Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar is a prominent Pakistani entertainment journalist, pop culture commentator, and full-time media critic who delivers comprehensive coverage of the South Asian and international entertainment sectors. Writing extensively for the leading digital arts and cultural publication PakistaniArt, she has established a professional reputation for tracking breaking industry news, reviewing mainstream television serials, and analyzing global cinematic releases. Her extensive portfolio spans a diverse array of topics, from reviewing major television sensations like Geo Entertainment's daily prime-time drama Zabt to covering major Hollywood red carpet events featuring global stars, reporting on international music developments like Ariana Grande's album rollouts, and highlighting niche artistic projects such as original short film premieres at Studio Ghibli Park. Beyond superficial celebrity reporting, her long-form journalistic work frequently explores the deeper socio-cultural shifts and operational updates within the media landscape, such as investigating veteran screenwriters' assertions regarding the emergence of artificial intelligence ghostwriting in traditional Pakistani drama scripts. By consistently bridging local entertainment beats with global media trends, she provides critical industry analysis and comprehensive reporting that serves as a vital resource for audiences tracking the intersection of Pakistani television, regional cinema, and international pop culture.

Entertainment writer

Entertainment writer

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar is a dedicated full-time writer at PakistaniArt, where she delivers comprehensive coverage of the entertainment landscape. Specialising in film, television, art, and comic books, Zoya tracks breaking industry news and major pop culture trends. With deep experience in news reporting, she skillfully cross-references multiple authoritative sources to ensure absolute accuracy. Zoya excels at identifying high-interest topics, transforming complex industry updates into engaging, reader-friendly stories for her audience.
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More from Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar

AnimationJUN 27, 2026

Disney's 'Hexed' Trailer Ignites Fierce Debate Over Center-Focused Framing and TikTok-Ready Composition

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar
Hexed is an upcoming original American animated coming-of-age fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Serving as the 65th film in the Disney Animated Canon, it is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on November 25, 2026.Movie Overview & PlotThe movie follows Billie (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld), an impulsive and unconventional teenage girl who constantly feels miscast and out of place in her ordinary suburban life. When she accidentally unleashes secret, untamed magical abilities, she is expelled from school and sucked through a portal into Hexe, a vast, hidden realm of witches.Billie is forced to team up with her cautious, Type-A single mother, Alice (voiced by Rashida Jones), who enters the realm to find her. Together, the mother-daughter duo explores Hexe, hones Billie's magical powers, and uncovers long-held family secrets that could alter the world of witches forever.The Cast & Creative TeamThe film features a prominent voice cast and seasoned Disney creators:Hailee Steinfeld as Billie, the headstrong teenage protagonist.Rashida Jones as Alice, Billie's strict, cautious mother.Tracey Ullman as Ms. Quill, an enchanted, talking feather quill pen that greets Billie in Hexe.Stephen Fry as Elias Quire, a whimsical, talking magical journal.Directors: Fawn Veerasunthorn (Wish) and Jason Hand (Moana 2), with Josie Trinidad serving as co-director.Producers: Roy Conli (Big Hero 6, Tangled) and Yvett Merino (Encanto).Production Designer: Lorelay Bové, known for her vibrant visual work on Encanto and The Princess and the Frog.Behind-the-Scenes & EvolutionWhen Hexed was initially announced at Destination D23 in August 2025, the narrative was centered on an awkward teenage boy and his mother. By April 2026, Disney updated the creative direction to focus on a teenage girl, shifting the central theme heavily into a mother-daughter dynamic. Early footage shown at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2026 highlighted Disney's experimentation with a fresh, highly saturated, and stylized non-CGI aesthetic blend.
FilmJUN 27, 2026

DC Studios' 'Supergirl' Stumbles With $18 Million Opening Day Behind 'Toy Story 5'

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar
The Supergirl feature film was released in theaters on June 26, 2026, serving as the second official entry in James Gunn and Peter Safran's newly rebooted DC Universe (DCU). Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the sci-fi superhero movie stars Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl on an intense, interstellar quest across the galaxy.
OpinionJUN 25, 2026

Pakistan's Showbiz Workers Are Right to Panic Over the Foreign Content Tax Rollback

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar
The Pakistani showbiz industry is currently experiencing a dynamic shift, driven by major celebrity updates, massive local television productions, and critical policy debates surrounding foreign content. As a vibrant ecosystem encompassing television dramas, high-fashion modeling, cinema, and digital media, the landscape thrives on active fan engagement and heavy cross-platform digital presence.🎭 Major Celebrity & Wedding NewsHigh-profile celebrity milestones and personal updates heavily dominate current headlines across local media platforms:Mawra Hocane & Ameer Gilani: The popular television duo officially married in a grand wedding ceremony hosted in Lahore, trending heavily across digital platforms.Kubra Khan & Gohar Rasheed: The long-time celebrity peers celebrated their Nikkah ceremony during a religious pilgrimage to Makkah.Nimra Khan: The actress celebrated her birthday by achieving a personal milestone, fulfilling her dream of performing Umrah alongside her husband.Dur-e-Fishan Saleem: The actress captured immense social media attention while celebrating and documenting her brother's recent wedding festivities.🎬 Television Drama & Digital Media TrendsTelevision dramas remain the foundational pillar of Pakistan's entertainment economy, supported by growing digital streaming outlets like tapmad Entertainment and FUCHSIA Magazine:Streaming Era Proliferation: Original digital series like Shamsher (starring Farhan Saeed and Hareem Farooq) are driving viewership straight to localized streaming platforms over traditional television sets.Rising Industry Debates: On-screen content boundaries are drawing active fan scrutiny, such as recent public critique leveled at the romantic on-screen physical proximity of university student characters in ongoing television serials.The Stand-Up Boom: Narrative themes are broadening out, as seen in projects like Green Entertainment's Standup Girl starring Zara Noor Abbas, which explores creative performance arts outside conventional soap-opera tropes.⚖️ Industry Policy & Economic ChallengesBeyond the glamour, the administrative side of Lollywood faces intense friction:Foreign Content Tax Battle: In late June 2026, major local entertainment bodies fiercely opposed a federal proposal to remove the advance tax on imported television serials and international advertisements. Industry leaders warn that rolling back these protective taxes risks mass local crew unemployment and threatens decades of industrial rehabilitation.Infrastructure Deficit: Prominent performers have voiced structural concerns, stating that while Punjab and other regions produce an abundance of creative talent, industry demand remains bottlenecked, treating showbiz like a localized community rather than an open, structured industry.
Hip-HopJUN 25, 2026

CupcakKe's Viral 'That's Like' Snippet Turns Explicit Rap Into TikTok's Favorite Relationship Meme

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar
"That's Like" (stylized as "That's Like ???????") is an upcoming single by Chicago rapper CupcakKe. She officially previewed a snippet of the unreleased track across her social media platforms on June 24, 2026.Snippet InformationLyrics: The leaked preview features her signature raw humor, stating: "You bitches out here saying you never been cheated on before / That's like saying you've never been in a pool with piss in it, bitch / That's like—".Release Date: While an exact day has not been finalized, the single is scheduled for a July 2026 launch.Platforms: The audio teaser was uploaded to her official Instagram Page and TikTok Account.Context & ReceptionThe preview quickly gained viral traction online. Fans on the r/popheads Reddit Community praised the creative imagery, with many calling it a perfect addition to her summer discography. The track follows her recent studio albums, Dauntless Manifesto (2024) and The BakKery (2025).
MusicJUN 25, 2026

How The Upper Room Oversight Explains K-Pop's Global Wardrobe Failures

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar
Mark Lee (born August 2, 1999), known mononymously as Mark, is a prominent Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter who built his career in the South Korean music industry. Over a decade, he established himself as one of K-pop's most prolific and versatile artists.Career OverviewNCT and Sub-units: Debuted under SM Entertainment in 2016. He uniquely served across multiple configurations of the boy band NCT, including NCT U, NCT 127, and NCT Dream, as well as the supergroup SuperM.Solo Debut: Released his first full-length solo studio album, The Firstfruit, on April 7, 2025.Departure from SM: Formally concluded his 10-year journey with SM Entertainment and departed from NCT on April 8, 2026.Upper Room Label: Launched his own independent agency and creative music label, Upper Room (stylized as UPRM Label), in June 2026, serving as its co-CEO.
AIJUN 25, 2026

Annecy Defends Director Hisko Hulsing After Anti-AI Protest Disrupts 'Danse Macabre' Premiere

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar
This image is a frame from the apocalyptic animated short film Danse Macabre (2026), directed by Dutch filmmaker and painter Hisko Hulsing. Set to the second movement of Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10, the film uses over 75 hand-painted oil canvases combined with 2D and CG animation to create a nightmarish, hand-crafted aesthetic. The scene depicts a skeletal soldier wearing a helmet peering through a library window into a room with crystal goblets, against a backdrop of a city engulfed in orange flames.
Film & TVJUN 23, 2026

"I Don't Like That One Bit": David Corenswet Reacts to Viral 'Supergirl' Drink Cup

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar
The image depicts Alcock's Supergirl in her superhero suit, featuring a dark blue textured material with a prominent red and gold "S" emblem on the chest. She has long, wavy blonde hair and wears a thick gold belt with a pointed buckle. She is standing within what appears to be a dimly lit, high-tech spaceship interior with warm, glowing lights.
InternationalJUN 23, 2026

PUMA's Speedcat Mule Arrives With ROSÉ Fronting a Motorsport-Meets-Streetwear Campaign

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar
The PUMA Speedcat Mule campaign officially launched globally on June 23, 2026, fronted by PUMA Global Brand Ambassador and K-pop superstar Rosé from BLACKPINK. This release is an offbeat, backless reinterpretation of PUMA’s iconic low-profile motorsport shoe, shifting its athletic DNA into effortless lifestyle streetwear.
FashionJUN 23, 2026

Fashion Photographer Evgeny Vyguzov Announces 'Fragments of Growth' NFT Collection Built From Years of Travel

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar
Evgeny Vyguzov (also known as Jenya Vyguzov) is a prominent multimedia artist, fashion photographer, and collage creator. Based out of Moscow, Russia, he has gained widespread international recognition for blending elements of haute couture, nature, and raw abstraction into distinctive mixed-media visual statements.
AIJUN 23, 2026

Tom Hanks Warns Disney Could Use AI to Voice Woody in 'Toy Story 6' Without His Involvement

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar
Sheriff Woody Pride remains the iconic vintage pull-string cowboy doll we all know, but Toy Story 6 has not yet been officially released or detailed. Following the theatrical release of Toy Story 5, discussions regarding Woody's future role in a potential sixth installment have centered heavily on a major behind-the-scenes update regarding his voice actor, Tom Hanks.
AnimationJUN 23, 2026

New 'Ghost in the Shell' Trailer and English Dub Cast Arrive Ahead of July Premiere

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar
The illustration depicts a side profile of Motoko Kusanagi, a woman with distinctive short, jagged blue hair, in a contemplative or dormant state. She is a full-body cyborg, shown with various mechanical interfaces and wires connected to ports on her back and arms. She wears a white, form-fitting bodysuit with cutouts that reveal additional cybernetic detailing on her shoulders and spine. The background is a sterile, high-tech environment filled with numerous tangled data cables and industrial hazard-striped pillars, set in a pale blue and white color palette. An Amazon Prime Video logo is visible in the bottom-left corner, indicating the series' global streaming home.
MusicJUN 23, 2026

Pakistani Singer Tariq Tafu, Voice Behind 'Lahore Lahore Aye,' Dies at 58

Zoya Mahroosh Zulfiqar
Tariq Tafu was a prominent Pakistani folk singer and musician, best known for his massive 2004 cultural anthem "Lahore Lahore Aye". Born into an illustrious musical lineage, he spent his career blending traditional Punjabi folk elements with contemporary rhythms, heavily influencing the regional music landscape.Tragically, Tariq Tafu passed away at the age of 58 on June 22, 2026, after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest while undergoing emergency hospital treatment for severe abdominal pain in Lahore.

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