Misquoted By Half
A couple of weeks ago, musician and actor Azan Sami Khan was quoted to have said that he wouldn’t want his future wife to be on social media, for religious reasons. This was, of course, a shocker, coming from the son of Zeba Bakhtiar and Adnan Sami Khan. Subsequently, he claimed that he was misquoted by those who had interviewed him and urged the media to fact-check statements before relaying them. We agree with him. The media should always fact-check what they write, post or telecast. Though we can’t, for the life of us, imagine what Azan SK could have possibly said that could have been misquoted like this.
Academy Calling
Another piece of good news for Pakistan’s showbiz fraternity. Dr Umair Haroon, a renowned TV producer and director, has been elected a member of the American International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (IATAS), which is responsible for the popular Emmy Awards for television. Dr Umar H has helmed and produced a good number of documentaries and TV projects and is known for his unique way of storytelling. Congratulations to him! We hope more Pakistanis will soon join the academy.
Hack Attack
Poor old Feroze Khan! It took everyone by surprise, not a pleasant one at that, when his Instagram account claimed that his second wife, Dr Zainab, “forced” and “blackmailed” him to be in a relationship. After the post was seen by many people, and after it was erased from the Insta world, Feroze K came forward with the explanation that he “was hacked”, in a big font. This is serious. Whoever the hacker was must be brought to justice, because such uploads can cause a family to disintegrate. Feroze K already knows, keeping his first marriage debacle in mind, what that means.
Post-Divorce Nic
By now everyone is aware of the shock Nicole Kidman-Keith Urban separation, following their 19 years of togetherness as a married couple. The Oscar-winning actress filed for divorce from the country music star on September 30. The next day, she was spotted in Nashville going out for a little walk with her sister Antonia Kidman. Later, she also attended a Chanel fashion show with her two teenage daughters. It goes to show that Nicole K is not terribly unhinged by the split, though the new bangs might tell a different story. She can still count on support from members of her family, eyes wide shut.
Another Split
Hollywood and separations seem to have become a bit underwhelming in terms of news. To be honest, in the case of director Tim Burton and actress Monica Bellucci’s relationship, it was a bit of a given that they wouldn’t last the distance. After all, he is 67 years of age, she is 61, and both have had steady relationships in the past. So, the announcement of them parting ways after two years of going-out isn’t as big a surprise as some other splits. In fact, for many, finding out that the eccentric Tim B had been seeing the gorgeous Monica B for the past two years was probably a bigger shocker.
Singh Out, Kapoor In
Critically acclaimed director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Baiju Bawra has been in the (pre-production) works for a few months. His fans are eager for its release, make no mistake. News is that Ranveer Singh, who was playing the principal role of the musician Baiju Bawra in the movie, is no more part of the project. He has been replaced by Ranbir Kapoor. Why did Ranveer S leave it? Well, here’s a guess. Deepika Padukone, his wife, is these days known to be very fussy about working hours on set. Could it be that Ranveer S asked Sanjay LB for the same number of hours and the latter said, ‘You ain’t as talented as your better half, lower your hopes…’
Published in Dawn, ICON, October 12th, 2025