10012021-LSTL-01.qxd 1/9/2021 11:15 PM Page 1 c m y b FEW OF HER FAVOURITE THINGS... Deepika Padukone gave a pleasant surprise to all her fans on Friday as she conducted an Ask Me Anything session on Instagram. She was asked who she is closest to and while we were expecting the name of hubby Ranveer Singh, she gave two — Ranveer and her sister Anisha Padukone. TRIBUNE High point Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Saturday clocked 45 million followers on Twitter. The 78-year-old star is one of the most active Bollywood personalities on Twitter. PTI LUDHIANA | SUNDAY | 10 JANUARY 2021 ‘I am not for sale’ Nonika Singh H E might be on the radar of NCB. But as Arjun Rampal steps into the New Year, he has reason to cheer. His latest film Nail Polish is receiving rave reviews. Never mind that much of the critical acclaim is being shared by gifted actor Manav Kaul who clearly has an author- backed role in the film. But then who knows better than Arjun that the film belongs to not just the lead protagonist but all members of the cast. Supporting actor he may have been of many a blockbuster like Don and Om Shanti Om, the D-Day actor says, “I work in films where I believe in the script. I don’ think any one person can take the credit for the success of a film.” As Arjun Rampal completes 20 years in cinema, the understated actor talks about how he never felt the need to market himself and how changing perceptions about cinema and acting have ensured his space in the industry Secure in the space that he has carved for himself, as Arjun who made his debut in 2001 with Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat logs 20 years in the film industry, his feelings are a mixed bag of emotions. He is satisfied and yet not quite. Sure much has changed from the time when theatrics was considered good acting. He says, “Yes, there was a point when I began my film career and one had to be loud and bring all the emotions on one’s face. Little thought was paid to internalising a character.” Today, however, he is happy that both the perception of acting and cinema has changed. “Even an Abbas-Mustan film like Penthouse, which I am doing, despite the duo being known for stylised content, can be so real.” Whether OTT has led cinema to turn a new corner or not he certainly views the arrival of streaming platforms as a boon. “Now, storytellers can tell the kind of story they want to, minus the pressure of box office or censor.” Soon he too will be making a web series. What it will be, dark or bright, he may not be ready to reveal as yet. However, he does divulge it will be about Punjab and most likely he will not act in it. One day he may turn a director, ‘the thought is very tempting’, provided he can tell the sto- ry from his heart. Heartfelt also would be his autobiography as and when he decides to write it. As of now it may just be in the offing, and as soon as the news broke publishers did line up. The privilege to choose also applies to his work and he has reached a point where he can say ‘no thank you’ to parts he doesn’t care to play. We wonder if the actor of significant films like Rituparno Ghosh’s much acclaimed The Last Lear, which also went to Toronto International Film Festival, didn’t quite sell the actor in him as he could have. He smiles and quips, “I don’t sell myself even now, I am not for sale.” Critics can be kind/unkind, he takes construc- Sorryindeed! Rapper Nicki Minaj will pay singer Tracy Chapman $450,000 in order to settle a copyright dispute. Chapman had sued Minaj in 2018 for allegedly using portions of her hit 1988 track Baby, Can I Hold You Tonight in the rapper’s song Sorry. The song was not officially released, but a leaked version made its way to radio DJ Funkmaster Flex and later became viral online. Chapman accused Minaj of sharing the song with Flex, although both have denied it. Minaj wrote Sorry with fellow rapper Nas while recording her fourth album Queen in 2018. It is based on a sample of the dancehall track Gurnaaz Kaur Rajiv Lakshman issues apology for his recent post ALIA BHATT WITH SHEEBA Back in the day, before a movie hit the theatres, we saw big posters, banners and hoardings announcing its arrival. It was more like the first look or the promotion of the film. Among those who created those larger-thanlife figures of actors was Diwakar Karkare, who created some of the most iconic posters for over two decades, between 1960s to 1980s. Sadly, Diwakar is no longer among us. He left for his heavenly abode on January 5 and his son Umesh Karkare announced the death on a social media platform the next day. His post read, “With great sadness we announce the loss of our beloved father Diwakar Karkare of Studio Diwakar last night at 9:20 pm.” Diwakar Karkare was one of the greatest poster designers and commanded huge respect in Bollywood. An example of it was when he finished making the poster of Bandini and called Bimal Roy to inform that the job was done and asked when he could deliver it, Bimal said to Diwakar, “It is not your job to call up and tell us that the poster has been done. You are an artist in your own right and I will come and collect it.” A JJ School of Art, Mumbai, alumnus, his creative imagination and skilled hands created over 1,000 posters and among them were the iconic c m y b DIWAKAR KARKARE 1930-2021 DIWAKAR KARKARE’S CREATIVE IMAGINATION AND SKILLED HANDS CREATED OVER 1,000 POSTERS AND AMONG THEM WERE THE ICONIC WAQT (1965), DON (1975), SHOLAY (1975), SILISILA (1981) AND SATYAM SHIVAM SUNDARAM (1978). HIS CAREER TOOK OFF WITH A POSTER FOR BIMAL ROY’S BENAZIR (1964) Waqt (1965), Don (1975), Sholay (1975), Silisila (1981) and Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978). While his career took off with a poster for Bimal Roy’s Benazir (1964), he moved away from the industry after designing K Vishwanath’s Eeshwar (1989). The popular catchphrase ‘angry young man’ that we all use for Amitabh Bachchan since Salim-Javed’s Zanjeer Nicki Minaj to pay Tracy Chapman $450,000 Sorry by Jamaican artiste Shelly Thunder, which in turn was based on Baby, Can I Hold You Tonight. Minaj and her record label asked for permission to use Chapman’s composition, but the singer refused. The singer’s lawyer said she has a blanket policy against granting such permission. Minaj was also said to have been informed that Chapman was on an unofficial “do not sample” list. In an earlier judgement, US District Judge Virginia A Phillips said that Minaj’s experimentation with Chapman’s song in the studio constituted “fair use”. The rapper’s lawyers had argued that artistes need freedom to sam- Poster artist Diwakar Karkare passed away on January 5 RIP Sheeba Alia Bhatt took to her social media account on Friday and mourned the death of her pet cat Sheeba. The Raazi star announced the passing away of her cat by sharing heartwarming pictures featuring candid moments between the two. Sharing the pictures, Alia wrote, “Goodbye my angel.” Alia’s mother Soni Razdan also expressed her grief and posted picture of Sheeba on Instagram. She wrote, “RIP Sheeba. We named you after the Queen of Sheeba because you had such a regal air.” Lest you forget his Punjabi roots, curling down to Hoshiarpur, he is the son of a Hindu Punjabi father and half-Sikh and half-Dutch mother. The one thing distinctively Punjabi about him, you guessed it, are his taste buds as he simply loves makki di roti and sarson da saag. tive criticism in stride. Learning a lesson from his movie Inkaar, he believes, “Anyone who proves you wrong should be considered your friend, for they will always be truthful.” As he readies himself for playing a part in Kangana Ranaut’s Dhaakad, battlelines between the feisty actress and many others might be firmly drawn, he has no hesitation in admitting that she is a great actor. While he is all for OTT platforms, the magic of watching a movie in a theatre he deems, “is the most romantic thing in the world.” He would have loved to catch up Tenet in the cinema-halls, but with a one-and- half-year-oldson (with girlfriend Gabriella Demetriades), he couldn’t take the chance. The one thing he sorely missed during the pandemic time is the freedom to be out there. In 2021, he so hopes we go back to the normal for, “we were certainly more comfortable in the pre-Covid times.” You may like to read meanings in the utterance, accompanied with a laugh. But the subtle and understated actor would rather have you infer meanings in his nuanced portrayals which in his two-decade- long inning he has etched aplenty. He painted with knife Poor choice of words Rajiv Lakshman of Roadies fame sparked a controversy on Friday when he posted a happy picture with Rhea Chakraborty. In the picture, Rajiv is seen hugging Rhea and sharing a laugh together. However, it was his caption, “My Girl” that led to a wave of nasty comments. The picture is from a birthday party, hosted by Anusha Dandekar. This was, in fact, the first social event which Rhea had attended after she was out of the jail. Realising the damage he had done, Rajiv not only deleted the post, but even turned off his comments and released an apology. He shared a statement on Instagram that read, “I seem to have created unnecessary trouble with my irresponsible choice of words on a post. Rhea is a dear old friend, and I’m happy to meet her again and I wish her well.” TRULY PUNJABI was visually realised on Diwakar’s canvas as he painted with knife to create the rugged look of the superstar. His poster designs made in oil paint had the effects of photographic still. His signature technique of using palette knife that turned them into quasi-painted posters, became a hit in the industry since Waqt. Diwar, Amar Akbar Anthony were all made with the same technique. Later, he established Studio Diwakar and became the highest-paid designer in the industry. He charged Rs 50,000 for Mard in 1985. Diwakar was so trusted for art that legendary Raj Kapoor entrusted him with the responsibility of making the Satyam Shivam Sundaram poster without taking as much as a glance at the artist’s design. He chose to retire when the job was taken over by the copy-paste technique. To him there was no creativity left to the trade and it was all too mechanical. Even after a long association with filmmaker Yash Chopra, when the latter did not invite Diwakar for 25th anniversary celebration of Yash Raj Films, he knew there was no connection left and he said ‘I don’t regret losing touch’. His retirement home was in Pune. Diwakar may have long disassociated with Bollywood but his art is historic and the nostalgic sentiments will stay on forever. ple music while writing and recording, without worrying about being sued once they approach the rights-holder for a licence. Judge Phillips said there was “no evidence” that Minaj’s song “usurps any potential market for Chapman” and her original song. However, the judge set up a trial to find out how Sorry got leaked and distributed, and whether that constituted copyright infringement. That trial will not happen since Chapman has accepted Minaj’s offer. The settlement includes Chapman’s costs and legal fees to date, according to documents released by California Central District Court. —IANS Huma calls Sonakshi ‘chor’! Actresses Huma Qureshi and Sonakshi Sinha were engaged in a fun banter online on Saturday. Sonakshi posted photos from a restaurant in Goa, where she dropped by with a friend. Huma noticed Sonakshi’s pigtail buns in the image, and commented on the Instagram post: “Did you copy my hairstyle... Chor.” To which, Sonakshi replied: “Show copyright.” Actor Gulshan Devaiah joined the conversation and wrote: “She’s been raving about you a lot lately.” In another post — a video of her skipping – Sonakshi encouraged fans to take up the exercise as SONAKSHI SINHA a workout. “No gym no problem! Skip. (Not the workout),” she captioned it. Sonakshi is currently gearing up for her next release, Bhuj: The Pride Of India, costarring Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Sharad Kelkar, Ammy Virk, Pranitha Subhash and Nora Fatehi. —IANS HUMA QURESHI