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Book review of 'Battle of Bittora' by Anuja Chauhan

Battle For Bittora by Anuja Chauhan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I DID NOT enjoy reading this book at all. I had to run through the pages quickly because I wanted to finish it as soon as possible.
The reason to pick this book for reading was the fact that apparently Fawad Khan (my most favorite Pakistani hero) is going to play the much hyped Zain Altaaf Khan in the Bollywood adaption of this book alongside Sonam Kapoor who will play the role of Sarojini Pande aka Jinni. I just wish Fawad had not agreed to do this book because it is again centered around the woman. :( Since he is doing the movie, it is my sincere plea to the makers of this movie to re-write the screenplay and give some more significance to ZAK's role!
Nevertheless this was the sole reason for reading it. Otherwise, I'd never dared to start this book.

This book will be an interesting and enjoyable read for the people based in India as they can relate to their political system with an ease.
As I'm a Pakistani, so it took me sometime to understand the tactics of the Indian politics. There were some terms which were non-understandable. I'm a person who'd want to stay away from politics as far as possible. Therefore, for me it is not a must-read.

There was too much politics in this book as the title indicates. Elections, campaigning, ballot boxing, voting etc is what the book is all about.
I wish there was more exposure of romance between Jinni and Zain but I could only sense sexual tension arising between the two of them at few parts.

Indian readers will surely love this book, I'm sure. As far the movie adaptation is concerned, Fawad Khan is perfect to portray the character of Zain because he's all lean, well chiseled body type and a Muslim guy.
Halfheartedly, I choose to give only 2 stars to this book.

Happy Reading!

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Book review of 'How It Happened'

How It Happened by Shazaf Fatima Haider
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was inclined to read 'How it Happened' for a long time out of curiosity because it is written by a Pakistani writer, Shazaf Fatima Haider.
I'm always extremely delighted to read books by our very own Pakistani authors. Therefore, I did not want to miss out this one at any cost.

'How it Happened' is a purely gharelu story that we observe in every other's family based in Pakistan. It is the story of a Shia, Bandian family based in Karachi. It revolves around Gulbahar Bibi; commonly known as Dadi in the novel, who plays the most ardent and strict grandparent in the house. It is the story of how she believes in arrange marriages and how she arranged marriages for her children and her grandchildren. She is an imperious matriarch of her Bandian family who believes only in inter-sect marriages.

The story in the novel is being told by Saleha, who is a grand child of Dadi. She narrates the story and tells her ardent Dadi fixes arrange marriages for her two elder siblings; Haroon and Zeba. Dadi is highly against love shove business and wants her grand children to stay away from it as not a single family member in the Bandian family has ever tried to get into a love marriage before.
Despite of her old traditions, Haroon and Zeba find matches for themselves. Zeba crosses the family traditions as she falls in love with a Sunni boy. To find out how Dadi is outraged with this horrifying news, you have to read the book!
I believe this book will be more relatable to the readers belonging to the Shia sect as they will understand the depth of their sect in a much better way.

Moreover, the parts where drawing room meetings are set for a girl when prospective suitors come to see her with his families.
I can somewhat relate to that misery as I've experienced those drawing room meetings myself. This book completely justifies to how actually arranged marriages are done in Pakistan. Beginning from the first meetings and till the rukhsati, each and every event is well expressed.

It was a typical story that depicts the realm and depth of a Pakistani household. Most of the segments of this book were witty and exciting. There was no point when I felt bored reading this book.
The way Shazaf has managed to express the viewpoints of our elders is quite agreeable.
Dadi's role steals the show as she's the center of the story. One would surely laugh like riot and will not regret while reading it.

Happy reading,
Sara Naveed.

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When A Writer Meets Her Favorite Fictional Character

I'd never thought that I would meet my most favorite fictional character and talk to him in real.
This is the fourth time that I've tried to meet him because last three attempts were futile.
First I went to attend the launch of Silk by Fawad Khan at Mall 1, Lahore back in August 2012 but missed him. When I reached there, I came to know that he had already attended the launch a day before. I would merely count that as a bad luck.

Second, there was this movie premiere for Ali Zafar's Bollywood flick Total Siyaapa in Lahore. Though I had no confirm information that Fawad was going to attend the premiere or not, I still thought of taking a risk.
I would again say that it was really unfortunate of me not to reach the event on time. All of my suspicions turned right; Fawad was there but we missed him. Only if I had gone one or two hours earlier.
Anyhow, now I am coming to the third time when I went to test my luck.
He was attending this Lahore Auto Show back in February 2014. I went there accompanied by my sister, Ayesha and my elder brother. This time, we reached on time but could not get a chance to meet him as he was mobbed by the interviewers and lots of spectators. We tried to follow him till he sat in his car and drove off. Thankfully, we were lucky enough to capture some of his pictures (Not with us, though).
I had surely lost my heart and started to believe that I might never meet him ever.

However, miracles do happen. It happened yesterday.
I was wandering on Twitter when my eyes caught one of the tweets written by most close friend on Twitter, Bisma shouting to me and Ayesha to reach Super Cinema by 8 p.m! Thank you for letting us know Bisma or else we'd never be able to reach on time! When Bisma told us, this is what exactly happened to me; earth lifted off my feet, my heart fluttered at the most highest rate, breathing became uncontrollable and my entire body trembled. Fawad had invited his close friends and relatives to the special screening of his debut Bollywood movie at Super Cinema, Vogue Towers, Lahore.
I discussed the entire plan with my sister on phone that we'd go and try our luck to meet him this time.

Before leaving for the event, Fawad affirmed that he was looking forward to meet us at the event and even thanked us for loving and supporting him throughout his journey as an actor.
I reached home by 6.30 p.m, dressed up in half an hour and drove off to Super Cinema along with my crazy sister and my lovely brother. Thank you Fahad for being extra supportive and accommodating. Love you!
Hence, we reached there by 7.30 p.m . Obviously, we had gone without any passes or invites but we were lucky to get through this process. I won't mention how I got inside but it was hell of a job.
The entire lobby of the cinema was jam packed with celebrities, Fawad's friends and relatives and people from Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital.

My eyes quickly scanned the entire lobby but obviously someone had told us Fawad has not reached yet. We wandered and met various people. I met Ahmed Ali Butt. He was extremely kind. We took pictures with him. I saw Fawad's younger sister, Sana who was busy chatting with her friends. She was dressed in a bright pink dress and wore long heels beneath which made her strode a bit uneasy.
I saw Sadaf's younger sister as well who was also babbling with her close buddies. Meanwhile, I met and talked to Bilal Lashari and Vasay Chaudhry.
We ate popcorn and swigged diet cokes, as we waited to catch his glimpse. Hassaan Khalid, Fawad's manager was wandering across the entire lobby. He seemed panicked for some reason. (Probably he was waiting for Fawad.)
Around 8.35 p.m, the prince of Sambhalgarh, Mr. Yuvraaj Singh Rathore a.k.a Fawad Khan at last arrived. Dressed in a dark grey suit, he looked extremely suave and elegant. He was wearing black framed spectacles and his hairdo was mesmerizing.
Hassaan escorted him to the lobby. When he entered, the guards asked the audience to clear off the red carpet and everybody stepped aside, letting Fawad walk toward the stage where media was waiting to capture his pictures.
As he strolled toward the stage, I shouted, "Hey Fawad," and also waved at him. Ayesha was clinging onto me.
He heard my shrieking voice and turned at his left to see us. To our surprise, he gave a wide smile, waved at us and walked ahead. After taking a few steps ahead, he abruptly stopped, turned his head to see us standing behind, recognized both of us, squinted his eyes and then gave out a huge grin with a wave. That was the moment when Ayesha and I realized that Fawad has recognized us. It is our favorite fan moment with him so far. I must mention that he looks more handsome in real life. Much more handsome. (Girls, are you reading?)
When he reached the stage, people obviously had to mob him. We could not get near because audience had scattered all around the host.
He took pictures and (selfies) with the SKMH child patients and walked upstairs toward the cinema hall.
The authorities did not let us enter the cinema as we had no passes or invites.
We saw Ayaan, Fawad's son who is extremely adorable and then my eyes caught Sadaf's glimpse. She was dressed in a dark green silk dress with black jeggings. I loved her heels though. She was standing close to me when I decided to bump into her. I introduced myself to her as a fiction writer and told her that I'd written a book for Fawad. She met me in a very warm way and I must say, she looks much prettier off screen than in the pictures. Whoever says that she's reserve and sarriyal is utterly wrong. She is quite sweet. I pulled Ayaan's cheeks but he did not seem to notice. He was busy talking to his mother and I remember he said to her something like, "No Mama. Yeh Baba nahin hain!" That was super cute! Haha.
Anyhow, I asked if I could take a picture with her but she said "in a bit, please." Of course, I could not take a picture without her consent.
We waited there for almost half an hour when my brother gave up. He said we cannot wait till 11 p.m and that Fawad is not going to meet us. Ayesha and I became a bit traumatized for a moment. Ayesha wrote a text message to him and pleaded to come downstairs once and meet us. But unfortunately, he did not reply and we were left with no excuse to stay back and wait for him to come downstairs.

We came back, strolled around some shops in Vogue towers. I tried to convince my brother to just stay for another hour because we still wanted to take a chance to meet him.
After sheer persuasion, he finally agreed and then again we headed back to the lobby at around 9.15 p.m.
The guard was not letting us in without passes. Somehow, I tried to convince him and he let us in.
The stage was crowded again and I could not fathom the reason behind it. I asked someone what was happening there and to my surprise, he told me that Fawad was there.

I and Ayesha turned on our cameras and ran toward the stage.
Fawad was taking pictures with random people. I was pushing through the swarm of people, trying to get a glimpse of him. A kind guy helped me out to reach to Fawad. When he saw us in the crowd, he instantly recognized me. I held out my trembling hand to shook hands with him and said, "Hi Fawad."
"Hi Sara," Fawad said.
"Hi and this is Ayesha," I said. Fawad shook hands with Ayesha.
"Thank you so much for being here guys." He put his hand across his chest and thanked us, our most favorite gesture of his! He was so happy to see us. Happiness gleamed in his eyes!
He brought us in and we stood across his side. Ayesha was on his right side and me on the left.
I stumbled onto him when he asked me to stand next to him.
"I'm sorry...I'm just so overwhelmed at the moment." I stammered. My entire body trembled.
"No problem," he chuckled.
So we stood there for a while and let the press take our pictures. (Damn, I need those pictures with him.)
"Finally. Dream come true moment!" Ayesha said to him. Fawad kept smiling. 
I could not help but started a quick conversation with him while the press was busy taking our pictures.
"Fawad. I want to invite you for my book launch and you have to come," I said while looking right into his eyes. His eyes are light brown and covered with wrinkles. Love them!
"You will!" Ayesha said.
"Sure. Why not! I'd love to." he exclaimed. He said this while looking into my eyes. He was grinning all the while. We were standing too close to him. He is so humble and down to earth. I can't explain how much protocol he'd given us last night. Pheww!
"Hey, can I hold you?" I asked him.
"Yeah! Sure," he said with a huge grin.
I did not really hold him, but just touched some part of his grey coat. 
He held Ayesha from the back. Lol. 
Right then, Ayesha reminded me to capture a selfie with him.
"Sara...Selfie!" Ayesha said.
"Oh yeah!" Fawad said.
I managed to turn on the camera of my lame phone and then clicked a selfie. He looked breathtaking as usual.
Now, it was the time to depart.
"Thank you Fawad," I and Ayesha said.
"Thank you so much for loving and supporting me throughout. I love you guys!" he said.
"You were awesome in Khoobsurat and we loved it. Good luck," I said while departing.
He thanked us again and then I and Ayesha left with a flying kiss to him. He gave us back! :)
Ayesha waved Bye at him again and he responded her positively.
Then, I talked to Hassaan and then he promised he'd reply me back. 

It was truly a dream come true moment. A perfect fan moment. A Khoobsurat moment.
I loved the way he recognized us and gave us so much of his time. I loved getting the protocol, attention and everything else from his side. He is not only a brilliant actor but a beautiful person inside out. Fawad Khan is humble, down to earth and so comfortable to talk with. That's what distinguishes him from the rest of the celebrities. :)

Khoobsurat Movie Review

Please keep in mind that you do not certainly have to draw a comparison between the veteran and the latest version whilst exploring Khoobsurat in cinemas. 

This Khoobsurat is entirely different from the original one. The only common factor between the two is the fact how a fun-loving and chirpy girl changes the complete outlook and perspective of a royal family who has been leading an orthodox life.

Dr. Mili Chakravorthy played by Sonam Kapoor is a sports physiotherapist who has come down to treat the Raja of Sambhalgarh. Whilst her stay at the their royal palace, she observes the intricate matters of the family members and tries to cheer them up. She enlightens them with a new way of living and adds colors to their dull life.
Yuvraj Vikram Singh Rathore played by Fawad Khan first retaliates to her broad mindedness but soon he falls for her charm. Mili has won their hearts but in the same process she has lost her heart to Vikram. Unfortunately, a twist in the fairy tale romance arises when Mili learns about Vikram's engagement to someone else.
Will Mili declare her love for Vikram? Will Vikram break his engagement and the vintage rules of his family? 

To find the answers, you have to watch the movie!

I will not add any spoiler alerts for you; watch the movie to know what happens next.
Okay, now lets come to the main movie review.
I found the first half of the movie a bit groggy and the story line dragged at most of the places. The second half catches paces and looks fairly decent. Though story is simple but it is beautifully narrated. All songs are entertaining and catchy but for me, Naina and Abhi Toh Party Shuru Huwi Hai stole the show.
Sonam looks beautiful and has perfectly fit into the skin of the character. Mili is what Sonam is in real life. She is fun, quirky and loud. She has done full justice to her role and undoubtedly, steals the show with her heart stealing performance. 

Fawad Khan is a born charmer. Whoever said that this movie is a women oriented movie is utterly false because Fawad does have a major role in the movie. A Disney fairy tale romance is incomplete without a Prince. Fawad looks like a true Rajasthani prince. With suave looks, intense eyes, heavy eye lashes, sexy hairdo and chiseled chest, he looks mind blowing with the pensive look in each and every scene. AHH!

The chemistry is good between Mili and Vikku but it could have been improved if there were more interactions and conversations between the duo. The thought bubble idea was quite innovative. I'd like it more if they displayed the thought bubbles on screen with the dialogues. It would have looked more appealing. 
I loved when he called her Aaafat all the time and she termed him as Kharoos. 
Though Kirron Kher has played numerous Punjabi mother roles, I have really loved and enjoyed her as Manju. She is a delight to watch. Her dialogues are quite witty and humorous. The climax scene between Manju and Vikku is not to be missed.
Ratna Pathak Shah and Amir Raza Hussain were also decent in their roles. Aditi Rao Hydari has been completely wasted. She's done more work in her previous flicks. 

Khoobsurat is a fun ride. The entire credit goes to the director and the production team. It is a beautiful delight and a complete family entertainer that should not be missed at any cost.
Fawad Khan fans should feel proud after watching their hero on the Big screens. He has made an intelligent move by selecting Khoobsurat as his Bollywood debut. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and recommend everyone to watch it once too. I believe Khoobsurat is already creating raves and receiving accolades both in India and Pakistan. How else could you prove the audience madness when the movie ends in the cinema and the entire audience gives a huge round of applause.

Do not expect it to be one of your best cinematic experiences. The idea is to just go with the mind to enjoy a decent fairy tale romance with your loved ones. Feel Khoobsurat and you will become Khoobsurat.
Rating: 3.5/5 (Additional 0.5 is for Fawad Khan.)

Love,

Sara Naveed. 

My Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'd never thought writing could be so simple.
Rainbow Rowell taught me this.

Before reading her work, I almost believed that every writer's work has to be detailed and precisely written. Whichever books that I've read, I've seen how writers have described intricate details of their stories into words.
But Rainbow Rowell's writing doesn't work that way.
Her writing is simple, to the point and focuses more on the 'dialogue part'.
I comprehend the fact that every writer is blessed with a unique writing style and I truly respect that.

To my surprise, Rainbow Rowell's writing awestruck me at the point where I realized she also focuses more on the dialogue part.
Being a writer, I enjoy writing stories where the characters get a chance to interact with one another. The characters should speak for themselves. I do not want to indulge unnecessarily into the detailing of every scene or writing long descriptions for that matter.

I feel more happy when my characters speak and feel relaxed while writing conversations between my characters. This is what made me fall in love with Rainbow because she does the same.
I'd read her 'Attachments' and 'Eleanor and Park' prior to reading 'Fangirl' and I was completely amazed with her writing format and style.

I loved 'Attachments' and 'Eleanor and Park' but there was some special spark in 'Fangirl'.
The major reason for choosing 'Fangirl' over her previous two books is the fact that the character in the former i.e. 'Cather Avery', is quite close to what I used to be in my adolescence years or still I am. A complete 'Crazy' girl driven into the world of imaginations and fantasies.
A girl who is simply not interested in the world and who only focuses on her imaginary characters and fantasy life.
Cath is shy and a bit resistant to meeting new people and developing new relationships.

The reason why I relate myself to Cath is because as a teenager, I was also plunged into writing fan fictions in various Bollywood/Asian forums of my most favorite celebrities.
The idea of writing a book regarding fan fictions was simply amazing. Cath is just how I used to think or believe.

And not to forget the cute 'Levi' in this book. The cute Levi and his cute smiles.
Levi is such a cutie pie! Every woman/girl writer would want to have a boyfriend/partner/husband as supportive and caring as Levi.
Levi understands how Cath's brain works and he supports her writing career till infinity and beyond.
He knows how crazy Cath is. That's what I love the most about his character.

The relationship between Cath and her twin sister, Wren is beautifully described and one you are reading the book, you can easily differentiate between the two characters. They're twins yet so different from each other.
Cath writes the fan fiction and Wren helps her out with plot, story line and new ideas.

All in all, it was a lovely read except for reading the 'Baz and Simon' stories.
Mostly, I skipped reading her Baz and Simon 'fan-fictions' because I wasn't really interested in reading a gay love story; I was more keen to know what was happening in 'Cath's own love story.
Rainbow Rowell, you are a brilliant story teller and authoress. I'm glad to become one of your huge fans!

Happy Reading!
Sara :)

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EXCLUSIVE: Sara Naveed talks about her upcoming book, Fawad Khan + More

At SimplyAmina.com we love to interview people who passionately love their careers (Bare this in mind, that we love it when a passion & career comes together), and in this case SimplyAmina has gone global. Yes, by this I mean I have had to stumble over some rocks to find such talent… And may I introduce to you the beautiful and extremely talented: Sara Naveed.

POSTED BY AMINA MUGHAL  AUGUST 17, 2014

Sara Naveed: Upcoming Pakistani writer in the making!

Welcome to SimplyAmina.com Sara its’ awesome to have you on here: “It is my pleasure to be interviewed by you”; (I was over-whelmed by her sweetness) Count down: 3,2,1 GO…

What inspired you to write your first book?

Fawad Khan. (We stop abruptly to acknowledge her answer: GASPS))Yes, you will be surprised with this answer but this is the actual truth. The idea of writing this book only popped up when I had this one person in mind. (Sara has #FawadFever, we love her spirit)

Do you have a specific writing style?

Not really. I keep on writing whatever comes in my mind. I don’t restrict myself to a particular writing style. As a writer, I want to explore myself in different sorts of writing styles. Sara can you join our team?

What is the title of your book and what genre is it?

Honestly speaking, I am not in a position to disclose the title of my book because the book is still under wraps. I’m in talks with a few interested publishers and I can’t disclose the name till something concrete matter comes up. However, the genre of my book is romance or I can say romantic tragedy. We will be the first to know, won’t we Sara?

Is there any particular message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I would like to quote one of my favourite lines from Paulo Coelho’s works on this note:

“And, when you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist.

This is the same message I want to spread out for my readers as well. What you believe is basically all that you can achieve. Be led by your dreams and make them happen in real because to only dream is nothing; having a plan to achieve it is everything. (We absolutely are obsessed with her analysis, thumbs up for Sara Naveed)

If you had to choose one author to mentor you, who would it be and why?

Though many authors have inspired me so far, there’s one particular author whose work and stupendous stories have awestruck me the most. He is none other than Mr. Khaled Hosseini. (We love his work too). I really admire his writing style and I wish I get a chance to interact with him sometime in this lifetime. (We hope you do Sara and take us with you)

Are the experiences the characters in your book based on someone you know or events in your own life?

The male protagonist in my book is purely based and inspired from Mr. Fawad Khan. (Team Fawad here)

Which books have influenced your life the most?

Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It is highly inspiring book that teaches so many good things about life. It teaches you not to give up on things you love and desire.

What book are you currently reading?

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. The story of the protagonist in this book is somewhat similarly to mine as far as writing aspect and passion is concerned.

Can you share a little sentence from your upcoming book with us?

“Never judge a situation merely with a negative perspective. Look at the positive side too.” He added. “And if you do that, you will eventually feel better.” (Exclusively just for SimplyAmina, we love you Sara)

Name one entity that has supported you from outside (excluding family members)?

My proof-reader and editor has immensely supported me throughout my writing process.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

For every writer, learning comes naturally and for me it is the same. Whenever I pick up a subject or come across a fascinating story, I try to grasp things and learn at every step of the writing process. You only learn when you experience something and for that purpose, you need to be bold enough to take an initiative.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Keep on writing no matter what happens at a later point. Writing defines the characteristics of your personality and temperament because you are what you write. Never stop the writing as the essence of becoming a writer would die once you stop the process.

Tell us a bit about your background and childhood, where you were born?

I was born in Sialkot, Pakistan which is basically my hometown. Then I moved to U.A.E with my family where I spent almost 12 years of my adolescence. We moved back to Lahore in 2002 and currently still residing here.

Being a writer has always been a dream; in fact, it’s a passion that resides deep inside my heart and soul. Having written in many fan fiction forums; my interest grew and my writing skills improved. I’ve finished working on my first book and Insha Allah, plan to get it published soon. I earnestly hope people appreciate my writing; an asset, I most deeply covet.

As a kid, I was mostly fond of Archie Comics, Nancy Drew mysteries and R.L Stine’s Goosebumps. Though I’ve completed my Masters degree in Banking and Finance, literature has always been my love interest. Yes, literature is my utopia. I’m a person who loves fiction and I would love not do anything except dwelling on fantasy forever.

As SimplyAmina is devoted to all things Bollywood, I managed to ask Sara: Who her favourite actor or actress is in Bollywood?  And why?

There are so many to choose from. Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor and Fawad Khan (Since now he is counted as a Bollywood actor too). All of these actors have shown versatility as far as their acting skills are concerned. Plus, they’re extremely good looking. (We like her choice, do you?)  Among the Bollywood actresses, Kareena Kapoor Khan is my most favourite because she is simply love.  (Sara is a bundle of cuteness, don’t you think?!)

What are your interests outside of your writing career?

If not writing, I like to spend time with my family and friends or dwell myself into reading something interesting. 

Do you want to say anything specific to your readers?

This book is not constricted to any age group as it is intended for everyone. Even a sixty year old person can read it. I hope people focus more on the fact that this is my debut work and I’ve put in a lot of hard work and meticulous efforts to bring it out to the public. I wish people can relate to the characters in this book and love them as much as I do.

Links to Sara’s blog and other social media? (Below) Go follow Sara… Now!!!

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/saranaveedwriter

Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/SaraNaveed

Personal blog: http://saranaveedwriter.blogspot.com/

If you loved reading this interview, make sure you comment below telling me what you thought. And subscribe to my blog because I make new blog-posts everyday!!! Oh… yes Sara Naveed is a friend for life and we wish her tonnes of success…. #authoroftheyear (We love you Sara)

Read the orginal article on Simply Amina's blog: http://simplyamina.wordpress.com/2014/08/17/exclusive-sara-naveed-talks-about-her-upcoming-book-fawad-khan-more/