Leave Mahira alone

Pictures of gorgeous Mahira Khan and the talented Bollywood A-lister Ranbir Kapoor, in which both are seen smoking cigarettes in New York, went viral on social media last week. There was a big number of people who criticised the actress for smoking and the way she was dressed.

First of all, it’s her life and no one has the right to poke their nose into anyone’s personal life (also, it wasn’t as if she was trying to strike a pose for the photographer). Secondly, she is in showbiz, an actor, not a sermoniser whose lectures on morality have had a profound effect on people. I mean, come on, put your energies to good use somewhere else. And while you’re at it, perhaps try and be a little less hypocritical too.

Iftikhar Qaiser, alas!

Popular TV actor Iftikhar Qaiser died on Sept 17. He was one of the finest artists that PTV’s Peshawar Centre has produced. He worked in Urdu, Pushto and Hindko plays and shot to national fame in the ’90s with a comedy sketch in which he read satirical poetry using the famous refrain “Ab main bolon ke na bolon.”

According to media reports, the actor had diabetes and was admitted to hospital a week before his death. He was the recipient of the President’s Pride of Performance award. May he rest in peace.

No more intimacy, please

Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan knows when to put her dainty foot down. That’s it for her. She has decided that she will not do intimate scenes on the silver screen anymore. This piece of info came from the sets of an upcoming film, Fanney Khan, co-starring Rajkumar Rao. Many are wondering what made her take that decision.

Well, some say that her coochie-cooing with Ranbir Kapoor in Ay Dil Hai Mushkil did not go down well with the Bachchans, including her hubby. Hmm … if that’s true, then there is a potential story for a TV soap here.

Literal Bun In The Oven

Pooja Dhingra is a renowned Indian pastry chef. Of late, she has befriended quite a few Bollywood celebs. The fashionista Sonam Kapoor is one of them. Not just her, Pooja D also hangs out with the actress’s (alleged) beau, businessman Anand Ahuja.

In a recent interview, the chef revealed a nice little thing about Sonam K: that she is a great baker. Interesting! So, in the long run, even if acting doesn’t work out for her, Sonam K could still be rolling in dough.

Acting and anxiety

Those of us who think that showbiz celebs lead a luxurious, trouble-free life … think again. They are human beings and suffer the same hardships that other humans suffer. Hollywood beauty with big, bright blue eyes Emma Stone has been trying to grapple with anxiety since her childhood, and there was a time when she was even in therapy.

To be precise, she was barely seven years old at the time. But the actress believes that acting and improvisation have helped her a lot in coping with anxiety. Glad to know that, Emma S. Hope winning an Oscar for La La Land was also therapeutic.

Not on her show

Comedienne and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is a fearless character, a straight-up straight-shooter. In any case we live in an era where it is difficult to hide one’s opinion. Ellen D invited former Fox News presenter Megyn Kelly to her show (Megyn K was plugging her own new chat show on CNN) and was asked by her guest whether she would be interested in inviting US President Donald Trump to her programme. The answer from Ellen D was an unequivocal ‘no.’

“There’s nothing I’m going to say to him that’s going to change him and I don’t want to give him a platform because it just validates him,” reasoned Ellen. Right on, babe! Talk to him on Twitter, his favourite platform, if he insists.

Published in Dawn, ICON, October 1st, 2017