PTI’S RAKHI

If you think that former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has a big fan following only among Pakistani showbiz celebs, well, think again. Indian actress and dancer Rakhi Sawant is also a huge admirer of the ex-cricketer turned politician. Last week, a video of her went viral on X in which she was urging PTI supporters to vote for Imran K and professing her fondness for him with some degree of passion. She also sang the famous Indian film song Kuchh tau loag kahein ge,to highlight that tongues will always wag. Well, Rakhi S’s pronouncements are always grist for the mill for wags.

THE PSL ANTHEM

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) theme song for 2024, suitably titled Khul Ke Khel and sung by Ali Zafar, is a nice little track. It has almost all the ingredients required for such a composition — cheerleading lyrics, a groovy beat and cool vocals. Aima Baig’s supporting singing act is also worth acknowledging. The only thing that we feel leaves a bit to be desired, as far as the video is concerned, is the choreography. It is a little too Bollywoody!

LEADING MAN

Imran Abbas has been around in the glitzy world of showbiz for more than a decade now and has even done an Indian film, Jaanisar directed by Muzaffar Ali. Yet, somehow, he is not seen in Pakistani movies essaying lead roles. The actor has finally talked about the reason for it. He is of the opinion that Pakistani filmmakers don’t think he’s capable enough to do local films. Interesting! What the word ‘capable’ means to our filmmakers needs to be investigated.

AGE SAGE

Sania Saeed is a thinking actress. This doesn’t mean that other actresses don’t think. What we mean is that she likes to go to the very depths of the character she’s asked to play more diligently than most of her colleagues. So when she says that the TV industry’s focus on young characters is causing it to ignore a lot of stories that women of her age bracket have to tell, she makes sense. After all, nothing can beat the richness of experience. Having said this, it is also a fact that over 60 percent of our population is below the age of 35. You gotta cater to those, no?

THE PROMO ACTOR

After not doing so well in terms of raking in money, the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dunki, directed by Rajkumar Hirani, has finally been released on Netflix. To promote the movie, SRK has done an advert in which he can be seen asking for visas to different countries because he is a global superstar but the visa officer denies him the privilege. To be honest, if SRK had displayed half the acting skills he’s displayed in the promo, Dunki would have fared a lot better at the box office.

KICK CHICK

This year’s Super Bowl Final in the US garnered a lot of attention because, among other celebs, Taylor Swift was there. She was there because her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, was playing for the Kansas City Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers. Rapper Kanye West, who has a bit of a history with the Shake It Off singer, booked a booth right in front of her, and the rumour went round that he was kicked out of it by Taylor S. However, the rapper’s representative has denied the news calling it ‘fabricated’. Hmmm… even kicks can be fabricated!

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 25th, 2024