****OSCAR BLISS****

Sometimes we feel that actor Yasir Hussain talks a lot but says little. According to him, our actors aren’t tolerant enough, which is why he thinks that, since they easily get offended, they’re not ‘big’ enough to attend the Oscars, where roasting famous people such as Donald Trump or Justin Bieber is a norm, sans any fear of backlash. If this line of reasoning is anything to go by, is he suggesting that he himself is worthy of attending the Oscars? We beg to differ, but it has nothing to do with his level of tolerance.

ARTISTS’ VOCATION

These days a trend has caught on — a good one at that — that pop stars performing on stage stop the show to point out if something untoward is happening at the venue. Asim Azhar is one of them. Referring on a chat show to an incident involving him that recently happened he said, “When celebrities have a mic, they have a chance to set an example. We should school people who cross limits. If we don’t, more such events will occur.” Spot on. The same should apply to celebs who cross limits too.

SECOND STAR

Fahad Mustafa likes to shoot from the hip. He has a mind of his own, as anyone should. Apparently, he thinks highly of Mahira Khan. Who’s next after her, though? Well, he has given a statement claiming that Hania Aamir is the only one with ‘star potential’ after Mahira Khan. Now, we’re not scratching our heads because everyone has a right to their favourites. We’re only thinking about Fahad Mustafa’s potential. Who precedes or succeeds him?

ANIMAL FARM

Actress Sania Saeed is a staunch human rights activist. She usually does acting projects that highlight the plight of underprivileged groups. In a recent interview, she has also come out in support of animals. She has said, “[Zoos] should be closed with immediate effect and we should send all the animals back from where they have been brought in Pakistan.” Obviously, her assertion has a proper context, and should only be applied to animals.

INTER ALIA

Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra appeared on one of the latest episodes of Koffee With Karan Season 8, in their usual free flowing style. Among the many frivolous things they talked about was revealing the fact that, when K-Jo was making Student of the Year, both men did not want Aalia Bhatt as their co-star. They didn’t feel she was fit for the job. It didn’t happen the way they wanted of course. And the rest is history, as actors Varun D and Sidharth M are now considered way, way beneath Aalia B in the professional pecking order.

NOSE JOB

Ever since the film Maestro came out, in which Bradley Cooper is playing the part of music composer Leonard Bernstein, he has been receiving flak for wearing a prosthetic nose for the role. Now the actor has given his side of the story: “The truth is, I’ve done the whole project out of love. And it’s so clear to me where I come from — my nose is very similar to Lenny’s, actually. The prosthetic is actually like a silk sheet.” Come on, Bradley C, start seeing beyond your nose.

Published in Dawn, ICON, December 3rd, 2023