THE GRAPEVINE

Published May 10, 2026

Tango Time

A documentary titled Intertango — A Connection for Life, directed by the German filmmaker Hanne Weyh, will be screened at the Arts Council in Karachi on May 16. The project explores tango as an ‘intercultural phenomenon’ and features dance enthusiasts (read: dancers) from four countries — Japan, Argentina, Russia and Pakistan. You might ask, who is the dancer from Pakistan? Well, he’s a passionate music and art lover — and former commissioner of Karachi — Iftikhar Shallwani. He has also authored a book titled Tango Travels: A Life in Embrace. All this clearly means that, sometimes, it takes four, and not two, to tango — but also a whole lot of flair.

Respect, Please!

In a recent TV interview, Lollywood star Reema Khan did not sound happy (it wasn’t about that particular interview, mind you). She thinks podcasters, who have come up in large numbers in recent years, don’t treat their guests with respect. As an example, she cited a podcast conversation with her contemporary, Meera, in which the podcaster’s questions left her feeling “disheartened”. Instead of focusing on an artist’s work, some podcasters home in on their guests’ private lives, she said. We are with you on this one, Reema K. Everyone deserves a little respect, even if they live in the spotlight.

Cheat Heat

Last week, actress Saba Faisal created quite a stir in society. Addressing women, she said, “If your husband cheats around, he’ll come back to you eventually.” Obviously, most netizens and showbiz stars raised their eyebrows at such a statement. Actress Mansha Pasha expressed her opinion on Instagram pretty powerfully: “Instead of trying to raise awareness of the toxic traits society still instils in men today, please do not use public platforms to keep reinforcing the habits that are not only against all morality and religious teachings, but are the cause of a lot of family problems and mental trauma for both partners and children alike.” Agreed. But let Saba F live the life she wants to live.

Film City In The Making

Here’s another feather in the already well-decorated cap of the Punjab government vis-à-vis its efforts in helping our film industry stand on its feet. On April 29, the Punjab Film City Authority Bill was passed by its provincial assembly by a majority vote. The proposed authority envisages a ‘film city’ which will house moviemaking schools, music academies, and production houses, with the infrastructure required for such activities. The whole effort, according to Senior Minister of Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb, is to develop ‘screen tourism’ and film production capacity. Great initiative! Well begun is half done.

Turtle Ick

Emily Blunt is back in the news with the release of her film The Devil Wears Prada 2, in which she stars alongside Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. Since her new film is about fashion, during an interview with TV host Jimmy Fallon, the British actress talked about her husband, actor/director John Krasinski’s sartorial choices. She said that, at the Golden Globes, he wore a turtleneck and looked like a young Michael Caine, giving off a 1960s vibe. “But normally, a man in a turtleneck gives me the ick,” she added. She can be Blunt, that one.

Idiotic Sequel

All of you who liked or loved director Rajkumar Hirani’s 2009 box office hit 3 Idiots, brace yourself. A sequel to the film is in the works. This has been confirmed by the star of the movie, Aamir Khan, himself. Retaining the original cast (Aamir K, Sharman Joshi and R. Madhavan) and with the same man in the director’s seat, the story is set a decade after the events of the first instalment. Well, all we can say is that, even in the first film, Aamir K hardly looked like a college or university student. Seventeen years (of filming) on, we hope he will, in the words of the late musician Prince, act his age, not his shoe size.

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 10th, 2026

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