Have you heard? Pakistani show Humsafar starring Fawad Khan to get desi adaptation

Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan

Humsafar, the popular Pakistani show featuring Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, is getting an Indian stage adaptation with Mahesh Bhatt stepping in as its presenter. Actor Imran Zahid, Bhatt's protege who has worked on many stage adaptations of the filmmaker's movies, is spearheading the project, which they hope would restart the cultural exchange between India and Pakistan. Zahid said they have reached a mutual agreement with Momina Duraid, the creator of Humsafar, for the stage adaptation in India. "It is an initiative from Mahesh Bhatt and Momina Duraid to continue the art and culture exchange between the two nations. This exchange has been stuck for a while, and I believe this is one small step towards restarting this," Zahid said. In a statement, Bhatt said he firmly believes that India and Pakistan can "bridge the distances" through art and culture. Humsafar followed the story of Ashar (Fawad) and Khirad (Mahira), two individuals from different backgrounds who are compelled to get married due to their circumstances and must navigate the complexities of love, betrayal, and societal pressures.

Targeter becomes the target

Kangana Ranaut's ability to speak her mind has always been laudable, but surely the actor - who has often criticised Bollywood folk and politicians - would have prepared to face the brickbats when the tables turned. Ever since her upcoming film, Emergency, hit headlines for courting several controversies, Ranaut has found herself waging multiple wars. Stating that she has become "a favourite target for everyone", the actor shared on social media, "This is the price you pay for awakening this sleeping nation; they don't know what I am talking about, they have no clue why I am so concerned, because they want peace. They don't want to take sides," the Bharatiya Janata Party MP wrote, listing the multiple social issues on which she has taken a stand. Her remarks came hours after Himachal Pradesh Revenue Minister and Congress MLA, Jagat Singh Negi, during Wednesday's assembly session, alleged that the actor visited the flood-hit state when matters had already settled down.

Farhan's film on valour

A day after teasing his followers with news that would be of interest to them, Farhan Akhtar revealed that a project on Param Vir Chakra recipient Major Shaitan Singh is underway. Revealing via a poster that the film, titled 120 Bahadur, is being created, he made evident that the military action offering will be set against the backdrop of the 1962 Indo-China war. It draws inspiration from the Battle of Rezang La, where soldiers of Charlie Company, 13 Kumaon Regiment, displayed unparalleled courage. "The first shoot schedule of the film begins today in Ladakh," production house Excel Entertainment shared.

Desi ladies head to Japan

After a critically successful run at the Indian box office, Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies is all set to release in Japan on October 4, the filmmaker announced yesterday. "We are so excited for our theatrical release in Japan," Rao posted on Instagram. The film, an empowering take on two brides in rural India in 2001 who accidentally get swapped during a train journey, is produced by Aamir Khan's production house. It was released in India in March this year. Last month, both Rao and Khan attended a special screening of the film at the Supreme Court of India. The screening was organised for judges, their families, and officials.

Remembering her son

Celina Jaitly shared an emotional note about her late son Shamsher, who would have turned seven on September 10. "As baby Arthur's birthday approaches on September 10, many different emotions overwhelm me as I remember all that we've been through. We lost Arthur's twin Shamsher to a hypoplastic heart, and this is something that is very difficult to fathom even after six years. Arthur often asks of Shamsher and cries for him. He has memories of him, he says; I don't know how though," wrote Jaitly, who married hotelier Peter Haag in 2011.

Weaving stories

Shekhar Kapur expressed his fondness for the national capital while also touching upon the alarming levels of pollution in the city. Yesterday, the filmmaker took to Instagram to share a picture of Delhi's cityscape blanketed in the smog. "Yes, it's polluted. Yes, it is not what Delhi was 50 years ago when I'd lay on the terrace of our house at night, stare at the night sky and see the Milky Way. Wondering about the night sky, I asked my mother, how far does space go? ‘Forever, my son. Forever'. The terrace of our house in unpolluted Delhi created the need to tell stories," he wrote, going on to narrate how that incident inspired his work as a filmmaker.