1947 aug 15 calendar

#DesPaige is back after five years.

Local actors Paige Chua and Desmond Tan are reprising their roles as Shen Yixuan and Lu Junguang respectively in the upcoming Chinese drama When Duty Calls 2.

In a recent interview, Paige told AsiaOne she reconnected with the character by watching the show’s first season again. She also had a lot of discussions with Desmond to rebuild the chemistry between them.

The 41-year-old said: “We had to make sure that we were on the same page when we were dealing with the couple and the chemistry between the two characters.

“Especially since they have been dating for four or five years, they must have reached another level in their relationship. So we have to make sure that kind of chemistry is authentic.”

Desmond, 35, told us about the backstory he and Paige developed: “We discussed details like, ‘What have we done in these five years? Have we gone further in our careers? What kind of things have we done physically?’

“That would affect the physical interactions between us and we wanted our audience to feel the couple’s development over the last five years without telling them.”

The first season of the series unravels the personal journeys of Singaporeans who embark on National Service, or serve the country as a reservist or a regular serviceman, all while protecting the aspirations they have, the people they love and their family ties.

Among other storylines, the second season will show the highs and lows of Junguang and Yixuan’s relationship, from a beautiful engagement to premarital phobia and Junguang’s injury leading to a potential breakup.

Despite having been in the industry for over 14 years, Paige said she hates doing emotional scenes sometimes, due to how strenuous they are.

“They are very emotionally taxing and tiring,” she said. “But I understand that, in any romantic story, there must be some obstacles for the couple to overcome.”

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In the show, Junguang goes through the turmoil of a serious injury, and during filming, Desmond felt the raw emotions of blaming his lover and pushing her away in his grief.

“I’ve never cried so much for a show before,” he said. “Our characters and both Paige and I connected very well for the show, so we could grasp each other’s emotions very easily when we did our scenes.”

In these situations, Desmond reckoned, the injured person’s loved ones are those who suffer the most. The scenes where Junguang and Yixuan fight were the most challenging for him.

“I had a lot of scenes where Junguang blames Yixuan. So you know, if you argue with someone that you really love, your heart hurts the most. There were also scenes where we had to push each other away to not hurt each other so these were the scenes that were very hard to play.”

Paige said she was able to be vulnerable to Desmond and portray these heart-wrenching scenes due to their understanding and chemistry.

She explained that it may be hard to portray negative emotions, especially after a day of shooting many scenes or doing multiple takes, so having a partner there to ‘shower’ her with the sadness and heartbreak was important.

“By looking into Desmond’s eyes, I could feel the heartbreaking moments, I could feel the sadness coming from him and I was able to emote, I was able to bounce off his energy and deliver.

“So having a good partner — a supportive partner — is very important. Sometimes it’s hard to be alone.”

When Duty Calls 2, which also stars Kym Ng, Pierre Png, Felicia Chin, Tyler Ten, Nick Teo and Edwin Goh, premieres on Channel 8 on Aug 15 at 9pm. It will also be available on demand for free on meWATCH .

ALSO READ: Pierre Png: National service a unique and irreplaceable experience in Singapore

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KARACHI: The city is likely to receive rain with thunderstorms today as a weather expert forecast very heavy showers on August 13 and 14 under the prevailing monsoon system.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), monsoon currents from the Bay of Bengal are penetrating in central and lower parts of the country.

A westerly wave is also present in the upper and western parts of the country, it added.

The PMD said that rain-wind/thundershower is expected in most parts of Sindh, Balochistan, while at isolated places in Kashmir, south Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Heavy falls are also likely in Sindh and Balochistan on Friday.

The Met Office added that rain-wind/thundershower is expected in most parts of Sindh, Balochistan, while at scattered places in south Punjab, however at isolated places in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan on Saturday. Heavy falls are also likely in Sindh and Balochistan during the period.

The PMD warned that heavy rains may generate urban flooding in Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Dadu, Jamshoro, Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas during August 12-13.

It further said that flash flooding is expected in Qilla Saifullah, Loralai, Barkhan, Kohlu, Mosa Khel, Sherani, Sibbi, Bolan, Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbella, Awaran, Turbat, Panjgur, Pasni, Jiwani and hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan during the forecast period.

KARACHI: When India and Pakistan forged out of violent partition 75 years ago, the split also created one of sport’s greatest rivalries.

Today, any cricket match between the two nations is one of the most watched events on the global sporting calendar — and victory is used to promote their respective nationalism.

So strong is the rivalry between the countries that they can’t even share the date of the partition which gave them independence, with Pakistan celebrating it on August 14 and India a day later.

“India playing Pakistan involves the sentiments of millions,” said Wasim Akram, one of cricket’s all-time greats and now a commentator.

“You become a hero if you perform well… you are portrayed as a villain if your team loses,” said the former Pakistan skipper.

Matches ignite great fervour but they have also defused military tensions between the two nations, which have fought four wars since independence from Britain in 1947.

During one period of sabre rattling in 1987, as troops massed along their frontier, Pakistan’s military ruler General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq showed up unannounced in New Delhi — ostensibly to watch a match between the two.

The move, as crafty as any a cricket captain could conjure up on the field, led to a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, and tensions eased.

‘Mother of all matches’

Still, the on-field rivalry has spilt off the cricket pitch for now.

The neighbours have not played a Test since 2007, instead meeting only in the shorter versions of the game and at multi-team competitions on foreign soil, rather than head-to-head series at home.

When they do play — as they will at the Asia Cup later this month in the United Arab Emirates — cricket fans around the world are glued to their TV screens, a multibillion-dollar bonanza for broadcasters.

The 2019 50-over World Cup clash between India and Pakistan drew 273 million viewers, while 167 million watched them in last year’s Twenty20 World Cup.

“Nothing can match an Indo-Pakistan bilateral series because it is played in a different league,” former prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan, who led Pakistan to World Cup glory in 1992, said in a Sky Sports documentary.

“The atmosphere is filled with tension, pressure and enjoyment.”

Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Faisal Hasnain called games against India the “mother of all cricket matches”.

“Fans want these two countries to play each other on a regular basis but resumption is only likely when there is a thaw in relations,” he told AFP .

“We can only wait and hope that happens.”

Practice fodder

Introduced to the sub-continent in the 18th century, cricket was played mostly by its white colonial rulers, but locals learned the game by being used as bowling or batting fodder in the practice nets.

India won Test status in 1932, but after partition, most Muslim players — including three who had played for the national team — migrated to Pakistan, who had to build from scratch.

Pakistan’s first Test, appropriately, was against India, in 1952 — and they were led by Abdul Hafeez Kardar, one of the three double internationals.

Since then Pakistan and India have played 59 Tests, with Pakistan winning 12, India nine, and the rest drawing.

In ODIs Pakistan also have the edge, but India have won seven of their nine T20 encounters.

In the women’s game, India have won all 11 of their ODIs and 10 of their 12 Twenty20s since the first meeting in 2005.

The advent of one-day cricket has only boosted the rivalry with one commentator calling their clashes “war minus shooting”.

In 1991, Aaqib Javed’s seven-wicket haul, including a hat-trick, helped Pakistan win the Wills Trophy in Sharjah in a match that ended in near-darkness, sparking outrage from the losing Indian side and fans.

“They whinged about it for months,” Aaqib said drily.

But Pakistan fans have also shown their bile, sending death threats to Wasim Akram after he withdrew from a key final against India because of injury.

“At times the fans’ reaction is intolerable,” Akram said.

Former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said he misses regular clashes against Pakistan.

“It was my favourite opposition for all the entertainment they provided on the field with their banter,” he told AFP .

“Plus the fact that they were a damn good side.”