Unending Grievance

We thought that writer Khalilur Rehman Qamar was going to stay away from the limelight for a while. Not to be. He is back in the news, speaking against actress Mahira Khan again, continuing with the bad feeling that started in 2020 with a tweet put out by the latter. On a chat show last week, he refused to ‘forgive’ her, arguing that had she said anything just about him it would have been fine but, since she had talked about his ‘stars’ [read: colleagues working in a play] he can’t forget the incident. Well, sir, they say forgiveness doesn’t change the past, but it does change the future. Perhaps, you are not much of a futurist.

The Legacy

The beauty of eastern music based on classical traditions is that it has the essential component of the gharana or family system. Recently, at London’s O2 Arena, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan performed in front of a jam-packed audience. A heartwarming scene was witnessed when he introduced his son, Shah Zaman Ali Khan, who was sitting to his right, after which the young man sang some sargam patterns along with his father. It was an auditory delight. The young man is talented and has a long way to go, for sure. But tell you what: when he hits the high notes, he sounds a bit like his grand-uncle (Rahat’s uncle) Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. A chhotay ustaad is in the making!

Donate, Please!

It is so heartening to know that it’s not just Pakistani showbiz celebs that have come forward to extend support to the flood-affected of the country. International stars too are involved in it. The latest example is that of American-actress-of-Indian-descent Poorna Jagannathan, who plays Dr Nalini Vishwakumar in the Netflix show Never Have I Ever, mother of the central character Devi. On August 31, she uploaded a video on Instagram of a flood-hit area in Pakistan with the caption, “Will you join me in giving to Pakistan? What’s happening there is monumental… lives getting swept away… the death toll is way past 1,000,” adding the places to donate to the caption. Well, all we can say is, that’s the spirit!

The Wadera System

Comedian and rapper Ali Gul Pir, like most of us, if not all of us, is terribly disturbed by the current situation in the country, especially in Sindh, arising out of the flash floods. Making a video as his reference point, in which a feudal lord is washing his shoes with mineral water, he has given a statement that Pakistan can’t progress until the wadera system ends. He is spot on! But the thing is, Ali G P, the wadera system is not simply limited to rural Sindh — it’s a mindset that pervades all of our structures of power, where inequity and non-accountability flourishes. Even sometimes among those rhetorically fighting against it.

Not for India

Say what! Remember the brouhaha in India about Ranveer Singh’s nude photo shoot a little over a month ago, which culminated in a police case filed against him?

One was expecting the actor to take his detractors head-on; instead, he has come across as pretty apologetic about the whole episode. How? Well, he has told the police that the “shoot was not meant for India.” Hmmm… So, it was meant for Belgium, Greece, Spain... Ranveer S has a naked — sorry, wicked — sense of humour.

The Anticipated Split

Now that Hollywood A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio (47) and his girlfriend Camila Morrone (25) have parted ways, we have to say that it didn’t come as a huge surprise. After all, it was a pretty yawning age gap between them (he was 22 when she came into this world). What’s a little surprising is how the news of their break-up broke the internet, mainly because of the way everyone made fun of the Oscar winner. There’s even a chart that shows how Leo has broken up with every one of his numerous girlfriends the moment they crossed 25. One of the trolls even wrote, “The girl Leo will dump when he’s 72 was born today.”

Now, that’s not right.

She’s not born yet.

Published in Dawn, ICON, September 11th, 2022