Main kaun hoon, kaun nahi… doesn’t really matter, as long as the lights, camera, and a little bit of love are still rolling.
See you at the #ShahRukhKhanFilmFestival starting today.
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🔗 - https://t.co/biWmXkfRmb
In select theatres across India, in association with PVR INOX.
In select Cinepolis screens across India.
A YRF International release across the Middle East, North America, the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
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Happy Birthday to the man who created men who don't really exist in real life in many of his movies... I love you Raj, Rahul(KKKG), Aman❤️ Thank you for granting me a romantic getaway as a child and most part of my adulthood! Happy Birthday Shah Rukh! 🩷 @iamsrk
*Who Holds the Pause Button?*
_From Washington to Riyadh, how international actors temper a regional rivalry with global consequences_
In South Asia, war drums don’t always sound like boots or bombs. Sometimes, they sound like an IMF wire transfer—or a FATF compliance review.
On 9 May 2025, while satellite channels speculated about a new round of retaliatory strikes between India and Pakistan, something quieter—and perhaps more decisive—happened thousands of miles away in Washington. The International Monetary Fund approved the release of $1.1 billion to Pakistan, part of a broader $7 billion bailout intended to keep the country’s economy from collapsing into the Indus.
The money came with usual prescriptions—cut subsidies, tax the untaxed, stop the rupee’s freefall. But beneath the macroeconomic jargon was an unwritten clause: don’t start a war.
Pakistan may have once held the right to escalate. Today, it must seek permission from its creditors. And those creditors, along with a chorus of global allies, watchdogs, and silent investors, now play a larger role in South Asia’s blood-and-thunder theatre than the generals who still stand at the LOC.
The New Conflict Map Is a Ledger
Pakistan, battered by inflation, energy shortages, and a rotting tax base, turned to the IMF for the 23rd time in its history. This time, the fund’s conditions came with geopolitical overtones. Islamabad’s economy, tied to Saudi deposits and Chinese loans, was no longer just a fiscal matter—it was a strategic liability.
And standing beside the IMF, clipboard in hand, is the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)—watching every rupee, every remittance, and every loophole. Though Pakistan was removed from the FATF grey list in 2022, it remains under quiet but pointed scrutiny. Any lapse in counter-terror financing enforcement—or a whiff of state complicity—could see sanctions return, just when the country can least afford them.
In essence, the message from FATF is no different from the IMF’s: discipline your economy, control your proxies, or risk global isolation.
Which is to say: Pakistan can’t afford a war.
And everyone knows it.
Delhi Learns to Hit Without Burning Bridges
On the other side of the Radcliffe Line, India has also changed. Once married to the idea of “strategic restraint,” it now practices strategic messaging.
When the Pulwama terror attack happened in 2019, India struck deep into Balakot with airpower. No declarations. Just action. And since then, Delhi has refined this playbook: targeted strikes, limited engagements, and a flurry of diplomacy to frame the narrative before anyone else can.
India doesn’t just retaliate. It curates retaliation. And it does so with one eye on Washington, one on Tokyo, and a third on Bloomberg.
Because for Delhi too, growth depends on perception. And war—no matter how justifiable—tanks perception.
The United States: Present, But Distracted
The Americans no longer want to mediate the India–Pakistan story. They’ve seen this film too many times. The new U.S. interest lies in containing China, securing supply chains, and making sure South Asia doesn’t become a footnote in a much bigger strategic screenplay.
But when the subcontinent stirs, Washington still calls.
They remind Islamabad that a war will nullify any goodwill with the IMF. They remind Delhi that global investors like calm, not cannon fire. And then, they disappear back into the Indo-Pacific.
They are not referees anymore. They’re more like an anxious landlord hoping the tenants don’t burn the house down.
China: The Iron Brother with Glass Nerves
Beijing publicly calls Pakistan its “iron brother,” a phrase that’s been worn smooth with overuse. Behind closed doors, however, China has growing anxieties. Its $60+ billion investment in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) snakes through volatile regions and rests on an illusion of peace
Johnny Depp won! Proof of the fact that #Mentoo can be victims of abuse. The evidence so clearly told the world how nice men can pay the price for being gentle and nice! Also, it is a proof that #truthprevails sooner or later!
I am not the judgemental kind at all.I can accept almost anything&any kind of people.However,the #Gehraiyan trailer got me thinking!Are we supposed to glorify cheating through our movies?I'm sorry but I don't think normalising cheating is a way to show a progressive society!
It's a shame how you are all sympathetic when the girl disappears from the face of the world and tries to recover but when she finally recovers and decides to accept you pull her down! So much for the "love" you had for the deceased! #SidharthShukla#ShehnaazGill
I was just going through my TL after a long time... Saw a few posts about how a girlfriend is "using" her deceased boyfriend's name for fame and money. I just want to say one thing, the deceased has a family that supports the girl and has been instrumental in making her get back
To work... If she were doing what you propose under your love for the deceased, his family would definitely object!... Secondly, what do you expect? The girl should die because the man,who btw wanted the best for her, is no longer around?The ridiculous judgements that people pass
Shaheer has named his daughter Anaya. How very similar to the once popular fan-name given to Anant and Navya- Anya! We are now so far away from those days... Yet o yet... Anyway Congratulations to him and his wife! God bless the baby girl @Shaheer_S