Dakota Johnson discusses what playing a dying woman taught her
Life and death are a part of everyone’s journey on this world and it shows expressions of how one can take it throughout and how they live in it. For actors, it seems pretty closer to reality as well. The one who has to act for death scenes can also feel it on the inside to get into the character and play it. Similarly, it gives out an enormous amount of emotional strength as well. Dakota Johnson has played a role of a dying woman in her latest movie Our Friend. The trailer itself is an emotional ride.
Our Friend – A comedy-drama movie – is based on a true story of three friends and the friendship of a lifetime starring Dakota Johnson, Jason Segel, and Academy Award Winner Casey Affleck.
Our Friend
Nicole and Matthew Teague, faced with Nicole’s approaching demise, see their best friend move in to take care of them. Matthew and Nicole are a relatively couple living in Fairhope, Alabama. She’s an actress with a nearby theater, he’s a journalist. They have two little girls. Life has its hindrances; however, as a rule, everything is great until Nicole is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Things go from awful to more awful to alarming. Their best friend Dane chooses to move in with them during the last year of her sickness, to assist around the house, help with the young girls, and play support for a grieving overwhelmed family.
Dakota Johnson About Playing Nicole
Based on an essay Nicole’s husband, Matthew Teague [played by Casey Affleck] wrote in 2015 for Esquire Magazine, “Our Friend,” a modern-day “Terms of Endearment” is about how the couple’s best friend, Dane [Jason Segel] dropped everything in his own life to care for them during their hard time.
Dakota Johnson shared in a recent interview, “The thing that I pulled most from this film was how you show up for other people. I think about how I can be more compassionate and more available, even for myself, more compassionate. The thing that I’ve learned so much from this movie and from even talking about it now is how brave you have to be in order to be truly compassionate towards yourself or other people because it’s scary and you might fail. In Nicole’s case, you do everything that you can, and then it’s not going to save her life but it did save everyone else’s life.”
Furthermore, she said, “I made sure that her relationship was authentic, her life was authentic before playing Nicole. Because I didn’t wanna emulate Nicole precisely I wanted her story to be told in her way.” She talked about why she loved that script despite it being a sad story, “It has a good humor element, you can find humor in the painful things.”
About her character, she added “The part about playing someone who’s dying, part of Nicole’s journey is she becomes very aware of everything going on around her and really focuses on absorbing life, her husband and her children… Most of my performance was just a reaction to the performers around me, who I love so much. We were in a small town, we spent so much time together that you know it was easy to feel things because we all really cared.”
Along with the fragility of life, Dakota further says that she realizes that the film’s subject matter is “heavy” but she also believes that its message is one she hopes encourages viewers to step up for each other in times of atrocities and difficulties, and challenges related to life and death. She says it’s about compassion and love and friendship and everything around it.
She shares how brutal life can get and we should be mentally ready for every possibility, that what I found in the script the reality is tragic, it’s horrifying it’s grotesque, it has fun too, and it has smiles as well. But this has brought us closer!
“It’s a heavy subject but there’s a lot of levity and that’s life. Life is painful and ridiculous and funny and horrible and beautiful. I guess you can expect to feel heartbroken but there are also some really funny moments in it.” About her choosing the scripts she said, “I was always with good scripts and I always look over and then decide if the character is good. The people involved are good people and that’s how my decision lies on it.”
The storyline looks compelling and this is exactly what audiences were expecting after a tough year, to feel compassionate for each other and to love each other in hard times, the movie is currently running in theatres.
READ MORE: CHRISTOPHER NOLAN WISHES TO WORK WITH MORE INDIAN ACTORS IN FUTURE
Baluch Twins And Babar Ali from Lyari launched Chakiwara song
Lyari
Lyari, which has been tormented by bad reputation and has consistently been related with negative exercises by the mainstream press, however, the truth of the matter is that there is considerably more to Lyari than all these. Lyari is the most energetic area in Karachi with its remarkable sub-culture. Today we are going to tell things about Lyari which you likely didn’t think about it and these will change your perception about this peaceful, lovely, and influential part of Pakistan’s megacity, Karachi.
Football in Lyari
Football is woven into the actual existence of Lyari. The adoration for football is profound to such an extent that you will discover almost every individual from every family connected with football at the locale, common or public level. Lyari, with in excess of 100 football clubs and 3 arenas is alluded to as ‘Mini Brazil.’ A portion of the well-known names related to football incorporates Abdul Ghafoor Majna (previous captain of Pakistan public football team), Hussain Jan (acclaimed and awarded player of Pakistan), and Abdullah Rahi (Footballer in Pakistan National Team).
Boxing
With more than 26 boxing clubs running independently or by a group of previous fighters and boxers and Pakistan’s first young lady’s boxing club, it is regularly called the boxing hub of Pakistan. It was Lyari that gave Pakistan its public boxing champions, Jan Mohammad Baloch and Syed Hussain Shah. The most seasoned boxing club is the Lyari Labor Welfare Center Boxing Club, which was set up in 1940, preceding the creation of Pakistan, by Mohammad Sattoo. Mohammad Sattoo is called ‘Baba-e-Boxing’ as he was the first who established the foundation of boxing society here around 1918.
Ethnic Diversity of Lyari
Lyari is constantly known for its tranquility and peace and the shared regard that people have for various communities. With the Balochis comprising around half of its populace, it is regularly outlined as a Baloch zone. As a matter of fact, it is multi-ethnic and incorporates Memons, Mianwalis, Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Kutchis (a Sindhi sub-bunch who relocated from the Kutch area of what is currently Indian Gujarat before Partition), and Urdu speakers. The inhabitants of this quiet town are pleased with its strict variety. A large number of Christians, Hindus, members from Zikri people group (an irregular Sunni faction beginning in Baluchistan). The individuals from all local areas and religions live calmly and amicably here.
Music Defying Everything!
Music has now been one of the most exciting elements, Lyari has added. Lyari has a long history of producing a wide array of musicians from rappers to classical musicians, If we talk about HIP-HOP, Lyari musicians are taking it to massive heights! We have seen many musicians coming forward especially rappers like Lyari Underground Rappers and Abid Brohi, but we now see another trio of singers who are all over social media due to their new music video under Braadari Broadcast, that is “Chakiwara” by the very talented Baluch Twins and Babar Ali.
Baluch Twins
Hailing from Lyari, together Asim and Adil make up the singing duo the Baluch twins. Music has always been a very important part of their lives; their father was a hobbyist musician who’d often play the harmonium while at home. From a very young age, he introduced them both to a wide spectrum of music. According to the brothers they were never confined to one specific genre they listened to everything from Beethoven and Chopin symphonies to classical Bengali music. One of Lyari’s most famous sons is Faiz Muhammad Baloch the guy who sang the famous Balochi celebratory anthem “Laila O Laila”. The boys lament at the fact that the neighborhood has so much talent but no particular cohesive network or system to bring it all together in one place, let alone space to practice or jam. Their breakout moment came in 2019 when they were featured on the 5th season of Nescafé Basement, a popular musical extravaganza that brings together new talent each year from across the country. Between themselves, they can play the keyboard and guitar, can sing in six languages namely: English, Urdu, Balochi, Punjabi, Bengali, and Persian, and are currently studying at university to become filmmakers. To say that these guys are creative geniuses would be a huge understatement.
On SAMAA FM, with RJ Sara Baloch, Baluch Twins, and Babar Ali shared how amazing the experience is with Braadari Broadcast Vol 2 and performed their own song ‘Chakiwara’ live (unplugged).
During the live session on Instagram and Facebook, they said we belong to Chakiwara and we are the representatives of that place. And we are proud to be a part of Lyari. The singer Babar Ali along with the twins said this is what our soul is. They added, “sath agar rahengey tabhi change ayega. This song is all about togetherness!”
To listen to their song Chakiwara unplugged version watch the video below
RJ Sara Baloch hosts Chill Karou, every Saturday and Sunday, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, on SAMAA FM 107.4, find out more exciting interviews with celebrities here
READ MORE: TAJJALI LOUNGE AIMING TO TAKE QAWWALI TO NEW HEIGHTS!
Friday Flix Movie Review: A Beautiful Mind
From Math to Madness and back, the movie ‘A Beautiful Mind’ is different, why do I say different, because Schizophrenia is portrayed amazingly. But is it reality what we see in movies rather than reality? Before jumping both feet into the movie let me give you a little overview of Schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. This condition leads to suicidal ideation with psychosis. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning, and can be disabling.
Cast And Crew
The cast includes Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer, Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Josh Lucas, Anthony Rapp, Jason Gray-Standford, Judd Hirsch, Austin Pendelton, and, Vivien Cardone.
Plot
A Beautiful Mind’s perspective on schizophrenia buys in unhesitatingly to the Stephen Hawking thought of disability: it is OK as long as it betokens some extraordinary mental or otherworldly predominance.
“A Beautiful Mind” stars Russell Crowe as Nash, and Jennifer Connelly as his better half, Alicia, who is pregnant with their child when the first side effects of his illness become clear and apparent. It recounts the narrative of a man whose brain was of colossal help to mankind while simultaneously sold out him with terrifying hallucinations. Crowe rejuvenates the character by evading emotionalism and working with little social subtleties. He shows a man who plummets into a frenzy and then, out of the blue, recaptures the capacity to work in the scholastic world. Nash has been contrasted with Newton, Mendel, and Darwin, but at the same time was for a long time simply a man mumbling to himself in the corner.
Director Ron Howard is able to show the goodness in Nash that inspired Alicia and others to remain by him, to keep trust and, in her words at his breaking point, “to believe that something extraordinary is possible.” The film portrays Nash as a calm and presumptuous young man with a West Virginia strong accent, who bit by bit transforms into a tormented, cryptic distrustful, and paranoid man who accepts he is being followed by government specialists. Crowe, who has an uncanny capacity to adjust his look to fit a job, consistently appears to be persuaded as a man who ages 47 years during the entire film.
The early Nash, seen at Princeton in the last 1940s, serenely tells a grant winner “there is not a single seminal idea on either of your papers.” When he loses at a game of Go, he clarifies: “I had the first move. My play was perfect. The game is flawed.”
The Breaking Point
He knows about his effect on others and reviews that his 1st-grade teacher said he was “born with two helpings of the brain and a half-helping of heart.” It is Alicia who causes him to discover the heart. She is an alumni student when they meet, is pulled in to his genius, is moved by his sadness, can acknowledge his concept of romance when he tells her about his love. To the extent he appears to be caught inside himself, with that, Nash’s schizophrenia takes a strict, visual form.
He believes he is being followed by a federal agent (Ed Harris) and imagines himself in chase scenes that seem inspired by 1940s crime movies. He starts to discover patterns where no patterns exist. One night he and Alicia stand under the sky and he asks her to name any object, and then connects stars to draw it. Romantic, but it’s not so romantic when she discovers his office thickly papered with countless bits torn from newspapers and magazines and connected by frantic lines into imaginary patterns.
What I believe is that movies in general have a method of driving mental illness into corners. It is bizarre, exciting, charming, interesting, lamentable, or sometimes unreasonable. Here it is basically an illness, which renders life yet not exactly unimaginable for Nash and Alicia before he gets one of the fortunate ones to pull out of the downward spiral.
The movie also beautifully traces the treatment of Nash by a very smart psychiatrist Dr. Rozen (Plummer) and his agonizing course of insulin shock therapy. The medication helped him improve somewhat, but only when he takes it. The movie fascinates us about the life of this man, who despite all works hard to achieve.
The film portrayed Nash’s mind hallucinates as to a great extent visual; Nash himself announced that his delusions were generally hear-able and mental. The screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman, thought about the visual hallucinations as a technique for giving the viewers the vibe of encountering dreams and his hallucinations. In spite of the fact that in all actuality Nash evidently had a remission of his psychological instability, in the film the character says that he is taking a newer medication. This was a decision made by the director all together not to give the feeling that abandoning medicine was an appropriate strategy for managing schizophrenia.
So are you planning to watch the movie this weekend? Give it a try and let us know in the comments section below!
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Mirzapur makers in trouble as Supreme Court issues ban notice for the series!
First Tandav and now bad news for the fans of Mirzapur as the Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to the makers and producers of the Web series Mirzapur and Amazon Prime Video.
Mirzapur Web Series
Mirzapur is an Indian activity wrongdoing spine chiller web TV arrangement on Amazon Prime Video delivered by Excel Entertainment. It rotates around drugs, firearms, murders, and lawlessness. It portrays the putrescence, administration, and rule of mafia dons, and the contention and crime prevailing in the Purvanchal district of Uttar Pradesh. Its first season comprises of 9 episodes altogether. The series was re-established briefly season and was released on 23 October 2020 as their debut, yet it got delivered a day earlier on 22 October 2020. The web series is Amazon Prime Video’s third fiction Indian Original after Inside Edge and Breathe. In the main season, it highlights the cast mainly including Pankaj Tripathi, Shweta Tripathi, Divyendu Sharma, Ali Fazal, Vikrant Massey, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Rasika Dugal, Harshita Gaur, and Kulbhushan Kharbanda. In the second season, the web-series stars Pankaj Tripathi, Divyendu Sharma, Ali Fazal, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Rasika Dugal, Harshita Gaur, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Vijay Varma, Isha Talwar, Lilliput, and Neha Sargam. The series was announced for a third season on 12 November 2020 by Amazon Prime Video.
Mirzapur Ban Plea
A Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Sharad Arvind Bobde, conceded the plea for banning the series and demanded a response from the creators of the Web Series and over the top (OTT) platform Amazon Prime Video.
The petition sought a direction that the government of India set up a core screening committee for Web series, films, or other programs that are directly released online platforms. This apparently happened on a plea complaining over the portrayal of Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district in a bad light.
“Ministry of Information and Broadcasting must make a certificate from a government authority mandatory before releasing any Web series, movies, or program on OTT platforms,” the plea stated.
The PIL was originally filed by Sujeet Kumar Singh, a resident of Mirzapur, who stated the Web sequence makers have proven Mirzapur as a metropolis of goons and adulteress. A police crew from Mirzapur led by an inspector took a prepare to Mumbai to research the FIR, as per a report. The plea has made the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Excel Entertainment, and Amazon Prime Video, as events within the case.
Tandav Ban
Recently, one other controversy related to the Web series sequence “Tandav” has surfaced for harming nonsecular notions. An FIR has been documented towards the creators of Tandav and Amazon’s India Head of Original Content, Aparna Purohit, for allegedly portraying Hindu divine beings in a design frightful to non-secular sentiments. The FIR towards Purohit, and furthermore present’s director Ali Abbas, maker Himanshu Krishna Mehra, creator Gaurav Solanki, and an unknown specific individual was lodged late on Sunday evening by senior Sub Inspector Amar Nath Yadav on the Hazratganj Kotwali police station in Lucknow.
This ban-culture is surely a drawback for art and culture and the people who want more than just glamour, this has been the practice of subcontinent’s politics and raises serious questions among people who just want to enjoy stories that are closer to reality but we all know who wins in the end!
READ MORE: TARAK MEHTA KA OOLTAH CHASHMAH BECOMES THE MOST SEARCHED SHOW BEATING MIRZAPUR!
Christopher Nolan wishes to work with more Indian actors in future
We all grew up watching Christopher Nolan movies; everyone has watched Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises once in our lives or maybe twice or thrice. But we cannot ignore the fact that how amazingly those movies are directed. Nolan is artistic when it comes to directing movies, let’s find more about him
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Edward Nolan CBE is a British-American movie director, producer, and screenwriter. His directorial endeavors have netted more than US$5.1 billion around the world, accumulated 34 Oscar nominations, and ten successes. Brought up in London, Nolan built up an interest in filmmaking since early on. After studying English Literature at University College London, he made his feature debut with the film Following (1998).
Nolan acquired worldwide acknowledgment with his second film, Memento (2000), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He progressed from independent to studio filmmaking with Insomnia (2002) and discovered further critical and commercial accomplishment with The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012), The Prestige (2006), and Inception (2010), which got eight Oscar selections, including for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. This was trailed by Interstellar (2014), Dunkirk (2017), and Tenet (2020). He bagged Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director for his work on Dunkirk.
Nolan’s movies are ordinarily established in epistemological and magical subjects, investigating human ethical quality, the construction of time, and the malleable nature of memory and individual character.
His work is permeated by mathematically inspired images and concepts, unconventional narrative structures, practical special effects, experimental soundscapes, large-format film photography, and materialistic perspectives. He has co-composed a few of his movies with his sibling Jonathan and runs the creation organization Syncopy Inc. with his significant other Emma Thomas.
Nolan has gotten numerous awards. Time named him one of the 100 most powerful individuals in the world in 2015, and in 2019, he was designated Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to film.
Hollywood Meets Bollywood
Nolan believes that he might work with Bollywood actors, and said that he wants to come back and shoot again in India and work with Indian actors,
Nolan told IANS while talking about his experience of working in India and his next project. He said, “I never make plans so far ahead. But I had an amazing experience in India, and I definitely want to come back and work more in India with Indian actors. I don’t know what I’m doing next.” “I really had a tremendous experience. The love for films in that city is really palpable. I never make plans so far ahead. But I had an amazing experience in India, and I definitely want to come back and work more in India with Indian actors. I don’t know what I’m doing next,” he further said.
He added, “That experience of meeting filmmakers of Mumbai and getting to see the sights and sounds of Mumbai was very inspiring for me. It immediately set my imagination to work on how I could come back there and do some shooting.” Nolan film Tenet is an American science fiction thriller movie written and directed by Nolan himself, Nolan took more than five years to write the screenplay, the movie was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and released on September 3, 2020, in the US. The movie’s cast includes John David Washington, Dimple Kapadia, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Martin Donovan, Fiona Dourif, Himesh Patel, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Denzel Smith, and Kenneth Brannagh.
The movie Tenet was the first Hollywood tent-post to open in quite a while after the pandemic closure, and netted $363 million around the world, making it the fifth most grossing film of 2020. However, it failed to equal the initial investment because of its expensive production and marketing budget, losing distributor Warner Bros. Pictures as much as $100 million. The film got commonly good reviews from critics, with Rotten Tomatoes saying it had “all the cerebral exhibition crowds anticipate from a Christopher Nolan creation.”
Well, we really hope Nolan sees the potential of the actors who have made their arc with amazing portrayals, we wish Pankaj Tripathi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Randeep Hooda will someday be a part of Nolan’s directorial.
READ MORE: CHRISTOPHER NOLAN SLAMS HBO MAX AS THE WORST STREAMING SERVICE
Women Empower Wednesday: Sheba Najmi Taking Civic Innovation To Heights!
Civic Innovation
By basically consolidating the definitions, we can say comprehensively that civic innovation signifies, “a groundbreaking thought or an idea, technique or device that improves a city’s activity and additionally the lives of its residents.” Even more generally, the municipal development or civic innovation field can be summed up to incorporate any individual or association “applying new answers for improving public issues.” In other words, civic innovation may seem basic, yet practically speaking it is perplexing. By and by, it requires numerous elements, for example, a drew in neighborhood populace, basic critical thinking, cooperation across areas, public asset speculation, and devotion as gradual institutional changes are figured out.
Most current conversations and meanings of civic innovation centers around the “development” (especially innovative or technological) angle instead of the “city” divide. However, civic innovation (all the more openly and recently to as civic tech or govtech) is considerably more than nearby governments harnessing and consolidating new innovation.
Motivation to change the framework!
Civic innovation is driven by people who are motivated to change the current framework and searching for approaches to make a cultural improvement within the society. By overlooking the “municipal” side of civic innovation, the essential reason for city development to existing is lost. Civic development’s primary advantage is that it basically upgrades residents’ network to their administration and having a state in how and where enhancements in personal satisfactions occur. It gives a chance not only to those working in government but also to those people or associations outside of government to assess and rethink government cycles and administrations to improve regular daily routines. With extended civic commitment and empowerment, governments can be more responsible and receptive to public concerns. Civic innovations help governments in their dynamic cycle as open info, and information can be accumulated more proficiently and successfully.
Youth Civic Innovation
Youth city commitment for innovation and change is characterized as attempting to have an effect on the civic life of one’s community. It additionally includes building up the mix of information; abilities, qualities, and inspiration to make that difference in society. These activities improve the lives of young people and are socially helpful to the local area.
Four interrelated and recognized constructs in the exploration writing as vital for civic innovation are,
– Civic Action
– Civic Commitment or Duty
– Civic Skills
– Social Cohesion
Along these lines a woman who has been leading this goal and making civic innovation accessible and possible for everyone, that woman is, Sheba Najmi.
Sheba Najmi
Sheba Najmi is the Founder and Executive Director of Code For Pakistan, a tech-driven nonprofit creating civic innovation and engagement. A leader with experience of 15 years in development and team-leading, strategy and highly functional and usable web and mobile products, and working mainly for the Civic Technology.
Code for Pakistan
Code for Pakistan a non-profit building, a non-partisan civic innovation ecosystem to improve quality of life across Pakistan. CFP believes that digital technology, when used correctly, can both improve governance and open new channels for citizens to more meaningfully engage in the public sphere and have a positive impact on their communities.
Through the creation of open source technology to address civic needs, CFP aims to transform civic life by increasing civic engagement, encouraging the opening of government data, and supporting innovation in the public domain.
As trust in civic institutions is eroding and many of the citizens view government as bureaucratic, corrupt, and inefficient, or worse, as something that stifles progress rather than as a potential force for good. Code for Pakistan creates collaboration between citizen tech developers and domain experts in local governments who can address civic needs and enhance civic life in many ways. This starts to reframe the relationship between local government and citizens, which is essential if the two are to live together smartly. The main mission is to work towards a progressive Pakistan!
Code for Pakistan’s Programs
Code for Pakistan currently runs four successful programs under the banner of Civic Innovation, and tech fellowships
Women and Tech
Women and Tech plan to make women more dynamic in the civic innovation ecosystem. Their attention is on empowering women to use and profit by innovation and to take an interest completely in community life. Through meetups, workshops, talks, and hackathons CFP intends to make a community of technologists and women with attention on featuring metro issues affecting the existences of women in Pakistan (e.g security, wellbeing, schooling). Through pieces of training and ability building, Women and Tech expects to make arrangements and devices that help Pakistani ladies, support civic interests, and engage them.
Fellowship
The Fellowship Program is a 6-month program upheld by Code for Pakistan, the KP IT Board, and the World Bank, where a group of skilled analysts, designers, community coordinators, and designers work together to construct applications, inspire citizen engagement, improve government, and tell the best way to enhance administrations. These applications can help take care of issues in the public domain, for example, medical care, crimes, disaster management, resident engagement, transportation, traffic, education; and so on.
The Fellowship Program rotates around three key highlights
-Citizens and government working together, hand-in-hand, to solve problems
-Adopting user-centric, lean, and agile development methodologies
-Increasing civic engagement by creating innovative solutions in public services
Civic Hackathons
Sheba Najmi is the first leader to have brought Civic Hackathons to Pakistan, Civic Hackathons are events that spark civic engagement, bring together software designers, developers, and community organizers to solve their communities’ needs, and show what’s possible using technology. Code for Pakistan has conducted 12 successful Hackathons under them including the SDG Hackathon, and Jazz SDG Hackathon.
Civic Innovation Labs
Whether you are a citizen or a government expert or even a technologist, you can join any Civic Innovation Labs of CFP anywhere in Pakistan. Code for Pakistan’s Civic Innovation Labs are groups of volunteer community members who meet regularly to collaborate with government, non-profits, and media organizations on technology, data, policy, and design projects that strengthen their communities. Each Lab is led by a Lab Organizer who is responsible for building the community and maintaining the relationship between the Lab and the local partners.
The goal is to bring together civic-minded software developers to use technology to innovate in public services, by creating open-source solutions to address the needs of citizens. This is an opportunity for citizens and the private sector to give back to Pakistan by engendering civic innovation.
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Mahira Khan Is Hinting Her Small Screen Comeback To The Fans!
Let’s agree, we all miss Mahira Khan’s presence on the small screen, her charisma and glamour on screen is a treat to watch. She took the small screen by storm by her acting and who will forget Humsafar? The drama became an instant hit, and Mahira never looked back after that, she made her debut in Bollywood and that too beside the King of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, made quite a mark for the Pakistani industry. But we now are hearing the buzz that she is returning to the small screen! Gear up 2021 might get better for us all.
Mahira Khan
Mahira Hafeez Khan is a Pakistani actress. Born in Karachi, Mahira started her career as a VJ in 2006 and made her debut opposite Atif Aslam in Shoaib Mansoor’s movie Bol (2011) She had her breakthrough moment from a role in Momina Duraid’s Humsafar, which earned her a Lux Style Award for Satellite Best TV Actress and Hum Award for Best Onscreen Couple. She is known for portraying the role of “Khirad Ehsan” which was a strong performance by Mahira Khan.
In 2014, Khan starred in the drama serial Sadqay Tumhare and received immense love and attention. The drama earned her a Lux Style Award for Best TV Actress, two Hum Awards and a Hum Award nomination. In 2015, she played the lead role opposite Humayun Saeed in Shahzad Kashmiri-directed film Bin Roye. Khan has also played a supporting role in Sarmad Khoosat-directed biographical film Manto in 2015.
Mahira played a leading role in Asim Raza-directed film Ho Mann Jahaan, in 2016. She starred in 7 Din Mohabbat In and made a small appearance in Parey Hut Luv, the lead Superstar movie against Bilal Ashraf in 2019. In early 2017, Khan co-starred in Rahul Dholakia’s Indian film Raees, which was her debut in the Hindi film industry. Despite the controversies and border tensions between the neighboring states, the film was released in January 2017 and was a commercial success, earning over $39 million USD worldwide which made Khan the first Pakistani actress to join Bollywood’s 100 Crore Club and become the top-grossing actress in Bollywood during the first quarter of 2017. Currently, Mahira is awaiting the release of Bilal Lashari’s Maula Jatt 2 and will star opposite Fahad Mustafa in Quaid-e-Azam.
Mahira Khan on Telebrations
Mahira Khan recently gave an interview to Ahmed Ali Butt in “Telebrations Show” on a local TV channel, she said that her journey was spectacular from Khirad to Noori she had learned a lot, said, “It is truly been magical for me with Hum, Humsafar is something that made me what I am and which is why I continue to do what I do, get so love in my personal in my career.” “And this year, this current year would be a decade to Humsafar which is huge since my career kickstarted from it!” she added. She further said, “Hum TV ke sath chahay Sultana aapa houn, ya Momina houn ya Duraid houn, sab hi meri dostiyaan hain jo loug kaam karte hain HUM tv mein, even apart from MD, when we go for awards, and all of that it’s one big family and I think one thing that this production house has given me which is the best thing for me as a woman, safety became easier for me. I felt like home!” She also showed her gratitude and said, “As a creative person you get heard!” Speaking highly of her experience with the channel, she praised the whole process of going into meetings, debating, and pitching ideas. “And that is an important thing.”
Laughing while recalling moments from her set-life, she shared about how Bin Roye and Superstar were set where she often got scolded, getting exhausted of the heat and the general chaos that breaks out on sets. She also shared that she has been very lucky with the cast and been blessed with amazing actors to have shared the screen with and Humayun would have to be her favorite along with Fawad Khan.
While talking about her comeback to the small screen she revealed that she had read scripts of a few dramas, and she also read one script of MD Productions, adding everyone’s surprise she revealed that she wants to make a come-back in the dramas hopefully this year, she added that hopefully this year you would see me coming back into dramas.
Well, this has been good news, after many years we might see Mahira Khan on the small screen with her come back in the drama industry, we cannot wait!
READ MORE: MAHIRA KHAN SHINES IN THE LIST OF 100 MOST INSPIRING WOMEN
Soul Brothers Pakistan – Spreading Love, Positivity And Togetherness Even In Hard Times!
The Stigma of Mental Health and Men
We as human beings ignore the stigma surrounding mental health over time, which has stopped many men from seeking help when they need it most and it’s literally killing them. This has been a practice over time that men think not discussing their problems and issues as a part of being a “macho thing,” a lot of men out there don’t want to admit they have this problem. They still see depression as a sign of weakness. This type of thinking is outdated, the heirloom of previous generations that doesn’t let men speak to the current understanding and changes of mental illness. This is now recognizable that chemical changes that take place in many ways, mental illness is just like diabetes or any other regular physical condition. The sad part about a society that generally, we are so involved in our own problems that we don’t look at them that way. Instead, they still see mental health struggles as a personal issue and a lack of personal fortitude.
Because of that, and the stigma that still exists surrounding mental illness (not to mention, the pressure on men to always be strong), a lot of men struggle with admitting they may need help.
Cultural Assumptions
Cultural assumptions and conventional gender roles play a role in why men are less inclined to talk about or look for help for their emotional wellness issues. We realize that sexual orientation generalizations about ladies – the thought they ought to carry on or look a specific way, for instance – can be harmful to them. In any case, comprehend that men can be harmed by generalizations and assumptions as well.
Men are regularly expected to be the providers and to be strong, predominant, and in charge. While these aren’t innately bad things, but over the years they can make it harder for men to connect for help and open up. Some researches additionally suggest that men who can’t talk openly about their feelings might be less ready to perceive indications of psychological wellness issues in themselves, and more averse to connect for help.
Men may also be bound to utilize potentially destructive adapting strategies, for example, medications or liquor, and more averse to converse with family or companions about their psychological well-being. Nonetheless, there are researches to recommend that men will get to help when they feel it meets their inclinations and is easily accessed, significant and meaningful, and locks in.
Through and through this is not just related to one single country or continent, this is being seen almost everywhere around the world and no matter how difficult it is to talk about those problems, there is one group in Pakistan that is defying all the odds regarding men’s issues and mental health problems. And that’s not all, you are a guy and you have a quick query? JUST GO AND ASK FOR HELP, there would be men – MORE THAN BROTHERS – quick to come for your rescue! That group is Soul Brothers Pakistan.
Soul Brothers Pakistan
Running on the principles of Energy, Balance, and Brotherhood, Soul Brothers Pakistan is a Facebook group of Danish Javed and Nouman Saeed Khan, who founded the group in June 2016. They started off with a small group of people, with a clear vision and inspiration of making a safe space for men with their regular day-to-day problems and a platform where they can voice their opinions and get advice! The group has some fun elements, as well as segments with serious social discussions as well. The group has 127,584 active members.
Anonymous Soul Brothers And The Guy Talk
“Anonymous Soul Brothers” one of the permanent segments of the group where men talk about mental issues, and suicide awareness, and struggles revolving around them. They also discuss depression in men and how it is prevailing in society, job issues related to the market, and how to deal with them with positive solutions. Similarly the other regular segment “The Guy Talk” features regular live sessions where they discuss key insights, thoughts, and group managing. And this is one of the few things; it has also been providing job opportunities to many and making lives easier.
Achievements of Soul Brothers Pakistan
Jharu Pohcha Campaign
Last year the members of the group actively participated in the Jharu Pohcha campaign under the hashtag “trash tag.” Where members of the group came together and help cleaned Karachi under one singlehood, brotherhood!
Indus Hospital Covid Campaign
During the sharp rise in the 2nd wave of COVID-19, Indus Hospital faced an overload of patients COVID-19. Soul Brothers as a whole sole entity continued to help and to offer all their services for the suffering people. This combined with the impact of COVID on businesses well that has created a dire need for Zakat particularly, and donations for oxygen cylinders as well.
Digi Awards for Facebook Community of the Year
Soul Brothers Pakistan due to their effortless brotherhood and contributions for men in Pakistan also got awarded the Pakistan Digital Awards for the best Facebook Community of the Year 2020.
The Current Glitch in Soul Brothers Pakistan Group
Due to some technical glitch, the group has been temporarily disabled from Facebook since Sunday that has created quite a stir among the brothers, according the member Tabish Hashmi, he shared a rather funny video informing every brother to stay put as they resolve the glitch and get the group access back, until then there is another backup group with the same name that had been created for the members and gained almost 32.8k overnight, hmm BROTHERHOOD game is strong!
The founder Nouman Saeed Khan also shared a video for his members that this is a challenge for every one of us like the rest of them we will get through this soon, he has also asked their members to join the alternative group so that they can continue efforts during times of crisis.
The Facebook community has grown stronger over time, it’s high time to show support for each other as individuals and as a group, the stronger you are the more courage you get to solve problems on every ground!
READ MORE: HASAN RAHEEM KICKING A NEW SOUL IN PAKISTANI RNB AND INDIE GENRE!
Pandemic Has Kick-Started Digitalization In Pakistan – Fakhre Alam
The 90s people must have known Fakhre Alam, let me jog your memory “Mundiyo, Kuriyo oh bhangra pao,” now you must have gotten the idea who am I going to introduce, the very famous artist-cum-pilot, Fakhre Alam.
Fakhre Alam
Fakhar-e-Alam is a Pakistani actor, TV host, VJ, and artist, popular among the 90s youth for presenting the bhangra-rap combination type of music in Pakistan. Born on 19 January 1976 in Islamabad, he spent his childhood in Lahore prior to moving to Islamabad. He did a great deal of traveling directly from the earliest starting point as his dad worked in the Foreign Service of Pakistan. He began his schooling in Islamabad and afterward went to school in the USA. Following a couple of long stretches of U.S. education and exposure, he got back to Islamabad to complete his education. He also went to Government College University (Lahore). A short time later, he moved to Karachi and for the most recent 15 years is living in Dubai, UAE as an abroad Pakistani since 2004. He has garnered much of attention by being the pioneer of bhangra-rap music culture in Pakistan. As of now, he is considerably more mainstream for facilitating TV shows and showing up in military/government-sponsored music shows.
Professional Career
Fakhar e Alam began his profession on TV screen as a presenter in Pakistan’s first since forever pop outline show ‘Music Channel Charts’. The universally acclaimed director, Yasir Akhtar dispatched his profession through ‘Music Channel Charts’. After the accomplishment of Music Channel Charts, he was offered Pepsi ‘Top of the Pops’ as presenter. He additionally showed up in a famous song as a rapper in ‘Pyar Diyan Gallan’ which was composed, created and made by Mohammad Ali, Sheheryar Kureshi (Fringe Benefits) and Yasir Akhtar. After the accomplishment of ‘Music Channel Charts’, Fakhar got an offer for a film called ‘Very Good Dunya Very Bad Log’. Alam met with amusement in 1993 when he launched a rather unusual single “Bhangra Rap”. These were early long stretches of video music in Pakistan and nearly anything sold. The single was likewise communicated on MTV. A past pop band, Strings were the primary Pakistani band to show up on MTV in 1988.
Falam’s Production House
Upon his arrival in Karachi, He was known as “Falam” at that point and was offered the situation of a CEO, in an electronic media marketing company. He took the offer and remained with the organization for a very long time. He at that point launched his own production house, called Industree Productions. He has additionally filled in as the administrator of Sindh Board of Film Censors from 2013 to 2016. Most as of late, in 2018, he turned into the primary Pakistani to circumnavigate the globe solo in what he called Mission Parwaaz.
While giving his interview to RJ Sara Baloch, Fakhre Alam talked in length about how technology over the years has evolved, and that too in competition with each other. He continued with how science used to be a passion for Muslims, we have the greatest scientist, all Muslim and now unfortunately we have lost the essence, we used to be way ahead of our times in terms of technology but now this love for knowledge element has diminished in us. And we are now stuck in moon sightings where the world has gone to space!
He showed his disappointment over how education has only become an option for job-hunt, he stressed that “The thirst for knowledge should never end.”
A successful aeronautical circumnavigation of the globe has these requirements.
1. A total minimum distance of 26000 nautical miles is covered and is flown through all medians.
2. Only one plane can be used. Pilot cannot change the plane at any point of the journey.
3. Pilot must start and end the journey from the same airport.
Fakhre Alam completed his around the world journey on a plane in three years, while talking about his challenges, he said how difficult it was for him to manage weather conditions but a good pilot knows his strategy, and being solo was another added challenge, but he had the wish to complete this dream of his and become the first person to have actually done this. He also said that this is my gift for Pakistan. I represent my country like everyone does for their respective countries.
“My parents had different dreams for me when I was a kid, like every parent, I could have been a lawyer or a CSS officer like my parents wanted, instead I kickstarted my career as an artist, in hiding.” I faced a lot of “daantain” from my father but eventually he realized my potential and now “here I am.”
Watch the whole interview below
RJ Sara Baloch hosts Chill Karo on SAMAA FM 107.4 every Saturday and Sunday, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
READ MORE: KHALIL UR REHMAN QAMAR IS AN ANGRY MAN – SHEES SAJI GUL
Hasan Raheem kicking a new soul in Pakistani RnB and Indie genre!
Stumbling over Hasan Raheem, Still do…
I stumbled upon Hasan Raheem one day at work when my colleague sent me a link to his song “Aisay Kaisay” and since then I cannot stop listening to him. It’s true some artists have the potential to make you feel the melody and lyrics through their vocals and I have always been a staunch supporter of new musicians who have a knack for the Indie genre. I came across another band similarly years ago and the people now know me by that band! Similarly in Hasan’s case, being a solo artist with no band and creating music that can touch your heart and make you smile is a treat for your ears, and that’s not all, his music videos are a treat for the eyes as well!
Aisay Kaisay Hasan Raheem ft Abdullah Kasumbi
I researched and listened to all of his songs and I knew this is going to be in my permanent collection, Aisay Kaisay became my instant favorite since I started my Love for Hasan Raheem journey from that song, he collaborated with Abdullah Kasumbi (another solo artist – director, video, and music producer and a photographer) The song Aisay Kaisay has lyrics that instantly made me smile and [not gonna lie] I was moved by how talented the guy is and how pretty his voice is. The lyrics somehow translates as,
Aisay Kaisay Lyrics
“Ankhon me meri tuje saadgi na dikhay,
Aisay kaisay meri jaana,
Ye saaari batein jo adhoori si rakheen theen,
Sun raha hai ab zamana,
Subha ko ankh khultay yaad tera aana,
ye kaisa maajra hai jaana,
Adayen teri wo jo dil ko choo gayeen theen,
Kabhi na kuch bhi main kaha na”
The Hasan Raheem pink vibe!
Well, I can go on and on with the lyrics but there you go, they are beautiful and simple to hear, let’s just talk about the very aesthetic music video. Hasan is featured in his own song and it is a piece of art! Raheem is out in a pink sweatshirt grooving and vibing on the streets of Karachi at dawn is something we wouldn’t mind. This is the very first time someone has introduced the kind of music people want to listen to and the kind of music video which didn’t require much glamour, just a cute boy his pink sweatshirt and the vibe! At first when I looked at it, Jeremy Zucker came into my mind with his “’Come Thru” song, it had the same vibe. But Urdu language made it quite different and mesmerizing in Hasan’s case!
A medical student who can sing!
This “Aisay Kaisay” love happened in December 2020, and on the new-year, Hasan popped with another song “Joona.” And of course my YouTube recommended it to me and without any further delay, I listened to it. It was as beautiful as the previous one, but this time it was more upbeat, Hasan’s pretty heavy and burger-esque accent made it quite catchy. His style is pretty low-key and very subtle. Joona means (Dove) in love language sounded refreshing. The lyrics had a kick and beauty into it. I tapped my feet throughout. And I am sure you won’t be able to ignore it as well.
It dawned upon me recently during the song there was a hint of Shina [language from the Dardic sub-group of the Indo-Aryan family spoken by the Shina people, a plurality of the people in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral of Pakistan] Initially from Gilgit, Hasan Raheem has moved to Karachi to become a Doctor. It was a surprising element to be found out that a Chitrali doctor-to-be CAN sing!
Joona’s lyrics
“Spotlight saari lejaye,
Sab daikhay dayen bayen,
Itna kyun agai tum saj kay,
Nazrein ye rukna payen,
Dhoondna tume hi chahen,
Mein ziddi khara hun khara ab datt kay”
The video is still something that was not expecting, Hasan was dancing around the aisles of a supermarket and singing the song over his headphones and casually dancing on “Joona.” The music and video have been produced by Abdullah Kasumbi, with whom Hasan has teamed up on a few of his different tracks. The guitars on the track are by Mustafa Hasan.
The fire cinematography and artwork
Being low-key and subtle is not the only quality Hasan has, his song “Saada” says otherwise, the lyrics, composition and vocals were all done by him in collaboration with cinematography that managed to stay on top with the Vocals, despite everything!
Saada Lyrics
“Kaisay me aisay yun,
Is jang me hun phasa,
Jo hona tha hogaya main,
Phir say phisal gaya,
Me to saada sa tha ye kia hai ab ho raha
Me to saada sa tha ye kia hai ab ho raha Me to kho raha”
Mustafa Khan’s artwork is gorgeous; his song “Since Eid” can definitely be your long drive partner! One admirable fact about his songs is the ‘minglish’ approach and a blend of other languages into his lyrics.
Music, notwithstanding, is by all means where Hasan’s heart truly lies. In light of their different releases, Hasan Raheem and Abdullah Kasumbi are certainly a couple to look out for in the future.
Pakistan has been blessed when it comes to new artists who are coming forward with their music and giving quality songs with aesthetic music videos, the kind of work we have been longing for. Lockdown and quarantine have made us realized that giving ears to newer and fresher artists especially in Pakistan can be a good and entertaining aspect and also a ray of hope for struggling, underground local artists.
Story by Zainab Naseem Sheikh
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