01062022-LSTC-01.qxd 5/31/2022 11:34 PM Page 1 c m y b Team Brahmastra, including Ranbir Kapoor, Ayan Mukerji and SS Rajamouli reached Vishakhapatnam on Tuesday (May 31). As soon as they touched down in the city, the three were welcomed with a roaring response. Videos and pictures of the same have gone viral. TMS TRIBUNE Up next Life Dwayne Johnson’s daughter ‘refuses to believe’ he’s Maui from Moana So sweet! Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson has shared that his youngest daughter Tiana refused to believe that he voiced the character of Maui in the animation film Moana. The actor shared an adorable clip of himself enjoying a tea party with his four-yearold daughter Tiana. “Man these daddy/daughter/bunny tea parties have a special way of kinda putting life into real perspective,” Johnson, 50, wrote in the Instagram caption. “My ‘why’ becomes even more clear,” he added. “She just turned four and probably won’t remember this, but I sure will.” The Jungle Cruise actor also revealed that his youngest daughter “refuses to believe that her daddy is actually Maui from one of her favorite @disneymovies, Moana!” “She always says, ‘Daddy, you’re not Maui, you’re The Rock’,” he explained. In addition to Tiana, Johnson is also dad to daughter Jasmine, six, with wife Lauren Hashian, as well as daughter Simone, 20, whom he shares with his ex-wife Dany Garcia. In April, the actor celebrated Tiana’s fourth birthday, marking the day with a sweet post shared on Instagram. “Big Easter/Tia’s birthday weekend,” Johnson wrote alongside a series of images of Tiana’s birthday festivities. Johnson often shares footage on social media of his time at home with daughters. In March, the wrestler-turned-actor posted an adorable throwback video with Tiana in which he taught her to tell herself a variety of positive affirmations in honour of International Women’s Day. — IANS For months, rumours have circulated that Prabhas will collaborate with director Maruthi on a horror comedy. The latest buzz is that the filming of Raja Deluxe will begin soon. IANS LUDHIANA | WEDNESDAY | 1 JUNE 2022 What is it about rap music that makes violence acceptable to youngsters? Here is what musicians say PHOTO: ISTOCK RANBIR KAPOOR IN VIZAG The rebel within wale hain, so is some of our music. Aggression and power clicks with youth, as do gangster tracks.❞ MINTO, WRITER ❝ Songs regarding guns and violence impress youngsters. They might or might not believe in gun culture, but being powerful is the feeling they get.❞ GURPREET WARAICH, WRITER T HE world of rap has wooed masses by keeping things true to life; Eminem or Divine, it’s the raw authenticity of how the rappers see and describe the world that has garnered them name and fame. Be it hip hop or any other genre, songs of rebellion have clicked with the youth. And often, they have raised a voice against the establishment. Not only did Eminem become one of the first white rappers to be accepted in a genre dominated by AfricanAmericans, his music, which had deep-set angst, clicked with the masses. Anti-establishment, if American rap talked of class struggles, it also took up issues like drugs, violence and mental health. Desi turf While desi rap sure takes the same route, themes and their treatment are different. SIDHU MOOSEWALA EMINEM “International rap speaks of social causes, burning topics and sometimes rappers’ own experiences, but Punjabi rap is mostly boastful and superficial,” points out singer Uvie. “Rap culture signifies the struggle and problems of an artiste in day-to-day life. Family issues, love, relationships and gang-wars; Punjabi rap is a real deal. The way Punjabi artistes can express their feelings, I don’t think anybody else BADSHAH can,” believes music composer Vivek Sahney. If the brutal killing of Sidhu Moosewala shocked the world, it was his funeral on Tuesday that saw a massive turnout. In his songs he celebrated guns, so did Mankirt Aulakh and others as well. While Moosewala sang Jatt oss pind ton belong karda, jithe banda maar ke kasoor puchde, Mankirt crooned Ho pind peya saara gangland baneya, tu aakhdi ae jatta It’s on a grand scale clusters of conversations that all require coverage from different angles, and that all takes time.” Alongside the Crawley sisters, Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) and Edith Pelham, now Marchioness of Hexham (Laura Carmichael), the project also marks the return of fan-favourite character Lady Violet, played by Maggie Smith. — TMS BOHEMIA shehr geda maar ja —compositions that celebrate testosterone-fuelled machismo! Why this love for guns then? “Guns are used metaphorically, as a tool of self-defence in a world so cruel,” says rapper Rob C. “It’s the sheer energy that they infuse with their music and beats that makes them click with the masses,” adds rapper-composer Onkar, who has been part of the band Doorbeen. “Songs regarding guns and violence impress youngsters. They might or might not believe in gun culture, but being powerful is the feeling they get,” says writer Gurpreet Waraich. Punjabi actor Balraj Singh Khehra opines, “The artistes who wrote on gun and violence are the same who were writing about farmers, so it’s the circumstances that moved them.” Political field Guns aside, Moosewala, in his brief political stint used his music too woo voters. But after his defeat, he changed his tune in Scapegoat. And then, there is the allpervasive Jatt in desi rap. “Jatt word doesn’t always mean caste; in some ways it’s just a character that is portrayed in a certain way,” says Sahney. While caste and class are sure themes for music; politics, female objectifica- tion trickle through some hit numbers. Raftaar’s Baby Marvake Maanegi has 218 million views on YouTube. Then there are hit rappers Badshah and Honey Singh, who often objectify females and take misogynist hits. “See rap is all about reality. When Sidhu Moosewala sang Wadde Wadde Bandeyan Naal Vair Jatt De, the threat to his life was real. He wasn’t faking it. Similarly, the so-called misogynist songs are real for some who play and enjoy them,” Rob C offers an explanation. People will take what they please! As the famous rapper Bohemia once shared in an interview to The Tribune, “People want to hear what they want to hear. I wrote Kali Denali some 20 years back, now if you confuse a car (GMC Denali) with dunali (gun), I am not to be blamed,” while claiming to be more of a shayar more than a rapper! Seeking blessings Director Simon Curtis opens up on Downton Abbey: A New Era Curtis says, “I’ve been very lucky in that some of the things I’d made for television, like David Copperfield and Cranford, meant I’d had experience working with a big ensemble cast. What’s intimidating about directing Downton is that there’s no such thing as an easy scene.” He continues, “There might be as many as four mini-scenes within one bigger scene and four different ❝ Punjab ke log garam khoon ❝ Rap is all about reality. When Sidhu Moosewala sang Wadde Wadde Bandeyan Naal Vair Jatt De, the threat to his life was real. He wasn’t faking it.❞ ROB C, RAPPER Mona Having entertained audiences with six successful seasons and a feature film, the Crawleys are back with another feature film with Downton Abbey: A New Era. Sequel to the British television show and movie, Downton Abbey 2 is all set to hit the theatres in India on June 3. Talking about working with an ensemble cast yet again, many of whom are reprising their roles, director Simon RAP & ROLL Akshay Kumar takes a dip in the holy Ganga DIRECTOR NITIN KUMAR GUPTA IN UKRAINE Promoting peace The makers of the film Love in Ukraine have announced that they will donate 20 per cent of all revenues from the film to the Government of Ukraine, or to the charity or cause chosen by them. The decision has been taken jointly by Kamal Entertainment Pvt Ltd and Neole Films. The film, which released on May 27, is the last movie shot in Ukraine, before the war. It’s a love story between a Ukrainian girl and an Indian student, and shows the beauty of Ukraine, both in the cities and the quaint villages. Apart from lead actor Vipin Kaushik and director Nitin Kumar Gupta, the entire cast and crew are from Ukraine. Most of c m y b Makers of Love in Ukraine to donate 20 pc of revenue to the Ukraine government them are still in the war zone. However, they are enthusiastic about the film’s release and support the common cause to promote peace. Film’s director Nitin Kumar Gupta says, “The people of Ukraine gave us so much love and support during filming. I am extremely happy with the decision taken by the producers.” —TMS Akshay Kumar is all geared up for the release of his upcoming movie Samrat Prithviraj, which hits the screens on June 3. The actor, along with his costar Manushi Chhillar and director Chandraprakash Diwedi, was in Varanasi on Monday for the film’s promotions. While the team did aarti, Akshay was seen taking a dive into the holy Ganga as well. Meanwhile, Akshay reveals that producer Aditya Chopra had invested two years on VFX to make the film a big screen spectacle. — TMS BADHAAI DO Wider screen A festival dedicated to LGBTQ+ films is being held in Mumbai from June 1-5. During the five-day festival called ‘Kashish 2022’, 184 films from 53 countries will be screened. Out of these, 30 films are from India, making it the highest from any country represented at the festival. Headlining the dazzling array of Indian films is Badhaai Do, directed by Harshwardhan Kulkarni, and Sheer Qorma, directed by Faraz Ansari. Badhaai Do director Harshavardhan Kulkarni says, “We are humbled by the opportunity to present this film in front of this wonderful audience in the ‘month of pride’. We hope that our film can be viewed as a small contribution towards building a more inclusive world, Pride Month kick-starts with LGBTQ+ film festival ‘Kashish 2022’ one where laughter and tears happily coexist.” Faraz Ansari, director of Sheer Qorma, adds, “From being one of the members of the audience at Kashish, to being the director of the Centerpiece Film with Sheer Qorma, this is going to be so special for me. There is no greater joy than watching it on the big screen with a packed house. Having filmed in Mumbai and to finally screen it at Liberty cinema, where I grew up watching films, I am so looking forward to it.” — TMS