Mehvish’s Politics

We won’t comment on Mehvish Hayat’s tweet last week about General Pervez Musharraf in which she suggested that the former president of the country “deserves the opportunity to be heard.” A number of people on social media questioned her defence of the military strongman, especially since it glossed over the fact that the courts have provided him ample time to be heard and it is, in fact, he who is not appearing in court. What we will definitely like to say is that the actress had already established her reputation as a socially aware celeb and, with this statement, it is evident that she is also a ‘politically conscious’ individual. Could this mean she has already worked out her career choices five years down the line?

Video Shame

We can only say that it’s disgusting and shameful. On December 5, a salacious video allegedly involving actress Fatima Sohail became the talk of the town. She, rightly so, immediately reported it to the FIA. She also said that the girl in it wasn’t her. Whoever is behind the distribution of the video must be brought to book, irrespective of who is featured in it. Our society, in fact no society, can afford such abominable practices, which are immoral and downright condemnable. Period.

Not a Pint

Check this out: comedienne par excellence Rebel Wilson claims she never tried alcohol until she turned 25. This she divulged on James Corden’s chat show. To make it sound more believable, she told the host that she hadn’t tried it because she learnt in her science class in school that alcohol kills your brain cells. Hmmm… So do brain cells become indestructible after 25? Come on Rebel W, next time you go on a TV programme, give sober thought to what you say.

The Numbers Game

Sanjay Dutt’s life story is, almost, an open secret. After Sanju, everybody knows about the peaks and troughs of his career. In addition, according to a rough estimate, he has dated 308 women so far. In his latest film Panipat (the motives behind whose making have been questioned by critics) he has the ravishing Kriti Sanon as one of his co-stars. During a promotional campaign event for the movie, when Sanjay D was quizzed about the number of girls he has gone out with, he quipped it’s still being counted and that, after watching Kriti S’s work in Panipat, he is willing to have her as his 309th girlfriend. Well, sir, you may be down, but definitely not out.

Hands Down

Oh no, what have you done Justin Timberlake! In case you’re wondering what we are talking about, well, he is acting in a film titled Palmer with Alisha Wainwright. Recently, photos of him holding hands and getting too cozy with her went viral. It gave birth to rumours of a lovey-dovey thing going on. When things started to go out of, er, hand, the pop star and actor who is married to the stunning Jessica Biel posted the following message on social media: “A few weeks ago I displayed a strong lapse in judgment, but let me be clear, nothing happened between me and my costar … This is not the example I want to set for my son. I apologise to my amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation, and I am focused on being the best husband and father I can be. This was not that.” Alrighty then, what was it?

May-December

For some strange reason, Hollywood and Bollywood are these days abuzz with a debate about May-December relationships (that’s couples with a significant age gap between them for the uninitiated). First, it was Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriend Camila Morrone who made the headlines for defending the 23-year age gap that exists between the two. Then, on December 6, Indian actress Sonakshi Sinha, while commenting on Salman Khan’s 21-year-old co-star Saiee Manjrekar in Dabangg 3, said she would feel ‘odd’ romancing a 22-year-old if she were 50. Trust us Sonakshi S: any boy who is 22 years of age would feel odd romancing you now, let alone a decade or two later.

Published in Dawn, ICON, December 15th, 2019