THE AALU ANDEY VLOGGER

He is an unsung hero of sorts. Ali Aftab Saeed of Bayghairat Brigade, who shot to fame with his cheekily meaningful song Aalu Andey quite a few years back, nowadays does a vlog. Through his dry wit and distinct sense of humour, he touches upon serious subjects, oftentimes sensitive, in a way that it doesn’t offend anyone.

One such episode was about those who live in gated areas. He took their misconduct and ill-behaviour to the cleaners extremely intelligently, and yet never sounded harsh. This style has a distinct flavour which is fast becoming popular among those who follow the cyber world. Ali AS, keep vlogging in your ba-ghairat way...

YOU’RE BREAKING UP WITH ME!

Boy oh boy! This is a sad but intriguing nugget of information. Hollywood legend Robert De Niro is apparently not living together with his wife of 20 years, Grace Hightower.

The news started doing the rounds late in the evening of November 20 that the pair has split, and will soon tell the media about their break-up. It should be mentioned here that, 19 years ago — after they had their first child, Elliot — their married life had gone sour for the first time and Robert DN and Grace H even contemplated divorce. But then the Oscar-winning actor and his wife rediscovered love for one another and, subsequently, their daughter Helen was born through a surrogate.

It’s 2018 now, and they are again thinking of parting ways. Mind you, Robert DN is 70 years of age now. If he again discovers love for Grace H, even the idea of a surrogate might be a little difficult to entertain.

A THANKFUL BIEBER

Pop icon Justin Bieber is now a married man. Yes, the 24-year-old singer is hitched to the lovely supermodel Hailey Baldwin. As a non-single guy, Justin B has just experienced his first Thanksgiving. 

On November 23, he announced his marital status and also posted a profound little message about relationships on Instagram. He wrote that relationships are hard and love isn’t easy. Don’t be alarmed folks, because the pop star went on to thank Jesus for ‘showing him how’. Justin B, my hunch is that Hailey B has the same to be thankful for.

CRICKET AND CELEBS

For some reason, cricket and showbiz go hand in hand in the subcontinent. On Nov 24, more evidence of it was on display in Dubai when showbiz glitterati and cricketers came together for an event held to launch a new T10 cricket league, which will take place in Sharjah from December 21 to 24.

This time round a new phrase ‘celeb ambassadors’ has been coined for the event. For example, Pakistani actor Fahad Mustafa and Indian Bollywood diva Zarine Khan are celeb ambassadors for the team Pakhtoon, and Kriti Sanon and Sara Loren wear the same tag for the Maratha Arabians. What, Maratha Arabians? Sounds a bit oxymoronic. But then again, so does the pairing of the stars.

ALIA LEGS IT

Talk about being diligent and committed to your job. Actress Alia Bhatt is one such individual. The actress injured her left leg during the filming of her upcoming film Brahamstra co-starring her alleged beau Ranbir Kapoor.

Despite the injury and her director’s assurance that he could put off the shoot, she went on with the scene. By the by, she did go to a clinic for a check-up with, yes, you’ve guessed it, Ranbir K. Girl, rest assured, your hard work will one day give you a leg-up in becoming the number one leading lady in Indian films. Break a leg!

HOME SHARE

Love is in the air for Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora. It’s confirmed that they’re going out, and now they don’t give a hoot about the media hounding them. Here’s why: they have now bought an apartment in Mumbai. Apparently, the two have invested in it together. Right now, they’re working on the interior decoration of the house, and the couple is spending a pretty serious amount in making it look just the way they want it. Good on you Arjun K and Malaika A.

For the former we have a piece of advice: make sure you don’t spend all of your moolah on the house because, going by your recent box office returns, acting in movies is something that might not hold you in good stead for a long time.

Published in Dawn, ICON, December 2nd, 2018