Mahira Khan, an exceptional actress after winning laurels for her work on both big and small screen has just laid her hands on the award for Best Actress – Short Film at Indus Valley International Film Festival which was held in New Delhi, India for Prince Charming, a short film produced by See Prime.
Last year superstar Sheheryar Munawar, after making waves as an actor released his short film ‘Prince Charming’, produced under the See Prime banner, starring countries’ biggest stars Mahira Khan and Zahid Ahmed together for the first time. Prince Charming talks about post-marital depression, a very real issue in our modern day and age, in a very unique and creative way.
Award winning actress, Mahira Khan shared her views by saying; “this award goes out to all the ladies who are silently suffering from post-marital depression, our society doesn’t talk about it, we consider such topics as taboos and yet here we are. I’m glad that this role touched the audiences’ heart, it’s one of the roles which shall stay close to my heart forever. I would like to thank my dear friend Shehryar Munawar for believing in me and the entire team of See Prime specially Seemeen Naveed for providing us with this platform”.
Seemeen Naveed, the executive producer See Prime stated, “I truly believe in showing and producing content that comes with a deep message for my audiences. I was amazed by the vision which Sheheryar had in his mind behind this masterpiece. I’m proud that our content has been recognized on an international level, hoping to keep on producing and working with these gems”.
The film is available on SeePrime’s official YouTube channel and you can still watch it here:
About See Prime: See Prime is a digital entertainment platform bringing new, dynamic and break-through, original and distinctive content for its viewers. It has successfully broken into a dimension of untold and unique narratives for its audiences, exploring different and diversified genres.
ZEE5 Global announces first of it’s kind original desi noir series ‘Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam’ with an an ensemble cast and this show marks the first collaboration between Zindagi and British-Indian director Meenu Gaur.
Women have often been celebrated for being an epitome of patience, sacrifice, endurance and more. ZEE5 Global, the world’s largest streaming platform for South Asian content and Zindagi are soon set to break this stereotype and unearth their unapologetic side in the upcoming original ‘Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam’.
A desi noir anthology, ‘Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam’ is helmed by critically acclaimed British Indian director Meenu Gaur. The series features an eclectic cast comprising of leading actors from the subcontinent including Ahsan Khan, Osman Khalid Butt, Sheheryar Munawar, Saleem Mairaj, Samiya Mumtaz, Sanam Saeed, Sarwat Gilani, Mehar Bano, Faiza Gillani, Beo Raana Zafar and Eman Suleman.
Written by Farjad Nabi and Meenu Gaur, ‘Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam’ is set in the timeless lanes of androon sheher (inner circles of city / also old city) – a mythical neighborhood, and showcases stories of love, lust, power, and redemption woven in a web of betrayal, angst, and revenge. Each story from the anthology depicts the fearlessness of women and their determination to avenge deceit. At the core of the stories is mystery, suspense, intrigue with twist endings.
Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global, said;, “after the success of the genre-bending originals Churails and Dhoop Ki Deewar with Zindagi, we’re thrilled to bring a brilliant anthology under ‘Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam’. As the foremost platform for South Asian content, we cherrypick stories from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh that will not only entertain audiences but also engage them at a deeper level. ‘Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam’ is one of those stories that’s not just about breaking stereotypes, but also creating new and powerful women characters who will be celebrated for their personalities.”
Talking about the series, Shailja Kejriwal, Chief Content Officer – Special Projects, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, said; “Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam’ challenges the stereotypical portrayal of women who are often perceived as victims. Each story in the anthology showcases courageous, bold women who decide to take charge of things when their limits are pushed. These women are fatal to patriarchy and go several extra miles to seek what they want at any cost.”
Creator and Director Meenu Gaur said; “this idea for the show was like an outpouring for me and it’s no surprise that the stories here are about all that which surges within us as women – love, passion, ambition, conviction, rage, revenge, and revolution. With the dominance of a male-centric gaze especially in the noir genre, I was keen to explore a new interpretation, one which is told from the perspective of the much-maligned femme fatale (qatilhaseena) characters. It is an attempt to correct the sexism of film noir and try our hands at feminist noir.”
Co-writer Farjad Nabi said; “Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam’ waves goodbye to the victim woman as seven fatales get their way through methods that are unexpected, sometimes horrifying, but always liberating. I am glad this show will be premiering on the Zee5 platform that focuses on bringing diverse and significant stories for the global audience.”
‘Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam’ is a compilation of six stories of seven women who wrestle back control and redefine the word femme fatale.
About ZEE5 Global: ZEE5 is the digital entertainment destination launched by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), a global Media and Entertainment powerhouse. The platform launched across 190+ countries in October 2018 and has content across 18 languages: Hindi, English, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Punjabi, including six international languages Malay, Thai, Bahasa, Urdu, Bangla and Arabic. ZEE5 is home to 170,000+ hours of On Demand Content. The platform brings together the best of originals, movies and television shows, music, cine-plays, health and lifestyle content all in one single destination. ZEE5 offers key features like 15 navigational languages, content download option, seamless video playback and Voice Search.
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.
The highly anticipated movie ‘Khel Khel Mein’ starring Sajal Aly and Bilal Abbas by Filmwala Pictures in media partnership with ARY Digital is the first Pakistani movie to be released nationwide in 2021 post-COVID, with a stellar cast and renowned director-producer duo, Nabeel Qureshi and Fizza Ali Meerza at the helm. While the movie is set to be released on 19th November 2021 in cinemas across the country, today marked the release of the movie’s trailer in a special launch event organized by Filmwala Pictures.
The trailer launch was held at the lush green gardens of Beach Luxury Hotel, Karachi and hosted by Zhalay Sarhadi saw most of the notables from the film, entertainment, and media industry in attendance, for a special screening of the movie trailer, followed by a Meet & Greet session with the cast, and a press conference for the media. Some noteworthy names among the guest list were Fahad Mustafa, Madeha Naqvi, Jerjees Seja, Saqib Malik, Nadeem Baig, Emraan Rajput, Ali Kureshi and Ehteshamuddin.
The plot of ‘Khel Khel Mein’ revolves around the air of mistrust after the fall of Dhaka. The film is a recap of the existing mindset and curiosity around the subject, which is interestingly knit into a journey of students exploring the history and making history by doing what is not obvious and expected. Instead following the path of mutual respect, love and peace for all. ‘Khel Khel Mein’ features veteran actor Marina Khan, who is part of the cast, with Sajal Aly and Bilal Abbas as lead characters. The film also stars Sheheryar Munawar, while the cast also includes notable names such as Javed Sheikh, Manzar Sehbai, Nazar Hussain, Naveed Raza, Irfan Motiwala, Zehra Nawab, and Samina Ahmed.
Producer of ‘Khel Khel Mein’ and CEO of Filmwala Productions, Fizza Ali Meerza shared her views at the trailer launch by saying that; “as a film-maker and a producer, I did not wait to take my film to the cinemas. So I urge and expect our audiences to do the same. Do not wait to return back to the cinemas, just get there”. Fizza Ali Meerza is known for her stellar productions, namely Na Maloom Afraad (2014), Actor in Law (2016), Na Maloom Afraad 2 (2017), and Load Wedding (2018), and has also recently won the Best International Feature film at the Rajasthan International Film Festival.
Replying to a question about the story, Fizza Ali Meerza said; “we like to do, what others don’t do, this is my way of contributing back to the society. With this story I feel that we would be contributing back to our region”. She further added by saying; “we should stop being shy, today when we can talk on most of the taboos, then why can’t, we speak about this topic?”
Nabeel Qureshi, Director of ‘Khel Khel Mein’ commented by saying that; “this movie ‘Khel Khel Mein’ is very different compared to all my other films. We shot it during the COVID times and it’s a product of a lot of thought, hard work, and love. I hope people will come watch the film with the same love we made it with”. Nabeel Qureshi has has several prestigious awards under his belt and is known as one of the founding pioneers of independent films in Pakistan.
Nabeel Qureshi, Director of ‘Khel Khel Mein’ commented by saying that; “this movie ‘Khel Khel Mein’ is very different compared to all my other films. We shot it during the COVID times and it’s a product of a lot of thought, hard work, and love. I hope people will come watch the film with the same love we made it with”. Nabeel Qureshi has several prestigious awards under his belt and is known as one of the founding pioneers of independent films in Pakistan.
Replying to a question, Nabeel Qureshi replied; “this movie ‘Khel Khel Mein’ has some elements of nostalgia to it, as our last movie Load Wedding was released three years back. Cinema is our livelihood and we cannot survive without it”.
When asked about the film he replied; “‘Khel Khel Mein’ is a lot different movie, a genre and new leading cast. This is first time I am venturing out without Fahad Mustafa. ‘Khel Khel Mein’ will bridge the gap between Pakistan & Bangladesh and I am hopeful that this will be a game changer within the region. We have worked very hard to keep a lot of things very organic, but you should understand that dialects are common and can give you a similar feel to them”.
Seasoned and veteran actor Manzar Sehbai shared his views by saying that; “a film must give some space to its viewers and this film ‘Khel Khel Mein’ has given too much choices to it viewers. This defiantly is a good try and I must congratulate Fizza and Nabeel for this film”.
Leading lady of ‘Khel Khel Mein’, Sajal Aly said; “it was always a dream for me to work with Nabeel Qureshi which is now fulfilled. ‘Khel Khel Mein’ is vastly different from my all previous projects and I enjoyed a lot doing it. I hope that audiences will also enjoy as much as we have”.
Leading man of ‘Khel Khel Mein’, Bilal Abbas shared his views by saying that; “my character in this movie is very simple, didn’t had to work much hard. For this film, its unique selling point will be its story-line. No one have touched a similar story for any film”.
Jaejees Seeja CEO ARY Digital Network said; “we haven’t stopped anywhere, we have progressed a lot and cinema is moving forward”.
Filmwala Pictures is Pakistan’s first independent production house to have gained a formidable reputation through its award-winning films, such as Na Maloom Afraad (2014), Actor in Law (2016), and Load Wedding (2018). By fusing entertainment with engaging social issues, Filmwala Pictures has not only generated positive dialogue within society but has also brought about social change by catalyzing the UN Women Pakistan began a campaign against Dowry in Pakistan. ‘Khel Khel Mein’ by Filmwala Pictures is presented by ARY Digital and all set to release on 19th November 2021 across cinemas nationwide. Watch the trailer of ‘Khel Khel Mein’ at the link below:
Pakistan’s fast-expanding digital platform, See Prime, has brought another riveting short film, ‘Prince Charming’, marking Sheheryar Munawar’s directorial debut along with starring the mega-stars Mahira Khan and Zahid Ahmed together for the first time.
Prince Charming follows the story of a husband and wife who are in a loveless marriage. The film depicts how reality can differ from our expectations of married life. In short, Prince Charming is about post-marital depression, a very real issue often ignored in our society.
Director of Prince Charming Sheheryar Munawar on his social media said; “From penning down Prince Charming to directing it, every step has been magical. Huge shoutout to Mahira for believing in me and being the first person to agree to be a part of this magical journey. Thank you Zahid for being a gem to work with and thank you to the experienced team at See Prime.”
Seemeen Naveed Executive Producer and the lady behind See Prime commented; “Prince Charming was a pretty last-minute line-up.At See Prime, we pride ourselves for breaking original yet relatable stories to the audiences. We aim to provide a platform that encourages young-blood filmmakers to tell their stories to the world, which is why when Sheheryar came up with Prince Charming, I knew we had to tell this story”.
Superstar Mahira Khan shared her comments on her social media, she said; “I am very thrilled to be making my debut on a streaming platform. I surrendered completely to his vision, and I don’t regret it one bit. I am extremely proud of him as a friend and as an actor. It was a pleasure working with Zahid and the entire team at See Prime.”
Other main lead of Prince Charming, Zahid Ahmed said; “I am super excited for the audience to see this one! Everyone has worked so hard to do justice to Sheheryar’s vision. I believe we really should shed light on such prominent yet masked issues that are present in our society”.
Prince Charming is now available exclusively on See Prime’s YouTube channel.
Friday 20th December 2019 marked the official launch of the white nicotine pouch brand ‘Velo Pakistan’. Held in the outskirts of Karachi city, the launch party was graced by the presence of the who’s who of Pakistani entertainment industry, all of whom looked ravishing.
Frieha Altaf posing with the face of ‘Velo Pakistan’ Sheheryar Munawar
The decor of the event included a thematically fitting blue carpet and a massive chair wall which also perfectly served as the photo wall. One could find a Glam-Booth inside where one could get a 180 degree photo gif shot, while doing all the funky poses one could think of.
When the party began, the cozy outdoors venue was full of people and grooving on the dance floor or conversing in the corners and also enjoying the Velo pouches.
The act of the night was an aerial hoop dance performance by Filipino performer named Faith. Everyone from Nadia Hussain to Frieha Altaf to the face of ‘Velo Pakistan’ Sheheryar Munawar watched in awe as Faith tangled, twirled and swirled her body in and around the hoop up in the air.
Models Gizem and Ipek on either side of Sheheryar Munawar
With the product’s signature cool and breezy color theme lighting the mood (in perfect sync with the chilly winter night) and the ambiance of the place as the DJ pumped out killer beats throughout the night, one would be pulled aside to an incredibly unique showcase: the brand name Velo carved in thick ice.
As the party continued till the wee hours, more renowned personalities showed up including models Abeer Rizvi, Abeera Habib, Zhalay Sarhadi, Hira Hussain, Emaad Irfani, and producer Sadia Jabbar.
Model Gizem, venue host Asad-ul-Haq, event manager Frieha Altaf & model Ipek.
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.
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