AN ITEM (SONG)?

We’re not sure whether Hania Aamir and Haider Mustehsan are dating. Yes, the way they projected their joint musical collaboration, Dhanak [Rainbow], last week does indicate that they find comfort in each other’s company. But that doesn’t mean they’re going out. Or does it? However, we do admit that the two do look good together. Again, there are many pairs in showbiz who look good together. And again, that doesn’t mean that those pairs are seeing each other. In any case, we wish Hania A and Haider M well for their future rainbow-filled endeavours.

KHALID BUTT PASSES AWAY

On January 11, renowned stage, television and film actor Khalid Butt passed away in Lahore. He was 77. The veteran actor began his career in the early 1970s and worked both in Urdu and Punjabi plays extensively. Some of his well-received plays include Janjal Pura, Boota From Toba Tek Singh and Neelay Hath. He was the recipient of the President’s Pride of Performance awards. May he rest in peace!

LIVE ACT

Shiraz Uppal is a fine musician. But these days he is in the news for his comments. For example, he thinks that Indian playback singer Sonu Nigam is a very good entertainer who has “stage presence.” Obviously, the name of Arijit Singh, who is arguably the most successful singer in the last decade in terms of the number of hit songs, had to come up. But Shiraz U believes Arijit S is not a good live performer. We have a question for Shiraz U. Does that mean that all those boys and girls who throng Arijit S’s concerts in their thousands come for a bad live performance?

AUR ZAYN

Last year, Pakistani pop band AUR (their band members are Ahad, Usama and Raffey) became the talk of the town by coming out with the single Tu Hai Kahaan. Still, more buzz is needed around their name. Well, they have it now, as the group has released a remake of their hit with former One-Direction star Zayn Malik collaborating. It’s the British pop vocalist’s first Urdu song. Zayn himself said he was “incredibly humbled” when AUR reached out to him. “I love the song and have brought some of myself to it. I hope people love what we’ve done,” he said. Dear Pakistani music lovers, AUR kuchh?

MARRIAGE MANIA

Jennifer Lopez’s new single is called Can’t Get Enough, and if you’ve seen its video, you’ll know that it’s about her four marriages (three of which didn’t work out). In the video, she can be seen hopping from one wedding situation to another. By the time the story ends, in what appears to be a lawyer’s workplace, the words ‘to be continued’ appear. We wouldn’t like to comment on this except that Ben Affleck has all our sympathies.

BARBIE BARB

A lot of people have taken this year’s Golden Globes’ host Jo Koy to the cleaners for his damp squibs (jokes) during his monologue. One of them was about the film Barbie, which was slammed for its overt sexism. A couple of days later, the film’s director, Greta Gerwig, gave an interview in which she responded to the joke in the following words: “What’s sort of amazing about it is that it has inspired such a wide range of reactions. In some ways, it’s not surprising. Barbie has always been sometimes ahead of culture, sometimes behind culture and she’s always been a flashpoint for arguments.” Hmmm. Sounds like she’s preparing the corporate grounds for a sequel.

Published in Dawn, ICON, January 21th, 2024