Momina in top 100

We are among the stingiest people in the world when it comes to praising our own talent. So let’s give it up for the girl with a silken voice Momina Mustehsan, who’s been picked by BBC as one of 100 inspirational and innovative women in the world for 2017. While some have wondered if the honour may be a bit premature, we’re just glad to see some fresh faces on the international radar. Congrats, Momina M! Keep smiling and making beautiful music.

Incidentally, there’s another woman of Pakistani descent on the BBC list — the victim of a nefarious acid attack, Resham Khan, who now lives in England.

Kumail to host SNL

These are good times for Pakistani artists. Firstly, two of our films Punjab Nahi Jaungi and Na Maloom Afraad 2 are doing exceedingly well at the box office. Then British actor of Pakistani descent Riz Ahmed wins an Emmy, followed by a film with Pakistani actors and a director of Pakistani origins, My Pure Land, getting rave reviews from the press all over the world.

Now, Kumail Nanjiani, the Karachi kid who went to the US when he was a teenager and has made it big as a comedian in Hollywood, will host the iconic American TV show Saturday Night Live on Oct 14. This is huge for him, and means he has arrived. So have Pakistan’s talented art community. Hurray!

Tom Petty, no more

Rock icon Tom Petty died of a heart attack on Oct 2. He was 66. Petty shot to fame in the 1970s with the band The Heartbreakers of which he was the lead vocalist and guitarist.

The band’s second album Breakdown was a major hit, so was their song American Girl. Afterwards he went solo and gave memorable songs such as Free Falling and I Won’t Back Down. He also collaborated with rock n’ roll giants Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks. May he rest in peace.

My apologies for robbing you

Strange is the word that springs to mind. Last year, famous American reality TV star Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint in Paris. The robbers, led by a man named Aomar Khedache, took away jewellery worth 10 million dollars. Though the culprits were later caught, the incident had caused a great deal of anguish to the socialite.

Last week, Khedache sent a handwritten letter to Kim K (which was actually first sent to the judge in the case and later reached her lawyers) in which he apologised to her for his crime. He wrote: “I want to come to you as a human being to tell you how much I regret my gesture, how much I have been moved and touched to see you in tears … Know that I fully sympathise with the pain you are enduring, your children, your husband, and your close ones … I hope that this letter will allow you to forget little by little the trauma that you suffered by my fault.”

Oh boy. This guy is way too sharp. Hope Kim K deals with him the way she deals with her co-actors on Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Birthday bash stories

The high and mighty celebrate special occasions in special ways! On Sept 28, Ranbir Kapoor celebrated his 35th birthday at his bachelor pad in Mumbai. The crème de la crème of the Indian film industry were there who partied hard and way into the wee hours of Sept 29. Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Imtiaz Ali, Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt were some of the names who reached the venue early and left late. And yes, Anurag Basu too was seen rubbing shoulders with the guests having a whale of a time, burying the rumours of a rift between him and the Kapoor clan.

By the way, Sid M and Alia B did not come together to the bash. In fact the latter was seen getting way chummier with Ranbir K than she usually is. This gave birth to the speculation that Sid M and Alia B are no more an item. Wait a second, one more thing: Ranbir K also got a call from overseas to congratulate him on his big day. Now who could that be? Your guess is as good as ours.

Papa Dabangg

No matter how big a celebrity you are, you cannot argue with your mother. Bollywood big shot Salman Khan has finally decided to have children. He’s still not getting married though.

Succumbing to pressure from his mum Salma’s desire that she wants to see him play with his children, Sallu Mian has shown his inclination to become a surrogate father (a la SRK and K-Jo). But even for that he wants his mother to wait for a year or two. Bhai sahib, you will be turning 52 this December. Do you want to be dropping off your kid(s) at primary school when you are 60? Spare a thought for your children-to-be.

Published in Dawn, ICON, October 8th, 2017