Azmat Backtrack

Make no mistake: Junoon frontman Ali Azmat should have been careful when he became part of a discussion on social media and disparared the legendary singer Noor Jehan’s physical ‘look’ on TV in the 1980s. A lot of people justifiably took issue with it. In fact, Noor Jehan’s daughter Mina Hasan and grandson Ahmed Ali Butt were within their rights to respond that Ali A is a has-been who is trying to grapple with lost fame. However, it was thoughtful of Ali Azmat that the moment the controversy became the talk of the town, he came out with a clarification, suggesting his comments had been taken out of context and he had been referring to his perceptions as a young kid, who didn’t understand the finer points of music. I suppose that implies he has now learnt his lessons…

Unmasking the Win

Without an iota of doubt, it’s a good sign that Pakistani movies, short films and documentaries are doing well in the international film festival circuits. The latest in that regard is a short titled Unmasking, written and directed by one Khalid Hasan Khan. The project has recently been declared winner of the Best Foreign Short Film at the Istanbul Film Awards (IFA). It stars Talal Farhat, Danish Wakeel and Ali Ellinos. Congratulations to the cast and crew of the film. May more Pakistani talent be unmasked internationally.

Cook Shook

Bollywood A-listers Kajol and Ajay Devgn must be commended for keeping their marriage going without any hiccups for two decades now. At least we don’t know if they faced any bumps in the ride. Surely, there must be something other than glitz and glamour that keeps a mercurial character such as Kajol perpetually in love with her hubby. Well, now we know what that is: he’s a good cook. Talking to a journo, the actress has lauded Ajay D’s culinary skills. Tell you what… looking at Kajol’s health, we do believe her that he cooks yummy food.

Language, Please!

Apart from in the Urdu language, Ali Zafar likes to sing in other Pakistani languages. Good for him. Now the pop star is trying to go a step, rather more steps, ahead. In an interview he has expressed his intention to sing in different languages of the world. “I’ve sung a song in Chinese — it was the most difficult language to sing in,” he is quoted as saying. Well, why not, Ali Z! Once you’re done with all the languages of the world, try your hand at instrumentals as well. Sometimes music unaccompanied by human voices can sound sweeter.

Franchise Bid

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone are not only one of the hottest couples in showbiz, but they also appear to be one of the wisest. We say this because their joint bank account, if they have a joint account, must be a bloated one. To add to their moolah power, news is that the two are thinking of buying an Indian Premier League (IPL) team. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already confirmed that there will be two new teams in the 2022 edition of the event. So, it’s likely that Ranukone or Ranudeep — whichever way you like to call the pair — is going to buy one of them. And Ranveer S will be at the non-striker’s end when the decision to pick a team is taken. He likes to respond to her calls.

40 and Counting

On October 22, iconic British pop band Duran Duran released their new album Future Past on streaming platforms, 40 years after the group’s debut. It’s their 15th studio album which has talked-about songs such as Give it Up and Anniversary; the latter, as it is self-evident, celebrates four decades of the band’s togetherness. We are more than excited to lend an ear to the dozen new tracks that Future Past has. It is no mean achievement for sex symbols to become sexagenarians and still keep trying to fit into the world of millennials and Gen Z.

Published in Dawn, ICON, October 31st, 2021