DUUR FROM COKE STUDIO

There you go! Strings have announced that they’re not going to be part of Coke Studio anymore, which means that Season 10 was their last as producers of the show.

Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia of Strings had been looking after the show for the past four years, ever since Rohail Hyatt left it after the under-appreciated Season 6. It is not known whether Strings quit on their own volition or got wind of the rumours that the Studio bigwigs had begun to think of a change at the helm once a barrage of criticism started coming their way during the 10th edition for not keeping the quality of the programme intact. There is even talk of shifting the show to Lahore.

Well, whatever the reasons may be, we wish Strings all the best for their future endeavours. Also, in case the thought of bringing back Rohail H into the Studio fold is being entertained, he should pay heed to what a famous Greek philosopher once said: no man steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.

KID AND KATRINA

There was a time when the delectable Katrina Kaif and the bhai of Bollywood, Salman Khan, were an item. Then things went awry. The true professionals that they both are, they haven’t stopped working together, and nowadays are doing a film that’s being shot in Greece.

Last week, after finishing her part of the shoot, Katrina K was spotted at the airport shopping for toys with a kid in her arms. She even put the picture of her with the child on Instagram. It went viral on the Internet. Hmmm … We’re not quite sure what was going on but Salman K, kid, airport … was she sending a message to someone?

BIEBER’S LEAP OF FAITH

We hear these kinds of stories in our neck of the woods all the time. But it happens in the West as well. After a few mishaps in his life causing him to have a brush with the law, pop sensation Justin Bieber has turned to faith for soul-searching. This July he cancelled his world tour apparently because of his “religious beliefs.” He has reportedly become very close to Church leaders Carl Lentz and Josh Mehl, and has publicly thanked the latter for playing a part in “turning his life around.”

Some of his listeners fear that he might quit singing, though chances of that happening are pretty slim. To be honest, he can always sing along with choirs, inviting Selena Gomez to join him in his spiritual quest.

FAWAD IN HOLLYWOOD

It was inevitable. The kind of fame and popularity that Fawad Khan garnered in India gave the impression he was an international star. Well, if he was not already, he is trying to be one now.

Indian film journalist Rajeev Masand has claimed that the actor has signed on with an agent in Hollywood and is looking for work there because he doesn’t find working in television plays ‘challenging’ enough. He has already begun going through some scripts and will be leaving for Los Angeles soon (we’re assuming once he’s done with the under-production Maula Jatt reboot). 

Good on Fawad K! Unlike what happened to him in India, no one will ask him to leave the US for petty political reasons. But then Donald Trump is America’s president … Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

DEEPAK CLARIFIES

Recently showbiz glitterati and their fans were scrambling to come up with a lot of reasons for ace fashion designer Deepak Perwani’s entry into politics after it was reported that he had joined MQM-Pakistan. Well, it turns out he hasn’t. Last week he issued a statement saying, “I have great respect and regard for Dr Farooq Sattar. I would like to make it very clear that I have not formally joined any party but will always support causes and charities that will benefit my city and my country.”

It’s not quite clear why it took Deepak P two whole weeks to offer a clarification about something that was the hot topic everywhere. Could it have been that Dr Farooq S’s jibe, about the designer helping out with the party member’s Eid clothes, finally got to him?

CYBER STALKER

A lot of hullabaloo was recently created on social media when a doctor sent a ‘friend request’ on Facebook to filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s sister. Let’s not go there. Instead, let’s talk about Sunny Leone.

The Bollywood bombshell has revealed that she has faced cyber-bullying on a few occasions. There was a man who followed her on social media. He threatened to come to her house to “cause her harm.” Another man, a Twitterati, said he’d send a group of people to her place (this was apparently to persuade her to stay away from appearing in movies). It did scare her a bit, but she persevered and stuck to her guns.

Shabash! I’m sure those moral police bullies have seen all of your songs umpteen times, especially Baby Doll Sonay Di. Bloody hypocrites!

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 5th, 2017