Auto-Tune Up

Singer Sara Raza Khan’s assertion about the paucity of singing talent in the country has caused quite a stir in showbiz circles. What really set the cat among the pigeons was her taking names. She mentioned that vocalists such as Aima Baig can’t sing without the help of aids such as Auto-Tune and would never ask Mehwish Hayat to sing. Aima immediately posted a clip of herself singing acapella, cheekily asking if she needed Auto-Tune. Momina Mustehsan also quickly came to the rescue of her friend Aima B, sending out the following encouraging statement: “Aima sings very well and so does Sara. Neither of them need Auto-Tune.” Hmmm… To be honest, if this brouhaha makes more singers more conscious about polishing their innate abilities, all’s well that ends well.

Inescapable Social Media

Goher Mumtaz, the guitarist and singer for the band Jal, has given an interview in which he has talked about, for the first time, his equation with Atif Aslam (who parted ways with the group in its early days) and then his falling out with Farhan Saeed, another vocalist for Jal. In the former case, he says he was hurt by Atif A’s comments made during a TV chitchat (for which, Goher M says, the singer apologised) and in the latter, he himself regrets saying something untoward about Farhan S’s singing ability. Rounding off the whole scenario, he commented, “No one can escape social media.” Well, you can, actually. By staying away from it.

Ananya’s BF

During Anant Ambani’s wedding, Ananya Pandey introduced a certain Mr Walker Blanco as her partner. People thought she was kidding. But on October 30, on her 26th birthday, Walker B posted a lovey-dovey message on Instagram with a heart emoji for her, “Happy birthday beautiful! You are so special. I love you. Annieee…” To this, she responded with a bigger heart. Things seem serious between the two of them. In case you want to know more about Walker B, he works at an animal shelter in Jamnagar, run by Anant A. He loves wildlife, got it.

Single Kapoor

As soon as Malaika Arora separated from her husband Arbaaz Khan, she started seeing Arjun Kapoor, who is 12 years younger than her. They went out for a few steady years, but now, as Arjun K has revealed during a promotional event for his upcoming film Singham Again, they’re no more together. Replying to the audience chanting Malaika A’s name, he said, “I’m single right now.” Well, Arjun K, apologies, but we thought you were single even when you were dating her!

Papa Swiftly Approves

Pop star Taylor Swift’s father Scot Swift was on a local flight. The woman sitting next to him later talked to reporters and told the media how he feels about Taylor S’s boyfriend Travis Kelce. “He did talk about how he loves Travis for her, which was super cute. I did not ask anything about Travis. He was just raving about his daughter, about her success and how proud he was about every aspect of her life. He did say that, of all the boyfriends she’s had in 12 years, Travis has made the biggest impact and [that he] has a phenomenal family.” Papa Swift, 12 years is not a long time in the life of a showbiz celeb. Give your daughter more time.

Kaur of His Heart?

The plot thickens. The could-be reason for Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai’s troubled marriage has come to light. It’s his alleged affair with The Lunchbox actor Nimrat Kaur. At least this is what the Indian media was abuzz with last week. But Nimrat K has finally come out with her side of the story. Talking to a journo, she has been quoted to have said, “It’s impossible to stop such things. Whatever I say, people will believe what they want.” Yep, Nimrat K, people will

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 10, 2024