21012023-LSTL-01.qxd 1/21/2023 12:09 AM Page 1 c m y b GET SET FOR WHAT THE FISH Manoj Manchu was last seen in Telugu film Okkadu Migiladu. The Telugu star is back after a sixyear hiatus with What The Fish, which is all set to hit the floors. The film is originally in Telugu language, but will also be dubbed in Hindi, English and other regional languages. TMS TRIBUNE Biopic time A limited series based on the life of silent movie icon Buster Keaton is under development by Warner Bros Television. And, actor Rami Malek will star in it. ANI LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 21 JANUARY 2023 Spies, spice amiss Touching upon a taboo topic with a dash of humour and emotion, Chhatriwali is decent a one-time watch Devoid of chills and thrills, this spy drama fails on many counts as the real characters come across as caricatures Nonika Singh S PY dramas have been the staple of OTT platforms. As Netflix drops a new spy thriller starring Sidharth Malhotra and Rashmika Mandanna, set in 1970s, expectations are sky high. Only a few moments into the film, frustration sets in. The narrative takes us to neighbouring country, Film: Mission Majnu for isn’t Pakistan the Director: Shantanu Bagchi ground where our spies Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, should be. The provocaRashmika Mandanna, Parmeet tion for our RAW agents Sethi, Sharib Hashmi. Mir Sarwar, to be in proactive mode Kumud Mishra, Arjan Bajwa, Zakir is that Pakistan is about Hussain and Rajit Kapur to make a nuclear bomb. Rating:  Sidharth Malhotra as Amandeep Ajitpal Singh, is the undercover agent, liv- is meant to provide us ing life of a pious Muslim thrills. Only the movie falters Tariq Ali, even falls for Pak- time and again. Writing lacks istani Nasreen and marries bite and so do the spies. Sidher too. But if the Indian-Pak- harth Malhotra, who istani love angle and the fact impressed us so much as that Nasreen is visually chal- brave-heart martyr Captain lenged have been roped in Vikram Batra in Shershaah, create emotional heft, the despite his immense likeabiliemotional appeal leaves you ty, can’t find his groove. Neicold. As does a lot more. ther direction nor writing proHow Amandeep along with vides him support to make us two other undercover agents, truly root for him. Rashmika Kumud Mishra as Raman Mandanna though seemingly Singh and Sharib Hashmi as misfit for the Urdu-speaking Aslam Usmaniya, bust the Pakistani Nasreen stands her clandestine plan of Pakistan ground. Sharib Hashmi who has done such a brilliant job as an indigenous spy in The Family Man is wasted. So is another talented actor Kumud Mishra. As the triumvirate bursts into cheerful Jai Bhole Nath every now and then, we wonder what the director is trying to prove. Undercover agents are not supposed to lose their guard even at the most intimate moments. Here they are ready to blow their cover at the slightest provocation! Any wonder, the threesome neither possess the cutting edge nor are amusing enough. Then we have a whole lot of actors such as Rajit Kapur playing Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, ISI chief, General Zia Ul Haq and more. Though the film brings Point to ponder Mona forth real people such as the first chief of Indian intelligence agency, RAW, RN Kao and Pakistani physicist AQ Khan, everything looks contrived. It’s not just Pakistani characters who come out as caricatures. Zakir Hussain as the Indian handler of the spies is over the top and annoys you with his constant jibes and comments against Amandeep. By the way our hero has a tragic back-story. After having watched The Spy on Israel’s top Mossad spy Eli Cohen and our very own The Family Man, this covert mission comes a cropper on screen. There are a few customary action scenes, but at no point does Mission Majnu provide adrenaline rush; not even in the climax where it gets its pace right. Supposedly inspired by true events, only you keep wondering where the inspiration is? As far as misnomers go, Mission Majnu takes the cake with neither the obsessive zeal of Majnu nor the sophistication of a mission well accomplished. A clever chemistry postgraduate living in a dilapidated house with the responsibility of a younger sister and mother, a barahavin fail good-hearted dude from a sanskari parivar running a puja bhandar; they meet, fall in love and start a life together. Only hitch, the Indra Nooyi of Karnal doesn’t work in an umbrella factory but one for condoms! Even in the times of Tinder and OYO rooms, reportedly condom usage in India remains as low as 5.6 per cent! Talking about safe sex is still a taboo and people with the thinking ‘condoms are for lovers, not for the married couples’ still around. So, we don’t mind another outing after Helmet and Janhit Mein Jaari were made on the same theme. Tejas Deoskar’s directorial begins on a strong note, giving us endearing characters such as Ratan Lamba (Satish Kaushik), owner of a condom manufacturing factory, struggling hard to find a quality control head; Dhingra ‘Aunty’ (Dolly Ahluwalia), playing Flash while aiming to be NET, FLICKS & MORE Film: Chhatriwali Director: Tejas Deoskar Cast: Rakul Preet Singh, Sumeet Vyas, Satish Kaushik, Rajesh Tailang, Rakesh Bedi, Dolly Ahluwalia, Riva Arora Rating:  Ambani and perky Sanya (Rakul Preet Singh) flying kites and using it as a ploy to enlist more children into her tuition class. Her leaking roof forces her to accept the position in a condom manufacturing unit, which she keeps a secret from the family while claiming that she worked in an umbrella unit. Love follows and she becomes the daughterin-law in a sanskari family, where chadar se jyada Mata Rani ki chunari hain. Written by Sanchit Gupta and Priyadarshee Srivastava, it’s a simple story in which Rakul Preet Singh gives a delightful performance as a girl shy of her work profile to realising its worth and ready to put up a fight for a cause she believes in. Sumeet Vyas delivers what’s doled out to him. It’s Rajesh Tailang, who gets a meatier part, and he gives a fine performance. Dolly Ahluwalia offers promise but she doesn’t get much scope. Madan Chemist (Rakesh Bedi) also represents a societal stereotype. One loves Satish Kaushik, who is an affable uncle. Music comes with fixed trope—a title track, romantic number, a sad song and theme song—each done by a different composer. While the film doesn’t look at alternate methods of birth control, still one appreciates the theme; birth control to date remains a woman's issue across the world. At about two hours, Chhatriwali makes for a decent one-time watch. (Streaming on ZEE5) The truth is out Priyanka Chopra on why she opted for surrogacy Malti Marie Chopra Jonas was born to Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra in January last year. During a recent interaction, Priyanka Chopra opened up on the premature birth of her daughter. The actress said, “I was in the operating room when she came out. She was so small, smaller than my hand. I saw what the intensive-care nurses do. They do God’s work. Nick and I were both standing there as they intubated her.” Priyanka Chopra also spoke about why she opted for surrogacy. She added, “I had medical complications, so this was a necessary step. I’m so grateful I was in a position where I could do this. Our surrogate was so generous, kind, lovely and funny, and she took care of this precious gift for us for six months…You don’t know me, you don’t know what I’ve been through. And just because I don’t want to make my medical history, or my daughter’s public doesn’t give you the right to make up whatever the reasons were.” — TMS REUTERS FILE PHOTO RIP, Crosby Singer-songwriter-guitarist David Crosby, a founding member of two popular and enormously influential 1960s rock acts, the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash (later Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), has died. He was 81 years old. Cause of the death has not been revealed. One of Crosby’s final tweets the day before he died was to make a typically jocular comment about heaven: “I heard the place is overrated ... cloudy.” Former CSNY partner Graham Nash, who had been estranged from Crosby in recent years as their group went its separate ways, paid a tribute on his DAVID CROSBY social media. — IANS GAURI KHAN WITH SON AARYAN KHAN RANVEER SINGH AND DEEPIKA PADUKONE JOHN ABRAHAM SHINING STARS KATRINA KAIF While the engagement ceremony of industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s youngest son Anant Ambani with Radhika Merchant was a star-studded affair at Antilia, one of the t highlights of the night has to be their ‘surprise ring bearer’. While many might be wondering that it would have been a family relative or a close friend; but it turned out to be the family’s pet dog! In a video from the grand ceremony, the emcee can be seen inviting the ‘surprise ring bearer’ on stage and in came running a Golden Retriever. Everyone was seen dancing with heart-shaped cardboards in front of the couple. The dance performance was led by Anant’s mother Nita Ambani. c m y b SALMAN KHAN WITH NIECE ALIZEH KHAN AGNIHOTRI The engagement of Mukesh Ambani’s youngest son Anant Ambani with Radhika Merchant was a star-studded affair JANHVI KAPOOR WITH HER SISTER KHUSHI KAPOOR AKSHAY KUMAR Meanwhile, the grand ceremony was held in a traditional manner where the couple performed old Gujarati rituals such as Gol Dhana and Chunari Vidhi. Gol Dhana is a pre-wedding ceremony in Gujarati tradition, which is a kind of engagement. Gol means jaggery and Dhana means coriander seeds. The Merchant family received a warm welcome from the Ambanis at their residence amidst aarti and chant- ing of mantras. Anant and Radhika have known each other for a few years and their engagement ceremony brought them closer to their upcoming marriage in the coming months. Radhika is the daughter of Viren Merchant, the CEO of Encore Healthcare. She hails from Kutch, Gujarat. She has trained in Bharatnatyam for eight years and is the disciple of Guru Bhavana Thakar of Shree Nibha Arts. — ANI