Her rise to fame was a matter of chance — an appearance in a modelling show for a friend’s event and the next thing Shagufta Ejaz knew was that she had practically launched her career on PTV. Spotted by acclaimed director Mohammad Baksh Samejo at the event, Ejaz had little idea about the limelight awaiting her. It was Samejo who introduced the budding actor to PTV which resulted in Ejaz getting an offer by Kazim Pasha for the lead role for his play “Jangloos”.
However, the actor’s major break came when …

Madiha Iftikhar gives off the impression of a naive, girl next door but a conversation with her verifies that she has a wise head on her young shoulders.
Perhaps this wisdom comes from growing up in a family linked to entertainment; she is the youngest daughter of the PTV’s famous couple Syed Iftikhar Ahmed and Rehana, whose weekend morning programme “Boltay Haath” reached out to special people with speaking and hearing disabilities. This show — the first of its kind — was infotainment at its best.
Today, Madiha Iftikhar has become a …

With the scorching heat of the Karachi sun over my head, I relentlessly searched for Zeba Bakhtiar’s residence in one of the confusing lanes of Defence Housing Authority (DHA). After much ado, I finally stepped inside the star’s house and waited for her to appear.
While waiting, I tried to gauge a little more about her from the numerous paintings hung on her wall. Apart from the fact that the prints looked like artist MF Hussain’s work, it didn’t strike me that all 12 paintings belonged to an era gone by. …

My mother tells me they had to reprint her cousin’s wedding cards to include the message that television screens would be put up at the marriage hall. The last episode of the epic drama “Waris” was due to be aired that night and who in their right minds would want to miss it?
Such was the zeal and aura of a Pakistani dramas back in the 80s and 90s. “Roads would clear up and there would be absolute silence in homes from 8 to 9pm, when the dramas aired,” recalls my …

Intelligently Written by Farhat Ishtiaq and Directed very well by Sarmad Khoosat, Hum TV’s Drama serial Humsafar is winning rave reviews from audiences. The main reason behind is the on screen chemistry between the protagonist pair played by Fawad Khan and Mahira as Ashar and Khirad.
It has been called as the most successful Drama of Hum TV’s history with the highest TRPs these days. The fragile bond of love is the theme of the play and the glamor quotient added by Mahira, Naveen Waqar and Atiqa Odho along with brilliant …

With tickets selling like hot cakes, “Karachi: The Musical” is still going strong. Made For Stage Productions’ first original venture was showcased to the media on October 24 where the audience witnessed something ‘real’; something they could relate to the city where they reside.
No matter how superficial the image of Lyari is portrayed, the play made the audience proud because it was something original, lively and entertaining, if not flawless.
“Karachi: The Musical” is a story about a renowned boxing coach ‘Ghulam’ (Faraz Lodhi) who quits coaching after his boxer ‘Clement’ …

It was not surprising to see posters of yet another period play by the National Academy of Performance Arts’ (Napa) Repertory Theater, where actors talk in difficult Urdu and plots don’t seem relatable at all.
With Begum Jaan, however, Napa managed to break its own stereotype by choosing a well-written drama, executed brilliantly by the actors.
Begum Jaan is written by Indian writer Javed Siddiqui, who has also written for Bollywood movies such as Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayengay, Umraao Jan, Zubeidaa and Koi Mil Gaya. Anjum Ayaz, Napa’s senior faculty member, …

Karachi! You’ve had your share of musicals…its time for a roller coaster of laughters that will leave you with laughter fits!
Having presented several theatre plays over the past 7 years in Islamabad, including Chicago, The Producers, Run For Your Wife, The Addams Family, It Runs in the Family, Usama Qazi takes his latest theatrical presentation, Run For Your Wife, to Karachi, with the ENTIRE TROUPE coming from Islamabad! The play promises to leave Karachiites with laughter fits, as it’s the first farcical comedy to hit Karachi on this level.
Dates: 10th …

The musical Bombay Dreams opened this week in a riot of lights and color on January 27 in Karachi.
The play – that will run till February 20 – is directed by Shah Sharahbeel who previously produced versions of Moulin Rouge and Phantom of the Opera. It is a local rendition of an Andrew Loyd Webber production that opened in 2002 and ran for two years in London, followed by a Broadway production in 2004.
The original score by A. R. Rahman was used rather than live music or singing and the …

Chemistry is a serial which will bring a fresh look to the TV screen. It is a story about the chemistry between friends, lovers, spouses, teachers and their students as well as between parents and children. Chemistry also narrates how parents’ decisions disrupt, disturb and destroy their children’s lives as they force their decisions on them.
The story revolves around a love triangle of a chemistry teacher, Waqar and his students Rania and Ramis. Waqar is already married but his wife fails to bear him any child and both of them …