Inspector Jamshed On Screen

Anyone who grew up reading the fascinating Urdu detective series Inspector Jamshed, written by the inimitable Ishtiaq Ahmed, will be thrilled. A web series based on his stories, which feature the eponymous sharp-witted inspector and his three inquisitive children, Mehmud, Farooq and Farzana, is set to hit screens later this year. Apparently, crew members from more than a dozen countries have worked on the project and Ahad Raza Mir will play the detective. So fasten your seatbelts, and hold on tight for a truly thrilling inspectorial ride.

From Unwanted to Mentor

For decades, distinguished broadcaster Ishrat Fatima delivered the latest national and international news to her audiences in impeccable Urdu. It was, therefore, deeply disheartening to learn that, after over 40 years of service, she had left Radio Pakistan because she felt “unwanted.” Fortunately, Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar quickly stepped in and offered her a role at PTV as a mentor to train young newsreaders. Thankfully, Ishrat Fatima has accepted the offer. Keep inspiring us, ma’am!

Showbiz Family Goals

In 2016, Canadian singer Celine Dion’s husband, René Angélil, died of cancer. The couple shared three sons: René-Charles, and twins Nelson and Eddy. Although it has been a decade since he passed on, the family hasn’t forgotten him. On January 14, Celine D posted a heartfelt message on social media, “Mon amour, ten years without you feels like just a day, and yet each day feels like a decade.” It was followed by her sons’ post: “We miss you more than we can bear, but you taught us to be strong. We love you more, every day and every year.” Now that’s a showbiz family bond done right.

Unwelcome Advice

Seasoned actress Saba Faisal ain’t happy. Why, you may ask. Well, she thinks the junior lot — young actors who have entered the glitzy world of showbiz not too long ago — don’t listen to their senior colleagues, and consider advice from them to be offensive. She remembers the days when she was younger, when things were the other way round, and she learnt a lot from her seniors. Well, Saba F, we would need to check with your seniors on how things were back then, although some of them might not even be around. Our advice? Stop giving guidance to these non-listeners.

Royal Estate

Ten years ago, a man filed a petition in a Bhopal court claiming that the Pataudi clan — Sharmila Tagore, Saba Ali Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan — didn’t own land in the Nayapura area. The court has finally dismissed the petition, ruling in favour of the Pataudis and recognising them as heirs to Bhopal’s former royal family. Hmm… Pataudi is in Haryana, while Bhopal is in Madhya Pradesh. Clearly, this family’s property holdings are far more expansive than the range the younger heirs exhibit on the silver screen.

Illegally Impersonated Blonde

Last week, we mentioned how some unscrupulous social media users were impersonating Bushra Ansari — a problem that, frankly, is apparent worldwide. For example, Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon has raised similar concerns. She said, “Hey, this is important. I want to just tell you what I’ve been dealing with for the past 24 hours. There are multiple people on TikTok and Instagram impersonating me, and they go into people’s DMs and they try to build a relationship. They try to extract personal information and plan meet-up times. I want you to know this is not me.” We hear you, Reese W. People should not fall for such Cruel Intentions.

Published in Dawn, ICON, January 25th, 2026