No Khan Doc

Last week, someone on X (formerly Twitter) posted a video and claimed that Netflix is going to release a documentary on former prime minister Imran Khan. It got everyone thinking about the timing of the film, as the internet was abuzz with the news. But it took a couple of days to figure out that the giant streaming service has no such documentary lined up. This goes to show how social media can become a vehicle for misinformation and how the mainstream media, to date, is a better source for authentic news. Lesson: read newspapers not tweets.

The Interview

Mahira Khan has given an interview to podcaster Ali Ahmed Butt which is nowadays being talked about in showbiz circles. In the chat the actor has discussed her co-stars, her family and her rift with writer Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar. We’re not going to go into any of that. What we do want to focus on is that Mahira K also says she never plans, and that her entire career has been purely “intuitive”. She wants to do more and enjoy it because “it never comes back.” True that, girl! Nothing comes back: fame, money, youth, good roles… nothing.

Pitt Ain’t Calculating

Brad Pitt has been going out with jewellery designer Ines de Ramon for about two years. Their first public appearance together was last year at the British Grand Prix, which made people think that they’d done that deliberately to promote one of Brad P’s upcoming movies F1. The actor has now cleared the air: “No, it’s not that calculated. If you’re living — oh my God, how exhausting would that be if you’re living with making those kinds of calculations! No, life just evolves. Relationships evolve.” Yep, it’s not calculated. We’re sure it’s much more calculated when it comes to break-ups, though!

Sarwat’s Prayer

After watching the plight of a young girl in Gaza, and after observing the naked aggression of Israeli forces against Palestinians for the past many months, actor Sarwat Gilani has penned a prayer on Instagram that we thought would be apt to share for a larger audience. “O Allah of mercy, hear our cry from the depths of sorrow. In the shattered streets and broken homes, where children weep and mothers mourn, let your presence be a balm to the wounded. Let the cries of the oppressed rise to heaven and stir the hearts of those with power to choose peace over war, justice over vengeance, and compassion over cruelty.” Ameen!

The Shape of Things

Kiara Advani’s svelte look in War 2 is getting heads to turn and eyes to pop out. We believe there’s no need to give too much attention to it, but in case anyone’s interested in knowing how she managed to achieve her new look, check out what her nutritionist Nicole Linhares has to tell the actress’s admirers: “She wasn’t looking for a crash diet or a quick fix. She wanted something sustainable, holistic, and something that made her feel strong… It wasn’t about removing foods she loved, but optimising what she ate to align with the goal of getting her into her best shape.” Hmmm… What about acting? Or are nutritionists now enough for actors in India?

Steamy Tripti?

The reasons for Deepika Padukone’s ouster from the yet-to-be-shot movie Spirit directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga are getting more and more intriguing. News was that Deepika did not want to work for more than six hours a day, wished the contract to be revisited and that’s why she exited the project. Now insiders are citing another reason for her leaving: the number of steamy scenes in the movie are way too many for her liking. So now Deepika P has been replaced by Tripti Dimri (who in Sandeep R V’s Animal became famous for one such scene and has charged 80 percent less than Deepika P). If this is true, this means that even when Sandeep R V talks about the spirit of filmmaking, he’s basically talking about the animal within.

Published in Dawn, ICON, June 6th, 2025