Oscar Hopefuls

It’s that time of year when the Pakistan Academy Selection Committee (PASC) invites our very own filmmakers to submit their movies for Oscar consideration in the International Feature Film Award category. This time round, it’s for the 95th edition of the Oscars. The last date for submission is Sept 2, 2022. So hurry up producers and directors. We’re guessing Sarmad Khoosat has already sent his film Kamli. Perhaps he was requested to do so.

African Pasoori

Pasoori has conquered the world literally. The Ali Sethi and Shae Gill super hit Coke Studio song has one more time proved its cross continental charm: the track’s African version with Nigerian and Egyptian artists produced for Coke Studio Africa is going viral these days. Keeping the original melody intact, the song has a delightful infusion of some rap grooves, which has added a bit of zing to the lovely composition. Now Pasoori is Afro amazing!

The Apology

In 1973, Marlon Brando won the best actor Academy award for The Godfather (1972). He didn’t turn up at the event. Instead, Sacheen Littlefeather, an apache and yaqui, came up on stage on his behalf announcing that he couldn’t accept the Oscar because of Hollywood’s ill treatment of native Americans. She was booed. Now half a century later, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has apologised to Ms Littlefeather saying, “The abuse you endured was because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified. The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration.” Better late than never.

Yet Another Appeal

Last week, Adnan Siddiqui overheard Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah in Islamabad talking to someone about giving financial help to an actor. Subsequently, Adnan S posted the following message on social media: “Sir, my apology for inadvertently listening in on you but your concern for the industry really touched me. I request you to extend the same magnanimity to our cricketer Zaheer Abbas who is battling with pneumonia, kidney failure and liver malfunction at a hospital in UK for the last 2.5 months… I am sure the NHS must be providing necessary aid, him being a red passport holder. That, however, doesn’t absolve us from the responsibility of extending help.” While we pray for our legend Zaheer Abbas’s swift and complete recovery, we feel it is a little unfair on the part of the Dum Mastam actor to expect a provincial government of a country, already surrounded by myriads of issues, stretch its authority to interfere in the affairs of a country that the cricketer or his family chose as their first choice for treatment.

Wonder Wall

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes have been together for 11 years. They have two cute little girls, aged seven and six, respectively. Unlike Hollywood couples, they are madly in love with each other… thus far. So much so that Eva M last week released a video on Instagram in which she’s seen cleaning her cell phone and the admirers can see Ryan G’s photo as the wallpaper on her phone. Awww… isn’t that sweet! The question is: does Ryan G have her picture as wallpaper on his phone?

Not Just Friends

This is the seventh season of his talk show Koffee With Karan and K-Jo is again trying to put stars on the spot by asking them questions about their private and intimate lives. During an interview with Sidharth Malhotra, when he tried to ferret out info about his girlfriend Kiara Advani, the actor dithered; after which K-Jo ran a clip of Kiara A’s interview from an upcoming episode in which he asks her if she’s close friends with Sidharth M to which she replies, more than close friends. When he pushes the issue by discussing their anticipated marriage, she says, “I do see that in my life but I am not revealing that on Koffee With Karan.” There goes K-Jo’s dream of becoming a matchmaker.

Published in Dawn, ICON, August 28th, 2022