Gohar’s Grouse

Gohar Rasheed isn’t okay with the lack of political acumen among people who belong to Pakistan’s showbiz industry. In a discussion with fellow actor Khaqan Shahnawaz, he lamented the absence of political awareness among many celebrities. Adding to the argument, the TV and film star said that a majority of them are in a numbers race, ignoring the importance of the craft. Hmmm… it all sounds worth mulling over, but we’re also thinking: when was the last time Gohar R asserted any political awareness?

Disrespect And Apology

Writer and actor Muhammad Ahmed is in the news for two reasons. First, he said that he regrets not talking to actress Hira Mani for years after they had a little misunderstanding on a drama set. Then came Muhammad A’s revelation that he had felt disrespected on set by a much younger actor. Subsequently a clip emerged of actor Fahad Sheikh making fun of the veteran actor’s thinning pate. But after the whole thing blew up, along with the artist community, Fahad S apologised, saying his comments had been misinterpreted. This is a sad state of affairs. The youngster should realise that showbiz is a fickle field. Today you’re here, and tomorrow you can be forgotten, like hair.

Be Happy With Happy

After the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Tom Holland and his uber-talented wife Zendaya are in the news big-time! Not for the movie, by the way. A couple of weeks ago, a rumour was doing the rounds that the couple, who were privately and quietly married a few months ago, may have a public wedding for their huge number of admirers. Well, according to a source close to Zendaya, it ain’t happening, and that “if these are two people that you look up to or that you love their work, just celebrate them being together and happy.” To be honest, we don’t know about looking up to Spider-Man, but Tom H can certainly look up to Zendaya.

Bottlenecked!

Singer Katy Perry, nowadays, likes to do a bit during her live performances in which she gets into a big inflatable bottle and moves around the stage. On July 22, while crowd-surfing at the Isle of MTV Malta Festival, when she was in the bottle, an overexcited audience member tried to carry her towards the back of the crowd. It made the vocalist super nervous, and she shouted, “Go back to the stage.” Thankfully, some of her other admirers brought her back, after which she managed to finish her act. Well, maybe that fan was giving just a critic’s response to the show. A sort of message in the bottle.

Kangana Roached

Actress and now politician Kangana Ranaut is going all guns blazing after the youth-led satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) that recently humiliated the ruling BJP. She first called its members useless and unemployed. This was responded to by the CJP spokesman Saurav Das, who said that the actress shouldn’t be taken seriously because no one takes her seriously even in her own party, the BJP. Kangana R reacted by pointing out that Saurav D is 28 years old, and doesn’t look like a student. Saurav D retorted during an interview that Kangana R is uttering all this because he looks like Hrithik Roshan (for whom she once had a thing and who turned her down). Now that’s a zinger! This cockroach has a sharp tongue.

Podcast Paydays

Forbes has released its list of the highest-paid podcasters in the world for 2026. The number one on the list, perhaps, is a given. It’s Joe Rogan of The Joe Rogan Experience,who has raked in $82 million. Next (number two), is TBPN (of OpenAI) which has brought in $70 million, followed by The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett with $45 million, Ashley Flowers’ Crime Junkie ($42 million), Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes’ SmartLess ($37 million) and Mel Robbins’ The Mel Robbins Podcast ($35 million).Number seven on the list are the Kelce brothers — Travis (hubby of Taylor Swift) and Jason — who earned $35 million with their show New Heights. Boy oh boy, these podcasters are making broadcasters look like mere midgets.

Published in Dawn, ICON, August 9th, 2026