Family Ties

Actor Emmad Irfani has been working in showbiz for 13 years. To mark the anniversary of his acting career, he took to Instagram to post the following message: “This one is for all of you out there, each one of you who, along the way, supported me, encouraged me, made me strive to be better and keep working hard. You have been there for me in my tragedy and elation, in my defeat and victory. You are not ‘fans’, you have been a family.” Awwww, that’s so touching, Emmad I. And even dysfunctional families are families.

Tongue-Tied

Maya Ali and Ahad Raza Mir are working together in a television serial. During a break in filming the drama, Maya A made a video for social media, in which she challenged Ahad R M to a tongue-twister in Urdu. The first line of the twister was: “Tooti chonch ka tota”, which translates into ‘the parrot with a broken beak.’ Ahad R M tried to pass the test in a rather hesitant way, but seemed to give up very soon. This made the actress laugh but left us a little surprised. We always thought Ahad R M was pretty good at parroting lines.

No Dancing Fools

Every year, the makers of Dancing with the Stars reach out to John Stamos, but he refuses to be part of the popular dance show. Despite the fact that the Full House actor is a pretty good dancer, he says ‘no’ vehemently. Last week, the actor gave his reasons in an interview for repeatedly turning down the offer: “I said, don’t ever ask me again. I’m never gonna do that show. What makes that show good is people suffering and looking like fools. They’re breaking their feet, calluses. I don’t want that.” John S, but that sounds like you are against the very premise of reality shows.

Reverse Nepo?

Here’s a different kind of nepotism. You might say, nepotism is nepotism, what do we mean by a ‘different kind’? Well, this is in reference to filmmaker Wajahat Rauf’s statement about his son, Aashir Wajahat, who has earned considerable fame for his acting and singing of late. The director said he was happy when an interviewer introduced him as the father of a star. According to him, it could be “reverse nepotism.” In the past, fans would come up to him for pictures, but now they go straight to his son, something that he thanks God for. Hmmm… There was a time when people would go up to Wajahat R to take pictures? Seriously? Hard to believe.

Banned, Not Buried

One more indicator as to how quickly space for creative expression is shrinking in India… On July 3, the Diljeet Dosanjh-starrer Satluj went on air on Zee5. The film, directed by Honey Trehan, is based on human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra’s investigation into the brutal killings and enforced disappearances carried out by Punjab Police during an insurgency in Indian Punjab in the 1990s. Within a couple of days after its release, the Indian government took the film down from the streaming platform and is not allowing it to be screened anywhere else in the country. However, the movie is being downloaded all across the world and is being watched by millions. The bigoted Indian government needs to keep up with technology and public sentiment.

A First for the Emmys

For the first time in the history of the Emmy Awards, a woman will host the ceremony on September 14. Who is she? Answer: Mariska Hargitay, the star of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. This was announced by NBC on July 7, the channel which will run the show. The 62-year-old has been nominated for an Emmy eight times and won once in 2006 for playing detective Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU. Not just that, Mariska H is a supporter of victims of sexual abuse and speaks publicly against harassers and abusers. She is also the daughter of Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield and recently helped produce a documentary on Pakistani girl gymnasts from Karachi’s Machhar Colony. We wish her the best and hope she pulls off the hosting in style.

Published in Dawn, ICON, July 19th, 2026