Top 12 Pakistani social media wins and fails in 2015

Alfred Hitchcock once said, "What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out."

And today's social media proves his point. Wedged between photos of breakfast and cat videos are the highs and lows of the lives of others, made available to our viewing by the far reaches of the Internet.

Whether it is the unlikely rise of neighbourhood stars or a celeb faux pas that unfortunately everyone knows about, social media gives us a diversion from the daily grind, just like TV or the movies would.

Here are some of the best social media moments that took place in 2015:

Social media wins of 2015

1) Justin Bibis sang Bieber's 'Baby'... and got their own gig!

This was a successful song cover, if there ever was one.

Two teenagers from Lahore's outskirts, Saania and Muqqadas, performed their rendition of Justin Bieber's 'Baby' to the tune of their mother Shahnaz's matka drum. The video made the rounds of the internet, paving the way for their breakthrough on national TV. From then on, the duo was known as the Justin Bibis.

The BBC took notice as the Bibis got compliments from all over the world. Some said they gave "competition" to Bieber; others admitted that "Pakistan's got talent".

Their singing talent was further recognised when they were roped in for the Coca-Cola World Cup anthem, and gave the star-studded original a run for its money.

Also read: Justin Bibis' World Cup anthem destroys celeb original

2) HONY came to Pakistan, and many wishes came true.

Boy, were those exciting times.

Popular photoblog Humans of New York made its way to Pakistan in August this year, and nearly everyone wanted to be featured.

Also read: Photo op alert: 'Humans of New York' to come to Pakistan

The photographer Brandon Stanton traversed the country's length, from Karachi to Lahore to Islamabad and the Northern Areas, and collected a treasure trove of stories.

Not only did it give a lucky few their five minutes of fame, HONY managed to raise awareness about important issues. He profiled Syeda Ghulam Fatima's efforts to end bonded labour in Pakistan's brick kilns, which resulted in donations amounting to nearly 2 million dollars for her cause.

Also read: HONY helps raise 1.2 million dollars to end bonded labour in Pakistan

Brandon concluded his tour with a 'soft image' of and a powerful message about Pakistan:

3) Asif and Mudassir's friendship furore got the tabloids talking

Unless you're Deepika Padukone, the papers don't write about who your friends are... or aren't.

But one ordinary Pakistani Asif Raza Rana was afforded that (arguable) honour in September, as online dailies picked up the Facebook declaration of his breakup with best bud Mudassir.

The Facebook breakup grabbed attention with its jarring design that centred on a triumphant Asif with his new best friend Salman, while crossed out photographs of former friend Mudassir languished in the sides.

The Independent called it "the greatest relationship tragedy since Romeo and Juliet".

Like Shakespeare, Asif's coinage has caught on. 'Proudy', the word he used to describe his best friend, is now a popular insult on social media.

Daily Mail acknowledged that his "dramatic Facebook announcement [swept] the Internet".

Asif's breakup post currently has around 11,000 likes, over 5,000 comments, and has been shared more than 9,000 times.

The friendship saga, by the way, continues. Asif has since "regained friendship" with Mudassir:

Meanwhile, his other best friend Salman jetted off to Norway without telling him last week and left him weeping:

Sigh, how much is this man to bear?

4) Ali Zafar made Junaid Jamshed admit that women aren't inferior

The summer was foot-in-mouth season for Junaid Jamshed.

First, he declared that God dislikes that any woman should be named [in the Quran]. Then, he clarified that he meant to say that women are diamonds, so they should be hidden.

While Twitter erupted in fury for his sexist remarks, musician/actor/film producer and all around nice guy Ali Zafar decided to get things straight.

He put the question directly to JJ: does he think women are inferior to men?

And JJ responded: Not at all.

Now, wasn't that easy! Don't we wish JJ had said that several viral videos ago!

Ali Z followed that up with another question (just to be sure):

Hmmm, we're not sure what to make of that response.

Also read: Love in the time of Twitter: Ali Zafar and Junaid Jamshed's bromance

5) Mawra Hocane's dream man calls her 'beautiful'

Mawra Hocane's mission was accomplished when she wrangled her B-town friends into getting her dream man Ranbir Kapoor to send her a message. And what a shout-out it was!

Ranbir calls her "extremely talented" and "extremely beautiful" and said he "hoped to see [Mawra] soon".

He seals this virtual letter with a flying kiss.

Can we blame the girl for being over the moon?

6) Reporter Chand Nawab's viral video of losing it found him fans in Bollywood and made him a star

Reporter Chand Nawab couldn't have guessed that one of his career's lowest moments would eventually catapult him to new heights of fame.

The viral video of his on-camera outburst, which cost him his job and kept him from getting another one, reached India, and tickled the fancy of one Kabir Khan. The director resolved to replicate the scene in his future films; Nawazuddin Siddiqui mimicked Chand Nawab in his blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijaan, paving the way for Chand Nawab's fan following.

Chand Nawab's phone didn't stop ringing for a while, and he became a local hero, so much so that his later run-in with the police made headlines.

Social media fails of 2015

1) Komal Rizvi's selfie gone wrong

Almost everyone's taken a selfie they may regret, but Komal Rizvi's ill-timed photo op with an ailing Edhi sahab got her more flak than her music does.

Read on: Bad timing? Social media slams Komal Rizvi's selfie with Edhi

Trust people to channel their ingenuity into an activity so inane. A spate of memes followed:

While some had a good laugh at her expense, others were seriously critical:

Despite the reaction, Komal maintains that her selfie with Edhi is "possibly the greatest and best" she's ever taken.

At the end of it all, we don't know whose was the real fail: Komal for her ill-timed selfie, or everyone else, for judging her for it.

2) Qandeel Baloch. Period.

If there is an internet sensation that we regret, it's Qandeel Baloch.

Read on: Who is Qandeel Baloch and what is she doing on my timeline?

Come on, you know who we're talking about. Don't tell us you've never stumbled across this:

The fail is on us, though: we can't help but watch those darn videos!

3) Ayesha Sana's outburst of yore refuses to die down, gets a Dubsmash tribute

We know divas can have a temper, but few can match the fury of Tv anchor Ayesha Sana.

Ayesha Sana's infamy reached a new high (or low, to be exact): No video is truly viral until celebs haven't paid it tribute on Dubsmash.

And some of Pakistan's top models did just that during downtime:

Too bad her luck hasn't shone like Chand Nawab's.

4) Tabussam Mughal's botched bridal delivery

Brides have tantrums, as do their mothers - and we know designers can be some of God's cattier creations.

But did we think that this combination could result in a catfight so epic, that it could bring police to the latter's door? Just ask Tabassum Mughal, whose client got hostile when her daughter's bridal dress did not meet her expectations.

While we don't know who started it, the client had (photos of) bruises by the end of it. Enter the police, and the matter gets settled to the tune of a more than a few lacs.

Tabassum Mughal coughed up the damages, and suffered the ignominy of a social media scandal.

5) Mahira Khan's innocuous Halloween photo gets blown out of proportion

Who would have thought that a Halloween costume as harmless as Catwoman would get somebody in trouble? But such is the hard luck that recently befell our beloved actress Mahira Khan.

At Nabila's Halloween party, the svelte leading lady went as Catwoman, and posed for a picture with Asim Raza, the director of her upcoming film Ho Mann Jahaan.

Now, Asim was geared up in Shiv Sena's signature saffron and even sported a placard that said 'Mahira ko bahir nikalo!', referencing the Shiv Sena's recent threats to Mahira and fellow actor Fawad Khan.

Many people across the border construed Mahira's joint picture with Asim as Mahira's 'answer' to Shiv Sena.

The actress, whose Bollywood debut film Raees is still ongoing, had to clarify that the photo was not a political statement:

6) Faisal Qureshi pseudo-nationalist rant against a Bolly flick exposes him as sexist

Kabir Khan's Phantom ruffled a few feathers, but not more than TV anchor Faisal Qureshi's sensationalist rant against the film.

Also read: How Phantom, Faisal Quraishi and Shaan vs. Mawra exposed sexism in our midst

In a video that draws ridiculous parallels like the hope that piracy of Bollywood films would bring about the downfall of India's economy, he repeatedly addresses Phantom's lead actor Saif Ali Khan as "Madam" and "little girl", as if calling a man a woman is an insult.

Faisal Qureshi was slammed not just by his regular audience, but colleagues as well:

This article is part of a series that looks back on 2015. For more, follow Images.Dawn.Com on Facebook and on Instagram at @dawn_images.