09072022-LSTL-01.qxd 7/8/2022 11:26 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE GET SET FOR I LOVE US 2 Roaleey Ryan and Supyarde Singh will soon be seen opposite each other in I Love Us 2. The series will be streaming on EORTV and has been directed by Deepak Pandey. TMS ‘Excited & nervous’ Ranbir Kapoor on embracing fatherhood From being ‘excited’ to ‘terrified’, Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor says he is feeling a gamut of emotions as he awaits the birth of his and Alia Bhatt’s first child. The couple tied the knot in April and Alia, 29, announced her pregnancy last month. Kapoor said while he finds it difficult to express his feelings, he is looking forward to this new phase in his life. “I am feeling grateful, excited, nervous and terrified. Because I have so many expectations of myself and of this relationship, and what I want from it and what I want to give... These are the only adjectives I can use,” Kapoor said. Kapoor, 39, said throughout his 15-yearlong career he has always been conscious about his movie choices and believes there is nothing in his filmography that he will be ashamed of while showing to his child. “I am always conscious because I know society gets impacted by it.” — PTI In the act Life Choreographer Terence Lewis has appeared in a music video, Meherbaan, which was released on Friday. The song has been sung by Mohammed Irfan, Sumedha Karmahe and Raja Hasan. IANS LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 9 JULY 2022 ‘Writing comedy is not easy’ H Mona Stand-up comedian Amit Tandon, who is known for clean acts, believes as of now people are hungry for live shows I, I am Amit Tandon, produced by my mother, directed by my wife...Is one joke that works every time, everywhere for him. The mechanical engineer from IIT Delhi enjoyed the corporate stint while it lasted and is currently loving the jet-setting pace as he undertakes a world tour. Just after finishing the Australia leg, he is performing in India before resuming the tour to Dubai, Canada and the US. Masala Sandwich – his India tour takes him across the length and breadth of the country. Known for his clean acts, Tandon is popular with different generations. How does he connect with different agegroups? “I just try to tell my story, somehow people relate to my stories. Coming from an Indian middle-class family, some are my observations. Some listen to it as their story, kids probably listen to it as their father’s story.” CHILD’S PLAY While his observations make it to his acts, lots of stuff comes from his interactions with his children. “I spend a lot time with my kids, it reflects CITY CONNECT Born in Patiala, Amit Tandon has spent quite some time in Chandigarh. Sector 17 and Sukhna Lake remain his favourite places to visit. “Chandigarh is beautiful and trips up the Shimla hills I will always remember. I would probably come there when I retire, take one of the big houses with bigger lawns and call Chandigarh home.” somewhere. Secondly, we might not realise it but relationships remain the same across generations, and across the world. There are same issues between a father and son, and a mother and son everywhere.” This weekend brings him to the region and Tandon is kicked about his first show in the city of his birth - Patiala. He will perform in Ludhiana on Saturday and Chandigarh on Sunday. So, does he adapt according to where he’s performing? “Region-specific is a very small part. Actually, writing comedy is not easy. It takes about five or six months to write and tighten any show.” Tandon’s world tour started with a bang; he had some sold out shows in Australia. “It’s been fun so far. I am looking forward to Dubai, Canada, the US and if visa works Europe as well. People are hungry for live shows, these are good times,” he says. GOOD GOING Tandon’s comedy show Good Night India completed 126 episodes; he adds, “It was quite unbelievable. We were signed up for 102 episodes. But I was told comedy is not working on television except Kapil Sharma’s show. Then we did well and the production house gave us 24 more shows. We have just finished season one. That we could bring stand-up comedy that’s clean with over 100 performers is a feat in itself. The production house gave me creative liberty and people gave us lots of love.” Also, he’s taking up writing for shows and films. “I want to now divide time between stand-up comedy and other writing projects.” Any rules that he has set for comic acts? “Rule one is that language has to be clean. A lot of my content is pure observation. Lately, I am trying to choose what I want to say. So the new material is way more honest. Masala Sandwich has a lot of opinions, honest stories that go beyond mere observation.” Netflix backs Johnny Depp Streaming giant Netflix is helping finance Hollywood star Johnny Depp’s movie comeback following his much-publicised defamation trial against ex-wife and actress Amber Heard, which he eventually won. The 59-year-old will portray King Louis XV in the Frenchlanguage film La Favorite, which was previously reported to be titled Jeanne du Barry. Netflix has acquired the rights to stream the film in France. Acquisition of the film’s rights will be used by the producers to help finance the production. Under the deal, the period piece will be hitting the streamer 15 months following its theatrical release. Netflix, however, does not have the rights to stream the movie in other territories and is not involved in the making of the picture. Directed by Maiwenn Le Besco, La Favorite will tell the story of Jeanne Becu, an impoverished seamstress who rises through the ranks of Louis XV’s court to become his official mistress. Le Besco also stars as Jeanne Becu. Though the real Louis XV ruled over France for nearly 59 years, he ‘died as an unpopular king...accused of corruption and debauchery’. Filming is scheduled to start later this summer across France and will last for about three months. The movie is expected to be ready for theatrical release in the country in 2023. La Favorite will mark Depp’s first acting role since he won the defamation case. The Pirates of the Caribbean star was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages after the jury found his ex-wife Heard guilty of defaming him. The same jury awarded $2 million to the Aquaman actress, who made similar claims against Depp. Depp’s last film was Minamata, which was released in the US late last year. In November 2020, he withdrew from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, in which he was supposed to reprise his role as Grindelwald, and was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen, after losing his UK libel case against The Sun. — IANS Living a dream Mona PHOTO: MANOJ MAHAJAN Despite stiff challenges, Somya Thakur is going to represent India in Miss Wheelchair World 2022 Contest “While people see me as a wheelchair-bound girl, what they don’t see at first glance is my will,” says the petite, pretty girl Somya Thakur. An HR professional with a private company in tricity, Somya is balancing her passion with her job. She is, in fact, going to represent India in Miss Wheelchair World 2022 Contest next! Wearing a sparkling crown, Somya has been waiting for this stint for a while. The pandemic played spoilsport and the opportunity finally came through Jadina Taka Foundation, which is holding the Miss Wheelchair World 2022 Contest in Rosarito, Mexico in October. Somya suffers from loco-motor disability due to which her leg muscles are weak and she cannot bear her body weight. This ailment consigned her to the c m y b wheelchair. Despite the odds, Somya completed her education; she is an MBA from Panjab University. Without many transport options available for a wheelchair-bound, Somya banks on her mother to take her around. “I wouldn’t have been able to complete my education or work had she not rallied behind me.” Being strong Somya idolises former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen; she says, “She is a woman to reckon with. I love how she carries herself.” If pandemic has been hard for everyone, it was harder for her as an accident left her bedridden. “I have worked really hard to be where I am. The accident left fractures in both my knees, I almost lost hope that I would be able to pursue my passion. But then I pulled myself together and spent the last two years healing myself,” she smiles. Somya is also General Secretary of the Positive Abilities Rotaract Club under the aegis of Rotary Chandigarh Shivalik. She is into social activism and often delivers motivational lectures. Miss Wheelchair World 2022 is going to be her first international exposure. Before this, she has been a part of other events, including the longest ever wheelchair fashion show, an attempt at breaking the Guinness World Records, at Chennai. She has also been the runner-up in Miss Kozinoor India contest in 2019. She wishes to win the crown at Mexico where participants from 30 other countries will compete. “I want to wear something Rajputana to honour my traditions. I wish to collaborate with a designer and hope to find a team to help me through this.” Kapil as guest of honour 83 to be celebrated at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, which for the last two years was held virtually, is set for a comeback. The festival will take place in Melbourne from August 1220. The line-up this year is more diverse than ever before with over 100 films in 23 languages having been selected for the festival. The Movie 83, directed by Kabir Khan, will be celebrated at IFFM and the festival has invited legendary cricketer Kapil Dev to be the guest of honour. On a grand scale Ponniyin Selvan Part 1 (PS1), the magnum opus, dream project of famous director Mani Ratnam is making headlines ever since its inception. The makers of PS1, Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies, have created huge anticipation amongst the audience by releasing posters each day, beginning from the exceptional cast of Vikram as Aditya Karikalan, Karthi as Vanthiyathevan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Nandini and Trisha as Princess Kundavai. Taking the excitement level a notch higher, the makers of Ponniyin Selvan have now released the teaser of the much-awaited magnum opus. It was unveiled at a grand event in Chennai on Friday (July 8) by none other than Amitabh Bachchan. Present at the event was the cast of PS1 along with the makers. PS1 is based on Kalki’s Tamil novel and has remained a classic ever since. The film revolves around the power struggles of Chola empire during the 10th century and will hit the screens in two instalments. Big B launches teaser of Aishwarya’s next film Ponniyin Selvan Part 1