from HUM TV – Watch Dramas Online https://ift.tt/2O8ReTs
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Fiery Zara, impressive Shahzad steer Phaans in the right direction!
HUM TV’s Phaans is breaking barriers with its powerful storyline, tackling social evils and the ‘mystery’ element; however, its most impressive aspect has been the acting. Be it Zara Noor Abbas’ Zeba or Shahzad Sheikh’s Sahir, Sami Khan’s Samad, Ali Tahir’s Siraj, or Arjumand Rahim’s Nadia, every actor has raised the bar with their performances. Add to that the near-perfect direction by Ahmed Kamran and you have a whodunit in your hands where everyone is a suspect, and there is even doubt at the victim’s authenticity. Interesting, isn’t it?
Who is playing the Phaans and how is it becoming thornier with each passing episode?
View this post on Instagram
Zara (@zaranoorabbas.love)
The Phaans in the drama is Zeba (Zara Noor Abbas) who was assaulted while she was staying with her mother at the house of the latter’s employers (Arjumand Rahim, Ali Tahir). It so happened that during one of the functions, her fiancé Hashim (Zain Afzal) forced her to meet him outside, but when she went to meet him at the abandoned location, she was grabbed by an unseen person, and left for the dead after the assault.
She lived to tell the tale but during that time she was unconscious at the hospital, everyone came under suspicion – the person who was going to get married Samad (Sami Khan), the bride’s father Siraj (Ali Tahir), and obviously Hashim who collided with Samad while fleeing the scene. But Zeba claimed that it was the bride’s brother Sahil (Shahzad Sheikh) who assaulted her, and that she wouldn’t rest until he gets punished for his crime.
Why can’t the audience accept Sahil as the culprit?
View this post on Instagram
Because unlike the other men in the area, Sahir isn’t normal; he is a mentally challenged young man who hasn’t grown up, and even needs guidance while ascending or descending the stairs! When Zeba confronted him for the first time in the third episode, he went in shock and had to be revived at the hospital. How can such a person be responsible for a heinous crime? Why would the viewers believe Zeba when her own sister Farah (Hira Khan) has doubts?
Farah feels that Zeba is trying to feign everything for monetary gains, and wants to elope with Samad, who spoke to her on the sidelines because she seemed nice. That is why Farah is creating rifts between everyone linked to Zeba, hoping that Hashim will ditch her elder and tainted and marry her instead. However, that seems unlikely now that Hashim was arrested and is currently behind bars due to the ‘influence’ of Siraj and his friends in the police department.
It’s all about Zara Noor Abbas and Shahzad Sheikh …
In the first six episodes of the serial, two actors have come out as winners and they are Noor Abbas and Shahzad Sheikh. One plays the victim to the best of her abilities, and the other portrays a mentally-disturbed man child, exceeding everyone’s expectations. Both the actors have a legacy to carry with Zara being actress Asma Abbas’s daughter and Shahzad being Jawed Sheikh’s son, but they never let the audience feel that they got their roles because of being privileged. In fact, they are giving their 100 percent to the characters of Zeba and Sahil, confusing the audience as to who to believe, and who to reject!
It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that Zara Noor Abbas is the ‘Angry Young Woman’ here, and does exactly what Amitabh Bachchan used to in the 1970s’ Bollywood. With immoral acts happening in our society regularly, the viewers needed a character like Zeba’s who could stand for what’s right, demand justice, and look the guilty party in the eye. She is doing a perfect job and redeems herself for any bad performance she might have given in the past. From here onwards, she will be seen as a versatile actress who can fight for what’s right, in a world full of women who are made to cry for the sake of ratings!
Shahzad on the other hand not only looks young but acts like a man child who cares for his family and wants to be considered an adult. The scenes where he confronts Samad or meets Zeba for the first time after the incident show that if given proper directions, he can deliver award-worthy performances. His character might have done the deed he is accused of, or not but the way he is performing, one hopes that it’s not true. He surely has the audience’s sympathy on his side!
The supporting cast isn’t helping the audience either …
The ensemble cast besides Zara and Shahzad consists of some of the best actors in Pakistan – there is Sami Khan who plays the eternal good guy whose wants to find the truth to clear his name and does a commendable job as always; Ali Tahir is Sahil’s father who used to be a philanderer back in the day, but seems to have turned over a new leaf. His onscreen wife Arjumand Rahim doesn’t think so and is the only character in the drama who has grown from the ideal employer to the worst enemy within a few episodes. Her chemistry with her family is perfect, for she takes a stand for her kids, and stands against her ‘formerly extremely strict’ husband whom she blames for Sahil’s mental health.
At first, I had reservations regarding the graceful Kinza Malik playing the housemaid but then someone believable had to play Zeba’s mother; the mother and daughter scenes are the best in the drama especially when they are on the same side. Then there is Zain Afzal, who plays the lead suspect (after Sahil) to perfection, and most people in the audience feel that he might be a loser in real life too, for he does justice to the character. Mariam Mirza as Samad’s mother also does a good job, especially in the scenes where she confronted people who were accusing her son of a crime he didn’t commit.
What should be the ideal end for Phaans?
The life of all the men in Phaans universe is in turmoil; Siraj’s wife Nadia (Arjumand Rahim) believes Zeba is involving their son to throw suspicion off the father; their daughter Hajra (Yashma Gill) suspected her fiancé Samad and broke the engagement after she saw a torn piece of his kurta in her hand; Zeba’s sister Farah (Hira Khan) suspects everyone but Sahil and in one of the scenes in the last episode, made her sister recall the incident which was not just cruel but lacked empathy. It would be great to see each of these characters suffer besides the person who committed the gruesome act. It could be Sahil, it could be Samad or even Siraj; justice might be delayed but it will surely not be denied despite everyone’s best efforts.
from HUM TV – Watch Dramas Online https://ift.tt/3m4Bihz
Monday, March 29, 2021
Sunday, March 28, 2021
Saturday, March 27, 2021
Friday, March 26, 2021
Remembering Haseena Moin through her Iconic Plays
In the world of male playwrights, Haseena Moin made a name for herself as a versatile dramatist who knew what the viewers wanted. For 50 years, she continued to highlight social evils with her TV dramas, Radio, and Theatre plays, as well as Films; with her death an era has ended of quality dramas.
Although she was associated with teaching, she found her true calling on TV; what began as a one-off Special Eid play in 1969 went onto become a stepping stone, for a playwright who didn’t know she could create stories out of nothing. That’s why when she chose to pen an original script for TV – uncommon for playwrights in those days – she did it with ease, and the audience remembers her effort today as Kiran Kahani.
It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that the TV industry in Pakistan can be divided into two parts – pre Haseena Moin, and post Haseena Moin. Before Kiran Kahani, writers and directors at PTV usually went for scripts that were either adaptations from literature or theatre plays; afterward, they began to venture into the original ones and the credit must be given to Haseena Moin. She always went for a strong woman who was either a doctor, a businesswoman, and left her house to make a name for herself.
Who doesn’t remember Shehnaz Sheikh’s character in Tanhaiyyan who wanted to earn a lot of money so she can buy back the house her father built; Dr. Zoya in Dhoop Kinarey showed the world that in a progressive society, women can be equal to men; in Ankahi Sana Murad wanted to get a job so she could get her sick brother operated and in Kasak, Rubina Ashraf’s character chose to play someone else’s granddaughter so that the matriarch gets the calmness that eluded her.
In her classic play Ankahi, she displayed that she could create relatable characters and make the audience laugh when they interact; who can forget Salim Nasir’s Mamoon, Behroz Sabzwari’s Moby, and Jamshed Ansari’s Timmy, besides Faisal Bilal’s Jibran who was the most intelligent of them all.
One must also mention Uncle Urfi here, the first TV play in Pakistan to generate a public debate as to whether ‘Beena’ the leading lady should live or die in the end. The writer didn’t change her climax and let the main lead perish to her death, long before Shoaib Mansoor did the same with Gulsher in Alpha Bravo Charlie.
She wasn’t only limited to plays with a hint of comedy; she was equally at ease with serious plays and Aahat was one such drama. It revolved around a young couple (Sania Saeed and Salman Ahmed), and their dreams and how they survived despite having too many children too soon. It not only educated the audience about population control but also highlighted its disadvantages, making it one of the best plays of the 1990s.
During the last 20 years of her characters, she frequently worked with Producer Zulfikar Sheikh; their collaborations included TV projects such as Des Pardes, Ansoo, The Castle Aik Umeed and Sacch, her last feature film to be released in 2019. Not only did she get to work with an ensemble cast in each project, it was shot in picturesque locations of the United Kingdom, long before it was considered fashionable to go abroad with an ensemble cast.
from HUM TV – Watch Dramas Online https://ift.tt/3fgHbXN
Thursday, March 25, 2021
President HUM Network Sultana Siddiqui and Others Conferred Civil Awards on Pakistan Day
This 23rd March, leading celebrities and people belonging to the entertainment fraternity were conferred with Civil Awards the Aiwan-e-Sadar in Islamabad. Amongst them were renowned people like legendary singer Abida Parveen, President HUM Network Limited Sultana Siddiqui, and leading actor Humayun Saeed to name a few. Let’s take a look at some of these awardees and their contribution to the entertainment sector, for which they were considered for the country’s prestigious awards.
Abida Parveen (Nishan-e-Imtiaz)
Abida Parveen is not just the most popular folk singer in Pakistan but her fandom exceeds all boundaries. She has been entertaining listeners for four decades and is making Pakistan proud with her songs, no matter which language they are in. Known as the Queen of Sufi Music, she is the only Pakistani singer to have received all four civil awards for her services to arts and entertainment. She was awarded the Pride of Performance Award in 1984, Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 2005, Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2012 and Nishan-e-Imtiaz in 2021.
Sultana Siddiqui leads the Sitara-e-Imtiaz recipients
Renowned TV director and the President of HUM Network Limited Sultana Siddiqui led the batch of celebrities who received the Sitara-e-Imtiaz from the President of Pakistan. Her contribution as a popular TV director, the first-ever female head of a leading TV network and as a mentor to the many females who dared to follow her into showbiz has been immense. She was among the four TV personalities to be conferred the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the other three also being powerhouses of showbiz.
While leading TV, film, and theatre actor Talat Hussain received his award from the Governor Sindh Imran Ismail in Karachi, Bushra Ansari, and Farooq Qaiser were felicitated at the President’s House. It must be mentioned here that Bushra Ansari rose to prominence with Farooq Qaiser’s puppet show Kaliyan when it was aired from Islamabad Television in the 1970s, and getting the award with the person who gave her the first break must have been very satisfying for her.
For Farooq Qaiser, it would have been a memorable moment as well to see her protégé get felicitated for her contribution to the entertainment industry as a writer, actor, singer, and host. He himself had great innings with the national television as a puppeteer who introduced characters like Uncle Sargam, Haiga, Masi Museebtay, and Farigh ul Baal to name a few. Besides that, he wrote countless TV plays, songs, and columns and even acted in Kaliyan skits, most notably as one part of the Watta Satta duo.
Humayun Saeed, Ali Zafar among the Pride of Performance recipients
Mohammed Ali Shehki isn’t a Pakistani by birth but he has been making his adoptive country proud since the early 1970s. With patriotic songs like Main Bhi Pakistan Hoon and hit numbers like Tere Ishq Main Jo Bhi and Mere Bachpan Ke Din to name a few, Mohammad Ali Shehki continued to carry the pop singing flag in the 1980s, earlier hoisted by his predecessor Ahmed Rushdi in the 1960s and the 1970s. Getting recognized for his decades-long services was long overdue, but it’s never too late considering Shehki is still active as an RJ today, besides trying his hand at composing songs, acting in films and also on TV.
Talking about TV brings us to Humayun Saeed, the leading actor, producer, and film star of Pakistan; he began his career in the 90s and is considered today as the most bankable actor in the country. Out of the top six highest-grossing films of Pakistan, he has appeared in four of them and continues to play mentor to youngsters entering the field. He is not just a proud Pakistani but well-deserving Pride of Performance recipient.
Film and TV actress Resham has also conferred the Pride of Performance alongside her Inteha costar Humayun Saeed. Like Humayun, she also began her career in the 90s but she peaked as a leading lady with Jeeva and continued to play the heroine in countless hits including Sangam, Chor Machaye Shor, Ghungat, and Dupatta Jal Raha Hai besides Inteha. She has been active as a philanthropist as well as a TV actress ever since leaving films and has a massive following even today.
And finally the Rockstar of Pakistan music Ali Zafar was also honored with Pride of Performance for his contribution to arts and entertainment. Not only has he kept churning hits after hits in the last 20 years as a singer, but he was also the writer, producer, and leading man of Teefa In Trouble three years back. He has also been a great ambassador of Pakistan in India where he starred in hit flicks like Tere Bin Laden, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Chashme Baddoor, Kill Dil, and Dear Zindagi to name a few. No one can forget his evergreen PSL anthems that remain the crowd favorite despite many others trying to emulate him, without tasting the same level of success.
TV actress Sakina Samo and Fifty Fifty stalwart Majid Jehangir were also awarded Pride of Performance at the Governor House Sindh, for their tremendous contribution to the entertainment industry in Pakistan, and making Pakistan proud all over the world.
Zeba Shehnaz (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz)
Zeba Shehnaz was not just the original member of the legendary comedy show Fifty Fifty back in the 1980s but has been an integral part of arts and entertainment since. Besides being nominated for the PTV award for the Best Supporting Actress in the 80s, she has been performing on stage and TV for four decades now. The Tamgha-e-Imtiaz was awarded to Zeba Shehnaz for her tremendous contribution to the field of acting.
from HUM TV – Watch Dramas Online https://ift.tt/3fhtJ5M
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Monday, March 22, 2021
HUM TV – Always standing up for the strong women!
On 23rd March, HUM TV will air its Women Leaders Award 2021 where the most influential and strongest women in Pakistan would be facilitated for their contributions. This is not the first time HUM Network is holding these award functions nor is it the first time they are standing behind strong women. Be it in their organizational structure or their TV dramas, HUM TV has always stood up for the strong women, and while it might not help their ratings, it certainly helps them educate the women audience. That’s what matters more, and that’s why we will celebrate four strong women currently ruling our TV screens, and passing with flying colors!
Amal (Sumbul Iqbal)
Drama: Dulhan
View this post on Instagram
Sumbul Iqbal’s Amal is one of the few characters in our dramas that began on a weak note but gained strength with the passage of time. Everything that shouldn’t have happened to a girl, happened to her but she bounced back to claim what was her even if it meant standing alone. Her character got married to one of the guys who was interested in her Mikaal (Sami Khan) but it turned out that he was doing the bidding for his first cousin Shameer (Faizan Khawaja) who entered the room as the bride. Amal not only hit him hard but ran away from the venue, and when Shameer tried to reenter her life, she found an ally in Mikaal, the very person responsible for everything bad in her life. How she manages to switch jobs to avoid being harassed, look after her family, and bear the taunts of her stepmother and stepsister is something only that can associate with the strong-willed.
Hajra (Sania Saeed)
Drama: Raqeeb Se
View this post on Instagram
Just suppose that your husband’s ex-lover visits your house as a guest and doesn’t want to leave. Will you serve her breakfast, lunch, and dinner regularly or simply kick her out of the house? 9 out of ten women would not tolerate such a person, yet Sania Saeed’s Hajra does and makes it her duty to feed the woman (Hadiqa Kiani), her daughter (Iqra Aziz), and even her husband (Saqib Sumeer) when he visits her one day. That’s because Hajra isn’t insecure like most of the women out there, and knows that her husband (Naumaan Ijaz) wouldn’t jeopardize their relationship for lost love. He lets him treat the ‘raqeeb’ for injuries sustained at the hands of her husband but also defends her in front of her daughter Insha (Faryal Mehmood) when she asks her to open her eyes. At times the viewers might wonder why Hajra can be so caring and understanding, but once you get to know of her backstory, everything falls into place.
Zeba (Zara Noor Abbas)
Drama: Phaans
View this post on Instagram
Her mother (Kinza Malik) works as a maidservant, her fiancé (Zain Afzal) doesn’t want her to complete her graduation, while all those who meet her outside her family are impressed with her effort to complete her studies. That’s Zara Noor Abbas’ Zeba for you, who in an unfortunate turn of events was sexually assaulted while she and her family were staying at her mother’s employers for week-long festivities. Everyone suspected the groom because he was the first person to meet Zeba at the gate (and his breast pocket was in her hands when she collapsed) but she accused the mentally unstable son (Shahzad Sheikh) of her mother’s employer (Arjumand Rahim) after she regained consciousness. Not only is she willing to go to any length to get justice, but she also wants to show the world that even poor people have the guts to take on the elite. Her own sister (Hira Khan) doesn’t agree with her beliefs but her mother finally does, and even when her fiancé wants to call off their engagement, she clearly tells him that she will not back down, no matter what!
Zohra (Sarah Khan)
Drama: Raqs e Bismil
View this post on Instagram
She might be a high-class escort, but Sarah Khan’s Zohra doesn’t let that stop her; she is not just stunning with perfect features, she stays away from parties unless instructed by her mother-like figure Anna Jee (Gul-e-Rana). Despite her background, she wants to finish her education which is something only a person who wants to achieve something in the world wants to do. When Moosa (Imran Ashraf) enters her life, she tells him point-blank that the two of them can’t be together; after he abducts her so they elope, she clearly defies him by saying no and standing by her decision despite not having an ally nearby. She even agrees to marry Malik Sheheryar (Furqan Qureshi) when she finds out that the lease of their house had expired and through her marriage, her family would be able to save their home. Impressive, isn’t it?
from HUM TV – Watch Dramas Online https://ift.tt/3r7tBIl
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Friday, March 19, 2021
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
