26112022-LSTL-01.qxd 11/25/2022 10:33 PM Page 1 c m y b SAUMYA JOINS FILE NO 323 Suniel Shetty, Anurag Kashyap-starrer File No 323 is an upcoming film based on financial scams of India. It will chronicle frauds by Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. Now, actress Saumya Tandon has been roped in to play Anurag Kashyap’s wife. TMS TRIBUNE Sequel time Life Bollywood actress Nushrratt Bharuccha was admired for her role in horror film Chhorri and now she is preparing for its sequel, Chhorii 2, for which she will start shooting soon. TMS LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 26 NOVEMBER 2022 ‘Regional is universal’ Nonika Singh Rishabh Shetty, who wowed the audience at the 53d edition of the International Film Festival of India in Goa, believes there is no formula for making a pan-India film S TARS are born and how…Rishabh Shetty, who walked the red carpet at the 53d edition of International Film Festival of India amidst cheers and applause, and was part of an interesting In Conversation session, proved so. The Kantara actor-directorproducer, who eats, breathes and lives Kannada, and whose film has created box-office records, tells how there is no formula for making a pan-India film. Rather he does not believe in the concept and avers, “Regional is universal and what rootedness can do nothing else can.” As the rise of OTT has broken the language barrier, he can see no reason to move away from one’s mother tongue. Yes, in future too he will make Kannada films for that is his karambhoomi and the love of people in the state has made him! Of course, as with Kantara, if need be, he will dub his film in other languages. Interestingly, after the successful run in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, it is being dubbed in foreign languages too. On the stupendous success of Kantara, all he can say is that the content connected with COMPLEXITY OF HUMAN EMOTIONS The film’s title Three of Us may not have come from the famous Lady Diana’s words, ‘there were three of us in our marriage’, but as the cast and crew of the Hindi film interacts with the media there is little doubt the film is a slice of married life and tackles the complexity of human emotions. The Avinash Arun-directorial, which will see a romantic Jaideep Ahlawat, a vulnerable Shefali Shah and a besura Swanand Kirkire, is unlikely to be an average run-of-themill film. The much-awarded Killa director Arun, who the audiences. The story, which is primarily based on man-nature conflict, is about his village and the TUNE OF CONTROVERSY: VARAHA ROOPAM VS NAVARASAM happens to be the film’s director of photography too, swears Shah has shot it so beautifully that you can actually smell the flavour of tbe Konkan region. As for not making the film set in Konkan belt in the native language, Arun feels that cinema is an experience in itself and language is no bar. On teaming up with Ahlawat once again, as the two have worked before in Pataal Lok, the actor shares how their friendship goes back to FTII, Pune, when they even created student projects together. Kantara has witnessed many releases; first in Kannada in September, followed by Hindi on October 14 and then in Tamil as well as Telugu on October 15. Now that the film is on OTT (Amazon Prime Video), it has been released with a new version of the film’s poster song Varaha Roopam. As it had similarities with the song Navarasam, the makers were accused of plagiarism by Kerala-based multi-genre band Thaikkudam Bridge, which took the case to Kozhikode District Court. The latter banned its use and so the creators were forced to remove it from online character of Shiva as well as others are people he has known. He even cast his village people as charac- ters in the film and recalled how during the audition, the selected actors were given a worn platforms. Though the Varaha Roopam song had inspired notes from Navarasam, mainly the initial part, the song was reportedly not a blatant rip-off. When the matter was taken to the Kerala High Court for appeal by Homable Films, creative producers, the court directed team Kantara to seek out pair of slippers for that was a requirement of the part. And the joke became, “Chapal mila toh role mila.’ Shaking a leg MOVIE REVIEW relief from the lower court. Now, on Friday, the latter, after listening to both the parties, dismissed the plea of Thaikkudam Bridge and lifted the ban. However, it’s a temporary relief as the lower court’s decision can be challenged. Meanwhile, the original song, Navarasam, has a more classical tone, with all the nine human emotions encapsulated in its music. Varaha Roopam, on the other hand, is more rhythmic than the alleged original owing to the theatrical experience. Thaikkudam Bridge’s Navarasam was released in January, 2017. COMMON BELIEF SYSTEM The decision to play the lead himself was a foregone conclusion. As his earlier Ranbir-Alia reveal daughter’s name as ‘Raha’ Bijli is the first time ever that I’m dancing so much on screen, says Vicky Kaushal When a wolf spreads cheer Mona Man-nature conflict, the struggle to make it from Jamna Paar to GK and an ichadharee bhediya – is the premise of Amar Kaushik’s comedy-horror film Bhediya. The story follows Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan), an ambitious Delhi lad who lands a lucrative contract to make a road through Ziro’s (Arunachal Pradesh) green cover. His chacha ka ladka, Janardan aka JD (Abhishek Banerjee), an IAS aspirant, tags along. The duo is joined by a local, Jomin (Paalin Kabak). Thus begins the ambitious task to convince the locals for the project. Trading environmental cause for iPhones, all seems on track when a bhediya becomes the spoilsport. A star in his own right, Varun’s comic timing is established. He fares well as BHEDIYA Director: Amar Kaushik Cast: Varun Dhawan, Deepak Dobriyal, Abhishek Banerjee, Paalin Kabak, Kriti Sanon Rating: ★★★ A rib-tickling comedy with a few chilling moments, Bhediya is one entertaining fare a bhediya too, but a natureloving, justice-seeking one! Abhishek Banerjee’s comic act is super and given the right dialogues at the opportune moments, it creates a laugh riot. Paalin Kabak debuts with this film and delivers a fine performance, bringing to screen the pain of being ‘othered’ in one’s own country. Kriti holds her stead amongst this all-men cast. The characters played by Deepak Dobriyal, Panda, basically from Uttarakhand calling Ziro home; Kriti Sanon, as a veterinarian Dr Anika, and Saurabh Shukla as Bhaskar’s boss, Bagga, aid the narrative. The music by Sachin-Jigar is refreshing and the numbers Baaki Sab Theek and Jungle Mein Kaand gel well with the storyline. The pulsating background score by the duo enriches the cinematic experience. The peak is clinched by Jungle Jungle Baat Chali Hai and Tera Suroor moments! A special mention for the cinematography by Jishnu Bhattacharjee, he brings the beauty of the land of the dawn-lit mountains to the mainstream. And, it’s VFX that raises the bar for Hindi films. While its worthy in creating wolf sequences, there was no need to pepper Arunachal’s serene beauty with make-believe jugnus! On the down side, the second half of this 156-minute outing is a bit stretched, though one brings a hint of Stree, leaving scope for a sequel, it doesn’t quite add up. The comedy is rib-tickling, especially where JD and Jo are slapping their favourite ‘Bhaski’ to turn him into a bhediya to Panda lecturing about human nature. Taking digs on Bollywood, including Arunachal’s ‘Mithoon’, to Bhaskar seeking lift from Dr Anika after a night of misadventures, comedy weighs way heavier than horror in this one. If Stree was one brave outing, Roohi a dampener, Bhediya brings the Dinesh Vijan-Amar Kaushik (producer-director) jodi back into limelight! c m y b The first dance number titled Bijli, featuring Kiara Advani and Vicky Kaushal from Govinda Naam Mera, is out. The actor said this was the first time he danced so much on screen. Written by Vayu and composed by the musical duo SachinJigar, Bijli has been sung by Mika Singh, Neha Kakkar and Sachin-Jigar. Vicky shared: “This is the first time ever that I am dancing so much on screen. I had absolute fun to explore this side of me and Bijli is just a jhalak (glimpse); my fans will see a lot of dancing from me in this film. It was fun to share the dance floor with Kiara, she is an amazing costar and a great dancer. I love the desi vibe of the song and Ganesh master’s choreography with Mika paaji, Neha and Sachin-Jigar’s vocals take the song a notch higher. I am in love with it and hope my fans will also give the film all their love.” — IANS Elegant touch Malaika Arora is all set to take the audience by storm with her reality show, Moving In With Malaika. As the show is soon going to stream on OTT platform Disney+Hotstar, she shared pictures of her house. From glossy marble flooring in living room to pastel blue walls of the kitchen, her house is all things elegant. And now one will see her homemaking choices all the more with the upcoming show. She shared a promotional video of the same. — TMS films, especially Bell Bottom, had almost branded him as a comedian, he wanted to tap into ‘the angry man’ within him. As to how he combined religious beliefs, folklore and more in the compelling drama of Kantara, which has taken the country by storm, once again his answer is, “There is no definite technique.” Yes, he, who himself is a Yakshgana artiste, does believe in the rituals that the film depicts, “Had I not, viewers would not have.” For the resonance that the culture specificity of the film has found, he says, “At the core we are Indians, so whatever may be the region, we have a similar belief system. After all, India is essentially an agricultural country and hence people are connected.” When he got down to write the story, it flowed organically. Even otherwise, he shares, “I don’t think or read too much and was an average student in school.” But he truly understands the craft of cinema and knows too well how the biggest takeaway from films is the climax. And the sound of the scintillating 30-minute climax of Kantara is resounding in the hearts of viewers, as is evident in the robust reception his presence continues to elicit. SATISH KAUSHIK Playing judge Having portrayed several memorable characters in his film career spanning more than four decades, actor Satish Kaushik is excited to embark on a new journey and a role that he hasn’t played on screen before. Essaying the character of a judge for the first time in Arbaaz Khan’s production Patna Shukla, the veteran and successful filmmaker has commenced filming for the movie in Bhopal, which is being directed by Vivek Budakoti. The film also features Raveena Tandon, Anushka Kaushik, Jatin Goswami, Manav Vij and Chandan Roy Sanyal. Satish Kaushik informs, “I am playing the role of a judge for the first time in my career.’ — IANS Bundle of joy Bollywood’s star couple, Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, has shared a glimpse of their baby girl and also revealed the name. On Thursday (November 24), Alia took to her Instagram handle and shared that their family had decided to call her ‘Raha’. Alia mentioned in the caption that the name was chosen by her mother-in-law Neetu Kapoor. Alia also wrote, “Raha, in its purest form, means divine path. In Swahili, it means joy. In Sanskrit, Raha is a clan, in Bangla rest, comfort and relief; in Arabic, peace. It also means happiness, freedom and bliss…And true to her name, from the first moment we held her, we felt it all…Thank You Raha for bringing our family to life, it feels as though our lives have only just begun.” — TMS