19042022-LSTC-01.qxd 4/18/2022 11:10 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE Manali calling Arjun Kapoor is heading to Manali to begin his next movie The Lady Killer. This is the first time in his life that the actor will be visiting this picturesque hill station and he is quite excited. TMS CHANDIGARH | TUESDAY | 19 APRIL 2022 Desi move, videshi screen Mona K Sleep well Jennifer Aniston seeks help to deal with insomnia Actress Jennifer Aniston should no longer have any problems falling asleep. The Friends alum revealed that she had turned to professional help after decades of dealing with horrible insomnia. In an interview, Jennifer talked about her struggle with insomnia throughout the years. It had become a huge problem that affected her daily life. She has finally sought help from a doctor, which is something she ‘absolutely recommends people do’. She also joined a new campaign, ‘Seize the Night and Day’, to advocate about the importance of getting help for insomnia and where people can find advice to deal with their own sleep issues. “To stay The Morning Show star conhealthy, you have to fessed that she did not consider her sleeping problem as a really abide by the three priority in the past, resulting pillars of health—which in her putting off medical are diet, exercise treatment. However, in the last and sleep.” few years, she realised that she JENNIFER ANISTON needed to fix it. “It became something that I really was struggling with. It used to be the last thing on the list… But you have to really abide by the three pillars of health—which are diet, exercise and sleep. If you can’t really exercise and you can’t really eat right, if you haven’t slept well because your body clock is so completely thrown off, it is not healthy.” In addition to professional help, Jennifer found a night-time ritual that helps her sleep better. The 53-yearold actress said that she takes out time to wind down, do some stretches or yoga and leaves her phone out of her room. She also tries to “make bedtime the same every night, which is challenging for us actors, because if we’re on a movie, the schedule is all over the place.” The actress said that every time she felt worried about losing hours of rest, it became “harder to fall asleep.” The actress used to also sleep-walk, which has now stopped! “I have been known to do that. I’ve been woken up by house alarms going off that I’ve set off. And I don’t think I do that anymore that was when I was super sleep-deprived,” she said. —IANS ATE SHARMA (played by Simone Ashley) and Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran) arrive in the UK with their mother, Lady Mary Sheffield Sharma (Shelley Conn), in search of love and marriage in American series Bridgerton 2. The darkskinned Kate being the leading lady is something that even mainstream Indian cinema shies from doing! Not just the looks, Bridgerton is also warming desi hearts with an elder sister oiling younger one’s hair, haldi ceremony or a simple didi, as Edwina calls Kate! Only it comes with its share of discrepancies; Kate and Edwina’s dark skin tone is jarring with ‘Sharma’ a typical North Indian upper class surname, Ghalib is pronounced more as Ghaleeb, Murli becomes Murali! No longer are actors from India relegated to playing a waiter or driver in foreign shows. With American series Bridgerton 2, they are slowly and steadily carving a niche GOING INTERNATIONAL Indian characters have appeared in various British and American shows, as early as in 70s with Jamila and Ranjeet in Mind Your Language (1977). Some of the popular ones have been Rajesh Koothrappali in The Big Bang Theory (2007—2019), Mindy Lahiri in The Mindy Project (2012—2017), International Emmy-winner The Kumars at No. 42 (2001—14), and lately Devi Vishwakumar in Never Have I Ever (2020). While the accented tone, arranged marriages and the attitude of Indians settled abroad has largely been stereotypical, KUBBRA SAIT SIMONE ASHLEY IN BRIDGERTON 2 KUNAL NAYYAR IN BIG BANG THEORY AZIZ ANSARI MAITREYI RAMAKRISHNAN IN NEVER HAVE I EVER FAVOURITE LIST Karanvir Sharma is looking forward to seeing Dhanush’s role in The Gray GLOBAL FAME Man, but for now sticking to the Sharmas in Bridgerton. Rajesh Kutthrapalli (Kunal Nayyar) was Trupti’s favourite for the longest time. “Lately I am very impressed by Devi from Never Have I Ever. Full marks to being an authentic South-Indian.”Edward Sonnenblick likes Aziz Ansari,“He’s got a similar sense of humour to my own.”Mindy Kaling has been Balraj Syal’s favourite. “I loved Mindy in The Mindy Project and also Never Have I Ever,” he says. AnupamTripathi grabbed global fame for playing Ali, a Pakistani migrant worker in South Korean survival drama Squid Game. there has been a slight move away from the norm lately. While The Mindy Project was not focused at the Indian representation, Kaling’s latest Never Have I Ever has been received rather well for its Indian representation. Yes, the sarees stay, and just like Bridgerton 2, representation of the diverse India remains a challenge. HEARTENING MOVE About time desis get mainstream, feels actor Trupti Khamker, “Not only for the stereotypical Indian characters, but also generic characters that could be a part of the narrative. We are getting global and Indians actors are good at their craft, and so can add much more value to the characters they play.” Bhaavna Arora, whose book Undaunted: Lt. Ummer Fayaz of Kashmir, is getting a big screen outing, adds, “It’s good to see Indians getting into the main league. I have been in love with Two and A Half Men, and in such a long show to get a glimpse of Indians only as a taxi driver or waiter was heartbreaking. Bridgerton finally brings that satisfaction that we have Sharmas as part of the main plot.” Over the years we have seen some desis giving extraordinary performances onscreen. Be it Priyanka Chopra, Kunal Nayyar or Aziz Ansari. “Sharma girls have brought their characters to life in a beautiful way and I don’t think they were in any way less than the other actors of the show,” says actor Balraj Syal. American actor Edward Sonnenblick says, “Indians are such an intrinsic part of the cultural fabric of so many countries, it’s time they make it to shows across the world. The number of roles may soon grow exponentially.” ‘MISS’ REPRESENTATION Actor Karanvir Sharma says, “It’s just like some films portray Sardars. It was a breath of fresh air to see Saif Ali Khan in Sacred Games.” “I see a huge opening for aesthetic and culture trainers from India who can be involved to make desi characters more detailed,” Trupti points out. “Let’s not talk about discrepancies when we are talking about creative work. I think it can be overlooked,” says Balraj. “It’s good to talk about such misconceptions, but we can focus more on the positives,” he adds. son Vedaant The Archies First step Suhana Khan’s debut filmas director goes True champion R Madhavan’sswimming wins gold medal in on floors with Zoya Akhtar The shoot of Suhana Khan’s debut film, The Archies, has finally begun in full swing. Writer Reema Kagti took to Instagram and dropped a picture of a clapboard, mentioning that they had kickstarted the shoot of the film, which stars Bollywood newbies Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor and Agastya Nanda. Earlier, Suhana, Khushi and Agastya’s looks from The Archies were leaked online. Going by it, it seems Suhana will play Veronica Lodge, Khushi Betty Cooper and Agastya, Archie Andrews. Archies is a live-action musical set in 1960s India Glitz & glamour SHAH RUKH KHAN CHARITHRA CHANDRAN IN BRIDGERTON 2 Baba Siddique and his son Zeeshan Siddique’s annual Iftaar dinner was held on Sunday (April 17) in Mumbai. The event that took place after two years, and saw the who’s who from the industry in attendance. A grand set-up, lavish feast and highlevel security, the annual Iftaar had over 75 dishes prepared by special chefs, who had been flown down from Kashmir, Lucknow and Bengaluru. Says Baba Siddique, “During this time of togetherness, I count my blessings for being surrounded by all my loved ones as we break our fast.” The dinner was attended by popular Bollywood as well as TV, stars including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Dutt, and the film will be directed by Zoya Akhtar. Netflix, in collaboration with Archie comics, brings a coming-ofage story. Talking about this collaboration, director Zoya says, “I am super-excited to have the chance to bring The Archies to life. It was a large part of my childhood and teenage years. The characters are iconic and globally loved, which is also why I am a little nervous. I have to make sure the film stokes up nostalgia” Stars shine at the Iftaar party thrown by Baba Siddique in Mumbai SALMAN KHAN Shilpa Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Mika Singh, Rakul Preet Singh, Jackky Bhagnani, Miss Universe Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, Shehnaaz Gill, Kubbra Sait, c m y b AAHANA KUMRA Aahana Kumra, Sayani Gupta, Zareen Khan, Karan Kundra, Aly Goni, Jasmine Bhasin, Tejaswi Prakash, Ankita Lokhande, Hina Khan, among others.” — TMS R Madhavan is overwhelmed and humbled as his son Vedaant won the gold medal in swimming at the Danish Open swimming event. Taking to Instagram, Madhavan shared a video and wrote, “Gold…. With all your blessings the winning streak continues. Today it’s a gold in 800m for @vedaantmadhavan. Overwhelmed and humbled. Thank You coach @bacpradeep sir @swimmingfederation.in @ansadxb and the entire team.” The video features his son receiving the medal. Dia Mirza shared the video on her Instagram Story and congratulated the young champion. Reacting to the video, Sikander Kher wrote, “Superb!!! Jai Hind,” while Tanaaz Irani said, “Congratulations.” Mandira Bedi took to the comments section of the post and said, “Brilliant Maddy. Congratulations you must be so proud,” while Sophie Choudry commented, “How awesome Maddy!!! I’m sure it’s the first of many!! Congrats to you, Sarita and above all Vedaant.”— TMS