PNJ rules the roost

It seemed inevitable. The Humayun Saeed-Mehwish Hayat starrer Punjab Nahi Jaungi, directed by Nadeem Baig, had a tremendous opening at the box office. One was expecting it do a roaring business and it has not disappointed.

This past weekend (Oct 13) the film had already surpassed the worldwide takes of Jawani Phir Nahin Aani (by the same director) by grossing 47 crore rupees, although JPNA was still ahead in the domestic circuit by four crore rupees.

PNJ is still in the theatres and chances are it will be Pakistan’s biggest commercial hit in recent times. Hooray to that! That’s just what the doctor ordered for the struggling Pakistani cinema industry.

Bil Batori, Alas!

Ainak Wala Jinn was one of the most popular comedy shows that aired in the 1990s on PTV. It was meant to be a show for kids but adults watched it with eagerness as well.

Bil Batori’s character of a witch — with a couple of memorable catchphrases — was one of the most talked-about characters on Pakistani television. The part was played with a great deal of flair by Nusrat Ara.

On Oct 14, Nusrat Ara passed away in Lahore. She was 65. According to news reports, she was financially challenged for the last few years, which, if true, is such a sad state of affairs. May she rest in peace!

Fireworks against fireworks

These are tricky times. Beware what you post on social media, especially if you’re a film star. Shraddha Kapoor didn’t realise this and uploaded a video on Twitter requesting everyone not to set off firecrackers on Diwali because it scares animals — it’s a festival of lights not of sound and fury. This resulted in a barrage of angry comments coming her way in which she and other showbiz celebs were called ‘hypocrites’.

Poor Shraddha K, her love for animals has forced her to deal with people with a different kind of animal instinct.

MQM — Perwani?

Stranger things have happened in the past, so this one is not that strange. However, it did take many by surprise when they got to know that fashion designer Deepak Perwani has entered the less glitzy and more chequered world of politics by joining MQM-Pakistan (MQM-P).

As expected, social media went berserk conjecturing on the possible reasons for his decision and its implications in terms of the fashion sense of the members of the MQM-P. The party’s chief, Farooq Sattar, probably made the best quip, however. Announcing the decision, he said: “He will solve the Rabita Committee’s problems on Eid.” Guess we’ll be seeing more pyjamas in the Deepak oeuvre from now on.

Tom Hanks, the writer

He is one of the finest actors in Hollywood and one of the nicest A-list celebrities (and nothing Harvey Weinstein-esque can be attributed to him, so far).

Like a true artist, Tom Hanks is now exploring other forms of expression to push his creative self: he has published a collection of short stories titled Uncommon Type. It contains 17 tales on a variety of subjects that he has been writing for the past many years in breaks between movies.

Wow! Did someone tell him that after winning two Oscars his chances of winning another might be slim and therefore he should switch to writing? Well, if so, sounds like a decent piece of advice.

Shaken and Stirred?

Despite the fact that it is now being reported in the British press that Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz’s marriage is still solid as a rock (as opposed to ‘on the rocks’) one has to say that the smoke that led people to suspect that there was fire somewhere hasn’t exactly dissipated.

Tongues began to wag when the two were seen having a heated debate at a New York airport, and the husband then walking away from the wifey huffing and puffing. Some thought the argument was about Daniel C’s returning to the fold of the James Bond franchise, because Rachel W doesn’t like him doing stunts and sustaining injuries. One tabloid, however, gave a contrary view: that, in fact, it’s she who wants him to do James Bond (hey, can’t beat the fame and the money, eh?) whereas he is not so keen on it anymore. Whatever the case may be, the fact is they’ve been squabbling a lot these days and it’s not looking like an injury-free proposition.

Published in Dawn, ICON, October 22nd, 2017