MUHAMMAD ZUNAIR

Aaaah! It's rewind time! (Imagine listening to it in the voice of Will Smith!) I don't know why but lately, I have been feeling this urge of writing about or summarising my 2019. I am not sure about the underlying cause for this longing but I am sure that this piece will certainly help in figuring out my goals for 2020 as I can use it as a blueprint for the coming year. Also, I am not alone in this, there are thousands of people, especially bloggers and YouTubers, who do this every year so that they can analyze their year through a prism of rational perspective. And it suits most of them. So, hopefully, it will work fine for me as well. 2019 was a great year for me. I mean, it was a kind of year where a lot changed, mostly in a positive way. A lot remained unchanged, nevertheless. However, 2019 helped me a lot in evolving as a person. Before 2019, I was naive, reckless and above all, was still in the pursuit of identity. I wasn't sure about who I was and what I wanted. Ye...

First off, I don’t want to sound like a man, narrating folklore rather the intention of writing this piece is to somehow express the connectivity that I, along with millions of other Pakistanis, feel with the game of Cricket. Additionally, it is not an attempt to raise questions, only for the sake of criticism because I don’t feel like giving a critique, only because everyone is doing it. However, this piece may help you in getting a better understanding of our peculiar connection with the game of Cricket and as Pakistan is on the verge of missing out on the Semifinals, this piece may end up as a consolation note for most of us as we witness our team falling short again.  Although I am not an expert, yet I am fan-enough to give my two cents on our peculiar connection with Cricket. Growing up in an environment where Cricket has always been the most imperative tenet of culture, it has always been a delight to see 'Men in Green' winning. Whether it was in the late 90s, early 2...

Ever since I have watched the last episode of Game of Thrones, I have been struggling with this urge of giving my two cents on the finale of the show. However, a lot has already been said, regarding the finale, and the disappointment of the fans, including myself, is quite obvious as more than a million fans have signed this petition (not going to have an impact though) to show their anger and discontent. So, in this piece I am not considering the finale rather this piece is more of a recognition of the efforts of all the people, associated with show, and the idea is to list the 10 greatest moments of Game of Thrones as a token of appreciation for this revolutionary show. Irrespective of the poor ending of the show, there is no denying that Game of Thrones has changed the TV as it has not only revolutionized it but has set the tone for the future TV show to explore new horizons, especially in terms of cinematography and sound design. Starting with Ramin Djawadi, the man deserves a...

It was about 5 weeks ago, a video came into my suggestions while I was scrolling through YouTube, with the title of Kota Factory Episode 1. Just like most other people, I checked the video out of curiosity and the first impressions I had after watching the episode were like "How on God's good earth I was not aware of this piece of beauty!" Prior to Kota Factory, I had not seen much of the Web Series and was not sure about the quality of this particular genre but as I watched this 47 some minutes long episode, I was all in for the remaining episodes. Five weeks later, the series' first season ended with a beautifully written (D&D kindly take notes :P ) and quite captivating finale. And not to mention, I am now eagerly waiting for the second season.  Kota Factory, The Viral Fever's latest original and India's first black and white web series, encompasses the lives of students who are currently studying/taking coaching in Kota to get admission in IIT, a...

Although I am a huge JUNEJO fanboy yet I will try my best to refrain from the subjective perspective as Irfan Junejo doesn't need any kind of opinionated or biased introduction. For all those who don't know Junejo, well, that's a pity because in the last couple of years, Junejo has not only revitalized the digital medium but has also given 'birth' to the trend of vlogging in Pakistan. Ever since the introduction of the phase,  SCNZ KUCH AISE HAIN , hundreds of Pakistani YouTubers have opted this path and thousands of youngsters have started their YouTube channels to follow the footsteps of our very own Casey Neistat .  Juenjo has contributed to such an extent that it can be said that Irfan Junejo is the pioneer of vlogging in Pakistan and rightly deserves the credit for giving a completely distinctive outlook to the genre of vlogging.     Here it is important to mention that  I am not undermining the contributions of other vloggers and YouTubers as sev...

The conflicting religious ideologies, geographical asymmetry, socio-cultural differences, entangling alliances and the rivalry on several fronts; Indo-Pak relations have always been characterized by hostility and tension. However, in the last couple of days, the relations have peaked another height of antagonism in the wake of Indian aggression and the befitting response from Pakistan. Ever since the retaliation from PAF, advancements have been made especially by Pakistan to work for regional peace and stability yet peaceful coexistence and regional harmony still seem to be a distant reality. The latest episode of Indo-Pak tussle can be traced back to 14 th February, when 40 Indian paramilitary soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in the Pulwama district of Indian-occupied Kashmir. India put the blame on Pakistan whereas Pakistan vehemently denied any such participation in the Pulwama Incident. Later on 26 th February, aircrafts of IAF violated the Line of Control and entered ...

2019 is almost here so, I thought that It would be a great idea to list few things that I have learned in 2018. Before coming to what I have learned and how excited I am to dive into 2019, I want to admit that this blog is inspired by the latest video of Logan Paul in which he has talked about his controversial video and how he has coped with the fallout and the hatred that was thrown into his face. I am not a fan or should I say not a member of ‘LOGANG’ but that video really moved me to write this blog.   2018 was the most significant year for me, not because I had to find a job or a career but because I had to reinvent myself and had a lot on my hands in terms of giving a new dimension to my life. As I am writing this, I am feeling no shame in admitting that I couldn’t reach most of the goals that I set at the start of 2018.But at the same time, I am very proud of the fact that, after consistent struggle and help from my peers, I have finally achieved a balance between my...

There has been a lot of discussion about the hardships of life since the birth of mankind and one common belief that has prevailed over the years is that no matter how difficult life may seem, man can always fight it with his outrageous mental toughness and unwavering belief. The same ideology was at display in the Arther Ashe Stadium on 9th Sep 2018 when the former World’s no.1 Novak Djokovic won his 3rd US Open and 14th Grand Slam title. The 31-year old Serb not only equaled Pete Sampras’ record but also gave the world another reason to believe that man’s reach exceeds his imagination. Djokovic with US Open 2018 trophy, Image from Telegraph  I have always been a great fan of Rafael Nadal and have always seen Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the two most fierce rivals of the Spaniard, especially the latter who has a 27–25 record against the 17-time Grand Slam champion.  However, when one starts considering Novak Djokovic as a tennis player, not as a rival of Rafa or anyone...

Daniel Day-Lewis , a name which is synonymous with Perfection-in-Method-Acting, has finally put an end to the chapter which started almost 35 years ago. After years of service, and what a service it has been, Daniel Day-Lewis has finally said goodbye to Hollywood. Well, I'm not writing a tribute because I believe that no tribute can do justice to the contribution that Daniel Day-Lewis made in last three decades. I'm just trying to give an account of what Daniel Day-Lewis has given to the Cinema and what he went through for fulfilling his duty of being an actor.  Daniel Day-Lewis started his journey in early 1980s and most of his work in the initial stages was for Television and Theater. In 1984, he appeared in a movie named The Bounty and did two to three more roles before finally getting the recognition through his performance in the movie, A Room with a View .  In 1988, he first played a leading role in a movie and the very next year he portrayed Christy Brown in the mov...

It's quite common to think of Bollywood as a film industry which produces only commercial cinema. Most of the work that comes out of Bollywood is aimed at entertaining the audience and to score good at the Box Office. In Bollywood, most of the filmmakers are reluctant to work on diverse and social issues and there is no balance between commercial movies and those which are essential for highlighting different behaviors of the society. Well, things are changing and in the last 10-15 years, Bollywood has also given those movies which are more close to reality than the fictional aspiration dramas.  I have listed 10 Bollywood movies which clearly illustrate my point, these are must-see stuff and have proved to be a gateway for more movies of such kind.  1. The Lunchbox This movie finds itself at the top of the list for many obvious reasons. Firstly, it is one of those movies which have a very simple plot yet they explain many complex ideas. It's just like The Boy In Strippe...

The 90th Academy Awards are around the corner and all the nominees for this year's Oscars are work of outstanding artistry and skill. Well, there has already been a lot of talk in regard to which movie is going to win the Best Picture or which actor or actress will get his or her hands on the golden statuette yet I would like to add a few points of my own. Best Picture:    Flawless, magnificent and thought-provoking, all the pictures in this category are the manifestations of the highest quality cinematic work. The Shape of Water , with its own interpretation of positive emotional bonding coupled with the political dimensions, seems to be one to emerge as victorious in this category. But, for me, if any picture deserves the Award more than all the nominees then it's the Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri . A mother's quest for finding his daughter's killer mixed with the idea of 'love's stronger than hate'  is a true cinematic masterpiece. M...