Pakistani Tom Cruise Lookalike Found in PAF!

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Jun 16, 2015

Who knew that the on-screen fictional Lt. Pete Mitchell aka Maverick could be seen in flesh and blood in our very own country!

Recently a tweet went viral identifying a JF-17 pilot of Pakistan Air Force, Squadron Leader Yasir Mudasser as a lookalike of the most sought-after actors in the Hollywood’s screen history – Tom Cruise.

The picture tweet shows a JF-17 pilot, identified as Squadron Leader Yasir, wearing aviators, briefing Pakistani Ambassador to Italy Tehmina Janjua about the aircraft during the Paris Air Show.

Have a look at the picture below and give your eyes a reason to believe!

Briefing with Pride! #PAF JF-17’s Pilot briefing Ms. Tehmina Janjua, ambassador of Pakistan to Italy at #ParisAirShow pic.twitter.com/HEkIUFvzCc

— Proud Khaki (@proud_khaki) June 14, 2015

PAF’s wing Commander Usman Ali & Squadron Leader Yaser Mudasser after PAF’s Thunder JF17 performance at Paris Airshow pic.twitter.com/mWqH0qEiOG — Faizan Lakhani (@faizanlakhani) June 15, 2015

Pakistan’s Very Own Tom Cruise..? #ParisAirShow #ABC pic.twitter.com/OkyJ4EtLkH

— Alpha Bravo Charlie (@AnonymousFauji) June 15, 2015

With the black specs on and easygoing poise, anyone could mistakenly believe that picture was of their Hollywood’s heart-throb straight out from the movie Top Gun.

“It’s funny. One never imagines that you’ll get this kind of attention when you’re training day-in-day-out,” the pilot told AFP. No wonders our pilot was taken aback from this not so expected treatment during one of his routine practices.

The news is all over social media and the huge fan followers of Tom Cruise can’t wait to see more glimpses of their dreamboat’s lookalike.

Sony Announces Shenmue III and Final Fantasy VII Remake

By

Web Desk

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Jun 16, 2015

Sony’s E3 2015 conference witnessed the launch of two highly anticipated games – the remake of the classic Final Fantasy VII and the long-lost yet highly demanded installment of Sega’s Dreamcast-era epic, Shenmue.

A short trailer of the classic fan favourite Final Fantasy VII showed a high-definition PlayStation 4 remake.

Shenmue III, a follow-up to the 2001 Shenmue II, was also announced. SEGA’s Shenmue series began in 1999, and fans have been rallying and demanding for a third part to the sequel since the last sequel came out.

Shenmue III has a Kickstarter page set up in order to accrue funding for the production of the game. The goal has been set for an ambitious amount of $2,000,000.

This would prove an impossible feat but fans of the popular Shenmue series are numerous and highly dedicated – the campaign’s funding is already above $1,500,000 and is steadily rising by the second.

Not much is known about the Final Fantasy VII remake. All that exists for it is the trailer for now, which you can watch below:

The video for the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter page can be viewed below:

Pakistani Photographer, Sadia Khan Meets ‘The Incredible Hulk’

By

Sahar Iqbal

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Jun 16, 2015

A young and passionate photographer from Karachi, Sadia Khan, met Mark Ruffalo aka ‘The Hulk’ to cover the biggest project of her life.

Mark Ruffalo has played the role of the ‘Incredible Hulk’ for Marvel movies.

Sadia moved to London, UK in order to complete her studies in Business Management and to pursue her passion for photography. Though Sadia has met many other celebrities for her photo shoots but, in her own words, ‘meeting Mark Ruffalo was the best experience ever’.

Sadia described Mark as “the most generous, gentle, humble and down-to-Earth human being I have ever met in my life”. The photo shoot took place on March 2nd, 2015 and Sadia recall it as an incomparable day of her life.

“The 2nd of March 2015 in London was a great day in my life when I met Mark Ruffalo for a photo shoot. I waited at a local pub for him arrive. He was bang-on time and waved to me from the other side of the road. The greeting felt so warm when I said “Good morning, Mark”; in reply he smiled at me with a nod of his head. Though I was still shocked and mesmerised that Mark Ruffalo was next to me for a shoot, it wasn’t difficult for me to start a conversation with him,” said Pakistani photographer Sadia Khan to Aquila Style.

After the photo shoot, while sitting next to River Thames, Mr. Ruffalo and Sadia touched upon different topics about life in Pakistan and Asia.

Mark told her about his interest in different cultures and showed his immense fascination with Asian weddings and their shimmery dresses and powerhouse performances. They also talked about Islamic teachings and Pakistani society.

They chatted for a total of 90 minutes discussing some crucial and grave topics as well like poverty, terrorism, early marriages, women’s rights and the charities that work for the welfare of the people of Pakistan.

Mark thanked Sadia through his official Twitter account.

Thanks for the kind words, Sadia.Pakistani photographer recalls life lessons from actor Mark Ruffalo http://t.co/ULfjgpvdcd via @aquilastyle

— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) April 9, 2015

@RDJ_Oscar Hopefully soon. I was very interested and had lunch with Sadia Khan (the photographer)and her fiancé. Great folks.

— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) April 9, 2015

We hope that Sadia keeps on extending her network and meeting new influential people in order to spread positivity about Pakistan.

Jawani Phir Nahi Ani Team Celebrates Exclusive Wrap-Up Bash

By

Rida Sadiq

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Jun 16, 2015

It’s a wrap for Humayun Saeed’s ensemble cast adventure-comedy, Jawani Phir Nahi Ani!

The movie has just finished filming in different parts of Thailand, including Pattaya, Coral Island and Bangkok and Karachi and has entered the post-production phase. After a tough final day of shooting in the scorching heat of Karachi, the cast and crew members gathered for an exclusive wrap-up bash to celebrate the end of shooting.

Produced under the banner of Saeed’s home production company, Six Sigma Plus, Jawani Phir Nahi Ani features a star-studded ensemble cast including Humayun Saeed himself, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Vasay Chaudhry, Ahmed Ali Butt, Goher Rasheed, Mehwish Hayat, Sarwat Gillani, Sohai Ali Abro and Aisha Khan.

The story is written by Vasay Chaudhry and directed by Nadeem Baig, of the Dolly Ki Ayegi Baraat, Pyaray Afzal and Family Front fame.

The movie is not a mindless entertainer as most comedy movies are. According to Chaudhry, the movie has a strong storyline, revolving around the friendship, marriage and lives of four friends. The trailer and the storyline depicted strongly resemble the hit Hollywood trilogy, Hangover.

[dailymotion id=”x2lacxk” align=”left” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

The trailer had created quite the buzz when initially released, with Hamza Ali Abbasi consequently resigning from PTI, for playing a role against his preachings.

The shooting of the movie hit a snag when Humayun Saeed had a road accident in Bangkok last year. However, the cast and crew members are quite happy with the final results of shooting and are excited about the audiences’ reactions, as stated by Humayun Saeed. The actor also shared how the four lead heroes had fun when they shaved their faces clean for the final shots.

Jawani Phir Nahi Ani is slated to hit the local cinemas on Eid-ul-Azha, with an international release to follow soon.

Sunita Marshall Embodies Motherhood in Meiji Mamilac TVC 2015

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Web Desk

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Jun 16, 2015

[fb_embed_post href=”https://www.facebook.com/synergyadvertising/videos/vb.276488282465942/802229819891783/?type=2&theater/” width=”840″/]

One of the most successful models of Pakistan, Sunita Marshall personifies motherhood in Meiji Mamilac’s latest TVC.

Conceptualized by Synergy Advertising, the ad signifies the motherhood and its importance. The TVC also sheds light on the functional importance of Meiji Mamilac for moms-to-be and their child.

Angry, Sad & Stupefied: Here’s How Fans Reacted to GOT Finale

By

Bismah Ahmed

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Jun 16, 2015

Game of Thrones’ fiery season five finale has us all reeling from the pure torture of it all. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse; Daenerys was left to fend for herself after flying away on Drogon or Sansa getting brutally violated at the hands of the hateful Ramsay Bolton.

BAM, the show decides to hit us right in the feels with even more deaths than at the Red Wedding.

We see Cersei’s ‘Walk of Shame’, shorn of that gorgeous blond Lannister hair and stripped completely naked, before being forced to march through the streets of King’s Landing in front of a baying mob while there was disbelief over the fate of Jon Snow.

Our beloved Jon Snow, also known as the Lord Commander was brutally butchered by his fellow brothers of the Night’s Watch, but he was just one of many to die.

Jumping from one shocking scene to the next, we also witness Stannis Baratheon executed at the hands of Brienne of Tarth, just hours after his wife Queen Selyse hanged herself. Truth be told, he deserved it for burning his only daughter.

Overall, the finale is a bustling episode that balances the emotional weight of horrible things befalling characters we like and care about with the inevitable reciprocation of horrible actions being brought upon those who have wrought death and destruction in the first place.

Tens of thousands took to Twitter to express their disbelief with the hashtag #GameOfThronesFinale as the season came to a brutal conclusion.

Who did this? #feels #GameOfThronesFinale pic.twitter.com/qFbIkIVNo9

— Klassy P. Goldberg (@klassy) June 16, 2015

Anyone else feel this when watching last night’s #GameofThronesFinale pic.twitter.com/8Su8jbyIgO

— Ranker of Thrones (@RankerofThrones) June 16, 2015

Feel like they wanted to shove all the insane scenes together in one final hurried episode. Impactful but crowded. #gameofthronesfinale

— ketaki desai (@Ketaki_D) June 16, 2015

Outraged but it’s been 5 seasons, should we really be shocked? #GameofThronesFinale #YouKnowNothingJonSnow pic.twitter.com/QAlRE3T381

— Atheist (@AnaAlessDuot) June 16, 2015

This is an accurate representation of me watching the #GameofThronesFinale last night… pic.twitter.com/FZCvYGDnwi

— erin_cheshirecat (@erincheshirecat) June 16, 2015

They say never go to bed angry, after watching the #GameofThronesFinale I don’t really have a choice

— Kayley Wright (@Kayleywright_) June 16, 2015

I watched the #GameofThronesFinale – quick question @HBO -when does someone come over to hold me?

— Darcy Michael (@theDarcyMichael) June 16, 2015

This seems apropos #GameofThronesFinale pic.twitter.com/5RtCARiLUm

— Pete Morrison (@ThePeteAwakens) June 16, 2015

Jon “Ghost” Snow? #Hopeso #GameofThronesFinale pic.twitter.com/1Cpzaj60LQ

— Game of Thrones Prbs (@GofTProblems) June 16, 2015

After the #GameofThronesFinale can we now find out what happened to these missing characters? http://t.co/F2IfwjRrT6 pic.twitter.com/fL4V8pxIhf

— Ranker of Thrones (@RankerofThrones) June 16, 2015

And this sums up a huge part of my feelings! #GameofThronesFinale pic.twitter.com/A7kUk0tuSb

— Chuck Rice (@CRICE17) June 15, 2015

Alkaram Festival Collection 2015

By

Bismah Ahmed

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Jun 15, 2015

Amidst all the Ramazan & Eid preparations going about, Alkaram has already launched its new collection named ‘Festival Collection.’

Keeping the summer heat in mind, the collection mainly comprises cotton and cotton/silk blends.

See the full collection below:

Farhan Saeed & Urwa Hocane to Star in ‘Mere Ajnabi’

By

Web Desk

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Jun 15, 2015

Former lead vocalist of JAL, Farhan Saeed dating Urwa Hocane is no new news. However, to see the couple’s chemistry getting aired in the upcoming drama titled as ‘Mere Ajnabi’ is worth the wait.

The drama will be showing the off-air love-birds becoming the soulmates on screen.The couple has yet not made any confirmation statement regarding their relationship

The couple has not yet made any confirmation statement regarding their relationship status however their pictures on social media are a confirmation to all the speculations. After glamorizing the TBCW 2015’s ramps, the couple is now locked and loaded to set the television screens on fire with their heart-warming romantic scenes.

‘Mere Ajnabi’, is an Idream production. The plot revolves around a typical love story where Urwa will be staring as an innocent girl who reckons Saeed as jinx in her life. After a series of misfortunes, the couple patches up and the story ends as a cliched happily live ever after tale.

Not sure about the plot, but the couple’s real life chemistry on screen would be worth watching!

Take a look at the behind the scenes shots of the drama:

Selfiyan Re Selfiyan Feat. Sohai Ali Abro’s Item song in Movie ‘Wrong Number’

By

Web Desk

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Jun 15, 2015

Pakistani Movie Wrong Number Trailer Released

UPDATE:

Sohai Ali Abro shakes a leg for her upcoming movie Wrong Number. Her item number, ‘Selfiyan Re Selfiyan’ will also feature local star Danish Taimoor. Watch the full video song below:

The innocent apple-faced beauty Sohai Ali Abro is ready to set the stage on fire with her stunning dance number, Selfiyan Re Selfiyan in her upcoming movie Wrong Number. Matching her dance steps is none other than Pakistan’s recent heartthrob, Danish Taimoor.

According to sources, the item song will be sponsored by the recently launched local smartphone brand, Rivo.

Watch the sizzling performance of Sohai Ali Abro below in her Item song:

A model, a dancer and an actress, Sohai became an overnight star with her stunning performances in various TV serials including Khoya Khoya Chand, Pyare Afzal and Tanhai.

Dolled up as a true desi in Ghaghra Choli, Sohai has stunned everybody with her glamorous looks and sultry dance for the song ‘Selfiyan Re Selfiyan’.

Check out Ayesha Omer’s item song here

Pakistan’s entertainment industry is catching up on the infamous trend of item songs way faster than expected. Before her, famous TV actresses like Mehwish Hayat, Zhalay Sarhadi, Saba Qamar, Ayesha Omer and ofcourse, Mathira has performed on various item songs.

The movie “Wrong Number” is a romantic- comedy film starring Danish Taimoor, Sohai Ali Abro, Shafqat Cheema, Javaid Sheikh, Janita Asma, Danish Nawaz and Nadeem Jafri. Directed by Yasir Nawaz, the movie is in line to give competition to many new films releasing this Eid.

Salman Khan’s Movie Sultan to Star Parineeti Chopra

By

Web Desk

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Jun 15, 2015

Sultan’s leading lady Parineeti Chopra will be seen donning the avatar of a female wrestler in the Bollywood movie, opposite Dabangg hero Salman Khan.

According to the sources, earlier Kangana Ranaut was taken onboard for ‘Sultan’ but later she backed off due to her prior commitment.

It was also reported that Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma were also taken into consideration to co-star against the Bollywood tiger Salman Khan.

Also see: http://www.brandsynario.com/bajrangi-bhaijaan-trailer-well-received-amongst-bollywood-stars/

Salman khan as the lead actor will be seen playing a role of a 40-year old boxer for which he has to undergo extensive work out and has to maintain a proper diet- changing his physique and body language. While Parineeti has already started training to fit her role.

Check out: http://www.brandsynario.com/salman-khan-will-not-include-jacqueline-fernandez-in-kicks-sequel/

According to theindiantimes.co, ‘Sultan’ will not be the usual Bollywood type movie but rather it will focus on sports.

Dabangg Khan seems excited about this project; after all, we all know how much love Salman has for sports.

All eyes are on Parineeti and Salman, whether they will be able to make a good couple on screen. We wish the team ‘Sultan’ all the best!

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the film will be released on Eid of 2016.

TV One’s Ishq Ramazan: Registration Process & Timings

By

Web Desk

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Jun 15, 2015

TV One’s Ramazan transmission ‘Ishq Ramazan’ is all set to go on air, hosted by our very own couple-harassing, Maya Khan. Find out the timings and the registration process below:

http://www.brandsynario.com/ishq-ramazan-transmission-tv-one-registration-passes-prizes-timings-ost/

Keeping in mind the significance of the Holy month of Ramazan, the show’s main theme revolves around love for Allah and Humanity. The special transmission will start on 1^st Ramazan and will continue throughout the Holy month.

Also see: Maya Khan is Back on TV

The promotion of the program has already started and auditions for Naat Khuwans have begun.

Timings:

The timings for the ‘Ishq Ramazan’ will be as follow:

Sehri Transmission: 1 AM to 6 AM hosted by Shabir Abu Talib
Iftar Transmission: 2 PM to 9 PM hosted by Maya Khan

Registration Details:

Book yourselves for inspiring talks and soul-stirring Naats on the following numbers:

0334-1865633
0334-1865611

Stay tuned to Brandsynario for more details.

Coca-Cola Recreates Local Postman’s Song for Digital Ad

By

Yusra Hassan

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Jun 15, 2015

To recreate and culturally document and represent a hummable song coined by a postman is one of those instant success hit ideas that is bound to hit a chord with audiences.

As part of the digital campaigning for celebration of its 100 years cold bottle, Coca Cola came up with this postman, Rafaqat Ali’s work song. Take a look:

Rafaqat Ai works at a mail courier service company and has been delivering mail to our office for over 15 years. On one of his trips Rafaqat sat us down and sang a song which he had written and composed, outlining his love for Coca-Cola. Ever since hearing it, we couldn’t get it out of our heads and decided to call Rafaqat to make the video below. If you also have a love for Coca-Cola that you would like to share with the world, inbox us…and who knows, the next video could be a tribute to you… #ilovemycoke #100yearscold #RafaqatAli

Posted by Coca-Cola on Saturday, 13 June 2015

Adding a real personal touch to the brand yet again by including a common, hard-working citizen has added relevancy and relatability to Coke’s brand name all over again. This effort is in a lot of ways similar to the Justin Bibi’s World Cup song which was released a few months ago during the World Cup fervor by Coca Cola.

Punjab Govt Will Give You Cash Prizes on Dining In

By

Web Desk

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Jun 15, 2015

The Government of Punjab has, yet again, come up with a scheme for the foodies of this nation. The people of Punjab, who are famous for their love of food, have all the more reasons to eat out as they will become eligible to receive thousands of prizes by lucky draw just by dining-in in any restaurant in Punjab for a total of Rs. 1000 (exclusive of all taxes).

More precisely, any customer who will devour or avail taxable services of any restaurant (other than a restaurant located in a club, corporate sector hotel or corporate sector chain of restaurants) worth more than one thousand rupees (excluding tax) at a time will be eligible to be a part of this inami scheme by Punjab Government.

How To Participate:

To become eligible for this competition, the citizens of the province of Punjab must post or email the following documents to Punjab Revenue Authority:

Original Tax Invoice
A photocopy of CNIC
Personal contact number for participation in the Inami scheme

How To Win:

After receiving the above-mentioned documents, the Government of Punjab will conduct a computerized draw and will distribute a number of cash and other prizes like cars, motorcycles etc.

However, who will win and what will be the prize shall be in direct discretion and under the explicit scrutiny of the Punjab Revenue Authority.

Whether this scheme would work or not, only time will tell. We hope that the Government of other provinces also introduce such schemes in order to induce positivity and zeal amongst the citizens of the nation.

Gidh Movie’s Second Teaser Revealed: Shamoon Abbasi’s Directorial Debut

By

Rida Sadiq

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Jun 15, 2015

Shamoon Abbasi has had his fans waiting for Gidh for the past two years and now with the release of the trailers, it seems like the wait was well worth it.

Starring one of Pakistan’s most experienced actor, Shaan Shahid, now Mumbai-based actress, Sara Loren and Shamoon Abbasi himself, Gidh marks Abbasi’s directorial debut.

The upcoming romantic thriller, Gidh, is being produced by Prime Films and had been written by Zubair Abbasi. It was previously reported that the soundtrack of the movie will feature some of the subcontinent’s best signers including Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Amanat Ali and Sukhwinder Singh. However, there is no confirmation as of yet for the music album of the movie.

With his directorial debut, Abbasi aims to take on and display the persona of cultural vultures, as the name of the movie metaphorically suggests. The story of the movie revolves around a well-known celebrity, who attempts to fight the challenges posed by the society’s vultures in order to take him down.

After 7 long months since the release of the first teaser, set in a Gotham-esque set up, the team has finally released the second teaser, giving the first glimpse of the lead actress and an insight to the storyline.

[dailymotion id=”x2ty106″ align=”left” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

Shaan and Abbasi both have previously impressed the audiences with their performances in both, the blockbuster, Waar and the less popular, Operation 21. And now it seems like they are back for yet another hit in the making.

We have seen some really good work done in the movies, with respect to special effects, in the past year and from the looks of Gidh’s teasers, it seems like the dynamic duo have upped their game even further, making the movie well worthy of global recognition.

The release date of the movie is still unannounced.

EMI Pakistan Takes Legal Action Against Music Startup Patari.pk

By

Web Desk

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Jun 15, 2015

A unique Pakistani music streaming website, Patari, is facing the threat of legal action from EMI, a leading music label in Pakistan.

Patari was being set up for the purposes of allowing people to access Pakistani music, to make it more accessible to music lovers across the country and abroad.

Since its beta launch a few months ago, it has provided access to work from the music of the legendary singers and the up-and-coming modern artists.

However, now EMI has decided to put some heat on the website and threatened them with legal action. EMI has requested Patari to remove the songs on the website, as it is an infringement of copyright laws. Due to this,

Due to this, Patari will be forced to remove up to 60,000 Pakistani artists’ songs from the website – around 70% of all music produced in Pakistan.

EMI has a significant amount of control over the music market, due mostly in part to popular and leading artists in the past having deals with the label.

Bajwa said even artists like Noori and Strings asked Patari to take down their music initially, only to formalize a deal through which they can start anew, keeping Patari’s popularity in mind.

While EMI are insistent that they have no issue with Patari itself, they are against the way in which music has been uploaded onto the website without their consent. They are adamant that Patari must obtain the licensed rights to the music they choose to make available to users.

Khalid Bajwa, a co-founder of Patari, had this to say on Twitter:

If EMI does not relent, we will openly call into question their ownership of the rights and get the royalties to its rightful owners.

— Khalid Bajwa (@hisBaajaness) June 12, 2015

For now, the fate of Patari hangs in the balance. It remains to be seen how the issue is going to be handled by Patari and what will lie in store for the platform in the future.

Snackers’ Launch TVC 2015 – Sharing Ka No Scene

By

Bismah Ahmed

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Jun 15, 2015

Lotte Kolson Pakistan has launched Snackers’ latest campaign and it is hard hitting – quite literally.

Watch the ad below:

[dailymotion id=”x2tzuvu”]

Conceptualized by the creative agency Ogilvy & Mather, the ad shows a young couple enjoying a long drive at a beautiful location with romantic music in the background, while the girl is enjoying her pack of Snackers.

Tempted, the guy tries to take some, but is shot down by the girl. Ignoring this, the guy makes the final attempt by slowly and sneakily moving the hand towards the pack. And this time the girl is ready for it.

Just as he reaches out, the girl punches him in the face. What follows can only be described as the funniest scene of the entire ad.

Although the ad bears a resemblance to a recent ad by Ufone, which also shows the female lead beating up her husband, it is not really a question of who copied who. Rather, haters can look towards Ahsan Rahim, the director of both commercials, for creating the two similar ads.

However, it differs from the Ufone TVC in terms of concept. The Snackers ad focuses on the various flavors of the product. The flavors are so strong that no one would like to share their Snackers.

Credits:

Production: Sling Shot

Creative Agency: Ogilvy & Mather

Brand Team: Yasir Kamal, Zeeshan Zahoor and Amina Javed

Director: Ahsan Rahim

Animation: Sharp Images

Media Agency: Orient McCann

Digital Agency: DHQ

Bramerz Acquires Multiple Digital Accounts

By

Web Desk

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Jun 15, 2015

Right in the midst of heated brands-catching race, Bramerz brings the total count of brands to 70.

Established in 2006, Bramerz is a Lahore based Digital Media Agency, known for creating online buzz for its local and international clients. In the past, the company has worked with some of the industry’s leading brands including Pepsi, Nestle, Unilever, Samsung, Coke, Dell, Intel, Levi’s, Dominos, amongst a vast roster of patrons.

Already strong footed in the digital horizon, Bramerz further locked more than 10 brands in the past 2 weeks. The newly added brands include:

Din Industries
ECS
Bareeze
Saira Rizwan
Taana Baana
Nine West
Sarpino’s Pizza
Urban Sole
The Vitamin Company
Barcelos

It seems that the acquisition of DEXTEAM about a month ago has really worked in favor of Bramerz who wanted to strengthen its operations in southern part of the country.

Raring to go with this big achievement, Junaid Malik, the COO of Bramerz stated, “We’ve only just begun; this wide range of clientele is the result of the entire team’s efforts so big kudos to everyone at Bramerz. I’m proud of the fact that Bramerz is the only Agency in the country which has all digital certifications which shows that we know what we’re doing when it comes to digital. I’m also excited to see our technology side of the company flourishing, since Badar Khushnood and Amer Sarfraz are spearheading the products, we’ll inshaAllah be spreading our wings to the global stage.”

Punjab Government Withdraws Recently Imposed Internet Taxes

By

Rida Sadiq

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Jun 15, 2015

Digital communities’ protests have borne fruit! Sources from Lahore reveal that Punjab Government has withdrawn the recently imposed internet taxes, as reported by ProPakistani.

Punjab Government had imposed a massive 19.5% tax rate on all monthly internet bills exceeding PKR 1500 or connections above the speed of 2 Mbps on 28^th May 2015. The new tax rate was supposed to be applicable on all data connections including 3G, 4G, DSL, EVDO and FTTH from 29^th May 2015.

Read details: Punjab Govt Imposes Massive 19.5% Tax on Internet Usage

However, following protests from mega digital publishers, bloggers, leading websites and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, the Government of Punjab has revoked their decision and withdrawn the recently implemented tax rates.

The announcement of the reversal of taxes was made by Finance Minister Punjab, Dr. Ayesha Ghaus, in Punjab Assembly, during the budget speech on 12^th June 2015.

The past year has seen some major investments in the internet industry including billion dollar foreign investments in the 3G spectrum auction and more by telcos for the up-gradation of devices and networks. All the efforts would have been rendered useless, if the decision to revoke the new tax rates had not been made.

Following the expected impediment in the growth of internet industry, the national GDP would also have suffered major losses in the next five years.

As the digital community protested and blacked out their website homepages, others industry bigwigs including PTA Chairman, Dr. Ismail Shah and ICT3 President, Sohaib Sheikh made their cases to the government regarding the rising concerns of the industry and its consumers.

With the reversal of internet taxes, not only will the industry continue to grow rapidly, as witnessed last year, but will also discourage federal authorities to tax internet in the future.

Sindh Govt Reduces Telecom Taxes by 1.5%

By

Web Desk

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Jun 15, 2015

Sindh Government has announced that service tax on Telecom sector will be reduced from 19.5% to 18%, effective from 1^st July 2015. This change is going to allow telecom service users to save Rs. 0.93 on every Rs. 100 card.

Taxes on telecom services in Pakistan are currently the 4^th highest in the world.

After the National Finance Commission Award, each respective provincial government has the freedom to tax services and adjust them separately from other provincial governments.

The telecommunication industry has urged that the tax-rate for telecom should also be brought down by other provinces in the country.

They emphasized that the customers are the ones paying the taxes and the ones benefiting from the tax reductions will be the end users.

While saving Rs. 0.93 on a Rs. 100 card load is a very minute amount, the reduction is still a good gesture on the part of the Sindh government.

The reduction to 18% from 19.5% tax on telecom services will be in effect from 1^st July 2015.

Watch Mahira Khan & Humayun Saeed Romance in Tere Bina Jeena Song

By

Maheen Nusrat

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Jun 14, 2015

Watch Mahira Khan and Humayun Saeed turn love birds for the soulful romantic track, Tere Bina Jeena, from the movie Bin Roye.

Sung by the ace sufi singer, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Saleema Jawwad, the song has been composed by Sahir Ali Bagga while the lyrics have been written by Sabir Zafar. Bin Roye’s album also features Indian music artists Rekha Bhardwaj and Ankit Tiwari.

Dressed as a true desi in green shalwar Kameez, Mahira Khan looks picture perfect with Humayun at her side. The couple’s chemistry combined with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s melodious voice makes this track a repeat watch!