Stories by Maria Kari

The glamour and the grit: Behind the scenes at the HUM Awards

What covering the awards for the second time taught me about the real powerhouses behind the show. Published 13 Oct, 2025 11:05am

Tan Man Neel o Neel is more than a drama, it’s a reflection of Pakistani society

If its finale made you uncomfortable — good, it should. Published 21 Feb, 2025 12:00pm

From Taylor Swift to Beyonce: Why do American celebrities endorse presidential candidates?

As Americans head to the polls, we see more celebrities publicly backing candidates — but does their support actually make a difference? Published 04 Nov, 2024 01:04pm

Barzakh’s unflinching portrayal confronts the dark reality of postpartum depression

'In severe cases, perinatal depression will threaten not only the mother but the baby’s life.' Published 09 Aug, 2024 12:39pm

Drama Mere Ban Jao highlights the haunting impact of revenge porn

The show closely mirrors a scary reality — as described by three women who have had their intimate pictures leaked online. Published 01 Dec, 2023 11:20am

The world has a responsibility to protect the people of Gaza. Will it rise to the occasion?

You don't need to be a legal expert to know that Israel is committing war crimes against the people of the occupied Palestinian territory. Published 22 Nov, 2023 12:59pm

Want to make it in the Pakistani entertainment industry? Take Ahsan Khan’s advice and develop thick skin

The actor opened up about his career, his family and his rise to the top. Published 05 Jul, 2023 10:19am

Sania Khan and Sadia Manzoor are examples of how the justice system fails women

The Pakistani-Americans paid the ultimate price for a system that fails to protect women by jailing their abusers. Published 14 Sep, 2022 11:55am

‘When it clicks, it clicks’: Fahad Mustafa and Mahira Khan on why they clicked in Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad

Chemistry isn't something you can fake, but luckily, these two movie stars didn't need to fake anything for their new film. Updated 10 Jul, 2022 06:27am

Farhan Saeed hasn't worked a day in 17 years

When you love what you do, you don't consider it working and the musician and actor definitely loves what he does. Published 07 Jun, 2022 10:37am

Review: Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay failed on multiple fronts

There's a lot that went wrong with this much-hyped drama, including the 'redemption' of a truly toxic character. Updated 05 Jan, 2022 04:50pm

Prince Charming reminded me of the early days of my marriage and how real post-marital depression is

A psychotherapist explains that there are typically two types of people who experience this depression and that it's very valid. Published 30 Aug, 2021 12:27pm

Pakistan has found the fountain of youth in a syringe

Mum's the word for doctors in the Pakistani injectable industry whose clients pay a premium for discretion and minimal downtime. Published 10 Apr, 2021 10:42am

How the motorway incident made its way around the Pakistani diaspora

Standing in solidarity with their sisters back home, Pakistani women of the diaspora push the conversation forward. Published 16 Sep, 2020 11:02am

Iqra Aziz's drama Jhooti disregards victims of domestic abuse

Equally troubling is the way the drama weaponises tools like haq meher and inheritance laws which are useful in women's protection Updated 28 Jul, 2020 04:53pm

Living in lockdown made me realise how high maintenance I am

These days, acts of self-care and self-grooming are daily reminders of happy past days and hope for future happy days. Published 23 Apr, 2020 08:39am

In its final episodes, Ruswai got back on track and gave us something special

So many iconic moments in the finale. Mukhtaran Mai's cameo was one of them! Sameera winning her court case was another Published 17 Apr, 2020 04:15pm

Ruswai is going south fast and doing a disservice to Sameera's journey

Writers have stopped exploring the difficult question of life after rape, turning it into a typical evil saas snoozefest Published 23 Mar, 2020 01:59pm

Sexual assault survivors need support. So why is the opposite happening in Ruswai?

Sameera is realising just how selfishly everyone around has treated her in the aftermath of her sexual assault. Updated 07 Feb, 2020 01:22pm

Meray Paas Tum Ho's disappointing finale reinforced that women aren't worthy of redemption

The MPTH team gave up what, to me, felt like an incredible opportunity to dive into the complexities of being a woman. Published 28 Jan, 2020 01:28pm