📺 Fawad Khan (@fawadkhan81) and mahirahkhan are teaming up again, this time on #Netflix. The steamer is launching its first Pakistani original series #JoBachayHainSangSamaitLo, based on Farhat Ishtiaq’s bestselling 2013 #Urdu-language novel of the same name, and has tapped some of Pakistan’s biggest stars for the undertaking. Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan last co-starred in the 2022 action film The Legend of Maula Jatt, Pakistan’s highest grossing #film at over 2 billion Pakistani rupees ($8.9 million) globally. Sanam Saeed (@sanammody) of ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai’ and Ahad Raza Mir (@ahadrazamir) of ‘Ehd-e-Wafa’ will join the two Khans on the new Netflix series. Hamza Ali Abbasi (@realhamzaaliabbasi), Bilal Ashraf (@ashrafbilal), Iqra Aziz (@iiqraaziz), Hania Aamir (@haniaheheofficial), Khushhal Khan (@khushhalk), Nadia Jamil (@njlahori), Omair Rana (@omairana), and Samina Ahmed (@samina_tv) will also star in the new series, according to Variety, which first reported the news. Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samait Lo follows Sikandar, a 32-year-old depressed lawyer, who meets the extroverted, beautiful Liza in Italy. Netflix tapped Pakistani director Momina Duraid, creator of the seminal Pakistani series #Humsafar, as the series’ showrunner. The Juggernaut reached out to Netflix for additional comment but did not receive one at the time of publishing. Are you excited for the show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments 👇🏾 Click the link in the bio to read more about why Bollywood loved and lost Fawad Khan and #TheLegendOfMaulaJatt’s impact on cinema 🔗

🚀 Around 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday in #India, the nation’s top scientists and engineers closely watched a large screen at the #Indian #Space Research Organisation (#ISRO), waiting to see if they would be part of history. As the lander from the country’s #Chandrayaan3 mission to the #moon gently touched the lunar surface, the room erupted in laughter, cheers, and applause. Scientists shook hands and embraced as India Prime Minister Narendra Modi waved a miniature Indian flag on the televised screen in front of them. “We have achieved a soft landing on the moon,” S. Somanath, the chair of ISRO, declared. “India is on the moon!” India had become the fourth country — after the U.S., Russia, and China — to nail a lunar landing and the first to land on the lunar south pole. But more than just a moon landing, the historic moment also made it clear that India is a force to be reckoned with on the global stage. Read the full story at the link in bio, then click this image 🔗 #moonlanding

🫀A new study suggests a common treatment for heart attacks is much less likely to work for South Asian Brits than white Brits. The study, which the U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Research funded, analyzed the health data of 44,396 British people of Bangladeshi and Pakistani descent. Researchers found that British Pakistanis and Bangladeshis were more likely to have a genetic mutation that stopped the drug clopidogrel from working. Clopidogrel, or Plavix in the U.S., lowers the chance of heart attack or stroke in patients by preventing platelets from clumping and forming blood clots. Doctors write scripts for Plavix, a common heart medicine, nearly 20 million times a year. But the body must activate clopidogrel for it to work. While 30% of Europeans have the genetic variant that inhibits the body from activating clopidogrel, 57% of British South Asians in the study had the variant. Researchers found people with the genetic variant were more than 3x more likely to have recurrent heart attacks. More than 67% of British South Asians in the study who had had a heart attack received clopidogrel to prevent future attacks. #SouthAsians suffer from #heart problems at higher rates than other demographics. They make up 25% of the global population, but 60% of #heartdisease patients. South Asians are also four times more likely to develop heart disease and 40% more likely to die from a heart attack, and at an earlier age, than average. “This study highlights the importance of using genetics to determine who can benefit from clopidogrel,” Emma Magavern, the lead author of the study, said in a press release. “This study also illustrates how systemic under-representation [of] South Asians in therapeutics trials has obscured the intersection of risks impacting this community.” Read more about the unsolved mystery of why South Asians face such high rates of heart disease by clicking the link in bio, then this image 🔗

💉Sarina wants lighter skin, and she’ll go to great lengths to attain it. Viewers of the hit TV series #MadeinHeaven meet the bride-to-be in the second season’s first episode, as she uses an app to lighten her light brown skin to an even lighter shade of brown. Sarina, an accomplished architect, is marrying Aman, the scion of a family obsessed with British culture. But both also have mothers who can’t stop commenting on skin color. As the episode progresses, we learn that Sarina is also taking #glutathione injections, which her aesthetician promises will whiten her skin. One doctor, seeing Sarina break out into a rash as a side effect, even proclaims: “It’s not harmful…nothing to worry about.” While the show calls out #SouthAsian society’s obsession with fair skin as racist, it leaves many more questions about glutathione — which supposedly “all the actors are taking” — unanswered. Are these injections just another avatar of #skinwhitening creams, which have dominated South Asian shelves and are part of a multibillion-dollar industry? Or is glutathione something far more insidious? Read the full story by @allanaakh at the link in bio, then click this image 🔗

Today marks 25 years of #DilSe 💥 The last installment of #ManiRatnam’s trilogy after #Roja (1992) and #Bombay (1995), the film follows the love story between Amar, a young radio journalist (#ShahRukhKhan), and Meghna, a mysterious woman fighting for northeastern autonomy (Manisha Koirala). It also stars #PreityZinta in her scene-stealing debut as Preeti Nair, Amar’s fiancee. Set against the backdrop of political insurgency in #Assam, the film is an emotional rollercoaster that delves into terrorism, patriotism, and love. #ARRahman’s soul-stirring music made it one of the best soundtracks of all time, which sold 6 million copies worldwide at the time of release. “Chaiyya Chaiyya,” featuring Khan and #MalaikaArora dancing atop a moving train, remains etched in cinematic history. Khan and others did not wear a harness while filming the train sequence, and several people fell off while shooting the song. The film’s soundtrack also features hits such as #JiyaJale, #AeAjnabi, #SatrangiRe, and others. Shekhar Kapur, who scouted Zinta for the role, also produced the film. Though Zinta appeared on screen for only 20 minutes, who can forget Preeti asking Amar if he’s a virgin? Although the movie performed moderately well in #India, it did better in the diaspora. #DilSe marked the first #Indian film to enter the Top 10 in the U.K. box office charts, and earned nearly a million at the U.S. box office. “Roja, Bombay, and Dil Se weren’t planned as political films,” Ratnam said to Scroll. “It was a phase #India was going through and these things affected me and found their way into my work. It was anguish, it was a cry.” Do you remember #DilSe? 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾 @mehermanda writes how the movie, though critically acclaimed, pushed the jingoistic narratives that persist in #Bollywood to this day. Read about how #DilSe stoked 1990s nationalism by clicking the link in bio, then this image 🔗

👃🏾 Abraham Verghese, in his novel The Covenant of Water (2023), retells the story of #Cowasjee, a #Parsi cart driver who worked for the British during the 1792 Anglo-Mysore war. #TipuSultan captured Cowasjee and his soldiers cut off Cowasjee’s nose and hand as punishment. “One can live without a hand, but nothing is more disfiguring or shameful than a hole in the face,” Verghese wrote. British surgeons did not know how to help him, so Cowasjee left town. He returned only months later — with a new nose. Poona builders had used a technique that #Sushruta, the “father of #plasticsurgery,” had devised around 800 B.C. In October 1794, a #London magazine reported on the marvel, which two British physicians had witnessed (and would later steal). Almost a century later, in 1887, American doctor John Orlando Roe performed the first modern rhinoplasty, modifying an existing nose instead of creating a nonexistent one, grounded in Sushruta’s “Indian Method.” Historically, #SouthAsians have viewed elective #nosejobs and plastic surgery as taboo. Though many people seeking plastic surgery today don’t face the extreme conditions Cowasjee did — of not having a nose at all — they are still pursuing #rhinoplasty for similar outcomes: life on their own terms. Read the full story by @mehryfairy at the link in bio, then click this image 🔗

🤯 Worlds colliding: South Asia x Hollywood edition ✨ Can you name all the movies featuring actors from #Hindicinema, #Tamilcinema, and Pakistani TV and cinema in #Hollywood roles? Which was your favorite collab?👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

🦕An all-India team of researchers have discovered the oldest plant-eating dinosaur in Rajasthan's Thar Desert. The fossils date back to 167 million years ago, making them the oldest example of vegetarian dinosaurs in the world. They are also the first of their kind to be discovered in India. The Thar, which spans over 91,990 square miles across northwest #India and eastern #Pakistan, prehistorically, had a tropical climate, suitable for dinosaurs and aquatic life. “It represents the earliest global record of not only dicraeosaurids but also of diplodocoids,” said Debajit Datta, a scientist on the study, to the NY Times. Last week, Sunil Bajpai, Debajit Datta, Pragya Pandey, Triparna Ghosh, Krishna Kumar, and Debasish Bhattacharya outlined their discovery of the 167 million-year-old fossil in #ScientificReports. They dubbed the dinosaur Tharosaurus indicus to pay homage to the desert and country in which they made the discovery. The scientists suggest that present-day India played a key role in neuosauropod radiation — a period in history when diverse species of long-necked dinosaurs rapidly evolved and diversified, suggesting dynamic phases of dinosaurs branching out and adapting to different habitats. Dicraeosaurids such as the Tharosaurus indicus had long necks and ate plants. They belong to the diplodocoid sauropod group, recognized for their elongated bodies and necks, found in fossil beds spanning the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous periods. These dinosaurs have distinct neck spikes. Scientists previously found dicraeosaurids in Africa, the Americas, and China, with a notable absence in India until a recent study by Sunil Bajpai and his team from #IIT Roorkee. The team collaborated with the Geological Survey of #India since 2018 to explore Jaisalmer in the Thar Desert. According to Bajpai, while India holds valuable fossils spanning various eras, there aren't enough vertebrate paleontologists to study them.

🪡 #SouthAsia’s favorite sewing machine — the Singer — was patented 172 years ago this week. The Singer Company received its patent on August 12, 1851. I.M. Singer & Co was founded in New York City that same year to market the machine, and the larger Singer Company was founded only two years later. The 1851 iteration of the Singer machine featured a circular feed wheel, thread controller, and a power transmitter that allowed anyone to sew at home. Thus, #Singer sewing machines helped many women start businesses out of their homes and build financial independence. Singer became the first #multinational company in the world, and pioneered key marketing strategies. They opened premium retail spaces in key locations, such as #NYC, allowing women to try out the expensive machines in person. They also popularized installment payments so that more households could pay for the machines over a long period of time. The Singer company also hired sales representatives globally, from then #Ceylon and #Burma to #India, creating localized ad campaigns. These Singer ads targeted different #SouthAsian countries. Can you name all the target markets? 👇🏾👇🏾 Read more about how Singer set South Asian women up for success by clicking the link in bio, then this image 🔗

🎥 More of the top films globally feature Asians in speaking roles, a new study finds. Researchers at USC Annenberg analyzed representation in 1,600 top box office films that came out between 2007 and 2022. While #Asian characters made up just 3.4% of speaking roles in 2007, the number almost quintupled to 16% in 2022. After white characters, Asian characters have the second highest number of speaking roles, followed by Black characters (13%) and Latino characters (5%). Part of the trend is due to increasingly global #Indian films, such as #RRR and #PS1 — which all have multiple Asian characters in speaking roles. The year 2020 was an all-time high for Asian representation in the last 16 years, with Asians having around 20% of speaking roles in top box office films. That year saw the release of Asian-led movies such as #Minari and #Mulan. But there’s more work to do. The number of white characters with speaking roles declined, but the number for other groups — apart from Asians — has stayed the same. Of the top 100 movies in 2022, 34 films did not include Asians at all, and 44 did not have any Asian women. Of the 113 directors of the 100 top-grossing films of 2022, 91 were white. Asian directors made up just 11% of the top directors, and all of them were men. Just 7% of LGBTQ characters in 2022 were Asian. “These trends suggest that any improvement for people from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups is limited,” lead researcher Stacy L. Smith said in a press release. “There is still much more to be done to ensure that the diversity that exists in reality is portrayed on screen.” What do you think #film industries around the world, including #Hollywood, can do to better represent Asians? 👇🏾

On Daler Mehndi’s 56th birthday, let’s revisit one of his most iconic tracks 🎶 Born on August 18, 1967 in #Bihar, #DalerMehndi played a key role in the global expansion of #Bhangra and #Punjabi music. Two of his most popular tracks, “Bolo Ta Ra Ra” (1995) and “Ho Jayegi Balle Balle” (1997), are multi-platinum — and play on dance floors around the world. Mehndi’s global hit track “Tunak Tunak Tun” (1998) became an iconic meme in the early 2000s. After accusations that his music videos relied on dancing women for popularity, Mehndi made a video that featured only himself. Four decked-out Mehndis representing the elements groove together on screen. “Tunak Tunak Tun” allegedly cost $600,000 to make, and was also the first #Indianmusic video to use chroma key technology to layer clips to get four Mehndis on screen. Deadmau5 produced an EDM remix of the iconic song with Mehndi in 2014. The #TunakTunakTun dance has even made it to #WorldOfWarcraft. In recent years, the artist has faced controversy, including a court charging and convicting him for human trafficking, which Mehndi has denied. Do you remember this track? 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

🏵️In #MonsoonWedding, Mira Nair’s enduring portrait of a young couple’s looming nuptials, #marigolds take center stage. The film opens with the flower’s petals showering an aggravated Lalit Verma (Naseeruddin Shah), who’s overseeing the preparations ahead of his daughter’s wedding. Garlands, bouquets, and steep piles of the flower appear in nearly every scene. The wedding planner, Dubey (Vijay Raaz), absently chews on the orange petals while fantasizing about his love interest, the housemaid Alice (Tillotama Shome). The two later wed under a marigold umbrella, as water and flower petals rain down. In many ways, Monsoon Wedding is a quintessential #SouthAsian film, depicting the complicated love that characterizes many of our relationships. Marigolds seem an obvious choice to color such an intimate story — the flowers are ubiquitous in the #Indian subcontinent, appearing on statues of deities, in rivers and fountains, below the windshield of rickshaws. And yet, marigolds are not native to #SouthAsia. Aztecs cultivated the flower in what is now Mexico, before Portuguese traders brought it over to #India in the 16th century. But the marigold’s journey embodies much of what makes South Asian culture unique: arguably the world’s most conquered land, the subcontinent is a blend of all the tokens visitors have left behind and residents have embraced as their own — including marigolds. Read the full story by @allanaakh at the link in bio, then click this image 🔗