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'Breaking' down a scandal
THE WEEK India
|January 12, 2025
Society Girl is not just a case study of a high-profile death in Pakistan but also a stark commentary on media trials
Society Girl: A Tale of Sex, Lies, and Scandal
By Saba Imtiaz and Tooba Masood-Khan
Published by Roli Books
Price ₹595; pages 352
In 1970s Pakistan, when former bureaucrat Mustafa Zaidi is found dead under mysterious circumstances and his lover Shahnaz Gul arrested as the main accused, news reporters rush to her house to closely observe the movements inside when were lights turned off, whether her husband Saleem Khan's car was parked outside.... "Saleem Khan was found strolling in his house in a worried state," reported a Pakistani daily.
In 2020, despite a raging pandemic, the 'mysterious death' of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, too, became the most important news. News channels competed for 'exclusives' and 'big breaking' and set up camp outside his and accused Rhea Chakraborty's houses, promising crisp coverage of even the slightest brush of air.
This story is from the January 12, 2025 edition of THE WEEK India.
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