Sarmad Khoosat, Saba Qamar win big at Indian Film Festival

The 4th Indus Valley International Film Festival (IVIFF) was held in Chandigarh, India

Pakistan's entertainment industry seems to be on a winning streak this year! After bagging several awards at the Filmfare Middle East Achievers Award Night in Dubai, Saba Qamar, Sarmad Khoosat and Mahira Khan have also won accolades at the Indus Valley International Film Festival (IVIFF) in Chandigarh.

The star-studded event was organised by the South Asia Forum for Creative Arts and Heritage and received over a thousand films for submission, which included 21 films from South Asian countries such as Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. However, regardless of the tough competition, Pakistani performers took home a total of four awards.

Khan received the Best Actor award for her impeccable work in the short film with Sheheryar Munawar, Prince Charming. The narrative explored the aftermath of marriage and acknowledged post-marital depression.

In a statement, Khan gave a nod to all women who suffer from the same hardships after marriage. She said, "This award goes out to all the ladies who are silently suffering from post-marital depression," 

The Humsafar actor then thanked her co-star and highlighted the importance of the film. "Our society doesn't talk about it; we consider such topics taboos, and yet here we are. I'm glad that this role touched the audience's heart; it's one of the roles which shall stay close to my heart forever. I would like to thank my dear friend for believing in me," she concluded.

On the other hand, Qamar also bagged the award for Best Actor for her performance in Kamli, which is directed by Sarmad Khoosat.

Other than Kamli, Khoosat won two trophies for his critically acclaimed film Zindagi Tamasha. Arif Haasan received the award for Best Actor, while Khoosat was named Best Director. 

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