Treasure Trove

Pakistani and Indian celebrities wish Muslims across the globe Ramadan Mubarak!

Bollywood as well as Pakistani actors took to twitter to wish their fans and followers, as well as those fasting across the world a month full of joy, peace and prosperity. Mahira Khan tweeted: “Intense discussions about food at home right now.. Ramzan Mubarak to all! May the blessings of this month shower on us all..”, while Hamza Ali Abbasi went online, too: “#Ramazan A month when Allah wants us to solely focus on SELF RESTRAINT, SELF REFLECTION & SACRIFICE! Ramzan Mubarik. May Allah help us to emerge as a better person by the end of this blessed month.” Mawra Hocane shared that this is her favourite month: “Here’s looking at the best month of the year.. #RamazanMubarak”. Others who sent across wishes include Ali Zafar, Amitabh Bachchan, Huma Qureshi, Farhan Saeed, Rishi Kapoor, Adnan Sami and Fahad Mustafa.

#SPREADINGJOY

Armeena inculcates the spirit of Ramadan

Known for her philanthropy, Armeena Rana Khan recently announced that she will be travelling to Jordan to hand deliver donations and zakaat to the war-torn refugees of Syria. Taking to social media, the actress shared, “My dear ladies and gentleman, I have decided to go out there myself to hand deliver donations and zakaat to the war-torn refugees and children of Syria. This is the Holy month of Ramadan so start it off with a good deed,” and went on to request everyone to not hold back in their charity.

#OTT

Sonam’s princess diaries

As if her lavish big fat Indian wedding wasn’t enough to keep people talking, new reports reveal that Sonam’s customised mangalsutra and an engagement ring are worth whopping INR 90 lakhs. Apparently, the actress wanted her and Anand’s star signs on her mangalsutra, hence, Sonam’s Gemini and Anand’s Leo were placed on each side of the solitaire that’s placed in between. Even the footwear that she wore for her big day was from Jimmy Choo and had something special embedded on it. Sonam opted for the label’s made-to-order service to add ‘A•S’ initials to bespoke soles of all her ceremonies. Her picks – all flats, no heels – included the red crystal-studded Lancer flats (for the wedding day), the true-to-form Cinderella Attila pointy toe flats, the three-strap Naia sandals and the open-toed Granger flats with a crystal buckle. Talk about a mad splurge!

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#JOBHUNT

Mrs Pakistan USA 2018 is seeking acting opportunities in Lahore

US-based Pakistani model Usma Kashaf has won the title of Mrs Pakistan 2018. The mother-of-three explained that she was part of the married women category in the beauty pageant and was selected as the winner from 50 contestants. Usma is now back in the country, seeking opportunities in the film industry and has already signed some contracts with local film producers. The aspiring actor shared her enthusiasm about working within showbiz, her opinions about the current Pakistani film industry and the struggles female artists have to face therein. The rising star is in Lahore at the moment to discuss the details of two upcoming films. Usma also confirmed that she will be starting her acting career with a Punjabi film and indeed, start shooting for the film very soon. “I am hopeful that it will be a good start to my career.”

#CROSSINGBORDERS

Riz Ahmed to appear in a Pakistani-British family drama

Pakistani-British actor Riz Ahmed has joined hands with BBC for a nine-part documentary series, Englistan, that will tell a tale of three generations of a British Pakistani family. The series is based on a British-Pakistani family, the Latifs: Jamal and Fatima, their children Ashraf, Razia and Asim, and their grandchildren Zahed, Naseem and Ayesha. The hour-long series will take place over four decades.

As society around them rapidly shifts, the docudrama will follow different family members and generations through political movements, gangland rivalries, assimilation into the establishment, spiritual soul-searching and religious conflict. But at the core is the story of a family and the questions they are forced to ask about whether ‘home’ is a country or a community.

“I’m excited to be working with BBC Studios executive producer, Esther Springer and all the team at BBC Studios,” announced Ahmed on his social media.

#SMACKDOWN

Wrestling giants The Rock & John Cena are doing a film together

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and John Cena are pairing up once again, but this time, it will be for the bigger picture – literally. According to CBSS Sports, the WWE legends are getting together to create some Hollywood magic. Johnson announced that Cena has landed a major role in the upcoming film The Janson Directive – a project that the former’s production house, Seven Bucks, is working on. It was earlier reported that Johnson would be taking the lead role, however, due to his busy schedule, he will now be involved in the project as a producer.

According to a report, Cena will play a former spy. “The novel follows a former consular ops agent who, after leaving covert operations due to the high number of sanctioned serial killings, goes into business as private security consultant. Teamed with a sharpshooter, Janson only takes assignments that he believes will lead to helping those in need,” revealed a source.