09022023-LSTC-01.qxd 2/9/2023 12:41 AM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE Cook & tell Pamela Anderson is set to front a plantbased cooking show on Food Network Canada. The show is tentatively called Pamela’s Cooking With Love. IANS to kill for CHANDIGARH | THURSDAY | 9 FEBRUARY 2023 ‘Eachnew series is a new test’ Nonika Singh Check out the special meaning behind Kiara Advani’s customised kaleeras As Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani finally got married in Jaisalmer’s Suryagarh Palace, glimpses from their marriage ceremony made their way to social media and be it their outfits or the jewellery, the newlywed KJo on his ‘students’ couple stood out in All the ‘students’ of every aspect. While SidBollywood filmmakerharth opted for an ivory producer Karan Johar sherwani with an exquihave found their forever site royal lustre, Kiara together and KJo can’t donned a Manish Malbe happier. While Varun hotra-designed pink Dhawan was the first to lehenga, which featured get married from the Student of the Year tribe, intricate embroidery followed by Alia Bhatt’s detailing of roman wedding to Ranbir architecture. Kapoor last year, now However, what stood Karan’s third student out the most were Sidharth Malhotra too Kiara’s customised tied the nuptial knot with kaleeras, which are Kiara Advani. umbrella-shaped danKaran took to gling ornaments that are Instagram recently to attached to the bride’s pen a heartfelt note for choodas. Mrinalini ChanSid. “I met him a decade and a half ago. Silent, dra had designed Kiara’s strong and still so kaleeras, which featured sensitive. I met her stars, moon, the couple’s many years after...silent, initials and butterflies. strong and so sensitive They also had a dedicain equal measure,” the tion to Sidharth’s late note started. pet dog and their He concluded, “I love favourite travel destinayou Sid. I love you Kia. tion. Meanwhile, Kiara’s May today be your neckpiece features an forever.” —IANS exquisite composition of hand-cut diamonds and emeralds. She was seen wearing a diamond ring, prompting speculations that it is her wedding ring. They plan to host two wedding receptions—one in Delhi on February 9 and the other in Mumbai on February 12—ANI THE COUPLE AT JAISALMER AIRPORT ‘It’s important to face failure’ Sheetal ...says Jazzy B as he talks about Punjabi music and streaming platforms Since the launch of Spotify in India back in 2019, the consumption of Punjabi music has grown exponentially on the music streaming platform. It recently hosted a masterclass for the artiste community in Chandigarh to talk about how to make the most of the platform for growth. Leading voices from the Punjabi music industry, including singer Jazzy B, lyricist, composer and producer Bunty Bains and Speed Records founder and director Satvinder Singh Kohli, were present at the event to share their perspectives. Talking to aspiring artistes, Jazzy B said, “When you deliver a successful number, you either start to produce similar kind of music or go through the same process to deliver another hit. But it’s important to face failure. Only then you experiment and reinvent yourself. Otherwise, you play safe which spells the death of an artiste.” About streaming platforms, Jazzy B holds an opinion that it has enabled artistes to focus on their music rather than video. In other words, “It’s like bringing the old music back when gems like Muhammad Sadiq concentrated on releasing audio cassettes.’ He also urged the listeners to explore regional music. T HIRTY-FOUR millions views of the trailer with fans already hailing upcoming Amazon Prime series Farzi as a masterpiece. Nothing succeeds like success...However, for Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, the celebrated director duo (famous as Raj and DK), who created a storm with mega successful web series The Family Man and ready to unveil new thriller series Farzi, “Each new series is a new test.” With millions of views the trailer of Farzi is amassing, Raj and DK seem to have already passed the test with flying colours Besides, the idea is to be as different as possible as they echo in unison, “Whatever we did in The Family Man, we had no intentions of repeating anything. Farzi is a different world altogether. From the style of filmmaking to editing to characterisation nothing is similar.” Of course, like The Family Man, the lead protagonist here is a middle class person. Why they choose to place their heroes amidst middle class background is explained simply yet logically with a hint of personal, “We are all middle class to start with. It’s a milieu we understand and relate to best. Besides, it’s a very interesting class of people who can be aspirational, greedy, good, bad and ugly.” Though on the face of it, the plot of Farzi might hover around counterfeit currency, it’s as much about how farzi we as people can be. But is fake currency really a matter of concern especially after demonetisation? Interestingly, they had this ‘invalidating the currency’ as a plot point when they first conceived the idea of the series, much before demonetisation happened and had to think of a new peg once it became a reality. Sure they do acknowledge demonetisation in the series, only instead of dwelling upon this far reaching economic decision, DK reveals, “We move forward from there.” However, if you think fake currency is not a burning issue, they feel otherwise. “The damage counterfeiting can cause is immense.” Rather, with Farzi they let us into the world of specialised, faceless crime and angst of our middle class THE FAMILY MAN Farzi is nothing like The Family Man, even the There is no style of filmmaking, the winning formula... way it has been shot, it has were it so, we would been a conscious effort, be making the series to make it different. formulaic way. RAJ NIDIMORU KRISHNA DK Write path “Writing is the toughest job & that’s why we are not making many series. You can’t overstress the importance of writing, more so in series. If it’s not perfect, it will be like building a house on faulty foundation.” SHAHID KAPOOR & (BOTTOM) VIJAY SETHUPATHI IN FARZI Of blurred lines Today we are going ga ga over Telugu films like RRR finding panIndia acceptance. But for these two Telugu boys, engineersturned-filmmakers, who grew up as much on Tamil and Telugu cinema as Shah Rukh Khan’s films, “lines were always blurred.” No wonder their series too bridge the North-South divide effortlessly. DK observes, “The language has become a little hero raging against the system. And guess what! The quintessential middle class guy of cinema of 70s Amol Palekar has a special cameo in the film that marks the digital debut of two big stars, Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi. Star power? They don’t consciously go looking for stars... only cast the right people for the right role even as Raj agrees, “Stars do widen the reach.” Indeed, Shahid, who they were in discussions with for a sports film, did express his desire to work in the series. DK lauds Shahid, “It’s a mark of a star and an actor ready to challenge himself. Rather more than a star you have to be a solid, selfassured actor to be able to do justice to the character for a long period and present not one facet but live that character 360 degree.” more irrelevant and the whole country is waking up to the reality that here is an Indian film.” Of course, when it comes to series the lines are further dissolved. It’s not just with Citadel India that they need to factor in international audiences. “With each series we are conscious that somewhere, someone around the world has access to our series and could be watching it.” On them mastering the digital space, as they have emerged as undisputed kings of OTT entertainment, have they who have given us wonderful movies like Shor in the City, Cinema Bandi and blockbusters like Stree, found their true metier in the digital world? Says Raj, “With OTT we found the freedom to tell all kind of stories, didn’t have to worry about the commercial element.” Now that they are teaming up with no less than Russo Brothers for Citadel India, we wonder if this is their moment as also what are the original writers doing with an adaptation. First things first, Citadel is not an adaptation as Raj explains, “Citadel India is a counterpart to the American series.” To use an analogy he further elucidates, “It’s like they are making Ironman and we are making Spiderman but both are part of the same universe, connected yet diverse.” Coming to how big this moment is, DK agrees, “How lucky can we get?” Raj nods, “Indeed, working with Russo Brothers has been amazing, especially watching their writers at work.” As for working with each other and staying together in the world of arts where creative partnerships can often get stormy, Raj shares, “We know only one way to make films; with each other...we learnt and discovered all the hacks together.” Indeed, watch the interview to know how in sync they are and know exactly when to speak and when to let the other talk. Undeniably, their work does the real talking...watch Farzi which streams on February 10 on Amazon Prime Video. Scope for Royalist Cruise more? Abhishek to wed Shivaleeka YRF’s Spy Universe unleashed its most notorious villain in the form of John Abraham aka Jim in Director Abhishek Pathak and actress Shivaleeka Oberoi are all set to tie the knot today (February 9). They have planned a destination wedding in Goa, which is expected to be a big fat wedding. The director was behind the successful film Drishyam 2 whereas Shivaleeka featured in the film, Khuda Hafiz. A source says, “It’s going to be a grand affair and the Pathak family has been involved in the industry for many years, so there will be a huge guest list.” Abhishek is producer Kumar Mangat Pathak’s son. He has produced movies like Drishyam, Omkara, Special 26 and more. The couple got engaged in July 2022 on a trip to Cappadocia, Turkey. Shivaleeka has also chosen Manish Malhotra’s design for her wedding outfit just like Kiara Advani. Pathaan. Speaking about what he loves about Jim, John says, “Jim is a refreshingly suave villain, with very well etched out characterisation that dives into why he became what he became! Imagine the pain he endured, imagine the hurt that broke him and turned him into the man he became. To me, Jim was a very powerful character and yes, it would be great if Aditya Chopra wants to bring him back and tell the world how good a super-spy he was and how he became a ruthless mercenary later.” He adds, “As Luthra (Ashutosh Rana) says in Pathaan, Jim and Kabir are the best in business. So, there could be lots to explore if a film is made on Jim…” c m y b Tom Cruise is reportedly putting his film projects on hold to attend the coronation of King Charles. The British monarch will be coronated in London on May 6 and Cruise will pause filming for the new Mission: Impossible movie in order to attend the historic event. A source says, “Tom has been invited to King Charles’ coronation and there is no way he would have ever turned it down. It is a prestigious event and Tom is a real royalist - plus he is now close to Prince William and Kate. Tom has told film bosses to shut down the production on Mission: Impossible over the coronation weekend.”—IANS