The film Jannat 2 has grossed nearly Dh1m in the UAE since its release. With a Dh1.6million opening weekend in its hometown of Mumbai and similar success in other desi capitals across the globe, the Emraan Hashmi-starrer raked in money right from the start.
The cast and crew were in the city earlier this month for the UAE premiere. The press conference - which I had missed - seemed to have featured some bizarre gun-toting. The plot revolves around illegal arms and the promoters had wangled firearms for the event. By the time I came in, various guests were posing with the guns. To add to the curiosity of the situation, journalists and photographers were scrambling to get that photo/quote/sound bite from the lead actress and debutante Esha Gupta. Granted she looked flawless in her cream dress and asymmetric hairdo, but with no other films to speak of, I wondered what I would ask her. So I decided to skip it.
Instead, my eyes were drawn to a quietly composed lady at the back of the room. Dressed casually in a kurta and jeans, she looked interested enough to be assumed part of the cast or crew, yet detached enough to make you think your assumption might be wrong.
Had I not missed the press conference, I would have known that this was Shagufta Rafique, the scriptwriter of Jannat 2. Mahesh Bhatt, the director and producer, pointed her out to me as he told me the story of how she came to his office one day "like a struggler, looking frail and vulnerable, but with a fierce conviction in her eyes". Bhatt gave her a chance. She co-wrote a few films with him, moved on to writing one entirely by herself (Murder 2) and then was assigned Jannat 2.
"She was responsible for the project being given the green light," Mahesh revealed, "because she mesmerised the right people with the initial scenes she had worked out." And then he hit me with the words that made me do a double take: "I am very happy that this girl has now become a writer to reckon with and that tonight she will walk on the red carpet in the same city where she used to be a bar dancer once upon a time."
Bar dancer?! I shifted nervously. In a city where everyone seems to have been born wearing Prada, we're not used to skeletons being dragged out of the closet so casually. I waited for Shagufta to express her outrage at the liberty her producer was taking in divulging her Prada-free past. Instead, she smiled warmly.
"I've always taken pride in doing well whatever I do," she beamed. "When Bhatt gave me the chance to write, I vowed to do nothing less than my best, which is exactly what I did when I was a bar dancer. I'm proud to say that - just like I am great at what I do now - I was the best at what I did back then. A lot of people judged me, but I had nothing to prove to anyone. It's something I had to do because my family fell on tough times, and that's that. And funny how times change. Tonight I'm going to be walking the red carpet, being cheered on by the same people who I used to dance for."
After a few minutes, Shagufta excused herself to go back to her room before the evening's premiere. It's not like anybody was going to miss her, right? After all, there was the sparkly Esha Gupta. We do live in a world where the story of a model-turned-actress is far more riveting than that of a bar dancer-turned-scriptwriter. More's the pity.
Jawan
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
Under 19 World Cup
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
65
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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More on Coronavirus in France
The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
Company%20profile
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Company%20Profile
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat