06062022-LSTC-01.qxd 6/6/2022 12:35 AM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE Pious heart Life Esha Gupta recently visited the auspicious Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi to seek blessings for the success of her upcoming show Aashram Season 3 on MX Player. TMS CHANDIGARH | MONDAY | 6 JUNE 2022 Her smile goes a mile Mona W HILE she retains the same, premium, time slot, Archana Puran Singh will no longer be enjoying comic punches alone. In June, she will have the company of the debonair Shekhar Suman, as they form the judges’ panel for India’s Laughter Champion, which is set to replace The Kapil Sharma Show. The new show will witness comedians from different corners of the country. “I have always been a fan of raw talent. The show brings undiscovered gems from far off regions of our country and showcases their unique talent as well as characteristic humour,” says Archana. Archana is sure looking forward to reviving old associations. “I have Shekhar Suman as company. I am looking forward to re-connecting with him. We worked in films and judged Comedy Circus together too. Through this show, I also get back in touch with writers and directors that I have worked with long back. That is a wonderful thing and I am looking forward to it.” Rasika Dugal’s Fairy Folk to be screened at Sydney Film Festival Beyond borders Actress Rasika Dugal’s film Fairy Folk will premiere at the Sydney Film Festival, which will take place from June 8 to 19. Written and directed by Karan Gour, the film follows the story of a squabbling couple, Ritika and Mohit, who have lost their spark and are tired of each other. More difficulties arise when they come across a genderless being in the woods and it casually follows them home. The film will be representing Indian cinema at the annual festival. Rasika says: “It is an actor’s delight to be part of an improvised film. The style of shooting gave us the room to explore the many odd things that people do and say when they find themselves in an unprecedented situation... These beautiful oddities sometimes get lost in the need to write a logical script. This is the kind of film that is a must-have in the life of an actor.” Apart from Rasika, Nikhil Desai, Asmit Pathare and Chandrachoor Rai are among the cast members. Rasika’s upcoming projects include Adhura, Spike, Delhi Crime Season 2 and Lord Curzon Ki Haveli. — IANS I have always been a fan of raw talent. India’s Laughter Champion brings undiscovered gems from far off regions. Archana Puran Singh, who, along with Shekhar Suman, will be seen on the judges’ panel in upcoming show India’s Laughter Champion, believes the happy-go-lucky attitude of Punjabis makes them rule the comedy world FAVOURITE LIST In fact, it was in Comedy Circus that Archana first spotted Kapil Sharma’s talent. She was a part of the show for more than a decade. “I always gave him 10 on 10.” And, Kapil has been her favourite ever since. “I am glad that the bond has remained special. Kapil always says he valued all the encouragement during the initial days.” Through her association with comedy shows, Archana has had quite a few favourites. “I like Krushna Abhishek, he is naturally talented but doesn’t do stand-up comedy. Kapil is just impeccable. He is multi-talented and can sing very well too. He cannot dance, but makes others dance to the tune of his jokes,” she laughs. Archana is going to miss The Kapil Sharma Show, but insists it’s time for a change. “Kapil has been working back-to-back and sure needed this break from the show. In fact, it would be lovely working holiday for the team,” says Archana. The team will be touring the United States through June. LOVE FOR LIFE Punjabis have a special affinity for comedy and Archana attributes it to their love and passion for life. “Punjabis eat well, laugh heartily and don’t take life too seriously. It’s their happy-go-lucky attitude in life that makes them rule the comedy world,” she adds. And, one might get to see the Miss Breganza of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai back on the big screen. “There are some films and web shows that I am considering. In fact, OTT has really blossomed lately and I would like to try it out,” says Archana. (India’s Laughter Champion will begin on June 11, every Saturday and Sunday 9:30 pm onwards on Sony Entertainment Television) No B-town plans: Amaal Singer-composer Amaal Mallik, who has always received appreciation for his music as well as for his screen presence in his music videos, says he has no plan to join acting.The singer has appeared in music videos like Tu Mera Nahi, Pyaar Ek Tarfaa and Tujhe Chaahta Hoon Kyun and now planning to release a couple of more songs in the near future. Says Amaal, “I know, many times fans want me to join acting. But I have no plan to join Bollywood. I am making music and am happy.” — IANS WEBSOLUTE FUN Mark your dates While this week sees the OTT debut of Sonali Bendre, it also has new seasons of Peaky Blinders and Code M June 8: Ms Marvel on Disney+ Hotstar Marvel Studios’ Ms Marvel is a new, original series that introduces Kamala Khan, a Muslim American teenager growing up in Jersey City. An avid gamer, Kamala is a superhero fan with an oversized imagination—particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel. The cast includes Iman Vellani, Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, among others. June 9: Code M—Season 2 on Voot Select Season 2 of this hit show follows the fearless Monica Mehra (Jennifer Winget), as she gets the task of investigating a case related to a vigilante organisation that hunts down and kills corrupt individuals. These are the ones who carry out the gruesome assassination of several officers from the Army. However, with multiple failed attempts to conclude the probe, Monica finds herself in a predicament as she discovers that the key to all the mysteries lies in her past. CELEBS AT KASHISH FILM FESTIVAL IN MUMBAI Glitz & glamour Swara Bhasker, Divya Dutta, Pooja Bhatt and others join Pride Month celebrations KRITI SANON Fitting finale for IIFA Vicky Kaushal bags Best Actor award for Sardar Udhamand Kriti Sanon gets Best Actress for Mimi After the technical awards on Friday, the final event of the 22nd edition of International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards 2022 was held on Saturday (June 4) at Abu Dhabi. Several celebrities, including Salman Khan, Vicky Kaushal, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, and others, marked their presence. Talking about awardees, Vicky Kaushal received Best Actor award for Sardar Udham and Kriti Sanon was announced as Best Actress for Mimi. While Shershaah was awarded the Best Film, its director Vishnu Varadhan June 10: The Broken News on ZEE5 The show marks Sonali Bendre’s OTT debut and also stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Taaruk Raina, among others. The story is about two rival news networks and it reveals the lives, lies and struggles of a dynamic group of journalists. While one is an ethical and a credible news channel, the other is India’s number one news channel as per TRPs but believes in brash sensationalism and invasive journalism. June 10: Shining Vale on Lionsgate Play With unexpected twists, snappy dialogues and great storytelling, Shining Vales is a fastpaced murder mystery with a dash of comedy. Crafted by Jeff Astrof and Sharon Horgan, the series stars Courteney Cox, Greg Kinnear, Sherilyn Fenn, Mira Sorvino, Merrin Dungey and Judith Light. June 10: Peaky Blinders–Season 6 on Netflix Birmingham’s bad boys are back with the sixth and final season of Peaky Blinders. The first episode of the new season is titled Black Day—an echo of the first episode of season five, Black Tuesday, which is said to carry the arch of this season. With some changes in the cast, like Charlie Murphy not reprising her role as real life union leader and Communist activist Jessie Eden, the last season is bound to be a spectacle. — TMS JUBIN NAUTIYAL PANKAJ TRIPATHI VICKY KAUSHAL received Best Director award. Best Actor in Supporting Role Male and Female went to Pankaj Tripathi (Ludo) and Sai Tamhankar (Mimi). Ahan Shetty (Tadap) and Sharvari Wagh (Bunty Aur Babli 2) were awarded Best Debutants. Best Story Original went to Anurag Basu for Ludo and Best Story Adapted was given to Kabir Khan for 83. Best Singers Male and Female went to Jubin Nautiyal and Asees Kaur for the same song (Raatan Lambiyan, Shershaah). Best Music award went to A R Rahman for Atrangi Re. The event was hosted by Salman Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Maniesh Paul. — TMS ABHISHEK BACHCHAN DOES AN ‘IMPROMPTU DANCE’ WITH FAMILY It was a sight when actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan joined her husband Abhishek Bachchan in an impromptu dance at the 22nd IIFA awards held at the YAS Island in Abu Dhabi. Abhishek was seen dancing on numbers such as India Wale from Happy New Year and c m y b Macha Macha from Dasvi. The actor later came down from the stage and was seen grooving with his family, Aishwarya and his daughter Aaradhya Bachchan. In the video shared on the official Instagram page of IIFA, Abhishek Bachchan can be seen in a white sherwani, while Aishwarya and Aaradhya can be seen sitting in the front row, matching the steps with him. “The impromptu performance by #AbhishekBachchan with #AishwaryaRaiBachchan wins our hearts,” read the caption. — IANS The 13th Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival was full of glitz and glamour on Saturday with the presence of renowned Bollywood celebrities. Actors like Swara Bhaskar, Divya Dutta, Pooja Bhat, Anita Shroff Adajania, filmmaker Tanuja Chandra, Anup Soni, along with Sheer Qorma director Faraz Ansari and festival director Sridhar Rangayan graced the evening. The evening saw premiere of the movie Sheer Qorma. At the event, Divya Dutta said, “I am delighted to be a part of a remarkable film that holds such significance.” Swara Bhasker added, “It is a film close to my heart, since I learnt a lot by working in the film, not only about LGBTQ identities, but also about giving and accepting love.” — TMS