Some of my friends are quite disturbed at ‘the low level’ to which Aamir Khan has stooped in his latest movie Dhoom 3. They are unimpressed by the fact that the blockbuster is stashing crore after crore of rupees for its owners with each passing day. They instead take swipe at the highly irrational acts of chivalric heroism that the film is all about – a hero on a rickshaw breaking the wall, landing right in the middle of a street fight and as usual, but in somewhat unique manner, beats the hell out of the villains. They are disappointed that Aamir Khan, who they thought had promised a cinema-for-change, has betrayed them by being part of this ‘commercial’ flick.

But I am sure that the makers of the movie have no time to attend to such criticism. They are too busy celebrating the record smashing success of their venture. Why shouldn’t they be? They have been surgical in stage managing whatever it takes to blow the box office. They knew exactly how to bring the viewers to the edge of their seats, make their eyes pop out, send their hearts racing at maddening speed and their adrenaline levels hitting the ceiling.

The viewers come out contented, entertained and exhausted. They got the bang for the buck, probably a bonus too. They can now rejoice the experience till the next big thing arrives.

My skeptic friends find yet another consummate experience just as bizarre. I was amused, however, when some of them were upbeat at the speech that Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari delivered at the sixth death anniversary of his mother. They were elated at the bold manner in which the scion of the Bhutto clan hit out at the opponents of their party and its ideology. His tone and tenor was enthralling, and the crowd gathered at the Bhutto mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh frequently burst into frenzied applause. Some of the catchy phrases that he tossed, busied quite a few thumbs generating a flurry of activity in the social media, besides becoming the talk of evening talk-shows.