12092026-LSTL-01.qxd 9/11/2026 7:50 PM Page 1 c m y b DIANA PENTY AT IFGL GALA Actor Diana Penty turned showstopper in a striking creation by fashion designer Archana Kochhar at the Indian Fashion Glamour League (IFGL) Gala and Red Carpet Walk in Mumbai. Penty’s appearance added glamour to an evening celebrating Indian fashion, design and celebrity style. TRIBUNE Life She jokes the show is also son Neer’s debut — he was technically on set for all of it AR’s message Oscar-winning musician AR Rahman has stepped forward to create awareness about cybercrime following an appeal by Sukma Police, Chhattisgarh. LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 12 SEPTEMBER 2026 Local story, Ashmita’s on-screen transformation For Ashmita Bakshi, the concept of the show 108 Base Hospital – Uri, drew her attention and she took up the role. Sharing more of her reasons for taking up this show she says, “My role is that of a nurse who is also a Major in the Army. 108 Base Hospital – Uri is inspired by a real hospital in Srinagar called 92 BH Srinagar. The show is based on the lives of Army doctors, nurses and officers working in such a hospital. I play one of those two nurses, while Smita Bansal plays the senior nurse. Doctors and nurses work together to treat these patients, so nurses are a very important part of the hospital.” global perspective Nonika Singh Parineeti’s pregnancy debut Ananya Verma Parineeti Chopra discovered she was pregnant midway through filming Shaque: Trust No One, and instead of stepping away, she kept going with a production team that rearranged the entire shoot around her. Speaking at the trailer launch, Parineeti revealed that the filming was already underway at locations in Shimla and Chail when the news came. Rather than travelling an hour each way on winding mountain roads every day, the makers arranged for her to live on set. Action sequences were reworked to suit her comfort and the director ensured she never felt guilty for a single day. “They arranged for me to stay on set so that I don’t need to travel on those winding, mountainous roads every day. I could comfortably just shoot and get my rest,” she said. Her husband, Raghav Chadha, did not wait to be asked. “Raghav, being Raghav, he ran to Shimla and came to be with me,” she said. She mentioned that the show would always hold a special place — not just as her web debut but as baby Neer’s too. “We joked that it was Neer’s debut, along with my debut on the web. Hence, it’s going to be the most special show for me, always.” Shaque, which also stars Jennifer Winget, Soni Razdan, Anup Soni and Tahir Raj Bhasin, premieres on Netflix on September 24. Booker Prize winner Aravind Adiga’s work is not new to Indian screens. If in 2021 an Iranian-American director Ramin Bahrani brought to life his much acclaimed book The White Tiger, now is the turn of yet another noted international filmmaker Ben Rekhi. Only this Indian-American also happens to be a Punjab da puttar in whom East meets West most beautifully and syncretically. As his new film Last Man in Tower, based on Adiga’s 2011 book, hits the theatre, Ben lets us into how he hopes to infuse his unique global perspective into a very local story, how 90 per cent of good direction is great casting. On the surface level, he agrees that Last Man…might too be about how greed destroys family, community but it digs deeper. He adds, “It’s a nuanced look at human condition, what ordinary people do when pushed to the extreme.” Whether his hero Masterji (played by Manoj Bajpayee) is heroic or plain stubborn, Ben answers, “I love the fact that he is morally grey and the film constantly challenges the viewer; is he right or his neighbours who see redevelopment as a passport to better life. When two rights clash, there is an intense psychological warfare.” Moral ambiguity for Ben isn’t merely a tricky terrain but also creatively fascinating and an electric realm with sparks flying. He says, “We all have some good in us and some selfishness.” But, at the end of the day, the film isn’t a commentary or mere slice of reality, but packed with enough twists and turns which audiences won’t see coming. Of course, when the book already exists in public domain, readers would be privy to the big reveal. Hence he admits that adaptation, ‘a great balancing act’ has to take on the challenge of weaving new flesh around Princess Diana’s revenge dress to be auctioned International filmmaker Ben Rekhi describes his film Last Man in Tower as a nuanced exploration of the human condition and what ordinary people are capable of when pushed to the extreme the original skeleton, a task his screenplay writer Sooni Taraporevala, has achieved ever so deftly. Ultimately, though the film might have made some departures, the source material for him always, “is the North star.” While he hopes that fans of the book like the film as much, he is not unmindful of unfair comparisons with the written word. But unperturbed, he avers, “You can’t be shackled by expectations. To cater to a million readers, who have all imagined the book a certain way in their head, is an impossible task.” Besides, he is not chasing the market, “You can only be true to yourself and your work.” Precisely why, though he has worked with George Clooney in the past, and could have chosen an international actor, he went with Manoj Bajpayee. Ben dubs Manoj a ‘national treasure’, compares him to Daniel Day Lewis, who disappears into the character. Taken in by versatile actor’s wide range, he quips, “Most actors operate on a single frequency but Manoj is so intuitive, absorbs the material and then his physicality changes and what is remarkable is behind his eyes, the unspoken.” Other actors, be it ‘scene stealer’ Divya Dutta or ‘elastic’ Boman Irani too come in for fulsome praise. Ben also reveals how Boman and Manoj, two giants of Indian cinema, will be sharing the screen for the first time. Hailing Indian actors as no less professional or talented, yet another talent he can’t stop raving over is Rana Daggubati, his producer. He credits Rana for protecting the creative vision and believing in the The film is coming out at a time when audiences are going through something similar. While Masterji played by Manoj Bajpayee is resisting change, others around him see it as advancement. — BEN REKHI film strongly enough to take a chance in theatres at a time when a big ticket Akshay Kumar film is set for release. Ben doesn’t see Akshay’s Haiwaan as a threat, calls it counter programming and feels, “there is room for both films.” Between Indian and global audiences, he doesn’t draw a line, “I have made this film for people and hope to tap into emotions, the universal language.” As a director, he would always want his audiences to feel more than think for, “We are in the business of emotional storytelling.” His Punjabi genes anyway make him gravitate more towards feelings. Working with Punjaban Divya may not have done much to his spoken Punjabi but the DNA remains quintessentially rooted in Punjab. Passionate, fiery and of course, master of three Cs, creativity, curiosity and conviction, the purpose of art, he believes, “is to bring people together.” He adds, “Cinema, a powerful tool, can be used to build an ‘us vs them’ narrative or aspire towards living in harmony.” In him not only do two cultures come together but also a deep desire to build bridges. Breaking the Code is not just the name of his documentary on his Sikh father but also his life mantra. Princess Diana’s iconic ‘revenge dress’ is set to go under the hammer at Sotheby’s in New York on December 9, nearly three decades after it was last sold. According to CNN, the legendary black evening gown is expected to fetch between $150,000 and $ 300,000. Designed by Greek designer Christina Stambolian, the off-the-shoulder black silk gown became one of the most recognisable fashion moments associated with the late princess. Moms-in-law who mean business Creating history... From baking and makeup artistry to event management, a new generation of mothers-in-law is encouraging their daughters-in-law to work, earn and become financially independent Shivani Bhakoo “Financial independence is a must for every girl.” With this mindset, a growing number of mothers-in-law in cities are encouraging their daughtersin-law to work, earn and build careers of their own. For these mothers-in-law, household chores can always be managed, but being financially independent is essential. Rather than expecting their daughters-in-law to focus sole- NAZA earns 24 minutes of standing ovation at Venice Film Fest RIDHI BAJAJ ly on the home, they are stepping up as strong supporters— encouraging them to pursue careers, start businesses and become self-reliant. With this support at home, many women are finding the confidence to explore professions and entrepreneurial ventures they may otherwise have hesitated to pursue—from baking and makeup artistry to event management and beyond. Meet Shivani Bakshi, who has extended whole KASHISH hearted support to her daughter-in-law Ridhi Bakshi to start her venture as Ridhi has studied done BBA in culinary industry management from Le Cordon Bleu London. Ridhi has worked at Ladurée Harrods in London and won a bronze medal at the International Salon Culinaire competition in London. “Being so educated, I never wanted her to sit at home idle. We have opened a shop, Creme Patisserie, for her as she has passion for baking,” said Shivani. Tina Jain, another homemaker, never wanted her daughter-in-law Kashish to sit at home. Since Kashish wanted to learn the art of make-up, Tina sent Kashish to leading makeup artist Samaira Sandhu. “She now has her own make-up studio. I feel so satisfied that what we could not do, our daughters-inlaw are doing,” said Tina, a happy mother-in- law. Sapna Dua, an event man- c m y b SAPNA DUA & PRACHI agement professional, whose son is engaged, is already encouraging her would-be daughter-in-law to pursue her entrepreneurial ambitions. “My would-be daughter-in-law Prachi is following in my footsteps. She has started organising exhibitions in the city, which have received a good response. The idea is to channelise the energy and potential of these young, dynamic girls and give them the right platform to grow,” said Dua. NAZA, the new documentary from No Other Land directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, earned a massive 24.5-minute ovation at its Venice Film Festival premiere on Thursday. This marks the longest-ever standing ovation in Venice, besting the 22 minutes for The Voice of Hind Rajab last year. This could be the longest standing ovation from the festival as it concludes on Saturday. According to reports, the Oscar-winning Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer, who is an executive producer on the film, embraced Abraham and Szor and cheered them on throughout the astounding applause. The director duo looked sombre, and both got teary-eyed at points, as did the audience, some of whom held up Palestinian flags. “NAZA shows in detail the systems behind Israel’s calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” according to its official synopsis. Abraham said, “As Israelis, we found ourselves wanting to use the kind of position that we have, the access that we have to people in our own society who went into the military, to look at that system as it carried out what all human rights organisations are saying is a genocide.” — ANI