The Armeena Effect

Well done to Armeena Khan for receiving a special award from the outgoing mayor of Burnley, Lord Wajid Khan. She received it, along with a handful of others, at a socially distanced presentation, for having a major impact on the town. Although one was expecting Pakistani showbiz lovers to be happy about her achievement, there have been trolls who picked on her sartorial choices at the time of getting the award. The tough cookie that Armeena K is, she didn’t take it lying down and replied to them, “I don’t understand why these nationalists, right-wingers and religious fanatics lecture me. For the last time, I don’t represent you and my journey is personal.” Indeed, girl. Hope they’ve got the message finally.

Hitched!

Last week, news broke that actress and model Jia Ali had tied the nuptial knot with her friend of many years, Imran Idrees. It was, reportedly, a close get-together that took place at the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore. Her husband is a cricket coach and a political figure. He has trained the national team of Hong Kong. Heartiest congratulations to the two of you! We hope and pray that your partnership in this new innings of your lives will turn out to be the most productive, and an unbreakable one.

The Wrath of Khan

Kamal R. Khan is known for his no-holds-barred but goofy film reviews. So when reports came that Salman Khan had sued him, the conjecture was that the actor has done it because of Kamal K’s review of the film, Radhe. Nope. The Bollywood A-lister’s lawyers quickly gave a statement to clarify his position: “The suit has been filed as the defendant has been publishing and endorsing defamatory allegations, including that Mr Salman Khan is corrupt, that he and his brand ‘Being Human’ are involved in fraud, manipulation and money-laundering transactions, and that he and Salman Khan Films are dacoits. The defendant has been spreading malicious falsehoods and defaming Mr Salman Khan consistently over several months, clearly with a view to draw attention to himself.” This is what you call a critical juncture.

Neetu and Soni

If you were not totally sure whether Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are going to spend their future together, under one roof, well, here’s a hint — in fact, more than a hint. Ranbir’s mum Neetu Singh (yesteryear actress who is still a looker) likes to post her pictures on Instagram. One of her recent posts is about having a fun time with her three girlfriends, and one of them is Alia B’s mommy dear, Soni Razdan. The photos clearly show that they’re comfortable in each other’s company, just like two loving samdhans should be.

One-Zero To Pitt

It seems that Brad Pitt has won a battle of sorts against his former wife, Angelina Jolie. A magazine has recently revealed (though the decision was taken some time ago) that a judge has ruled that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie must evenly divide legal and physical custody of their five minor children — since Maddox, the oldest, is 19 years of age, he can make his own decision whether he wants to live with his father, mother or somewhere else. This is a bit of a blow to Angelina J because she wanted sole custody of the kids, having alleged that Brad P was ‘abusive’ to their young ones. Hmmm… the judge seems to have taken a Brader, sorry broader, perspective on the situation.

The Reunion

So on May 27, the much-hyped and anxiously awaited reunion episode of the iconic sitcom Friends went on air. It’s a little difficult to declare it a success or a failure. Perhaps it was a success due to the flashback value that the cast members imparted to it — Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc. But then there were things (already pointed out by some critics) such as Justin Bieber dressing as a spud, or interviews with done-to-death queries, which were pretty off-putting. Still, it was heartwarming to see the six principal actors of the show after a long time, and not in a rerun. Having said that, gosh, old age is such a bummer!

Published in Dawn, ICON, June 6th, 2021