Meera bye: Mush fines actress for getting mushy on Indian screen

During his trips abroad, Parvez Musharraf loves to boast about how he pulled his country out of a dangerous medieval morass, the truth is that women in his country are still measured with medieval tapes.

While Pakistani men can make merry from Islamabad to Eternity, a Pakistani Meera cannot even enact a kissing scene. And if the man she's enacting kissing happens to be an Indian, Allah have mercy. Because, Musharraf's modern government will not.

The Pakistani government has slapped a heavy fine on popular Pakistani actress Meera (the picture pops up)for performing a kissing scene in Bollywood film Nazar. And it's not stopping there. The government now plans to ban Pakistani actors from appearing in Indian movies.

The ministry of culture has imposed a heavy fine (the amount not disclosed yet, still in purdah) on Meera as her actions were against "Islamic ethics and moral values," an information ministry spokesman was quoted as saying in reports on Wednesday. Yes you read right, it's the government's ministry of culture and not some rabid Taliban turbaned mullah. And by the way, Pakistani actors (male ones) have acted in Indian films, snogged with Indian actresses, and that never violated their ethics and moral values.


Meera is seen kissing Ashmit Patel in Mahesh Bhatt's new film Nazar, which has prompted the government to impose the fine. The government is also considering imposition of a ban on Pakistani actors from acting in Indian films following protests over some "vulgar" scenes featuring Meera in Bhatt's film.

Meera recently claimed in Mumbai that she had received threatening phone calls from people claiming to represent religious groups in Pakistan for acting in Indian films.

She is the first film actress to speak about such a problem as a number of Pakistani film personalities have stepped up their association with the Mumbai film industry.

Several Indian film actors have also been visiting Pakistan in periodic intervals to interact with the local film industry. Leading the pack of Indian industrywallahs has been Mahesh Bhatt. Ironical?

I am such a son of a beach!

Sun, sand, sea and palms
______________________________

How pleasant to sit on the beach,
On the beach, on the sand, in the sun,
With ocean galore within reach,
And nothing at all to be done!
—Ogden Nash

I am back from Goa, salt in my hair, sand in my pants, beer in my belly and a song on my lips.

So what did I do? I had taken books I couldn’t finish. I did not go sight-seeing. I did not visit the happening places, skipped the famous rave parties. I didn’t have time from doing nothing at all, “with ocean galore within reach”.

I had breakfast on the beach, before I jumped into the Arabian Sea’s open arms. I had lunch in my swimming shorts (I had not taken trunks), which would dry by the time I finished my lazy lunch. And it was back to the sea again. The dinner too, except one odd night, was right next to the rising tide. And it was fish, always. There was a variety to be savoured.

I have not forgotten how to swim. It was a relief to know that after not swimming for nearly seven years. I did venture away from the shore quite a few times and did that without any fear.

That’s about it. But I will be back. There’s something in the white sand of South Goa.

(PS: God give us all long life in shorts and t-shirts. To hell with trousers.)

Living in an artificial world of his own creation

Nepal has again caught apna Natwar unawares. New Delhi has not done much and said little. It's too early to expect a tough stance from the thoughtful Natwar, but let us hope it's not too late. Meanwhile, I find my tribe growing. Check this out. Rajinder Puri in Outlook has a word of advice for Natwar Singh: "Natwar Singh ridicules balance of power theories. He should instead recall Pandit Nehru lamenting he had lived 'in an artificial world of his own creation'. "