Ban the Ban

Shafqat Amanat Ali is a wonderful vocalist. A decade back, his fame and recognition doubled when he went to India and sang songs for Bollywood movies. Then things changed on the political front and Pakistani artists are now not allowed to work across the border any more.

Shafqat A ain’t happy about it. He says the entertainment industry is a ‘soft target’ for both governments because, when things go sour on the border, trade also gets affected. Yet, it is the showbiz fraternity that is instantly targeted. Therefore, he has requested the Indian government to lift the ban on Pakistani artists. To be honest, he shouldn’t be sounding desperate to work in India. It goes to show that our own entertainment industry, despite having immense talent, hasn’t been able to push itself to a point where others are left with no choice but to work with our actors, musicians and writers. It’s time for him to help elevate Pakistan’s music industry.

Basement Brilliance

It is a pure delight to see and listen to the latest edition of Nescafe Basement. At the same time, it is saddening to note that the programme doesn’t get as much press and hype as some of the other music shows on the telly do.

Leaving that debate aside, you only need to hear the song Bol Hu sung by Adnan and an eight-year-old girl Hadia to know how good they are. Hadia’s command over sur and her beautiful voice has made the original composition an immortal one. Just brilliant.

Baby ko Basement pasand aya.

Shaan’s Stereotype

Film star Shaan has a habit of hogging the limelight every now and then by giving statements (on social media) which instantly become the talk of tinsel town. His opinion on depression and how actors become addicted to it by not sliding out of the character they perform has not gone down well with quite a few people. This is the problem with social media.

Everyone has an opinion on everything under the sun, including psychological ailments. When we talk about an illness, we tend to forget that not every person in the world suffers from a disease for the same reason. And perhaps that’s why some of our actors who became popular in the ’90s haven’t acquired greatness — because of their lack of empathy towards human beings.

Sonam on #MeToo

The svelte and ultra fashion-conscious Sonam Kapoor is known for speaking her mind without giving a hoot about consequences.

Check out what her latest stance on the #MeToo Movement is. “We are definitely trivialising it. If you have to, you have to do it with a lot of thought. And you have to do it ... because it’s become watered down now. It’s all gone and, unfortunately, it is the way it is. We need to be a little more careful about the accusation and articles. The media doesn’t realise how powerful it can be.” Well, it’s certainly a new perspective. But if you read your words, it is you who’s trivialising the whole issue, Sonam K.

Birthday Nap

On Jan 31, pop star Justin Timberlake turned 38. Two days prior to his birthday bash, he was with his wife Jessica Biel in his car, trying to get in the groove for the big day celebrations. So he began to record a video of himself singing Happy birthday to me.

But when the camera turned towards Jessica B, she was in the middle of a nap. Suddenly, she woke up and looked at her hubby’s phone capturing her snoozing pose. Instead of feeling a little taken aback, she was wise enough to say into the camera, “I’m preparing for our big night out … A girl needs beauty sleep before you hit the club.” We hope she didn’t dose off when he cut the cake.

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 10th, 2019