(Left) Salman and SRK hugged each other at an Iftaar party in 2013. (Right) Ranveer and Ranbir embrace at Arjun Kapoor's birthday celebrations on June 27
Sanjay Dutt should be well pleased. Not with the whole whiling away in jail thing, but because, 12 years after Munnabhai released, the jadoo ki jhappi is still going strong. Emphasis on the jadoo.
Some one once said that hugs are the handshakes of the heart--today, actually they appear to be all access instruments of, well, diplomacy and diversion. Tensions simmering, rumours rising, controversies have come a-courting, that old chestnut "we're just good friends" wearing thin? No press conference required, no press release need be given-allow a hug to say it for you.
Whether on a cricket pitch. At a red carpet. Onstage or off. A hug is a surprisingly powerful thing. Twitter owes much to it, memes do too. And if we're being honest our headlines, most of all!
And you know what,that's fine -- especially if its our Bollywood brigade bringing the love. Salman and Shah Rukh -- on separate occasions have allowed a hug to do the talking. In fact, when things were bad both were a lot more chatty. Its only when fences were mended, alliances back in place that they stayed silent. First at Farah Khan's wedding. Then at those now famous Iftaars, (We suspect though, at least at first, that it wasn't for want of an actual hug, so much as Baba Siddique's desperate need for the ultimate photo-op.) Now, of course the love has been displayed on Twitter and the release of Bajrangi Bhaijaan will owe some part of its success to a single embrace. But no-ones quibbling-who doesn't love a happy ending?
Mind you, the real question is whether that hug will hold true all the way till Eid 2016, when their films are scheduled to go head to head. Don't worry, we'll be watching as avidly as you.
Now, there's Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh who met and made nice at the birthday bash of Arjun Kapoor (Ranveer's great friend and fellow roastee). Now that's not any old hug-that's a clinch. And a clincher. You see, no one actually knew how good or bad things were between them-it was just assumed that with a lady love in common that things might be-awkward at best. Turns out not so much. If anything, they're a lot closer than any of us knew!
And here's why we approve, even if the hugs usually preclude those standard issue statements, or token comments: It's because, even if its occasionally insincere, it's a sensible, civilised resolution (Most of the time. Ask poor Shilpa Shetty, after her "hug" from Richard Gere, she knows how far it can go) Also, since it can (and does) spawn a thousand memes, its already worth it.
We were going end this by listing a bunch of people who need to hug and make up - but clearly they've already done so. And the only ones they appear to be ready to do battle with is... us.
Right. Well. Just say the word. We're happy to hug it out. Just as long as we can hold onto the headlines while we do!
Some one once said that hugs are the handshakes of the heart--today, actually they appear to be all access instruments of, well, diplomacy and diversion. Tensions simmering, rumours rising, controversies have come a-courting, that old chestnut "we're just good friends" wearing thin? No press conference required, no press release need be given-allow a hug to say it for you.
Whether on a cricket pitch. At a red carpet. Onstage or off. A hug is a surprisingly powerful thing. Twitter owes much to it, memes do too. And if we're being honest our headlines, most of all!
And you know what,that's fine -- especially if its our Bollywood brigade bringing the love. Salman and Shah Rukh -- on separate occasions have allowed a hug to do the talking. In fact, when things were bad both were a lot more chatty. Its only when fences were mended, alliances back in place that they stayed silent. First at Farah Khan's wedding. Then at those now famous Iftaars, (We suspect though, at least at first, that it wasn't for want of an actual hug, so much as Baba Siddique's desperate need for the ultimate photo-op.) Now, of course the love has been displayed on Twitter and the release of Bajrangi Bhaijaan will owe some part of its success to a single embrace. But no-ones quibbling-who doesn't love a happy ending?
Mind you, the real question is whether that hug will hold true all the way till Eid 2016, when their films are scheduled to go head to head. Don't worry, we'll be watching as avidly as you.
Now, there's Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh who met and made nice at the birthday bash of Arjun Kapoor (Ranveer's great friend and fellow roastee). Now that's not any old hug-that's a clinch. And a clincher. You see, no one actually knew how good or bad things were between them-it was just assumed that with a lady love in common that things might be-awkward at best. Turns out not so much. If anything, they're a lot closer than any of us knew!
And here's why we approve, even if the hugs usually preclude those standard issue statements, or token comments: It's because, even if its occasionally insincere, it's a sensible, civilised resolution (Most of the time. Ask poor Shilpa Shetty, after her "hug" from Richard Gere, she knows how far it can go) Also, since it can (and does) spawn a thousand memes, its already worth it.
We were going end this by listing a bunch of people who need to hug and make up - but clearly they've already done so. And the only ones they appear to be ready to do battle with is... us.
Right. Well. Just say the word. We're happy to hug it out. Just as long as we can hold onto the headlines while we do!
