Prayers with Farhad

It takes a great deal of courage to tell the world that you’re suffering from a life-threatening disease. Farhad Humayun, the front man of the pop band Overload, has done that.

The musician has posted to his Facebook page the disturbing news that, a couple of weeks ago, he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. And hats off to him for not allowing his admirers to become despondent by adding that he has ‘the greatest surgeon’ to operate upon him. Farhad H, our prayers and best wishes for you. We hope you recover swiftly and completely.

Cake, Salam win big

Make no mistake, the world has begun to take note of the Pakistan film industry. Here’s a cogent example: last week, this year’s Oscar selection from Pakistan Cake and a documentary titled Salam won awards at the 8th South Asian Film Festival in Montreal.

It was in the Audience Choice category that Cake won the best feature film award while Salam got it as the best feature documentary. Congrats to both of them! Though 2018 hasn’t been particularly good for our films in terms of quality, the different kinds of subjects that filmmakers have begun to choose goes to show that the future ain’t bleak.

Uncle Khan

So much for the nepotism debate in Bollywood! It’s time they put an end to it. Reason? Salman Khan won’t stop introducing his family members into the glitzy world of films.

After launching his brother-in-law Ayush Sharma in the movie Loveyatri (which sank at the box office way quicker than the Titanic did in the North Atlantic), he is now introducing his sister Alvira Khan’s daughter Alizeh Agnihotri in the third installment of the Dabangg series. Tell you what: if she is 25 percent more talented as Ayush S and 50 percent as lucky as her mamoon jaan, then she will be accepted by cine-goers. Otherwise, she’ll be a bus yatri.

Punched-UP Parking

Hollywood insiders know that Alec Baldwin is a mercurial man. This was vindicated on November 2 when the actor, who is most recently known for doing an impression of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live, punched a 49-year-old man in the face as the two argued over parking their cars on a street in New York. It didn’t take long for the NYPD to arrive on the scene and arrest him. The police charged the actor with assault and harassment.

No statement was issued that day by Alec B’s representatives, as if the incident didn’t happen. But the news of the arrest spread like wildfire. This would be one of those rare occasions when Donald Trump wouldn’t think ‘it’s fake news’.

Julia on TV

Big news folks! Julia Roberts, yes, heartthrob Julia Roberts, can now be seen in a TV show called Homecoming. It is her first major small-screen assignment. Before that she has made a couple of guest appearances on sitcoms. This one is a full-fledged job.

In Homecoming, which runs on Amazon Prime, she plays the part of a woman who works for a ‘mysterious government programme’ that enables soldiers to come back to civilian life after service. As the story progresses it’s revealed that her character left that programme and is now a waitress. Hmmm … sounds like a dystopian version of Notting Hill.

THE NORMAL WOMAN

Richa Chadha may not say it, but she comes across as a staunch feminist. And that’s a good thing. In a recent interview, given to an Indian newspaper, the actress has said that she doesn’t like the phrase ‘women-oriented’.

She argues, “I don’t like it. I have been hearing this term since 2012 when [the film] English Vinglish came out. I always turn round and say, ‘You never call other things male-oriented.’ But I guess it’ll be a thing till it becomes a norm.” Spot on girl! Things are things and remain things until they are not allowed to be things by turning them into (norm)al things.

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 11th, 2018