The music of Teefa

Whoever is handling the promotional campaign for Teefa in Trouble is doing a good job. From the first teaser to the recently released full music album of the movie, the campaign has had a gradual but solid progress. The album contains half-a-dozen songs, a couple of which had already been released on the internet. To be honest, the tracks are fine and hummable but not particularly what you would call ‘mind-blowing’. Well, obviously, the focus is on the film and cine-goers are expecting Teefa in Trouble to be this year’s biggest blockbuster. And if the Eidul Fitr experience with Pakistani films is anything to go by, it shouldn’t be a difficult task. Or have we spoken too soon?

Making Amends

Coke Studio’s new Explorer series, launched prior to the airing of its eleventh edition, in which its producers present heart-touching music from the remote areas of the country, is a worthwhile idea. The first part of the series featuring the song Pareek sung by two Kailash girls Ariana and Amrina has already won many an music lover’s heart, as have the two songs that followed ­­­­—Faqeera and Naseebaya from Sindh and Balochistan, respectively. This clearly suggests that the Studio wants to mend its reputation that got a wee bit tarnished because of its last edition did not go down well with critics and fans alike. That being said, the real test for Zohaib Kazi and Ali Hamza, who are producing the show for the first time, will begin when Season 11 formally kicks off next month. Fingers crossed.

Shouldering Love

Just five days after Kaley Cuoco, the star of the hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory, tied the nuptial knot with professional equestrian Karl Cook, the actress dislocated her shoulder. On July 5, she underwent a shoulder surgery at a hospital in Los Angeles. But the feisty gal that she is, Kaley C did not let the health issue come in the way of her happiness. So she posted a photo on Instagram that her hubby took immediately an hour or so after the operation. Sweet! This means the couple will stand shoulder to shoulder for the rest of their lives, no matter how dislocated or bruised their journey together may turn out to be.

Why Hide It?

Ranbir Kapoor is riding a new wave of success. His latest offering Sanju is doing rip-roaring business at the box office and, on the personal front, his relationship with Alia Bhatt seems to be blossoming by the day (apparently he has confessed his love for her to a magazine).

Last week, the actor was spotted entering Alia B’s house quite late in the evening, and a little later coming out with her. She sat in his car and both headed for an unknown location (perhaps a restaurant). When a photographer spotted them, they tried to move away from the scene in a hurry. Interesting! To be honest, if both are into each other, there’s nothing wrong with it, and they shouldn’t be hiding their feelings. Unless, it’s all a publicity stunt, which is unlikely, for both are at that stages of their careers where they could do with less publicity.

Get well soon

As if news of actor Irrfan Khan’s illness weren’t shocking enough for the showbiz fraternity of India, in particular, and the world in general, admirers of Bollywood films received another shock when they got to know that actress Sonali Bendre is suffering from a ‘high grade cancer.’ She is these days in New York for treatment. As soon as the news broke, the artist received a series of messages from her fans and colleagues wishing her a quick recovery. We too wish her a swift and complete recovery.

007 and CIA

Now that’s what you call preparing for your character. Daniel Craig is going to essay his fifth, and perhaps his last, role as James Bond in the soon-to-be-shot 25th film of the Bond series.

To get a taste of real world of espionage, the actor on June 26 visited the offices of the CIA in Langley, Virginia, where he met with the officers of the intelligence agency, who told him that in real life their job is more ‘cloak’ and less ‘dagger’ than how it’s shown in films. However, they didn’t tell him about how much of it was ‘missiles’ and how less of it was ‘jackets’ and ‘black ties’ and ‘shaken-not-stirred martinis’.

Published in Dawn, ICON, July 15th, 2018