10 notable quotes that defined Pakistan's entertainment scene in 2015

It's the age of speaking out.

It's become second nature to air one's views on any available platform, from the mobile phone to an actual, physical podium. Everyone does it, so why should our celebs stay behind?

From the no-holds-barred, motormouth approach of Hamza Ali Abbasi to the occasional gem that was Amna llyas' Lux Style Awards speech, the year has been rich in quotable quotes.

Here's a list of our top picks:

1) "How em looking": Qandeel Baloch

Qandeel Baloch gave the selfie generation a catchphrase when she uttered those three words in the now viral video above.

The innocuous phrase was also quite revealing.

'How em looking' encapsulates our generation's need for validation online — it's the exact question we're asking when we check-in at the IT places to be and Insta all our fancy buys. And it's this pervasive selfie culture that's made Qandeel Baloch a social media star.

Has the emphasis on looks and surface achievements overtaken our desire for real accomplishments? Hmm.

2) "Axcuse me, aap bhi?": Waseem Hassan Sheikh

Yes, that is his real name. The star of the infamous 'KitKat Telcum Powder' commercial joined Qandeel in mutilating the English language this year.

Aided by his line 'Axcuse me, aap bhi?', he propelled the idea of the nonsensical advert and was rewarded with a second project: this burger commercial.

The hope is that we remain as fascinated by the sublime as fond we are of the ridiculous.

Thankfully, 'Taste karoge' didn't have the same currency as 'Axcuse me'.

3) "God dislikes that any woman should be named [in the Quran]": Junaid Jamshed

It wasn't the first time that a misstatement of Junaid Jamshed went against him, and it probably won't be the last.

JJ's response to a query on a TV show was troubling, because it suggested a sexist leaning in his interpretations of religious matters.

The backlash was enough to make him apologise, but his apology reeked of sexism as well:

"A woman is a diamond. Diamonds are meant to be hidden."

Perhaps the most troubling part is that JJ is still a regular fixture on the TV circuit. Does the backlash serve as a ratings booster?

4) "I won't hate you if you're gay but I will certainly not CELEBRATE IT": Hamza Ali Abbasi

Yup, and he continued: "Stop trying to justify homosexuality under the banner of 'universal love." As people all over the world, including Pakistan, put a rainbow filter on their Facebook profile pictures in celebration of America's legalisation of gay marriage, they found a vocal critic in Hamza Ali Abbasi.

He said the country has bigger problems to deal with, and we shouldn't be occupying ourselves with "trying to make normal and natural what is abnormal and unnatural."

No Hamza, that description of gay sexuality doesn't sound offensive or hateful at all.

5) "If you think you have the right to kill Ahmedis for their beliefs, don't complain if USA thinks you should be killed for your beliefs": Hamza Ali Abbasi

And just when we thought he'd hit rock bottom...

Hamza redeemed himself when he spoke in defense of Ahmedis after an Ahmedi-owned factory and place of worship was torched in November.

6) "Anyone can hit a six but challenge is in a century": Reham Khan

Reham Khan may have uttered the best cricket metaphor to date.

Since Reham said this right after Imran-Reham shocked the nation by announcing their divorce, many saw the statement as a jibe at Imran Khan.

Reham denied its connection to her short-lived marriage to the former captain of Pakistan's cricket team... but we're not quite sure we believe her.

7) "This award is an answer to everyone who thought I am not beautiful because I am dark": Amna Ilyas

Amna Ilyas dissed her dissers at the Lux Style Awards this year!

In one of the best acceptance speeches of the night, Amna Ilyas, who bagged the Best Female Model of the Year award, slayed her detractors in one fell swoop: she half-dedicated her win to all the naysayers who consider her dusky complexion a professional flaw.

"...there were people who criticised me by saying, 'Yeh tou kaali hai.' So for everyone who thought I am not beautiful just because I am dark. This award is an answer to that!"

You said it, girl!

8) "You don't need to do an item number for respect in Pakistan": Mahira Khan

Mahira Khan added a refreshing dimension about the mini-debate surrounding item numbers in Pakistani films.

Whether or not it is a 'borrowed trend' from India as Hamza Ali Abbasi states, Mahira said that an item number is not necessary for respect in Pakistan.

While saying she felt lucky to be an actor in Pakistan, she observed:

"The more clothes you wear, the more respect you're given. You don't need to do an item number for respect here."

9) "A film's content can not challenge the dignity of my country": Mawra Hocane

When Saif Ali Khan said "I don't have faith in Pakistan", all hell broke loose.

He eventually had to admit that "I’m nobody to say that I have faith or don’t have faith in a country in general".

But before he came clean, it was Mawra Hocane who made the same point in an open letter:

"A film's content can not challenge the dignity of my country as Pakistan is beyond a filmmaker's opinion of it and its dignity is way more sacred for it to be questioned by a film. I consider films just "films" nothing more nothing less."

10) If [the Taliban] came to kill me, I'd say, "I want education for your children as well": Malala

Malala's had a big year what with the documentary He Named Me Malala making waves around the globe.

But a truly poignant moment occurred when Malala appeared on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show and floored the host with her wisdom:

“I used to think that the Talib would come and he would just kill me. But then I said, ‘If he comes, what would you do, Malala?’ Then I would reply to myself, ‘Malala, just take a shoe and hit him.’ But then I said, ‘If you hit a Talib with your shoe, then there would be no difference between you and the Talib. You must not treat others with cruelty, you must fight others but through peace and through dialogue and through education.’ Then I said I will tell him how important education is and that ‘I even want education for your children as well’;. And I will tell him, ‘That’s what I want to tell you, now do what you want.’ ”