Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh’s ‘Sapphire’ collaboration misses the mark
The song everyone is talking about this month is Sapphire – Ed Sheeran’s collaboration with Arijit Singh. But instead of a true duet, Arijit takes more of a backing role to the British pop superstar, which is a shame, considering he is the most followed artist on Spotify. The Indian superstar deserved a stronger presence on the otherwise catchy track. On the positive side, Sapphire may inspire more international artists to incorporate Indian elements into their music. But going forward, any major Indian names involved in global collaborations should insist on equal billing, rather than letting western stars ride on their popularity.
Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh
Aziz Ansari’s Hollywood comedy ‘Good Fortune’ could be a sleeper hit
Last year, I predicted that the Hollywood film Good Fortune would be one of this year’s big sleeper hits. The positive early response to its recently released trailer confirms that writer, director, producer and lead star Aziz Ansari is onto a winner. The body-swap comedy features Keanu Reeves as a bumbling guardian angel who lands in trouble after interfering in the lives of a ruthless venture capitalist (Seth Rogen) and an overworked, underpaid employee (Ansari). Due for release on 17 October, the film is expected to be a major hit – and could well establish stand-up star Ansari as a serious Hollywood power player.
Aziz Ansari’s Hollywood comedy ‘Good Fortune’
Punjabi cinema’s power-packed star cast returns in ‘Sarbala Ji’
Gippy Grewal, Ammy Virk, Sargun Mehta and Nimrat Khaira starring together in a film is reason enough to get excited about Sarbala Ji. These four hugely popular stars – all of whom have delivered some of the finest Punjabi films in recent years – have teamed up for a comedy packed with drama, emotion and entertainment. The trailer for the film, which is set for release on 18 July, has received an expectedly positive response and is likely to ensure a strong box office opening. The success of Saunkan Saunkanay 2, which featured Mehta, Virk and Khaira in leading roles, has only added more momentum to Sarbala Ji.
Punjabi cinema’s power-packed star cast returns in ‘Sarbala Ji’
Pakistani stars deserve better than ‘tacky’ London events
One thing that rarely gets discussed is how Pakistani stars visiting London often end up at the tackiest venues for events and film promotions. Earlier this year, Hania Aamir – like many of her contemporaries – headlined an event at a banqueting hall that looked more like a disorganised wedding than a celebrity showcase. More recently, Mahira Khan and Humayun Saeed, in the capital to promote their film Love Guru, somehow found themselves in a horse-drawn carriage en route to a restaurant. Several Pakistani celebrities have also been on the receiving end of dubious awards from unverified individuals and organisations. Taken together, this suggests they may not fully realise their worth – and are being guided by all the wrong people.
Mahira Khan
‘Housefull 5’ proves Bollywood is trolling its own audience
The recently released Housefull 5 is a prime example of how some Bollywood producers appear to be trolling their own audiences. Instead of raising the bar after years of subpar Hindi cinema, this brainless comedy leans on a cast of has-been stars and is so shoddily made that it feels like the filmmakers no longer care about delivering quality. Far from making audiences laugh, the self-indulgent nonsense came across as mockery – as if the film were laughing at anyone foolish enough to spend money on a ticket.
‘Housefull 5’ proves Bollywood is trolling its own audience
Brilliant indie film ‘Chidiya’ suffers in Bollywood’s broken system
The mafia mentality in Bollywood has meant that great low-budget films rarely receive wide distribution, meaningful marketing or proper backing. While audiences are regularly subjected to poorly written blockbusters fronted by big-name stars, genuinely entertaining, story-driven films are often sidelined. That is why the new film Chidiya took nearly a decade to secure even a limited release. The modestly budgeted drama, about two young brothers who transform a junkyard into a makeshift badminton court, earned widespread acclaim on the international festival circuit and received strong reviews upon release. Yet it failed to reach the audience it deserved – a casualty of the broken state of Indian cinema. If Chidiya eventually finds its way onto a streaming platform, it will be well worth watching.
Brilliant indie film ‘Chidiya’
John Abraham keeps landing roles – but can he still deliver?
Headlining flop films as a solo hero has not stopped John Abraham from landing more Bollywood projects. The actor recently announced that he will star in a film based on the comic book Munkeeman, as well as a biopic inspired by the life of police officer Rakesh Maria. While Abraham can hardly be blamed for cashing in, the producers backing these ventures are certainly taking a risk – the star is clearly past his prime and no longer drawing significant audience attention.
John Abraham
Hina Khan’s wedding is a quiet symbol of unity in divisive times
The recent wedding of popular actress Hina Khan and her long-term partner Rocky Jaiswal carried a deeper meaning that many may have overlooked. At a time of rising communal division in India, this interfaith marriage between two high-profile individuals stood as a quiet but powerful symbol of unity. Hina also found her happily ever after following a difficult battle with cancer. The couple wore Manish Malhotra-designed outfits for their intimate ceremony and received warm wishes from well-wishers across the globe.
Hina Khan and her long-term partner Rocky Jaiswal
Shanaya Kapoor’s troubled debut raises red flags
It really does seem like newcomer Shanaya Kapoor is jinxed. After her initial film launch was shelved, she signed on for Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan opposite Vikrant Massey. Unfortunately for her, the teaser trailer for the romantic musical drama has generated very little buzz. She spends most of it wearing a blindfold in various scenes. As the daughter of flop actor Sanjay Kapoor, Shanaya may be heading towards a similarly underwhelming debut when the film releases on 11 July.
Shanaya Kapoor's troubled debut
Pakistani female influencers face dangerous realities
Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have opened up new pathways for many individuals in South Asia to earn substantial incomes. While content creators in India have largely thrived, female influencers in Pakistan continue to face threats from right-wing extremists and stalkers. This was tragically illustrated by the recent murder of 17-year-old social media influencer Sana Yousuf, who was shot dead by a man after she rejected him. The incident is a chilling reminder of the dangers faced by female creators in the country, and highlights the urgent need for stronger protection and support. Many continue to pursue their work but must remain extremely cautious.
Mourners gather for the funeral of Adrian Daulby, who was shot when police responded to an attack on Yom Kippur outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, in what police have declared a terrorist incident, at the Agecroft Jewish Cemetery in Pendlebury, Salford, Britain, October 6, 2025.
MURDER at the synagogue made last Thursday (2) a dark day in British history. Yom Kippur, the holy day of atonement, sees soul-searching Jews cut themselves off from electronic communication for many hours. Some, guarding other synagogues, heard of the Manchester attack from police officers rushing to check on their safety. Others from whispers reverberating around the congregation. Some only found out in the evening, turning on mobile phones or car radios after the ceremonies were over.
“There was an air of inevitability about it,” Rabbi David Mason told me. He was among many Jewish voices to describe this trauma as shocking, yet not surprising. No Jewish person has been killed for being Jewish in this country for over half a century. That victims Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Dauby died seeking to protect others exemplifies the enormous everyday efforts on community security in recent decades. There had been a grim, rising expectation, over the last two years of simmering antisemitism, that such a day might come. David Mason told me he fears a ‘double tragedy’ if the response was to disrupt efforts to build cohesion across communities, rather than galvanising them.
Manchester is the centre of British Jewish life beyond London. The magnificent restoration of the 1798 synagogue which today houses the Manchester Jewish Museum testifies to deep Jewish roots in the city. But as the heavens opened over north Manchester during last Friday’s (3) vigil, there was a fractious cocktail of grief, solidarity and raw anger. Deputy prime minister David Lammy was heckled over Palestine and protest marches. Yet my colleague Avaes Mohammad, attending from nearby Blackburn, told me too how local Muslims were warmly thanked in person by local Jewish residents for being there.
The divisive provocation of an Israeli government invitation to Tommy Robinson was the last thing that Jewish civic leaders needed during such a moment of pain. So, I was impressed with the robust clarity of the Jewish Leadership Council and Board of Deputies in reiterating why Robinson is a dangerous thug who will never be trusted by most British Jews. Israel’s minister for antisemitism and diaspora relations declared that the Board of Deputies had been captured by pro-Palestinian forces of wokeness; a reply that shows why he is ‘minister for the diaspora in name only’ to anyone who knows Britain at all.
For progressive voices, calling out the far right is the easy part. The response from Jewish civic leaders reinforced the crucial boundary between challenging Islamist extremism and Robinson’s attempt to recruit Jews into sweeping anti-Muslim prejudice. It could be reciprocated best by challenging Islamist hatred as strongly as the racist far right.
British Muslim civic leaders understand that challenge. The arson attack on an East Sussex mosque is just one example of how Muslims often suffer most when Islamists convey, through words or deeds, a narrative of extremism and incompatibility. The result is so often more fear, more prejudice and more threat to the status of Muslims as equal citizens of our country.
The lines between politics, protest and prejudice are sharply contested. Many in politics offer wildly inconsistent principles on different issues. A government review, of how police set conditions to ensure the line between democratic protest and intimidation, should be used to demonstrate consistency – whether the issue is Palestine, India and Pakistan, or asylum seekers in hotels.
It is antisemitic to hold British Jews responsible for the Israeli government – in mere words or murderous deeds. Rationally, by the same token, challenges to Israeli government policy and support for a Palestinian state are distinct from antisemitism, unless made in antisemitic terms. But the emotional landscape can be more complicated. A new study from the Institute of Jewish Public Research (JPR) illuminates a lonely two years for British Jews. The pervasive experience of casual antisemitism unifies the Jewish community – but Israeli action in Gaza is a source of pain and division. JPR finds that a majority of British Jews now say that Israel’s military excesses in Gaza offend their Jewish values, yet that they also feel closer emotionally to Israel since the Hamas atrocity. Many British Jews now feel closer to Jewish friends – and try to avoid talking politics or about Israel with others.
Our age has seen a concerted effort to delegitimise expressions of solidarity as mere ‘virtue signalling’, in order to deepen political polarisation, at best, or at worst to socialise violence. Thousands of lives were lost in Northern Ireland in living memory as men of violence claimed to defend one community against another. Before Manchester, there was only one murder at a place of worship in Britain this century: the far-right inspired murder at Finsbury Park Mosque in 2017. Americans seem desensitised to violence in churches and schools. We must never emulate that here.
Responses to Manchester show why expressions of empathy still matter – not only symbolically, but also in practice. Far from being an evasion, empathy can provide the foundation for the deeper work needed to address the roots of hatred. That is a task we must do together.
Sunder Katwala is the director of thinktank British Future and the author of the book How to Be a Patriot: The must-read book on British national identity and immigration.
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