No More A Fan

Resham is not letting it go. She wants to make sure that everyone knows how playwright Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar has fallen from grace. In a recent interview, the actress, as quoted by the media, has said, “People [TV viewers] used to be proud of his dialogue. And nowadays, the dialogue he writes is coming back to haunt him. It is as if he has forgotten how to write.” Carrying on with the argument, she underlines that there was a time when she was his fan, but not anymore. Alright, Resham. Why keep bringing him up though?

Un-Method Acting

Actor Hamza Ali Abbasi doesn’t believe in living in the character that he plays. His method is different. To him, he has recently revealed, the deeper he dives, the more he fumbles. He argues that, if he allowed his character to get into his life, it would tire him out. For example, to him, Noori Nath (the part that he essayed in the blockbuster The Legend of Maula Jatt) is ‘ruthless’, so he has to leave that energy on set. Good point, Hamza A A. Come to think of it, it must take a lot of time for others to remove that energy from the set afterwards…

Gold Digger

There is a Kannada actress by the name of Ranya Rao. She has appeared in quite a few South Indian films, including Maanikya. Last month, within the span of 15 days, she visited Dubai four times. It alerted India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). On March 3, when she was returning from the UAE, DRI arrested her at Kempegowda airport. Why? She was carrying 14.2kg of gold bars — worth over INR 12.5 crores — hidden in her clothes and strapped to her body, which somehow shone through. Ranya R is the stepdaughter of a senior IPS officer and allegedly used that connection to get police escorts at the airport. All of that is now being investigated. Well, they say all that glitters is not gold. But in this case, it was.

DOGE Style

One of the known faces during US President Donald Trump’s address last week was the owner of X, Elon Musk, who is heading up the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). During the president’s speech, the billionaire started taking pictures (or making videos) on his phone. Reportedly, a policeman approached Elon M and told him that using the phone wasn’t allowed. Chastised, he had to listen to the cop and put the phone down. Elon M hasn’t confirmed or denied this report, but we think the policeman should join the Department of Government Efficiency.

Material Girl

At one of the Oscar parties, comedienne Chelsea Handler was seen coming out of the do, arm-in-arm with actor Ralph Fiennes (who was nominated for best actor for Conclave but didn’t win; we all know who won and why). It got the rumour mills churning that they’re dating. Chelsea H was swift to reply: “Ralph Fiennes and I went from one party to another party with a group of people and that’s all that happened. I don’t think Ralph Fiennes is marriage material. And I don’t think I’m marriage material.” All the more reason to get married, isn’t it!

Crore Roar

Salman Khan’s film Sikandar,co-starring Rashmika Mandana and Kajal Aggarwal,will be released on Eidul Fitr. We’re not sure if it’s eagerly awaited, because the actor’s last few movies haven’t been great shakes at the box office. But here’s what got our attention: news is that Salman K has charged a whopping 120 crore rupees for the project! Yep, that’s 1.2 billion rupees. If this is true, more than anything about the film, what this tells us is that the producers don’t seem to give a hoot about their money.

Published in Dawn, ICON, March 16th, 2025