English Please

The video of two women making fun of their employee, the manager of their restaurant, for not speaking English properly reveals a lot about us — the educated lot are as much to blame for the polarised state of our society as the not-so-educated ones. The fact that one or two people from the world of glitz and glamour tried to defend their act reveals a deeper malaise, that is, they wouldn’t compromise on their faux sense of superiority. That said, it also needs to be seen as to who is criticising those women. The one who make memes, who come up with skits, who give opinions on TV news channels on the matter… all have done the same at some point in time. Society needs to take stock of things on the whole. In the end we can only say: English is a funny language.

Identity Issue

Ahad Raza Mir has a mature head on his young shoulders. Or so it came across from the interview that he recently gave to a Middle Eastern YouTube channel. On the most important question of his identity as the son of a celebrity, he said, “People back home have this idea that I’m a ‘star kid’ but no one can say that to me. And no, I’m not an actor because my dad was an actor. I didn’t know my dad was [one]. I went to university, I studied, I worked professionally in Canada for many years and I was fortunate when I came to Pakistan that my career started doing well.” Hmmm… Might have stretched things a bit there. People didn’t know that you’re a star kid? Well, they kinda did. Your name is a bit of a giveaway Ahad… Raza Mir.

So Long, Larry King!

Broadcasting icon Larry King died on January 23. He was 87. Although the cause of the death wasn’t clearly mentioned in media reports, the television talk show host had been hospitalised in Los Angeles a few days prior to his passing, with Covid-19. The late Mr King — born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger — was known for his fair and balanced style of anchoring TV programmes, especially for his interviews, in which he seldom became aggressive or confrontational with his guests, and would always manage to elicit answers to his probing questions. One of his most talked-about tete-a-tetes was with the legendary actor Marlon Brando who was not fond of giving interviews. May he rest in peace.

What’s in a Name

So, folks those of you who wanted to know what the name of Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid’s baby daughter is, well... After a scintillating wait of a little over four months, the couple has disclosed it. It’s, wait for it, Khai. To be honest, we don’t know how to react to this because it does sound a little outlandish. According to one news item, it means ‘crown’ in Arabic. Insiders suggest, though, that it is a tribute to Gigi H’s late grandmother Khairiyah, who she was very fond of. The word khairiyat in Urdu means well-being. We pray for the well being of Khai and her family.

Resemblance at White House

Apart from the inauguration ceremony, the new US President Joe Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki’s eloquent press briefing and good looks impressed all and sundry. That was not all. The moment they saw her on television, a lot of people, especially Americans, thought they were watching Derby Stanchfield, the star of the TV show Scandal, speaking into the microphone. The resemblance was uncanny. Interesting na! Well, after the high-strung drama that took place in the White House in the last four years, this one is certainly more pleasing to the eye.

Creative Suffocation

In the last few years, Indian society has changed at a rapid pace, for the worse — causing the space for dissent and creativity to shrink. The latest in this regard is the web series called Tandav, directed by Ali Abbas Zafar (Sultan), whose cast and crew have run into legal trouble because Hindu extremist groups have alleged that the series has hurt their religious sentiments. On January 19, Ali AZ released a statement saying that his team had no intention to hurt or offend the sentiments of any caste, race, community or religion. He also agreed to make “necessary” changes to the script. Still, on January 22, members of Uttar Pradesh’s police came to his Mumbai residence and served him a notice to appear [on January 27] before the Investigating Officer who is looking into the criminal case registered against him. Ah, bigotry, thou hast no limit.

Published in Dawn, ICON, January 31st, 2021