11012026-LSTL-01.qxd 1/10/2026 8:07 PM Page 1 c m y b NIKKHIL ADVANI BREAKS SILENCE The second season of Freedom at Midnight, directed by Nikkhil Advani, is now streaming on OTT. Advani has responded to earlier criticism from filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, who accused the show of “whitewashing” history. “I think Mr. Agnihotri is a filmmaker, and he makes the kind of films he wants to. And he is allowed to say what he wants to,” he said. One Battle After Another surges ahead Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer One Battle After Another appears to be on its way to emerge as the big winner of this awards season, landing a series of shortlisted and longlisted titles over the past few weeks. The film is now leading the 2026 BAFTA Film longlists with a record of 16 mentions after the first round of voting across 25 categories. The Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer leads BAFTA longlist with record 16 nods Speaking out Life Kendall Jenner is addressing the rumours surrounding her sexuality. In a podcast, Jenner opened up on how the internet believes her to be a lesbian, adding that it would not have been an issue for her to come out in public. LUDHIANA | SUNDAY | 11 JANUARY 2026 Dharmendra, Jaideep Ahlawat & Sriram Raghavan on the set of Ikkis Celebrated director Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis has opened to rave reviews with a decent run on the box office. The film is not a formulaic war film but a medley of elements, seemingly contrarian in nature but cohesive in more ways than one. The master of guessing games, best known for thrillers like Andhadhun, Badlapur and Merry Christmas, Raghavan lets us into how he, who is ‘not a war movie junkie’, ended up making a war drama. On zeroing down upon India’s youngest Param Vir Chakra awardee Arun Khetarpal, he says it was a great co-incidence. When his producer was discussing the story of Ikkis, Raghavan just happened to be in the same room. His simple inquiry ‘who is directing the film’ led to the repartee — ‘Do you want to?’ Today, he can safely say, “Stories choose you and not the other way around.” The kernel of idea soon fleshed into a bigger picture. Raghavan recalls, “As I met more and more officers, Arun’s colleagues, his younger brother, not only did a composite picture of his persona and bravery emerge, but also stories of other officers. I The much-awaited sequel to 2023’s sleeper hit Godzilla Minus One is finally roaring its way to the theatres. With the return of director-screenwriter Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus Zero will hit North American theatres on November 6, following its Japan premiere on November 3. The November 3 Japanese release coincides with the day when the original Godzilla film came out in 1954, now observed as Godzilla Day. Godzilla Minus One was also released in Japan on November 2, 2023. not a war movie junkie I’m was tempted to make a series.” For Raghavan the core of Ikkis lay in a man becoming a hero, who had no idea he was going to be immortalised. He quips, “We are corrupted by the image perpetuated by Hindi cinema where the moment the hero walks in we know he is the one.” Of course, for the maker known for finding humanity in unlikeliest of places and people, emotional connect is what he strove to achieve. Finding the right actor who carried the fresh youthfulness of Arun involved many auditions. One thing which struck him about his final choice Agastya Nanda was his rawness akin to his grandfather Amitabh Bachchan’s in Saat Hindustani. Since the film also stars Akshay Kumar’s niece Simar Bhatia, we ask for his take on nepo kids. “I have nothing to say on nepotism.” Nor does he share any hyperbole on nationalism. A self-confessed cinephile, his idea of a good war movie is Saving Private Ryan, The Bridge on The River Kwai and in Hindi cinema, there is Haqeeqat whose poster signed by Dharmendra adorns his office. Raghavan has much to say about the late actor and how the poet in Dharmendra wrote some beautiful lines in Punjabi for the film. Ikkis was not an easy film to make. One of the major challenges was the fact that the tanks used in the 1971war were from the World War 2 era. Thus reconstructing the lookalike was a herculean task which they managed to pull through with special effects. War for Raghavan, however, is just a backdrop to depict what soldiers go through and is not about ‘particular politics of a particular nation.’ Today, as audiences are reading his anti-war message loud and clear, he sure wants to bring in a sense of calm in times of strife we are living in. For 21-year-olds of today, he MUZAFFAR ALI DONATES RARE COPY OF HIS FILM Veteran filmmaker Muzaffar Ali has donated a rare copy of his film Anjuman to the NFDC-NFAI as part of ongoing efforts to preserve India’s cinematic heritage. Anjuman was an official selection of the Indian Panorama in 1986 and was also part of the prestigious Vancouver Film Festival and Tehran Film Festival. Agastya Nanda has no message except a few lines from the Amitabh Bhattacharya song, ‘Ban ke dikha ikkis.’ To people of Punjab, where he shot extensively and crowds gathered to catch glimpse of their favourite star Dharmendra, he does beseech, “Watch the film, he is wonderful.” In near future, Raghavan won’t be creating another war wonder, but go back to his comfort zone of wild and wicked thrillers. So, as he prepares for Badlapur 2, you can check out his ode to a brave-heart, as much a reflection of Arun Khetarpal’s extraordinary life as illumination of things we need to ponder upon. ‘Right now I’m focusing on writing’ UK-based actor Purab Kohli, who plays the character of a tiresome professor in The Great Shamsuddin Family, has been basking in the praise being heaped on the recently released family drama. Written and directed by Anusha Rizvi, the film premiered on JioHotstar last month and is primed for wider international release this year as its layered and light-hearted take on familial tugs of war continues to make OTT waves. Kohli, known for standout performances in My Brother...Nikhil and Rock On, felt instantly drawn to the character of Amitav in Rizvi’s script and has been gratified by the film’s steady word-of-mouth impact. “It’s been quite lovely and I’m pretty certain a film like The Great Shamsuddin Family, 20 years from now, people will still be talking about it,” said Kohli, during an interview in London. “As they do more deals internationally, this will be appreciated and seen by people worldwide on other platforms. So, I think this film has got that Purab Kohli, who is basking in praise for The Great Shamsuddin Family, talks about his life and career long lifespan, which will go on, and people will watch, and I am actually quite proud to be associated with projects like that,” he said. Set over the span of one day in the Delhi home of Bani Ahmad, portrayed by actor Kritika Kamra, the film captures the chaos that unfolds when troublesome siblings CHAT UP GODZILLA ON ITS WAY Sriram Raghavan, who gave us cinematic gems like Andhadhun, Badlapur, Merry Christmas and now Ikkis, says war for him is just a backdrop to depict what soldiers go through, and not about ‘particular politics of a particular nation’ NonikaSingh As announced by BAFTA on January 9, the political satire on US extremism and polarisation bagged an impressive 16 nods — the highest since the longlist round was started in 2021. Besides Best Film, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, the film also dominated the performance lists with the lead stars DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn. Earlier in 2025, the record for most BAFTA longlist mentions went to Emilia Perez with 15 nods, All Quiet on the Western Front in 2023, and Oppenheimer, Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon in 2024. The longlist also features Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners with 14 mentions each. Both films have received Best Director, Best Film, and performance nods. While Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme bagged 13 mentions, Bugonia and Frankenstein follow closely behind with 12. — ANI TRIBUNE and spirited matriarchs clash. “It was one of those scripts that I couldn’t put down. I read it at one go and loved it,” recalls Kohli, who plays Bani’s buddy in the film. “I think Amitav is that annoying friend that everybody has. You love him, but he’s annoying, extremely so. But there’s also some sort of dependability and support that he offers. I think that makes him quite relatable, in that sense, in a family setup,” he reflects. Shot within a family home set-up and packed with several laugh-out-loud scenes, the actor shares that the shooting process last year was enhanced by that easy banter which then translated onto the screen. c m y b “Sometimes you watch a film and you see that some people are much better than the other, but in this film everybody is amazing. It really sets a benchmark of what a film can be. Everybody is delivering a performance at that certain level,” shares Kohli. Based in London since 2018 with his wife and children, the talented Mumbai artiste has become selective about the acting roles that he takes on as he focuses the bulk of his time on writing and producing varied projects. “Right now, because I’m focusing on the writing, I’m very clear I will do only (acting) projects that I’m feeling creatively satisfied by. It’s not about the money. I’ve kept money making on hold for now... I’ve been lucky to have made enough. And now, the focus is on making sure I’m creatively saying what I want to say and put that out there,” he said. Putul and Ahuti are among his next films set for release in 2026, a year he has set aside for his writing projects to gain momentum as he also explores a gap in the market for stories about first-generation Indians living in the UK. "There's a gap there in the market for even providing entertainment for them. Their stories are not being told, which is a driving force for me as a writer," he said. — PTI YO YO ADDS MUSICAL TOUCH TO WPL The fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League kick-started on a grand note at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, with members of the film industry and music industry entertaining the spectators with their performances. Yo Yo Honey Singh was one of the key performers. He added a musical touch to the ceremony, crooning his chartbusters such as Lungi Dance, Blue Eyes and Millionaire. BLACK MIRROR RENEWED FOR SEASON 8 Netflix’s popular series Black Mirror has been renewed for the eighth season. On Friday, Netflix shared this exciting update by releasing a transcript of a conversation with creator Charlie Brooker, in which he beamed about the show’s three Golden Globe nominations. The seventh edition of Brooker's dystopian anthology series immediately topped Netflix charts upon its April 2025 release, accruing 10.6 million views in its first full week on the platform. The six episodes included a sequel to what is regarded as one of the most popular episodes in the program's history: USS Callister.