26032021-LSTC-01.qxd 3/25/2021 11:43 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE Welcome We have a fresh talent from Salman Khan’s clan making her way into tinsel town. It’s his niece Alizeh Agnihotri who is the daughter of Atul & Alvira Agnihotri. CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 26 MARCH 2021 Futuristic yet rooted, high-tech still very Indian and entertaining yet thought-provoking… is how Disney+Hotstar packages its upcoming sci-fi series, OK Computer The future has arrived thinks we need to look for balance. “If there wasn’t technology, we wouldn’t have been doing this online conversation, so that proves how much we need it. Be it a tooth extraction or a surgery, technology is a must and its use is only growing. At the same time, in the name of progression, we must not regress nature. We should be able leave clean air, food and water for the kids around us.” The actor is proud of the progress we Indians are making and he thinks OK Computer is a step in that direction. Quite opposite is Lakshmi, played by Radhika, who is all for robots. “My character thinks robots are far more reliable than humans. They never disobey, are truly loyal whereas human beings are not. Lakshmi has grown up with robots and she feels they are the future. She cannot for one second believe that they Gurnaaz Kaur O KATRINA KAIF N a quiet, smoggy night in a quaint coastal town in North Goa, when a self-driving taxi crashes into a pedestrian, killing him instantaneously, a vexing question presents itself to the authorities–who is to blame? Is it the CEO of the taxi company? Or, the programmer? Or, could it be the car itself? You’ll get the answers to these questions in the upcoming sci-fi series OK Computer set to launch on March 26 on Disney+Hotstar. Set in 2031, it stars Radhika Apte, Vijay Varma, Jackie Shroff and many robo-sapiens. Yes, it is a world of robots and they aren’t derived from the western world or show a grim picture of what the future looks like… this one is a peek into an India in the coming times. Written by Anand Gandhi and directed by Pooja Shetty and Neil Pagedar, the team promises OK Computer is futuristic yet rooted, high-tech still very Indian and definitely entertaining and at the same time thought-provoking. Anand Gandhi, who is known for his choice of subjects and his treatment, says he has been living with some very pertinent questions for years. The questions of identity, of consciousness, of human relationship with the future. His thoughts are deep and intuitive, coupled with a research of over five years. He says, “So, what you are going to see in OK Computer Season 1 is only the first glimpse of that universe, there is so much more to it. This was an opportunity for us to start a dialogue that we want to have with the world here. We want India to have a seat in this global dialogue and within India, we want ‘Self-love is numero uno’ Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif says ‘self-love is numero uno’ and urges every woman to be fiercely independent and voice her opinions. “People will tell us all kinds of things and that is why, self-love is numero uno,” she says. Adding: “Women should know what they are capable of. Sky should be our limit. We should not give anyone any kind of power to bog us down or even under-value ourselves.”Katrina says she feels happy to see changes towards how women are perceived today. “The gap in education, the lack of access to equal opportunities and the deep-rooted belief that women are the weaker sex is a problematic perception. The stereotype that we attach to women should end and I am glad to see a change taking place as we speak,” asserts the popular star. Adding, “I grew up in a family where I was always surrounded by my mother and sisters. They are the strongest women I know. I believe that I am quite privileged that my gender has never made things difficult for me,” Katrina says. —IANS Calculated move Bunty Aur Babli 2release pushed due to Covid second wave THE CAST OF THE FILM Yash Raj Film’s Bunty Aur Babli 2, which was slated to release on April 23, has been postponed. The new release date of the film will be announced later. Says a source, “Aditya Chopra is playing the big game of making theatricals make a huge comeback and he is extremely confident that Bunty Aur Babli 2 will entertain the country. The film is a popcorn entertainer that the entire family can enjoy. He wants to hold the film and not release it at a time when the country is experiencing a huge spike of Covid-19 cases.” ❝ IF THERE WASN’T TECHNOLOGY, WE WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN DOING THIS ONLINE CONVERSATION, SO THAT PROVES HOW MUCH WE NEED IT. JACKIE SHROFF VIJAY VARMA people, who have not had the access to some of these questions, to come on board and participate.” Incredibly humorous, out-of-the-world, mad and constantly surprising are some of the adjectives that Anand has used for the show as he goes on to praise directors Pooja and Neil. The collaboration of likeminded people speaks volumes. “We are all big fans of science-fiction and so we thought as artistes it was our duty to bridge the gap between science-technology and humanity,” says Pooja. In this world of AI, Jackie Shroff essays the role of Pushpak, who is against technology and vehemently one with nature. Talking about his character he says, “There is a child in him, he is an absolute puritan, very clear-hearted person, wants to leave a better planet for the future generation. Pushpak is afraid of technology because he thinks it may cause destruction. Nuclear is an example how dangerous it can get.” In real life though, Jackie appreciates technology but RADHIKA APTE could be blamed for something like a murder,” she says. Personally, Radhika is far from being tech savvy. “I don’t even know the functions of my phone. I am not a sci-fi person either but I have really enjoyed this show and I am totally on board with trusting robots over human beings. I am falling in love with them,” she smiles. As far as Vijay Varma goes, this series is a deal breaker of sorts for this intense actor. “This is one of those projects that will be a deciding factor going forward in my life because I feel like I want to do more comedies because I got introduced to the genre with such a great script. ” One for the producer Making sense of emotional outrage Nomadlandwins big at Producers Guild of America Awards Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland continued its impressive run at this year’s award ceremonies with the American drama picking up the Darryl F Zanuck Award for Out. standing Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures at the 32nd annual Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards. The victory comes right after the film’s impressive run through the movie awards season. Nomadland previously won the Golden Globe and the Critics Choice Awards and again on Wednesday night won the Zanuck Award. It is also up for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing. Nomadland is looking to become the 22nd film in 32 years to win the PGA and the Best Picture Oscar. Last year, Sam Mendes’ 1917 took away Zanuck Award, but Parasite took the Best Picture award at the Oscars. Other winners declared at the virtual ceremony included the Oscar-nominated film Soul in the Animated Film category. Schitt’s Creek in the Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television - Comedy category. —IANS PGA HONOURS IRRFAN KHAN... … but misspells his name NOMADLAND THE CROWN The 2021 edition of the Producer’s Guild of America (PGA) Awards honoured the late Indian star Irrfan Khan during its In Memoriam segment but got his name wrong. The actor’s name read ‘Irrif Kahn’ instead of Irrfan Khan. —PTI HERE’S THE 2021 WINNERS’ LIST ■ Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures: Nomadland ■ Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television Drama: The Crown (Season 4) Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television: The Last Dance (Season 1) ■ Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television: The Queen’s Gambit ■ Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures: Hamilton ■ Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures: Soul ■ Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Season 7) ■ Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures: My Octopus Teacher ■ Outstanding Producer of Game & Competition Television: RuPaul’s Drag Race (Season 12) ■ Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television Comedy: Schitt’s Creek (Season 6) ■ Outstanding Sports Program: Defying Gravity: The Untold Story of Women’s Gymnastics (Season 1) Kamlesh K Mishra, maker of Delhi Riots: A Tale Of Burn & Blame, says rather than giving a black and white perspective, he allows the audience to judge for themselves Sheetal “Out of many good things that OTT platforms helped us achieve, I feel reviving the documentary watching trend is the best part. It was muchneeded,” says the National Award-winning director Kamlesh K Mishra. With the 80-minute documentary, Delhi Riots: A Tale Of Burn & Blame, streaming on Voot, the long-time journalist in Kamlesh still breathes as he directs documentaries and travel shows to paint the real picture of society. Kamlesh’s next will be his debut feature film, Azamgarh. It stars Anil Sharma and Pankaj Tripathi and is based on terrorism. He says, “Documentaries are not just tougher to execute as it lacks the masala which one infuses in fictional stories. While approaching Delhi Riots…, when I first thought of making a documented version of victims’ ordeal, I knew it was much controversial and involved multiple narratives and c m y b A STILL FROM DELHI RIOTS: A TALE OF BURN & BLAME agendas. And to do justice to such a socially stirring incident, one must start with a clean slate rather than giving a black and white perspective. Let audi- ence judge for themselves.” This is how he says he had no difficulty getting it approved from the censor board for his approach was genuine and for the society’s greater good. Looking at the business aspect of it, Kamlesh says, “The response has been great, and many have asked for the documentary’s private screening at local PVRs as well.” Shooting the painful memWHILE APPROACHING ories as the DELHI RIOTS: A TALE OF victims BURN & BLAME, I FIRST relive it THOUGHT OF MAKING A was a challenge. He DOCUMENTED VERSION says, “We OF VICTIMS’ ORDEAL. started from KAMLESH K MISHRA the first week ❝ of March and by the time the lockdown began, we were done with the shooting part. ” The biggest take-away from this trip down the violent roads of Delhi in February, he informs, “is that common people don’t want unrest and violence, nor they have time for it. But, it is also a fact that every riot gives birth to new rioters.” Call him Sudarshan! Ajay Devgn doesn’t just change his looks but his name too Last seen in Tanhaji, actor Ajay Devgn has got something exciting coming up. He recently revealed a new bearded look which has gone viral. Apparently, the collaboration is with Disney+Hotstar but it is unclear as to what it could be about. Ajay Devgn asked his fans not to call him Ajay anymore but to address him as Sudarshan. He took to Instagramto share a video where he is addressing himself as Sudarshan. AJAY DEVGN Battle continues After a case was filed against Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Leela Bhansali by Gangubai Kathiawadi’s son Babuji Rawji Shah for allegedly showing his family in a bad light, Mumbai court has summoned the team to appear before court.