Ustad Mubarak dies

One of the finest classical singers of his generation and a maestro in his own right, Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan, died in Lahore on April 8. He was 81. Winner of the President’s Pride of Performance award, the musician, in terms of style, belonged to the Kairana gharana (family) of music. Two of his nephews, Javed Bashir and Akbar Ali, are also renowned singers — the former has also sung for a few Bollywood films. May Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan rest in peace.

Health Wise

Strange events unfolded last week when it was reported in some parts of the media that actress Meera had been detained in a mental health institution in the US, after a volatile altercation with a doctor. This was followed by a rebuttal, apparently sourced to Meera, who blamed the ‘false news’ on her mother back in Pakistan. Further news then claimed that she was told to leave the US within 48 hours, which she apparently did. Details of what exactly transpired that caused the hoopla to occur haven’t yet come in. But it’s time Meera, and members of her family, start taking her image in public seriously. Otherwise things can get terribly non-serious.

A Sunny Anniversary

April 9 was actress and model Sunny Leone’s, and her husband Daniel Weber’s, 10th wedding anniversary. Congrats to them. Both looked and sounded super-happy on the occasion as they shared their photographs on social media, in which they are striking lovey-dovey poses. In a message on Instagram, she called him her rock while, talking to a news outlet, Daniel W said that he’s grateful to have a wife such as Sunny L. Spot on, dude! Grateful and lucky…

Trailer Drive

The trailer for cricketer Fawad Alam’s debut series as an actor, Khudkush Mohabbat,is out. From the looks of it — and a final judgment cannot be given on a two-minute clip — although his dialogue delivery leaves a bit to be desired, his expressions as an actor aren’t too bad. The series on a new streaming platform appears to be an intense love story, and there’s no shortage of Fawad A being intense in it. Therefore we can safely say that, thus far, his stay at the showbiz wicket is not so shaky. He only needs to know which sentences to play with, and which to leave.

Together Again

Hollywood almost A-lister Timothee Chalamet has been reportedly single ever since he broke up with actress Lily-Rose Depp (it’s been a year). It was considered to be a pretty bitter split. That doesn’t seem to be the case now. Recently, the ever prying photogs saw them on at least a couple of occasions. First, they spotted her in an Uber going to his house, picking him up and then moving towards Brooklyn. Then they have also been seen, hand-in-hand, strolling down a Manhattan street. Hmmm… Together or not, they are New Yorkers through and through.

Crown Snatcher

We’re living in a weird world, folks. Last week, the Mrs Sri Lanka pageant concluded in Colombo but not without a pretty bizarre thing happening. Moments after the judges declared Pushpika De Silva the winner of the competition, the winner of the 2019 edition, who is also Mrs World 2020, Caroline Jurie, walked up to the microphone and said that in order to take part in the pageant, the contestants have to be married and not divorced. After saying that, she snatched the crown off Pushpika D S’s head, who immediately started crying, and put it on the first runner-up’s head. (One report suggests they even had a punch-up.) A day later, the deprived girl, on her Facebook, clarified that she’s at present separated from her hubby, not divorced. Uff… no crowning glory here.

Published in Dawn, ICON, April 18th, 2021