Ali Zafar’s Transparency

During Eidul Fitr, singer Ali Zafar wore a see-through kurta and an Ajrak dhoti (on two separate occasions) and received sarky — and sometimes nasty — comments from netizens. The vocalist replied on X: “I would like to apologise to the nation for wearing a see-through kurta without a banyan, and for the very serious act of watering plants in a traditional Ajrak dhoti on Eid. I understand this has been one of the most pressing national and global issues affecting everyone’s lives lately, and I will do my best never to repeat this grave mistake again.” That’s how you answer snark. With snark of your own.

Matchmaking 2.0

Actor Hamza Ali Abbasi and his wife, actress Naimal Khawar Khan, have launched an app called Marriage4Life which, according to them, is a safe, intention-driven platform, built for people serious about marriage. In a video, the actor explained, “We have offices in the UK, Norway, Paris, Denmark and in Lahore — ready to help not just with marriage matchmaking but also with pre-marriage consultations and post-marriage consultations.” We understand that matchmaking apps are all the rage in this digital age. But what makes couples obsessed about matching others up, we’ll never understand.

Colbert Goes Tolkien

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which premiered in 2015, is ending this May due to financial reasons, according to the network. What will its host, Stephen C, do then? Well, here’s the answer: he is currently writing the screenplay for the next Lord of the Rings (LOTR) film, reportedly titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past. This was revealed by the director of the franchise, Peter Jackson himself, on X, to which the TV celeb responded: “I’m pretty happy about it. You know what the [LOTR] books mean to me and what your films mean to me.” Yep, they mean a lot to us as well. Stephen C, we hope your script is as good as the ones of the previous films. Otherwise, you’ll have nothing to fall back on.

Slightly Tart Dreams

Singer Arooj Aftab’s desi version of the 1983 Eurythmics’ hit Sweet Dreams — recorded as part of the soundtrack for the recently released Riz Ahmed-starrer Amazon Prime series Bait — is being appreciated by music lovers in general. We have a slight issue with it, though. We think if the lyrics had been written by a trained Urdu poet, meaning someone who knew about meter/rhythm [wazn], rhyme [qafiya] and refrain [radeef], the song could have been much more effective. That’s because ignoring these critical structural pillars of poetry sometimes makes the writing sound a tad amateurish. But hey, that’s just our opinion. Don’t mind it too much. Keep singing — sweetly.

A Change of Heart

In January 2017, actor Antonio Banderas suffered from a serious heart attack. Thankfully, he survived. The life-threatening experience awakened something important in him. In a recent interview, the actor said it made him realise that he is, at heart, a theatre actor. So, he packed his bags, left Hollywood, and returned to his hometown, Malaga, in Spain, with his girlfriend, model, business owner and financial expert, Nicole Kimpel. Antonio B owns a not-for-profit theatre in Malaga and, in between working on a handful of films, he also acts in theatre plays there. The 65-year-old actor claims he has “never been so happy” and the work keeps him “in touch” with his roots. Well, sir, stay in touch with us!

Rap Meets Romance

Indian rap singer Badshah is a judge on the music reality show Indian Idol, where he does an okay job. But something more interesting has happened in his personal life which, by the time of filing this news item, he hasn’t confirmed. Badshah has tied the nuptial knot with an actress from Punjab called Isha Rikhi. The news surfaced when the bride’s mother posted a few pictures of the wedding online. However, the rapper hasn’t said anything about it — yet. All we can say is: unlike on Indian Idol, this is one situation where judging should be kept to a minimum.

Published in Dawn, ICON, April 5th, 2026