The One Battle After Another actor ​took home four awards, including the special, noncompetitive honor of Icon of the Year, ‌presented by singer Janet Jackson. She also won the Fashion Vanguard Award, Best Actress, and Video Director of the Year for the short film Escape Room.

“There would be no me without you,” Taylor said to Jackson during a ​tearful acceptance speech for the Icon of the Year award, which BET describes as ​honouring those who have paid homage to music, entertainment, advocacy, and community impact.

“I ⁠worked my a** off 20 years for this. So, I’m not accepting what I’ve earned with ​arrogance; I’m accepting what I’ve earned with gratitude,” she said.

The BET Awards were held at the ​Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles and broadcast live on BET, as well as multiple Paramount-owned channels.

Comedian Druski, the youngest person ever to host the ceremony, opened with his comedic pastor persona, leading the audience in a humorous group ​prayer that blended jokes with tributes to spirituality.

The ceremony featured performances from Cardi B, Raye, T.I., ​Kehlani, Doechii, and Don Toliver.

Boundary-breaking music industry executive Sylvia Rhone was also honoured with the BET Ultimate Icon ‌Award, which ⁠recognises individuals who have made a lasting impact throughout their careers in the entertainment industry and the Black community.

“Tonight’s honour bears my name but really belongs to all of us who create culture. I’ve been fortunate to spend my life around extraordinary artists,” Rhone, 74, said as she accepted ​the award onstage.

“Black creativity ​is one of the ⁠most powerful forces in the world. It has shaped culture,” she said.

She emphasised that while technology is valuable, it is essential for Black creatives ​to preserve the soul and artistry of music for the next generation.

The ​50-year veteran ⁠of the music industry is the first Black woman to have held various top level positions at a number of well-known record labels.

She has held executive roles at Epic Records, Universal Motown, Elektra, Atlantic, and ⁠East ​West, and is known for her mentorship, including her work ​with Missy Elliott, Brandy, and Busta Rhymes.

Other honours of the night included Cardi B winning Best Female Hip-Hop Artist and ​Lauryn Hill taking home the inaugural Living Legend Icon Award.

A newly released trailer for the show made the announcement on Sunday. The show will air every Saturday and Sunday on Geo Entertainment.

The judges for the show are actor Mehwish Hayat, comedian Tabish Hashmi, singer Ali Zafar and Usman Bashir of Shark Tank Pakistan.

Pixel Entertainment announced that it had signed a deal with global entertainment giant Fremantle to bring the world’s most successful reality show format, Got Talent, to the country for the very first time back in August.

The franchise, originally created by Simon Cowell and owned by Fremantle, has aired in more than 70 countries and even holds the Guinness World Record for the most successful reality TV format in history.

The show promises to be a wide-open platform, welcoming singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, acrobats, beatboxers and just about anyone who thinks they’ve got what it takes to wow an audience. Nationwide open auditions are set to kick off soon, giving performers from every corner of the country a shot at recognition. In February, a call was made for auditions for the show.

Pakistan’s Got Talent joins Rap Icon Pakistan, Masterchef Pakistan, Shark Tank Pakistan and Pakistan Idol as part of Pakistani entertainment’s push towards reality competition shows.

What do actors do? Well, professionally speaking, they act. They bring stories to life by pretending to be someone they aren’t and sufficiently good ones can make you temporarily believe it’s all real.

Some people apparently din’t get the memo that this was temporary, because actor Anayah Shahid called out people watching her latest drama Zanjeerain for sending her hate over her role in the show.

In the show, her character Shirin is the head of the household staff of Sar Buland Khan (Danyal Zafar), a tribal chieftain. Over the last few episodes, it was revealed that she had tried to poison Sar Buland’s older brother Sherdil Khan (Ahsan Khan).

She does this at the behest of Sohrab (Reza Ali), Sar Buland’s cousin and right hand man who wants to usurp power by finishing off Sar Buland’s branch of the family.

In the last episode, Sohrab’s sister Bano discovers the plot, threatens to expose it and gets shot in the ensuing tussle with Sohrab. Shirin helps him cover his tracks.

Now while that’s the kind of twist that would make fans emotional — something Zanjeerain has made a name for (RIP Mudassir) — it surely has nothing to do with Shahid, who had to post a story explaining how acting works.

She addressed her message to “all the people cursing me, dragging me and writing passionate essays on my morals based on a fictional character’s decision” and ‘thanked’ them for their concern.

The actor said that if her acting ruined someone’s day or raised their blood pressure a bit, then the performance clearly worked “a little too well”.

She signed the message off as “the employee of the script,” which she is since the decisions she’s talking about aren’t actually hers.

What we can’t figure out is who is watching dramas and movies and thinking the characters are anywhere close to representative of the actors playing them.

How would that even work if someone plays different characters in different projects, which one is supposed to be them being themselves?

We can’t believe we have to say this, but don’t believe everything you see on TV and please understand that actors are just acting — it’s literally in the name.

That’s right, you best get your waffles ready, because Universal Pictures announced Donkey is getting a movie on June 30, 2028.

The chatty sidekick to the franchise’s green protagonist has long been an audience favourite with his happy-go-lucky attitude and witty dialogue. He’s voiced by Eddie Murphy, who will continue in that role for this project and the upcoming Shrek 5 — which will screen exactly a year earlier on June 30, 2027.

The upcoming movie, which does not have an announced title yet, is billed as an origin story explaining how a donkey became the Donkey. It is the second character spin-off to come out of the franchise after a series of films about Puss in Boots.

Speaking to Screenrant last year, Murphy hinted at the film. “Donkey’s going to have his own movie, own little story with his dragon wife and his kids that are half-dragon and half-donkeys… They’ve written this funny story.”

The film will be directed by Charlie Bean — of the Lego Ninjago Movie — and Matt Flynn. Rebecca Huntley, who produced the last Kung Fu Panda movie, will also serve as the producer for this project.

The Shrek franchise is one of the most iconic animated ones of the 21st century, with the first movie having taken home the inaugural Animated Feature honour at the Oscars in 2001. The four films have also collectively raked in $3 billion, with another $1bn coming from the Puss in Boots spinoffs, making it a commercial success.

The three filmmaking unions representing producers, actors and directors recalled in their joint statement that the advance tax had been introduced in 2013-14 by then finance minister Ishaq Dar “as part of a policy framework to strengthen indigenous media.”

Reaffirming their support of tax reform, the unions demanded that any policy affecting Pakistan’s creative economy “must be preceded by meaningful stakeholder consultation” and called for the formation of a National Creative Economy Policy to address matters impacting the local creative industry.

“Reversing a policy that has remained in place for more than a decade should only occur after a comprehensive economic review and consultation,” the statement said.

The media industry is a source of livelihood for thousands of professionals and their families across television, film, digital media, advertising, music, animation, post-production and related sectors, the unions said, respectfully requesting the government to:

1. Suspend implementation pending stakeholder consultation
2. Convene an urgent meeting with all relevant stakeholders
3. Public an economic impact assessment
4. Develop a national creative economy policy

The joint statement comes days after actor Faysal Quraishi expressed concerns about the proposed policy shift. In a video posted on his Instagram account in collaboration with ACT on Saturday, the actor warned the move would result in local artists, technical crew and other people associated with filming losing their jobs.

Last week, actor and director Shamoon Abbasi also objected to the move, saying it took Pakistan “10 years to re-establish our drama industry” after a prior surge in the airing of foreign content.

“Bringing back foreign content to Pakistan will destroy the actors, producers, directors [and] writers once again,” Abbasi said.

The companies said the initiative will focus on helping artists ​develop new creative workflows and techniques while ​ensuring future tools are shaped by the ⁠creators who use them.

In a press release from Google, Deepmind CEO Demis Hassabis was quoted as saying, “We believe the best way to develop tools that empower artists is to work directly with them. By collaborating with filmmakers and industry leaders like A24 from the beginning, we can build new AI features to support artists in authentic, meaningful storytelling that helps enable their creative vision.”

In recent years, A24 ​has produced horror film Backrooms, Timothée Chalamet-starrer Marty Supreme and ​Oscar-winning adventure film Everything Everywhere All at Once, among others.

Under the agreement, A24 and Google DeepMind will collaborate on ​multiple research and development projects over time.

Alphabet’s Google has also made a $75 million investment in the independent ‌film ⁠studio, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. DeepMind did not comment on the investment’s value.

A24 will play ​an active ​role in ⁠developing new workflows, while filmmakers will retain full creative control, a source familiar ​with the matter told Reuters, adding ​that ⁠the arrangement is not an intellectual property or data-training deal.

The partnership will give A24 access to ⁠DeepMind’s ​research, infrastructure and global reach, ​the source said.

Ben Hania’s film The Voice of Hind Rajab won the festival’s second-highest honour and received a record-breaking 22-minute standing ovation at its festival showing.

The jury is headed by American filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose psychological thriller debut as a director earned three Academy Award nominations and The Venice Film Festival’s Award for Best Screenplay. She’s also an accomplished actor, having earned an Academy nod for her performance in 2009’s Crazy Heart.

Ben Hania also has an impressive collection of Oscar nominations, most recently getting a Best International Feature Film nod for The Voice of Hind Rajab — her second recognition in the category after a nod for The Man Who Sold His Skin in 2021.

Her last film, The Lost Daughter, won the L’Œil d’Or at Cannes and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Dissident Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat is also on the panel. Sadat’s film No Good Men — part of a five-part series inspired by the unpublished autobiographical manuscript of her longtime friend and collaborator, Anwar Hashimi — opened this year’s Berlinale Film Festival.

Other jurors include Britain’s Daniel Blumberg, Italy’s Francesco Casetti, France’s Xavier Giannoli and Taiwanese Johnnie To.

The jury will award the Golden Lion for Best Film, Silver Lion - Grand Jury Prize, Silver Lion for Best Director, Coppa Volpi for Best Actress, Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, Special Jury Prize, Award for Best Screenplay, and Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress.

The festival’s 83rd iteration will be held from September 2-12.

Cover photo: AFP

The sequel, which debuted over Father’s Day weekend, features Woody the cowboy, Buzz Lightyear and their gang of toys fighting for survival against competition from technology, particularly a tablet.

“This is prime family moviegoing season and Toy Story is delivering,” said industry analyst David A. Gross.

Gross called it “another sensational opening for a Pixar series sequel,” noting that Toy Story 5 had the best starting weekend for any film in the franchise, an estimated 37 per cent higher than Toy Story 4. That will likely make it the second-biggest animated movie opening of all time, behind Disney unit Pixar’s Incredibles 2, which made $182.7m in June 2018, he said.

“Family moviegoing has been leading the industry since it came roaring back from the pandemic in 2023,” Gross added. “A lot of the genre’s success is coming from sequels, live-action remakes of animation pictures, and hybrid combinations.” Toy Story 5 — which returns with Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack voicing key characters — opened on 4,425 screens across the United States and Canada over the weekend, Exhibitor Relations’ estimates showed.

Runner-up in the weekend box office take was the Stephen Spielberg-directed sci-fi thriller Disclosure Day, which debuted the previous weekend.

With an ensemble cast led by Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor, the action-packed Universal film follows an effort to reveal a decades-long cover-up of extraterrestrial visitations.

It brought in an estimated $17m, lifting its total to $78.2 million, according to estimates.

In third place was Focus Features’ indie horror hit Obsession, which took in another $14m in its sixth week out for a total domestic haul of $215.8m, data showed.

A24’s horror film Backrooms remained in fourth place with $7.3m, taking its domestic total to $175m in its fourth week out.

Coming in fifth was Paramount’s Scary Movie, a reboot of the parody franchise, earning $6.7m in its third week out.

Rounding out the top 10 were: Masters of the Universe ($5.6m), Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu ($3.9m), Leviticus (debuted at $2.7m), The Death of Robin Hood (debuted $2.6m) and Michael ($2.2m)

Cover photo: The Walt Disney Company.

We begin the conversation by talking about the TV serial Dr Bahu, which she has directed and is currently on air, receiving rave reviews. I ask her how the project came about. She tells me that, a couple of years ago, the idea was first brought to her by actor and producer Humayun Saeed, who heads the production house Six Sigma and who believed it had the makings of a strong commercial drama. At the time, she had little interest in returning to long-form television.

“I wasn’t doing long-form serials those days,” she says. She had been dabbling in miniseries such as Nadaan and Jurm. But then director Nadeem Baig, who’s also part of Six Sigma, persuaded her to read the script and told her that if he weren’t so busy, he would have directed it himself. “Nadeem kept telling me, ‘Just do this. Trust me.’”

Not just a gharailoo drama

Although Dr Bahu initially appeared to revolve around familiar themes of family politics and in-laws’ relationships, she discovered a far more layered narrative beneath the surface.

“Yes, it is a story about a family and a bahu (daughter-in-law),” she admits, “but there were so many different threads and issues running through it. It wasn’t typical. It was fast-paced and the characters were interesting. I thought, why not?”

Director Mehreen Jabbar has returned to long-form television after a long time with her latest serial Dr Bahu. What enticed her back? Why hasn’t she made a film in 10 years? What does she think about the changing dynamics of the industry? How does it feel to split her life across the globe? And how is age affecting her?

What also attracted her was the fact that it featured a strong female lead.

“She is a progressive, proactive woman and not a goody-two-shoes and nor a victim. She makes mistakes and is headstrong. It’s a blessing to find female characters who are proactive and who have agency. Honestly, it’s very difficult to come across well-written serial scripts and I felt it was worth doing.”

The more things change…

Since she has been working in the industry for more than three decades, I ask Mehreen how she thinks it has changed.

She says that, while the technical aspects of television production — such as equipment, cameras and production design — have improved considerably, there is still significant room for progress. In some cases, outdated equipment is still in use. She remarks, “How we do things on such limited budgets and crew members compared to productions abroad is nothing short of a miracle.”

In terms of content, however, she believes the industry has become less adventurous.

“When there were only two or three channels, there wasn’t this rat race for ratings,” she says. “There was more room to experiment because ratings didn’t dictate content in the way they do now.”

I ask her to elaborate. She points to some of her own early work as evidence of a period when television was willing to take greater creative risks. In the 1990s, she directed projects such as Faraar, which followed three independent women living in Karachi, Putli Ghar, a psychological thriller and Sham Se Pehlay, a story about two older people who fall in love.

“At that time, there were lots of different themes being explored,” she recalls. “Writers such as Bano Qudsia and Ashfaq Ahmed were creating very interesting and unconventional stories.”

She adds, “I don’t think a project should be judged by the number of YouTube hits. I’ll give you the example of a fantastic series, Aik Aur Pakeezah, which is brilliant. It did not get as many views on YouTube as some of the more commercial series, but it was critically acclaimed and widely talked about. So that should not be the barometer of whether projects should be produced or not.”

Payments, she feels, have not significantly improved either. People frequently complain that payment delays exist because advertisers do not pay channels on time. As a result, channels delay paying production houses, which then cannot pay actors and crew promptly.

I ask her if she thinks things could be moving towards improving.

“I think they’re worse,” she replies emphatically. “It wasn’t like this before. I don’t remember begging or pleading for money — for myself or for crew members. Everyone is blaming everyone else. An industry like this, which employs thousands of people and generates so much revenue, should figure out how to conduct its business professionally. There should be a set payment cycle and people should just be paid on time. I don’t know why it can’t be done.”

I think I generally try to stay as realistic as the scene requires. I’m more aligned with the school of thought of realistic cinema — neorealism — so I like that kind of filmmaking…” She adds: “I love one-takes. I feel that sometimes, when you cut, you lose the intensity of the scene.”

The case for realism

I steer the conversation toward more pleasant topics and note that one of the defining aspects of her work has been realism. For example, her characters are never overly made up, and certainly not styled as if they have just woken up all dressed up in the middle of the night, which is still the case in many dramas today.

Similarly, Saba Hameed looks far more natural and less made up in Dr Bahu than she did in Noor Jehan, even though both characters come from similar upper-class backgrounds.

“Well,” she surmises, “her character was very different from Noor Jehan, in which she was the head of the house. In this, she is a victim of her husband, the head of the household.”

She attributes the realism to her team and assistant directors, as well as to her own brand of filmmaking. “I think I generally try to stay as realistic as the scene requires. I’m more aligned with the school of thought of realistic cinema — neorealism — so I like that kind of filmmaking.”

Has her style or how she approaches filmmaking changed over time, I wonder.

“I don’t know if the style has changed,” she responds. “I would say I’m more confident in the day-to-day craft of filmmaking. Having done it for so long, I kind of know where to put the camera and how to make a scene work quickly.”

She adds: “I love one-takes. I feel that sometimes, when you cut, you lose the intensity of the scene.”

She does admit that she is perhaps too entrenched in TV. “When I make my third film, I’ll have to really challenge myself to get out of TV mode and think cinema, which I can do because I do love films, and I think I have the eye.”

Return to films?

I was going to ask her about her long hiatus from cinema but she preempts me. She says her next dream project is to make a film, and she is currently dabbling with a couple of subjects — one a psychological thriller, and the other a social drama.

“I have to decide which one I want to go with. And I want someone to give me the money to make it. While I’m waiting for someone to give me money to make it, I will continue working on serials.”

I ask her why she hasn’t made a film recently. In fact, her two ventures on the big screen were 18 years and 10 years ago — Ramchand Pakistani (2008) and Dobara Phir Se (2016) — but she has always spoken, in her understated way, about her passion for cinema. The reason, she says, is partly practical.

“The movie business is a tough one,” she says. Unlike television, where projects move relatively quickly and payment structures are still relatively predictable, filmmaking demands years of commitment. She also believes films require complete creative immersion.

“A film has to be a passion project. You can’t do a hundred other things alongside it. You have to stop and dedicate yourself entirely to it.”

It is this immersion she misses most about making movies. “I think what I miss about making a film is that you can just drown yourself in that one story. It’s a labour of love.”

This is one of the differences she says between the two media, as a TV drama may occupy a director for a few months, but a feature film can remain with them for years. “A film is a process from writing, all the way to the final product,” she explains. “It lives with you for a minimum of two years, if not three or four.”

Another distinction she draws between television and cinema lies less in aesthetics and more in how audiences consume stories.

“People grow with television,” she says. “Especially long-form TV, where you can take your time telling a story over four or five months.” This gives viewers time to form connections with the drama. Cinema, by contrast, offers no such luxury.

“In a film, you have to captivate the audience within a very short span of time,” she says. “You have to be good enough to make people sit through it and then tell others to go and pay for a ticket and popcorn. The stakes are much higher.”

Contrary to periodic declarations that cinema is dead, she believes the problem is more structural than creative. She notes that there is a renewed interest in cinema, with initiatives such as Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s proposed film city as well as a growing number of institutions training aspiring young filmmakers providing evidence that interest in the medium is steadily building.

“There are a lot of young people who want to build a future in film,” she says. “That’s a good thing.”

But she stresses the need to expand cinema infrastructure beyond a handful of multiplexes in major cities, making theatres more widely accessible. “The biggest hurdle is that there are not enough cinemas,” she says. “And there are not enough cinemas because there are not enough films being produced. It becomes a vicious cycle.”

One criticism frequently levelled at Pakistani films is that they often look like extended television dramas. Mehreen, however, rejects the distinction. “I’m not a believer in people who say, ‘This looks like a drama’ and ‘This looks like a film,’” she says.

For her, the visual language of a film is determined by its story rather than by arbitrary notions of scale. A science-fiction film, action blockbuster or historical epic naturally demands a larger-than-life canvas. A family drama, on the other hand, may require something far more intimate.

“If you’re telling the story of a family in a house, you’re not suddenly going to make it look grand just because it’s a film,” she says. “Cinema doesn’t need people running through forests and singing songs,” she says with a laugh. “It’s all about the script.”

She is equally dismissive of another common complaint: that Pakistani films rely too heavily on television actors. Given the absence of a robust film industry, she argues, filmmakers have little choice.

“We don’t have a film industry, so where are we going to get our actors from? “You can cast a completely new actor,” she says, “but people are more likely to buy a ticket if they see a Humayun Saeed, a Fahad Mustafa, a Mahira Khan or a Mehwish Hayat.”

The passion to tell stories

Despite all the frustrations, what keeps her going, I ask. “Because that’s the only thing I know how to do. Otherwise, what would I do? I don’t know how to make money otherwise,” she says, self-deprecatingly.

I remind her that during our previous interview, a decade ago, she said that telling stories drives her — does she still feel the same?

“Yes, obviously. Because there are so many stories to tell, and so much maza (fun) in telling them. There are so many facets of human relationships and human character to explore — it’s endless.”

And although the ingredients in most stories are the same — love, jealousy, heartbreak — she believes there are infinite ways to tell them, because the context can always change.

“I just love delving into people’s dark, secret lives,” she says with a laugh.

She is currently working on another serial with Sanam Saeed and Emmad Irfani. “It’s going to be interesting. It’s very, very contained. Unlike Dr Bahu, it’s a much more streamlined story.”

New York vs Karachi

Mehreen has long settled into a life split between New York and Karachi over the past 24 years. Broadly speaking, New York is where she lives a more unstructured, personal life (although she does some of her post-production work there), while Karachi is where she works.

What she loves about New York, she says, is the presence of friends who have become like family, and the sense of independence it gives her in everyday life. The city also keeps her connected to a wider cultural world — “world cinema, world theatre, exhibitions.”

On the other hand, Karachi offers comfort, family, and work. “I love working here,” she says. I ask her if living away prevents her from feeling the pulse of audiences here. She replies in the negative, saying she remains closely engaged with Pakistani television, makes a conscious effort to stay updated, and watches the latest serials.

I ask her whether she is a workaholic. She says no, “I used to be, not anymore. What I love to do now is go to the gym. Because I feel more and more, as one is growing older, it’s so important to learn about building strength for later on in life.”

Alongside this, she speaks about a growing desire to travel more and see more of the world. With fewer familial obligations, she feels a certain freedom in shaping her time differently. “As I don’t have a family, my responsibilities, thankfully, are not that many,” she says.

When asked if that was a conscious choice, she is matter-of-fact. “It just never happened. Never wanted kids, never happened. Zero regrets.”

She also speaks about wanting to return to reading. “I definitely want to restart reading,” she says. “I’ve become too involved in video games on my phone, which I play to relax.”

She remains deeply drawn to television and film and wants to watch more of them — no surprises there — and is also a foodie. “I love going for brunch with friends,” she says. She is also a long-time vegetarian, although not vegan. “I love cheese and eggs. I love food.”

As the conversation winds down, I ask her if there is a question she has never been asked but feels she should be. She pauses, then says it would be: “How does one’s state of mind or general attitude change as one grows older?”

Her answer to her own question is nuanced and reflective. “There is more thehraao (calmness),” she says. “One becomes more self-assured and has fewer conflicts with oneself. There is a greater appreciation of self-worth and a tendency to live life on one’s own terms, rather than worrying about what random people think. There is also a humbler approach to life. That’s what comes with age.”

It is this calmness within her that seeps into her work, which has long been anchored in restraint rather than spectacle. That quiet self-introspection, too, feels inseparable from her craft — shaping her not just as a director, but as a storyteller who observes more than she imposes, and trusts silence as much as dialogue.

Published in Dawn, ICON, June 21st, 2026

Cover photo: Stephan Andrew/White Star

In a video posted on his Instagram account on Saturday, the actor warned the move would result in local artists, technical crew and other people associated with filming losing their jobs.

He started by recognising that the government was working to promote filmmaking in Pakistan, “Recently, we’ve all been very happy the way the Punjab government, the Sindh government, the federal government have been supporting our film industry, the way they’ve been making investments and lending support.”

“But something came up in the budget that has left us shocked and worried… On one hand, you’re talking about supporting the industry; on the other, there’s talk of removing taxes from international projects,” the actor said.

He said the “confusion” from the authorities had left many people scratching their heads.

Quraishi said Pakistani dramas had made a place in the world and were popular across a number of international markets, such as India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Azerbaijan and Turkiye. He questioned why we would encourage film imports when our own content was well-received.

The actor went on to say that every drama shot in Pakistan has “at least 100 people” attached to it, from actors to writers, directors, technical staff and vendors. He said if even 10 slots on TV were given to foreign content, it would result in the loss of at least 1,000 Pakistani jobs.

Back in the day, he said, at the very least, Pakistani dubbing artists could make a living from foreign content. Quraishi said even that had dried up nowadays after artificial intelligence had taken over dubbing work.

“The loss will be borne by our own people. It doesn’t matter to me or to other people raising concerns… but there are people who need work and we want all of them to have jobs,” he said.

He requested the government to reconsider its decision in the interest of Pakistan’s people.

Earlier on Thursday, actor and director Shamoon Abbasi also objected to the move, saying it took Pakistan “10 years to re-establish our drama industry” after a prior surge in the airing of foreign content.

“Bringing back foreign content to Pakistan will destroy the actors, producers, directors [and] writers once again,” Abbasi said.

“We celebrate the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of James ‘Jimmy’ Burrows, who passed away peacefully today surrounded by his loving family,” his family said in a statement. The time and place of his death were not disclosed.

Burrows won 11 Emmy Awards for excellence in television and helmed more than 1,000 episodes of hit programmes, working as a director, producer and writer.

Burrows was among the early innovators of the multi-camera sitcom — short for situation comedy — when his prolific career began in the 1970s, directing episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laverne & Shirley and The Bob Newhart Show. His first Emmy came for directing Taxi, a groundbreaking comedy starring Danny DeVito, Andy Kaufman and Tony Danza, about the rough-and-tumble staff of a New York City taxicab company.

He directed 236 episodes and also co-created Cheers with longtime collaborator James Brooks, as well as its spin-off Frasier. His other hit shows include The Big Bang Theory, Mike & Molly, and 3rd Rock from the Sun. Recently, Burrows took a rare step in front of the camera and starred as himself in The Comeback, reuniting with Friends star Lisa Kudrow for a show that pokes fun at life behind the scenes working on a sitcom in Hollywood.

“For more than five decades, Burrows was one of the most influential and beloved directors in television history. As a legendary director, mentor, and creative force, he helped shape generations of comedy and brought immeasurable joy to audiences around the world,” his family said.

Cover photo: AFP

The Australian actor, who takes on the dual role of Supergirl/Kara Zor-El, joined cast members Jason ​Momoa, Eve Ridley and Matthias Schoenaerts at a UK sneak peek fan event in London ‌on Thursday, teasing an unexpected turn on the big screen.

“I would describe her as a very reluctant hero. I think she’s a bit of a rebel, but she’s got a lot of humility, and I think audiences are going to ​be very surprised,” Alcock said.

Landing the lead role in the summer blockbuster took the House of the ​Dragon and Sirens actor, 26, on an empowering and emotion-filled journey.

“It’s my first film, so ⁠it’s kind of been the biggest thing ever in the world. And I feel like now I ​can do anything because I’ve done something like this,” Alcock said. “It was like every feeling at once, the ​highest highs and the lowest lows. It’s a beautiful sea of bliss and self-doubt.”

The movie is based on the 2021-22 comic book series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, with I, Tonya and Cruella filmmaker Craig Gillespie directing from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira.

It sees Superman’s ​cousin Kara embarking on an intergalactic mission with the young Ruthye Marye Knoll (Ridley), to hunt down space ​pirate Krem of the Yellow Hills (Schoenaerts) and avenge the murder of Ruthye’s family and save Supergirl’s dog, Krypto. Along the ‌way, they ⁠come across Aquaman actor Momoa’s bounty hunter Lobo.

Gillespie said his vision for the movie was shaped by the grit and authenticity of the source material and the unapologetic attitude of its protagonist.

“Particularly for a female superhero, she wasn’t on this pedestal. She was flawed. She was going through trauma. She had issues she was ​trying to figure out,” said ​Gillespie. “And to see that ⁠and have it be something that you can actually relate to, a person that you can recognise in yourself, I was really excited to be able to ​do it in this kind of film.”

For Momoa, landing the role of Lobo ​was a ⁠longtime dream and goal.

“It’s a proud achievement. You never think you’re going to play your childhood comic book character,” said Momoa, adding that Lobo serves as “a little bit of spice” in the movie.

“You get to see what ⁠he’s like. ​It’s just to see if you guys like Lobo, maybe we’ll ​do more,” Momoa said. “It’s the same thing like Aquaman, we start out slow and if fans love it, then of course we’re going ​to service that.”

Supergirl begins its global theatrical roll-out on June 24.

Her acting prowess is compelling and irrefutable. All she needs to do is step into a frame and the eye is drawn towards her. She won’t be the loudest voice in the room. Nor will she court headlines with regular, viral social media content. She might not play the ‘main lead’, per se, in a project. But in spite of all this, Hajra always stands apart, on the basis of sheer talent.

“You know, some time ago, someone observed that I seemed very calm and asked if I was not as passionate about my work,” Hajra tells Icon. “I said no, I just know where I am going, and I know that what is to happen is unstoppable. No one can get in my way because the big guy at the top is looking after me. I am just, very patiently, looking forward to all the different pieces of the puzzle to come together.”

This was our conversation a few weeks ago. Today, her words ring true, with some of the pieces of the puzzle truly coming together neatly.

Whether playing the unwanted wife, a doomed girlfriend or another supporting character, actress Hajra Yamin has the rare ability to draw all eyes to herself. And it’s not because of her curly locks. As audiences celebrate her layered performance in Dr Bahu, she explains why she would willingly straighten her hair and trade her critical acclaim for commercial success…

In a recent episode of the currently on-air ARY Digital drama Dr Bahu, Hajra’s character, Minna, suffered a breakdown and, without too many words or theatrics, she made the audience cry with her. Social media has been flooded with praise for her performance, with many pointing out that they want to see an actress of her calibre in more dramas and in even better roles.

Throughout Dr Bahu, even though she is not playing the lead, Hajra has consistently delivered an outstanding performance. She expresses emotion and restraint through fleeting glances, pauses or a subtle squaring of her shoulders, establishing her character as a crucial linchpin of the storyline.

She is also starring in two other mainstream dramas: the top-rated Humrahi on Geo Entertainment and the long-awaited Aik Mohabbat Aur on Green Entertainment. Again, she may not be playing the archetypal lead, but when she comes onscreen, her impact lingers.

“I would, one day, like to be the main lead in a love story,” she says, “but as an actor, you have to make the best out of whatever comes your way. So, if what I am doing on-screen today is making the audience pause and feel that my performance is memorable, it is because, over these years, I have been preparing. All this love and attention will take me to better places.”

She adds: “Where I am right now is also a great place. If I had gotten everything early, then what I am doing right now would not have come to me. I did not have the same hold over my craft back when I first started out eight years ago. There were highs and lows but, looking back today, it was all fun.

“It’s so crazy, but when life gets difficult, one of the first things that comes to my mind is how I can translate the emotions I am feeling on to the screen. Ultimately, it is a luxury to get tired while struggling in a line of work that you love.”

She also has the audience’s love, I point out to her. She smiles. “This is something that I only realised recently. It is overwhelming.”

Making ‘space’

The audience’s faith in her stems from the many different roles that she has played over the course of her career. Hajra has always tried to swim against the tide, opting for challenging characters rather than the usual commercially viable ones.

Having said that, with Dr Bahu, one wonders if she is getting pigeonholed into playing the unwanted wife? After all, she had played a similar role in her last memorable role in Noor Jehan. While both roles have been lauded, did she also sense the repetition?

“The basic crux is the same,” she agrees, “which is why I had initially refused to play my role in Dr Bahu. But then, Nadeem [Baig] bhai, who has produced the drama under the Six Sigma Entertainment banner, intervened and told me that he really wanted to see me in this role. I had played Sumbul in Noor Jehan and Ifra in Main Manto Nahin Hoon, and he said that Minna in Dr Bahu would depict me in a new light.”

But does it really?

“The thing is, when I read the whole script, I felt that Minna’s background was different from Sumbul’s,” she replies. “She is educated but lacks confidence. She is patient, but she will reach a breaking point and finally make a decision for herself. I was very focused on portraying Minna in a different way, and then, of course, she does reach a different conclusion.”

She continues: “I also have to give credit to Adeel Husain for giving me the freedom to perform. The first time I saw him act was in Daam. He had been incredible, and I was very excited to be acting with him in Dr Bahu. He is incredibly generous and secure as an actor, giving you room to play while, in a very raw, organic way, making sure that his own character is registered.

“You see, in Dr Bahu, Minna did not have as many nuances to her as Sumbul had in Noor Jehan. I learnt from Adeel how an actor needs to make space for themselves, shamelessly, passionately, regardless of the script. I love it.”

Gravitating to directors

It seems that Nadeem Baig was right: Minna has proven to be yet another feather in Hajra’s well-plumed acting hat.

“Nadeem Baig is someone that I can always trust to be fair with every single character in a story,” declares Hajra. “Although he is a male director, he has a well-developed female gaze. He knows how to tell a story in an extremely sensitive way, capturing details and nuances that even you sometimes don’t realise are there.”

Is this why she signed on to play the minuscule role of Ifra in the Nadeem Baig-directed Main Manto Nahin Hoon? “Yes,” comes the reply. “Ifra’s character on paper was far more limited than what Nadeem Baig made it appear on screen. I think if any director can pull off a script written by Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar, it’s Nadeem Baig. He told me that my character will be loved, and I was on board.”

She adds, “The drama had such a great ensemble cast that I knew that, even if I was playing a small role, it would be seen, and that is exactly what happened — it was watched by a lot of people.”

We move on to her more recent characters. What inclined her towards Humrahi, which features Danish Taimoor and Hiba Bukhari in a romantic pairing?

“This was the first time that I was going to work with Babar Javed, and he’s a very respected name in the industry,” says Hajra. “I really enjoyed myself. I learnt how to channel my emotions without being allowed the luxury of time. As actors, we need to be flexible because, sometimes, there are lighting issues or outdoor shoots that need to wrap up by a certain time. Humrahi taught me that, with a good director of photography (DOP) and good production quality, a lot more work can be completed without compromising on the acting.”

And what prompted her to sign on to Aik Mohabbat Aur, co-starring Ahad Raza Mir and Maya Ali? “The director, Farooq Rind,” she says simply. “When I read the script, I didn’t see much room for myself, but my manager insisted that Dada — a popular nickname for Farooq Rind — would make something substantial of the role. When I started shooting for the drama, I clicked with him within a few days. He is such a pleasant, patient director to work with.”

She adds, “Usually on TV drama sets, there is this rush to get work completed. But with directors such as Nadeem Baig and Farooq Rind, the scenes being played out are the main priority. When you get a taste of sets like these, where the performance is everything, where you rehearse and where everyone on set is treated equally, you no longer want to settle for less.”

The hair and after

Hajra has straight hair in Aik Mohabbat Aur, which I observe is a departure from her signature thick, curly mane. “Yes, I wanted to try out a new look, even though the director said that he was fine with my hair. However, I wanted it to be straight.”

In fact, Hajra’s curly hair is striking and unique — has she ever considered getting it permanently straightened to achieve a more conventional look? “I have thought about it and, if the director or a character requires it, I am willing to change my appearance,” she replies.

“I really love my hair, though. What irks me, though, is when people start talking about only my hair and not my performance.” I don’t think that’s possible, I tell her.

Commercial or critical acclaim?

Does she prefer commercial or critical acclaim?

“Commercial,” she answers promptly. “I love being critically acclaimed, but I have been there, done that, and I think that some people subconsciously have started thinking that I only want to work in certain genres. That’s not true. As an actor, I want to work in every genre and be seen in every type of project.”

She continues: “I am at a point in my career where I know what I bring to the screen and the impact that I leave. I am blessed that, even when I play a relatively small role, the response is always phenomenal.”

I tease her: some of her peers might find working with her intimidating. Her eyes widen, and she exclaims, “Yes, I have heard that!” She pauses. “It can sometimes lead to power struggles, when people register your talent but still don’t want to work with you. There have been times when actors and actresses have said that they don’t want to work with me because they feel that I will overshadow them.”

That sounds like a blessing and a burden, I comment. She agrees.

“Luckily, I have now found a selection of people who want to collaborate with me rather than dim my light. This is why I have become very selective about the work that I do — I want to only work with people who are secure and want to work collectively to make a project better.”

Garnering praise

It is a testament to Hajra’s talent that even when she is relegated to a comparatively small role — the unwanted wife, the girlfriend who gets murdered after four episodes and so on — the audience is riveted by her performances. Imagine the power that she could wield should channels, producers and directors sign her on for better roles and give her better placement in dramas.

At this point, though, when she is being showered with praise from around the world, social media is rife with comments on how the audience wants to see more of Hajra Yamin. That includes Indian writer, actress and producer Sutapa Sikdar, the widow of late Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, who recently praised her performance in Doctor Bahu online, calling her “an underrated gem.”

“It’s all upwards from here,” I venture.

Hajra smiles knowingly, as if she’s seen the highs and lows, understood her worth and is ready to take on the future.

“There can be no other way,” she tells me.

Originally published in Dawn, ICON, June 14th, 2026

Chase, who was also notably the girl who crawled out of the TV in horror flick The Ring, died from sepsis after suffering from meningitis in a Los Angeles hospital, her manager John Ryan Jr confirmed to the BBC on Wednesday.

He said she had been admitted to the hospital for malnourishment before her death.

Ryan, her friend and longtime manager, remembered her as “not very Hollywood”.

“She loved acting but wasn’t into the fame scene.”

“She was the greatest. She loved cats. She worked with cat rescues with us. She was very to herself, “ he said about the star.

Chase started her career at the age of four doing voiceover work and theatre; she landed her first TV gig at seven in the sitcom Sabrina The Teenage Witch.

In 2002, she played her most iconic onscreen role as Samara Morgan in The Ring. She earned an MTV Movie Award for the performance.

That was the same year she got cast as the voice of Lilo, the human half of the show Lilo & Stitch’s titular pair. That performance got her an Annie Award for Best Voice Acting.

Her resume included single-episode roles in the TV dramas Charmed, ER and Touched by an Angel. Chase also had a 32-episode stint in the HBO polygamy drama Big Love, playing child bride Rhonda Volmer.

Cover photo: AFP

When Esquire asked him who he thinks should take on the role’s great power and great responsibility, Holland had another young Brit in mind: “Owen Cooper would be awesome. Obviously, he’s super-talented and he’s the talk of the town right now.”

Holland told the outlet he’d love to stay involved in the franchise as a producer though it’s “pretty tough to get a producing credit on future movies.” Still, he said, he’d love to offer a level of mentorship similar to what Robert Downey Jr offered him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“In the way that Robert Downey was such a mentor for me in my first three movies, I would love to be that person for whoever is next,” he explained.

Holland’s choice makes sense given Cooper’s award-winning TV debut in Adolescence where he played Jamie Miller, a troubled teenager who stabs a classmate to death. His performance won him a Golden Globe and made him the youngest boy actor to bag a Primetime Emmy.

Holland is likely the most seasoned Spider-Man, having done more films as the superhero than both his predecessors — Tobey Maguire starred in three instalments while Andrew Garfield was in two. The upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be Holland’s fourth.

Cooper has also previously expressed interest in portraying the friendly neighbourhood hero. He told i-D magazine in March 2025, “I want to play Spider-Man.”

Separately, Holland gave the media the strongest confirmation yet of his marriage to his Spider-Man co-star Zendaya.

He told Esquire his grandmother had been tricked by AI-generated images of his wedding and thought she hadn’t been invited to the event. When asked if he had to explain the photos to other relatives, he responded, “No, because they were all there.”

The actor refused to comment further, saying, “That’s all you’ll get on that.”

He didn’t have He-Man in mind when he made this comment. He died in 1981, two years before the original cartoon’s debut. But he might as well have. (He was talking about the phallus, if you’re wondering).

It is difficult to think of a more quintessentially Freudian creation than Mattel’s hyperbolically muscular hero: a man who, in the words of his evil nemesis Skeletor in this new remake, draws his power from that “strong, powerful thing hanging between your legs”.

The central conceit of this take on Masters of the Universe is to make, in effect, a male Barbie movie.

Taking a similarly gendered toy product as its prompt, the film tasks itself with answering the question of what He-Man means to audiences in 2026. I suspect phrases like “fresh take”, “modern sensibility” and “toxic masculinity” were used with considerable earnestness at various pitch meetings in the film’s pre-production process.

What Masters of the Universe gets badly wrong is the assumption that the over-the-top masculinity of its campy hero needs to be explained or justified

The story unfolds as follows. A brief prologue introduces us to the young Prince Adam (He-Man before he becomes He-Man) of Eternia, not as a mighty warrior but as a boy struggling to live up to the manly prowess of his father’s expectations. At the bottom of his class in a militaristic world of combat, he is considered by pretty much everyone as a likeable but weedy young boy, ill-equipped to face the world as a proper man.

Then the evil Skeletor shows up, usurps his father’s throne and forces Adam into exile on Earth, where he must embark on a journey of self-discovery, so that he can one day return to the world of Eternia, where he belongs and regain his father’s throne.

The film treats the idea of a flawed, contemporary Adam with conspicuous sincerity, though the first act mines Adam’s embattled masculinity for comedy. We encounter him working in HR, specialising in conflict resolution. His work badge features pronouns. He attends seminars on consent, shares “his truth” freely, and listens compassionately to the truths of others. He is emphatically not the He-Man we remember. Yet, supposedly, he has power, or at the very least is going to.

The continuous jabs at the mismatch between modern society and the masculine ideals embodied in Mattel’s original He-Man toy are presumably attempting to offer a more nuanced, or at the very least more irreverent, take on the He-Man character.

This assumes that comedy always subverts things. It doesn’t. Instead, the humour acts as a kind of permission structure, signalling self-awareness as a means of excusing the moments it actually takes seriously.

There are endless jokes made at the expense of contemporary woke culture. There are some jokes made at the more absurd elements of the franchise’s mythology and iconography. But no jokes are made at anything fundamental to the franchise’s lore or logic.

The film does not invite laughter at the expense of the male physique, the importance of bravery or the combat-based rules by which this entire fantasy world is governed. Indeed, it is here where the humour dries up, choosing to find its “heart” at the moments of physical conquest and sacrifice as Adam returns to Eternia and, well… I shan’t spoil it, but I suspect you can guess the rest.

What Masters of the Universe gets badly wrong is the assumption that the franchise needs to be explained or justified, that He-Man’s phallic symbolism requires management and modernisation rather than, simply, play.

He-Man was never supposed to make sense to begin with. If he had a virtue, it was that the absurdly phallic franchise allowed young children of any gender to hold just a little lighter the gender ideals expected of them. He-Man’s bulging biceps and absurdly one-dimensional characterisation allowed him to embody masculinity in a way no actual man could. And, paradoxically, that made masculinity feel less real as a concept as a result.

The original 1983 cartoon was produced to sell toys, and it sold them most effectively when it was delirious, incoherent and utterly indifferent to the anxieties of adult interpretation. Even the original live-action film was confident enough to produce the camp masculine spectacle that the franchise represents.

This new film is too afraid of its shadow to simply let He-Man be what he is, and trust modern audiences to know what to do with him.

Republished from The Conversation

Originally published in Dawn, ICON, June 14th, 2026

Now let me ask you another question. If you did go exploring said halls, heard demonic screams, ran back to the wall you entered through and managed to return to the real world, would you go back into the void again?

Enter Clark, a struggling furniture salesman. There’s a few things you need to know about him: he has a drinking problem, his wife left him, she’s kept the house and he lives in his furniture showroom — Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire — which he advertises in a pirate costume.

All that to say, things aren’t really looking up for this guy.

That’s when, irritated by high electricity bills and voltage fluctuation, he decides to go down to the basement late one night to investigate. He sees a sliver of light shining through an otherwise solid wall — and when his hand manages to go through the wall itself, he leans in a bit too much and falls into the Backrooms.

Now, if you’re familiar with creepypastas (internet horror stories, not ominously placed lasagna), you already know what those are. But for the uninitiated, it’s a series of endless, empty corridors and rooms lit by fluorescent lights.

It’s supposed to feel just a bit uncanny to the casual observer, like an unlit hallway in a hospital that goes on a little too long or a mall after all the shops have closed, and it does. The film does a good job of capturing that unnerving feeling.

So, Clark enters the Backrooms, exits them and enters again, eventually making it his mission to try and map them out. He tells his therapist about this and wows to bring back proof when she — understandably — doesn’t believe a word of what he’s saying.

Enlisting the help of his trusty crew from the store, the captain embarks on a quest to film the backrooms and prove he hasn’t completely lost his bearings. But Murphy’s Law eventually kicks in and Clark does indeed end up losing his bearings.

I’ll spare you the details of what happens afterwards to avoid giving away any spoilers, but the film suffers from an unfortunate habit of taking itself too seriously.

The film’s score did a lot of heavy lifting when it came to building the necessary tension. The initial scenes inside the Backrooms really wouldn’t have been as unsettling as they were if it weren’t for the music — and the hum of fluorescent lights — in the background.

The setting itself was also well designed. Members of the film crew actually got lost in the 30,000 square feet of set built for this movie. It was almost Nolanian in a way, actually recreating an impossible space instead of resorting to green screens and CGI.

But for a film based on an internet legend, the legend itself doesn’t appear to be the main plot point of the movie. Instead, it seemed to focus more on Clark’s declining mental state — and maybe the whole film can be read as a metaphor for mental health.

The film starts with some ‘found footage’ style action that isn’t adequately explained at any point and maybe it would have been wiser to have continued in that direction. We also don’t get an explanation for what the Backrooms are, how they came to be or why — all we know is that they are massive and ever-changing.

We are also given hints of there being a major threat lurking somewhere in the halls, a threat we never actually come face to face with during the film — I personally don’t believe the pirate was the big bad.

If you’re familiar with this genre of internet horror — especially director Kane Parsons’ prior work on YouTube — you know this concept had heaps of potential, potential it didn’t really live up to in its pursuit of some sort of deeper meaning.

The truth is, the plot of Backrooms feels like a 20-year-old’s film thesis, not a major international feature. The fact that Parsons turns 21 this week doesn’t excuse this, he’s done better.

Overall, the film was not what I had hoped it would be as a creepypasta reader of yesteryear. It wasn’t terrible, and I still see some of the scenes in my dreams a couple of days after having seen the film, so it clearly had an effect.

The same formula — tension, disturbing visuals and a deeper meaning — would’ve worked well for some other, more straightforward internet legends like the Russian Sleep Experiment, but something as lore-heavy as the Backrooms demanded something truer to the source material.

The DOJ said it spent eight ‌months evaluating how the transaction would affect streaming video services, traditional television and the film industry, weighing input from across the entertainment industry.

“The extensive investigatory record reviewed by the division suggests that the impact of the transaction will be to increase competition across the media and entertainment ecosystem, with benefits for American consumers and workers,” the DOJ wrote in a statement ​released on Friday.

Paramount CEO David Ellison’s father, billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, has cultivated ties with President Donald Trump, and the company has hired ​former Trump officials.

Assistant Attorney General Omeed Assefi had said that politics would “absolutely not” drive the DOJ’s review of the transaction.

Competition for audiences, talent, investment

Paramount issued a statement thanking the DOJ for its review of the transaction, which it said would allow the company to better compete in ​an industry defined by an intense scramble for audiences, talent, technology and investment.

“We remain focused on completing the transaction as soon as possible and delivering its benefits ​to consumers, creators and the entertainment industry as a whole,” Paramount said.

The Federal Communications Commission has not yet approved a petition seeking approval for foreign interests, including Gulf sovereign wealth funds, to own up to 100 per cent of the debt in the proposed $110bn deal.

Democratic senators raised concerns about Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds and Chinese companies taking part in the deal. ​They noted that it involves sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi investing in a company that would control CBS stations, as well ​as major cable news operations including CNN. They also cited media reports that China’s Tencent may take part.

The family of Paramount CEO David Ellison will continue to control voting shares. Paramount ‌said in ⁠a filing on Thursday that the “new foreign investors, which will receive only non-voting equity, will not have any ability to influence the company’s editorial decision-making.”

The DOJ said it reviewed more than two million documents obtained from 80 sources in evaluating the deal’s impact on various segments of the entertainment industry.

It concluded that a combined Paramount+ and HBO Max would create a stronger alternative to larger streaming services, and increase competition in a way that would benefit consumers.

The deal is unlikely to ​harm the traditional television business, where ​there is vigorous competition for live ⁠sports, news and political commentary, the DOJ found.

The theatrical business is similarly seeing more robust competition, as Paramount and Warner Bros compete not only with traditional Hollywood rivals, but with smaller independent studios such as A24 and newcomers such as ​Apple and Netflix, which have signalled continued interest in theatrical releases, wrote the DOJ.

Since the deal was announced, theatrical ​production has increased, it ⁠found.

The DOJ dismissed comparisons to the $71bn merger of Walt Disney and Twenty-First Century Fox, which closed in 2019, a year before the COVID-19 outbreak triggered dramatic changes in audience consumption patterns. Disney has substantially increased its spending on content in the years since, the DOJ found.

However, several in Hollywood — including actors, directors, writers and producers — have ⁠expressed concern ​that the merger would result in fewer jobs and less diversity of storytelling.

California, New York and ​other US states are preparing a lawsuit to block the deal, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters last week.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta posted on X that the proposed merger of Warner Bros ​and Paramount “remains under investigation by my office.”

Hayat gave fans a look behind the action and thrill of Pakistan’s “first zombie thriller” on Thursday with an Instagram post showing behind the scenes shots of her and Mustafa.

In the pictures, the pair can be seen in their gym clothes — the film is largely set in a gym where both their characters work — smiling their way through the shoot.

There’s a shot of them both on a motorcycle together, one of Hayat posing next to a yellow car and even a video of the two, hand in hand, hanging from a rope ladder.

Referring to their characters in the caption, Hayat wrote, “You saw Zara (Hayat) and Wali (Mustafa) surviving the chaos on screen in Zombeid but behind the scenes it was all laughter, madness and Fahad’s brilliant sense of humour.”

She thanked Mustafa for “bringing the best energy to set and being the most fun co-star to survive a zombie apocalypse with”.

Hayat said the memories she made on set will “always make me smile”.

In the comments, the two actors had a cute exchange with Mustafa thanking Hayat and Hayat responding with a GIF saying “my hero”.

Zombeid is still screening in theatres nationwide for audiences, with Mustafa’s recent request for cinemas to be exempted from austerity-related timing restrictions in Punjab resulting in a loosening of curbs.

Organised in partnership with Alliance Française Washington, the screening featured four short films from the Eurasia Shorts 2026 Film Festival, presented at the Embassy as part of its debut participation in the festival’s 20th edition. The event brought together diplomats, media, cultural figures and members of civil society.

The most immediate contrast came in the opening pairing: Azam-e-Kuhaan and Entendue.

Azam-e-Kuhaan (A Woman of Courage) follows Naveeda, a woman from Gilgit whose efforts at building community begin after she identifies a lack of support structures for women in her area after marriage. What starts as a small initiative to organise assistance gradually expands into wider community work.

Through local organisation and agricultural activity, she helps women develop livelihoods and skills, turning individual struggle into collective resilience.

Entendue, a French short drama directed by Raphaël Chiche, is set in a Paris suburb and follows Christine, whose outwardly stable family life conceals deep emotional distress. Her central struggle is a feeling of not being heard beyond her domestic roles. The film traces the gradual build-up of this silence, which eventually culminates in her shooting her two daughters.

Placed together, the two films formed a clear contrast. In one, hardship leads to collective action. In the other, it remains internalised until it erupts in violence. One story moves outward into community life. The other remains within the individual.

The films also suggested different ways of viewing the individual in relation to society. In Azam-e-Kuhaan, resilience is expressed through collective effort. In Entendue, the focus remains on individual recognition within a constrained emotional space. The films did not resolve this contrast.

The second half of the programme included two more films that shifted the tone and broadened the thematic scope.

Resilience of Faith, directed by Salman Alam and Maria Patel, follows Ramesh Singh Arora, the first Sikh Member of Provincial Assembly in Punjab. The documentary focuses on his efforts to preserve Sikh heritage and promote interfaith harmony, including his connection to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

Le Skate Moderne, directed by Antoine Besse in 2014, blends documentary and fiction to follow a group of “skater-farmers” in rural France. The film shows skateboarding outside urban spaces, using fields and open landscapes as sites of movement and expression.

Together, the four films offered different perspectives on how individuals respond to constraints. The themes ranged from community action and identity to isolation and creative expression.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh said films have “a unique ability to bring people closer together” and provide “a celebration of our shared humanity, building bridges across cultures, generations and borders.”

She took to Instagram on Tuesday to warn her fellow actors about the impending threat and how they could easily become obsolete if they didn’t carefully go through every contract they signed.

She said she was reviewing a contract for a drama in March when she noticed a clause giving the production house and the channel ownership of her “digital likeness”. She explained that meant they would have the right to use “everything that I have as a human being, my voice, my face, my gestures… And not just for that project, for anything, forever”.

Tareen said she raised the issue with the Actors’ Collective of Pakistan (ACT) and even they didn’t really know how to respond because it was unprecedented. “We thought it would never happen in Pakistan.”

The actor said others in the industry started receiving the same contracts just weeks later, indicating this isn’t just a one-off thing but a growing trend.

Explaining the potential consequences, Tareen said, “First, they use AI just to make your posters, pretty innocent. Then they use your voice for dubbing. Then they call you in for 10 scenes instead of 20, because now the model is training on your existing likeness and footage that they already have. And then, one day, the model is ready and they don’t need to call you in at all.”

She said this had happened earlier in Hollywood, where industry professionals went on strike in 2023 and shut things down until they got legal protections built into their contracts.

The actor acknowledged Pakistan doesn’t have a union like SAG-AFTRA in Hollywood, and there are already so many issues like payment schedules, working conditions and royalties, that many actors already have enough on their plates.

However, she contended that while one bad clause in a long contract might not be the hill many people are willing to die on, it can potentially end their careers in the long term.

She advised actors to look for the following words in any contracts:

• Likeness
• Perpetuity
• AI training model
• Anything that has the words AI in it
• Digital replica
• Intellectual property (IP)
• Synthetic performance
• Broad IP assignment

If any such terms are found, she said, actors should “ask questions, contact ACT Pakistan if you need to or consult with a legal attorney”.

“One actor reading the fine print changes nothing. All of us refusing to sign the same clauses in the same agreement changes everything,” Tareen said.

In the comment section of an Instagram post shared by journalist Sadiq Saleem talking about Yamin’s performance in Doctor Bahu, Sikdar called the actor an “underrated gem”.

“I have seen her in shows where she has incompetent co-actors… she is so thorough with her scenes that she really doesn’t need a great co star,” the writer said.

Sikdar added that whenever Yamin had good co-stars, “the dynamics of the scenes changed so drastically”. She praised Dr Bahu as “a well written and directed show”.

Saleem replied to the writer’s comment saying Yamin “would be elated to read this” and she absolutely was.

The actor replied with a note thanking Sikdar and appreciating her late husband as an inspiration.

“Thank you so much for your support, it means so much to me. I’ve been a fan and student of the late Sir Irrfan Khan’s work for as long as I can remember, so this is incredibly special,” Yamin said.

Sikdar’s comments are reminiscent of a more tolerant, friendly past, when the entertainment fraternities of India and Pakistan would get together and appreciate each other’s work from time to time.

Her late husband was at the forefront of this, even starring alongside Adnan Siddiqui in A Mighty Heart and Saba Qamar in Hindi Medium. His passing was mourned on both sides of the border.

The appreciation for Yamin and Pakistani dramas also shows that they continue to be watched in India despite attempts by New Delhi to curb the consumption of Pakistani content — especially during the war between the two countries last year.

Organisers said the comments, which made fun of sexual violence against Palestinians in Israel, were “offensive and unacceptable”.

“Sexual violence and human suffering should never be mocked or minimised,” the statement read. It said the remarks “do not reflect the Tribeca Festival’s values” and the organising team regrets “the hurt they have caused”.

On Saturday, Gold spoke to Savetsky about his film, saying it was “a really big deal” for his Israel-made film to be screening at the Tribeca Festival. He then joked that he was “only raped by two Israeli dogs”, to which Savetsky countered, “I thought they only raped Palestinians.”

Variety reports that while Gold was on the red carpet as a cast member, Savetsky was not part of any project at the festival this year and was instead invited as a guest of the team behind The Wedding Entertainer (The Tale of Moishe Badhan).

While the joke was obviously offensive, it was made much more so by reports of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons being subjected to sexual abuse and dog attacks as a method of intimidation.

According to a report from Al Jazeera, Kifaya Khraim from the Ramallah-based Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling, said she had spoken to 75 women who were detained in different stations across Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. All 75 said they had been sexually abused in prison.

Khraim said both Palestinian men and women were sexually abused in prison and both male and female Israeli personnel took part in the abuse and torture of detainees.

The report said Israeli prisons held more than 9,600 Palestinians as of this April.

The actor gained global praise in the 1990s for his portrayal of Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also played King Arthur’s father Uther Pendragon on the BBC series Merlin.

“He passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family,” his daughters, Emily and Daisy said in a statement.

“It has been, and forever will be, an honour and a privilege to be his daughters and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many,” they said.

They spoke about “how dearly he will be missed by friends, colleagues and fans of the show he was in”, adding that he “loved his job very much” and “always considered himself incredibly lucky”.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played the titular character on Buffy, posted pictures with Head on Instagram.

“‘Tell Giles I figured it out and I’m ok.’ Well, I don’t have it figured out and I’m not ok. But I know I’m the lucky one because I knew you,” she wrote.

She thanked Emily and Daisy who “not only shared their dad with me, but with the world”.

Their co-stars David Boreanaz and James Marsters also paid tribute to the star, with Boreanaz describing him as, “All kindness and a soul that was inspiring to me.”

Marsters said, “There was a hole in the world,” now that Head had passed away.

“He was an unflaggingly kind and steady presence on the set of Buffy, and the best actor in the cast… I was lucky to have known, and learned from him,” Marsters wrote.

Head also starred in Ted Lasso from 2020 as former Richmond FC owner Rupert Mannion, the ex-husband of Hannah Waddingham’s character Rebecca Welton.

Brett Goldstein, their co-star and a writer on the show, said: “Anthony Head was a brilliant actor who played the worst person in the world, which was an incredible skill because he was the best person.”

“He will be sorely missed,” Goldstein said, sending love to Head’s family.

The actor trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and enjoyed a long stage career, performing in several iterations of The Rocky Horror Show and musicals such as Godspell and Chess.

Head’s other credits included a recurring role on the show Little Britain and appearances in Motherland, Doctor Who, The Archers and Bridgerton.

He also appeared in The Inbetweeners alongside his daughter Emily.

Head came from a family of artists, with his mother being an actor and his father making documentaries. His brother Murray is also an actor, having appeared in the Academy Award-nominated film Sunday Bloody Sunday.

Both his daughters followed their father into acting and Head’s long-term partner Sarah Fisher was an animal rights campaigner. She died in December last year.

The actor posted a copy of the notification issued by the provincial government to his Instagram account, thanking Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for giving his fans the opportunity to watch his film Zombeid in theatres.

“People of Punjab, CM Maryam Nawaz has opened cinemas for you. Now go and watch our film,” the actor wrote in the post’s caption.

In the comments, his Zombeid costar Mehwish Hayat sent him a congratulatory GIF and the province’s ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, sent him love for appreciating the government.

On Tuesday, Mustafa posted an appeal to Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb calling for a “modest” extension in the operating hours of cinemas — which were closing at 8pm like most businesses in the province — to give people time to watch movies later in the evening.

His open letter said the austerity measures were adversely affecting newly-released films which needed “this period to reach audiences”.

Under the new regime, businesses have been divided into four categories with different timing curbs. Shops, markets, shopping malls and bazaars will be the earliest to close at 9pm, with marriage halls, marquees and ceremonial spaces next to shut their doors at 10pm.

Restaurants, cafes, cinemas, eateries and standalone fruit and vegetable shops will close at 11pm under the new schedule and a number of businesses — bakeries, tandoors, milk shops, fuel pumps, CNG stations, electrical vehicle charging stations, gyms, sports facilities, padel courts, IT companies and call centres — will be exempt from these austerity measures entirely.

Hospitals, clinics, medical laboratories, pharmacies, medical and medical supply stores will similarly be exempt owing to their essential nature.

In an Instagram post shared by the festival, the ACPK and its president, Ahmed Shah, it was announced that filmmakers from around the world were invited to submit their work for consideration to be displayed at the festival.

The post said submissions were live on Freeway and a variety of categories were welcome, including documentaries, narratives and short films.

The World Culture Festival will take place at the Arts Council from October 29 to November 22 and is expected to feature over 1,000 artists representing over 140 different countries.

Films aren’t the only thing on display at the festival, which has had strong theatre and music segments over its previous two runs. Dance and visual arts also form part of the festivities with exhibitions, performances and workshops.

The last edition, which ran from October 30 to December 7, had more than 800 artists from 102 countries displaying their work in Karachi.

The extensive film lineup for the 37-day festival included Pakistan’s Dukhtar and The Glass Worker, Spain’s Los Tigres and Glimmers, Polish feature Home and Italy’s Paper heart.

Other highlights of the festival were its many plays and grand weekly concerts and dance nights.

In an open letter to the province’s senior minister, Marriyum Aurangzeb, the actor contended that many moviegoers are busy with other things earlier in the day, so some audiences were “only able to attend screenings later in the evenings”.

Mustafa said that since many cinemas in the province were located inside malls — which close at 8pm under austerity measures taken in view of a global fuel crisis triggered by the Iran-US/Israel war — they were also operating on shortened schedules. “The early closure is affecting recently released films that are relying on this period to reach audiences,” he said.

The actor said a “modest” extension in operating hours would “increase ticket sales”, “support employment across the exhibition and hospitality sectors” and “provide greater access and convenience for audiences”.

Mustafa appreciated the Punjab government for its “support for the film industry,” including initiatives like CM Maryam Nawaz’s Film City plan for Lahore. He requested the government to support the creative sector once more with a “small relaxation” in cinema timings, something that would be “appreciated by filmmakers, exhibitors and cinemagoers alike”.

The actor’s film Zombeid premiered on Eidul Azha and is playing in theatres nationwide. The film was one of three Pakistani movies released over Eid last week, competing for screen space limited by the restrictions in timings — which were relaxed temporarily for the holiday.

Any easing of these restrictions would allow these films more space to reach audiences.

The debate gained momentum after leading actor Deepika Padukone reportedly exited a major project last year over a demand for shorter working hours following motherhood, thrusting the issue of work-life balance into the spotlight in India’s film industry.

Bollywood has long been known for punishing schedules, with shifts often stretching from 12 to 18 hours and, at times, continuing for more than a day during intensive shoots.

But what was once accepted as the norm is now being questioned, with growing calls for humane working conditions and limits on daily hours.

Supporters of reform say the current system disproportionately puts pressure on women, who often face being labelled pushy or difficult — a stigma rarely attached to male stars.

A number of actors, including Suniel Shetty, Kajol and Ram Kapoor, have backed the push for healthier boundaries, arguing that established stars should be able to set limits on working hours.

“Once you have achieved success in showbiz… then, yes, you are in a position to choose how many hours you want to work,” Kapoor told AFP, reflecting a view that bargaining power in the industry remains tied to status.

Others, however, warn that the fluid nature of filmmaking makes rigid eight-hour shifts “unreal” to enforce on mega-budget sets.

Poor planning

“This is not like a corporate job,” said actor Ali Fazal, pointing to the varying demands of projects, particularly action-heavy or technically complex productions.

Actor Chitrangda Singh echoed that argument, citing several variables such as weather disruptions and equipment failures that can derail tightly planned schedules.

“Filmmaking is also driven by business realities,” she said.

Industry insiders highlight the steep costs involved in large productions, where locations, crew and equipment can cost more than $26,000 per day, creating pressure to maximise shooting time.

Former Cine & TV Artistes’ Association official Amit Behl said filmmakers often cannot afford to halt shoots midway, especially when a large crew or elaborate action sequences are involved.

“The bungalow in which Animal (an action blockbuster) was shot cost 25 lakh rupees ($26,300) a day rental,” said Behl.

“Then you have to prop it up with junior artistes, which is an additional expenditure besides catering, electricity, vanity vans and bouncers.”

But critics argue that such explanations often mask poor planning and systemic inefficiencies, placing the burden of long hours on cast and crew.

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur criticised what he called a hierarchy that prioritises top actors over technicians, saying work-life balance should apply to all on the set.

“Everyone (should have) the privilege to define the hours they want to work,” he told AFP.

Workaholic

The controversy has also highlighted disparities within the industry, where junior artistes and crew often have little negotiating power.

For many, the recent debate marks a broader shift in Bollywood, with younger professionals and established stars alike beginning to challenge the long-standing norms.

Yet opinions remain divided.

“I have seen Shah Rukh Khan on sets working 27 hours non-stop when he had to complete a scene. He doesn’t need to do it,” Behl said, referring to the Bollywood superstar.

“But you can’t leave a scene mid-way… if it is an action scene where fighters are involved, anything can happen… it is not like shutting a laptop and working for an IT company.”

Some veterans, like actor Madhuri Dixit, frame the issue as a personal choice rather than a structural problem.

“We did a 12-hour shift or maybe more every day for Mrs Deshpande,” she told AFP, mentioning the 2025 crime thriller.

“But if a woman wants to work (fewer) hours, that is her prerogative, her life… more power to her. To each his own, I’m a workaholic!”

The endless yellow hallways of A24’s Backrooms, directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, terrified tens of thousands of people in its opening weekend to rack up $118 million at the box office.

And Focus Features film Obsession, directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker, has taken in $148 million worldwide in two weeks — a smash hit for a production that cost $750,000.

“It’s a huge, huge success and a real turning point for the industry, potentially,” said associate editor Matthew Frank of The Ankler, a digital media company that covers Hollywood.

“They’re breaking out with these films that are appealing to a younger demographic,” Frank said, adding that the vast majority of ticket buyers the past couple weekends “have been under 35 and even, you know, under 25. So it’s appealing to this demographic [that] normally doesn’t really get spoken to.”

In recent years multiplexes have faced a multi-fold decline, fueled by the rise of streaming, a lag in recovery in ticket sales since Covid, and the strikes that halted production in Hollywood in 2023.

But this year’s numbers are drumming up optimism for the best year since the pandemic.

This is thanks in part to Generation Z, which boosted the box office by 25 per cent last year, according to a report from the National Research Group.

Theatre owners are “ecstatic about these weekends,” said Ronnie Yount, owner of the Phoenix Theatres chain in the Midwest.

Yount compared both films to Lilo & Stitch for driving box office — which seemed unthinkable.

Franchise fails

The trick to tapping into the younger market is to “deliver the right films,” Frank said.

“Hollywood’s problem, for a while, was saying, ‘oh, it’s young people,’ when in fact it was because they were making the 10th (installment in) pre-existing franchises that were popular for their parents.”

The safe bets from studios that hoped to cash in on an endless slate of summer action hero movies turned off younger audiences.

“When you make something that’s for that audience, that’s when they’ll come out,” Frank said.

Parsons, who is known to his 3.2 million subscribers as Kane Pixels on YouTube, has racked up more than 300 million views.

The inspiration for Backrooms came from a photo posted to an internet forum in 2019 showing, without context, a yellow space.

Parsons, then a teenager, told AFP that he saw the image as a “vaguely nostalgic and vaguely dreamlike but also very tangible science-fiction concept.”

His YouTube video of a young man lost in terrifying corridors amassed millions of views in a matter of days, and led to a contract with A24.

His endless nightmare is now on the big screen, starring Oscar-nominated actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve.

Barker went from an audience of 1.1 million subscribers on his channel That’s a Bad Idea to premiering Obsession at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025.

The movie follows the horrifying consequences after a young man’s wish comes true, and the target of his romantic attention begins to love him more than anything else in the world.

Frank said very production company and studio in Hollywood right now is asking: “How can we replicate this?”

“Not just because they’re huge successes, but they’re also made for these limited budgets.”

But he warned it’s not just about finding successful YouTubers.

“It still requires just finding the great filmmakers, which can come anywhere.”

Although far from entertaining, it is by far the most interesting scene in a film that starts from nowhere, dawdles aimlessly, chooses to tell half a story, and ends with a “To Be Continued” bumper.

One can’t help but feel that story writer, director and producer Imran Malik is insisting that the remaining, presumably better half, rests in a sequel. A sequel that may never come to pass.

When one views the film in that context, can one really blame the lead character for being sad?

For the purposes of the story, we learn the source of Zarshaan’s sorrow through low-quality, AI-rendered flashbacks. His parents (Usman Peerzada and Saba Hameed) were researchers who had everything — money, a mansion, and a thriving business in Thailand — but lost it all thanks to a bad investment.

In one atrocious AI flashback, we see them perishing in a highway accident. Zarshaan, being the driver, is ridden with guilt. Or is he?

Penniless, sensible and cheerful enough when not sad — though we never quite understand why a grown man chooses wallowing over taking charge of his life despite his hardships — he helps a disabled boy retrieve a kite. At the end of the kite-chase he ends up — again, with AI-assisted inserts — in an apartment where several young women live.

Presumably an astute, worldly-wise young man (probably because Saeed plays him that way), he fails to notice that there is something off about these women.

For starters, they have no elders in the house, dress conspicuously and strut home late at night from parties, claiming that they’re coming from a shrine. They’re also scared of the law — when sirens blare, they scramble to hide beneath the bed.

It is revealed late in the film (insert dull surprise here) that they are prostitutes. The film chooses to call them ‘Tawaiafs’. Given that he is from Thailand — a country where prostitution thrives with a $6 to $8 billion annual turnover — it is hard to excuse his naivety, or the screenplay’s insistence upon it.

As was bound to happen, our hero falls somewhat in love with Billo (Mamya Shajaffar), the spunky, wide-eyed heroine who doesn’t blink.

“Somewhat” is the operative word here. There is no build-up to the romance, even when 70 per cent of the film unfolds within the confines of two sets that function as Zarshaan’s perpetually messy apartment. The very apartment whose room he rents to the two women.

While the audience tries to make sense of the relationship between the two leads, three side-tracks are shoehorned into the running narrative.

The first is the comic relief, Sardar Happy Singh (Rana Ijaz) — a good-hearted, lascivious sleaze-bag who befriends Zarshaan and then asks him to spy on his cheating wife (Happy, by the way, was cheating on her as well).

The second track involves Sureet (Mehrunisa Iqbal), a Hindu girl abducted at a young age and forced into prostitution. Like Happy’s track, this does not fit naturally into the narrative.

The third — and just as ill-fitting as the other two — features the eternally, manically happy villain (Tabrez Khan), who lives off the prostitutes’ earnings. Apparently a pretty big deal, this unhinged bad guy is never given scenes that establish who he really is or what makes him tick.

These scattered ideas — one cannot even call them a fully mapped-out story — lumber along until the pacing collapses under its own weight. Then the unthinkable happens: screenwriter Wajid Zuberi and Malik flip the script 180 degrees by introducing Babar Ali.

Ali plays one of Luv Di Saun’s two “other” heroes. He is the bodyguard of a billionaire (Rashid Khwaja) searching for his empire’s heir.

No points for guessing that Billo is the heir. After all, as she herself says in a scene, she always felt she didn’t quite belong in the life she was living, even though she is often seen having a ball.

The other “other” hero enters just before the climax: Humayun Saeed. Pakistani cinema’s unassailable superstar plays an unassailable Dabangg-style police officer who holds a tasbeeh in his killer hands. The man frees kidnapped women, looks up to the Almighty for permission, and then saves Zarshaan after he is beaten to a pulp.

By now, Luv Di Saun has thrown Farhan Saeed’s character to the sidelines, abandoning the idea of a simple wrong-side-of-the-tracks love story and replacing it with a plot-line that makes little to no sense.

And yet the film is still not over. The aforementioned “To Be Continued” bumper hits the viewer like a sledgehammer, alluding to a far bigger story that’s left up in the air. A story worth, perhaps, 10 minutes of screen time.

One fails to see the bigger picture here. For a good two and a half hours, the audience is forced to accept an unmapped half-picture — one that is amateurishly edited, badly sound-designed, and constricted to a few sets — only to be told that even this minuscule story has been left incomplete.

One wonders if Luv Di Saun is worse than Imran Malik’s last film, Azaadi, starring Moammar Rana and Sonya Hussyn. It is definitely better acted — though only because of Saeed, who is on-screen for 80 per cent of the runtime; it is also better shot (the director of photography is Syed Faisal Bukhari), and has a decent song or two. But these few qualities do not equate to a better experience.

For the most part, the long running time desperately tries to build characters. Both Zarshaan and Billo have scenes that could have added dimension and emotional resonance; instead, they feel fake and superficial. After a while, the entire exercise grows repetitive.

Being boring is the least of Luv Di Saun’s problems, though. The bigger issue is its failure to figure out its own story — and without a story brimming with passion, conviction, conflict, and forward momentum, what is left in a film other than wasted hours?