16072022-LSTL-01.qxd 7/15/2022 11:38 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE RANBIR IN ACTION ZONE Take care Life Ranbir Kapoor will be seen pulling off many visually stunning action sequences in Shamshera. One such is a Kalaripayattu-inspired edgy fight scene, which has been directed by Franz Spilhaus. TMS Wamiqa Gabbi, who was recently seen in OTT series Modern Love Mumbai, has been urging people to be considerate towards the strays, as several Indian cities continue to face heavy rains. IANS LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 16 JULY 2022 Former chairman of IPL Lalit Modi surprised everyone by sharing romantic pictures with actress Sushmita Sen on social media. So, what’s cooking? SENSATIONAL! L OOKS like Miss Universe 1994 has finally found her Mr Right! Former chairman of Indian Premier League (IPL), Lalit Modi surprised everyone on Thursday (July 14) as he shared a series of romantic pictures with Sushmita Sen on social media. He addressed Sushmita as his ‘better looking partner’ in the post, which sparked their wedding rumours. However, later in another post, he clarified that they were ‘just dating’ but marriage will happen soon. Sharing the pictures, Lalit wrote, “Just back in London after a whirling global tour #maldives # sardinia with the families - not to mention my # better-looking looking partner @sushmitasen47—a new beginning, a new life finally. Over the moon…” He further wrote, “In love does not mean marriage yet. But one that by God’s grace will happen. I just announced that we are together.” Calling Sushmita ‘the love of his life’, Lalit also changed his Instagram bio as: “Finally starting a new life with my partner in crime. My love @sushmitasen47”. Modi even changed his Instagram profile picture, and replaced it with one where he is seen with Sushmita. Lalit Modi’s post took the internet by storm. And there is huge speculation that Sushmita and Lalit are secretly engaged, as the actress is flaunting a huge ring on her finger in one of different way.” “Two minutes silence for guys who spend 23 hours in gym to look perfect!! #LalitModi #SushmitaSen,” shared another. This is not the first time Sushmita is garnering attention for her love life. The former Miss Universe was in a relationship with Rohman Shawl, a fashion model, for almost three years before they called it quits in December 2021. Earlier, there have been several reports of Sushmita’s link-ups with Vikram Bhatt (director), Randeep Hooda (actor), Ritik Bhasin (a Mumbai-based restaurateur), Sabeer Bhatia (founder of Hotmail), Wasim Akram (Pakistani cricketer), Bunty Sachdev (celebrity management firm founder) and Imtiyaz Khatri (entrepreneur). Not married! KING OF CONTROVERSIES LALIT’S TWEET GOES VIRAL The businessman-cum-cricket administrator, Lalit Modi, credited with making Indian cricket a billion-dollar industry by successfully launching the Indian Premier League, enjoyed good relations with several politicians, including former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. With name and fame also came controversies. But the 56-year-old continued to flaunt his money, travelling around the world in private jets and also reportedly employing the daughter of fugitive industrialist Vijay Mallya as his personal assistant at one point in time. IANS Hours after Lalit Modi shared pictures with Sushmita Sen, netizens dug up old tweets of Modi where he is asking Sushmita to reply to his SMS. The tweets are from 2013, days when messaging apps such as WhatsApp were not in vogue. In the tweets from 2013, Lalit wrote, “Okay I commit ‘@thesushmitasen: @LalitKModi you are too kind. However, promises are meant to be broken, commitments are honoured. Cheers love. Here is to 47 (sic).” Sushmita replied, “Gotcha 47,” to which Lalit replied, “Reply my SMS.” Modi, who founded the Indian Premier League but was accused of financial irregularities and misconduct, absconded to London before coming under the radar of ED (Enforcement Directorate). He was married to Minal Modi for 27 years, who passed away in 2018 after battling cancer. IANS the pictures shared by Lalit Modi. Several celebs, including Ranveer Singh and Farah Ali Khan, dropped congratu- latory messages. Meanwhile, Sushmita’s brother Rajeev Sen reacted to the news saying, “I am pleasantly sur- prised. I wasn’t aware of it at all. My sister is yet to confirm this from her end, so I can’t comment as of now.” Twitter trail Twitterati on the other hand had a field day with funny memes and reactions to the news. One user wrote, “Lalit Modi dating Sushmita Sen. One won Miss India and one is missing from India (eventu- ally won Miss Universe also).” Another wrote, “When you thought you’ve seen everything, 2022 surprises you in a In a recent conversation with Twinkle Khanna, Sushmita shared that she was close to getting married thrice in the past but God saved her. She had said, “I can’t tell you what disasters followed with their respective lives.” Sushmita Sen acknowledged the new love on Friday evening on social media. Sharing a picture with her daughters, she wrote, “I am in a happy place!!! Not married…No rings...Unconditionally surrounded by love!! Enough clarification given...Now back to life and work! Thank you for sharing in my happiness always...And for those who don’t...it’s #NOYB Anyway!!!” MOVIE REVIEWS Shot in the arm SHABAASH MITHU RIP, Pothen Popular Malayalam filmmaker and actor Pratap Pothen passes away Renowned actor and filmmaker Pratap Pothen was found dead in his house on Friday (July 15). He was 70. According to reports, Pratap died in his apartment in Kilpauk in Chennai. The cause of death is not known yet. Pratap, who began his acting career in Malayalam cinema with the legendary director Bharathan, through movies like Aavaram, Thakara and Lorry, acted in over a hundred films in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. He was last seen in Mammootty-starrer CBI 5. Pratap was known for his peculiar dialogue delivery, which added depth to his offbeat characters, even when he played insufferable villains, like the one in 22 Female Kottayam. He chose characters that suited his peculiarities like the rebellious student in love with his teacher in Chamaram or the simpleton hero rising to heights in Pappu. In later years, he also did mature characters like the good-old doctor in Ayalum Njanum Thammil. Director: Srijit Mukherji Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Vijay Raaz, Richard Bhakti Klein, Asad Ali Palijo Rating: ★★★ Hit & miss Director: Sailesh Kolanu Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Sanya Malhotra, Akhil Iyer, Milind Gunaji, Dalip Tahil, Shilpa Shukla Rating: ★★★ Nonika Singh Sir hamari bhi koi pehchaan hai, hum bhi to India ke liye khelte hain…With these words, director Srijit Mukherji sets the pitch of the film. In a cricket-obsessed nation where male cricketers are no less than demigods, how many of us can rattle off the names of five women cricketers? In the answer lies the tone of the biopic of former Test and ODI captain of women’s national cricket team Mithali Raj. And the narrative underlines time and again the insurmountable obstacles women cricketers face. No wonder in childhood years it is not Mithali, but her brother who is being trained for cricket. How she moves from Bharatnatyam to cricket, forms the earlier part of the story. In a way, the story of Mithali Raj is that of women’s cricket neglected/ignored for too long. Only expected, much of the run-time is devoted to the challenges before Mithali and the women’s team, who have to bear with unfair treatment and discrimination. One particular scene at the airport where the women team set to represent India is made to offload excess baggage while its male counterpart gets a rousing reception is a telling pointer of the way things were. Or perhaps still are. But the movie, while listing the uphill struggle, cele- Even a spectacular act by Rajkummar Rao struggles to salvage the befuddled climax of this outing HIT: THE FIRST CASE Mona Shabaash Mithu, biopic of former captain of women’s national cricket brates the achievement of duce us to more names? Mithali as well as how she team Mithali Raj, may not hit Only briefly and sketchily. led the Indian team to the the ball out of the park but And that is its biggest drawfinal of the 2017 Women’s back...Sure it’s a biopic. touches the right Cricket World Cup. Even, if it does not give us More than once the film ball-by-ball account of chords touches your emotional Mithali’s sporting feats, it is chords, the credit for which goes to the director as well as the cast. Taapsee Pannu in the titular part does not hit a single false note, as her body language is befitting a cricketer. Vijay Raaz as her coach is, like always, phenomenal. The child actors Inayat Verma and Kasturi Jagnam, playing Mithali and her friend Noorie, deserve a special round of applause. Cricket mein sab se zaroori kya hai and pat comes the innocent answer—dosti. Mercifully, this precious childhood friendship with Noorie who puts her on the path of cricket is heartwarming. Even otherwise, there are no unnecessary distractions or unwanted romantic angles. Sure, rivalry with the team captain when Mithali is inducted in the team surfaces to add spice to the sports drama. Till the first half, the proceedings race to an emotive moment. Post intermission, however, the film sags a bit especially when a dejected Mithali decides to quit cricket and begins to pursue ‘womanly’ interests. Only as expected of an inspiring sports biopic, it can only culminate on a high note. By now even the peon in the cricket association knows Mithali’s name. But does the film intro- c m y b meant to laud the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket and the first player from India, male or female, to score 2,000 runs in T20Is. But cricket we know is team spirit and the two-hourforty-minute film could easily have put the light on others and we could have walked out of theatres with more than five names on our finger tips. Nevertheless, Shabaash Mithu is an inspirational film, which may not hit the ball out of the park but has us teary eyed. The odyssey of women’s cricket vis-à-vis men’s cricket might be akin to suraj ke aage jugnu chamke...But the light of this firefly deserves to be seen. A cop, Vikram, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He believes that it’s his work that’s keeping him sane, but his colleagues and friends believe otherwise. Not ready to quit the force, he reluctantly agrees to take a long leave and heads to his hometown in Himachal Pradesh. But as his girlfriend Neha (Sanya Malhotra) goes missing, he saunters back while demanding he be put on the case. Another case of a girl, Preeti, gone missing on the highway, gets entangled in this one. Dealing with his panic attacks and pursuing the two missing girls, he takes the story forward. Another Telugu film gets a Hindi outing with this one, which is helmed by the original’s director Sailesh Kolanu. If performances are the strength of this version, the setting provides for a spectacular backdrop, which cinematographer S. Manikandan’s captures well. One sees Rajasthan, its forts and palaces, as Vikram romances Neha in the beginning. The scene briefly moves to snowcapped mountains in Himachal. The first half takes its own sweet time to establish the premise. Amid all this we have the Homicide Intervention Team chief Ajit Singh Shekhawat (Dalip Tahil), an able sidekick Rohit (Akhil Iyer), an honest but egoist cop Ibrahim (Milind Gunaji), and a rival in the force Akshay (Jatin Goswami). Amongst the twists and turns, as Vikram races to find Neha and Preeti alive, one reaches the climax, which is neither plausible nor believable. While there is an attempt to tie loose ends, what frustrates is that although one gets the hint, one never fully gets to know the reason behind Vikram’s PTSD. Of course, there is the second case, and the ending of the first starts another plot. But then was The First Case just a detour in the real story? Rajkummar Rao impresses; as always, he’s earnest and determined. His body language and the change between ‘man on a mission’ to a ‘prisoner of his past’ is a treat to watch. Akhil Iyer as Rohit makes for an able sidekick; he gets ample screen time and his is a pleasing presence. Jatin Goswami’s transition from foe to friend is interesting. Sanya Malhotra shines in the brief time she gets! Shilpa Shukla manages to get attention, but her character like many others is very superficially etched. Music by Manan Bhardwaj, Mithoon and John Stewart Eduri befits the story. The background score builds the atmosphere of the suspense thriller. There are social issues thrown in the cop drama; moral policing being one. Not anymore can you see a show or film with a nod to LGBTQIA! While the film keeps one engaged, after 2 hours 16 minutes one looks for a grand finale, which goes missing.