Mental Health Reminder

Good things are happening on the showbiz front as our artists are, day by day, becoming more aware of their duty towards society — it’s time they were, anyway. On World Mental Health Day on October 10, some celebs, such as Mawra Hocane and Fahad Mustafa, relayed relevant and important messages. They urged everyone not to shy away from making themselves a ‘priority’. We think it’s absolutely right! Mental health depends a great deal on how much we prioritise our own lives. This does not mean shunning empathy. But it does mean recognising that we must fix ourselves first before trying to help others.

The Malala Statement

Nobel laureate Malala Yousufzai issued the following statement on the ongoing Israel-Palestine war: “I join the call for an immediate ceasefire. As I have processed the tragic news of the past days, I think of the Palestinian and Israeli children caught in the middle. I was only 11 years old when I witnessed violence and terrorism. We woke up to the sounds of mortar shells, saw our schools and mosques destroyed by bombs. Peace became something we could only dream about.” This did not go down well with some Pakistani netizens as they felt that she was sitting on the fence on the issue of the continuing Israeli occupation. Some of them even took a jibe at the gowns she wears at fancy events, insinuating she doesn’t know much about such matters. Well, all we can say is, some people online are more concerned about using any opportunity to take a swing at their personal petty obsessions than focusing on the issue at hand.

Jada Again

It’s kinda becoming hard to believe what Jada Pinkett Smith says to the media. Well, we do believe that she and Will Smith have been separated for the last seven years, but her recent claim in an interview that, when Chris Rock heard about her marriage getting a little wobbly, he tried to ask her out, sounds a bit convenient given ‘Slapgate’. “I think every summer all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting a divorce. And this particular summer, Chris, he thought that we were getting a divorce. So he called me and basically he was like, ‘I’d love to take you out.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He was like, ‘Well, aren’t you and Will getting a divorce?’ I was like, ‘No. Chris, those are just rumours.’ He was appalled. And he profusely apologised and that was that.” Hmmm…let’s just take it with a pinch of salt.

Lenny’s Midlife Crisis?

What’s wrong with Lenny Kravitz? The musician has released a new song TK421, and he appears in its video… wearing nothing, with only a statue covering his body. Now he is an adult, he can do whatever he wants. But he is also 59 years of age. This means that the rock star has even passed the age where he could be going through a midlife crisis. Oh wait… for rock stars, midlife crises start after midlife, don’t they?

Saba Hits Back

Actress Saba Azad, who also happens to be Hrithik Roshan’s girlfriend, took part in a fashion week in which she danced on the ramp. The video of the little episode went viral and she was trolled for being ‘mad’ and advised to seek ‘therapy’. The girl responded sharply to the vile keyboard warriors. One of her responses was: “Yes, I really must be [mad] to keep waking up every day in the wake of the constant hate being sent my way and thinking maybe today will be a better day and smiling and carrying on — I must be mad ’cause maybe the world is just filled with people such as yourself, who sit behind the safety of their screens adding nothing but hate into the world. That’s your legacy — that’s what you’re gonna leave behind. Chew on that buddy.” That’s an Azad Zinger!

Another Son Rises

Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan will soon appear in a film titled Pritam Pyaare. Everyone is eagerly awaiting another star son’s debut. Aamir K, however, is a wee bit worried. Not that he doesn’t have faith in his offspring’s acting ability, it’s something else: he says Junaid K’s extremely nice nature scares him. We are a little confused here. Isn’t it nice for an artist to be nice in order to make a nice impact on his admirers? Perhaps not, according to Aamir K.

Published in Dawn, ICON, October 22nd, 2023