14052022-LSTL-01.qxd 5/13/2022 11:27 PM Page 1 c m y b AASHRAM SEASON 3 IS HERE MX Player is back with the third season of Aashram. Titled Ek Badnaam Aashram, the web series, starring Abhay Deol, is set to premiere on June 3. Produced and directed by Prakash Jha, it also stars Aaditi Pohankar, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Darshan Kumaar, Anupriya Goenka, Esha Gupta, among others. TMS TRIBUNE Engaged? Life Kangana Ranaut’s Dhaakad promises to be a never-seen-before actioner in Bollywood There is a strong buzz that Sunny Deol’s son Karan Deol has got engaged to his childhood friend Drisha at a private ceremony. However, Karan’s team has denied the rumours. TMS LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 14 MAY 2022 She is on fire! PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR Mona Sohail, Seema file for divorce Salman Khan‘s brother Sohail Khan‘s marriage with Seema Khan has hit rock bottom. On Friday (May 13), the estranged couple was spotted leaving a family court in Mumbai. They have filed for divorce after 24 years of marriage. Sohail and Seema had tied the knot in 1998 and are parents to two kids—Nirvaan and Yohan. Back in 2017, there were reports suggesting that the couple is headed towards a divorce. In Netflix show The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives’, Seema and Sohail were seen living separately and their kids were shuttling between the two houses. The show further supported the rumours of the two not living together. Meanwhile, talking about her relationship with Sohail in one of the sequences on The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives, Seema had said, “It’s just that sometimes when you grow older, your relationship meanders and goes into different directions. I make no apologies about it because we are happy and my kids are happy. We are a unit. For us, our children matter at the end of the day.” — TMS B OLLYWOOD’s Jhansi Ki Rani, Kangana Ranaut, has stepped into the shoes of Agent Agni now, a racy character that is into realistic action in Dhaakad. The slick look and feel of the film has led to comparisons with Hollywood and the four-time National Award-winning actor insists, “Dhaakad is a Hindustani film. On accord of its production value and quality, it might have an international appeal, but it’s an Indian story set in coal mines.” The role was sure challenging. “The action—thoda-fodi, bonebreaking, throat-slitting, kicks and punches—were physically taxing. You have to be in certain shape to able to be able to perform all that. After pulling off these stunts, I felt like a different person all together,” adds Kangana. Ask Kangana about the most dhaakad person in her life and she says, “My Papa. The biggest struggle for me has not been fighting in the industry or anything else, but to get out of changul of my father when barely 15-16.” Her co-star, Arjun Rampal, AYUSHMANN KHURRANA I encourage every new film, be it RRR or any other. I wish for the same encouragement from the industry and am happy to receive it. — KANGANA RANAUT ARJUN RAMPAL, DIVYA DUTTA AND KANGANA RANAUT faced another kind of challenge, “Coming from a family where women were respected, I was wondering how I would raise a hand on a woman!” Director Razneesh Razy Ghai’s vision and a superb star cast made him take up the role. “I have always supported films with women in the lead. The way Kangana has done action— very realistic—is something I am really proud of.” Divya Dutta, looking resplendent in yellow, has done a role very different than her previous outings. “To play this mean character, I enjoyed this stark change,” laughs Divya, with Arjun teasing, “The role came naturally to her.” “From Maa promotions to Dhaakad, it's lovely to be in city twice within a week. I have done a Punjabi movie after so long; Maa is like coming back to roots, she says. HAPPY TIMES Happy to be in Chandigarh on a promotional tour on Friday, they talk about their love for City Beautiful. “It was here that I blossomed. I figured out my love for art here,” says Kangana. Divya had many firsts here—college, first best actor award, first Hindi film and first Punjabi film. “It’s been very lucky for me,” she says. Arjun loves the food, people and the planned structure, “Everybody should take a leaf from Chandigarh.” Kangana takes her Himachali-Punjabi connect rather seriously. Her Punjabi is rather rusty but she can very well croon Ae Jo Silli Silli Aundi Ae Hawa Kitte Koi Ronda Hovega, a song that she loved during her days in Chandigarh. A fan of Badshah, Kangana is very fond of AP Dhillon as well. About the recent unrest in Himachal and Punjab, she maintains, “Himachal, Punjab, Bengal, Tamil Nadu—India is one and would always remain so.” Kangana would be playing a Punjabi character, Tejas Gill, in her next film titled Tejas. She adds, “As a producer, I would definitely like to make a Punjabi film.” Having directed Manikarnika before, Kangana is helming Emergency next. Dhaakad releases in cinemas on May 20. MOVIE REVIEWS Not Jordaar enough! Nonika Singh JAYESHBHAI JORDAAR Upholding the cause of the girl child, Jayeshbhai Jordaar certainly has its heart in the right place. Sadly, the rest of the film is all over the place. The first few minutes take us into a sexdetermination centre. The fact that PCPNDT (Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act prohibiting gender testing came into being way back in 1994 and given more teeth in 2003 is explained through a rider, which reiterates a couple of times how the test is illegal. Rest of the narrative needs no explanation…It’s all about the right of a girl child to be born, told through first person account of Jayeshbhai Patel. We have Ranveer Singh as Jayesbhai living in a village in Gujarat, which seems to be caught in a time warp. Placing the story in a state from where comes our Prime Minister who has given us Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao slogan, we don’t know whether it is a brave choice, an underlying dig or simply Cast: Ranveer Singh, Shalini Pandey, Boman Irani, Ratna Pathak Shah, Jia Vaidya, Samay Raj Thakkar and Ragi Jani Director: Divyang Thakkar Rating: ★★ Acting, casting, direction and script, Punjabi film Saunkan Saunkne offers a breath of fresh air When comedy meets emotion SAUNKAN SAUNKNE Cast: Sargun Mehta, Nimrat Khaira, Ammy Virk, Nirmal Rishi, Sukhwinder Chahal, Ravinder Mand and Mohini Toor Director: Amarjit Singh Saron Rating: ★★★★ foolhardy. Of course, the affix Jordaar is a misnomer of sorts justifying neither the film nor its titular character. For here, Jayeshbhai is a timid husband and father who despite his belief in the right values just can’t speak up before his patronising father (Boman Irani), steeped in patriarchal values. Predictably, apart from enacting ‘wife beating’, he goes all out to ensure that his to-be-born second daughter does not meet the same fate as unborn six. Hereafter what happens, him on the run with his pregnant wife (Shalini Pandey as Mudra Patel is the demure biwi) and nine- year-old daughter…is mostly farcical. Apart from the masquerade he puts up to fool his father, Despite Ranveer Singh’s powerful performance, Jayeshbhai Jordaar fails to impress as a cinematic outing more antics are in order. We are introduced to a village in Haryana, the state once notorious for dwindling sex ratio. So abysmal things were that men were left with no choice but to remain single or buy brides. Why the village named Ladhopur is the safest place for women beats us and the manner in which it is roped-in the storyline is as baffling as contrived. The power of one to change the world could have led to a jordaar film. And with gifted actor Ranveer Singh, who never fails to impress, headlining the film, the impact ANURAG KASHYAP Get set for Dobaaraa ought to have been doubly more powerful. Like always, he is in total control of his act and the director resists the temptation of milking his superstar status. He remains in character in both demeanor and expression. Even though he is egged by his nine-year-old daughter Nisha (Jia Vaidya) to turn an action hero, he prefers to drive home the power of pappi, ahem a kiss (love), to change the world. But the final wrap up is far too convenient for any soul-searching moment. A couple of scenes with his Sheetal Ever burst into laughter while crying or vice-versa while watching a Punjabi film? Well, go for Saunkan Saunkne—a crazy family of three, Bebe, Nirmal Singh, played by Ammy Virk, and his wife Naseeb Kaur, portrayed by Sargun Mehta, who desperately needs to expand. During a period when IVF and surrogacy were not the best of solutions, enters Nimrat Khaira as Kirna (the second NIMRAT KHAIRA AND AMMY VIRK wife) and the fun begins. One can’t choose the exact genre of Saunkan Saunkne since it is a period drama (times when transistors, black and white televisions and hand-pumps were the c m y b mother in the second half of the film have an emotive connect. Since the mother’s part is played by the versatile Ratna Pathak Shah, the change of heart is on the expected lines. Will the film change perceptions in a country fixated with male heir, well, we all have seen refreshing winds blowing even in ruralscapes. Not to say such regressive attitudes do not exist anymore or that illegal testing is still not rampant. Yet the writing by the Divyang Thakkar, who has also directed the film, could have been more in sync with thing), but comedy and social message too are weaved in. The film is packed with punches and some of them are even worth taking home! The casting director has made this one a grand show. From scenes where a kid gets to shine with powerful dialogues to veteran actors, such as the Bebe of Nirmal, director Amarajit Singh Saron has been quite impressive. On the music front, unlike other Punjabi films, not a deserved to be fast-forwarded. Pick any Bollywood movie or changing dynamics. The way it pans out, social messaging is too overt to touch a chord. And attempts to rake in humour, even in the scene where a battered wife slaps her unconscious husband, is far from rib-tickling. If message alone maketh film viewing worth your time, go for it. Ranveer does make up for much that is lost in writing. But never mind his livewire act or dance to the tune of song Firecracker (music by Vishal-Shekhar) in the concluding titles, even he can’t make it a firecracker of a film. series and if it has an extra-marital affair, it cannot be a family watch but in this Punjabi film, although Nirmal Singh has two wives, there are no bold scenes. The scene where the reality of having two wives strikes Nirmal is convincing to the tee. While Ammy aced the role of a troubled and gullible husband, Sargun’s dramatic outbursts and Nimrat’s act are all worth a watch. It’s tough to decide whether acting, casting, direction or script has a bigger role to play in it! Taapsee Pannu to star in the lead role Anurag Kashyap’s movie Dobaaraa will hit silver screen on August 19, 2022. Starring Taapsee Pannu in the lead, Dobaaraa is a newage thriller that reunites Taapsee and Anurag for the third time. Backed by Ekta Kapoor, Dobaaraa is the official Hindi adaption of Oriol Paulo’s 2018 Spanish-language film Mirage. Before its theatrical release on August 19, Dobaaraa will be screened at the London Indian Film Festival. — TMS Playing a cop After the poster release of Anubhav Sinha’s Anek, headlined by Ayushmann Khurrana, now the makers have dropped a video where Ayushmann’s character undergoes a lie detection test and passes it with flying colours, owing to his confidence, resilience and hardcore training. Says Anubhav, “It takes a great deal of training and strength, both physical and mental, to be an undercover cop and we’ve tried to portray that. This is just one of the things that an undercover cop is trained for and we will be highlighting a few of the other traits in the upcoming videos for the movie.” — TMS