NOT AN ACTIVIST

Mahira Khan speaks her mind on subjects that touch her heart. Why not! She is a powerful woman with oodles of talent. So when a journo in the UAE asked her about whether she’s an activist, the actor responded, “As far as activism goes, yes, I do speak out about things close to my heart. I stay silent about things which I feel I don’t know enough about. But ‘activists’ are those who are actively working every day for a cause. So I don’t call myself an activist. I do try to use my platform for different causes, but activism is a wholly different ballgame.” Seems like Mahira K is adept at the side-stepping game.

Pappu Sain, Alas!

Widely respected and iconic percussionist Zulfiqar Ali (known as Pappu Sain to his friends and admirers) passed away on November 7 in Lahore. He was battling liver cancer for quite some time. Recipient of the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, Pappu Sain first shot to national fame via the music festivals organised by the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop and became a big attraction for international visitors. He played with a number of solo musicians and bands, including Overload. Apart from that, as he was a deeply spiritual person, he used to play at Baba Shah Jamal’s shrine on a weekly basis. May he rest in peace.

Wedding Bells

Congratulations to actors Faran Tahir (Iron Man, Star Trek) and Zara Tareen (Mushk, Dhoop Ki Deewar) tying the knot on November 7 in Lahore. The pictures and videos released on social media suggest that the wedding was a nicely arranged event attended by a circle of close friends and members of the bride and groom’s families. The couple looked super delighted on the occasion, as they should, and we wish them a happy and successful married life together.

Birthday Note

Virat Kohli, captain of the Indian cricket team and husband of actress Anushka Sharma, celebrated his 33rd birthday on November 5. Ever since India lost its first match against Pakistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup, he’s been facing a lot of flak from the extremely fickle Indian fans. Sensing that, his better half wrote a note for him on Instagram on his birthday, accompanied by a picture of hubby dear: “I know no one who can pick themselves up from a dark place like you can. You grow better in every way because you hold on to nothing in you as permanent and are fearless. I know we are not ones to talk to each other through social media like this but sometimes I just want to scream and tell the world what an amazing man you are. Thank you for making everything brighter and more beautiful.” Aw… and the Oscar goes to…

Diwali and the Neighbours

Diwali was celebrated in the first week of November with traditional fanfare and fireworks. In Dubai, Indian playback singer Sonu Nigam hosted a big Diwali party, participated by the likes of actors R Madhavan, Rohit Roy, music composer Salim Merchant and ghazal singer Talat Aziz. Our very own former band member of Strings, Faisal Kapadia, was also seen at the bash, hanging out with his Indian buddies. He posted pictures taken at the event on Instagram. Now that’s a firecracker of bonhomie.

Kanye’s Wife?

Earlier this year, Ye (the musician formerly known as Kanye West) and Kim Kardashian parted ways as a married couple. Everyone knows that they’re not together anymore and, yet, while taking part in a TV show on Nov 4, the rapper referred to Kim K as his wife, reasoning, “cause she’s still my wife, ain’t no paperwork.” Mind you, Kim K hasn’t been talking about him like that at all. To her, he is now no more than a paper tiger, sorry rapper.

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 14th, 2021