The Comparison

Recently, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan performed in London. His son Shahzaman accompanied him on stage and sang pretty well. When the visuals from the concert started circulating in cyberspace, netizens thought the youngster sounded a lot like his father’s uncle, the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Rahat F K did not take a long time to comment. He said that, while he felt good to know that Shahzaman was being appreciated and compared to an icon, his son still has a long way to go. True that.

Sunny Weighs In

Ever since the resistance in India from rightwing Hindutva parties against the release in their country of the forthcoming film Abir Gulaal — starring Pakistan’s Fawad Khan and Vani Kapoor — has hogged the headlines, artists have largely refrained from weighing in on the situation. Well, now Sunny Deol has. “I wouldn’t like to go on to the political side because that’s where things start getting messy,” said the Jaat star. “We are actors, we work for everyone all over the world… The way the world has become, we should stay global and let there be more countries. That’s the way it should be.” You’ve hit the nail right on the head, Sunny D! Scythe on!

Cutting Edge

Actress Sabeena Farooq nicked her hand from a bangle that she was wearing. It bled slightly. A plethora of sympathising comments came her way on Instagram, where she had posted the image of the cut. Some of them were flirtatious, extending a lovey-dovey helping hand to her. Sabeena F answered as sharply as the cut was: “Boys, it’s because of you that we [female actors] aren’t committing to anyone. We think that half of Pakistan is already ready to spoil us, even if it’s all a farce and limited to messages. But this is what our social media is telling us.” Sabeena F, if you post nicked hands on the internet, what are you expecting to get in return? Pictures of band aids?

Just a Job

Dananeer Mobeen and Ahad Raza Mir’s play Meem Se Muhabbat, in which they are working opposite each other, is liked, among others, by Indian interviewer of celebrities Faridoon Shehryar. In his interview of Dananeer M, when he asked whether the pair’s on-screen chemistry could be considered the same off-screen, she replied it was a compliment for her that people think that way but they need to understand that “this is just all part of our jobs.” Indeed, nobody has ever developed affection for a co-star on set, right?

The Duet

British pop star Ed Sheeran has got millions of music lovers, especially in the Subcontinent, excited by announcing that Indian playback singer Arijit Singh will feature on his next album. This means there’ll be songs sung by both massively talented vocalists. Describing how he made that happen, Ed S enthused, “He basically lives in the middle of nowhere in India. It is like a three-hour flight and five-and-a-half-hour drive. I was in India with my dad. He was like, ‘If you want the vocals, you would have to come to me.’” Hmmm… Maybe Arijit S was simply reminding Ed S that even humble people have power.

Harvey Times

Filmmaker Justin Baldoni and actress Blake Lively have been in a legal battle for many months after the latter accused him of harassment. In the process, Justin B filed a $250m defamation case against the New York Times for misreporting the story. Producer Harvey Weinstein, who is behind bars for rape and sexual assault has suddenly found something to bite at: “Watching Justin Baldoni take legal action against the New York Times and its reporters — accusing them of manipulating communications and ignoring evidence that countered Ms Lively’s claims — hit me hard. It brought back everything I experienced when The Times reported on me in 2017.” Well, Harvey W, please don’t bring back all those things. Just please don’t.

Published in Dawn, ICON, April 20th, 2025