Not The New Kid On The Block

The Legend of Maula Jatt directed by Bilal Lashari, starring Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi is still going great guns. We say ‘still’ because after smashing all sorts of box office records for a Pakistani film, it has now achieved another landmark. The film has completed 100 days of screening in Pakistan… and counting. That is awesome! For sure, Pakistani cinema history will now be described as pre-Maula Jatt and post-Maula Jatt… The Legend, that is.   

Joy and Gratitude

It doesn’t matter if Saim Sadiq’s directorial venture Joyland did not make it to the final five films selected in the best foreign film for this year’s Oscar consideration. The fact that it was among the top 15, alongside the likes of the German magnum opus All Quiet on the Western Front and Latin American Argentina speaks volumes for its worth. Among other things, the movie has caught the attention of international celebs, including Priyanka Chopra, who are all praise for it. So, the ride on the wave of success goes on!

Gill in K-Town

On January 22, the Pasoori girl Shae Gill was in Karachi. Doing what, you ask? Well, she did a concert at a recreational spot near the Native Jetty Bridge and entertained music lovers no end. Almost 5,000 boys and girls attended the gig and swayed, danced and lip-synced the songs that she sang. Yes, the most loved of them of all was Pasoori from Coke Studio. It also reinforces the fact that the concert culture has returned to Pakistan in a decent way… and we want more.

Pathaan Panache

After a long, long time, Shah Rukh Khan has a mega hit under his belt. It’s Pathaan, of course, directed by Siddharth Anand. From the day the film saw the light of day (Jan 25), it has been raking in big bucks for its producers, comfortably crossing the 100 crore mark in just two days. But that’s not the important thing. The important thing is that the brouhaha made by rightwing Hindu extremists — against one of the songs from the movie — came to nothing. Then the film has also brought back the lost glory of Hindi cinema, which was being slowly replaced and outshined by South Indian cinema. In that sense, King Khan has proved that he can single-handedly change the complexion of a whole industry… and thinking pattern.

Wedding Bells

On January 23, Athiya Shetty, daughter of actor Suneil Shetty, tied the nuptial knot with cricketer K.L. Rahul. Both, as is common knowledge, had been going out for quite some time. The marriage ceremony took place in a simple fashion in Suneil S’s home in Khandala (apparently, KLR loves the spacious house) and the couple might not go for honeymoon soon because the Indian Premier League is around the corner. Hmmm… home sweet (father-in-law’s) home.

Adaab Janaab

Some Indian filmmakers go bananas when they’re commissioned to do a propaganda film, such as Mission Majnu starring Sidharth Malhotra, in which he plays an undercover Indian spy trying to pass off as a Pakistani citizen. Doing that, the language that he speaks is anything but Pakistani Urdu. Seeing this, our very own Adnan Siddiqui gave the following piece of advice to Indian producers: “With all the money you have, hire some good researchers to do homework on us. Or allow me to help. Make sure to take notes — no, we don’t [all] wear skullcaps, surma, taweez; no, we don’t ask janaab about their mijaaz [mizaaj]; no, we don’t go around throwing adaab.” Spot on, Adnan S. Wah!

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 5th, 2023