Weekly News Update (8th – 13th August ’21)
This week on the internet has been wild! It all started with the news of the funny (cringe?) McDonald’s podina message going viral and ended with the upsetting news of Durdana Butt’s demise (Inna lillahe wa inna ilaehe rajioon). However, there’s a lot that happened in between – from overpriced saris to finding your soulmate on Tinder, read all about it right now!
R.I.P. Durdana Butt
Veteran actress Durdana Butt passed away earlier this week in Karachi after battling both cancer and COVID-19. A renowned name in Pakistan’s entertainment industry, Durdana Butt regaled us with her characters for over four decades. The full-time educationist wasn’t only versatile but also talented, as can be seen by her roles in Aangan Terha, Fifty Fifty and Tanhaiyaan (only a few of the critically acclaimed shows she was an integral part of). Inna lillahe wa inna ilaehe rajioon. Durdana Butt. You will always be remembered and dearly missed.
Upcoming Film About Pakistan’s notorious serial killer, Javed Iqbal, Will Star Ayesha Omar & Yasir Hussain
With the socio-political climate in Pakistan fixated on the proceedings of Noor Mukaddam’s murder, now might’ve not been the best time to announce the upcoming film centred around one of Pakistan’s most prolific serial killers, Javed Iqbal. The film will have two parts, both approximately 90 minutes long and will star Ayesha Omar, the female police officer leading the investigation and Yasir Hussain, who will be playing the role of the deranged serial killer. The supporting cast includes many noteworthy theatre actors and the screenplay is written by the very talented Abu Aleeha. According to several local news outlets, the film is being made for Netflix and if all else goes according to plan we might get to see it on our screen(s) very soon.
‘Heeramandi’- Netflix x Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is set to film a Netflix series based on Lahore’s notorious Heeramandi and the news has caused some amount of discontent amongst Pakistanis, who feel jilted and frustrated due to missing out on telling their own country’s history.
Actor Yasir Hussain stated on his Instagram stories, “Yah hai Lahore main aur movie Indians bana rahy hain. Phir hum kahengy sab ghalat dikhaya. Pata nahin hum apni cheezon k bary mai kab baat karengy. Apni kahaniyan kab sunaengy“.
Regardless of who’s going to tell the story, we can’t wait for it to air. With a tagline that says, “Heeramandi – where courtesans were queens”, we’re sure there’s going to be a lot of drama and scheming involved, and it’s going to be a feast for our senses!
Podina vs. Dhaniya – Even McDonald’s Is Confused & It Made News
By now we’ve all seen McDonald’s “podina le aun” message go viral. We’ll never know for sure if this was a fluke or a sneaky effort to copycat the HBO intern debacle that had the internet in fits (just two months after, honestly, you guys couldn’t have waited longer for people to forget and not make the obvious connection?). While gimmicky, the marketing “strategy” did result in a lot of organic word of mouth publicity for the fast-food chain. So much so, that one of the higher-ups decided it was a good idea to introduce a mint wrap?! Only time will tell if the questionable menu item fares well, for now, we can only pray that fast-food chains stop messing with our OG menu items and leave them be.
Of Overpriced Designer Saris…
I’m a novice when it comes to saris, so you can imagine me thinking out loud about why a certain sari was retailing for a whopping PKR 22,202?! Now the sari in question is pretty basic (from what I’ve read secondhand on the internet, because like I said, I’m a novice) and the only reason it’s overpriced is that it’s the product of a collaboration between Indian designer Sabyasachi and Swedish fashion giant H&M. The collection, after many delays due to COVID-19, was launched on August 12th and is available in stores in 18 countries around the world.
“…I asked myself how a collection could journey seamlessly from a palace in Jaipur to a pool party in LA…Once the pandemic is over, people will want to travel…The travel wardrobe will become more important than ever…People will want functional pieces and versatility will be of the essence,” Sabyasachi Mukherjee told Vogue India.
I can definitely see where Sabyasachi was going with the concept, but when Indian influencers started drawing comparisons between their similar-looking, cost-effective saris from the bazaar and the one marketed by the duo, it made me wonder how we’re oftentimes just paying for the tag when it comes to designer wear as opposed to the actual design aspect of it. I mean if you have money spend it, but for those of us living on the thriftier side of life, we’ll make do with our off-brand saris that are just as fabulous!
Find Your Soulmate on Tinder
By soulmate, we meant your new furry BFF! The Munich Animal Welfare Association decided to use Tinder to find new homes for the abandoned pets in their shelter. Many ‘swiped right’ for a chance at one true love, the purrest you can find! The pandemic caused a lot of pets to become homeless, but with their new Tinder campaign, The Munich Animal Welfare Association hopes to help the lonely animals find their purrfect match!
In Other News, Messi Joins Paris St Germain (PSG)
After the end of his career-long affiliation with Barcelona, Lionel Messi has announced he’s joining PSG, which is owned by Qatar Sports Investment. He received a warm, hero’s welcome when he arrived in France last week wearing a t-shirt that read, “This is Paris”. French newspaper, L’Equipe said the deal will be for two years. Many Barcelona fans were distraught after Barca said they couldn’t afford to keep the midfielder because of Spain’s La Liga’s fair play rules. However, the fans are glad that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner has found a new team to call home.
EMMY’s 2021 Will Be Held Outdoors
The Emmy’s 2021 were supposed to be held indoors in September later this year, however, due to concerns regarding the pandemic and discussions with LA County health and safety experts, the event has been moved outdoors. “The Television Academy and CBS have decided to host all ceremonies … on the Event Deck at LA LIVE, directly behind the Microsoft Theatre,” the Television Academy said in a statement. after last year’s event was hosted in an empty studio with nominees joining via video links, this is definitely a welcome change.
