The writer has been in top media and entertainment corporations in Bollywood for over a decade and can be found on twitter @tanuj_garg
This is my 70th column and an extremely tricky one for me to write in view of the ongoing tussle between the two countries. I’ve visited Pakistan a number of times and have made potentially lifelong friends living in Lahore and Karachi. I don’t suppose that these deep equations will or should change because of what is happening politically.
I am going to abstain from ranting on the political scenario in a Pakistani publication, as it will sound predictably biased and not get taken constructively.Propounding oft-heard drivel about the need for law-makers from both the sides to sit peacefully in a room and sort out the mess is now silly and futile. I don’t see this as a possibility in the conceivable future, and cynical as this may sound, Kashmir isn’t getting resolved in this lifetime.
There remain a host of uncomfortable questions which haven’t been answered by either side. With the frighteningly excessive spewing of vitriol, the war is already on in full thrust on social media.
We are passing through a very sensitive phase of history. Doing nothing has been the preferred option all this while but way too much water has flown beneath the bridge. Hard action (and I don’t mean war) not based on impulsiveness or emotion, is the need of the hour. Go figure.
Being Fawad Khan
It is encouraging to be a hugely loved pin-up boy in an enemy country. Except that when war-like symptoms emerge the pin-up boy is left to pay a price.
Whether Fawad Khan was exiled by India or returned to Pakistan on paternity leave is the subject of speculation. Indians who are suddenly fed up with the art-cannot-be fragmented-by-boundaries talk, want to know why he hasn’t taken a stand on Uri despite reaping the benefits of enhanced Bollywood-induced stardom. In the same breath, Pakistanis are displeased about him pursuing what is a promising career with the neighbour.
I wouldn’t like to be in Fawad Khan’s shoes at the moment. It’s a very sticky situation to be in — a serious dilemma — anything the man says will be misread, misinterpreted and used against him. He cannot afford to offend his countrymen by uttering anything that sounds even remotely pro-India (even if he means it from the bottom of his heart) nor can he lambast India which has generously showered him with love, luxury and bucks. Even if he has only a cameo in it, the title Ae Dil Hai Mushkil could easily sum up his predicament.
The Brangelina farce!
There’s something sickening about the Brangelina divorce, far more than Brexit. The couple that married two years back after a decade of living in, has decided to go their own way with complete disregard for their battery of kids for whom they claim they got married in the first place.
After Brad and Angelina selfishly paraded the adopted and biological kids like trophies around the world to elevate their own image, they suddenly felt the need to call it a day. Worse still, Angelina accused Brad of child abuse, giving this already shameful saga a farcical turn.
Deep beneath the veneer of shambolic PR sat the horrific leaked (by nannies) stories of the kids turning into brats. One drank wine and drove a car round the ground, one was obsessed with cross-dressing, and one developed an unhealthy penchant for lethal weapons — all this while Angie was busy pulling one kid at a timeout of the cupboard to accompany her on the numerous trips to war-torn countries.
The troubling part is that now these somewhat damaged children will have no choice but to watch their parents separate in the glaring spotlight.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2016.
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