Not Dil Se

Atif Aslam is a singer right out of the top drawer. Make no mistake. But not all singers can pull anything out of their singing hats. The ace vocalist has done a concert in the UAE where he, apart from his usual playlist, belted out ‘Dil se re’—the iconic track from the Mani Ratnam-Shah Rukh Khan movie Dil Se, sung and composed by none other than A.R. Rahman. To be honest, he couldn’t do justice to the high-pitched notes of the composition. Perhaps the chunks of video that we saw of the performance didn’t have the right sound quality. Perhaps.

Noble Colab

Bilal Maqsood’s puppet show Pakkay Dost has become quite popular. Justifiably so. The children-friendly way with which the show enables the young ones to develop love and affection for the Urdu language is super-praiseworthy. Now the programme has also joined hands with service provider ConnectHear, which will make the show accessible to the hearing-impaired community through the integration of sign language interpretation. Isn’t that great? Keep it up guys! You are true pakkay dost.

The Difference

Sami Khan is a fine actor. He is also a young man who talks sense. In a recent interview, he waxed eloquent on the difference between being famous and being an actor. He said there are platforms that can make you famous but that being an artist is a different thing. He added that he sometimes wonders if there are individuals better than him but were never given the chance to flourish. Therefore, luck also plays an important part in the process. We agree with Sami K. And it should be pointed out that fame does not make everyone as wise as him.

By the Dozen

Recently, Indian reality TV star and model Rakhi Sawant was in Pakistan. Or was she? It made tongues wag. Why? Apparently, she is in love with Pakistan actor Dodi Khan, who by the way is a married guy. It doesn’t make any difference to her. She has, reportedly, expressed her wish in an interview that she has no qualms in becoming his second wife and producing 12 children with him — six in India and six in Pakistan. Rakhi S, once Bangladesh was also part of the undivided Subcontinent. Why make them feel left out?

Lip Sync

The 69-year-old Indian playback singer Udit Narayan was at a concert in Mumbai singing Tip tip barsa pani from the film Mohra. A female fan approached him for a selfie. As he bent down to oblige her, she kissed him on his cheek. The vocalist wasted no time in returning the compliment by kissing her back… on her lips. It created a huge hullabaloo on social media and videos of him kissing other fans (on the cheeks) also surfaced. Some dubbed him a “serial kisser.” Udit N was unrepentant, saying he was only expressing his love for his fans. It’s obviously like ‘Pehla Nasha’ each time.

What’s in a Name

Gohar Rasheed and Kubra Khan have made their friends, families and fans super happy by announcing their marriage. They are a nice couple. The festivities for the big knot-tying started last week, amidst which it was revealed that Kubra K’s real name is Rabia Iqbal Khan, and Kubra is her showbiz name. Hmmm… So, as Shakespeare (more or less) says, ‘What’s in a name? That which we call a bride, by any other name would look as sweet.’

Here Again

There are rumours that a sequel is in the works for choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan’s debut action-masala film, Main Hoon Na. Reportedly titled Main Bhi Hoon Na, the sequel may release in 2026, a full 22 years after the first. Currently a script is in the works and Shah Rukh Khan will green light it only once that is completed. It must be recalled, however, that the first film — while it became a big hit — also faced a bunch of obstacles and delays before SRK’s Red Chillies Entertainment went ahead with it. We’re also assuming that two decades on, SRK’s character Major Ram will have either retired by now or become Gen Ram. Nobody’s sure if his half-brother Lucky (Zayed Khan) or chemistry teacher Chandni (Sushmita Sen) will still be around either.

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 16th, 2025