25112022-LSTL-01.qxd 24-11-2022 23:08 Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE Life Actor Kamal Haasan was admitted to Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre, Chennai, on November 23, following mild fever and cold. The 68-year-old star is ‘recovering well’ and will soon be discharged. ANI LUDHIANA | FRIDAY | 25 NOVEMBER 2022 Evolving & engaging Nonika Singh Richa Chadha posts apology …Following social media backlash over ‘Galwan says hi’ comment Actress Richa Chadha, who kicked up a storm with her tweet in which she apparently referred to the deadly clash in Galwan Valley in 2020, issued an apology on Thursday. In the now-deleted tweet, she had written ‘Galwan says hi’ in response to the Northern Army Commander, Lt General Upendra Dwivedi’s statement that the Indian Army is ‘waiting for orders from the government’to reclaim Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). This led to a severe backlash on Twitter with many criticising her for ‘mocking the sacrifice’ of Indian soldiers. Chadha, who never shies away from expressing her views on topical issues, said she didn’t intend to hurt the sentiments of the Indian Army. “Even though it can never be my intention in the least, if the three words which are being dragged into a controversy have offended or hurt anyone, I apologise and also say that it would sadden me if even unintentionally my words have triggered this feeling...,” Chadha said. Shesaid her maternal grandfather, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army, took a bullet in his leg during the India-China War of 1965, and her maternal uncle served as a paratrooper. Meanwhile, filmmaker Ashoke Pandit registered a police complaint against Richa and said her comment were ‘anti-national’. — PTI Yami Gautam, the Asian premiere of whose movie Lost saw a packed house at the 53rd edition of International Film Festival of India in Goa, says playing a journalist ‘I am still learning’ has woken her Anupam Kher literally up to the held audiences captive in a jam-packed Masterclass which challenges of at IFFIactor ofsaw the like gifted movies and The the profession SaaranshFiles prove once Kashmir O UR Chandigarh di kudi Yami Gautam was the star of the evening on day four of the 53rd edition of International Film Festival of India i nGoa, which saw the Asian premiere of her movie Lost. Attired in a vibrant red saree, she looked radiant and cut a picture of confidence at ease with herself, answering each question in vivid detail. On her role which sees her play a crime investigator, she shared, “I had no references from real or reel life, except that we did discuss the movie Spotlight.” But, of course, steeping into the part of a journalist has woken her up to the challenges they face and how often they could be facing the dilemma that could be a life or death question. Media integrity, as well as survivor’s guilt along with closure are other issues that the film, helmed by National Award-winning director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury of Pink-fame, deals with. My husband doesn’t read my scripts for his would be a director’s perspective, but the exchange of ideas and varying points of view is rather enriching. again why he remains a cut above the rest. He spoke about how goof-ups like his first stage performance are a part of life. Of course, acting does not come without training and he is piqued why an engineer or a doctor is never asked about the need for training but an actor is. A trained actor, he believes, “Acting has no syllabus and I am still learning and would be even when I turn 90.” Emotional diversity While Yami may not have been inspired by any real character, the film director shared, “Every bit that you see in the film has happened somewhere and you may have read in the newspapers or seen around you.” In fact, the film, which deals with disappearance of a theatre activist, according to him, is an “honest film and captures the emotional diversity that India offers.” On his leading lady, Chowdhury was even more effusive, “As far as Yami’s acting is concerned, less is more as she has enacted her part with great conviction.” Yami too considers it as one of her most challenging parts and a very special film, more so since working with Chowdhry had been both a warm and an educative experience for her. And her costar, veteran actor Pankaj Kapur, who plays her grandfather, was an added bonus. Couple chemistry If working with greats like Pankaj has been a lesson in itself, marriage to Aditya Dhar, an acclaimed director, has set her on the path of growth too, which in their industry is another word for success. While she can’t say whether marriage has made her a better actor or not and can’t put the experience of being married to ‘a brilliant mind’ in words, she did go on to reveal, “My husband doesn’t read my scripts for his would be a director’s perspective, but the exchange of ideas and varying points of view is rather enriching.” In her journey she may have experienced highs and lows, but as an actor she tries to be true to each character, be it the girl of today as in Lost or overtly dramatic as in Bala. In real life, however, in her first outing at IFFI, she was happy to be ‘myself’. And she had added reasons to preen, as the premiere saw a packed house. End of the road Johnny Depp not returning for new Pirates Of The Caribbean movie Hollywood actor Johnny Depp is not on board the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie despite reports stating otherwise. Sources debunked an earlier report which said that the actor is set to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow for the upcoming sixth instalment of the Disney film series. Disney has not commented on the report of Depp’s return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. — IANS Leonardo DiCaprio almost lost Titanic role due to diva behaviour, says director James Cameron Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio was almost turned down for his now-iconic role in Titanic due to his diva behaviour. Having led several movies and scored an Oscar nomination for 1993’s What’s Eating Gilbert Grape at that time, the actor acted snobbish during a meeting with James Cameron, the director. The filmmaker revealed in an interview that DiCaprio refused to read during a screen test with Kate Winslet. The Avatar-helmer said the actor had already come for a meeting before during which he ‘charmed everyone’. “There was a meeting with Leo and then there was a screen test,” Cameron Back in time detailed the casting process for the 1997 movie. “The meeting was funny because I was sitting in my conference room, waiting to meet an actor. And I look around, and all the women in the entire office are in the meeting. They all wanted to meet Leo. It was hysterical.” DiCaprio left a different impression during the screen test. “He came back a couple of days later, and I had the camera set up to record the video,” LEONARDO DICAPRIO Cameron said. “He didn’t know he was going to give a sceen test. He thought it was another meeting with Kate. So I said, ‘Okay, we’ll just go in the next room and we’ll run some lines and I’ll record it’. And he said, ‘You mean, I’m reading?’ I said, ‘Yeah’. He said, ‘Oh, I don’t read’. I shook his hand and said, ‘Thanks for coming by’,” the director recalled. Cameron was ready to turn away DiCaprio right then and there, but the actor came back to him and said: “Wait, wait, wait. If I don’t read, I don’t get the part? Just like that?” Cameron responded, “Oh, yeah.” Cameron said DiCaprio then begrudgingly agreed to read. ‘ Titanic’ ended up becoming a massive box-office success, collecting $2.2 billion worldwide. It was also loved by critics, scoring 14 Academy Award nominations and winning 11 of them. — IANS Peppy number Aparshakti Khurana flies to Turkey to shoot his music video Neendran Get set for TILL Universal Pictures has released the trailer of upcoming biographical film TILL, which delves into the infamous murder of Emmett Till. Directed by Chinonye Chukwu, the film features Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett and Whoopi Goldberg in pivotal roles. It is produced by Keith Beaucham, Barbara Broccoli, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Levine, Michael Reilly and Frederick Zollo. The date for the film’s India release will be announced soon. — TMS Actor-singer Aparshakti Khurana, who was most recently seen in Dhokha: Round D Corner, has taken a quick trip to Turkey to shoot his next music single Neendran. Aparshakti has also lent his voice to the song, the music video of which will also feature actress Nikita Dutta opposite him. Talking about the song, Aparshakti says, “The song is a peppy romantic number. It’s a very happy song and I had a blast recording it. The video will be shot in the picturesque location of Turkey and Nikita is an extremely talented actress.” The music video will be directed by Arsh Grewal. Earlier, Khurana went behind the mike for Balle Ni Balle, which also featured choreographer Dhanashree, the wife of Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal. The actor adds, “I got lots of love for my last song, Balle Ni Balle. Hopefully, people will give similar THE TEAM OF 12TH FAIL Honest take Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s new film is titled 12th Fail Vidhu Vinod Chopra is directing and producing his next film titled 12th Fail, adapted from Anurag Pathak’s bestselling novel by the same name. The film is inspired by the real-life story of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma and IRS ifficer Shraddha Joshi. But 12th Fail isn’t a biography as much as it is a portrait of the ‘power of one’ — how one man or one woman with integrity can create a seismic change. This is the first film to be shot in Mukherjee Nagar, New Delhi, the VIDHU VINOD CHOPRA location that has seen the birth of generations of bureaucrats. Chopra says, “If an honest person is in a position of power, the world can truly change. I have seen that with countless IAS and IPS officers I have come across in the process of writing this film. 12th Fail is a tribute to all of them.” The film is headlined by Vikrant Massey. Says Vikrant, “It’s the tragedy of our times that honesty and sincerity are a rarity. This film is a dedication to all the students who dream, to all the honest officers who are the backbone of our country and Constitution.” The film is scheduled for a 2023 summer release. Warm wishes love to this one as well.” Hum Dono was the last music video that the actor was seen in, which was sung by singer-songwriter Arko Pravo Mukherjee, professionally known as Arko. The video featured Jasmin Bhasin along with Aparshakti Khurana. — IANS c m y b Bollywood actor Vicky Kaushal on Thursday sent a warm birthday wish to his father, veteran action director Sham Kaushal. Taking to Instagram, Vicky Kaushal shared a monochrome picture of his father and captioned it as, “My pillar of strength...Happy Birthday Dad!! Khichke jhappi twahnu.” Sham Kaushal is a veteran action director who has worked in blockbuster hit films like Gangs of Wasseypur, Rajneeti, Om Shanti Om and Baadshah. Meanwhile, talking about the work front, he will be next seen in producer Karan Johar’s upcoming quirky thriller film Govinda Naam Mera alongside Kiara Advani and Bhumi Pednekar. Helmed by Shashank Khaitan, the film is all set to stream exclusively on the OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar from December 16. — ANI VICKY KAUSHAL VIKRANT MASSEY