10092026-LSTL-01.qxd 9/9/2026 7:47 PM Page 1 c m y b LEADER IN THE MAKING Shiv Aryan Films and Black Panther Movies Ltd (London) have announced the signing of filmmaker Kalees, director of the action entertainer Baby John, for its upcoming pan-India project, titled Leader. TRIBUNE Life UG threw me back into life Subhash K Jha T HE world premiere of the emotionally jolting documentary The Natural State about the radical Indian “anti-guru” UG Krishnamurti took place at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado on September 7. The film explores the seismic effect Krishnamurti had on his followers. It is built from hundreds of hours of previously unseen archival video footage and personal journals kept by Julie Thayer, a wealthy New York resident, who abandoned her family and life in 1989 to follow UG into the Swiss Alps, documenting their intense, often devastating psychological interactions. The documentary marks the ambitious directorial debut of composer Matt Dougherty. It is executive produced by Hopeful Oscar-winning filmmaker Jane Campion—who knew UG personally and modelled Holly Hunter’s character “GJ” in the series Top of the Lake after him—alongside Mahesh Bhatt. The filmmaker spoke about it after the Telluride screening. I had the privilege of watching the documentary. I came away drained, unable to understand U G Krishnamurti… Not understanding UG is not a failure of the film. It may be the film’s final achievement. If the audience walks away saying, “Now I understand UG,” the film has probably betrayed him. What he leaves behind is not an answer but the collapse of our demand for one. I was especially drained by his brutal treatment of Julie Thayer, the woman who loved him blindly? Actress Julia Garner has said she still believes the long-shelved Madonna biopic, in which she was to headline as Madonna, could eventually make it to the screen. LUDHIANA | THURSDAY | 10 SEPTEMBER 2026 Mahesh Bhatt, whose documentary on UG Krishnamurti wowed The Telluride Film Festival, talks about his love-hate relationship with the radical anti-guru What I say about Julie is crucial: his brutality was perhaps the last kindness. “You think you can buy me?” is devastating because it destroys the final transaction—the hope that devotion, proximity, money, sacrifice, years spent beside him might purchase what she had come looking for. Nothing could. Because, according to UG, there was nothing to acquire. Why was he so contemptuous of his followers, specially Julie, who gave him everything? My relationship with him was different. I did not love him because he gave me enlightenment. I loved him because he drove me out of the marketplace of enlightenment. He threw me back into life. Into filmmaking. Love. Family. Failure. Desire. Death. The ordinary world. The real world. And still, after all these I think, in the end, he ‘liberated’ Julie. Brutally. When she came to him with that final offer to give him all her wealth, he said, “You can’t buy me”. That cruelty contained the truth he had been telling her all along: You are not going to get anything here. What she was looking for, he did not have. Nobody has. Ajay Devgn wants Malayalam superstar Mohanlal to watch the upcoming third part of the Drishyam franchise and give his approval to the family crime thriller. Speaking at the trailer launch of Drishyam The Conclusion in Goa on Wednesday, Ajay said the new film has a completely different story from the Malayalam version and that he would be happy to have Mohanlal’s approval. Talking about the challenge of making the third part, Ajay said the Hindi film has taken a different path from the Malayalam franchise. “In fact, I would say that making this film has been a big challenge for us because, with Mohanlal sir and Joseph, this is their third film. The second one was also, in a way, inspired by the original. But this time, the script is completely different. All three of their films are different, and our film has also taken a completely different route. It’s not that we’ve just made a few changes; the story is entirely different,” the actor said. The film continues the story of Vijay Salgaonkar and his family after the events of Drishyam 2. — ANI years, I cannot explain him. That is beautiful. The aftertaste UG leaves behind is the frustration of not being able to make sense of the magic and mystery of life. Your relationship with UG was quite stormy. In the documentary I saw you openly challenging him? It’s different He completely rejected his devotees’ faith in him... He tore everything down. But he never said: replace it with me. “The messiahs have made a mess of this world,” he said. Filmmaker Jane Campion You were enamoured then disillusioned by UG? For me, the greatest love story of my life was with this man. He cured me of the spiritual question and threw me back into the real world. Do I understand him? No. Do I love him? Yes. I love him as I have loved nothing else in my life. He is the breath of my breath. And he disturbs me even now. I can’t make sense of this rude thinker who says nothing matters? I cannot make sense of UG for you. Perhaps nobody should. If this film leaves you with that thirst—with the CHAT UP WHAT’S HOT learn OFF TO BERLIN The ambitious Indo-German feature film The Bombay Blood, produced by Neel Kothari, Gaurav Hrishikesh Thakur and Daniel E Pajak is gearing up for a significant international milestone with an upcoming special screening at the Indian Embassy in Berlin on September 11. chandigarh A TOUCH OF MOROCCO C REATE a stunning Moroccan tile design with vivid blue and gold pigments at this hands-on workshop, set under a beautifully decorated tent with desert music and mint tea for company. The session covers geometric patterns and traditional colour techniques. At Cafe Coffee Day, Sector 16, on September 13. DJ SNAKE TO RETURN TO INDIA play chandigarh JUST BEAT IT T HE Lost Carnival brings a night of highenergy music, spectacular lights and unforgettable party vibes to the city, featuring live performances by Vishal and dynamic beats by Atharva. The fivehour set spans Bollywood, disco and EDM. At MOBE Elante, on September 13. laugh chandigarh LAUGH OUT LOUD C OMEDIAN Jaspreet Singh brings his solo act Straight Up to the city, packed with observational humour and relatable everyday stories. The show runs for an hour and thirty minutes in Hindi and English, drawing on the comedian’s signature style of finding comedy in the mundane. At Tagore Theatre, from September 12 till September 26. mystery still intact, with no answer to carry home—then perhaps it has brought you as close to UG as anyone can come. Not to an answer. To the fire. You heard Julie’s response to the question of why she loved him? “He was fire. He flows through my ‘veins’ like my blood.” Shivani Bhakoo The fashion-savvy Ludhiana has become a favourite destination for leading designers of the country, famous jewellery brands and others. Since the festive and wedding season is fast approaching, many exhibitions are being held in the city to provide the fashion-conscious women a chance to explore more. A two-day exhibition is being held by Talwarsons Jewellers at Maharaja Regency, which kicked-off on Wednesday. Ruby Marjara, who has been organising The Yellow Tree exhibition for the past several years, has extended support to hold the two-days’ show. They have brought the latest in polki, stones, gems and diamond. Shop till you drop From designer clothes to jewellery to day-today wear, Ludhiana becomes favourite destination for lifestyle brands Apart from that, Shantanu/Nikhil — the leading designers of the country — showcased their latest collection recently. Curated by Divya Dhanda, the exhibition got a good response. The back-to-back exhibitions have become a routine in Ludhiana, especially during the wedding and festive seasons. Yaadein is an heirloom collection by Sapna Bijli and Noor. Shweta Gupta and Vidushi Thaman, the curators for the event, said that the leading names liked to showcase their products in Ludhiana as the clientele here has huge purchasing power. Shweta Gupta said, “The leading names approach us for their events as they realise ISTOCK c m y b that Ludhiana has the best fashion sense and people would spend to get the best designer outfits for weddings and other events.” Vidushi added that Ludhiana is small as compared to other metropolitans in the country but the love for fashion is legendary. “The women here love to spend time looking good, designer labels add to their confidence,” she said. Besides, another two-day exhibition has started at Blasse where leading European brands like Alaia, Chloe, Loewe, Pucci etc are showcase their products. Geetanjali, a fashion lover, who hardly misses any opportunity to visit the exhibitions, said, “We get to know about the latest in fashion and get variety under one roof.” EDM star DJ Snake is set to return to India as the latest addition to the lineup of Sunburn Festival 2026. His announcement comes after The Chainsmokers and Sebastian Ingrosso were revealed as headliners for the festival, which is scheduled to take place in Mumbai in December. MIRZAPUR EARNS ~150 CRORE Mirzapur: The Movie, featuring actors Ali Fazal, Divyenndu and Pankaj Tripathi, among others, has earned over Rs 150 crore at the domestic box office. The film, which released on September 4, marks the first big-screen outing for the Mirzapur universe, which began as a streaming series in 2018.