Emmy Nom Again

Pakistani filmmaker Mohammed Ali Naqvi has been nominated for an Emmy award once again this year in the Outstanding Historical Documentary category. In total, it is the filmmaker’s fourth Emmy nomination. The documentary titled Turning Point: The Bomb & The Cold War, which he produced for the streaming giant Netflix, has earned him the nod. Directed by Brian Knappenberger, it’s a nine-part project. Hurrah! Mohammed Ali Naqvi! We hope your achievements will prove a turning point for Pakistan’s lacklustre film industry.

Second Bliss

Actress Tazeen Husain surprised her friends and admirers, pleasantly at that, by announcing last week that she’s tied the nuptial knot. It’s her second marriage (her first husband died a few years ago). Posting a picture of the happy pair in wedding dresses on social media, Tazeen H wrote: “Married my friend, Aamir Syedain.” We congratulate the couple and wish them a happily married life.

Hysterical Indian Media

It is a mystery whether Indian news channels, let’s say a vast majority of them, make their anchors, news copy editors, script writers and producers undergo any sort of training before allowing them to go on the air. The kind of war frenzy that the India media has whipped up in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack is juvenile. No responsible reporting, no fact checking, just war hysteria. Our showbiz stars such as Farhan Saeed and Yasir Nawaz are right in calling them out. It is clear that Bollywood’s anti-Pakistan propaganda movies are inspired by their belligerent newsmongers. And we foresee Arnab Goswami in an Atlee movie soon.

Dressing Up For Now

Rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a vain man, all and sundry know. The latest news about him is that the court (he is behind bars in a sex trafficking case) has allowed the musician to wear new clothes in the courtroom — he doesn’t have to wear prison attire. The order reads: “He is permitted to have up to five button down shirts, up to five pairs of pants, up to five sweaters, up to five pairs of socks, and up to two pairs of shoes without laces to wear to court.” Well, if proven guilty, laces will be back, and not just on the shoes…

Reconciliation Blues

When Prince Harry decided to move away from his royal duties, his official security was stripped away. Ever since he’s been trying to get it back and his relationship with father (King Charles III) and brother (Prince William) has not been cordial. He recently also lost a case brought to have it restored. Talking to the BBC, he now seems to be singing a different tune: “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. I don’t know how much time my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.” Yes, it would be nice but a word to the wise: don’t ask Meghan Markle to cook for your father. We’ve seen her culinary skills on Netflix.

Divided Industry

Sanjay Dutt has finally voiced what many knew but didn’t utter in clear terms. The actor believes that the Indian film industry is now divided (into groups). It disheartens him. According to him, there was a time when they used to be like a family. Not anymore. He says every film is important and should be supported. “I request the film industry to be together as a family again and let’s help each other so that the industry grows,” he has reportedly pleaded. Well, with some people supporting jingoistic cinema, some supporting fluffy, mindless films and some supporting no one but themselves, it seems Sanju Baba’s plea will fall on deaf ears.

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 11th, 2025