Mahira rocks

Mahira Khan, it seems, is trying to prove a point. If that’s the case, then all power to her. The actress, whose popularity has gone global, cat-walked in rocker chic under the iconic Eiffel Tower during the Paris Fashion Week.

Prior to the event, she posted some of her pictures on her social media page from the French capital which also exuded flamboyance and panache. She looked drop dead gorgeous. Keep walking Mahira K… on Cloud Nine.

Circus of Life

Kudos to the talented director Sarmad Khoosat whose latest film Zindagi Tamasha starring Arif Hasan and Eman Suleman is premiering at South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival, often considered the most prestigious film festival in Asia. This makes the film the second Pakistani film, after Jami’s Moor, to be an official selection at the festival. The film’s intriguing trailer is already drawing interest and critical praise from viewers, since it revolves around issues of religious mores, media shaming and sexual identities, issues not often dealt with on film in the country. Here’s hoping distributors have the courage to release the film in Pakistan as well.

Inside Out

This is juicy stuff. Hollywood heartthrob (some might say yesteryear heartthrob) Demi Moore has come out with her autobiography titled Inside Out. As expected, there is a chapter in the book about her ex-husband Ashton Kutcher, who is now married to That ‘70s Show co-actor Mila Kunis. Demi M has alleged in the book that Ashton K cheated on her when they were together.

There is other stuff in it as well, but let’s not go there. Ashton and Mila K have been keeping mum about it. However, when a journo asked the author about her intentions in penning that particular chapter, she replied, “I have a sensitivity to anything that might make them uncomfortable. I had no interest in anybody being a bad guy.” Yep, that makes perfect sense Demi. Not.

King Bill?

Bollywood big shot (because he is no more king) Shah Rukh Khan hasn’t had real box office success since Raees (2017). So he has been on the look-out for a potential blockbuster for a while. And he seems to have found the right role with the right director for his next film outing. News is that he is in discussion for a Hindi remake of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, to be helmed by the wildly talented Anurag ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ Kashyap. SRK will apparently play the part of the baddie Bill, the role that originally David Carradine essayed with spine-chilling coolness. After getting killed at the box office with Zero here’s hoping he lives up to this Bill(ing).

Golden tom

Let’s give a pat on the back to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for selecting actor par excellence Tom Hanks as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at next year’s Golden Globes. Tom H for sure deserves it because he has given a number of outstanding performances on the silver screen in films such as Philadelphia, Forrest Gump (he won back-to-back Oscars for these two), Saving Private Ryan, Big and Cast Away, to name a few. Given that Tom H is also a short story writer and one of the nicest guys in Hollywood, we can’t wait to listen to his acceptance speech on Jan 5, 2020.

Farhan’s Wish

A few months ago, young teenaged Indian actress Zaira Waseem’s decision to quit acting for religious reasons stirred a heated debate in showbiz circles of the subcontinent. A recently released film The Sky is Pink has the girl doing an important role (the project was filmed before she took the decision) alongside the likes of Farhan Akhtar and Priyanka Chopra –– and her effort in the movie has so far been very well received. At one of the promotional events for TSIP, Farhan A has been quoted as saying, “I hope she changes her mind.” Farhan A, if wishes were horses…

Published in Dawn, ICON, October 6th, 2019