Dar Si Jati Hai Sila - Drama in Focus

 By Hamza Shafique (Instagram / Facebook)

 

Dar Si Jati Hai Sila (DSJHS) is Hum TV’s new heavy budget, big star cast extravaganza infused with bitter household realities and moral lessons. I really respect Hum TV for pushing the envelope with every production. DSJHS tells the story of a joint family system and highlights some controversial aspects of it.

Paddington 2 - Movie Review (4/5 stars)

By Hamza Shafique (Instagram / Facebook)

I will be honest I have never read any book nor watched any TV show on the British classic character Paddington bear from 60s. So, had no idea what to expect from it as I have not even seen the first film. At first, I thought it’s a kids movie but when I found 32-year-old me having side-splitting laughter along with my 30 year old sister, I realized I was wrong. Paddington 2 is a British live-action/CGI animated comedy film based on the stories of the classic character from English children's literature called Paddington Bear created by Michael Bond.

Life Lessons from Tumhari Sulu

By Hamza Shafique (Instagram / Facebook)

Suresh Triveni’s Tumhari Sulu is the newest addition to the list of women centric comedy dramas. Beauty of these movies is that they always have a message embedded with in a story that focuses on the life and issues of ordinary Desi (south Asian) women. These movies are always composed of relatable realistic characters, which keeps the whole experience interesting and also thought provoking. I am a huge fan of this genre, English Vinglish and Queen are one of my most favorite films of all times and now Tumhari Sulu joins the rank after them. Tumhari Sulu embodies plethora of Desi Household realities that call for a life lesson post from me, so I will list all the important highlights from the film followed by a short review.

Better Watch Out - Movie Review (3.5/5 stars)

By Hamza Shafique (Instagram / Facebook)

Chris Peckover’s “Better Watch Out” is a one crazy film and I loved it. It’s a weird yet entertaining blend of Horror, Comedy and Thriller, something which is very rare in this genre. I will be honest I am not a big fan of such films because most of the time they tend to get on sillier side, plot is always clichéd and acting in such films is just limited to loud screams/frantic running. This one, luckily has nothing of that sort. In fact, amidst all the big familiar releases from all over these days, this one comes out as refreshing reminder that’s this genre exists. “Better Watch Out” makes people being killed and tortured very pleasurable. 

A Constant Reminder

By Hamza Shafique

Today while driving to work I just remembered an old friend randomly.

Back in 2008 when I was living in KSA, I was way more interested in the internet world, whether it be reading about different stuff on Wikipedia, blogging about photography or online discussion forums where I would discuss random topics with total strangers across the world. Chatting with total strangers from unique places around the world really gave me the exposure and access to the world which otherwise I couldn’t have. Just imagine I could discuss the dynamics of Surfing with a surfer from Malta or political scenarios in Jerusalem from a Jewish Journalist supporting Palestine. All this was new and exciting. With time, I lost my interest in it, got busy with life and forgot about most of modern day pen friends of mine.

Today while driving to work, out of nowhere one such friend came to my mind and I thought to check where is he, what he is up to and if he still remembers me.

Justice League - Movie Review (3.5/5 Stars)

By Hamza Shafique (Instagram / Facebook)

To be honest Justice League felt like a darker, grimmer version of Avengers. Zack Snyder’s Justice League had a lot in common with the first Avenger movie, for example an alien invasion, super god like antagonist with horns, Team’s internal conflicts with one of the team member literally going berserk over the others like Hulk, post credit scenes and off course Joss Whedon. In case you don’t know Who Joss Whedon is, he is the writer director of Avengers movies and was hired to oversee the post-production here, including directing additional scenes which were also written by him. With Whedon on board, film underwent two months of reshoots in London and Los Angeles worth $25 million. I understand Zack Snyder’s style suits the darker world that DC wants to create but DC also needs to have someone like Joss Whedon on the project to pull Zack out of the dark zone to the fun zone occasionally. Justice League is a fun well balanced film, it’s not as good as Wonder Woman but heaps better than Suicide Squad/ Man of steel and a massive achievement considering the horrendous Batman vs Superman. There were a lot of moments that tickled the little DC nerd in me but then there were also few moments which made me think that if with 300-million-dollars budget they couldn’t get it right, then there is a chance they may never get it right.

Social Connect with Sid Vohra

By Hamza Shafique (Instagram / Facebook)

Parikshit, Sid (the upside down guy in middle) and Malavika- complete team of morning show

Radio morning shows are life lines, for people who are stuck in traffic for hours while commuting between emirates daily. I too live in Ajman and commute daily to Dubai for work and throughout the approx. 1hour drive what keeps me entertained are the voices of Siddharth aka Sid and Malavika aka Malu (recently joined by Parikshit ) airing on City 1016. City 1016 is a Desi radio station that plays mostly Bollywood songs. I recently met both of them at Jab Harry Met Sejal promotional event where they did a splendid job as host. Sid also has a You Tube channel where he posts videos with the hashtag #GETUPGETOUT and his videos are all true to the hashtag and cover his outdoor activities in Dubai. I contacted Sid for a social connect through his Instagram account and fortunately got a positive response.

Murder on the Orient Express - Movie Review (3/5 stars)

By Hamza Shafique (Instagram / Facebook)

Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express is based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie. As protagonist, we have Branagh portraying Hercule Poirot, the world’s greatest detective, along with Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer and Daisy Ridley in pivotal roles. It’s a mystery drama with a very simple plot set in early 1900s.

Re Visiting Dubai Garden Glow

By Hamza Shafique (including photography) 

Instagram / Facebook

I first went to Dubai Garden Glow when it was just opened, I remember there was an interesting dance combined with lights music show which we watched while enjoying warm beverages from Tim Hortons, in Dec-Dubai winter. There was also a Pakistani small out let as well called Truck Ada. Overall it was a very pleasant trip, Place looked quite modern/unique and price of 60 Dirhams also felt ok for the whole experience. This time while passing on Sheikh Zayed Road my uncle spotted the colorful lights display and I thought it would be a great idea to visit again. But this time the entry ticket of 60 Dirhams felt expensive.

Thor Ragnarok - Movie Review (4/5 stars)

By Hamza Shafique (Instagram/Facebook)

It’s official, Marvel movies don’t need reviews, we all know by now that Marvel has cracked the code to pure entertainment (something DC is still learning). Every film that comes out of Marvel Studio is marvelous. Each episode of Marvel cinematic universe is laced with CGI loaded larger than life action sequences embedded with in a balanced and well-paced screenplay. Thor Ragnarok is no exception.

Nov- Playlist (Movie Suggestions from Nov releases)

By Hamza Shafique

Month of November is like a dream come true for a cinema addict like me. We have a DC and Marvel Movie each from Hollywood, we have Shoaib Mansoor’s Mahira starrer film Verna from Lollywood and then we have the Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s grand controversial production Padmawati from Bollywood. In between there is a horror film too which also looked quite interesting. My picks for this month are as follows

The Eternal Diet

By Hamza Shafique

While munching on my regular grilled chicken and green salad lunch in office pit stop, a colleague asked, “Are you still on a diet?” I spontaneously replied, “Yes I am on an eternal diet” and we all had a good laugh. My colleague here was merely referring to the fact that I hired a nutritionist, couple of months back to design a diet as per my needs. That diet was very effective, during that diet period I did manage to lose 14 Kgs but as soon as I left it and came to my normal routine I gained 10Kgs back.

Mrs Funnybones: She’s Just Like You and a Lot Like Me

By Hamza Shafique

Me with the book as a sign that I have read it :)

I used to be an avid reader before but these days I look for an easy read as between Job, family, master’s program and my blog I hardly get time to read complicated/heavy stuff. Last month while visiting Karachi I found a copy of Mrs. Funnybones at a used book exhibition. The book looked like a light fun read, so I picked it up. Another intention of mine was to understand how nonfiction light books based on one’s life are, as someday I would like to convert the personal diary section of my blog in to one such book.
“Mrs. Funnybones: She’s Just Like You and a Lot Like Me” is a 2015 Indian non-fiction book written by former film actress Twinkle Khanna and published by Penguin India. Mrs. Funnybones sold over one lakh copies making Twinkle Khanna India's highest-selling female writer of 2015.

The Molecular Gastronomical Experience at Farzi Cafe

By Hamza Shafique

MasterChef famed Zorawar Kalra’s Farzi Café has been the talk of the town since its opening in 2016. With all the food bloggers and journalists giving rave reviews along with the esthetically assembled food pictures, I got excited as well and when it was time to celebrate my uncle’s retirement I decided to visit Farzi Cafe. I don’t usually do the typical food reviews, for me it’s always about the whole experience vs the expectations. So, from all the buzz that this place created, I got certain expectations set in my mind. My overall experience was very mix, from certain very enjoyable moment to parts where I was really annoyed and I blame it all on the expectations.

Authentic Emirati Experience at Ajman Museum

By Hamza Shafique (Instagram / Facebook)

Every emirate has a Museum which is basically the conversion of old traditional residences of the rulers into Museums. Before I visited Ajman Museum I had already visited Dubai Museum (which I absolutely love), Heritage villages in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah/Al Ain Museums, So, when I moved to Ajman there was no motivation to check Ajman Museum at all, as all these museums except Dubai one offer the same setup. One afternoon in April we had some 30 minutes to kill and Ajman Museum was near so I thought why not let’s check it out. And I must say I was surprised by the exhibits this museum offered. Ajman Museum is definitely now on the top of the list of recommended Museums in UAE. You can imagine how much fun I had by the fact that I had only 30 minutes to spare and I ended up spending more than 1 hour. 

Trailer Reviews- Verna/Padmawati/Tumhari Sulu

By Hamza Shafique

 

There were two much awaited trailers released last week but the trailer that got my attention was not one of them.

Geostorm - Movie Review (1/5 stars)

By Hamza Shafique

I will be honest, my only motivation to go for this movie was to see what they will do to my beloved emirate Dubai in the film. Trailers were making a big wave in UAE as they showed Dubai being destroyed by a big flood, even the movie promotional UAE poster has an image of tilted Burj Khalifa. So, the marketing team won and I bought the movie tickets. But I had very little hope from the movie as trailers apart from the Dubai perspective, were not interesting at all.
Geostorm is even more disastrous than the grand CGI disasters shown in the film itself. Screenplay made no sense at all. I was expecting Geostorm to be something like "2012" or "The day after tomorrow" sort where main element is the storm and how protagonist deals with it. Instead here, story of the two brothers and their relationship along with political drama takes prominence over the Geostorm and this has a catastrophic impact on the movie.

Sept-17 Post Eid Playlist

By: Hamza Shafique

Usually Post EID there is nothing fancy to look forward to in cinemas as every film maker tries to take benefit of Eid crowd . But still for UAE we have quite cool releases to look forward to after Eid.

Terminator 2 : Judgment Day 3D - HE IS BACK

By: Hamza Shafique

Terminator 2 is a classic and it’s one of my favorite movie. As far as I can remember my childhood, my very first action figure toy was a terminator, I still remember the half-damaged face with steel skull shown. It’s one of those movies where I know each scene from A to Z, every moment of the film is in mind engraved and feels like part of my own personal memories. So, I got super excited when I got the invite from Novo Cinemas for a special fan screening of Terminator 2 re-mastered in 3D by James Cameron.

'One Heart: The A.R. Rahman Concert Film' Premiere with the living legend A.R. Rahman

By: Hamza Shafique

Last week I was invited by Vox Cinemas for the premiere of India’s first ever concert movie ‘One Heart: The A.R. Rahman Concert Film’. Event was overall very nicely organized but what made it special was the fact that the Oscar winner A.R. Rahman, himself graced us with his presence (along with few members of his band).

Punjab Nahi Jaungi - Movie Review (4/5 stars)

By: Hamza Shafique

I am so happy today, this Eid long weekend started with a Pakistani film I have been waiting for, since Ho Mann Jahan. Finally, a Pakistani film where I have literally no issues with production/technical aspects of the film. Nadeem Baig has presented each and every frame of “Punjab Nahi Jaungi (PNJ)” beautifully. Every department like cinematography, sound mixing, music, makeup, set designs etc. down to every prop you see in a single frame is so well done and thought through that PNJ can easily give tough competitions to the traditional Dharma and Yash Chopra’s productions which usually have 10 times more budget than PNJ.

Exploring Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo

By Hamza Shafique

I usually avoid writing about places which are famous, well-advertised and almost everyone knows about them already. Dubai Aquarium in Dubai Mall is one such place. For me it was in the category of done and dusted as I have been to this place multiple times. But after my recent visit, I am compelled to write about it because of Dubai Aquarium’s ability to offer something new on every visit I made in approx. last 5 years. So, in this post I will try to pen down my experience over the years with this attraction and elements that made this trip worthwhile every time.

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo is one of its kind facility in UAE. Unlike other Aquariums which I have visited this one is situated inside a shopping mall, which makes the trip even more interesting and fun. There is a free huge display in the middle of the mall where people can appreciate many kinds of fish, including 8 feet sharks with scary pointy teeth, from a distance. So even if you don’t want to pay the regular ticket of 100 dirhams you can still experience it up to some extent. I will suggest go a floor up and there you will find small windows in to the aquarium where you can see Sea life even closer and take interesting pictures.

Eid Playlist - Movie suggestions for long Eid weekend

By: Hamza Shafique

This Eid Ul Azha we have some serious competition at box office from Pakistani cinema industry. We have two big budget Pakistani movies coming and lucky for us, both are releasing in Dubai a day before their release in Pakistan. Apart from these two we have one movie from Bollywood and Hollywood each incase you are really looking for some familiar faces. Just like every Eid, all the releases suggested are expected to be pure entertainers.

Baaghi - Urdu1 - Drama in Focus

By: Hamza Shafique

Saba Qamar is truly a versatile actress. Her projects are always unique and every time she manages to out shine her previous work. Also, Urdu 1 is one such Pakistani private TV network that seems to take particular interest in biography adaptations and they do so with excellence. So naturally when I heard Saba Qamar will be portraying Qandeel Baloch (the controversial Pakistani social media celebrity, click here to know more) on Urdu1s new drama serial Baaghi, I got really excited.

VIVEGAM (Prudence): Movie Review (Desi Rating: 2.5/5 Stars)

By: Suhinth Mohan
Desi Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

Finally, the much hyped and anticipated Ajith Kumar starrer Vivegam released all over the world on 24th of August 2017. Of course, Tamil movie goers have been waiting for it for a while as this movie is termed as the comeback of the super star Ajith after a break of two years, his last release was VEDHALAM. Vivegam star cast also include Kajal Agarwal, Viveak Oberoi, Akshara Hassan and Karunagaran.  I had very high expectation from this Siva directorial, because of Ajith Kumar and the songs/trailers that have already created a buzz and I am sure most of the Tamil film enthusiasts had it too.  I must say I wasn’t very satisfied, for me this time movie didn’t live up to the hype it created. This happens most of the time when you raise audience expectations way to high, that even a good movie can’t satisfy them as audience is now looking for a great movie.

Social Connect with Shardul Pandit

By: Hamza Shafique





Most of the people in UAE knew him as evening show ka daddy. Yes, I am talking about RJ Shardul from his evening show on UAE’s no.1 Radio station Mirchi. His life was all set with a successful evening show but to pursue his dream of making big in Bollywood he packed his bags, resigned from the job and moved to Mumbai. We later saw him on &TV’s Supernatural show ‘Kuldeepak’ which also wrapped up recently, so decided to find out how’s life after UAE. Here is our usual 5 questions interview with UAE’s very own ‘Shardul Pandit’

"Jab Harry Met Sejal" movie promotional event with Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma

By: Hamza Shafique

Last Friday, I attended promotional Press Conference with Shahrukh Khan and Anushka Sharma for their upcoming film Jab Harry Met Sejal.

Event was organized by Vox Cinema at their Deira City Center branch hosted by my favorite morning radio show host Siddharth and Malavika, popularly known as Sid and Malu.

Itinerary of the event was as such, Stars to arrive at 2:00 PM, make a short appearance at the entrance where there was red carpet arranged with proper solid fence for general public and then for media people like us, there was special session inside Vox Max the cinema with world’s 4th biggest screen and 1st in Middle east Africa region.

Jagga Jasoos - Movie Review (3/5 stars)

By : Suhinth Mohan

Disney's Jagga Jasoos is a musical journey of a self-taught detective who is in search for his father, after his mysterious disappearance. Story is very weak but Anurag Basu’s storytelling is unique and new, which may or may not appeal to all.

Dunkirk - Movie Review (4.5/5 stars)

By: Hamza Shafique

I am not sure if I am equipped enough to review brilliance of Christopher Nolan that I have witnessed in Dunkirk. He is one guy who when gets it right takes the art of storytelling to next level. Dunkirk is that kind of a movie where the hero of the film is the direction. It’s not the screenplay, performances or production quality that will stay with you, when you will exit the cinema but it’s Christopher Nolan’s haunting style of storytelling that will leave a mark.

Jaldi Jaldi – Not to miss 'Desi Fast Food' experience at Last Exit

By: Hamza Shafique

I am not the usual food blogger, I don’t take fancy pictures of artistically presented food at a even fancier eatery instead my philosophy is simple, I focus on food Joints that Desi taste buds can enjoy plus have some unique aspect in terms of their location, price or ambience etc. Jaldi Jaldi is perfect fit as per my review philosophy and is also the right execution of “Desi Food On A Go” concept, which is rare when it comes to Desi Food.

Social Connect with Prit Kamani

By: Hamza Shafique

Recently I came across this YouTube channel called Jumbo Jutts. I really enjoyed their songs which were literal translations of their English versions (a very innovative Idea). Super hilarious and fun especially ‘Gehrai mein lotpot’ (Rolling in the Deep). I am always looking for fun people to connect to and Prit Kamani from Jumbo Jutts is a perfect fit.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets - Movie Review (3.5/5 stars)

By: Hamza Shafique

During my trailer review of Valerian and the city of a thousand planets, I said ‘The trailer in first glance seems like a fusion of Star Trek, Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy’ and now I can say my assumption was right. Take all the good elements of the three add a bit of Luc Besson usual style quotient and you get yourself a visually stunning and entertaining Sci-Fi film of this summer.

VIP 2 : Velaiilla Pattathari 2 (The Unemployed Graduate 2) - Trailer Review

"Indian regional cinema is really big in UAE and I wanted to cover all the aspects of Desi cinema, As I don't know Telugu, Tamil or Malyalam languages so I have asked for help. Luckily Suhinth answered my call for help. So as first installment in Indian regional cinema I present trailer review by Suhinth."

By: Suhinth Mohan

National award winning actor Dhanush returns with VIP 2 which is the sequel of his previous hit VIP. Surprisingly the trailer begins with Dhanush being unemployed again where his father asks him to do some work. The cast also remains the same and it appears as if the original story is being carried forward.

MOM - Movie Review (3/5 Stars)

By: Hamza Shafique

MOM is very subtle and maybe too subtle for the narrative. Ravi Udyawar’s directorial debut relies heavily on the performances. Its these performances, that hide all the flaws and keep MOM entertaining throughout. I am a huge fan of performance oriented dramas, where how an actor delivers a dialogue is the highlight rather than the dialogue. MOM is one such film.

Spider-Man: Homecoming - Movie Review (4/5 stars)

By: Hamza Shafique

Jon Watts’ Spider-Man Homecoming is a feel good high school drama infused with the usual Marvel cinematic universe energies. This movie is not the usual world ending, high on action, complicated super hero spectacular. Instead this movie deals with smaller teenage problems that may sound epic, when young. Spider-Man movies (especially the Toby Maguire ones) have always been small low key affairs focusing mainly on our super hero’s human side, his insecurities along with his struggle to maintain balance between his personal and super hero realities, in short focused on the famous dialogue of Uncle Ben, “with great power comes great responsibility”. So, when I heard Marvel Studios are going to take over Spider-Man and introduce him into Avenger’s Universe , my biggest worry was that Spider-Man will lose these human aspects from his storyline or if not completely lost, will focus less on them. But to my surprise screenplay kept those elements alive perfectly along with the Marvel Cinematic elements.

Yalghaar-Movie Review (2/5 Stars)

By: Hamza Shafique

This must be the longest review I have ever written, thanks to the enormous expectations I had with this project and also my equally massive disappointment after watching the film. Yalghaar is a big budget mess. The whole project is half cooked and seriously lack direction. Every element of the film is awful yet you survive the ordeal, thanks to the acting talent and subject matter of the project. I will be honest I wasn’t bored as who doesn’t like Army men shooting, walking in slow motion wearing aviators, flying helicopters around but a whole feature length action film simply cannot survive on these elements alone. I really wanted Yalghaar to be better than Waar, instead Yalghaar turns out to be a TV documentary giving insight into how Pakistan Army carries out the operations and as an action entertainer fails miserably. 

July- Playlist (Movie Suggestions from July releases)

By: Hamza Shafique

July is the easiest month for movie selection. My selection criteria mostly confine with in Desi Mindset and is usually as follows; From Hollywood releases my criteria is how grand would be cinematic experience, for Bollywood releases I look for Star power and from Lollywood releases (If there is any) I try to assess the drama/production quality. And July is the month where UAE has releases from all the three cinema industries, also with in the expectation zone.

Transformers: The Last Knight - Movie Review

By: Hamza Shafique

I have a confession to make, “I don’t like Transformers franchise”. It’s too CGI heavy for my taste, even the design of these giant machine is messy and has lot going on for me to register. Conversations between humans and transformers don’t help bring the right seriousness to the screen.  Plot is also very confusing and sometimes doesn’t make sense. But first one I saw in Pakistan during my university time and I still remember the cinema hall clapped when the movie finished, second one I saw in USA in my mid-twenties and audience again clapped when the movie finished, now I am 32 and still Transformers5 got applause from the Audience in UAE. So now after watching people in three different countries having the same reaction to the franchise, I have started to believe that there is something wrong with me. So, for this one I will try not to review it from my perspective.

Happy Father's Day - Personal Diary

By: Hamza Shafique

Today is Father’s Day in UAE (I know rest of the world celebrated it on Sunday, but in UAE we always do things differently) and I want to share something personal.

Split- Etisalat E Life- Video On Demand

By: Hamza Shafique

Blogging and reviewing is not my job and is still a hobby that doesn’t pay at all. So, I still need to keep my regular 8 to 6 job. For this reason, I cannot see all the films that are released and it gets even harder if the movie is rated 18+, as I usually plan family trips to cinemas. Split was one such movie that when it was released I couldn’t watch it in cinema and was upset about it. So when I saw Split available on Etisalat E-life, I immediately rented it.

All Things Good That Bollywood Has To Offer @ Bollywood Park Dubai

Written & Photographed By: Hamza Shafique

 

Bollywood park is one of its kind attraction in Dubai. Part of Dubai Parks and Resorts, this facility caters to desi families just like mine. Dubai Parks and Resorts is an area developed on the outskirts of Dubai and contains multiple parks and resorts, you can find more details about other attractions on their official website. I have only visited their Bollywood Park and for now I will try to pen down my fun experience there.

The Mummy - Movie Review

By: Hamza Shafique

Tom Cruise's ‘The Mummy’ is a reboot of The Mummy franchise and it’s also the first installment in the dark universe series. I think what Universal Picture is trying to do here is to leverage on the success of the most recent Brandon Frasor starrer The Mummy Trilogy to start the Dark Universe series which they have failed to do so earlier with movies like Dracula Untold. Because of this, Alex Kurtzman’s The Mummy is everything but a Mummy film and I am saying this considering Brandon Frasor’s Mummy movies, which are the benchmark for me here (as I haven’t seen the monster movies of early 40s and 50s). 

June- Playlist (Movie Suggestions from June releases)

By: Hamza Shafique

This year is overall great for movie goers; June is no exception with some pretty hyped summer movies. So again, it was hard for me to put five movies for five weekends of June. My issue is, when there are big Summer/Eid releases I cannot add smaller drama related releases in my playlist. But I believe its ok as Summer/Eid releases are there to entertain. So here are my top five picks.

Wonder Women- Movie Review

By: Hamza Shafique

Who doesn’t like a strong female action character on screen whether its Trinity from Matrix and her iconic slow motion opening kick or more recent android Scarlet Johansson from Ghost in a shell, I love them all, even the most exciting part in horrible Batman vs Superman movie was when wonder woman joins the end fight sequence. Now imagine what will happen if you add elements of romance, innocence, will-power and humor to this female action figure. You will get the wow movie of all time.

Social Connect with Ahad Raza Mir

By: Hamza Shafique

Today for Social Connect we have Hum TV network’s drama ‘Sammi’ famed, long haired handsome actor Ahad Raza Mir. Ahad Raza Mir is the son of veteran Actor Asif Raza Mir and has not only inherited his Father’s good looks but acting talent as well. With his second drama serial already on air, he displays all the signs of a future super star. Here is DDR’s usual 5 questions interview.

Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Center - In and Around UAE

By: Hamza Shafique

Environment and Protected Areas Authority Sharjah has a lot of conservation and learning centers. I had my eyes set on Al Hefaiyah Mountain conservation center since I have been to Wasit Wet Land Center. It took me a while to visit this one as this one was 128 Km away at the base of Hajjar Mountains outside of Kalba. Thanks to recent Easter long weekend, I could finally make this short road trip.

Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets - Trailer Review

By: Hamza Shafique

I am so happy to share the much-anticipated final trailer of “Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets” with special thanks to Novo Cinemas UAE for making me the part of this launch.  

This trailer is a visual treat. I watched it on my TV screen in HD with Full surround sound and was engrossed. Valerian is based on French science fiction comics series Valérian and Laureline. Luc Besson is an expert when it comes to Science Fiction Action Films, his last film of this genre ‘LUCY’ was a major success making 11 times its budget, so expectations with this one are also high.