Jatt in China

On May 24, our very own blockbuster, The Legend of Maula Jatt, directed by Bilal Lashari and starring Fawad Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi and Mahira Khan, was released in the People’s Republic of China. It is the first Pakistani film to be screened there. It’s been a long road for Jatt and Noori Nath but, for sure, this augurs well for the local film industry as it seeks takers worldwide. China has one of the largest populations in the world and, therefore, its entertainment market is huge. Doing well there will mean that Pakistan is slowly but surely getting on the global cinema map. Congrats, Team Jatt!

The Great Delete

It seems actress Hania Aamir’s love for social media has lessened. Why do we say that? Because, like the recently married Ramsha Khan, she recently deleted more than 150 images from her Instagram page. However, she decided not to erase 11 photos from her page, and they are about her trip to New York, where she’d gone with pop star Asim Azhar, who was touring for a series of concerts there. Hmmm… Has she done that of her own volition, or been asked to do it to reiterate the point that the two are an item… again?

Patani’s Portal

An upcoming film titled The Portal of Force, directed by Hollywood’s (much-maligned) star Kevin Spacey, will initiate the Statiguards (order) versus Holiguards (those who disrupt order) universe in cinema. Indian actress Disha Patani has been roped in to play the female protagonist, Jessica — the chosen one — in the movie. The cast also includes Tyrese Gibson, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts and Brianna Hildebrand. Well, going by what Kevin S has been accused of over the years, we think the cast should keep a fair space(y) between themselves and the director.

Rap It Up

For all young music lovers, rap admirers and rappers, a reality show titled Rap Icon will be aired later this month to select the… You guessed it… rap icon of Pakistan. The programme will have a dozen young artists competing for the title in a total of 10 episodes. In case you’re wondering who’ll judge them, there’s no need to: the judges are Talha Anjum and Bohemia! This sounds exciting. We hope the show runs till the last episode without any hiccups, unlike Pakistan Idol. We don’t want it to be (w)rapped up earlier than expected.

Office Chemistry

A romantic comedy titled Office Romance, which will be out in June on Netflix, stars Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein. During an interview, the actress/singer has been quoted to have said the following about her co-star: “We had great chemistry to begin with. It just grew as we did the film together. I expected more of a rough guy, but you get this kind, gentle, but also very smart person who is so charming. That was a surprise.” J Lo, given your track record with men, you should stop being surprised, please.

Art Meets Algorithm

In 2002, as a student at the National College of Arts in Lahore, singer Ali Zafar drew a painting (yes, he can paint) that was part of his thesis show. Cut to 24 years later, the vocalist has changed that work of art into an AI-generated image for his latest music video, Shiddat, from the album Roshni. The video is helmed by Fawaz Rehan and Ayelah Asim and, to be honest, it’s pretty good to look at. The directing duo is talented. As for the song, it’s a good composition, and nothing more can be generated, sorry said, about it.

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 24th, 2026