Maham Khan

ISLAMABAD: The latest teaser for Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan starrer Neelofar hit the Pakistani cinema scene on Sunday, creating significant buzz with its 1:37-minute runtime. Slated for a November 28 release, the teaser offers a short glimpse into a quintessential love story between the country&#39;s most famous on-screen pair. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/387cca99-e592-40c5-b192-10cce9b93d37-4.png" alt="(Neelofar the film/YouTube)" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">(Neelofar the film/YouTube)</figcaption></figure> This is Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan&rsquo;s third on-screen collaboration, following famed performances in Humsafar and The Legend of Maula Jatt. Love&#39;s playful prelude The teaser begins with a playful exchange that immediately captures the audience&#39;s attention. Mahira&#39;s character playfully challenges Fawad&#39;s, saying, &quot;Next time you will dance with me,&quot; to which he responds with a simple &quot;no.&quot; Her clever retort, &quot;Why? I will not see, promise,&quot; hints at her character&#39;s blindness. Nostalgia&#39;s embrace Fawad Khan appears in a study that breathes nostalgia, surrounded by books and an antique office table. Dressed in a traditional shawl and kurta pajama, he picks up a woman&#39;s scarf, immediately creating a sense of memory and longing. The scene is carefully crafted to evoke a sense of past and present, drawing viewers into a living time capsule. Moments between memories The teaser navigates between different time periods, with scenes of Fawad Khan&#39;s character blindfolding himself echoing earlier moments where Neelofar ties a scarf around his eyes. Echoes of Lollywood&#39;s golden era The teaser is a nostalgic love letter to mid-20th-century Pakistani cinema. It features vintage elements like a radio cassette recorder, the main couple dancing in the fields, the heroine releasing a kabootar&nbsp;(pigeon) into the sky&ndash; &ndash;and, of course, the hero and heroine sharing a moment in the iconic green train cabin&mdash;capturing the essence of Lollywood&rsquo;s golden age. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/88c60a96-e6b4-4d4a-8eec-cad73f8afb01-2.png" alt="Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan on a Pakistani train. (Neelofar the film/YouTube)" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan on a Pakistani train. (Neelofar the film/YouTube)</figcaption></figure> The mid-20th century setting is meticulously captured with Fawad Khan in a newsboy cap reminiscent of Bhutto&#39;s style. From hairstyles to clothing, the movie transports viewers to a bygone period. A love destined for heartbreak The teaser suggests a potentially tragic love story. Fawad&#39;s character appears to be reminiscing about a passionate romance marked by tragedy. One particular scene shows Neelofar leaving Pakistan, crying as she boards an airplane. Humsafar&#39;s mini reunion The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast including Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Madiha Imam, Sarwat Gilani, Atiqa Odho, and Behrooz Sabzwari. It feels like a mini Humsafar reunion, bringing together several beloved actors from that iconic drama. Producer&#39;s first dance While the film is written and directed by Ammar Rasool, it marks Fawad Khan&#39;s debut as a producer. Braille and brilliance A notable detail is the film&#39;s title displayed in Braille, cleverly reflecting Mahira&#39;s character&#39;s blindness. Audience&#39;s reaction Initial reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. Viewers expressed eagerness to see the film, particularly praising the soft music and the intimate romantic scenes between Fawad and Mahira. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/3195179d-4c47-4736-9591-b2344915e41f-1.png" alt="The movie has a mid-20th century setting. (Neelofar the film/YouTube)" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">The movie has a mid-20th century setting. (Neelofar the film/YouTube)</figcaption></figure> Nostalgia gravy train It seems Pakistan will not miss out on the nostalgic (particularly the mid-20th century setting) gravy train sweeping the globe, with several 2025 releases diving into the positive, sunshine and rainbows era of the 60s. (We&rsquo;re looking at you in particular, The Fantastic Four: First Steps!) This isn&#39;t Hum&#39;s first foray into nostalgic storytelling either, with previous dramas exploring similar time periods this year alone.

Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan reunite for the third time in Neelofar. (Neelofar the film/YouTube)

Entertainment

Film & TV

This is Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan’s third on-screen collaboration, following famed performances in Humsafar and The Legend of Maula Jatt.

Mahira and Fawad: Pakistan’s ultimate on-screen couple reunites in Neelofar

Reuters

Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the publication of Twilight, the first book in Stephanie Meyer&rsquo;s teen vampire romance saga published between 2005 and 2020. It has also been almost 20 years since Kristen Stewart&rsquo;s awkward &ldquo;plain girl&rdquo; Bella and Robert Pattinson&rsquo;s century-old glittery Edward appeared in the first movie. The film Twilight (2008) grossed more than $407 million worldwide during its theatrical release. It is often credited with launching the careers of Stewart and Pattinson. Full of awkward dialogue, melodramatic acting, and absurd scenes, such as the iconic vampire family-bonding baseball game, Twilight has earned a cult status.&nbsp; The franchise has amassed a dedicated fandom of &ldquo;Twihards&rdquo;, including some surprisingly young fans who, two decades on, won&rsquo;t let it fade from the cultural consciousness. The Twilight renaissanceMeyer&rsquo;s Twilight books sired a growing brood of 2000s teen vampire romance novels, including L.J. Smith&rsquo;s The Vampire Diaries series (2009&ndash;17) and Richelle Mead&rsquo;s Vampire Academy series (2007&ndash;10). The COVID pandemic also ushered in the revival of the romantasy genre on #BookTok, TikTok&rsquo;s sub-community for bibliophiles. BookTok has greatly resurrected our collective nostalgia for paranormal romances, providing a useful context for understanding the &ldquo;Twilight renaissance&rdquo; of recent years. The most obvious sign of the Twilight franchise&rsquo;s ongoing popularity is the non-stop parade of memes on social media, spoofing everything from the characters to the plot, acting, and continuity errors, as well as low-budget visual effects. Across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, Twihards create and share daily Twilight-themed content on their own accounts and on dedicated fan accounts. In the 2009 film sequel, Twilight: New Moon, the teen-werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) runs grinning towards Bella, exclaiming: &ldquo;Bella, where the hell have you been, loca?&rdquo;. This bizarre line and its delivery inadvertently created one of the most popular Twilight memes of all time. Even the actors have gotten on board with poking fun at the franchise&rsquo;s unintentionally goofy moments. The resurgence of the Twilight subculture also comes down to fans re-watching the films after they were added to Netflix in 2021. All five films quickly entered the streaming platforms&rsquo; top ten most-watched list. The first film, produced with a budget of just $37 million, lends itself particularly well to repeat viewing, as it is full of odd and quirky details. Escaping to Forks, WashingtonIn her book, Memes and Digital Culture, Professor of Communications Limor Shifman argues that, despite their seemingly trivial nature, memes play a crucial role in shaping and reflecting how people perceive the world. Members of Gen Z, many of whom grew up watching the Twilight films, are now young adults navigating a complex world. They also happen to be the most meme-obsessed generation. The Twilight renaissance may reveal how they are grappling with contemporary life, with some fans calling it a &ldquo;recession indicator.&rdquo; Fans seeking safety and familiarity in tough times will watch the films over and over. &ldquo;Watching them brings me right back to a time in my childhood where possibilities were endless, and it makes me so happy,&rdquo; says one Reddit user. Twilight across the generational divideYoung adult fiction &mdash;&nbsp;particularly narratives with supernatural, paranormal, or fantasy romance elements&nbsp;&mdash; offers an escape from reality that centers&nbsp;on the universal experience of adolescence. Coming-of-age stories, such as Twilight, allow young people to navigate the emotional trials of love, friendship, and self-discovery in a way that feels both sufficiently different and familiar. And while millennials experienced Twilight first-hand, throngs of Gen Zers are now finding their way to Forks through this resurgence of 2000s pop culture. For both generations, Twilight provides comfort and escapism, while its memeification fosters the kind of online camaraderie that&rsquo;s often sought in tumultuous times.

Two decades on, Twilight remains popular with Gen Z, who find comfort, nostalgia, and humor in its cringey charm. Streaming, memes, and BookTok have fueled a cultural revival of the iconic vampire romance saga.

Articles tagged with "Nostalgia"

Mahira and Fawad: Pakistan’s ultimate on-screen couple reunites in Neelofar

Why Gen Z is still obsessed with Twilight, two decades on

Mahira and Fawad: Pakistan’s ultimate on-screen couple reunites in Neelofar