Latest news with #HumTV
Hindustan Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pakistani journalists clash, hurl tit-for-tat abuses inside London cafe
Pakistani journalists, Safina Khan and Asad Malik, clashed with each other and hurled tit-for-tat abuse targeting each other. While some people around them tried to defuse the tense scene, others recorded the ugly scene and shared it on social media. Safina Khan, associated with NEO News, has been levelling allegations against Asad Malik and other Pakistani journalists who work for ARY News and Hum News. Khan also alleged that they had 'ganged up' and 'threatened to kill' her. The incident reportedly occurred during a press conference held by Salman Akram Raja, considered a close aide of jailed former Pakistan prime minister and ex-cricketer Imran Khan. Khan also wrote about the incident on X stating, 'I have also received more evidence, in which there was a formal plan for this event to be used to abuse me, raise slogans and even physically harass me from the people of PTI, but due to my patience and wisdom, that plan flopped and after that, these reporters themselves came forward and abused me and I was harassed at the workplace. Whatever happens, happens for the best. I had been collecting evidence against them for a long time, and finally I found it.' Also read | Had intel about attack on tourists but in Srinagar, around April 19: Officials Malik took to X and dismissed her allegations as 'false and baseless,' claiming that Khan abused them without provocation. 'These are false and baseless allegations, consistent with her pattern of past behaviour. The facts are clear and supported by multiple eyewitnesses,' he said. 'During our meal at a restaurant, attended by journalists including myself, Rafique Mughal (Hum TV) Saeed Niazi (GEO), Farid Qureshi (ARY), Naseer Ahmed (Geo), Sahira Khan (Hum TV), and others, this individual began verbally abusing us without any provocation while sitting at a nearby table,' Malik added.
Express Tribune
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
India blocks access to Pakistani entertainment channels on YouTube
Listen to article India has blocked several popular Pakistani entertainment channels on YouTube, including ARY Digital, Har Pal Geo, and Hum TV, following the April 22 attack in Pahalgam. The action, reportedly based on a recommendation by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, has drawn concern from fans and content creators alike. The affected channels, which had built a substantial viewership in India over the years, are now displaying the message: 'This content is currently unavailable in this country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order.' The move impacts millions of Indian viewers who had embraced Pakistani serials for their emotional storytelling, relatable themes, and concise episodic structure. Earlier, Instagram had restricted access to the accounts of several Pakistani celebrities and influencers for users in India, following a legal request tied to content regulation. Those affected included actress Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, and singer-actor Ali Zafar. Indian users trying to view their profiles were shown the message: 'Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.' The move mirrored earlier actions by the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which had blocked several Pakistani YouTube channels. These included major media outlets like Express News, Dawn News, Geo News, Samaa TV, ARY News, and creators such as former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar.
News18
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir Among Pakistani Actors Whose Instagram Accounts Blocked In India
Last Updated: The move follows the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, and is being linked to national security measures. Instagram accounts of several top Pakistani actors, including Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir and Sajal Aly, have been blocked in India. The move follows the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, and is being linked to national security measures. Indian users trying to access the accounts are met with a message saying: 'Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content." Other celebrities affected by the action include Ali Zafar, Ayeza Khan, Sanam Saeed, Maya Ali, and Iqra Aziz Hussain. These actors, widely popular among Indian audiences for their performances and social media presence, are no longer visible to millions of followers in the country. However, the Instagram handles of Fawad Khan and Fahad Mustafa were still accessible at the time of reporting, as were those of Saba Qamar Zaman, Yumna Zaidi, Mehwish Hayat and Urwa Hocane. In addition to individual accounts, popular Pakistani drama channels like Hum TV and ARY Digital have also reportedly been restricted on platforms such as YouTube in India. This development comes days after the Indian government blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, which collectively had over 63 million subscribers. These included media outlets like Dawn, Geo News, Bol News, and Samaa TV, along with popular individual creators such as journalist Asma Shirazi and digital show The Pakistan Experience. Government sources cited concerns over content that was deemed inflammatory, misleading or potentially disruptive to India's national harmony. Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir and Fawad Khan remain among the most followed Pakistani celebrities in India. On April 22, armed terrorists unleashed horror by opening fire at tourists in Kashmir's iconic Pahalgam. The wives and other relatives of those killed in the attack later revealed to the media that the terrorists asked the names and the faith of tourists before shooting them dead. They also reportedly asked those who said they belonged to the Muslim community to recite the Kalma. The terrorists shot dead those who said they were Hindus, and left their relatives, especially women, asking them to narrate the ordeal to the government. The attack claimed the lives of 26 tourists, including one Nepali national. First Published:
Arab News
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Want to share screen with Mahira Khan, upcoming Pakistani actor Khaqan Shahnawaz says
ISLAMABAD: Upcoming actor and Internet personality Khaqan Shahnawaz has said he is a fan of Mahira Khan, one of the most popular and highest-paid actresses in Pakistan, and looked forward to sharing the screen with her in the future. Shahnawaz, a law graduate who is in his late twenties, gained fame with dramas like 'Accident,' 'Barhwaan Khiladi,' 'Yunhi' and 'College Gate.' He most recently played the role of a Pashtun boy in the drama series, 'My Dear Cinderella,' which started airing on Hum TV during Ramadan and concluded with its final episode over the Eid holiday. 'Who wouldn't want to? I still want to share the screen with Mahira Khan and be in her presence,' he told Independent Urdu in an interview last week. 'Mahira Khan is a star and I have always been a fan of hers, still am.' Shahnawaz recalled catching a glimpse of Khan from a distance at a wedding but unfortunately wasn't able to meet her. 'I couldn't meet her because she came for a very short time,' he said. 'But I saw her from a distance and I said, 'That's a star,' because she had an aura when she was walking.' When asked about future projects and if would like to work in an action project, Shahnawaz said action was not a preferred genre on Pakistani TV, long known for romantic comedies and family dramas. 'I think we don't make that many dramas that fall under the action genre but definitely, if I had the option to choose between an action drama or a romantic comedy, it would have been a tough decision,' the actor said. 'But right now I had the option of a family tragedy or a romantic comedy and I went for the romantic comedy [My Dear Cinderella] because the character was very different from my real life character so I thought I should experiment and I should check if I can step into this character.' Shahnawaz, who rose to fame as a social media star, said he still identified largely as a content creator. 'If you look at my Instagram profile or TikTok profile, I have uploaded content recently and I keep posting regularly,' he said. 'My entry into acting was a lot easier because of content creation, I will say this.'
Khaleej Times
09-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Meet the woman behind Pakistan's top-rated TV shows
Momina Duraid had no plans to become one of the most coveted storytellers in Pakistan and the diaspora today. Luck and circumstance turned her life around when she ended up at the forefront of Hum TV Network and began a journey she now believes is all heart. A professional banker, she married Duraid Siddiqui, the son of Sultana Siddiqui, a veteran TV producer. At the time, Sultana Siddiqui made private productions, and Momina was on a year-long break from her banking career. "I was always interested in social entrepreneurship, and my mother-in-law was working on a project that was along the same lines," she says in a chat with City Times. " Fair and Lovely Qismat Ke Sitaray was a project focused on stories of real women's lives, and Mummy (Sultana Siddiqui) asked me to pitch the project. My pitch got approved, and I was heavily involved in the production. I was pretty young, so I didn't have many inhibitions either. I remember having comments and pointers about it for Noor ul Huda Shah's script without realising what an established writer she was. After our meeting, Noor Aapa (sister) said to Mummy about me, 'Keep her involved with you; she will help you.'" As Duraid Siddiqui was involved in the business and commercial side of establishing Hum TV, Sultana Siddiqui tackled the marketing forefront as well as research. When it came to programming, Momina stepped in. "I kept telling them I'm only doing this for a short while," Momina Duraid remembers fondly. "But then Dastaan changed everything for me." A series based on Razia Butt's novel Bano, Dastaan became a raging phenomenon, especially in the diaspora. It starred Fawad Khan and Sanam Baloch and was based on the story of partition. Momina Duraid looked back at how she would sit with Samira Fazal (the writer who adapted the novel for screen) and talk for hours. "Script development to me is very intimate. Different people may have different processes, but to me, that's how the best stories come forward. I also remember sitting in The Lighthouse (a market in Karachi) looking for the perfect fabrics and laces for costumes in Dastaan. That's how much I like to be involved in my projects and it shows how much love and sweat and work goes into what we do." Momina recalls the various emails she got from all over the world after Dastaan. "I realised the true power of storytelling then." Hum TV tells very female-centric stories and Momina explains how that works. "The man running the show, Duraid," she states, "is someone who naturally empowers women. He gave us the space that we needed. We have also been fortunate enough in that we have never had to sell our projects to anyone, so we have never stepped into the commercialism gambit. We made what we wanted, what struck our hearts. We've never gone through a formula." Hum TV produces over 700 hours of programming per year, and while Momina has set up a very professional editorial team that oversees content, she is also personally involved in various projects. "I have been a lot less involved in the past two years, but what I try to do, at least once a year, is have a project that I can tell my grandchildren about." Momina has also made sure that she imbibes the same values to her team as she got from her mother-in-law, who has produced classics like Umar Maarvi and Zindagi Gulzar Hai. " Parizaad went to a lot of channels who rejected it, and my script department brought it to me," Momina says, referring to a blockbuster hit drama that told the story of a man who was rejected by society due to his dark skin. "My team knew it would click with me." Tan Man Neel o Neel, the recently-ended critically acclaimed show starring Sehar Khan and Shuja Asad, is part of a trilogy produced by Sultana Siddiqui. The trilogy tackles yet another subject most producers wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole: mob violence. Momina executive produced Tan Man Neel o Neel, and the thought process was entirely Sultana Siddiqui's, she revealed. She believes it is the responsibility of the more prominent and successful writers and producers when it comes to telling daring stories. "Don't find a shortcut," she adds. "It's very easy to make formulaic shows. It's more difficult to make a message-oriented, something that is socially responsible. Very few people can handle such a project as well. We have very few Farhats, Mustafas and Hashim Nadeems who will take time on it and will keep improving it," Momina says, appreciating Farhat Ishtiaq (Humsafar), Mustafa Afridi (Sang e Mar Mar) and Hashim Nadeem (Parizaad). Momina also referred to Jafaa and how it tackled domestic violence. The show became a huge talking point when it came to how educated women also faced violence at home and were gaslighted constantly. "We were mindful that we didn't show the slaps or the hits. And that's not easy; these provocative images can get ratings on television, and those ratings are directly related to financial gain. It is tough to say, 'no I'm not going to do that, let me find another way to say this.' It was also easy to turn Mohib's character into a stereotypical character. But making his character people understood was difficult, and it took time and effort to build such a story." The producer says there is a balance you have to strike when it comes to eyeballs. 'There's a fixed point chart you need to create; you build traffic and then you talk about what you really need to. There's such a concept called 'transmedia' where you embed important messages in a wholly entertaining package. At Hum TV, what we try to do is that even in entertaining shows we try to give it as much honesty and conscientiousness as possible. Yes mistakes also happen but we try our best.' Netflix approached Momina Duraid around five years ago for producing a show and Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samait Lo, a novel written by Farhat Ishtiaq, was approved. "It is our very own drama on a platter to the world," Momina said.. "I wanted it to be a true picture of who we are and what we do best." When would the audience be able to see it? "The camera has closed on it," she answers, "and it's in the post process."
