Rafta Rafta

Atif Aslam released the video of his latest song Rafta Rafta on Eid-ul-Azha. It’s shot beautifully in scenic locations and features television star Sajal Ali with the singer as the video’s two protagonists. To be honest, notwithstanding the fact that Atif A is a fantastic singer, the actress’s presence appears to be the only bright spot of the track. Let’s just say the song is not the popular playback singer’s best work. So what? Every day isn’t Sunday, and not every Atif A song can be Dil diyan gallan. Maybe he’s hoping it’ll grow on people Rafta Rafta.

Justice for Noor

The brutal murder in Islamabad of the 27-year-old Noor Mukaddam on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha definitely has shaken all of Pakistan to its core. Showbiz celebrities have been no different. The first ones to come forward to demand justice for the departed soul and her family included Osman Khalid Butt, Mahira Khan, Meesha Shafi, Mawra Hocane, Faysal Quraishi and Adnan Siddiqui. It’s a sombre time and a time of outrage. But perhaps it’s also a time to reflect on the kind of toxic masculinity that society enables through the stories it romanticises and the people in power it does not hold to account for their repeatedly regressive views.

Off the Table

Now that’s how divorced men and women should behave: with friendliness and without rancour. Last week, Bollywood A-lister Aamir Khan and his ex-wife Kiran Rao were seen playing table tennis with each other, and with their son Azad, during breaks from the shoot of the actor’s upcoming film Laal Singh Chaddha. The pictures went instantly viral on social media. The good thing that could be gleaned from the images was that there didn’t seem to be any competitive streak in the former married couple. Both appeared to be willing to let the other win. Hmmm… a jazba, we feel, they should’ve had while they were together.

Arrested Development

On July 20, the Mumbai police arrested Raj Kundra ­— business tycoon and husband of actress Shilpa Shetty — and his company’s IT head Ryan Thorpe, for having, allegedly, links with a pornography racket. The law enforcers think that the money gained from the racket was used for online betting. They were sent to police custody until July 27. Well, we don’t know yet whether Raj K is guilty in this case or not, but it does seem you can’t keep him away from problematic things — despite being the owner of the Indian Premier League’s Rajasthan Royals franchise, he was banned from all cricket-related activities in 2016 for being allegedly involved in fixing matches. Wise men say, error breeds error. We say, you betcha!

Sassy Selena

Everyone knows about Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez’s past as a pair. Insiders say that some of the memories from those days, not necessarily the good ones, still hurt her. In her latest TikTok clip, Selena G is lip-synching lines from a TV play or film which goes something like this: “So, you’re telling me you can read his astrological birth chart but you can’t read the red flags? Sis…” People are interpreting it as a message to Justin B’s wife Hailey Baldwin. Alrighty then! Will Justin B make a TikTok video to raise the white flag of truce or keep it red?

Bennifer Redux?

Fans are calling it Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s official Insta debut as an item (again). This happened when J-Lo’s best friend Leah Remini (King of Queens) posted a video of her 51st birthday celebrations on Instagram. In it, one-time duo J-Lo and Ben A can be seen with their host, and J-Lo has her hand on his chest, looking amorously at him. Since Leah R put it up almost a month after the event — the birthday was on June 15, the video went up on July 23 — we’re guessing she had the pair’s consent in doing so. So, as they say about debuts — even redos — well begun is half done! Second time lucky for the couple?

Published in Dawn, ICON, August 1st, 2021