‘Barzakh’ poster unveiled: Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed starrer to have its world-premiere at Series Mania

The first poster of the family drama was unveiled at the ongoing Series Mania Festival, where the show is set to have its global premiere

Prior to its world premiere at the Series Mania Festival, the creators of Zindagi original show Barzakh, starring actors Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed unveiled the show poster in the French city of Lille.

Barzakh is helmed by critically acclaimed director Asim Abbasi who also directed Zindagi’s first original Churails and the feature film Cake. Gracing the event were writer-director Asim Abbasi, actor Sanam Saeed, and Producer Shailja Kejriwal.

Barzakh has the distinct honour of being the only series selected from South Asia. The series will debut in the showcase’s International Panorama, a 12-title competitive section where it will be eligible for the best series, director, actress, actor, student jury, and audience awards.

A family drama centered around an elderly man’s quest for love, Barzakh explores inter-generational trauma between fathers and sons. The narrative is framed within a fantastical world of supernatural beings and otherworldly events that reveal the chasms between life, death, and rebirth.

Fawad Khan portrays the role of a single parent, who is charming but at the same time filled with a lot of guilt for something that he has lost.  Elated at Barzakh making the Series Mania cut, Fawad Khan said; “coinciding with our Series Mania premiere, our poster that we now reveal to the world offers an early glimpse into what can be expected from the series – abstract beauty and ambiguity that reflects the complexities in navigating human relationships in a post-modern world”.

Held annually at Lille, the Series Mania festival, since its inception in 2010, has been instrumental in recognizing and curating the best series from across the world. The festival brings together the best screenwriters, directors, and artists together under one roof.

Sanam Saeed who plays the central female character said; “it is simply surreal to be attending the Series Mania Festival. Barzakh is a story that I connected with from the minute I heard it and in Asim Abbasi’s hands, it’s been crafted into a moving, beautiful series that will renew our faith in love and life. It’s what led me to not only take on the challenging role but also made me look at life in a different light. It is very different from what we have seen on screen and all the actors have performed extremely different diverse roles. I am so proud of this series and am honored that it is having its world premiere at the Series Mania Festival”.

Asim shot this series in Karachi and the picturesque Hunza Valley in Pakistan. Barzakh blends magical realism and supernatural fantasy within a family reunion setting and deals with themes of love, loss, and reconciliation.

Talking about Barzakh and the poster, Asim Abbasi adds; “love and memory are both central thematic components of Barzakh. We wanted a visual that represented love in its eternal manifestation, but, which like memory, also had a fleeting, ephemeral quality about – like time slipping by and evaporating around us, leaving behind a distant, but vivid, memory of the moment it all began”.

Barzakh is produced by Waqas Hassan and Shailja Kejriwal. Sharing her excitement about at the premiere, Shailja Kejriwal said; “Barzakh is the first ever Indo-Pak cross border series to premiere globally, and presenting it to the world together as a team is truly an emotional moment. Amidst the excitement, we are extremely proud to be presenting the series poster – as enigmatic and as beautiful as the series we have collectively created. This has been a genuine labour of love that has transcended borders, signified by the fact that we will be premiering to a wholly international audience that has gathered from across the globe. Barzakh has come to fruition through unified passion, vision, and bravery from all involved and I would like to extend my wholehearted gratitude to each artist and crew member, as we could not have mounted this ambitious project alone. We hope audiences and fans of original storytelling from around the world will share in our passion and love for this series”.

Waqas Hassan adds; “from the mountains of Hunza to Lille, it’s been a crazy journey. This one is for the fathers”.

Maula Jatt returns with ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’.

The special media screening of ‘THE LEGEND OF MAULA JATT’ was held yesterday at Atrium Cinemas. The cream of print-media and social-media could be seen hobnobbing with one another as they gathered to witness the much-awaited cinematic masterpiece before its official release nationwide.

Humaima Malik steals the limelight with excellent acting skills.

It can be said without a doubt that each and everyone who saw the movie came out entranced by its magnificence. They had nothing but glowing tributes to pay about the film which they also recorded in their interviews and on the comment cards. Press invitees could be seen taking their own photos against the backdrop of the media wall.

Humaima Malik steals the limelight with excellent acting skills.

It may be noted that The Legend of Maula Jatt is directed by Bilal Lashari, known for his directorial debut with ‘Waar’ and produced by Ammara Hikmat under the joint venture of Encyclomedia & Lashari Films in association with AAA Motion Pictures. The screenplay is by Bilal Lashari and dialogues have been penned down by Nasir Adeeb.

The filmmakers have partnered with Pakistan’s largest media conglomerate and an important contributor to the revival of Pakistani cinema, Geo Films as their presenting partner. The film will be locally distributed by Nadeem Mandviwalla of Mandviwalla Entertainment, who is well known for his work and contribution to cinema over the decades and internationally the film will be distributed by MovieGoers Entertainment.

Fawad Khan as Muala Jatt

Shoot of Zindagi’s Fawad Khan & Sanam Saeed starrer series wraps up on an adventurous note!

The final schedule of Zindagi’s most anticipated original series featuring Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed came to an end recently. The yet to be titled series is a blend of magical realism and supernatural fantasy with a family reunion. Directed by the critically acclaimed Asim Abbasi, the series was shot in the heart of Karachi and the serene valley of Hunza.

On Instagram, Asim Abbasi announced the wrap up of the shoot and thanked his team for their support. He shared his views by saying; “This is a very personal project for me. The shoot which spanned over 5 months has been the most challenging experience of my life but also the most rewarding.  The ensemble has done a beautiful job and given some career best performances. While we have had many eventful days shooting for the series, the last day of the shoot was particularly action-packed. I remember the car we were supposed to shoot with didn’t work, so we used my personal car instead. During the shot, Fawad really had to burn the rubber, as he had to do a u-turn on a single lane road. It was a perfect shot but now I need new tyres!”.

The series explores love, loss and reconciliation with a magical touch and will be launched on ZEE5 later this year.

NAPA brings Shakespeare’s “King Lear” to Pakistani stage in a remarkable new production direction by Zia Mohi-ud-din.

Khalid Ahmad in collaboration with NAPA Repertory Theatre presents “KING LEAR” from 19th December 2019 and will go on till 29th December 2019 at Zia Mohi-ud-din Theatre, N.A.P.A., M.R. Kiyani Road, Karachi. Press preview night is scheduled on Wednesday 18^th December 2019 and whereas regular performances are to start from 19^th December 2019 and will go on till 29^th December 2019. Tickets are priced at Rs.1000/entry and for students it’s at Rs.500/entry. Show timings are 08:00 pm every day and duration of each show is 105 minutes which seems long for normal visitors but wont be that long for genuine theatre lovers as we are expecting an excellent all round performance from director, producers, actors.

“KING LEAR” is a famous novel originally written William Shakespeare and is translated for us by Khalid Ahmad and directed by legendary Zia Mohi-ud-din. Cast includes Khalid Ahmad as (King Lear), Mira Sethi (as Goneril), Paras Masroor (as Edmund), Nazr-ul-Hasan (as Edgar), Fawad Khan (as Kent), Syed Meesam Naqvi (as Gloucester), Shabana Hasan (as Regan) and Natalia Karanjia (as Cordelia).

An Urdu translation of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, “KING LEAR” is a depiction of power, greed, and passion. An ageing Lear divides his kingdom between his three daughters, testing their love for him – a decision that leads to political chaos, familial betrayal and ultimately, madness.

“KING LEAR” is a powerful production by legendary director Zia Mohi-ud-din with celebrated actor Khalid Ahmad in one of the greatest roles of classical theatre. This will be an un-forgettable theatrical experience.

ABOUT Zia Mohi-ud-din: Zia Mohi-ud-din’s long career spans acting, directing, writing, broadcasting and wade range of aesthetic disciplines. Zia Mohi-ud-din trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London and was the first Asian to have his name up in lights in the West-End and on Broadway. Along with his stage appearances, he has also acted in films including Lawrence of Arabia, has hosted and starred in numerous television shows, is a recipient of Hilal-e-Imtiaz and author of three books. In 2004 the President of Pakistan entrusted him with the task of setting up the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA). NAPA was inaugurated in 2005 with Zia Mohi-ud-din as its President and CEO.

ABOUT Khalid Ahmad: Khalid Ahmad is a seasoned theatre and television actor, director and producer and a NAPA faculty member. He studied theatre arts at London Academy of Music & Drama (LAMDA). Khalid Ahmad has a vast number of theatre and television productions to his credit. He has translated four of Shakespeare’s major plays into urdu language, bringing the vibrancy and essence of Shakespeare to the urdu stage.  

ABOUT NRT: The Napa Repertory Theatre (NRT) is a professional theatre company of NAPA, Since 2005, NRT has presented over 100 full length classical, modern and contemporary plays. Recent NRT productions included Jaza Saza, a translation of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure directed by Zia Mohi-ud-din and Jasoosi Dunya directed by Khalid Ahmad. The NRT builds cultural appreciation for all types of theatre, from classical to the experimental and in collaboration with leading Pakistani and international performers.

ABOUT NAPA: The National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) is Pakistan’s foremost performing arts institution presenting world-class theatre and music programs and the country’s only national arts academy educating students in the theatre and music.

Fashion Pakistan Week Winter/Festive 2019, day 03 ends with a sumptuous grand finale by Deepak Perwani.

After two days of everything fashion, the third and final day of Fashion Pakistan Week Winter/Festive 2019 concluded in a rather extravagantly ritzy manner on Friday, October 25^th at the Beach Luxury Hotel in Karachi, where the last eight of the 20 designers put forward their most exquisite creations hence marking the latest trends and must haves for the Winter Festive season.

Show opener Zainab Chottani commenced day 3 of FPWF19, with an opulent collection titled ‘Khwahish’ which was a visit to an inexorable classical feminine personification of a majestic look with contemporary silhouettes. Romancing the exuberant thread work with intricate embroidery on a regal colour palette for beige and gold, ‘Khwahish’ was a visit to an inexorable classical feminine personification of a majestic look with contemporary silhouettes. The collection executed traditional craftsmanship, showcasing the designer’s love for royal vintage design elements infused with timeless crafts such as zardozi, tilla and mukesh work. It was an amalgamation of expression of royalty translated into rich thread embroidery in antique golds, befitting a perfect Maharani. Ivory and gold, peacock blues, traditional reds and deep grey were a befitting colour  palette for a winter collection. Fahad Mustafa and Mawra Hocane show-stopped for Zainab Chottani with a flirtatious walk down the runway.

 

This was followed by ‘Darwaish’ from Huma Adnan who took inspiration from the pattern, prints, embroidery, vibrant colour s that she sees every day. The intoxicating beauty and serene spirituality of the mountains and sufi-ism. The mystique resham, crystal aari, zardozi work with traditional thread embroidery on plush orange lehnga-cholis, ghaghra pants, saaris and other bridal ensembles were loved by the audience. Her collection was embellished by jewelry pieces crafted by the female refugees from the Middle East who live in Karachi. Her pieces transitioned into a soft hued colour palette towards the end of the show. Deputy Counsel of USA, Darian Arky stunned the crowd in a dapper black velvet sherwani along with showstopper Noor Khan who adorned an elaborate traditional red and gold bridal ensemble.

 

‘Uraan’ by Nauman Arfeen illustrated the story of a man learning to let go of his son as he grows into an adult and gets married. In this collection. Playing with hues of mint green, cream gold and exuberant maroon, exhibiting bold cuts with birds in embroidery, the designer told his story of an un-dying bond of a father and his son. Saris for women, crisp sherwanis in shades of red and green for men were seen on the ramp. The father son duo of Wasim Abbas and Ali Abbas show-stopped for Nauman Arfeen.

 

‘Limitless’ by Saba Asad unveiled the glamour of the new generation. In her couture winter collection, she unveiled pieces inspired by the strong, independent women of today who are making a difference yet they are modern and traditional with family values.  Glamour of the new generation. What differentiated her collection from others was her signature hand embroidery on different pieces. Her outfits had crystals, pearls, swarovski, and fine gota-kari-gari. She only used pure fabrics, finest embellishments that had expert draping and stitching. Shaneira Akram who show-stopped for Saba Asad made a fashion statement in an exquisite pastel outfit with sneakers and yoga tights underneath her bridal ensemble. Her significantly energetic walk and regal look was much applauded by the audience.

 

‘Talea’ by Shiza Hasan weaved in a myriad nuances of femininity, recreating a magical tale in fabric and bridal wear. Weaved in a myriad nuances of femininity, her collection recreated a magical tale in fabric and bridal wear. ‘Talea’ gave us a glimpse into a real life regal yet enthralling bride with a smile on the face, celebrating tones of fuchsia, peaches, deep red and multiple shades of garnet and zircon. Voluminous lehengas primarily with hand embroidery and zardosi work gave a royal touch and enchanted the perfect blend of more than one tone in an outfit. Coupled with 3D embellishments, the collection married classic and contemporary in its folds. Myriad of styles and floral motifs with delicate thread-work brought in the legacy of exquisite kari-gari with a modern touch. Considering as the colour  of beauty and power, the collection, all in all was an ode to modern brides and reflected the beauty of a wonderful day. Wasim Akram was the showstopper who came out in a deep grey embroidered sherwani.

 

Sixth designer of the night, Sadaf Fawad Khan (SFKBridals) showcased her latest bridal collection ‘Adam & Eve’ which comprised of a beautiful assortment of pastels as well as traditional colour s that are forever classics. This latest collection by Sadaf Fawad Khan (SFKBridals) titled ‘Adam & Eve’ was an absolute treat to watch. With an increasing trend of couples wanting to coordinate their looks for the big day, everything she made complimented the sets. What really caught the eye were a wide array of menswear pieces perfect for the grooms. The collection comprised a beautiful assortment of pastels as well as traditional colours which are forever classics.  Classic lehnga-choli, peshwas as well as gowns and asymmetric drapes for those who seek a more modern look were seen on the runway. Menswear outfits offered a variety of classic options like the sherwanis in both knee lengths and longer lengths paired with chooridars and slim pants. She also introduced a new cut in the prince coat which was longer than conventionally seen. The colour  palette ranged from fresh shades on mint and grape greens as well as forever favourites like white and ivory. There was a bold new colour offering that was added to SFK bridals very popular festive silk kurtas for men. Hania Amir and Feroze Khan closed the show. Fawad Khan was also seen sitting in the audience supporting his wife’s latest collection which was much appreciated by the crowd.

 

‘Ishq-e-Raag’ by Ayesha Ibrahim juxtaposed the traditions of the mughal with dainty details, soft feminine colour s and the perfect blend of traditional craft and modern sensibility. Reminiscing about the mughal-era and bringing the grandeur of the period alive her latest bridal collection ‘Ishq-e-Raag’ juxtaposed the traditions of the mughal. Dainty details, soft feminine colour s and the perfect blend of traditional craft and modern sensibility were the hallmarks of the collection. The bridal collection was for the bride who wants to feel like a modern maharani on her big day. Rendered in a beguiling carefully picked colour palette, that depicted pure festivity and realness of culture, all inspired from traditional charm. Truly majestic is what this collection was – royalty all wrapped in one. The pieces were inspired not only by royalty but also the opulence in a royal mughal court. She used the best of materials and fabrics, ranging from pure silks, jamawar and tissue, carefully worked with enchanting stonework, dabka, and nakshi-kaam. ‘Ishq-e-Raag’ told stories of the most vivacious brides and depicted the deepest essence of traditional weddings. A resplendent dream clad in delicate embellishments and decadent style embedded through the gossamer work of stones and sequins; her latest bridal collection visualized opulence and grandeur. Encapsulated by the masterful techniques, flaunting sketched embroidery, modern silhouettes and neutralized by sublime cuts. Sumbul Iqbal was the showstopper for Ayesha Ibrahim.

 

A head-turning closing show by Deepak Perwani’s latest bridal range ‘Shalimar’ ended the night on a high note. Deepak Perwani’s collection was inspired by the fabled Shalimar Gardens and the sumptuous elegance of by-gone mughal courts. This exquisite collection included pieces that invoked old world nostalgia with a modern twist through block and screen printed luxurious fabrics, mirror work, and hues of peaches and roses. The collection entwined the use of intricate embroideries in diamante and pearl sequins, sublime embellishments in the form of exotic birds, peacocks and elephants, and floral ornamentation. Rich and regal fabrics were used in a vibrant and broad colour palette. Different shades of pink dominated the stage. It was an enjoyable finale with models on ramp gifting long stemmed pink roses to select audience members. Deepak’s exquisite craftsmanship and finesse in materializing his fashion vision left the audience delighted and mesmerized by his awe-inspiring collection and with this the last and final day of Fashion Week came to a rousing end.

 

Needless to say, each designer crafted their best creations with great precision and detail. A-list models from the industry walked designer outfits down the ramp. The make-up maestro Nabila from N-Pro and N-Gents styled the models and showstoppers with her signature finesse and style.

Amongst the tastefully lit lighting and décor were famous faces with the likes of Fawad Khan who came out support his wife Sadaf showcasing her latest collection, Physiogel brand ambassador Ayesha Omer, Asim Azhar, Nina Kashif, Sharmeela Farooqui and Sarwat Gilani amongst others.

The glamorous evening began with the presence of renowned personalities from the world of Pakistani fashion and entertainment walked down a star-studded purple carpet in dazzling dresses and dapper attire. The glamour quotient was high as Karachi turned out to applaud the eight closing night designers. Many were seen at the PhysioGel booth striking a pose, showing how PhysioGel Confident they are before the collection showcase. The stylish and light-hearted actor, Ali Safina engaged the audience in conversations revolving around fashion, their personal style, beautiful skin, and the who’s who of fashion. Some also experienced the chocolatey indulgence at the glamorously decked up Chocolatto booth, ultimately walking away with picture perfect moments.

Prior to his showcase, Chairperson of Fashion Pakistan Council (FPC), Deepak Perwani said a few words, “This is my last term as Chairperson of FPC and I’d like to thank everyone who supported me throughout my tenure and also the Pakistani fashion industry which is only growing by the day. I would encourage more and more designers to take part in this as our fashion industry is thriving and together, we should keep the momentum going. I encourage all designers to participate in our elections next month.” Adding to this he also said, “With a strong designer line-up, artistically choreographed shows, tastefully lit lightning and décor, the star-studded three-day Fashion Pakistan Week Winter Festive 2019 is coming to a rousing end and I couldn’t be more proud. We wanted this years’ fashion week to be grand and I think, it’s safe to say that we successfully managed to do so”.

 

The night would not have been as seamless, without the help of Fashion Pakistan Week’s numerous partners. Fashion Pakistan as the producer of the three-day event, Nubain Ali as the show director, Production 021 as the official event management partner, Nabila and N-Gents as the official stylist, TV-One as the official media partner and Radio FM91 as the radio partner in order to get a nation-wide coverage of greater magnitude. The renowned skin-care brand PhysioGel as the official red carpet sponsor. Faisal Farooqui as the official photographer J. by Junaid Jamshed as the official fragrance partner and Samsonite as the official luggage partner. foodpanda as the official backstage food partner, Pakola as the official beverage partner, Bisconni Chocolatto as the snack partner with Red Bull as official energy drink partner and Talking Point as the official PR and Digital partner.

From exceptional eight to fantastic four: The Battle Continues with episode 5, season 4 of Pepsi Battle of the Bands

Several weeks into the most exciting battle to choose the number one emerging band in Pakistan, Pepsi Battle of the Bands season 4, episode 5 just got hotter, tougher and more intense. The top 8 bands are back on stage to battle it out for the top 4 spots! As the competition moves forward, it’s getting harder and harder to impress our judges! Every band is giving it their all, but only four will make it to the next round! Which means four bands will go home and four will head to the next round.

This episode had a nice change of theme. In contrast to original songs during the last two weeks, contestants were asked to perform their favorite songs in this episode.

Our hosts Hina Altaf and Ali Safina asked the judges about their favorite songs which they would have performed on the Pepsi stage, if given a chance. Bilal Maqsood chose Zoheb Hassan’s ‘star’ from Nazia-Zoheb’s 1982 album Boom Boom and Meesha Shafi chose Ustaad Nusrat Fatah Ali Khan’s ‘akhiyaan udeek diayan’. Whereas, Faisal Kapadia and Fawad Khan went with Vital Signs ‘do pal ka jeevan’ and ‘chehra’ respectively.

 

The first battle, between Star Zone and Auj, began. From judges to contestants, everybody wanted to perform Vital Signs songs so unsurprisingly, Star Zone fired first with a cover of the iconic band’s ‘ajnabi’ and tried best to do justice to this classic song, but couldn’t succeed much. The one-time ‘performer of the day’ winner Auj responded with Alamgir’s ‘keh dena’. Although this song has been covered by multiple bands on multiple occasions and many of them have done justice to it. Auj did justice to this song but did add some eastern classical touch to it which didn’t go well with me. The jury collectively thought Star Zone’s performance felt half-hearted while Auj’s performance wasn’t mind-blowing, as it usually is, but still brilliant.

 

Next up was E-Sharp vs Marjaan. E-Sharp rocked the stage with their high-energy cover of Junoon’s ‘neend aati nahi’. This song is my favorite Junoon and has nostalgic feel to it for me and I was expecting something better but vocal tone didn’t impress at all as we are use to listening to Ali Azmat’s powerful vocal tone and this one was too soft. Music arrangements felt good but as much as what Bilal Maqsood said as best performance. Marjaan fought back with the legendary Reshma’s ‘lambi judai’, and against its came to vocals which didn’t live upto original’s high pitched vocal tone of Reshma ji. The jury loved E-Sharp’s rendition of the Junoon classic; Bilal even gave them a standing ovation and called it the best performance of the last four seasons of Pepsi Battle of the Bands. On the other hand, they found Marjaan’s performance holistic but soulless.

 

The third battle was between Black Hour and Uraan. Black Hour performed a rendition of ‘tum hi se aye mujahido’ by Alamgir and did justice to it. Their performance didn’t have much in it and neither did it lack much. Uraan went with Shehzad Mughal’s ‘bas yoonhi’. In bits and pieces Uraan’s vocalist sang well but most of the time was wayward. The judges commended Black Hour on their choice of song, showcasing their diverse musical shades and the overall presentation, whereas Uraan’s performance didn’t really take flight for them.

 

The last battle of the episode saw Neon go against Aarish. Neon went with Junoon’s ‘mera mahi’ which had a good start to it but when vocalist tuned in things went OFF for me as he was nowhere near to where Ali Azmat sings even today. Aarish’s cover of Junaid Jamshed’s ‘na tu ayegi’ was better performance of the last round. Aarish’s vocalist also lacked behind on vocals. The jury felt Aarish’s performance was impactful and appreciated how they have utilized the experience they have gained during the journey. On the other hand, the judges felt Neon’s performance was way below the mark, especially at this stage of the competition where anything short of extraordinary isn’t good enough.

 

It was time to announce the results. The first battle went to Auj, whereas E-Sharp, Black Hour and Aarish won their respective battles. Star Zone, Marjaan, Uraan and Neon went out of the competition.

Unsurprisingly, E-Sharp also won the performer of the day. The big twist came when it was revealed that the reward for E-Sharp wasn’t just a guitar but also an opportunity to choose their opponent for the next round, which gives them an upper hand. Those chose Aarish, making the audience anticipate their upcoming high-stakes battle.

 

With the stakes getting higher and the competition getting tougher, Pepsi Battle of the Bands have finally gotten its ‘Fantastic Four’ bands who shall continue to compete no-holds-barred.

 

Trailer of most anticipated Pakistani movie of 2019 “Parey Hut Love” launched

Trailer of most anticipated Pakistani movie of 2019 “Parey Hut Love” was launched last week at Neupelx Cinema. According to producers of this movie “Parey Hut Love” is being dubbed as the biggest wedding of the year and is filled with an abundance of colours, love and emotions!

Trailer of “Parey Hut Love” seems promising and as claimed is colorful too. It also has just too many stars (big & small) in it and gives you a feeling of too many cooks in a kitchen.

“Parey Hut Love” directed by Asim raza, produced by Shehryar Munawar and written by Imran Aslam has Shehryar Munawar as leading man and Mayal Ali as leading lady.

It also features some top names in our film industry including the legendary actor Nadeem Baig, versatile Hina Dilpazeer, below average actor Ahmed Ali Butt, Zara Noor Abbas Siddiqui who also is the prettiest face in this movie , designer Yousaf Bashir Qureshi, Queen of K Frieha Altaf, Shahbaz Shigri, businessman Munawar Siddiqui, Faheem Azam, singer Rachel Viccaji, Jimmy Khan and Frieha’s daughter Parisheh James.

Music is by Azan Ali Khan and all the costumes are designed my Umar Saeed. Apart rom main cast, superstars like Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan have cameo appearances along-with Meera, Cybil Chaudary and Sonya Jehan.

Speaking at the trailer launch passionate director Asim Raza said; “for me one of the main inspiration to go for “Parey Hut Love”, was the writer of the movie Imran Aslam, I felt very honoured when Imran Aslam consented write for my project”.

Maya Ali leading lady of “Parey Hut Love” said; “it’s every girls dream to work in Asim Raza’s movie and I was overjoyed when I got a call from Asim Raza for this project. For me it was a tremendous experience and we were treated like a family. Sheheryar Munawar has done some exception work and we all are hopeful for success of this movie”.

Muhammad Jerjes Seja CEO of the ARY Digital Network / ARY Films  also spoke at trailer launch and said; “this Eid-ul-Adha 5 pakistani movies are being released. All these five movies will create negative impact on business of each other. Good content will come out as a winner”. Let’s hope for best.

“Parey Hut Love” will be released during Eid-Ul-Adha festival and is brought to you by The Vision Factory Films in collaboration with ARY Films.

 

Parey Hut Love – Theatrical Trailer

Pepsi Battle of the Bands, Season Two – Episode 07

This episode started off with celebrity performance Uzair Jaswal who sang ‘sajna’, and on concluding Call performed their iconic song ‘jilawatan’.

Final of Pepsi’s Battle of the Bands, Season two has two contestants namely Badnaam and Kashmir and both of these bands are really promising and have equal chances of winning the title.

Final round consisted of two rounds; 01) mash-up song and 02) original song.

Badnaam stated off the proceeding and performed ‘Ishqnaama’ which was a mashup of their original song ‘ishq mei teray + halka halka suroor by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan + teray ishq nachaya by Adida Parveen and haq ali mola ali also by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and wow what an explosive performance it was. Their mash-up started off very splendidly. Vocals were very melodious and were full of feelings and emotions that comes with the original ones. They really had put their heart and soul into this mash-up. Felt excellent.

Kashmir’s mash-up ‘ankahi’ consisted of two very popular songs ‘adat by Atif Aslam + aeitbaar by Vital Signs’. Although vocals on both song were lacking to come near the original ones but had their own style and music arrangement and compositions were both of top level.

Second round started by Badnaam’s original song ‘kalyaan Ishq’ which had all the elements of Badnaam’s style. It had powerful vocals, excellent music arrangements and composition too.

Kashmir sang their original ‘kaaghaz ka jahaaz’, excellent composition, nice and soft with nothing very hard to it but still very amazing to listen too, groovy bass lines with equally soothing vocals by bilal. All this coupled with excellent live performance, almost flawless. Yes another song which forced the judges to give them a standing ovation and a hug from Atif Aslam. WOW.

So finally with their song ‘kaaghaz ka jahaaz’, it seems as Kashmir has done it already. Now it’s for the audience to vote and decide, but I personally think that Kashmir should win this battle which will be like a repeat result, as during the last Battle of the Bands 2002, where final was between Aaroh who were more on the mellow side with softer and melodious type of music against Entity Paradigm’s power packed performance.

My vote goes to Kashmir but I have gut feeling that most of the Pakistani audiences will vote for Badnaam for their sufi type of music, which seems missing since Ali Azmat left Junoon.

Pepsi Battle of the Bands, Season Two – Episode 06

Episode 06 of Pepsi Battle of the Bands, season two knock out round can also be referred as semi-final of this competition with only top three banding remaining now.

This episode started off with celebrity performance from Asrar which was very powerful, energetic and explosive and was the real highlight of episode.

Moving back to contestants, Roots were first to perform and they decided opted for traditional folk song ‘peera ho’, which was also sung by Khalid Anum during late 90’s. Voice of Rutaba Yaqub didn’t suit the music style of this song. Roots nearly destroyed the peera ho and tried best to kill the essence of it. Music produced also wasn’t very firey. After this performance Roots should walk out on their own rather than waiting for judges to ask them to leave.

Second to hit the stage was Kashmir, who sang ‘mehdah ishq vi toon by Pathanay Khan’. Song started soft and mellow and vocalist brought it up very nicely and was full of soul. Kashmir has been my favourite song from the beginning till this knockout stage.

Badnaam performed ‘bismillah karraan by Nadeem Abbas’, perfect start with excellent and perfect vocals and equally excellent support by other band members. Probably first flawless performance of season two of Pepsi Top of the Pops. Can’t say more on it. Even though not on my favourite list but this band seems like a potential winner.

After three performances Badnaam was declared to be safe and remaining two bands Kashmir and Roots were declared to be in the danger and were to fight again for only one remaining spot in the final.

Roots came back very strongly and they performed their original song ‘pagal sa, ye dil’ which was their first near perfect performance. Everything seemed to worked for them for this song, their vocals (with a bit of Shania Twain), composition, music arrangements felt perfect.

Kashmir also came back very strongly with their original song ‘soch’, started soft and mellow as its turning out to the style of Kashmir, Bilal has created own style of singing and along-with Vais Khan who happens to Fawad Khan’s favourite and drummer Shane J.Anthoney will do wonders on stage.

Finally judges thought that that Roots should leave and Kashmir should stay on, felt like a decent decision as Roots performed in-consistently whereas Kashmir and Badnaam were consistent throughout.

Now eagerly waiting for the final between Badnaam and Kashmir.