07012023-LSTL-01.qxd 1/7/2023 1:08 AM Page 1 c m y b TWITTER ACCOUNT HACKED Actor Manoj Bajpayee’s Twitter account has been hacked. The actor took to Instagram to share the news. He wrote, “My Twitter account has been hacked! Please do not engage with anything that comes from my profile today, until the issue is resolved. Working towards a resolution. I will keep you posted. Thank you.” ANI Mona O TT has captured the imagination of content consumers and how! Going strong for the last couple of years, 2023 seems to be on the same path — some new shows, more sequels; right from Srikant Tiwari to Akhandanand Tripathi aka Kaleen bhaiya are set to return. Here are the OTT shows that are being eagerly awaited. Star debuts Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor and South Indian star Vijay Sethupathi are set for an OTT debut with The Family Man-fame directors Raj and DK’s highly anticipated crime series Farzi. It will release on February 10 on Amazon Prime Video. Shahid will be seen as a painter and other actors in pivotal roles are Kay Kay Menon, Raashi Khanna, Amol Palekar, Regina Cassandra and Bhuvan Arora. Another big entry is Rohit Shetty’s popular cop universe taking an OTT turn via Indian Police Force. It will premiere on Prime Video although no No fans! On January 8, KGF actor Yash will turn a year older. However, he will not be able to meet his fans as he is ‘working on something’. TMS LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 7 JANUARY 2023 SHAHID KAPOOR IN FARZI TOP THE CAST AND CREW OF ARCHIES of the line An impressive line-up of shows and the debuts of big-ticket stars, there is a lot to savour on OTT this year specific date has been announced. Starring Sidharth Malhotra, Vivek Oberoi and Shilpa Shetty, the shooting began in May, 2022. Shilpa and Sidharth will be making their digital debuts with this one. On the other hand, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is collaborating with Netflix for his first web series Heeramandi, which launches Sonakshi Sinha into the OTT space. People will also witness the return of 2023. Kareena will be making her OTT debut with Sujoy Ghosh’s adaptation of 2005 Japanese novel, The Devotion of Suspect X, by author Keigo Higashino. It’s a Netflix original film that also stars Vijay Varma and Jaideep Ahlawat. veteran actress Mumtaz after 45 years. Aditya Roy Kapur will be registering his presence on the digital medium through Sandeep Modi’s Captain, which is an adaptation of The Night Manager. It’s being made for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. Anil Kapoor and Sobhita Dhulipala will also be seen in this one. Kajol will headline an Indian web series version of American courtroom drama The Good Wife towards the end of Busy bee The hit series of 2020, Scam 1992, made Pratik Gandhi a household name. Following its success, director Hansal Mehta had announced a sequel, which brings to the fore the story of Abdul Karim Telgi, who built an empire on the basis of counterfeit stamp paper. Ever since people have been waiting with bated breath for the sequel titled, Scam 2003: The Telgi Story which will air on Sony LIV. Theatre actor Gagan Dev Riar will essay the lead role. Mehta will shoot another series for Netflix titled Scoop, which is based on crime journalist Jagruti Pathak’s life. It’s inspired by Jigna Vora’s biographical book, Behind The Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison. Also there’s a web series, Gandhi, starring Pratik Gandhi, which will be made on an epic scale by Hansal and release by the end of 2023. Thrillers all the way Mirzapur Season 3 is due for its third outing on Amazon Prime in 2023. Srikant Tiwari aka actor Manoj Bajpayee and his team are due for another intriguing outing in The Family Man Season 3. Another crime suspense thriller, Asur Season 2 will premiere this year on Voot. Not to forget, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, starring Shweta Tripathi, Tahir Raj Bhasin, and Arunoday Singh, gets a second instalment on Netflix this year. Game of seasons Jim Sarbh and Ishwak Singh will reprise their respective roles of Homi Jehangir Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai in Rocket Boys 2. After many hiccups, Zoya Akhtar’s successful show Made in Heaven’s Season 2 will be out this year. The director is also geared up for Netflix musical The Archies, starring Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor and Agastya Nada. Comedy drama While thrillers may dominate the digital scene, there’s a You Tuber Bhuvan Bam’s comedy drama Taaza Khabar that released on Disney+ Hotstar on January 6 (Friday). It marked Bhuvan’s official OTT debut. Prime Video is likely to bring season three of its hit show Panchayat to the audiences this year. There’s also Raj and DK’s muchanticipated Guns & Gulaabs, due on Netflix. This comedy meets crime drama has an impressive star cast, including Rajkummar Rao, Dulquer Salmaan, Adarsh Gourav, Gulshan Devaiah and TJ Bhanu. MOVIE REVIEW Somy slams Salman Former Bollywood actress Somy Ali had dated Salman Khan in the 90s. And now years after their break-up, she has taken a jibe at the actor on her social media handle. Along with a stunning picture of herself, she wrote in the caption, “What took you so long to come out and talk about what you went through with Salman Khan? This is not breaking news by any means. Rummage through any tabloid or a film magazine from the nineties and you will read articles about Somy being physically abused by Salman. This is what truly baffles me, as to why everyone is finding this as if it was never brought to light back in the 90s.” She continued, “I simply stopped talking about it, just the way I never brought up the topic of being a victim of childhood abuse. But, now there is a reason to bring it up and a reason prominent enough where it is a matter of life and death for countless children, women and men.” Salman is yet to address the issue. Earlier also, Somy had called Salman a ‘women beater’ and ‘sexual predator’ on her social median handles. — TMS With slick action, exotic locales and colourful settings, this thriller sets the hearts racing despite falling short on some fronts Guy Ritchie-Jason Statham open the first big-ticket account of 2023 in cinemas. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is a typical globe-trotting, posh comedy-actioner. The good and the bad struggle over something that could change the world forever, and there are 20 billion dollars at stake! It all begins with a robbery at the British government’s highly secured safe space, and no one has a clue on what was stolen or who has done it for whom. But it cuts short an elite superspy Orson Fortune’s (Jason Statham) vacation to figure it all out. Orson is pricey but his clever, cunning and unconventional ways make him best suited for the job. His regular teammate can’t be trusted, so the key government aide Nathan Jasmine (Cary Elwes) gets Orson a new team that includes Operation successful Sarah Fidel (Aubrey Plaza) and J.J. (Bugzy Malone). Sarah’s tech expertise and J.J. being rather good with the dogs and his aim makes them a formidable team. But they are not the only ones chasing the culprit! Their wily plan involves Hollywood heartthrob Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett) to get them an entry into dealer Greg Simmonds’ (Hugh Grant) den — a fundraiser for war orphans on a plush yacht. The film follows a chase across Madrid, Los Angeles, Turkey, Cannes and Doha, with slick action, serene seas and colourful bazaars. Trust Statham to nail the action sequences. Josh Hartnett as a lost actor on how to play ‘self’ in a do-or-die situation offers comic respite. Aubrey Plaza as a modern woman — a beauty with brains Sarah announces loud and clear that women today are a force to reckon with. Hugh Grant, who has sailed many a romcom to success, plays a billionaire with devious greed, who gives a lesson or two to ‘lost’ Danny in the moviemaking business! The film struggles to tick all the right boxes — rogues don’t belong to a particular race, black is right and women as capable if not more than their male counterparts! There is an Anita too at a government position. Yes, there is mention of Ukrainians but lip-service is done by making the baddie donate the money for the charity that supports war orphans. The pace of the film is leisurely, expect about two or three sequences that set hearts racing, the screenwriter gives ample time to guess. The music by Christopher Benstead befits the pace. Guy Ritchie plays safe with his fifth outing. The thriller takes you around the world that’s full on opulence and opportunists. At 114 minutes, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre — French for a war strategy — with a staple car chase to helicopter action sequences makes for a decent watch. — Mona Film: Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre Director: Guy Ritchie Cast: Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Josh Hartnett, Cary Elwes, Bugzy Malone, Hugh Grant Rating:  RRR in BAFTA 2023 longlist Gone too soon Making for an exciting awards season for India, S S Rajamouli's period action blockbuster RRR and Shaunak Sen's celebrated documentary All That Breathes have made it to the BAFTA Film Awards longlist, the organisers said on Friday. This is the initial long-listing round and the films will advance to the nominating stage of voting, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts said in a press release shared on the official website. RRR, India's biggest global hit of 2022, has already made it to the best music (original song) Oscars shortlist and is also nominated for two Golden Globes — best picture, nonEnglish language and the best original song for the Telugu track Naatu Naatu. Besides, it has four Critics Choice Award nominations c m y b Renowned art director Sunil Babu is no more — best picture, best foreign language film, best song and best visual effects. RRR finds mention in the BAFTA longlist for a ‘film not in English language’ category. Ten films will compete for the final five for the BAFTA Award. Forty-nine films were submitted for consideration in the category. Sen's All That Breathes, an internationally co-produced Hindi title, is also vying for a spot in the top five of the documentary category. — PTI Noted art director Sunil Babu died at a private hospital on Thursday night due to a cardiac arrest. He was 50. Babu had worked for many hit movies in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu industries. He is known for his work for the movies Ananthabhadram, Bangalore Days, Kayamkulam Kochunni, Pazhassiraja, Urumi, Notebook, among others. Babu was also the art director for many Bollywood movies and also associated with the upcoming Tamil movie Varisu, starring Vijay. Malayalam director Rosshan Andrews took to Instagram and said Babu was one of the best technicians in the Indian film industry. “A great friend, Photo: Instagram SHILPA SHETTY IN INDIAN POLICE FORCE TRIBUNE great man with good soul, my loving brother…Rest in peace,” Andrews wrote. Actor Dulquer Salmaan penned an emotional note. “Heart hurts... The kindest soul who quietly went about his work with so much passion and made no noise about his immense talent. Suniletta thank you for the memories. You brought life to our films...” — PTI