12052022-LSTL-01.qxd 5/11/2022 11:27 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE She’s back! Life For old times Tom Cruise on working with Val Kilmer for a ‘very special’ scene in Top Gun: Maverick Hollywood star Tom Cruise says he ‘really rallied hard’ for actor Val Kilmer to appear in Top Gun: Maverick. The Hollywood star, who brought to life Lt Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, really wanted the man who played his onscreen rival Lt Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky to come back for the sequel. “I really rallied hard for him to make the movie,” the Vanilla Sky star told. The 59-year-old Tom praised 62-year-old Kilmer’s ‘talent’ and how they made a very ‘special’ scene together. He said, “The kind of talent that he has, and you see that scene, it’s very special, it’s just very special,” he continued speaking of a powerful scene in the film. In 2021, Maverick producer Jerry Bruckheimer echoed the sentiment, saying that Tom ‘really wanted’ Val to join in. He said, “We have to have Val, we have to have him back. We have to have him in the film. And he was the driving force. We all wanted him, but Tom was really adamant that if he’s going to make another Top Gun, Val had to be in it,” Jerry added. “He’s such a fine actor, and he’s such a good individual. We had such a good time on the first one and wanted to bring some of the gang back together again.” Jerry also labelled their coming back together on-set as “very emotional” for the pair and production. He said, “It was a really emotional experience for all of us. It was a long time getting there, but we did.” Top Gun: Maverick is due to hit theatres on May 27 after making the rounds at the Cannes Film Festival. — IANS Truly inspiring Under his home banner Baweja Studios, Harman Baweja has acquired the rights of Dr Rukmani Krishnamurthy’s biopic. Dr Rukmani Krishnamurthy, India’s first female forensic scientist, played a pivotal role during the 1993 Bombay blasts as the head of the Explosives Department at Forensic Science Laboratory. She stood tall among all men in finding the culprits. Harman Baweja shares, “My mission is to tell unheard stories, stories that inspire the younger generation. The story of Dr Rukmani Krishnamurthy is truly inspiring.” Dr Rukmani Krishnamurthy adds, “Almost 30 years have passed since the 1993 Bombay blasts and yet the memories of the investigation is still as fresh as yesterday. Seeing how far the field of forensic investigation has come today, it’s still mind-boggling to think about how we managed to scientifically connect evidence to give a lead to the investigation. After meeting Harman and seeing his vision for my story, I can tell that it will be told the right way and honour those who worked sleepless nights to bring justice.” — TMS Harman Baweja to make biopic on Dr Rukmani Krishnamurthy Priyanka Chopra recently took to social media and shared she was back on the sets of Citadel, an upcoming sci-fi TV drama series being produced by Amazon Studios. TMS LUDHIANA | THURSDAY | 12 MAY 2022 CUT Heart talk Prakash Jha gets candid at Goafest 2022 House of Gucci to the screen They lived a life of luxury, dared to dream and landed in controversies. Here’s a look at famous fashion designers whose stories were adapted as films or documentaries Mona D RAMA, deceit and design come together in Ridley Scott’s film House of Gucci. The 2021 American biographical crime drama is winning viewers with its OTT outing, offering a glimpse into the world of Gucci and the tremors that the ambitious Patrizia Reggiani makes after marrying law student Maurizio Gucci. Lady Gaga steps into the shoes of Patrizia Reggiani, going through the lanes of love and luxury, missing the plot and the ambitious story leading to a member of Gucci family ending in prison and another shot dead. The film, however, evoked a strong statement from the heirs of Aldo Gucci, who blamed the makers for ‘inaccurate portrayal’. “The production of the film did not bother to consult the heirs before describing Aldo Gucci — president of the company for 30 years — and the members of the Gucci family as thugs, ignorant and insensitive to the world around them,” read the statement. If this one is an intriguing story, which made for a riveting screen outing while receiving nominations for the BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award and Academy, there have been other fascinating ‘fashion’ stories that have enjoyed similar popularity. Famous designers and the empires they build, with the power to impact the world, are some of the most intrigu- Yves Saint Laurent ing narratives. While France remains the hot seat of fashion, stories from Paris, Milan and elsewhere have travelled across the world. Here’s a quick check. A shot at fame Gucci wasn’t the only fashion czar to meet a bloody end. Known for daring fashion and a luxurious lifestyle, Gianni Versace was shot at the steps of his villa in Miami; the story was adapted on to the screen in 2018 as The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Venezuelan actor Édgar Ramírez played the titular role. It explores the incidents leading up to the 50year-old Italian fashion designer’s murder and what follows after. The real hero/antihero here seems to be Andrew Cunanan (played by Darren Criss)—the ill famous gay serial-killer. This murder mystery received the most nominations with nine at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards, and it won three. Versace’s sexuality and murder also made it to rapper Eminem’s Criminal. 2014 was YSL’s year 2014 saw not one, but two outings for the famous French designer Yves Saint Laurent. French biographical drama Yves Saint Laurent (film) has Pierre Niney step into the shoes of Laurent, trailing his career and partnership with Pierre Bergé (Guillaume Gallienne). The Jalil Lespertdirected film got criticised for being a superficial narrative. Saint Laurent Coco Before Chanel Producer, director and screenwriter Prakash Jha talked about foraying into films and OTT, from documentaries, and lots more at Goafest 2022. He minced no words about his experiences in the entertainment industry. Prakash Jha spoke at a session titled ‘ From Films to OTT’, which was hosted by MX Player. Jha spoke of how he realized very early in his career that acting was the most important part, and he should be able to communicate with the actors in their language. So, he started attending acting workshops by the best teachers in the world. Talking about Indian actors, Jha said, “I was disgusted with actors working here in India. They don’t know what acting is about. Till date, no actor has asked me questions about shoot days, shoot timings, locations, action sequences and more. And that’s the difference between Hollywood actors and Bollywood ones. The actors there attend workshops and keep on improving their art.” — TMS Clearing his stance Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky However, Bertrand Bonellodirected Saint Laurent, again a biographical drama, focused on Yves at his high, between mid-60s to mid-70s. Doing the festival circuits, the film debuted in Cannes with Gaspard Ulliel playing Yves and Jérémie Renier Pierre taking the story of the luxury fashion house to the viewers. Iconic figures Coco Before Chanel is a Anne Fontaine-directed 2009 biographical drama that charts the rather tragic childhood of Gabrielle Chanel and her journey to become a designer. Coco’s designs changed the world of fashion as she set up an empire. The film won several nominations, including The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story BAFTA Awards, three European Film Awards, six César Awards and the Oscar for Best Costume Design, but did not win. In 2009, a movie based on her life titled Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky was released. It is a fictional take on Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky’s rumoured affair in 1920—the year of iconic Chanel No. 5’s creation. The film, which opened at Cannes, explored two iconic figures from the fashion and music world come together. Behind the scenes If exploring the life and times of fashion giants is one, what happens behind the scenes of luxury labels is what Inside Dior, a two-part documentary, is all about. At the 70th anniversary of Christian Dior, French luxury fashion house, filmmaker Michael Waldman went behind the scenes to get an exclusive look at the label. Being famous Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008) gave access to the legendary Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani’s life and inner circle. The documentary by Matt Tyrnauer was about the journey of a man in love with beautiful clothes. Another documentary, Lagerfeld Confidential (2007), is an up close and personal portrait of the German creative director of Chanel and Fendi. During the recent trailer launch event of Major, Mahesh Babu had said he would not work in Bollywood films as the industry could not afford him. His statement didn’t go down well with many who slammed him. Now, in a recent conference, Mahesh Babu was asked about the negative reaction to his comments. The actor said, “I mentioned I would not leave Telugu cinema for Hindi...” — TMS As Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi awards etching printmaking machines to two artists, the latter showcase their creations with finesse Etching wonders Sheetal Rahul Dhiman Chhering Negi The Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi (CLKA) had taken a first-of-its kind initiative by awarding etching printmaking machines to two printmakers, Rahul Dhiman and Chhering Negi some months ago and the proud winners used the same to curate art works. On Wednesday evening, CLKA inaugurated a printmaking exhibition by them. A pass-out from the Government College of Art (GCA), Rahul Dhiman, “Machines are very expensive and now with this award, I will be able to give art lovers a chance to understand printmaking, appreciate it, work on new projects and also encourage budding printmakers.” Rahul’s works are inspired by his daily struggle to pursue graduation when he travelled from Ambala to Chandigarh, covering 45-km everyday by train and then cycling from the station to GCA. Nature love Chhering Negi’s creations are about the strong connection of nature and humans. He believes that the lockdown was a tough time for artists, as they had no place to pursue their work and due to lack of equipment, printmakers had to go from place to place. “The Akademi has considered the c m y b needs of artists and it is a wonderful way forward,” says Negi, who hails from Solan, Himachal Pradesh. Bheem Malhotra, Chairperson CLKA, shares, “For young printmakers, machines are too expensive, so it is very tough for them to pursue their work. They have to go to private studios or other spaces to work, so we wanted them to be independent and awarded the machines. These awards fall under CLKA’s recently introduced Open Hand Art Studios Scholarship (2021-22).” (On display at the galleries of CLKA’s Open Hand Art Studio’s Le-Corbusier Centre till May 24) The final goodbye Big B, Javed Akhtar and others pay homage to Pt Shivkumar Sharma Santoor legend Pandit Shivkumar Sharma passed away on Tuesday (May 10). A day after his demise, he was accorded a state funeral by the Government of Maharashtra. The late musician, along with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, had delivered several iconic compositions for Amitabh Bachchan. Big B was seen with wife Jaya Bachchan for the ‘antim darshan’ of the late musician. Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, singer Roopkumar Rathod and musician Satish Vyas were also among the other celebrities who attended his last rites. —TMS