KARACHI: First off, this new web show called To Be Honest, featuring host Tabish Hashmi is truly one of the most entertaining talk shows we’ve ever seen. Tabish, a comedian with several stand-up performances under his belt, shows exactly how a talk show should be done. He’s witty, thinks quick on his feet, gives enough time to the host to speak but also throws in little anecdotes of his own to keep things entertaining. In fact, we’d even go as far as to say that his comic presence steals the limelight from his guest a little bit.
But most importantly, Tabish calls out bullshit when he sees it.
Maybe we’re forming an opinion too quickly; after all, we’ve only seen one episode, the one which features Hina Altaf. But while we were thoroughly entertained, we were also quite impressed, that a comedian can find the balance between cracking jokes and being funny but also being woke and jokingly pointing out certain things that maybe other talk show hosts would shy away from.
The moment of the interview that we’re referring to is when Tabish is asking Hina questions about whether one can feel attracted to their co-star while doing an intimate scene with them (something we’ve always wondered too BTW). Hina Altaf begins to answer the question by revealing that she once did a romantic scene with Emmad Irfani and got carried away. Then she reveals that it’s difficult to do a romantic scene with Faisal Rehman because he becomes “too romantic.” Tabish, visibly shocked, immediately stops her and asks again if she’s romanced Faisal Rehman on screen, and Hina replies yes. He then proceeds to point out that Faisal Rehman must have done a romantic scene with his grandmother too, jokingly pointing out the age difference between Hina, who is 28, and Faisal, who is 52 years old.
Read: Here’s why Bollywood actors romancing women half their age is not okay
Hina laughs off saying yes she has romanced him on screen but “what can one do,” and proceeds to reveal that when doing a scene with Faisal, she has to keep her alarm on as though something is about to happen. “For instance, if you have to hold a finger in a scene, this man will just grab your arm.” Tabish then points out that “This isn’t romance. This is a case. You should call him out.” Hina replies that she has started threatening to use #MeToo and apparently that made him back off.
This entire incident is interesting because in 2018, a video clip went viral that showed Hina Altaf jumping off a sofa because Faisal Rehman seemed to be reaching out for her knee while shooting a scene. It turned out that he was merely pointing out that the mic was visible from under her clothes but Hina’s reaction, and now this interview, suggests that he’s made her uncomfortable on set before.
We also love the way Hina answers questions. She’s quirky, funny and is constantly smiling. In fact, at some point Tabish asks her who the most important person in her life is, and she answers “I’m the most important man/woman for myself. If you can’t keep yourself happy, how will you keep anyone else happy.” This is the energy we want to carry in 2020!
All this aside, the show is hilarious with a capital H. Watch it for Tabish Hashmi’s hilarious script and not for the controversies.
