2021 is going away with its highs and lows. It has been a year of big transitions. The world is starting to come back to normalcy after last year’s lockdown and pandemic. The new buzz word is ‘vaccine’. People are generally more conscious of their health in order to keep new coronavirus waves at bay. In Pakistan, life seems to be in full swing as December is usually a festive month. For some, 2021 has been great and for others it has been challenging. So, what it was like for celebrities?
1. What’s the best thing happened to you in 2021?
2. What’s the biggest challenge you faced in 2021?
3. What were your favourite books you read this year?
4. What was your favourite series on Netflix this year?
5. How will you remember 2021?
6. What are your expectations for 2022?
1. It was my dream to buy a house in my favourite location which came true. God has been kind to me.
2. Challenges will always be there one needs to know to how to deal with them and to dispose them off by being strong and resilient.
3. I am not a book person but a visual one therefore I spent a lot of time watching documentaries and movies, etc.
4. ‘Dirilis: Ertugrul’ was my favourite this year.
5. A happy year recovering from Covid trauma as I got to spend more time with my family and loved ones which brought us more closer for better understanding.
6. A year full of joy and opportunities to grow and I pray for tranquality for everyone.
1. 2021 was all about reinventing myself as a person professionally and looking towards how I can make a change in other people’s lives. For example, I started working with a group of women in a small town near Hunza called Ghizer valley.
2. There were several challenges during the year as pandemic would limit everything. The biggest challenge was to mobilise everything specially training of these indigenous women as they live very far in the mountains.
3. I read a lot of literature on indigenous craft and people which I found very interesting.
4. I love unwinding watching Netflix. These days my favourite is ‘Schitt’s Creek’. I can so relate with it and enjoy its subtle humour.
5. It will always be remembered as a turning point for many. It was all about struggle and survival.
6. I hope 2022 brings lots of positive energy for everyone.
1. In terms of work/career wise it has been a great year for me. All my TV projects - ‘Khuda Aur Mohabaat’, ‘Behrukhi’, ‘Intahy-e-Ishq’, ‘Eik Jhoota lafz Mohabat’- have been successful. This year, I released two solo tracks and the third one is in the making.
2. The biggest challenge that I faced in 2021 was to give time to my music along with my acting assignments. I’m glad I took time out of TV. I released two tracks this year - ‘We are Survivors’ and ‘Taqdeer’. My third track ‘Jinaay Ka Cheska’ is almost ready and going to be released soon.
3. I am not much of a reader but I try to read from time to time. Unfortunately, this year I couldn’t read anything as I was totally preoccupied with my work.
4. My favourite series on Netflix has to be ‘Money Heist’.
5. This year will be remembered as a year when the world is stepping into normalcy once again.
6. The pandemic has taught us that we cannot plan for tomorrow as you never know what is going to happen next. So, now I take life one day at a time and I wish peace and harmony for the years to come.
1. Best thing that happened to me was; life returning to normalcy. I was able to travel after a year-long hiatus. Also, we set the ball rolling on our new Pak-Turkey project.
2. Biggest challenge: handling my teenagers. Trust me, nothing is more challenging than understanding a teen. And I have two!
3. I really like ‘The Fix’ by Omar Shahid Hamid and ‘The Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Harari.
4. ‘Downtown Abbey’ and ‘The Good Doctor’.
5. I will remember 2021 as a year of hope.
6. That we are able to unmask ourselves (literally!) and live without restrictions of any kind. Also, I am keeping my fingers crossed that 2022 doesn’t bring another deadly wave of Covid.
1. The best thing that happened to me was that I resumed singing again after the lockdown was lifted.
2. It’s been a challenging year for me in terms of fighting for animal rights in Pakistan.
3. It was more about language learning rather than reading books.
4. My favourite series on Netflix are ‘Blacklist’ on top, followed by ‘Money Heist’, ‘Lupin’ and ‘Peaky Blinders’, ‘Lucifer’ too.
5. I will remember 2021 as another year of pain for my country. We have to realise the need of the hour and try to become better human beings in all aspects.
6. More of the same on a global front. When people don’t change, they keep on facing worse and worse challenges. On a personal front, many promising developments came near the end of 2021 and I am very grateful and hopeful for a bright 2022.
1. My ‘baat pakki’ and becoming a producer.
2. It was a pretty awesome year overall. No complains just the idea of getting PCR tests done still remains a challenge even though I have been through the ordeal multiple times.
3. Didn’t get to read much this year but I enjoyed ‘A Good Time to be a Girl’ by Helena Morrissey.
4. ‘The Bold Type’.
5. So, many wonderful things happened but to name a few; my Cape Town vacation, my ‘Dua-e-Khair’ and becoming a producer.
6. Hoping 2022 will turn out to be a wonderful year of my life. Amazing things planned, goals to achieve and crazy travelling, so here’s hoping that it should be an exceptional year.
1. 2021 has been an exceptional year for me in many ways both personally and professionally. The best thing that happened to me this year was the access granted to me to see my parents, siblings and Mr Aaron, my most loving nephew after five years.
2. The biggest challenge was and is living alone without my family in Pakistan.
3. The favourite books I read were ‘The Bible’, ‘The Holy Vedas’ and ‘The Sicilian’.
4. ‘Virgin River’ because of its location.
5. I will remember 2021 as a year of blessings and hope.
6. I don’t know what 2022 will bring for me but I expect myself to release original compositions and start my own brand new band by the name of ‘Saagar’.
1. I think the best thing that happened to me in 2021 is that I did not get Covid and I survived.
2. The challenge was to keep oneself positive and not give in to depression.
3. A wonderful book I read was Shamsur Rahman Farooqi’s ‘Kayi Chand Thay Sir e Aasman’ and ‘Love, Longing and Death’ by Amar Jaleel.
4. Since I don't watch TV, I don’t have any favourites on Netflix too.
5. I will remember 2021 as a very sad year.
6. Wishing for the return of live performances and hoping that we can hold our 4th Tlism Festival to celebrate 42 years of Tehrik-e-Niswan!
1. The best thing that happened to me in 2021 was that I decided to embark on a new journey. I shifted to Turkey in 2021. After surviving Covid, I packed my bags and shifted to Turkey.
2. The biggest challenged I faced was to settle in a new place.
3. Since I was so preoccupied with my own things, I couldn’t read much this year.
4. I didn’t watch any series on Netflix this year.
5. I will remember 2021 with beautiful memories. I explored Turkey. I went to different cities in Turkey like Izmir, Bodrum, Cesme, Antalya, Konya. I went to different islands. I have made lots of new friends.
6. Frankly speaking, I don’t have much expectations for 2022. Hope that uncertainty will be over soon.