29102022-LSTC-01.qxd 10/28/2022 10:54 PM Page 1 c m y b KANYE WEST’S OBSESSION A new report has claimed that Kanye West allegedly idolised Adolf Hitler and even wanted to name his 2018 album after him. Four different sources have confirmed that Kanye suggested that his eighth album be called Hitler! Kanye eventually did not go ahead with the idea and named it Ye. ANI TRIBUNE State of joy Life Kangana Ranaut is elated about Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter. She took to her Instagram Story to express her joy with multiple clapping hand emojis. LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 29 OCTOBER 2022 Talking her heart out Mona W Masala moves Varun-Kriti’s thumkas light up Bhediya’s first song Thumkeshwari The makers of Bhediya released the first song from the film on Friday. Titled Thumkeshwari, it’s a funky dance number that sees Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon flaunt some masala moves as they sway to Ganesh Acharya’s choreography. Sharing his thoughts on the track, Varun says, “Thumkeshwari is a number that’s tailor-made to burn the dance floor. I thoroughly enjoyed performing to its funky tune. The song’s lyrics are catchy and I am sure fans are going to have a gala time dancing to the track.” The song showcases Kriti Sanon at her breathtaking best as she sizzles in many vibrant hues. The biggest highlight of Thumkeshwari is the special appearance from Stree star Shraddha Kapoor. Looking like a desi diva, Shraddha is a sight to behold as she shakes a leg with Varun. Kriti adds, “I had fun shooting for Thumkeshwari. I was sharing screen space with Varun after a very long time and this was quite the memorable experience.” Composed by Sachin-Jigar and penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya, Thumkeshwari is sung by Ash King and Rashmeet Kaur. A Maddock Films production, Bhediya is releasing in cinemas in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil on November 25. ITHIN a decade, Sonam Bajwa has established herself as the leading lady of Pollywood. With films like Sardaar Ji, Nikka Zaildar, Manje Bistre, Carry On Jatta 2, Ardab Mutiyaran and Honsla Rakh to her credit, the girl from Uttarakhand now calls Mumbai home. In Chandigarh, to promote the second season of Dil Diyan Gallan, Sonam opens up on how she enjoys being a host! Growing up in Uttar Pradesh, and later Uttarakhand, acting was not on Sonam’s agenda. She moved to Delhi for graduation. She tried her luck with beauty pageants but life took a turn when a film just fell in her lap. “The Best Of Luck team was looking for a Punjabi-speaking actor. Simran Kaur Mundi, who is former Miss India, was a part of the cast, and she suggested my name. After the audition, I got the role,” says Sonam, who feels fortunate that she could start her acting career with a Punjabi film. “I am very lucky that my first film was in Punjabi.” The real challenge, however, for her was The introvert Sonam Bajwa has blossomed into a confident talk show host with Dil Diyan Gallan to choose between her job and the film. “My first job was as an air hostess. It was indeed a tough call to choose one over another. I picked up the film and the rest, as they say, is history.” Last year, Sonam turned host with Zee Punjabi’s show Dil Diyan Gallan, an act she found quite tough to begin with. “I am an introvert and for me to meet someone for the first time and talk to them was very challenging. I was comfortable with people I knew and had worked with though.” However, Season 1 has helped Sonam to get over her inhibition and she is in fact looking forward to Season 2. Ask her who is her favourite guest on her show, she promptly responds, “Sidhu (Moosewala). The time I spent with him was special. Sadly, I would never be able to talk to him ever again.” Dil Diyan Gallan’s Season 2 is going to be bigger and better, promises Sonam. “I love the format – we play games and have a heart-toheart chat. This year too the focus would be on living out some rare moments with celebs who share their dil diya gallan with me!” While Sonam wouldn’t name her favourite host, she definitely wants to see Diljit Dosanjh as a host. “While Diljit is fun and exceptionally professional, he also takes time to open up to new people. I am sure he would be fabulous as a host but I would love to see how he goes about it!” Sonam has worked with almost every Punjabi actor, her favourite co-star, however, remains Ammy Virk. “Ammy is a friend and work doesn’t feel like work with friends. He’s a wonderful co-star.” Sonam is working on a couple of projects. Carry On Jatta 3 is slated for next year. “There is another film to go on the floors next month, and there are other projects. The effort is always on to do something different!” ‘I love everything about Kolkata’ John Cena & Idris Elba will be seen in Heads of State Action begins Hollywood filmmaker Ilya Naishuller is all set to direct actors John Cena and Idris Elba in the upcoming action comedy film Heads of State. According to sources, the project is being described as “Air Force One meets Midnight Run,” centred on a mismatched pair who is in a high-stakes situation. —ANI Trouble mounts for Haggis Anushka Sharma is shooting for Chakda Xpress in the City of Joy Anushka Sharma is shooting for Chakda Xpress in Kolkata and parts of West Bengal that is significant in Jhulan Goswami’s journey. She reveals how the City of Joy has always had a significant place in her heart. “Kolkata has always had a very special place in my heart. The warmth of the city and the people, the delicious food, the beautiful architecture - I love everything about Kolkata,” she says.—IANS Fourth woman comes to fore alleging rape On Thursday, a former freelance television producer testified that Paul Haggis assaulted and attempted to rape her at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. According to sources, jurors in a lower Manhattan courtroom watched a video deposition of the woman from 2019, who recalled feeling physically and emotionally threatened at the time of their encounter. Reportedly, Haggis, the Oscar-winning writer and director of Crash, sexually pursued her before she fled into her apartment building following the TIFF event. So far, four more women, all of whom prefer anonymity, have accused Haggis of assault. —ANI Not yet ready! Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, is set to go on the floors soon. This marks the actor’s second collaboration with filmmaker Siddharth Anand after 2019’s blockbuster War. While Siddharth Anand is penning the script, he is joined by exArmy officer Ramon Chibb for the task. The film was slated to release on September 30, 2023. But now, it has been postponed to 2024 Republic Day. Hrithik Roshan on Friday took to Twitter to make the announcement. He wrote, “25th January 2024- see you at the theatres! #Fighter.” Anil Kapoor, who is also a part of the movie, took to his Instagram Story to share the first look poster of Fighter. The poster features fighter jets flying at great speed. Sharing the poster, Fighter will now release on Republic Day 2024 Anil Kapoor also revealed that the film will hit the big screens during the Republic Day 2024 weekend! ‘Fighter’ will see Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone as Indian Air Force pilots. Shot across the world, it promises state-of-the-art techniques. ‘Good front foot shot’ Bollywood celebrities react to BCCI’s equal pay announcement Bollywood celebrities on Thursday took to their social media accounts and hailed BCCI’s decision of equal pay for both men and women cricketers. Taking to Twitter, actor Shah Rukh Khan wrote, “What a good front foot shot. Sports being such an equaliser (in more ways than one) hoping it will pave the way for others to follow.” The Chak De India actor is a great cricket fan and owns numerous teams, including Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Priyanka Chopra shared a video on her Instagram story and wrote, “BCCI you’ve hit it out of the park with this one! A monumental decision in ensuring equal- ity and pay parity. I hope this will be the first of many for us!” Anushka Sharma also shared the news on her Instagram story and dropped a slew of clapping emoticons. Taking to Instagram, actor Suniel Shetty shared a post which he captioned, “Kudos to the BCCI and everyone involved in this empowering and historic decision. This is and should be the face of new India.” Taapsee Pannu tweeted, “A huge step towards equal pay for equal work. Thank you BCCI for leading with example.” Akshay Kumar wrote, “Dil khush ho gaya ye padh kar. Chaa gaye. It’s an absolutely brilliant decision, will go a long way in making our women players take up professional cricket.” The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced an equal match fee for both men’s and women’s cricketers of India. BCCI secretary Jay Shah took to his official Twitter handle to announce the move. “I’m pleased to announce BCCI’s first step towards tackling discrimination. We are implementing a pay equity policy for our contracted women cricketers. The match fee for both men and women Cricketers will be the same as we move into a new era of gender equality in Indian Cricket,” he tweeted. —ANI A RAY OF HOPE EQUAL PAY FOR ACTORS? REVERSE CASE I think it’s a great move. The best part is BCCI after Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket is the third board to take this step. Of course, it brings a ray of hope, to see a change in our industry too. We talk about equality but in reality there is a huge gap. I sincerely hope our industry implements this too. It’s a proud moment for sports as BCCI has announced equal match fee for International Men and Women’s Cricket team of India. In the film and television industry as well, there is a lot of pressure now on producers to give equal pay to leading actors of both genders, especially in Hollywood. I think the pay scale in the television industry is just the opposite. Female actresses get paid more than male actors, which may not be true for film industry. Subhuii Joshii, ACTRESS NAMITA LAL, ACTRESS Nivedita Basu, ACTRESS c m y b Shiv Kumar Khurana passes away A day after the sad demise of director Esmayeel Shroff, veteran director Shiv Kumar Khurana passed away on October 27. He was 83 and died of agerelated illnesses. Shiv Kumar Khurana was known for directing movies such as Mitti Aur Sona, Badnaam, Be Aabroo and Sone Ki Zanjeer, to name a few. Apart from direction, he worked as a producer for three of his films Dagabaaz, Hum Tum Aur Woh and Ang Se Ang Lagaley. Shiv Kumar Khurana was the first filmmaker to sign Vinod Khanna as a solo lead hero in his film Hum Tum Aur Woh. The late filmmaker had also launched Vindu Dara Singh. Shiv Kumar Khurana’s prayer meeting was held on Friday. He is survived by his wife, two sons and their families.