AATIF’S HEALING LINES
WITH his deeply personal new release Beparwaiyan, singer Aatif Majid looks at a divorce from a male perspective and says the emotion-filled song helped him to heal. The 38 year old British Pakistani told me he is hoping to highlight the heartbreak felt by men after a painful split and the psychological repercussions. Aatif divorced after six years in 2015 and confesses it left him a broken man.
MAHIRA’S FIRST LOOK
ACTRESS Mahira Khan revealed this first look of Pakistan’s most anticipated movie Verna,
which is due for release in November. This is the latest offering from ace director Shoaib Mansoor, who previously delivered Lollywood blockbusters Khuda Kay Liye and Bol. Mahira has received praise for the eye-catching promo of what is being touted as a girl power movie. Mansoor said: “This film has been written and directed by a man of Pakistan for the men of the world to listen to women. It is to encourage women to speak up.”
SHOOTOUT IN PAKISTAN
LOW budget drama My Pure Land is in selected cinemas this week and is highly recommended. One of the best Pakistani movies I have ever seen revolves around two gun-toting young sisters defending their house from a gang of armed men trying to enter. British-Pakistani director Sarmad Masud has based the film on an astonishing true story and delivered a unique piece of cinema. Find this gem of a movie, which adds a new dimension to Pakistani cinema.
BANITA IS ‘PITCH PERFECT’
BRITISH model Banita Sandhu is set for the Bollywood big time after landing a lead role opposite hot-right-now leading man Varun Dhawan in director Shoojit Sircar’s next film,
October. The acclaimed filmmaker said he selected the Welsh beauty for the very important role because she is pitch perfect, describing her as brilliant. Varun has been spending a lot of time with Banita in preparation for the role, which is being described as an intense love story.
ALL GROWN-UP NOW
ACTRESS Sushmita Sen celebrated the 18th birthday of her daughter Renee and shared this cute snap of them both on social media with a heart-warming message. The big hearted beauty queen turned actress was just 25-years-old when she adopted Renee and in 2010 went on to adopt another baby girl, who is now eight-years-old.
HANSAL’S HEADACHES
WHEN director Hansal Mehta signed Kangana Ranaut for his film, Simran he couldn’t have imagined the problems she would create in the lead-up to its release. She caused a rift with his long term collaborator and close pal Apurva Asrani, who wrote the movie. Instead of promoting Simran she has largely been firing off controversial comments, which have overshadowed the US-set comedy-drama. I predict the commercial movie in cinemas now will underperform and force Mehta back into low budget dramas.
Migrants in a dinghy crossing the English Channel
Sunder Katwala
