ON THE FLY

Actor Adnan Siddiqui received some flak when he, according to him, “made a harmless joke” during a television chat that women are like house flies. It didn’t go down well, understandably, with a lot of people. One of them was actor Fizza Ali, who rebuked the actor for making such a statement, advising him to weigh his words before uttering them. Adnan S gave his side of the story, arguing that he made the comment when a fly came on the set and he likened women to the creature because “when you chase them they run from you and if you stop chasing them they come to you.” Still, not a good reason, sir! Also, should you really be chasing women at your age?

THE COMPARISON

Someone has compared Ali Rehman to Ryan Gosling. Yes, we’re not kidding. The Pakistani actor himself is pleasantly surprised by the comparison. He says, “It’s a big compliment to be compared to him, he’s a very big actor. Personally, I have never felt a resemblance… He is one of my favourite actors because I think that Ryan Gosling does serious roles with finesse, but his comedic timing, too, is extraordinary.” Ali R, while we agree that you don’t resemble the Hollywood star, we think you’re right about the finesse and timing, something you can work towards…

MEOW!

Bollywood heartthrob Zeenat Aman looks ravishing in her seventies and has a huge following in cyberspace. She also gives advice on marital issues on social media. Her yesteryear colleague Mumtaz doesn’t like it one bit. In an interview she’s said, “Zeenat should be careful with what she is advising. She has all of a sudden come into this huge social media popularity, and I can understand her excitement about sounding like a cool aunty. But giving advice that is counter to our moral values is not the solution to increasing your following. [Take Zeenat for example]…She knew Mazhar Khan for years before marrying him. Her marriage was a living hell. She should be the last person doling out advice on relationships.” Who says age lessens your catty quotient!

ANOTHER FEATHER

Pakistani artists are making their presence felt on the global map of showbiz like never before. Here’s the latest. Usama Javaid Haider has won the best actor award at the Festival International Du Film Social De L’aspac 2024 for his performance in the film Umme Rayat, directed by Saman Kamran. Last year, the actor had bagged the best actor title at the Bucharest Shortcut Cinefest for his role in the movie Gulabo Rani. That’s worth taking pride in. Way to go Usama J H!

ABANDONED

Sad news for Quentin Tarantino fans. The iconic filmmaker, who last year had announced he was going to direct his tenth and last film, called The Movie Critic, and retire afterwards, had filled his admirers with excitement. News is that the director has abandoned the idea. Apparently he has changed his mind and is now going “back to the drawing board to figure out what the final movie will be.” Here’s our suggestion to Quentin T: The Movie Critic.

HIGH PRAISE

Indian singer Anuv Jain is getting increasingly popular. He recently did a gig with none other than our very own Atif Aslam in Nepal. The following is part of his subsequent Instagram post: “Having a legend sitting just a few feet away from me doing his thing was probably one of the craziest things that have ever happened to me. Thank you for a beautiful night, sir, and for inspiring an entire generation.” If such camaraderie keeps happening between Indian and Pakistani artists, chances are that xenophobia and jingoism in India might subside. This year’s election results might also be an indicator.

Published in Dawn, ICON, April 28th, 2024