Getting Hitched!

Whoever thought that Mahira Khan wouldn’t tie the nuptial knot for a second time was way off the mark. Rumour has it that the actress is finally getting re-married at the end of September. To whom, you ask. Well, to a wealthy businessman well known in Karachi’s social circle. Apparently, the two have been seeing each other for a few years but successfully kept the relationship nice and quiet, away from the media glare and stare. We wish the couple a happy married life. And Mahira K, may your megawatt smile always continue to beam out.

Rare Readers

There’s a reason why director and actor Sarmad Khoosat makes, for want of a better word, arty films: he is a reader. Or so it seems. We say this because it is now common knowledge that he is friends on WhatsApp with eminent Urdu novelist and travel writer Mustansar Husain Tarar. Isn’t it cool! This makes us wonder, what the two usually talk about through their handheld devices — films, books, travel? Or could it be that Mustansar H T is writing the script for Sarmad S’s next film? Now that would be something!

BTS South

A new South Indian film Jailer’s song Kaavaalaa, featuring the stunning Tamanna Bhatia, is all the rage these days. Not just in India, though. Popular Korean band BTS also seem to like it. There’s a video circulating in which they can be seen moving and shaking to the track with effortless ease. Whether the video is real or not, it goes to show that music has no boundaries and Tamanna B’s fan-base is increasing by the day. This means, her affair with Lust Stories 2 co-actor Vijay Verma is doing a world of good to her.

The Writer & She

Actress Iman Aly has many qualities, some of which are that she is gorgeous, likes to speak her mind and doesn’t hesitate to say ‘no’ to, or walk out of, a project. Last week, she revealed that she was offered the female protagonist’s role in the film Punjab Nahin Jaungi penned by Khalilur Rehman Qamar and directed by Nadeem Baig. Since the writer of the movie refused to listen to her objections to the part she was supposed to play, she left the venture. Well done Iman A. And it doesn’t matter if the film went on to become a gigantic hit.

Surprise!

Ever since Karan Johar’s latest film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani has hit the theatres, it seems to have taken him by a surprise — a pleasant one at that. Giving an interview to Anupama Chopra (the woman who sounds super confident in front of the teleprompter but uber-obsequious in front of guests) he said he’s not used to getting good reviews of his films. Now that he is getting them, he’s a bit surprised. Well, K-Jo, you know how standards have fallen post-Covid-19. Don’t be like that. Enjoy.

Prime Split

We know it’s not a showbizy thing to report, per se, but it has all the trappings of a tinsel town story. On August 2, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire decided to part ways, after 18 years of marriage. The premier shared the sad news on his Instagram page, beginning with: “Sophie and I would like to share the fact that, after many meaningful and difficult conversations, we have made the decision to separate.” He ended the note with the request for privacy for the two of them and their children. Yes, Prime Minister.

Published in Dawn, ICON, August 13th, 2023