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Remembering the ones we lost too soon
It seems like the year 2016 just started a while back, but here we are, just a few days shy from welcoming 2017. A lot happened last year which took us by surprise and shocked us. But even amidst such...
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“So, what’s Pakistan like?”
The old man had the most startling blue eyes, the kind that glittered in a wizard-like way. He was a contractual worker fixing some room in the building where I work, and I met him in the kitchen over...
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Mooroo: Cool is mass marketed, quality has to be found
YouTube is the most prominent source of consuming entertainment. In this post-cable era, YouTube is the chief provider of quality content on a regular basis. I find myself lost in its inter-web for...
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How could Salman Ahmed let his masterpiece die a sad death at the hands of...
Being a 90s child, it won’t be wrong to say that we’re the last generation, that among many other endeavours, still like playing the real, traditional Ludo (not Ludo Star). We grew up having a total of...
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The Limehouse Golem: When Jack the Ripper meets Sherlock Holmes for a...
The Victorian era gothic mystery, The Limehouse Golem, will remind you of a number of Alfred Hitchcock’s directorial rudiments. These include his famous methods of handling the suspense rather than...
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Shoaib Mansoor’s most anticipated movie, Verna, is yet another example of his...
After hits like Khuda Ke Liye and Bol revived Pakistani cinema, Shoaib Mansoor is all set to return with another potential box office hit, Verna. Directed by Mansoor and produced by Showman...
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Bujayote: The future of Pakistan’s musical valley may be bright, but the...
In the extreme north of Pakistan, a small area located in Yasin Valley known as Bujayote, is the home of traditional musicians. According to these artists, this name is associated with one of the very...
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With its Basant-like aura, the #CokeFest transported me to the old Lahore of...
Despite living outside of Pakistan for almost three years now, I am still a hard-core desi at heart. The ‘desiness’ gets stronger if you are not just from Pakistan, but also from Lahore, and happen to...
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Junaid Jamshed taught me the importance of humility, positivity and staying...
It has been a year since crooner turned preacher, Junaid Jamshed, passed away in an air crash. He had been coming back from a preaching mission (tableeghi jamaat) in Chitral, when he met his...
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One year on: It only took a moment for one abominable act to alter Sehwan...
“Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.” - Rumi Dhum, dhum, dhum… The...
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When did dancing go from a form of art to a taboo, dishonourable act?
I am blessed to enjoy rhythm in my life, and blessed to have parents who put no restrictions on my body’s movement to music. I grew up as a typical uninteresting teenager; music blaring from my room,...
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Can Bohemian Rhapsody do justice to a band as legendary as Queen?
Seeing how eager Hollywood is to immediately turn even mildly intriguing people and events into subjects of elaborate films, it seems peculiar that there hasn’t been any major Queen or Freddie Mercury...
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A Star Is Born: Can Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga continue its 80-year legacy?
Even though this movie has been remade multiple times and every single time it appears as a major awards contender, the excitement and anticipation of filmgoers is unwavering. Once again, we have...
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With Anil-Aishwarya sharing the screen after 18 years, Fanney Khan seems...
“Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the star of jhankar orchestra, Fanney Khan!” With such an exciting and quirky announcement, the trailer of debutant director Atul Manjrekar’s much awaited film Fanney...
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Coke Studio season 11 shows how beautifully diverse Pakistan is
In the midst of an agonising election season, and after the incredible success of Coke Studio Explorer, we just witnessed the release of the Coke Studio season 11 trailer. Leaving us utterly speechless...
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Inspiring and endearing, Fanney Khan fights body-shaming with a father’s love
Fanney Khan is a remake of the 2002 Belgian film Everybody’s Famous, and is the story of a father who leaves no stone unturned when it comes to fulfilling his daughter’s dreams....
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What is the language of rain?
Like all mutinies, it begins as a whisper in the air. The sky turns tar-black as the dark clouds, ominous and threatening, negotiate an evil conspiracy... A coup against the sun. I hear a tapping on...
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From Dil Dil Pakistan to Dil Dil Hindustan
They say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, which is partly true. Imagine a comedian friend in your group, making fun of the way you walk or the way you talk or some of your special...
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From ‘unity, faith, discipline’ to ‘faith, faith, faith’
“O, what a fall was there, my countrymen! Then I, and you, and all of us fell down, whilst bloody treason flourished over us…” These enduring words of Shakespeare describe best the cruel hand dealt to...
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The wobbly ride and chaotic landing of Helicopter Eela
Helicopter Eela is a family drama film based on the Gujarati play Beta Kaagdo by Anand Gandhi, and tells the story of an intrusive mother who, much to the disappointment of her son, keeps his life...
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