Goth Studio

What a refreshing change! After the embarrassment that Coke Studio had to experience with Ko Ko Korina, it took everybody by a pleasant — yes pleasant — surprise to hear and see Sindhi singer Jigar Jalal give a delightful twist to the iconic film song with his unique folksy voice and unfussy musical arrangement.

Although it begins with — and is perhaps meant to take — a jibe at the Coke Studio version by announcing that it is produced under the ‘Goth Studio’ label, the song itself is a delight to listen to. This is the kind of freshness that classics require, with a hint of rootedness and a dash of creativity.

No Pictures, Please

On November 14, two of the most sought-after and dazzling modern-day Bollywood stars, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, got married in Italy. It wasn’t an extravagant affair. In fact, news reports say that there was a ‘no pictures policy’ put in place for the guests, which comprised families of the bride and groom and a bunch of close friends.

The policy worked well because, for a few days, admirers of the two talented actors kept itching to know how the event went and how the couple looked. However, since it’s the age of social media, one or two photographs did get ‘leaked’. On the whole, though, it was a well-guarded, privacy-maintained ceremony. We wish the pair a very happy, well-guarded, privacy-maintained, marriage-in-tact, marital life!

Aamir as Gump

Bollywood’s Mr Perfectionist, Aamir Khan, is working on the Hindi version of the iconic Hollywood film Forrest Gump — in which he is going to play the titular slow-witted character caught in momentous historical events, originally essayed by Tom Hanks. For sure, it’s going to be a cracker of a film, given the actor’s credentials.

But two questions: firstly, hasn’t he already played a slow-on-the-uptake guy in PK? And secondly, the desire to return to a portrayal of a dimwit — did it have anything to do with the release and critical reaction to Thugs of Hindostan.

Pannu’s Pride

Sassy and uber-talented Taapsee Pannu likes to speak her mind. There was a time when she was trolled on social media for being ‘ordinary looking’, which she is not, but her no-holds-barred attitude has endeared her even to the worst of her detractors.

On Nov 14, the actress was in Lucknow attending an event arranged by a group of women entrepreneurs. There she was asked about being an ‘outsider’ in Bollywood. She replied, “I’m an outsider and I’m proud of it. That’s why I don’t have this baggage that I have to behave in a certain way because no one knows who my father is and I don’t have to protect his name.” Good response, girl. We hope, though, that your father doesn’t mind this statement of yours.

The (un)Together Song

If you missed the last couple of months, pop star Zayn Malik and supermodel Gigi Hadid are officially back together. The pair broke up briefly in the beginning of this year, but then realised that they can’t do without one another (at least for now).

In case you want to know what caused the break-up, listen to Zayn M’s new song No Candle No Light which was released on November 15. Take, for example, the following two lines: Can’t handle my love, can’t handle your lies / No friend zone to my love, quit burning all of my time. Hmmm … to this I say, if you keep writing this sort of stuff, Zayn, pretty soon fans might not be able to handle your lyrics.

The Custody Conundrum

The Brangelina story doesn’t seem to end. Two years after they filed for divorce from each other, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie find themselves inextricably locked in a custody fight for their six children — Shiloh, Pax, Maddox, Zahara, Knox and Vivienne.

Things have come to such a pass that a judge has now set December 4 as a target date for the two to have their custody agreement ready, otherwise the judge will set a date for trial. And we all know, going into trial will further prolong the issue, and dirty linen will be washed in public. Not good for the kids, at all. It’s time they behaved like adults. They can learn a lesson from their own children who have so far behaved in a maturer manner than their parents.

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 25th, 2018