When Saba Qamar and Aamina Sheikh were bestie goals
In an Instagram Story shared on Monday, Saba Qamar and Aamina Sheikh showed us how to bring one's A-game to wedding festivities as they posed together during one of Kubra Khan and Gohar Rasheed's many wedding events. "Roll out the carpet, we are coming," Saba wrote to the newlyweds.
While the Cheekh actor donned a peachy sari, Aamina stunned in a white, gleaming ensemble. Both the actors opted to tie their hair back, the former in an elegant bun, and the latter in a traditional braid.
Aside from elevating the glam game, Saba and Aamina also stood out for being best-friend goals. However, this was just one of the many times the two on-screen sisters showed us exactly what the phrase means.
A long-running bond
Fondly known as the Maat sisters, the two marked their first appearance together with the 2011 drama serial. Although the drama followed two sisters who were at odds with each other due to different goals in life, it birthed an everlasting friendship between the stars who played them.
"I have had an extremely pleasant experience working with Aamina Sheikh. She's one of the most professional and hardworking actors we have in the industry," Saba told The Express Tribune in 2018.
Heartfelt reunions
In August last year, Saba dedicated a heartwarming note to her industry friend in an Instagram post, which saw them sporting matching black and white attires in true sisterly fashion.
Reflecting on their time together, the Karachi Se Lahore actor wrote, "I can't help but feel truly grateful for the time spent with such a wonderful soul. Your presence brought warmth and joy to my home and our conversations left me inspired."
She continued to praise Aamina's qualities, adding, "I admire not just your incredible talent as an actor but also the grace and authenticity with which you live your life. It's rare to meet someone who embodies such genuine kindness and wisdom, and I feel fortunate to have you as a friend."
Expressing her hopes for the future, Saba concluded with heartfelt wishes, "Looking forward to creating more beautiful memories together and cherishing this friendship for years to come."
In the post, the two actors were seen having a girls' day in what looked like Saba's home, which she previously shared a photoshoot of on social media. In one particularly heartwarming picture, they sat on a couch with their hands joining to make a heart. Aamina looked simple yet elegant in a white kurta while Saba kept it casual and clean in a white t-shirt, her summer bangs on full display.
Following this, the two announced their on-screen reunion with Case #9 after fourteen long years. In the Instagram Story shared in January, the actors held each other in a long, swaying embrace, both twinning with pairs of sunglasses and crop tops. "Saba, we made it. We're here," Aamina said to her friend, as they clapped their hands together. "We're here to slay."
This should be an indication that Saba isn't the only with praises to dispense. Aamina also took to Instagram in August last year to laud her friend's performance as her on-screen sister.
"Life and screen both light up and shine when there is mutual respect, admiration, and reciprocity of love," the Cake actor began. "Aimen, my character in Maat, wouldn't have made as significant a mark had it not been for Saba's fearless and uninhibited performance of Saman's (the sister) nuances and recklessness. She was the true yin to my yang in Maat."
Hopeful for the years ahead, Aamina concluded, "And now in life, we pick up from where we left off, always grateful, always joyful to have shared the journey and success of Maat together."
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Quick on his heels was the ever-so-predictable Kangana Ranaut, Bollywood's resident Rottweiler of righteousness. Never known for subtlety, Ms Ranaut deemed it appropriate to post that Pakistan was a 'terrorist nation' and called for the 'cleansing' of traitors. 'These [insert PC term for insects known for their signature infestations and filth] should be nuked' she said. And in doing so India will actually be doing the entire world a huge favour. Even the usually discreet monoliths — Hrithik Roshan, Ajay Devgan, and Shahid Kapoor chimed in with near-identical messages support for the armed forces, for the government, for decisive action. A methodical barrage of copy-paste nationalism. Who would have thought that the modern face of digital diplomacy could be achieved in 280 characters or less? Citizens of a proud nation simply supporting their sovereign nation? That wasn't jarring really. Why would anyone assume otherwise? Why wouldn't the slumbering nationalism be kindled by the horns of war? But what truly unsettled fans, particularly across this side of the border, was how quickly this nuance petered out. And in that silence, there seemed to be no room for peace, no space for reflection. The world's biggest democracy was suddenly rendered to be nothing more than an echo chamber. Perhaps the most painful silence was from those who once told stories that made these very borders blur. Alia Bhatt, beloved on both sides of the Wagah gate, posted a vaguely-worded graphic: 'Strength. Solidarity. Resilience.' It was the PR version of nodding solemnly and exiting stage left. And then there was the illustrious Karan Johar whose popularity spikes are the bread and butter of the expat South Asian demographic (in its gargantuan entirety) posted an Indian flag. No caption, no context. Just 'vibes'. A hard one to reconcile was the bard of Bollywood, Javed Akhtar, also known as the poet of peace and author of anthems. The same man whose verses once melted hostility into harmony, proclaimed 'I'd rather go to jahannum (hell) than go to Pakistan'. Not a great commendation for his own nation in which he currently was, observed one keen eyed netizen. For Pakistani fans, this was nothing short of watching your favourite uncle suddenly flip the dining table during Eid lunch. Praise be, all was not lost. Amidst this morbid uniformity, a few voices of dissent also joined in on the chorus; one such unexpectedly (but most welcomingly) from Sonakshi Sinha. While others laced up their patriotic boots, she dared to 'run amok' on Instagram. 'The Indian media has lost the plot. This isn't journalism, it's dangerous fiction.' No flags. No warmongering. Not a battle cry. Just a slice of honesty. A whisper in fact. 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Even the once mighty and untouchable Khans, Shah Rukh, Salman, Aamir, have faced the wrath of their fanatical home-grown audience, and have been left with no choice but to play it safe and stay 'mum'. Not long ago, SRK's son was jailed under suspicious circumstances with King Khan jolting from lawyers' chambers to police stations as an inconsequential and lowly civilian. Aamir was attacked for his wife's comments on rising intolerance and his movie 'Laal Singh Chadda' was massacred in the box office for his alleged (and somewhat imagined) anti-state rhetoric. Even Salman who has always kept his alliances clear has become a prisoner of the gallows, living in anguish under the ever-looming threat of the Bishnoi gang. We know, we understand and feel empathy for these stars. But not all was lost. Anurag Kashyap, never one to bow, tweeted cryptically about how 'conformity is not the same as unity.' Another personality, often chastised for her exceptionally 'woke' stances, Swara Bhasker shared an article on the need for empathy, adding: 'Peace isn't weakness. Hate isn't strength.' These voices were barely audible, drowned out by hashtags and hyperbole. But they mattered. Because resistance doesn't always come with fireworks. Sometimes, it just comes with a spine. This could have been a moment. A cinematic plot twist. Imagine if Shah Rukh had posted a throwback clip from Main Hoon Na. Or if Madhuri had tweeted 'Peace is patriotic.' If Priety Zinta had only quoted a line from her famous Veer Zaara song 'Aisa Des Hai Mera'. If Ranveer Singh had just... danced it out? But no. All we got brand-safe statements, media-managed mentions, and a whole lot of silence. What a story it could have been. What a script we missed. There was a time when Indian films imagined a better world. When screenwriters flirted with forbidden love across borders, when a song could soften suspicion, and when a poem could become protest. Today, those scripts are shelved, their authors quiet, their protagonists, for all intents and purposes, neutered by eagle-eyed publicists and spectres of political correctness. So here we are, popcorn in one hand, a tear stained handkerchief in the other, looking at the silver screen, waiting for someone, anyone, in this great theatre of the subcontinent, to play the role of the artist again. To remind us that before they were influencers, stars were simply storytellers. That their job was not just to reflect power, but to sometimes question it. And perhaps one day, they will. When it's safer. When the script changes. When bravery is back in vogue. Until then, we are left with silence. Polished. PR-approved. Politically correct. But silence nonetheless. Shahzad Abdullah is a PR and communications strategist, cultural curator and director of communications at Media Matters All facts are information are the sole responsibility of the
