08012023-LSTC-01.qxd 07-01-2023 22:38 Page 1 c m y b ALL IS WELL IN VIJAY’S WORLD There were rumours that Tamil superstar Thalapathi Vijay’s marriage with his wife Sangeetha was heading for splitsville. Sources, however, confirmed that all is fine between Vijay and Sangeetha, who have been married for 22 years. IANS TRIBUNE New talent Life Director Abhishek Kapoor is going to launch Ajay Devgn’s nephew Aaman Devgan in his next action adventure. Ajay will also be seen in the movie in a never seen before avatar. CHANDIGARH | SUNDAY | 8 JANUARY 2023 An eye on the future Sheetal I T was a Diljit Dosanjh film that helped actress Sargun Mehta make a life-altering decision to work in Pollywood. Now that Sargun has shared screen space with the actor in the Punjabi film, Babe Bhangra Paunde Ne, she can’t be happier. She says, “The first Punjabi film that I ever watched was a Diljit Dosanjh film. So, I thought, ki ye dekha tha, ye dekhkar socha tha ki Punjabi film karenge, and look where has it got me. It was a great experience working with him. He is amazing at what he does and is a humble artiste. There’s so much to learn from him.” Released last year, the film is now streaming on Zee 5. Sargun, who started her career with Zee TV with 12/24 Karol Bagh, calls her association with the channel a great one. “From working in my first-ever show, 12/24Karol Bagh, producing my first film, Kala Shah Kala, to last year’s biggest Punjabi hit Saunkan Saunkne, is the proof of the great relationship I share with Zee and Zee5.” Pollywood may have seen many ups and downs in the recent past, but Sargun has generally been having a good time ever since she stepped into Punjabi film industry. And what’s her secret? Well, for starters, Sargun doesn’t give her nod to ‘any project unless the character is good’. PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR After a successful innings in Pollywood, actress-producer Sargun Mehta is ready to diversify and that includes venturing into the digital medium “Frankly, if the character is not right, then it doesn’t matter how big the project is,” she says. The same stands for her conviction in stories that made her produce television shows and films. Take last year’s Punjabi hit Saunkan Saunkne for example. For this year, Sargun has plans to venture into the digital medium. Loving wife Naseeb Kaur in Saunkan Saunkne, tough SHO Gudiya Parmar in Cuttputlli, medical supervisor Preet in Babe Bhangra Paunde Ne and lovestruck girl Gorey in Moh, Sargun showed her versatility as an actress in 2022. Talking about her big Bollywood break with Cuttputlli, she says, “I enjoyed Cuttputlli because it was a challenge to look like a tough cop.” For more depth and range in female roles in Punjabi films, Sargun holds a view, “With every role that we do as an actress, it doesn’t open just one door but millions of doors for everybody. I think I did a great job with Moh, and the character was something different for the audience. Roles like that further the way women are perceived on screen.” On the line-up for this year, Sargun is not giving away much about her upcoming projects, but only hopes. “This one will be a good year for Pollywood. Last year, the industry definitely paid the price for Covid. The films, which released recently, were shot three or four years earlier. By the time of the release, audience had moved on to other subjects and matters of interest.” The actor-producer has given two daily soaps, Udariyaan and Swarn Ghar, to the national audience under her banner Dreamiyata Productions. Together with her business and life partner Ravie Dubey they started the year 2023 with the announcement of new show, Junooniyat. She says, “We wish to bring more interesting stories forward, be it on the 70mm screen or television. And now, from this year on, we will make our presence felt on the digital platform as well.” The world was his oyster IIFA On the birth anniversary of Irrfan Khan, we remember his five memorable roles Rahul joins Chamkila cast While Parineeti Chopra and Diljit Dosanjh are all set to share the screen space in director Imtiaz Ali’s upcoming musical film Chamkila, renowned award-winning filmmaker Rahul Mittra is the latest to join the star cast of the film. Imtiaz has roped in Rahul Mittra to play an important cameo as a Sikh police officer. Mittra commenced shooting in Mumbai along with Diljit Dosanjh. Son of a senior Punjab bureaucrat, Rahul witnessed the terrorism problem while growing up in Chandigarh as a kid in the 80s, at the time when Amar Singh Chamkila and his wife Amarjot Kaur were assassinated on March 8, 1988, along with the members of their musical band. This film revolves around Amarjot Kaur and Amar Singh Chamkila. While Parineeti will be essaying the role of Amarjot, Diljit will be seen as Chamkila. Late actor Irrfan Khan’s birth anniversary falls on January 7. The legendary Indian actor made his debut with the Oscar-nominated Hindi film Salaam Bombay! and went on to star in some of the most critically acclaimed films in India like Life in a... Metro, The Lunchbox and Hindi Medium. However, the actor’s success was not confined to India alone. He performed exceptionally well in several international projects, which garnered him recognition abroad and put him on the map of world cinema. Let’s look at five such film roles which the actor essayed in foreign films that fetched him global recognition. The 23rd edition of International Indian Film Academy and Awards (IIFA) has been rescheduled, the venue for which is Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Now, the event will take place on May 26 & 27 Earlier, the awards celebration was to be held on February 9, 10 and 11. But now the dates have been pushed to May 2023. International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) officially announced the new dates of the upcoming celebrations. It will now be held on the May 26 and 27. The nominations were out in December. THE NAMESAKE Ashoke Ganguli in The Namesake Essaying a university professor with Bengali roots living in the US, Irrfan nailed the nuances of Ashoke, an Indian immigrant trying to make a living in a foreign land while keeping his original culture alive in this 2006 English language flick. The film and his role, both were critically acclaimed at the time and led Irrfan on the path to cinematic glory. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Police Inspector in Slumdog Millionaire Albeit he didn’t have much screen time in this 2008 film, Irrfan still managed to make his mark in the role of a crude police inspector who underestimated the lead character Jamal (portrayed by Dev Patel) and berated him till he gained his self-confidence and became a millionaire at a quiz show. The film went on to win numerous awards, including eight Academy Awards, taking Irrfan to the global stage. Rajit Ratha in The Amazing Spider-Man Irrfan made an appearance in the blockbuster superhero film back in 2012, with his small but significant role as the domineering Rajit, the supervisor of Dr Curt Connors, who pressures him into a process which ends up with Connors turning himself into a man-lizard hybrid. postponed LIFE OF PI Pi Patel in Life Of Pi eight nominations. Playing the adult version of the lead character Pi Patel in this 2012 adventure-drama film helmed by director Ang Lee, Irrfan was mostly heard in the film than seen, serving as the narrator. The film was a thundering success with both critics and the audience, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of the year as well as winning four Oscar Awards out of c m y b Simon Masrani in Jurassic World Playing the role of Simon, the owner of the iconic dinosaur theme park, Irrfan’s screen presence was a delight. The film is one of the biggest commercial successes, proving that he was loved not just in his home country, but transcended borders to truly become a global film icon. —ANI Diljit’s next—Zora Malki On Friday, actor Diljit Dosanjh shared a post revealing the title poster of his new project, Zora Malki. Produced by White Hill Studios, it was first shared by the label on their social media handles. Written and directed by Qismat-fame Jagdeep Sidhu, it has Diljit Dosanjh in the lead. Zora Malki is a romantic film. After some recordbreaking blockbusters together—Jatt & Juliet, Jatt and Juliet 2, Punjab 1984, Sardaar Ji and Sardaar Ji 2, with Zora Malki Diljit and White Hill Studios will be seen collaborating again. The film is slated for a release on June 28.