the audience connects with the story as it presents a fresh perspective on love.”

Produced by Kashif Nisar and Misbah Shafique, Mrs.& Mr. Shameem is a distinctive love story of a pure bond graduating from friendship to growing old together and everything in between.

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 .

~A Zindagi original, Mrs. & Mr. Shameemis set to premiere on Friday, 11th March 2022exclusively on ZEE5 Global~.

 

Ishrat Made in China has just dropped a sizzling rap number and we’re listening to it on loop!

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) The new single from Ishrat Made In China is out and we can’t resist dancing to this music. Ishrat Made In China’s newest rap single is simply Buhat Aaala. EveryDay this flicks offers us a cause to reserve our seats for the 3rd. Seems like this song is Lahore Qalandar’s comeback to all these years of battering. “Ayen Janab aap ko tight wala ponka dain” Is what Lahore Qalandars supporters are saying right now.

There couldn’t be a finer tune to celebrate Lahore Qalandar’s historic triumph with this Groovy track by Ishrat Made In China. Is ganay nay End Kardi !!! The new youth anthem is released #comonhhh.

Desi Rap has found its way to films and smashed the internet. The lyrics are so humorous, you’ll find a fresh pun everytime you listen to this song. “Ayen Janab Aap ko Tight Wala Ponka Dain” is what Pakistanis want to chant when they see a hike in petrol prices.

Ishrat Aya Re is the track of the season. It’s making rounds all over the internet due of it’s funny one lines, modern execution, edgy cutting and the outstanding cast. Ishrat Aya Re is a hip hop phenomenon. Every line portrays the spirit of Karachi, it’s dynamic street culture, the hip hop youth and so much more. Timed perfectly with the triumph of Lahore Qalandar, this song is making ripples as supporters are utilising it to commemorate their historic victories.

Skills Builders and Developers organises lucky draw ceremony at Bahria Town’s project site

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) A lucky draw and prize distribution ceremony was held by M/s Skills Builders and Developers at their Site of the Project S.B.Skyline, plot no. 85-B, Main Jinnah Avenue,Bahria Town, Karachi. The event was held to celebrate the 7th edition of Pakistan Super League and to distribute prizes. Asad Kathuria, CEO, Skills Builders and Developers, Hanif Sarwar Paracha, M.D, Ahmer Razi, Partner and others were also present on the occasion. The special appearances on the occasion to entertain the audiences were comedian Nadir Ali, Singer Mehak Gill, Ashfaq Hussain, and Waqar Hussain.

On the occasion, Maham Tariq associated with the Pakistani women’s cricket team picked chits containing names of cricket fans from all over Pakistan to declare names of the prize winners of the lucky draw. A valuable Diamond ring winner was Zahoor Ahmed Soomro from Ghotki and Micheal Kors bag winner was Zarghona Ahmed from Karachi.

Male Champions of Change Pakistan commit to gender equality priorities for the year ahead

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Members of the Male Champions of Change Pakistan held their quarterly meeting at Telenor Pakistan Campus 345 to further their commitment to achieve gender equality and accelerate the advancement of more and diverse women into leadership. Comprising 15 active Members who lead approximately 55,000 employees across the nation, the Male Champions of Change Pakistan includes representatives from sectors including hospitality, consumer goods, telecommunications, retail, textile, financial services, information technology, microfinance, logistics, and media.

Founded in Australia, in 2010, the Champions of Change Coalition was extended internationally to Pakistan in 2018 with CEOs from Telenor Pakistan, Serena Hotels, PepsiCo Pakistan, and EY Ford Rhodes.

The quarterly Champions Meeting was attended by leaders from the private sector committed to the cause, including new Member CEOs from Jazz Pakistan, L’Oreal Pakistan, Interloop Limited, Swyft Logistics, Bank of Khyber and Liberty Mills.

Members expressed their commitment to create a fair, diverse, and inclusive world, shaped by empowered women in every industry. Members from companies including Swyft Logistics and Interloop committed to increase women’s employment rate up to 30% by 2025, and to play a bigger role in countering the challenges faced by women within and outside the workplace. Telenor Pakistan’s Irfan Wahab Khan spoke of his company’s leadership through delivering programs designed specifically for women to get back into the workforce after long breaks, increased representation in all job groups, and a fair, desirable working environment.

The Members endorsed their Action Groups for 2022-23. In addition to continuing specific efforts on flexible work, gender-balanced recruitment and a gender-balanced public image, the leaders committed to new priorities such as addressing sexual harassment, everyday sexism / everyday respect and building champions beyond the CEO level, to create more inclusive workplaces.

Convenor of the Male Champions of Change Pakistan Group, Fiza Farhan commented on the occasion, “The Male Champions of Change Pakistan is a testament to the leadership and commitment of male leaders in the country to support women and create progressive workforces through positive change. I am delighted to see the group expand with promising practices emerging from the Coalition’s work that would enable all members to catalyse their journey towards being more diverse & inclusive organizations”

 Since inception, Male Champions of Change Members have embedded programs and targets which facilitate women’s workforce participation and progression in a number of ways across the country.

Speaking about the organisation’s efforts to date, Telenor Pakistan’s CEO, Irfan Wahab Khan said; “We are focused more than ever towards an inclusive culture that helps us draw strengths from our differences, increase creativity and be more productive. Our flagship Naya Aghaz program started with an aim to provide employment to women on career break, but our ambition now is to prioritise targeted recruitment, development and advancement of women as part of this program. Our renewed and intense diversity agenda is supported through our partnership with GSMA Connected Women to increase the proportion of our women’s customer base from 23% to 30% by 2023. We are ensuring focus towards women’s participation and empowerment through various programs like Open Mind, Khushhal Aangan, Girls Learn Women Earn, Safe Internet and digital learning.”

In November 2021 L’Oreal Pakistan introduced ‘Best of Both Worlds’,  a 3 days onsite, 2 days offsite policy to provide employees a healthy work-life balance especially focusing on young mothers and women employees. In September 2021, Swyft Technologies set a rousing precedent in their industry by launching “The Monthlies” for women which are paid period leave days. Jazz’s “She’s Back” program introduced in January 2022 welcomes female employees back to work after periods of hiatus for any reason.

From 2020-2021 EY Ford Rhodes saw total female employees rise by 17% to 23% due to various D&I interventions including effort towards gender balanced recruitment.  Their next challenge is to have more women in leadership positions. In Pakistan’s textile sector, in July 2021 Interloop announced an ambitious target of growing its women’s employee base from 8% to 30% by 2025.

Speaking about L’Oreal Pakistan’s commitment towards creating an inclusive and progressive workforce, CEO Junaid Murtaza said; “At L’Oreal Pakistan, a conscious effort of improving the inclusion ecosystem is underway, both in structural and behavioural design. Be it through fundamentals like improving our parental leave policy, providing day-care and mental health support, to organisation wide upskilling and appreciation of DE&I or focusing on the entire spectrum of how we recruit, retain and help our women employees advance to leadership.  We remain committed to create an impact, and our membership of MCC will further help accelerate the progress of like-minded companies to be the change agents in Pakistan.”

 

Legendary classical dancer Zarin Panna was bestowed “Shahkaar Against All Odds Award”

Lahore (Nut Desk) Legendary classical dancer Zarin Panna was bestowed “Shahkaar Against All Odds Award” for her valuable contribution to the art of dance, despite personal and social challenges. The award was given by Justice ( rtd) Nasira Javed Iqbal, chairperson the jury at a graceful ceremony held at Alhamra on Friday. Versatile theatre actor Usman Zia was awarded the “ Shahkaar Stage the Change” award for excellence in theater.

The awards were instituted in 2020 by Ajoka Theatre to honour the memory of Ajoka’s veteran actor Arshad Durrani and sponsored by his daughter eminent artist Sumaya Durrani and Shahkaar Higher Education Hub. The awards carry shields, designed by Sumaya Durrani, and a cash award. Justice (rtd) Nasira Javed congratulated the awards recipients and appreciated the role of Ajoka in promoting socially meaningful theatre and grooming young talent. Zarin Panna said she was overwhelmed by the honor.

Veteran film writer Pervez Kaleem spoke about Panna’s career while Sohail Warraich traced the growth of Usman Zia’s acting career. Jury Secretary and Ajoka chair Zara Salman talked about the selection process adopted by the jury which included Justice Nasira Iqbal, ex-VC GC University Dr Hassan Amir Shah, poet and playwright Asghar Nadeem Syed, Ajoka General Secretary Sohail Warraich and Visual artist Saira Dar. Video documentaries on Panna and Usman Zia and Late Arshad Durrani were screened during the ceremony.

Sumaya Durrani in her video message talked about the objectives of the Shahkaar projects while Ajoka Executive Director Shahid Nadeem thanked the jury and Lahore Arts Council for their support. The highlight of the ceremony was the Zarin Panna’s impromptu dance performance on audience request. Actor Usman Zia also performed scenes from his famous Ajoka plays “Dara” and “ Bulha”. The event was attended by a large number of artists, film veterans and friends of Ajoka.

Pakistan’s Fatima Group inks $1 billion deals with global agriculture giants at Expo 2020 Dubai

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Fatima Group, one of the fastest-growing industrial conglomerates in Pakistan, has signed two MoUs of over USD1 billion with two key global agriculture stakeholders – China Machinery Engineering Company (CMEC) from China and Sarh Attaqnia Co. (SAC) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

A formal signing of the business partnership was held at the Pakistan Pavilion in line with the ongoing Agriculture Week at Expo 2020 Dubai. Fatima Group is leading the initiative of transforming Pakistan’s agriculture to serve as the world’s food basket. They’ve been known as Pakistan’s fastest-growing industrial conglomerate with more than $1 billion in revenue in industries like fertilizers, energy, textiles, sugar, cement, and venture capital investments.

“As chairman of a leading Pakistani conglomerate, it is my vision to bring modern precision farming to Pakistan. We as a country are blessed with immense potential and I strongly believe that with the right partners we can create a big difference not just for Pakistan’s food security but the entire region’s. We are grateful to our Chinese and Saudi counterparts who have put their trust and faith in us. I am hopeful that this landmark will lead to many more such partnerships and investment opportunities for future,” said Mian Fawad Ahmed Mukhtar, Chairman of Fatima Group and CEO of Fatima Fertilizer Company Limited.

CMEC as a technology partner, will help with the adaption of climate-smart precision agriculture farm machinery, improved high-yielding seeds, and other crop inputs in Pakistan. In addition, Sarh Attaqnia Company is a key partner that will invest in developing a state-of-the-art agriculture value chain encompassing sustainable production, processing, warehousing, and export marketing of grain crops to help ensure regional food security.

Pakistan has over 20% of its GDP linked with agriculture and about 64% of the human resource associated with it. This collaboration will potentially unlock a tremendous amount of untapped land resources of Pakistan by bringing fallow lands under cultivation for sustainable production of crops like rice, barley, oats, silage bales for livestock, and dairy industry under the Corporate Agriculture Farming initiative. Fatima Group, along with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, is at the Pakistan Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai over the next four days, holding a range of events showcasing its commitment to help ensure regional food security, agricultural innovation, and women empowerment in the agriculture sector of Pakistan.

SHOWCASE FILMS LAUNCHES “PARDE MEIN REHNE DO” MOVIE TRAILER AND SONGS

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) The highly anticipated movie “Parde Mein Rehne Do” starring Hania Aamir and Ali Rehman for the first time as the leading pair, saw the release of its trailer and three songs amidst much excitement in a star-studded affair at the Beach Luxury Hotel, Karachi on the evening of Friday, 25th of February. With movie audiences eagerly awaiting Wajahat Rauf’s fourth feature film “Parde Mein Rehne Do” since the cinemas reopened nationwide, the comedy flick is set to release on Eid-ul-Fitr in theatres throughout Pakistan.

The trailer and song release for this film took place at Beach Luxury Hotel, Karachi with members of the press present to watch the movie trailer, listen to a live performance of some songs from the movie’s soundtrack, and to participate in a Q&A session with the cast and crew. Hosted by Dananeer Mobeen, the ‘pawri’ was on as she first introduced the director, producer and cast, and invited members of the cast and crew to address the audience. The powerful soundtrack, directed by Hassan Ali and Aashir Wajahat left the audience enthralled.

The plot for “Parde Mein Rehne Do” addresses a serious societal issue faced by almost every newly married couple in Pakistan, i.e. the pressure to start their own family without being given a chance to enjoy and explore their life together. Director Wajahat Rauf has addressed this prevalent issue in his uniquely humorous way with this movie, and with the perfect choice of actors brought the characters to life. With a strong supporting cast comprising of veteran actors such as Jawed Sheikh, Saifee Hasan and Noor ul Hassan, this movie is expected to go big at the box office.

Speaking on the occasion, the lead actor Ali Rehman, commented, “It was such a great experience shooting with an amazing team. I’m so proud of ‘Parde Mein Rehne Do’ because not only is it a labor of love, which we worked very hard to shoot during a pandemic, but more importantly it addresses the stigma attached to accepting certain social issues that can really have a big impact on the society as a whole”.

“Parde Mein Rehne Do” is very close to my heart for various reasons. Firstly, because of how beautifully it has been written. How effortlessly Mohsin has talked about a subject so taboo and translated it with such care while incorporating elements of humor. Secondly, if production had to learn what the word ‘efficient’ meant I would send them to Shazia Wajahat, never seen a more professional producer. The director, Wajahat Rauf is an entertainer, and I have not worked with a director whose attention to humorous nuances is this good. Lastly, because it was a team effort, we were all there for each other throughout the shoot. This film is warm, responsible, and funny. Just like my team behind it’, stated the leading lady of the film Hania Aamir on the trailer and songs launch event.

While the much-celebrated Director Wajahat Rauf observed, “For me, ‘Parde Mein Rehne Do’ is a labor of love that addresses an important social issue. I hope to make more films that give out a positive message along with entertaining people.”

“Thoroughly enjoyed working on ‘Parde Mein Rehne Do’, mostly due to the topic this film is based on. It was a pleasure working with actors who I refer to as family and who made every day memorable and fun’, said Shazia Wajahat, the producer of the highly anticipated movie.

“Parde Mein Rehne Do” is the fourth movie releasing under the banner of Showcase Films, a joint venture of the stellar husband wife duo Wajahat Rauf and Shazia Wajahat. Showcase Films has Karachi Se Lahore (2015) – the first Pakistani film that premiered in Hollywood, and its sequel Lahore Se Aagey (2016) – the highest grossing film of the year, along with Chhalawa (2019) to its name.

 

 

SeePrime releases an engrossing short film ‘Mr & Mrs Abdullah

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan’s fastest growing digital platform SeePrime has brought yet another intriguing short film for its viewers titled ‘Mr & Mrs Abdullah’ starring Marina Khan, Syed Mohammad Ahmed and Danyal Afzal.

‘Mr & Mrs Abdullah’ follows the story of a happily married old couple, Bano and Abdullah and their son Haris who no longer lives with them. Abdullah’s sickness is consuming him and his son keeps on insisting to send money to which Abdullah refuses and asks Haris to come see his parents. Abdullah cares about his family a lot and wants to ensure that they will be taken care of once he’s gone.

“Mr & Mrs Abdullah is a story that depicts just how fragile life is,” commented Seemeen Naveed, the executive producer and the woman behind SeePrime. “It is an emotional and inspiring tale and the hard work and efforts that have gone into it has made it even more special.”

The captivating story ‘Mr & Mrs Abdullah’ has been penned down by Syed Mohammad Ahmed, co-produced by Ali Hussain and Mahib Bukhari, directed by Faiz and executively produced by none other than Seemeen Naveed. ‘Mr & Mrs Abdullah is now available for viewers’ on SeePrime’s YouTube channel.

KFC PARTNERS WITH RECKITT BENCKISER PAKISTAN LIMITED

KFC PARTNERS WITH RECKITT BENCKISER PAKISTAN LIMITED FOR DETTOL TO MAKE DINING SPACES SAFE FOR ITS CUSTOMERS

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) As Coronavirus-related restrictions ease out in most cities with a positivity rate lower than 10%, KFC Pakistan joins hands with Reckitt Benckiser Pakistan Limited (the “RBPL”) to make restaurant spaces safe for customers as dine-in reopens. An MOU was signed between the two, with representation by CMO KFC, Noor Alam and Director Marketing RBPL, Humayun Farooq.

As part of the corporate and social responsibility, KFC has kept the safety of their customers as their topmost priority by partnering up with RBPL for its brand, Dettol, the most trusted disinfectant and antiseptic brand, in a bid to make restaurant spaces safe for their customers.

Commenting on the partnership, Director Marketing at RBPL, Humayun Farooq said, “The partnership between RBPL and KFC is a unique opportunity to excite & protect customers, while Dettol continues to educate them about the high standards of hygiene and reassure them that they can now eat at their favorite restaurant with utmost trust and protection.”

Addressing the importance of such collaborations, Chief Marketing Officer at KFC, Noor Alam said, “Dettol has always been at the front line when it comes to germ protection. We are proud to partner with RBPL to ensure that customers enjoy the original fried chicken experience in a cleaner and safer environment.”

The collaboration comes under Dettol’s award-winning purpose-led program called “Hoga Saaf Pakistan” which is a commitment to Pakistan to educate and instill responsibility amongst all Pakistanis to work towards a cleaner, healthier and safer Pakistan. Under this initiative, Dettol is providing sanitizer units for dine-in customers, which will be placed at all KFC outlets nationwide to encourage good hygiene habits and bring back a sense of normalcy to the dine-in experience.

Wrapping a Phenomenal Pre-order Phase, realme 9i Goes on Sale in Pakistan

Bagging more than 4,000 pre-orders, realme 9i wins over consumer anticipation promising the real 6nm processing power at a price they love

realme has once again brought a new and exciting product to the smartphone market – realme 9i. The youth-centric, tech-trailblazer has become known to bring exciting specifications into a budget-friendly package. Pre-orders for the new realme 9i kicked off this week and after a successful run of more than 4,000 pre-orders, the phone is going on sale now. In just a few days, realme has become the talk of the town with branding activities conducted across 700+ stores all over Pakistan. The realme 9i is flying off because of all the cutting-edge tech innovations fit into this easy-on-the-budget handset.

Unbounded Power

The realme 9i isn’t just a pretty package. Inside the new smartphone you can find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 6nm chipset that allows it to pack a pretty powerful punch. This powerful chipset works hard to boost performance as well as reduce power consumption. The 6nm processor consumes 62% less power and affords 46% more performance than its 12nm counterparts. It also brings a powerful Adreno 610 GPU, which provides the support needed for the 90Hz high refresh rate screen technology found in the realme 9i.

In order to combat any issues caused by the lack of memory on the phone, realme developed Dynamic RAM Expansion (DRE) technology. This converts some of your ROM into virtual RAM in order to give you a virtually-expanded RAM. The realme 9i can expand its default 6GB RAM by up to an additional 5GB to enjoy the experience of 11GB RAM.

Stunning Camera Capabilities

Don’t think that realme forgot about the photography enthusiasts. The new realme 9i features a 50MP AI Triple Caemra on the rear that allows you to take stunning photographs. It also comes with a Macro lens for close-up photography and a Black and White portrait lens so you can get creative with the kinds of shots you want to take. You also get access to a range of different photography modes such as night mode, panoramic view, expert mode, timelapse, portrait mode, HDR, ultra-macro, AI beauty, filter, super text, and slow motion. Selfie-lovers will be delighted to know that the realme 9i comes with a 16MP HD selfie camera so you can get crisp, clear, and vibrant selfies to add to your Instagram feed.

Battery That Can Go the Distance

Good performance is useless without the battery life to back it up. Luckily, the massive 5,000 mAh battery on the realme 9i has got you covered. Providing 995 hours of standby time, 48.4 hours of talk time, 20.7 hours of WhatsApp usage, and 116.3 hours of music playback from full battery, the realme 9i’s battery is equipped to give you the ability to perform your preferred activity on your smartphone for long stretches of time. Even if your battery does start to drain after extended usage, the realme 9i’s 33W Dart Charge technology will take your phone from 0% to 100% in just 70 minutes. When compared to the previous entry in the realme number series, the realme 8i, the 9i shows an impressive 36% increase in charging speed and comes with 5-stage safe charging protection, enabling a faster and safer charge.

Aesthetically Pleasing Design

Building on the design concept of “capture the light” introduced in the realme 8i, the realme 9i brings with it the first Stereo Prism Design, which presents a dynamic effect of three-dimensional light and shadow transformation across the back of the smartphone. The realme 9i comes in two stunning color variants – Prism Blue and Prism Black. Part of what makes the design unique is the industry-leading, 8-layer optical coating done on the back side of the phone which provides the ultimate transparency and layering. Light is refracted through multiple layers of nanoscale film and superimposes the glare with high color saturation. This produces an eye-catching visual effect.

The brand new realme 9i is available now in the 6GB + 128GB variant for the exciting price of just PKR 36,999/ in Prism Black and Prism Blue in mobile stores all over the country. Go get yours now and join the realme family.