04122022-LSTL-01.qxd 12/4/2022 12:12 AM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE Home turf Pooja Hegde, who is currently awaiting the release of Cirkus, has shared that the film and her co-actors made her feel at home. The film is directed by Rohit Shetty. IANS LUDHIANA | SUNDAY | 4 DECEMBER 2022 Song of melancholy Nonika Singh Q ALA—you can easily read it as kala the art. But in the movie Qala is the name of the female protagonist, who happens to be a singer. The film opens with her cutting a golden disc, a moment of high in her singing career it seems. But soon, her tormented past casts a shadow on her achievements. Hereafter, the film goes back and forth in time as we are introduced not just to the making (or, is it unmaking?) of Qala but also her stern mother Urmila Manjushree (Swastika Mukherjee), an erstwhile thumri singer. Film Qala draws viewers into the world of pathos, inner demons, mental health and troubled relationships NET, FLICKS & MORE Film: Qala Director: Anvita Dutt Cast: Triptii Dimri, Babil Khan, Swastika Mukherjee and Amit Sial Rating:  OMGmoment Sharon Stone gasps, can’t believe she’s next to SRK A conflicted relationship between mother and daughter in an industry, which thrives on self-sacrificing model of maa, is a rarity. Here, you may not fully understand the mother’s lack of empathy for her only child except perhaps alluding to the subservient position of female child in the social pecking order. But soon you are drawn into this love-hate bond between the mother and daughter that forms the backbone of the narrative written and directed by Anvita Dutt. If in her debut film Bulbbul, Dutt created a visual painting, here the tone is poetic. Call it the song of melancholy if you wish. All the characters here carry the burden of sorrow with that look of wistfulness. In Babil Khan as Jagan you can sense the intensity of his celebrated father Irrfan Khan. But Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who recently attended the Red Sea International Film Festival, left the Basic Instinct actress Sharon Stone gasping at the event after she realised that it was him, who was sitting next to her all the while. The Pathaan actor was recently honoured at the fest for his contributions to the Indian cinema, as his name was announced and he stood up, Sharon was in total disbelief upon noticing him. In a video which is going viral on Shah Rukh social media, Sharon can be Khan receives an seen clapping and seemed to honorary award at mouth, “Oh My God”. In response to Stone’s reacRed Sea International tion, SRK can be seen humbly Film Festival greeting the actress with a Filmmaker SS Rajamouli has ‘salaam’ (a gesture of greeting bagged the best director award at in Islamic culture). SRK fans have the New York Film Critics Circle as since then been going gaga over the his film RRR continues to make clip. One fan wrote, “My favourite part of waves in the Western markets. The today’s event, Sharon Stone’s reaction winners were announced by the when she realised Shah Rukh Khan is sitting New York Film Critics Circle next to her… We can’t blame her, can we?” Another one wrote, “Reaction of Sharon Stone is what this man @iamsrk earned from all across the world.” SRK was awarded an honorary award at the festival. SRK’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge co-star Kajol too was present at the event in Saudi Arabia along with Oscar and Grammy winning composer AR Rahman. SRK and Kajol had a special surprise in store for their fans. The two graced the stage together and SS RAJAMOULI WITH NTR JR recreated their Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge moments. —IANS He did it plexity lie the many layers of the film. Is Babil’s character her alter ego, the twin who died or simply a rival... the storyline throws us off balance at more than one point. And raises as many questions about success and makes us wonder and ponder; achievement at what price. Of course, as with Bulbbul, the finale here may seem predictable. But look closer and an allegory lurks in the sameness. Metaphors abound if you pay attention to the maze on the ground and in the game. Set in the golden past of 1930s and 40s, Qala is as much an ode to music as to talent as to pure art. Artistic to the core, here frames are lush with a poignant beauty, courtesy cinematographer Siddharth Diwan and designer Meenal Agarwal. Songs rendered in soulful voices by Sireesha Bhagavatula and Shahid Mallya, with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya, Kausar Munir, Swanand Kirkire and Varun Grover, the music by Amit Trivedi itself deserves a separate review. SS Rajamouli bags best director award at New York Film Critics Circle for RRR (NYFCC) on Friday night on its social media platforms. The official Twitter handle of RRR also shared the news of Rajamouli’s win at the movie gala. “@SSRajamouli wins the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle Award for the Best Director! @NYFCC Words can’t do justice to describe how happy and proud we are... Our heartfelt thanks to the jury for recognising #RRRMovie” read the tweet. A pre-Independence fictional story, RRR stars Ram Charan and Jr NTR as real-life Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, respectively. Jr NTR congratulated Rajamouli on Twitter and said the filmmak- er’s win at the NYFCC marks the beginning of his “journey to worldwide glory”. “It’s time for the world to know what I knew about you all along,” he added. The New York Film Critics Circle also unveiled winners for other categories with Todd Field’s Tar taking home the Best Picture trophy and lead star Cate Blanchett winning the Best Actress award. The Best Actor award went to Colin Farrell for his performances in Kogonada’s After Yang and Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin. Ke Huy Quan won the Best Supporting Actor for Everything Everywhere All At Once. —PTI RIP Julia ‘God saved me...’ Veteran documentarian Julia Reichert, who won an Oscar in 2020 for her feature American Factory, passed away at the age of 76 due to cancer. VETERAN Reichert received four AcadeDOCUMENTARIAN my Award nominations and one win, two Primetime Emmys, a JULIA REICHERT Director’s Guild Award and two PASSES AWAY AT 76 Peabody Awards nods. Her documentaries, including the Oscarnominated Union Maids, Seeing Red: Stories of American Communists, and The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant, addressed issues of gender, class, race, and the world economy. Reichert, who was born and reared in Bordentown Township, New Jersey, graduated from Antioch College in 1970 and published her debut documentary, "Growing Up Female," in 1971. She spent 28 years teaching film production at Wright State University. —ANI Jubin thanks fans for their love Thanking God for saving him in the accident, Bollywood’s popular playback singer Jubin Nautiyal, on Friday, thanked fans for their love and blessings. While sharing his health updates, Jubin, on Instagram posted a picture of himself with the caption, “Thank you all for your blessings. God was watching over me, and saved me in that fatal accident. I’ve got discharged and am recovering well. Thank you for your never ending love and warm prayers.” According to the singer’s team, he underwent an operation on his right arm. —ANI Babil’s part is not long enough to be truly memorable and you do wish for his debut film this talented son of a brilliant actor had got a meatier part. Sure the frames in which you see him are writ with an earnest innocence matching Qala’s fragile frailty. Your heart goes out for him in more than a scene or two. Trust Dutt to give us a counter male representation, contrasting exploitative Amit Sial’s music composer part with that of Jagan’s gentleness. Sial often seen in OTT shows as the vile guy is no saint here, but still is not simply black and impresses. So does Swastika Mukherjee as a towering mother figure, almost smothering her daughter, who is constantly seeking validation from her. But no doubt the director’s muse here is Qala. Tripti Dimri plays now diffident, now confident, now vulnerable, now hostile Qala with remarkable felicity. She is fragile, delicate, beautiful and strong... is she the protagonist or antagonist, victim or aggressor... in her character’s com- Julia Reichert (centre) c m y b Holding an aesthetic palette impressed by the Dutch Golden Age and the Art Nouveau style Dutt chooses to tell woman’s stories in a voice and language that is distinctly feminine. Resolute and gorgeous, she entices you to gorge upon the beauty of pathos, inner demons, mental health and relationships that in her words are ‘an emotional minefield.’ Streaming on Netflix, there is no reason for you to skip this fascinating journey of fractured ties crafted with a delicate finesse. With inner landscapes matching the outer, Qala is an artistic toast. Class apart Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali spoke at his first masterclass held at BAFTA’s iconic Princess Anne Theatre on December 2. The event was hosted by British author and professor, Rachel Dwyer. The Padmaavat director attended a series of events as a part of BAFTA Awards campaign for his film Gangubai Kathiawadi. The film is being submitted for BAFTA members’ consideration in all categories, including Best Film, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Leading Actress and Film Not in the English Language. Bhansali said, “Speaking to audiences at the various events in London has been a wonderful experience. The BAFTA Masterclass took me back to my early days as a filmmaker. I hope this love continues to pour.” Sanjay Leela Bhansali takes masterclass in London