05052022-LSTC-01.qxd 5/5/2022 12:32 AM Page 1 c m y b AKSHAY’S 30 YEARS IN CINEMA Akshay Kumar recently completed 30 years in the Hindi film industry and Yash Raj Films celebrated the actor’s special milestone by creating a new Prithviraj poster that featured every single film that Akshay has been a part of! The team caught Akshay by surprise. TMS TRIBUNE Star appeal Life Actress Meg Ryan will direct and star alongside Californication star David Duchovny in What Happens Later, an ‘evolved and nostalgic’ take on the romantic comedy. IANS CHANDIGARH | THURSDAY | 5 MAY 2022 Eye on social change Sheetal W HILE many characters on screen become a bigger name than the actors themselves, for director Anmol Sidhu the former must be the title of his projects. The director’s debut feature film Jaggi has won two awards—Uma da Cunha Award for Best Feature and Audience Choice Award for Best Feature—at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA). He says his next project is also titled on its lead character, just like this one. If the director and actors of the film have a Chandigarh connection (working in Chandigarh and part of Alankar Theatre Group), then the subject of the film is Punjab and its villages (shot in Kauloke, director’s village, in district Bathinda of Punjab) Director Anmol Sidhu, whose debut feature film Jaggi has won two awards at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, believes Punjabi film-makers need to experiment DERIVING INSPIRATION A still from Jaggi Many firsts While it is Anmol’s first attempt at a feature-length project, the same goes for cinematographer Pardeep Taina. Even for the lead actor, Ramnish Chaudhary, who plays Jaggi, it’s his first project where he had to face the camera. Earlier Ramnish had the experience of working in plays with Alankar group, which he had joined in 2018. Close to reality Anmol Sidhu says, “The film is based on true events and although it revolves around the central character, Jaggi, but through him we have tried to cover countless stories of bullying, ridicule, sexual and mental harassment. Our aim was to showcase the often ignored reality of the society of men letting out their frustration on weaker men once they hit puberty. I want to create a difference in society by my work as a filmmaker. And this award is a pat on the back for not just me, but the entire cast and crew.” Anmol is a senior in the Alankar Group, but the closeknit family that he has found in the group watched his back while shooting. The actors are some of his juniors, who did not ask for money for this wonderful social experiment. They crowd-funded the money for Jaggi and the director even stopped shooting for a while to work on other projects to arrange the finances. While Anmol earned from Having entered the film line to become shoot were reduced recording stand-up an actor, Anmol soon discovered that his to one hour 57 mingigs, Pardeep also talent lay in filmmaking. A double Masters in utes of runtime. took some other Computer Application and Business projects to double Administration from Chandigarh Group Of Change needed up as the producColleges, Landran, his early influences were Gangs of Wasseypur and Lunchbox. Romanian Anmol believes er. Apart from film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days has Pollywood doesn’t Pardeep, Dhruv influenced his filmmaking style too. He experiment or is Bakshi, CEO and doesn’t possess a professional degree in ready to showcase founder of The filmmaking, but learnt on the job. cinema that reflects Laugh Club. also coAnd the results are there society in the true sense. produced the film for everyone Anmol says, “When we whereas stand-up comedito see! completed the film, we had an Abhishek Upmanyu was shown it to potential Pollyinvolved in the project too. from the other cast members wood producers and direcSerious shoot and the only inputs came tors, but they weren’t ready The on screen Jaggi aka from Anmol, our director.” To to take a project that had Ramnish, says, “It was an keep it real and authentic, the rape scenes, nudity and no intense character. I was hand- director preferred to do long songs. Just comedy won’t ed over the script seven shots and as every actor had a suffice, for the growth of months prior to the shoot. To background in theatre, it cinema focus must shift imbibe the role, its trauma went smoothly. After multi- from profits to risk-taking and struggles, I stayed away ple edits, the four hours of and experimentation.” No masks at Cannes …Testing won’t be mandatory The Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off on May 17, is significantly relaxing its Covid health and safety protocols. The annual celebration of movies won’t be testing attendees, as it did last year, and will not institute a mask mandate at screenings and events. Cannes general secretary FranAois Desrousseaux, who has been hammering out protocols with the festival’s organisers, producers and Cannes regional authorities for the past two years, said, “One big change compared with 2021 is that the health pass that made it mandatory for all attendees to show a proof of vaccination, immunity or test results, has been scrapped since March 14. Since the health pass is no longer in application in France, guests will not have to show a proof of testing or vaccination to enter the Palais.” He added, “Most participants will likely be vaccinated anyway because France has made it very complicated for non-vaccinated travellers to enter the country.” He also pointed out that roughly 95 per cent of the adult population in France had already received two shots of the vaccine. “We’re in a very different situation than last year because the curve of Covid-19 infections is going down, instead of going up,” the Paris-based executive said. — IANS One for dear mother! Mona Plea moved against Jayeshbhai Jordaar over sex-selection scene in trailer A plea was moved in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday challenging the Ranveer Singh-starrer film Jayeshbhai Jordaar over a scene in the upcoming movie’s trailer where ultrasound technology for prenatal sex-determination is being used. The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was listed before the division bench headed by acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla. Though the film is against female foeticide, the trailer advertises the use of ultrasound technique, according to the petitioner, ‘ Youth Against Crime’, an NGO, which filed through Advocate Pawan Prakash Pathak. Jayeshbhai Jordaar, produced by Maneesh Sharma, will release on May 13. — IANS First look On Eid-ul-Fitr this Tuesday, a new poster of the film Mujib—The Making of a Nation was released. It reveals the face of the leading actor Arifin Shuvoo, who plays Bangabandhu. The film is directed by Shyam Benegal. It was extensively shot in India and Bangladesh, abiding by all the health guidelines. — TMS Different take Gippy essays a character pretty different than his real self in Maa, “Oo bada aggressive type hai.” And Divya points out that he’s anything but aggressive in real life! “He is so chilled out on the sets that one forgets all the stress. And in that very happy, positive, atmosphere he gets the work he wants.” In Gippy, she found a fabulous co-actor and producer. “I believe each person on sets, right to the spot boy to all others, should be happy, only then can one make a good film.” Not happy by the fact that only comedies work in Pollywood or that Gurpreet Ghuggi is just a comedian, Gippy wishes to set the record c m y b straight. “A good film works regardless of its genre. Nowadays South-Indian films are doing well; that’s why we are watching them sitting here in Punjab.” As for Ghuggi, he says, “He is an actor. He’ll do a role that he gets. Ardaas is one such film that cements his might as a serious actor. Tomorrow if I want Divya ji to play a villain or do a comedy next, she is very capable as an actor to do that, provided that the character appeals to her.” (Maa will be released in cinemas on May 6) Method in madness Benedict loved challenging himself with different versions of Doctor Strange Hollywood star Benedict Cumberbatch was ‘excited’ to challenge himself with different versions of his Marvel character in the upcoming film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. “I think it’s same-same, but different. You have to get a correlation so that you know you’re watching an iteration that basically through perhaps choices or circumstance and environment has had a different outcome. But it’s a nice sort of loop feeding into self-discovery and self-therapy for the character that we know from our universe, as to how he betters his choices or the situation. So it’s a fun thing to explore. It’s one of the paradoxes that a multiversal narrative will throw up, and I was excited by that challenge.” The Multiverse was opened in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, when Doctor Strange tried to cast a spell to help Peter Parker (Tom Holland) by making people forget he was Spider-Man, but things didn’t go according to plan. Cumberbatch has defended his character, noting he made his decision with ‘pretty good’ intentions. He added: “He’s a human being, and I think it was a very human error. He saw Peter as a fellow foot soldier and then as a teenager going through a very formative experience of not being able to be his true self because of being exposed, and having lost a mentor, Strange decided to step in with a gesture of pretty good intention.” The actor stressed it wasn’t even his own character who messed up the spell, as he pointed to Peter’s impact. He explained: “I think the spell, on its own, might have been all right. Everyone forgets that Peter interrupts the spell so many times, and that’s what corrupted it. That’s what lets it in. Peter, through the ability he has with his powers, affects the spell with his words. It’s not really Strange’s mistake.” — IANS SAYS SHAH RUKH KHAN IS THE BEST BET TO BE PART OF THEMCU Benedict Cumberbatch says Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is the best choice to feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). While promoting his film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which releases on May 6, Cumberbatch revealed his intense love for India and his admiration for Shah Rukh Khan. When asked about which Indian actor he believed could be a part of the MCU, he asked for options and when suggested the names of Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan, he said, “Khan is great.” The actor also fondly remembered his six-month-long stay in India. “I love your country, I love your culture and cultures. It felt like I was there almost a lifetime ago, in my late teens, for six months of teaching, exploring and traveling as well. I’d love to have an excuse to come back and if that is to interact with the first Indian superhero, bring it on,” Cumberbatch said. He also spoke about the huge popularity Marvel films enjoy in India and hoped to deliver another entertainer with the much-awaited sequel. He added, “It’s very exciting to know the level of anticipation there is with pre-sales. I’m hugely grateful to my fans in India for supporting me throughout my career. I hope this film also does well, but I’m not taking anything for granted.” PHOTO: NITIN MITTAL Legal tangle If the casting is right the job is half done, believes actor, director and producer Gippy Grewal. And as his next offering, Maa, gets ready for release, the humble Gippy is happy that National Awardwinning actress Divya Dutta came on board. “When we make comedies, even if the story is not that strong, we can pull the movie on the shoulders of able actors. That was not a risk we could take around Maa, as this is such a mighty subject,” says Gippy, in city on Wednesday. A story by Rana Ranbir, it is spread over three decades and the makers were very conscious of how they portrayed a mother. “We wanted a complete film, not a mother that one could pity but someone with a strong presence,” says Gippy. What made Divya say yes? She points at Gippy, “Very few people make films that are different, Maa is one such film and I am happy that Gippy could try something like that.” A timeline of 30 to 65 years—from a vulnerable soul to finding strength, Divya found in Manjit Kaur’s character a whole arc, which gave her a chance to perform better. Yes, there was doubt in her mind if it was too early to play a mother but she liked the script. Divya Dutta and Gippy Grewal, during the promotion of Punjabi film Maa in Chandigarh, echo that a good film works regardless of its genre Benedict Cumberbatch A STRONG BOND While one knows the beautiful bond that Divya Dutta shares with her mother, Gippy Grewal too opened up on his equation with his mother, “My mother is very polite. She scolds me but has never hit me, that’s not her nature… Mummy ko tang karke mujhe bahut acha lagta hai. I am always taking pangas with her and many a times my wife has to intervene for a compromise.”
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the paper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The English edition apart, the 133-year-old Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).