Guess who is on cloud 9 these days? Yes, it’s Fawad Afzal Khan, after bagging the Filmfare Award. He is what fairytales are made of. Watching him on screen, the inevitable ‘happily ever after’ ending seems predictable.
Already one of the top-rated actors in Pakistan, he sure has managed to get his competition green-eyed after his first Bollywood film, ‘Khoobsurat’. After his appearance here, he seems to have taken off in the Indian film industry.
The result? Yes a lot of interest has been whipped up, for sure. There seemed to be a professional link with Karan Johar. Reports indicated that the Pakistani actor was to be part of KJo’s next project.
Incidentally, being a big fan of Fawad Khan, Karan’s mother Hiroo Johar allegedly coaxed her producer son to invite Fawad home, a few months ago. After her friends got face-to-face with this celeb, it was expected that this tete-a-tete would transform into a film offer!
But, alas! Fawad was supposed to be part of KJo’s — ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’. But, now it is being said that the role in question was just a cameo and Dharma wanted to sign Fawad for a full-fledged role. Now the question is — if it’s not Fawad, then who? It looks like the chosen one is — Saif Ali Khan, who will be a part of Karan’s venture. Another buzz is that the Chote Nawab will be playing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s husband in the love story, which also stars Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma. Apparently it’s a small role which requires only one day of shooting. Will Saif grab this bait? Ahem, doubtful.
So surely and squarely, many rumors and speculations are rife about Dharma Productions’ upcoming films. The latest is that Karan Johar has decided to sign his ‘students’ for his next — we mean Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra. Karan Johar has plans to produce a film which will be helmed by Shakun Batra and from what we hear, the untitled film will star Alia along with Sidharth and the Pakistani heart-throb Fawad Khan.
But, wait there’s a catch. There are some reports which suggest that Fawad may not have been the first choice for the role. According to The Mirror, Fawad was included because Varun Dhawan was busy shooting with Rohit Shetty and Shah Rukh Khan. However, another media report put forth that Arjun Kapoor was also in the running for the role.
Recently, Karan Johar took to Twitter to announce the new project and tweeted, “Rarely does a filmmaker write a super script in 2 months….@shakunbatra’s new family film just got greenlit and cast! Details coming up….”
But this is not the end for the popular Pakistani actor. He is also in talks with the producers of ‘Madamji’, which has Priyanka Chopra playing the protagonist, for a role in the film. The film deals with an item girl’s daily struggles and how she fights against odds and musters up courage, (hold on!) to become a politician. Details are not disclosed as to what part Fawad has been approached for, but, for Bollywood fans, it will definitely be interesting to watch Chopra and Khan scorch the screen. And guess what? Apart from all this, the “Khubsoorat” star was also being considered for Kareena Kapoor Khan-starrer ‘Udta Punjab’, but eventually the role went to Punjabi superstar — Diljit Dosanjh.
And, we heard that Khan turned down the role opposite Kareena. Did we hear that right?
Surely, there’s a hit-and-miss angle running through the Pak celeb’s fortunes!
It’s win some, lose some for Fawad
It’s win some, lose some for Fawad
In southeast Pakistan, Ramadan brings Hindus and Muslims closer
MITHI: Partab Shivani, a Hindu in Muslim-majority Pakistan, has fasted on and off during Ramadan for years, but this time is different as he practices abstinence for the entire holy month.
Every year, he and his friends in the southeastern city of Mithi arrange iftar, when Muslims break their daily fast, to foster peace and solidarity between the two religions.
“I believe we need to promote interfaith harmony. First, we are humans — religions came later,” Shivani, a 48-year-old social activist, told AFP, adding that he also reads the teachings of the Buddha.
“His message is about peace and ending war. Peace can spread through solidarity and by standing with one another. Distance only widens the gap between people,” he added.
Ninety-six percent of Pakistan’s 240 million people are Muslim. Just two percent are Hindu, most of them living in rural areas of Sindh province where Mithi is located.
In Mithi itself, most of the 60,000 inhabitants are Hindu.
Many of the city’s Hindus also observe Ramadan and iftar has become a social gathering where people from both faiths happily participate.
“This has been a wonderful tradition of ours for a very long time,” said Mir Muhammad Buledi, a 51-year-old Muslim friend who attended Shivani’s iftar gathering.
“It is a beautiful example of harmony between the two communities.”
Like brothers
Discrimination against minorities runs deep in Pakistan.
Following the end of British rule in South Asia in 1947, the subcontinent was partitioned into mainly Hindu India and Muslim-majority Pakistan.
That triggered widespread religious bloodshed in which hundreds of thousands were killed and millions displaced.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, freedom of religion or belief is under constant threat, with religiously motivated violence and discrimination increasing yearly.
State authorities, often using religious unrest for political gain, have failed to address the crisis, the independent non-profit says.
But such tensions are absent in Mithi.
“I am a Hindu but I keep all the fasts during this month,” said Sushil Malani, a local politician. “I feel happy standing with my Muslim brothers.
“We celebrate Eid together as well. This tradition in the region is very old.”
Restaurants and tea stalls are closed across Pakistan during Ramadan.
Ramesh Kumar, a 52-year-old Hindu man who sells sweets and savoury items outside a Muslim shrine, keeps his push cart covered and closed until iftar.
“There is no discrimination among us if someone is Muslim or Hindu. I have been seeing this since my childhood that we all live together like brothers,” he said.
Muslim shrine, Hindu caretaker
Locals say Mithi’s peaceful religious coexistence can be traced to its remote location, emerging from the sand dunes of the Tharparkar desert, which borders the modern Indian state of Rajasthan.
Cows — considered sacred in Hinduism — roam freely in Mithi city, as they do in neighboring India.
At two Sufi Muslim shrines in the middle of the city, Hindu families arrange meals, bringing fruit, meals and juices for their Muslim neighbors to break their fasts.
“We respect Muslims,” said Mohan Lal Malhi, a Hindu caretaker of one of the shrines.
Mohan said his parents and elders taught him to respect people regardless of religion or color, and the traditions pass from one generation to the next.
Local residents said both communities consider their social relationships more important than their religious identity.
“You will see a (Sikh) gurdwara, a mosque, and a shrine standing side by side here,” Mohan said. “The atmosphere of this area teaches humanity.”
