24072022-LSTL-01.qxd 7/23/2022 11:28 PM Page 1 c m y b LOSE SOME, WIN SOME Randeep Hooda was recently spotted at The Gray Man screening in Mumbai. Making his public appearance after a long time, Randeep shared some info from his upcoming biopic Swatantra Veer Savarkar. The actor says, “I have lost 14-16 kg till now for Veer Savarkar and I am planning to lose 10kg more.” TRIBUNE Sizzling Life Rakul Preet Singh is making her presence felt with her appearance in the music video of Mashooka. It is sung by Asees Kaur, Aditya Iyengar and Devansh Sharma aka Viruss. —IANS LUDHIANA | SUNDAY | 24 JULY 2022 Reality behind digital drift mised but enhanced. Not just reality shows, but almost everything that is on television today is available digitally. OTT is the future and it’s good that reality show producers are reaping the befits of it. The only change I would want both as a maker or a viewer is to release all the content across two to three digital platforms so that there is larger viewership for the makers and its pocket friendly for the viewers.” Lock Upp was a joint venture of MX Player and ALTBalaji. Sheetal A FTER three year of hiatus, Koffee With Karan returns but there’s a catch! Unlike earlier seasons it has now shifted to OTT (Disney+Hotstar)or as KJo calls it, the National Digital. In fact, after Bigg Boss OTT, also hosted by Karan Johar, many followed suit. From actor Ritesh Deshmukh stepping up for Case To Banta Hai, a comedy reality show on Amazon MiniTV to Vidyut Jammwal banking on his martial arts and Kalaripayattu skills to find India’s Ultimate Warrior on Discovery+ and not to forget Kangana Ranaut’s successful stint as a host in Lock Upp. So, we dig deeper into this latest fascination of makers and Bollywood celebs for reality content on digital platforms. Comicstaan S3 Koffee With Karan Lock Upp Karan Johar has shifted his show Koffee With Karan to OTT, and so have others. How does OTT score over good old satellite channels when it comes to reality shows? This is what experts say… THE GLOBAL ANGLE India’s Ultimate Warrior Bigg Boss OTT CREATIVELY BIGGER “The main reason could be that OTT platforms are allowing people to experiment better than television space as it provides unique and varied content. On the contrary, content on television is mostly similar across different channels.” opines Chitra Vakil Sharma, producer of web series Tandoor. That reminds us of original digital reality shows such as Indian Matchmaking (Netflix), Comicstaan (Amazon Prime Video) or Lock Upp on MX Player. The three have taken the format of reality show a step ahead and who knows just like Indian Matchmaking getting a nomination for the Emmys, reali- AFFORDABLE ENOUGH Shark Tank India ty shows will win one in the near future. Fingers crossed! Chitra also addresses the other issue, “Digital means more creative freedom and lesser constraints. When a show is telecast on television, there’s time limit, for the show and for the audience too. When it comes to digital platforms, there’s convenience and ease of access, which makes OTT a preferable option.” Deepesh Bhan passes away Actor Deepesh Bhan, who was known for playing Malkhani in TV show Bhabji Ghar Par Hai, is no more. He was in his early 40s. The actor breathed his last on July 23. The exact reason of death isn’t known yet, but he was playing cricket in the morning when he collapsed and was taken to the hospital where he was declared dead. Deepesh was also a part of other comedy shows such as F.I.R and Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. Producers of Bhabji Ghar Par Hai, Sanjay and Binaiferr Kohli in a joint statement said, “We are deeply saddened and shocked by the sudden demise of our beloved Deepesh Bhan. One of the most dedicated actors in Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai and like our family. He will be deeply missed by all. Our heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in eternal peace. God give his family the strength to cope with this great loss.” Producer Himanshoo A Pathak says, “If the global audience can’t relate to our fiction, at least the reality genre content based on singing, comedy and other talents, will definitely be welcomed and OTT makes it possible.” He adds, "Television does not have the scope for creative modifications for any reality show. It will be possible only on the digital space. Shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi, Roadies and Splitsvilla that have adult content could be shifted to OTT." Remo D'Souza is also coming up with the next season of Dance + on OTT. CENSORSHIP ALL THE WAY According to writer-director Payal Saxena, of Ishqiyoun fame, “OTT is more popular with the younger audience and reality shows mostly cater to them. However, view- ership pattern has changed. My mother watched Big Boss hosted by Karan Johar on OTT. India has progressed in the last two decades, so have our choices.” And if digital platform is seen as an urban privilege, Chitra takes a stand on OTT, “Not everyone owns a television, but I believe everybody does have a smart phone and thus can access OTT platforms. So, in my opinion it won’t be compro- “Mobile phones and internet are available at an affordable price and hence the shift. Soon, we will be seeing a bigger shift to OTT. Everyone will be shifting to a subscriber-based platform. Khatron Ke Khiladi is a show I will be rooting for to come on OTT,” says Shivankar Arora, who runs a YouTube channel. When beans meet books Tarun Tahiliani with a model Answers Anuj, “Because we had customers from Chandigarh who would take the pain to travel to Delhi to visit us. And coming to Chandigarh will not only serve them but will help us associate with the intellectuals of the city. That’s why we don’t hire a fancy manager or an MBA graduate as our store manager but prefer people who have worked with us for a number of years and have that hands-on experience to provide service to avid readers.” About its location, Anuj says, “Sector 8 is centrally located and with Panjab University close by, we get walk-ins as well as regular clients.” Anuj, who advocates oneto-one experience over franchise, believes that establishing a brand and then commercialising it is not their way of doing business. “If we expand, it will always have a family member and our team running it. For now, going by the warm welcome in Chandigarh, there is a plan to bring in another store but the venue is not final yet, whether it will be Chandigarh or Ludhiana,” he says. —Sheetal Tarun Tahiliani unveils his annual bridal collection Living a Dream Couturier Tarun Tahiliani, who boasts of more than two decade long legacy in the industry, has announced the launch of his annual couture/bespoke collection called The Painterly Dream, at the FDCI India Couture Week 2022 in Delhi. From playful multicoloured lehengas to long jackets over lehengas, and red sindoori sarees to well-tailored men’s wear with the traditional magic of drapes, this collection speaks the vocabulary of the studio’s artistry in a technical triumph of fit and finesse. Speaking about his collection Tahiliani said, “Ironic as it sounds, the stillness of the pandemic gave me the studio time to revisit what we do, and think about how to technically, movement wise and flow wise, make it experiential. We are also of the firm belief that a thing of beauty is a joy forever, and creating exquisite clothes that feel like skin are part of sustainable fashion.” THE USP Ranging from general books to collector’s item like The Impossible Collection of Fashion, a coffee-table book that costs a whopping Rs 96, 000, the store offers a great variety. From, leather-bound classics to cloth-stitch classics, Japanese Manga collection to Marvel and DC comic collection, it has everything covered. PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI c m y b Salman Khan applies for gun licence after receiving death threats A month after receiving death threats from gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, whose gang members were involved in the brutal assassination of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, Salman Khan has applied for a gun licence to protect himself and his family members. The actor visited Mumbai Police headquarters on July 22 and met with the top cop Vivek Phansalkar for the weapon licence. His visit was a mandatory procedure in applying for a gun licence for physical verification before the authority. Salman’s security has already been beefed up. Meanwhile, during the interrogation, Lawrence Bishnoi told Delhi Police that the Bishnoi community would never forgive Salman Khan unless he tendered a public apology in Jambaji temple for killing a blackbuck. Rashmika Mandanna to visit the Capital for the first time for the shoot of Animal The trend of book cafes is catching up in tricity What does it take for a business to survive decade after decade? The answer is improvising with the changing times, a concept well-understood by Bahrisons Booksellers as they make book cafes back in vogue in tricity. In bookselling business since 1952, Anuj Bahri, son of Balaraj Bahri (founder) is carrying forward the family business that combines reading and socialising. And now they have stepped out of New Delhi to make Chandigarh its first step in their expansion model. But why Chandigarh? Security issue All set for Delhi Rashmika Mandanna is heading to Delhi for the shoot of Animal, co-starring Ranbir Kapoor. A source close to the actress said, “This is the first time Rashmika will be visiting Delhi for the shoot of Animal and other work commitments. She is very excited about the shoot and to explore the city and meet her fans.” The source added, “Rashmika will be travelling to Delhi on July 26 and will be there for a couple of days.”