It’s madness everywhere: Faysal Qureshi on Karachi power breakdown

It’s been two days since Karachi was hit hard by torrential monsoon rains, bringing life in the city to a standstill. While some normalcy has returned there are areas that still have no electricity as rainwater there has yet to be drained.

Actor Faysal Qureshi has no electricity at his home in DHA for the last 55 hours.

“We are surviving for the last three days,” the actor said. “Biggest problem has been off water. There’s too much water logging in DHA.”

Electricity was disconnected as soon as it started raining [on Thursday] and now it’s the third day and almost 55-56 hours since there’s no power, he said. “The road conditions of [DHA Phase IV, Phase V and Phase VI is unbelievable,” Faysal said.

“Obviously, we have to survive. We have a generator at home, you need to put diesel in it, I went to almost all the petrol pumps of Karachi in search of diesel and finally found diesel last night,” the actor said. “It’s madness everywhere.

“There were bikers who were stuck outside my house, they had to park their bikes in my house and get a pick-up [truck] to take their motorcycles home,” he said. “People who were trying to rescue others were stuck themselves.”

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail earlier told K-Electric CEO Monis Alvi that non-resumption of power supply to several areas of Karachi even after two days was beyond comprehension.

KE must ensure restoration of power supply, Ismail said. But the KE CEO insisted that power supply from 91% of KE feeders had been restored.

Films are a director-driven medium. Film-making requires an unshakeable amount of dedication and with millions of rupees – not to mention the efforts of hundreds – at stake, the pressure to deliver is immense.

And so, naturally, every debutante director dreams of a making a commercially and critically successful watch. In Pakistan, the latest to join the crop is Sohail Javed who – after directing music videos and commercials for the likes of Ali Haider, Sajjad Ali, Hadiqa Kiani, Junoon, Vital Signs, Fuzon and more – is now gearing up for his first full-length feature film Sorry.

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The upcoming film goes on floors in January next year. “I have always wanted to do a feature film and I’m glad that it’s finally happening!” Javed told The Express Tribune. “The story of Sorry isn’t just close to my heart but I have lived through it myself. It’s 100% original – not a remake of any other film.”

The idea behind the films is to stress upon the importance of apologies. “The word ‘sorry’ is the most difficult word to say. If we only realise its importance and use it at the right times, our lives would become so much easier and there would be nothing left repent,” explained Javed.

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“The plot of my film is a square of sorts. There are four people, four desires, four losses and four closures. It’s a commercial pot-boiler with all the right ingredients for a masala film.”

According to Javed, Sorry will be shot in various locations across Pakistan with musician Abbas Ali Khan composing its six main songs. The film is slated for release in July or August 2019 and also stars actor Faysal Qureshi in the lead.

“It’s been 18 years since I did my last film,” said Qureshi when asked about Sorry. “The actor inside me has been looking for a wholesome, intelligent script. My fans trust me and whenever I chose to star in a film, it had to be something really big.” he added.

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“One fine day, Sohail randomly narrated a script to me while dropping me home and by the end of the ride, I was sold. That script was Sorry. It’s a complete entertainer with lots of romance, song and dance in it.”

Also in the film are actors Aamina Sheikh, Sonya Hussyn and Zahid Ahmed. Sharing her experience of working with Qureshi, Sheikh said, “He was my first hero when I started acting in dramas. Honestly, I have no hesitations in saying that Faisal actually brought my game up.”

The Cake star confessed that she was crying by the time Javed finished had narrating the script to her. “I feel so lucky that film-makers approach me for such multi-layered and complex roles. I’ve always maintained that if a script excites me enough to laugh or cry, it’s a yes for me,” said Sheikh. “With Sorry, we will revive the charm of the 70s on a 70mm screen.”

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Hussyn stated, “I feel Sorry has the potential to bring out my best as a performer. My character has shades of grey…it’s dark and crazy at times” while Ahmed added, “I signed on for Sorry before I even knew veterans like Faysal Qureshi and Aamina Sheikh were going to be in it too. I couldn’t have asked for a better debut!”,

Faysal Quraishi Professional:

Faysal Qureshi is a Pakistani actor, producer and television host.He appears in Pakistani television dramas, reality shows and films, and is one of Pakistan’s highest-paid actors. He is widely regarded as a fine actor due to his diverse roles and versatility. He first gained recognition for playing the leading role of Boota in television series Boota from Toba Tek Singh (1999).

From 2016 to 2019, he hosted the morning show Salam Zindagi on ARY Zindagi. He also turned producer in 2017 with the production house Connect Studios.

Faysal Qureshi Career:

Faysal Quraishi began his career as a child artist and appeared in the plays Emergency Ward and Andhera Ujala for PTV.He made his film debut as an actor in the 2000 film Saza.

He first played minor roles in television serials before landing his first lead role as “Boota” in Boota from Toba Tek Singh which made him an overnight star. Faysal has also appeared as a judge on competition shows Dum Hai To Entertain Kar and Nachle.

He also hosted the reality show Hero Banney Ki Tarang and the morning show Muskurati Morning on TVOne Global along with Ayesha Khalid. He also played a variety of characters in many critically acclaimed dramas, including Meri Zaat Zarra-e-Benishan (2009),

Main Abdul Qadir Hoon (2010), Qaid-e-Tanhai (2010), and Kis Din Mera Viyah Howay Ga (2011–2018). Faysal also played the leading role in the 2014’s acclaimed drama serial Bashar Momin, In 2018, he was seen in revenge based drama series Khalish.

In 2015, Daily Pakistan reported that Faysal has become one of the highest-paid artists of television, charging Rs. 2 million per episode.

From 2016 to 2019, Faysal hosted the morning show Salam Zindagi which aired on ARY Zindagi. Qureshi was appointed as a CLF Goodwill Ambassador by the Children’s Literature Festival on July 30, 2019.

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