Embracing the new year: Celebs share resolutions, urge fans to stop ‘firing’

New Year’s Eve was celebrated with greater zeal this year as the last day of 2021 fell on a weekend. The much-anticipated Friday night saw some early celebrations kicking off as celebrities took to social media to replay, reminisce and ready themselves for the upcoming year. Filled with new year's resolutions, photo dumps, and wishes for fans, our feeds were a wholesome affair. A common thing amongst all reflections was the element of hope.

While the celebs, like all of us, hoped for a better future, they were also quick to point out that our celebration doesn’t have to come at the cost of someone else’s suffering. The aerial firing of bullets might give you an adrenaline rush for a moment but the consequences can be both tragic and criminal, they asserted.

Former cricketer Wasim Akram shared a video message on Twitter and requested parents to “buy fireworks” as he did for his daughter instead of “letting them use guns to show off while aerial firing.” He further said that we need to “evolve as a nation if we want better for our country.” With this precautionary message, Akram wished everyone a happy and safe new year from him and his family of three.

Singer Ali Zafar also joined Akram urging people to stop aerial firing. Reminding people that there are “other ways to celebrate”, he wrote, “DO NOT fire on this night or even otherwise to celebrate! There is no need,” along with a happy new year hashtag.

Reflections

To lighten the mood, superstar Mahira Khan started her year with a wholesome throwback from her teen years reminding people that it isn’t a “bad thing to go back once in a while,” while cheering to nostalgia and good memories.

Taking to Instagram, she wrote, “On the eve of this new year, I’m sharing something that was lost and found God knows how many years later, a few days back.” Spiralling between some important questions, she asked some out loud. “Was it a sign? A reminder of what we once were? Untainted by this world, unaware of what our future would hold for us? What made us happy 20 years ago? Who were our heroes? What made us sad? What made us laugh so hard?”

Going decades back in time, she cheered to the inner child present in everyone. “Here’s to some good old nostalgia, here’s to remembering that we were all just happy about being around friends and dancing around like fools. Here’s to who we have become because of that. Here’s to the children in us. Here’s to never quite growing up. Here’s to looking back sometimes and looking ahead always,” retorted Mahira.

She signed off the post hoping love, joy, peace and good health to be a staple in the upcoming year for everyone.

Actor Urwa Hocane also took to the micro-blogging site to reflect on the ups and downs of the past year and advocate for inner peace." 2021 in retrospect was full of calm and tranquillity for me. I look forward to more of that and an even more profound inward journey in 2022! Wishing inner peace upon you all in the year ahead! Happy New Year!" asserted the Hocane sister sending love and prayers to her followers.

Selfies, wishes and resolutions

Yasir Hussain celebrated the evening with close friends and family. Sharing a picture with his wife Iqra Aziz, Mansha Pasha, Asim Raza, Zara Noor Abbas and many others, the actor wished a happy new year to his followers.

Iqra also shared a picture of the two on her Instagram hoping for the year to be "as shimmery as her dress".

Veteran actor Samina Peerzada took to Twitter and wished all the “wonderful people of the world” a happy new year! She further asked people to “make it [world] safe for everyone and a home full of peace and love.”

Mawra Hocane took to Instagram sharing pictures of herself posing with a human-sized teddy bear. She captioned the post, “Clearly a grown-up entering 2022, Happy new year everyone. To more bear hugs, huggable humans & human-sized bears!” with an abundance of celebratory emojis.

Singer Umair Jaswal also shared a picture with his wife Sana Javed and wished everyone a year of health, wealth, peace and love.

On the other hand, Uzair Jaswal entered the new year with a new haircut, shedding most of his hair in the previous year. The Tere Bin Nahi Laage crooner shared a picture of his new look on Instagram to wish his followers a happy new year.

Sarwat Gilani shared an adorable family photo from their vacation in Dubai, to wish everyone a happy new year!