Celebrities and controversies go hand in hand. There are hardly any superstars who hasn’t been involved in a controversy or scandal. Some could say that It is part of their journey. Some create controversy merely for publicity, others get entangled into one unintentionally.
Pakistani celebrities are no different. 2019 has been a rocky year for many of the famous Pakistani celebrities. Here is a list of the top trending controversies of 2019:
Hina Altaf’s Comments on Muneeb Butt
Hina Altaf got into trouble when a clip from one of her interviews started circulating. When asked by the interviewer about the actor who doesn’t know how to act, Hina Altaf took Muneeb Butt’s name and continued to laugh about his wedding festivity.
However, after appearing in Good Morning Pakistan, Hina Altaf clarified that the video was poorly edited to create a controversy. Hina also congratulated Muneeb and Aiman on the birth of their first child and Muneeb Butt accepted her gesture graciously.
Yasir Hussain & Iqra Aziz’s Proposal & Photoshoot
Yasir Hussain and Iqra Aziz landed themselves in a bit of controversy when the two decided to have a romantic proposal at the Lux Style Awards. Yasir Hussain decided to do the ol’ on-his-knee proposal move for Iqra in front of the entire crowd.
Not only that, Yasir decided to called himself the 3rd award that Iqra would be getting that day.
The couple’s public display of affection was heavily criticized. People felt that this was just a publicity stunt as the two were already engaged a few months prior in a close-knit ceremony with family and friends. The couple continued to create more controversy for themselves with a photo-shoot that was not well-received. It is pretty obvious that the two wanted to create some buzz and hype about their relationship but not in a way that was appreciated by the public.
Mawra & Urwa Hocane’s Comments on Diet & Depression
The Hocane sisters recently launched their own clothing line under the label of UxM. Appearing on Good Morning Pakistan to promote their brand, Urwa and Mawra spoke about how healthy eating has helped them a lot. Urwa stated that healthy eating also cures depression, which was something she spoke about through her own personal experience.
The general public blasted the elder Hocane sister for poor judgment. People did not like the fact that she believed that depression is something that can be cured just by ‘eating healthy’. Urwa tried to justified her statement and share her struggle with depression, while Mawra also supported her sister’s comment, saying that studies have proven that diet and depression are correlated.
Firdous Jamal’s Remarks On Mahira Khan
It wouldn’t be a stretch to consider this as one of the biggest controversies of 2019. During ARY Zindagi’s morning show Salam Zindagi (currently halted), Firdous Jamal stated that Mahira was a weak actor. He added that the Superstar actress is overage and should not be taking lead roles.
This sparked an uproar from not only Mahira’s huge fan base, but several known figures from the showbiz industry as well. However, the Humsafar star smoothly ended the controversy with a handwritten letter, stating everyone should spread love.
Momina Duraid Bans Firdous Jamal
This is a two-part saga! Despite Mahira’s attempt to cool things down, things didn’t get better for Firdous Jamal. The actor received a boycott/ban by one of the biggest media houses in Pakistan, MD Productions. The owner of the production house, Momina Duraid called for a ban on Firdous, stating that her company would not work with him.
But there’s a twist! In an unexpected turn of events, people starting coming out in support of Firdous Jamal! The actor’s son, Hamza Firdous, launched a successful trend on Twitter #isupportfirdousjamal, which was well-received.
Imran Ashraf’s Response To Senior Actor Firdous Jamal
It’s a trilogy! Just when people thought that Firdous Jamal might have learned his lesson with Mahira Khan fiasco, the actor sparked outrage of the netizens once again. This time, Firdous went after Ranjha Ranjha Kardi star Imran Ashraf. The actor stated that Imran’s performance was just an act that was nothing new and has been done plenty of times by other senior actors.
Much like Mahira, Imran Ashraf decided to play nice and did not engage Firdous Jamal. The talented actor had a very dignified and respectable response to Firdous, which won him the love and admiration of many.
Mohsin Haider Abbas, Fatima Sohail & Nazish Jahangir
This was a highly controversial and problematic scandal that shook the nation. In 2019, Mohsin Abbas Haider’s wife, Fatima Sohail, came forward with domestic abuse allegations against her husband. Fatima shared some picture proofs of her wounds and abused condition that immediately went viral all over the internet. In addition to the physical and verbal abuse, Fatima stated that Mohsin was having extramarital affairs with Nazish Jahangir, a new actress.
Dua Malik and Gohar Rasheed came forward in support of Fatima as well as many notable Pakistani celebrities. Despite Mohsin Abbas taking an oath on the Holy Quran of never having touched Fatima, the court found him guilty of threat and abuse. Currently, the two settled their divorce on court and Fatima has custody of their only child.
Hamza Ali Abbasi’s Pre-Marriage Announcement
Hamza Ali Abbasi got married to Naimal Khawar in August 2019. The news of their wedding came as a surprise and their wedding was the talk of the town. However, prior to the wedding, Hamza Ali Abbasi took to social media to give a detailed explanation of his idea of love, marriage and approaching his spouse-to-be.
This sparked a huge debate and people accused Hamza of sugar-coating everything. Some even called him a hypocrite whereas others came in his support. Despite all of the buzz created around Hamza’s ideas and views, the fans moved on and started adoring him on his newly married life.
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Sadaf Kanwal’s Comments on Mansha Pasha
Sadaf Kanwal and Mansha Pasha are not on the best of terms for some time and it continued this year too. In Bol Nights with Ahsan Khan, Sadaf Kanwal stated that she feels Mansha Pasha should stay at home because she cannot act. In the showbiz industry, that is a very rude thing to say.
However, Sadaf had to eat her words because Mansha Pasha’s Lal Kabootar was selected as Pakistan’s choice for the Oscars’ International Feature Film Category. While a lot of celebrities came in support of Mansha and criticized Sadaf for her remarks, the Lal Kabootar actress gracefully responded to Sadaf’s comments.
Nida Yasir & Soul Sister Pakistan’s Misjudgment
Nida Yasir got involved in an online war with the group owner as well as the group members of Soul Sister Pakistan. Nida Yasir’s mother in law passed away and while she was on a break, mourning the loss of her mother-in-law, ARY Digital decided it was the best time to air an old recording of the show from last year. In that episode, Nida Yasir showed the shopping that she did from her trip to Europe. The group members of SSP were unaware of that. The group went after Nida for being inconsiderate for showing off her things and vacationing across Europe with her husband and kids when her mother-in-law had just passed away.
The group members of SSP started contacting Yasir Nawaz and put Nida on blast. The morning show host clarified the situation, but not before naming the ladies who decided to message Yasir Nawa. The founder of SSP Kanwal Ahmed did not do the damage control and clearly stated that she could not stop those members whose names were mentioned.
Shehryar Munawwar & Maya Ali
Shehryar Munawwar and Maya Ali worked in the film Paray Hut Love. During the promotions, people could not stop noticing Maya’s obvious attraction had towards Shehryar. Meanwhile, rumours started surfacing that Shehryar Munawwar called off his engagement to Hala Soomro. The Pakistani netizens put two and two together and came up with a theory that Maya Ali was reason behind the decision.
Sheheryar stated that this was a personal matter and requested everyone to respect his privacy. The two co-stars have neither confirmed or denied these rumors which, as the saying goes, “Daal mei kuch kala hai”
Rabi Peerzada’s Leaked Personal Data
One of the biggest scandals of 2019 which ended the singer’s career. Rabi Peerzada’s personal data such as her pictures and videos got leaked and instantly went viral all over the internet. The controversy evoked mixed reactions from the public.
Some sympathized with the singer, and some bashed her for such inappropriate behavior, while some just trolled her. After a few days, Rabi Peerzada finally broke her silence where she asked for forgiveness and announced her retirement from the showbiz industry.
Khalil ur Rehman Qamar & Feminism
Khalil ur Rehman Qamar was in hot waters for his insensitive comments about gender equality and rape. In an interview, he spoke about his idea of good women. He stated that he is a big feminist and is in favour of women’s rights but only when women did not cross their limits.
That look says it all.
As if that wasn’t enough, he went further by speaking against Mehmood Aslam and Saba Hameed, saying that he will never work with them because they are dishonest with their work. There’s more! Khalil was also angry at Urwa Hocane and said that her approach towards the film was non-serious, therefore he had to fire her from Kaaf Kangana.
https://twitter.com/ArmeenaRK/status/1189912092691877889?s=20
This caused an uproar and turned into one of the biggest controversies for Khalil’s career. He was unapologetic about whatever he said and a lot of people from the showbiz industry spoke against him and his views, labeling him as a misogynist.
The Infamous “2 Takay Ki Aurat” Dialogue
Either Khalil is unfamiliar with the term ‘feminism’ or somebody gave him the wrong the definition, the writer came under intense scrutiny once again. This time it came from an immensely popular TV show he wrote, you may have heard of it – Mere Pass Tum Ho.
While some appreciated the dialogue, mainly because of Humayun Saeed’s delivery (who can hate that guy?) and the context of the situation, a lot of people found it offensive. Women thought the dialogue was in poor taste and is a racist remark. Even acclaimed actress Samina Peerzada did not appreciate the dialogue.
Neelam Munir’s ‘Patriotic Thumkas’
Neelam Munir is a beloved Pakistani actress with a devoted fan following. The actress did an item song for the film Kaaf Kangana, which is a directorial debut for, you guessed it, Khalil ur Rehman Qamar! While Khalil is not be blamed for this controversy, it’s Neelam.
While people criticised the item number in a project made by ISPR. Neelam Munir justified it by saying that she only did the item song because it was a ISPR project and would anything for Pakistan army. Her attempts to show her patriotism did not go well as fans and netizens trolled the actress for her silly remarks.
With the year coming to an end, let’s hope there aren’t any more controversies popping up. What do you think was the biggest controversy of 2019?
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