It is no secret that Turkish drama series Dirilis: Ertugrul has gained immense popularity among the Pakistani audiences. Keeping the growing success of the historical drama serial as well as the love for Turkish actors in mind, this past week J. Fragrances organized a star-studded event at the Governor House Karachi with Cengiz Coskun and Nurettin Sonmez - aka Turgat and Bamsi respectively - gracing the occasion.

The event, hosted by actor and singer Tipu Shariff, was based on a Turkish theme and the two celebrities came to Pakistan as a part of the J. signature fragrance launch, ‘Warrior’ and ‘Defender’, created in collaboration with Cengiz Coskun and Nurettin Sonmez. Moreover, the actors have shot two DVCs for both fragrances.

Speaking at the event, Sohail Hamid Khan, the managing director of J. said that, “Collaborating with two of Turkey’s biggest stars for our signature fragrance launch was definitely a bold step but it played a very important role in improving Pak-Turk relationship, also it was a huge opportunity for our brand J. Fragrances to establish and expand our international footprint in collaborating with international celebrities.”

The Ertugrul actors also shared similar sentiments regarding the collaboration. Cengiz Coskun said, “My experience of visiting Pakistan has been overwhelming because of the love and hospitality I received by Pakistani people.” On the other hand, Nurettin Sonmez revealed that his visit has been one of his best foreign tours because of the appreciation he’s received for his role as Bamsi.

The meet and greet was attended by several celebrities from the entertainment industry including Bushra Ansari, Adnan Siddiqui, Aijaz Aslam, Anoushay Ashraf, Ayesha Omar and Waseem Badami among others.

Malala Yousufzai ties the knot

24-year-old Pakistani activist and the world’s youngest Nobel Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai, who was featured on the cover of British Vogue earlier this year, shared her views about valuing partnership over marriage during her interview to the magazine. She said, “You know, on social media, everyone’s sharing their relationship stories, and you get worried…If you can trust someone or not, [and] how can you be sure.”

Fast forward to the present, the young activist has finally found her life partner and we couldn’t be happier for her. Recently, Malala tied the knot with Asser Malik, who is the operations general manager of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s high performance centre, in a small ceremony in Birmingham. Malala donned a tea pink outfit, while Asser wore a black suit and pink tie to match his bride’s outfit.

She shared the good news on social media along with pictures from the nikkah ceremony. “Today marks a precious day in my life,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead,” she added.

Our heartiest congratulations for the newlyweds.

Saba Qamar to star in upcoming telefilm, Hangor S.131

Having multiple credible projects to her credit, Saba Qamar is a versatile actress who has proven her mettle time and again. While we were eagerly waiting for the release of Sarmad Khoosat’s much anticipated film, Kamli featuring Saba Qamar, the release was postponed indefinitely due to Covid-19. However with life getting back to normal and cinemas opening, we are hoping to see Saba Qamar on the big screen pretty soon.

As far as TV projects are concerned, Saba Qamar, who was last seen in drama serial Cheekh and garnered rave reviews for her brilliant performance in it, has a number of upcoming projects including drama Serial Killer in which she will essay the role of a police officer. Apart from that, Saba is currently shooting for a telefilm called Hangor S.131 that is based on the Indo-Pak war of 1971.

The Cheekh actress took to Instagram and shared a glimpse of the script that is penned by Saji Gul and also stars Zahid Ahmed, Affan Waheed, Dur e Fishan and Shahzad Sheikh besides Saba. The telefilm, as the title suggests, is named after the Pakistan Navy Daphné-class submarine Hangor that sank the Indian Navy’s anti-submarine.

The poster for Hangor looks intriguing as well as dramatic and we can’t wait to see what the telefilm has in store for the audience.

Wedding bells for Zara Tareen and Faran Tahir

Pakistani-American actor Faran Tahir, who is known for his remarkable performances in Hollywood films such as Star Trek, Scandal, Elysium and Iron Man among many others, recently tied the knot with photographer and actress Zara Tareen. The couple’s wedding festivities began with a simple mehendi ceremony that surprised everyone when the pictures went viral on social media. The actress, who was last seen in drama serial Mushk (2020) as well as web series Dhoop Ki Deewar (2021), chose to wear a bright green and gold gharara while the groom wore an off-white kurta shalwar that he paired with a matching shawl.

Earlier this week, Zara and Faran tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Lahore with close family and friends in attendance. The gorgeous bride posted a picture of their wedding and captioned it, “The most beautiful day of my life.” For her big day Zara went with a deep red and gold lehengha choli by designer Ali Xeeshan and looked absolutely stunning. The bride’s sister, actress Hira Tareen took to Instagram and posted a cute photo where Zara is seen hugging Hira. “My beautiful Zaroo, you made the most stunning bride I’ve ever seen Masha Allah! This was our moment last night and what a magical night it was! May God shower you with all his blessings on your new journey. So happy for you! All evil eyes off!” she wrote.

Some of the celebs spotted at the event included renowned designer Umar Sayeed, Tooba Siddiqui, Imaan Ali, Sonya Khan, Aamir Qureshi, Irsa Ghazal, Tara Mehmood and Nausheen Shah among others.

We wish the newly wedded couple a blissful life ahead.