Your prayers saved my papa, says Mir’s daughter

 

I have always believed in miracles, but have never personally witnessed one as magnificent as that which gave my father the strength to survive six bullets. Six bullets, three that are still inside, are not easy to take and stay alive. I was struck by shock, disbelief…but I still couldn’t believe that my father would leave me. Perhaps, I had too much faith in Allah to firmly believe that my father’s years’ long struggle could not have such a bitter end. Besides, the countless number of prayers and blessing being sent his way could not go unanswered by Allah. Surely, all of your heartfelt prayers have saved my father from a highly fatal attack, but believe me, you have saved me too. I thank you.
While I am not in the right state of mind to be saying much, I have mustered up enough courage to make a fairly simple point: My father’s aim as a journalist has been, and always will be, to fight for the prosperity and well-being of all of us, Pakistanis. Yes, a lot of you may not concur with his stance on many important matters, but for the sake of our own nation, for the sake of one’s family, please realise that violence is not the answer.

I can’t speak for my father but I, some of the hurtful accusations, I have read on social media and in some parts of media make me feel the pain of bullets he must have felt. We must learn to resolve our differences by means other than those which compel hundreds of our journalists to sacrifice their lives for the mere purpose of ensuring that justice is served. My point is not to ask for greater security measures for me and my family, for our only saviour is Allah, but to speak on behalf of all those families who have lost their loved ones to a battle that is ours as a nation. Patriotism has many forms, talking about the wrongs and injustice of our society is highlighted so that we can fix them and bring Pakistan together, and not so we can demoralise anyone. As long as the families of all the missing persons remain in a state of mourning and uncertainty, we must feel obliged to make their pain our own, we must fill the silence with unity.

Many years ago my grandfather, Waris Mir, also lost his life in this same battle for justice and freedom, and it was in the aftermath of his death that my father felt the need to continue this struggle by using two simple tools: a pen and the right to freedom of expression. And I assure you, the amount of hard work that my father devotes towards this goal is not only enough to boost my spirit, but also to provide thousands of Pakistani youths with the inspiration and strength to keep fighting until Pakistan wins back its happiness through democracy, tolerance and rule of law. Those who oppose may try to silence us through violence, but the power of our voices is way greater than their guns.

Ayesha Mir is 18-year-old student and daughter of Hamid Mir

Why was I not released from jail for my father’s funeral?

 

ISLAMABAD: “Why is Musharraf being allowed to go abroad on the pretext that his mother is ailing? Why was I not allowed to perform the last rites of my father when I was in jail. Why do they have a different law for commoners like me and the powerful like Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf?” These three questions were addressed to me by Rana Faqir Hussain, 59, who spent eight long years behind bars for allegedly playing some role in the multiple suicide attacks on December 25, 2003 on former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf.
Rana Faqir was cleared by the courts and subsequently released in September 2013. Rana Faqir lost his father, M Yousaf, mother-in-law, Hameeda Bibi and a couple of his uncles when he was detained by the law enforcement agencies. Despite requests and applications, he was not allowed to take part in their funeral prayers. Rather, he and each member of his family were tortured brutally to accept their role in the multiple suicide attacks on Musharraf back in December 2003.

We were sitting in his drawing room where his wife, Anwaar Fitrat, and his daughter-in-law, Shazia Mubasher, were also present. Each one of them was arrested by the intelligence agencies and then by the police and later were cleared by the courts, after a long and tiresome judicial process. Faqir’s son, Rana Naveed, was also cleared by the courts in the same case. However, he is still behind bars as he was declared guilty by a military court for his role in instigating the army men under section 31(D) of the Military Act.

I was treated to Samosas, Gulab Jamuns and Jalaibis along with a cup of tea. I had met this family a couple of years back. This time, they contacted me as they were upset to hear the rumours that the former military dictator was being allowed to go abroad. Their rented house, in a poor locality of Islamabad bordering Rawalpindi, was a reflection of their poverty.

White-bearded Rana Faqir who also served in the army (1972 to 1976) recalled that he was working as a driver with a retired Major, Rao Suleman, when he first heard that the then president and army chief Pervez Musharraf was attacked again by the militants in Rawalpindi on December 25, 2003. Musharraf had also been attacked only 14 days ago the same year. He said that things had been normal. However, after a couple of days on December 31, 2003, he went to his job where his boss participated in New Year’s night celebrations. When Rana Faqir came back home the next morning, his wife Anwaar told him that some agencies had picked up Rana Naveed, their son, from his workplace (Zarai Taraqiati Bank) located near Zero Point, Islamabad. Naveed was living separately in a government residence which was allotted to him by the bank.

“Initially, we could not understand why he was picked up,” said Faqir. However, we thought that they could be following his son because of his wife Shazia’s brother who was a ‘jihadi’.

He said that he started making calls here and there but could not find a clue about his son. Meanwhile, on the same evening, his wife and their daughter-in-law, Shazia Mubasher, went out to make a telephone call to the latter’s house back in Bahawalpur in southern Punjab on a PCO. That was a time when mobile phones were not that common.

When both the women were coming back to their home, located near Zia Masjid, Rawalpindi, Faqir along with his wife present in the room claimed that some plainclothes people holding guns asked them about the residence of Rana Faqir. The plainclothes men did not know that the ladies were actually related to him. The two ladies feigned ignorance about Rana Faqir. However, they rushed back home hurriedly and told Rana Faqir that the agencies were all set to arrest him.

“The women persuaded me to flee home but I had nothing in my mind and I was confused. Meanwhile, there was a knock at the door,” recalled Faqir. He said that he went to the rooftop and fled the house with only 100 rupees in his pocket. He told me that at that time he had only one thing in his mind that he would come back once everything is settled as he was still unaware why the police and agencies were after him.

After his departure, the intelligence operators arrested five out of eight of his children, including Rana Waseem, Rana Azeem, Abubakar and his two daughters, Saadia and Samia. Rana Naveed, his eldest son, was already in their custody. On the fourth day of January 2004, they also arrested his wife, Anwaar Fitrat, and his daughter-in-law, Shazia (wife of the arrested Rana Naveed) who was with an 11-month-old infant. Shazia was in Bahawalpur by that time. They also arrested some of their relatives who were visiting them and some relatives were arrested from Faisalabad too.

His sons, Waseem and Rana Azeem, remained in the custody of the intelligence agencies and police for two and a half years and Abubakar and two of his daughters, Sadiaa and Samiaa, remained in their custody for one year. Nothing could be proved against them and after complete satisfaction of the law enforcement agencies, they were released one by one.

Rana Faqir, after fleeing the scene, reached Raiwind, where he spent some time. Next year, when the news of the release of his daughters reached him he contacted them through a family friend and brought them to Lahore where he started living with them in Shadbagh from where he was arrested in December 2005. Meanwhile, he came to know that their family was actually being pursued and arrested in connection with the attacks on Pervez Musharraf.

The old man was badly tortured by the police and law enforcement agencies during his arrest. He mentioned in particular the bad treatment meted out to him by two Rawalpindi police officers, SSP Raja Bisharat and SSP Rana Shahid. “Incidentally both are my friends. They not only tortured me but used very dirty language during the investigations,” a depressed Rana Faqir said in front of his wife and daughter-in-law.

Rana Faqir was released on September 18, 2013 from Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi. I was not the first rather the only one to interview him outside the jail for Geo News. In his drawing room, he shared that he had lost everything as two of his sons had become heroin addicts. His small car was confiscated by the Civil Lines Police, Rawalpindi, and had not been returned yet. Precious jewellery was also missing and he had no clue about it yet. He said that though he and his family were cleared by the courts, they were still facing psychological as well as social problems and wherever they went for jobs so they could live a normal life, the people thought that they were terrorists.

Rana Faqir said that one of his daughters got divorced because of this incident and they were unable to marry the youngest of their daughters because they were tagged as “terrorists.”

The poor man was upset when an Anti-Terrorist Court arranged the hearing for the former dictator at his farmhouse. He wrote him a two-page letter telling the general how badly he was treated by his agencies when he was in power. The old man is still waiting for an answer from the former president who had recently shifted back to his farmhouse after his almost three-month stay at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC). “We should end the duplicity of the law and double standards in our country,” he said.

Faqir said that being poor and a common citizen, he felt insulted and degraded when he faced such problems merely because he was “alleged” of being involved in terrorism.

When he thanked the present military leadership that it was not supporting Musharraf’s exit from the country and was not taking part in this dirty game, I could not resist a smile. Our meeting lasted almost three hours. While writing his story, I still don’t have answers to any of his questions addressed to me.

Amitabh Bachchan is my inspiration: Varun Dhawan

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Varun Dhawan said he is deeply inspired by megastar Amitabh Bachchan, whom he considers his idol.

Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan said he is deeply inspired by megastar Amitabh Bachchan, whom he considers his idol.

“I am not in the race for Rs 100 crore club. For me the most important thing is that the audience enjoys my film and feel that the movie was worth spending,” Varun, 26, who was in the city to promote his upcoming film ‘Main Tera Hero’, told reporters.

The romantic-comedy film, which is slated to release on April 4, is directed by the actor’s father David Dhawan. It also stars Ileana D’Cruz and Nargis Fakhri.

The actor said he tries to bring humour and entertainment in the lives of the audience, who have to deal with a lot of stress in their everyday life.

Varun said he has started taking criticisms in positive sense. “Initially I used to have a problem with criticisms but now I take them positively and try to improve myself,” he said.

The actor, who made his acting debut with Karan Johar’s ‘Student of the Year’ said he too had to struggle to make a name in the industry inspite of being the son of an established filmmaker.

“I also had to struggle in the industry inspite of being the son of David Dhawan. My first film was directed by Karan Johar and he is not even my father’s friend,” he said.

On being asked about his father, Varun said that he is a tough filmmaker, who wants one to concentrate on work during the shoot.

The actor said he would definitely cast his vote and urged the youngsters to do the same.

'I was at my charming best to impress Bipasha'

Sonil Dedhia in Mumbai

'I had worked really hard on my films but unfortunately, they flopped. It was almost like a slap on my face.'

'I can’t really pinpoint what went wrong. I wish I could figure it out but I am not that smart. I was disappointed and hurt when my films didn't work.' 

'I would just lie on my bed the entire day and stare at the ceiling and wonder what went wrong. I never got an answer.'

Harman Baweja gets candid.

After a disastrous start to his acting career, Harman Baweja disappeared from the industry for a long time.

Almost five years after his last movie, the actor has resurfaced and is ready to start a new innings with this week’s release Dishkiyaoon.

Co-produced by Shilpa Shetty, the film also stars Sunny Deol and debutante actress Ayesha Khanna.

But more than the film, it is Harman's love life that has brought him back in the news. The actor is currently dating Bipasha Basu.

In this candid chat with Sonil Dedhia, Harman opens up about what went wrong in his career, why he chose Dishkiyaoon as his comeback film and what it's like dating a superhot girl like Bipasha.

When did you start dating Bipasha Basu?

I met her at Mr Amitabh Bachchan’s 70th birthday bash.

The entire film fraternity was present and everyone was catching up with each other.

Bipasha is a very attractive person. I was at my charming best to impress her and leave a lasting impression.

I was trying to figure out a way to stay in touch with her after that.

I don’t deserve my wife: Aaron Paul

When asked if he is breaking bad in real life, he said, "You mean, cheating and living a loose life? No. I'm a good guy. I wish more people knew me

‘Breaking Bad’ star Aaron Paul feels he doesn’t ‘deserve’ his wife, filmmaker Lauren Parsekian.
The 34-year-old actor insists he is a good guy who would never do anything to hurt his spouse, who he married last May – and is completely devoted to her, reported New York Post.
When asked if he is breaking bad in real life, he said, “You mean, cheating and living a loose life? No. I’m a good guy. I wish more people knew me.
“I’m in love. Happily married. My wonderful lady’s Lauren Parsekian. I don’t deserve her. We were friends before. We’ve been together five years. I’ll be faithful. I’m happy to be here and with her,” he said.

Sussanne: You cannot blame Arjun Rampal for my separation from Hrithik Roshan

Sussanne has put to rest all the buzz surrounding her relationship with good friend Arjun

Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne’s separation took their family, friends and fans by surprise. When Hrithik issued a statement to the media announcing his split with wife Sussanne, there were also rumours doing rounds about the reason why the once ‘it’ couple of B-town was heading for a separation. Reports suggested that Sussanne growing proximity with Hrithik’s good friend Arjun Rampal was what caused trouble in their marriage. However soon after this Arjun Rampal too issued a statement denying all these reports. Rumour mills were pouring out details of how Arjun’s wifey Mehr Jessia was mighty pissed with her hubby and even suspected that her husband had gotten too close for comfort with friend Sussanne on the pretext of supporting her during tough times.

However yesterday’s scene at Bandra 190 store launch had stark contrast to all that was said and heard in the last few days. Friends of the Roshans came in full support of Sussanne everyone from Arjun Rampal-Mehr Jessia, Shahrukh and Gauri Khan, Salman Khan, Arbaaz and Malaika Arora Khan were present. Not only that, Sussanne also decided to clear Arjun’s name from the rumours, she said, “You can’t blame anyone for this. It is sad to blame anyone. We are close-knit friends. It’s not right to blame anyone. There is no reason. Sometimes you have to do this because of a situation.”

The Rock On!! actor too decided to take this opportunity and clear his name, the actor told reporters, “If Sussanne and Hrithik are happy staying separately they should, one should close and old chapter and start a new one. I have stood by Sussanne because she is like my family member.”

hyam Ramsay: People say the ghosts in my films were not scary

Patcy N in Mumbai

'People criticise me saying that the ghosts in my films sometimes wore canvas shoes and were not scary. That is true. In those days, we were not technically sound.'

'Films were made on a very low budget, so if there was a small defect, we would let it pass, and audiences often didn’t catch those defects.'

Shyam Ramsay tells us his 'horror' story.

The pioneers of horror cinema -- the Ramsays -- are making a comeback with yet another horror film, Neighbours.

And it’s themed on the topic of the day -- vampires.

Producer-director Shyam Ramsay talks to Patcy N about his new film, and also looks back at his classic scary movies that have made us associate his name with horror.

He also tells us just who the Ramsays are, how they got into the movie-making business and why sex is so important in horror movies.

Early days

My father F U Ramsay and his family came to Mumbai from Pakistan after Partition.

He financed a film called Shaheed-E-Azad Bhagat Singh in 1954. The film did well, and he wanted to make more films.

He made a historical drama called Rustom Sohrab (1963), with Prithviraj Kapoor, Premnath, Mumtaz and Suraiya.

In Prithviraj Kapoor-starrer Ek Nanhi Munni Ladki Thi (1970), all the Ramsay brothers, including me, assisted. I was 22 then.

In a robbery scene in the film, Prithviraj Kapoor steals an antique from a museum. He uses a face mask to disguise himself.

The mask was imported. It was so horrifying that the film’s publicity was based entirely on this one mask. Posters of the mask were made and published everywhere.

Before that, nobody had seen a horrifying face on the big screen. People went to the theatre just to see Prithviraj Kapoor in that scary mask.

That’s when we thought that if audiences love to watch such scary faces, why not make a full-fledged horror film?

I directed India’s first horror film, Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche (1972).

After that, we made approximately 32 films, and all of them were horror films.

My sexy image is a marketing strategy: Sunny Leone

Sunny Leone

 

Looking pretty in an anarkali suit, while on a tour to Lucknow to promote her latest film 'Ragini MMS 2', Sunny Leone came across as a simple, down to earth actress. Ask her why she chose to wear a full-sleeved anarkali suit, ditching her sexy avatar, and Sunny says, "It's nothing to do with Lucknow or the people here. You all are great. For the city tours I pick things a little different.You know, when sometimes you're shooting for TV, it doesn't always look good when you're fully covered; Western outfits look better on TV. Even otherwise I love Indian suits. Sometimes, the sari gets a bit cumbersome because of the 50 pins you have to put here and there, to hold it together. But I love it. Saris make me look really beautiful. And since I live in the US where you don't see much Indian clothing like saris and anarkalis or Indian suits, so for me this (dressing up) is fun."

I credit Bigg Boss for my popularity
Sunny, better known as an adult film actor and producer, was first introduced to Indians as a contestant on the controversial show Bigg Boss Season 5 in 2011, and she credits the show for making her popular in India. "If it wasn't for Bigg Boss, I wouldn't have been known by Indians in the same manner. I think it was the greatest platform through which I could have made an entry into Bollywood. Because I was in every body's living rooms for six weeks straight at 10 o'- clock every night. They could see how I could make non-round chapaatis and cutting sabzi and doing all the housework and they just got to know my personality. I think that helped a lot with my entering into Bollywood. Because if I had come here just as Sunny and not through Bigg Boss, I think I wouldn't have accomplished what I have in such a short time."

I'm a Punjabi and we love our food
The mention of cooking makes us wonder if Sunny is the cooking at home types after she's done with work and is at home? "I cook a lot. Actually I cook all the unhealthy food at home. My husband Daniel is the one who does all the healthy cooking. I like all the comfort foods. I'm a Punjabi and we love our food! But with Daniel around it's as if I have the food FBI behind me telling me what not to eat because I have to remain in shape and diet and work out. But as actors we have too remain slender and perhaps not look normal at times just to look attractive and suffer in return," she adds with a sigh.

Daniel wants a baby girl
The question of the couple's plans to extend their family is met with a little trepidation by Daniel, who wonders why everyone asks them that question. But Sunny answers it easily and says, "We definitely want to have children at some point. Danny wants a little baby girl and I want the baby to be just healthy, whether it's a boy or a girl. But I don't know when that will be, hopefully it will be soon. Right now I don't think I can replace what's going on in my life, so you never know. I might just leave and come back with a baby one day. I might just scream 'I had a baby and nobody knew!" says she laughing out loud.

I am human after all
But even as Sunny discusses food and parenthood, she cannot shrug off the image of an adult film star. Recently singer Arijit Singh had said he was not happy with his song Kabhi Jo Badal Barse from Jackpot being picturised on Sunny. A religious outfit had also banned her entry in Indore, prohibiting her to promote her film in the city. Sunny, on her part says she is not immune to such negative news. "I don't think I believe all of these rumours because if he (Arijit) didn't want me to be featured in the song, or if he didn't know about it, why did he sing that song in Jackpot? He wouldn't have sold the song to the producers if he knew I was in it, to begin with. I mean he did sing it and he did sell it," she rationalises, and goes on to say, "I am human after all. When you hear such things it hurts. But I pick up some logic in my mind as to why people say what they do. And there's a lot that's said which isn't true, so I try not to take it to heart. I tell all my family and friends not to send me any negative articles. I ask them to send me all positive ones and I'll read that. It's easier that way."

She further adds, "It's like you're passing the traffic lights and feel people's eyeballs on you but it's fine. I understand why they are looking. So, I don't hold anything to heart and get after somebody, that why did you write this or why are you staring? It is what it is and you can't do anything about it. I guess it is better that they are writing something about you than not writing about you at all! Also hopefully one by one, day by day, each reporter I talk to, the truth about me will emerge and people will know me as I am."

The sexy image is a marketing strategy
But is she OK with how her image of an adult film star is often exploited in Bollywood? "Yes, it's a strategy that has been created for the films. But when people watch the movie Ragini MMS 2, a lot of myths will be busted. It's not just sex in the film, in fact that's a very small portion of the movie. In this film they will see my acting and their minds will hopefully be changed. When people watch me in the film in totality, then probably they will judge me based on my acting skills rather than anything else."

Sunny is now two-years-old in the industry, with Ragini MMS 2 being her third film. In all her films, she has been projected as a bold and sexy woman. But she says, that with each film offer, the perception of people in Bollywood is changing and the films that she is now being offered are more acting oriented. "I think I have more people that like me than those who don't like me. As for perceptions, I have no idea how they perceive me. I get a lot of different movie offers all the time. Even today I was reading two films' synopsis in the car..."

Sunny adds, "But what I have learned over the last two years is that it's more than just picking something based on the story or the producer or the actors. It's like a whole circle here, where your success depends on so many things. While it's completely opposite in the US. There, the actors work because they want to work. Take for instance someone like Brad Pitt who makes an independent film, which doesn't even get released in theatres, yet he is so successful and not bogged down by film offers and work. He works when he wants to. That's with all actors there. And that's all they want to do. They can make an art film, an independent film or a huge commercial hit and nobody would care."

Film production is the natural progression for my husband and me
Sunny doesn't deny the possibility of turning producer of Hindi films in future. "That's a natural progression for my husband and I. I've had my own business since I was 18 and he's got his own business since he was out of university as well, so it's a natural thing for us to do. He does say we should make a movie here and I say hold on! I think we should learn every in and out of this industry. I think we should first learn the distribution, the marketing, the finance side of production, before we step into it. Because we don't want to make a movie just to make one, we want it to be a success and make money on it. That's why producers invest money in films, to make money from it. It's a business and I want to do well in it too."

Talking about her other projects Sunny tells us, "I have Tina And Lolo releasing this year and another very interesting project that I can't tell you the name of, but it's the story of two women on the run. I play one of them. It's a nice role with comedy, action, drama, basically the whole trappings of a typical Bollywood film. So this is going to be a busy and exciting year for me.

Don’t know who will play my role in ‘Fantastic Four’: Jessica Alba

Alba, 32, played the role of the invisible woman in last two films but will not be seen in the upcoming reboot. She has been replaced by Kate Mara, reported Contactmusic. (Still)

Actress Jessica Alba says she does not care who plays her character of Sue Storm in the next installment of ‘Fantastic Four’.
Alba, 32, played the role of the invisible woman in last two films but will not be seen in the upcoming reboot. She has been replaced by Kate Mara, reported Contactmusic.
“I don’t have any sort of real attachment to anything like that. I’m like, the more the better, I don’t really have any idea. It’s not like I created the comic book. I think Stan Lee (the co-creator of ‘Fantastic Four’) should have a say in who plays Sue,” said Alba.
“I don’t read entertainment news so I’m not aware of it, but I love that comic book and it’s such a great story about family and staying together,” she said.
‘Fantastic Four’ is scheduled for release in June.

My life isn't fodder for gossip columns: Sushant Singh Rajput

Ever since his Bollywood debut two years ago, much has been written about Sushant Singh Rajput's personal life, especially his live-in relationship with TV star Ankita Lokhande.

From unconfirmed reports about Ankita slapping him in public after a jealous fit, to buzz about a secret engagement in Indore and more reports about a fight and a ugly breakup, this love saga had started resembling a TV soap, more than a mushy rom-com.

When Mirror contacted Sushant Singh Rajput for the real version, he refuted all rumours of a split. "I will admit that I'm amused by these never-ending rumours and also very impressed by some of the innovative stories and attempts to make my personal life spicy," he said.

So all is well? "I'm all sorted and very happy with Ankita."

Angelina Jolie: ’Maleficent’ witch my childhood favourite

According to Bang Showbiz, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, who will be seen playing the role of an evil witch in Disney’s forthcoming film ‘Maleficent’, said the iconic villain from ‘Sleeping Beauty’ always attracted her.

The 38-year-old actress further said she finds it funny when people tell her she is the perfect fit to play a villain.

Bang Showbiz quoted Jolie as saying, “it is really funny when people say you'd be obvious for a great villain. She was just my favorite as a little girl. I was terrified of her, but I was really drawn to her. I loved her.”

The mother-of-six revealed she scared her 10-year-old son Pax Thien when she donned the villain’s costume in front of him, without knowing he would get upset, according to WENN.com.

“He ran away and got upset. I thought he was kidding, so I was pretending to chase him until I actually found him crying. I had to take off pieces (of the costume) in front of him to show him it was all fake and not freak him out so much," WENN quoted Jolie as saying.

The film is being directed by Robert Stromberg and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is slated to release on May 13^th, 2014.