22022023-LSTL-01.qxd 2/21/2023 10:58 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE Saiyami Kher’s Game of Thrones connect Story time Former Bigg Boss 16 contestant Sumbul Touqeer, who is excited about her cameo in the web show Dear Ishq, said she is fond of fictional dramas. — IANS LUDHIANA | WEDNESDAY | 22 FEBRUARY 2023 Comic potential T Mona HE Shastri family is back with Potluck 2, a slice-of-life drama that established a quirky family in the audience’ hearts with its first outing. While the eccentric family members continue their effort to get along, in Season 2, the characters get their own arc. Cyrus Sahukar is happy to be back as Vikrant Shastri and still overwhelmed with the love that Potluck got during its maiden outing. “Season 1 closed with Vikrant patching up with his father. In this season, his life takes another leap. He is on a mission to be the super dad, trying to right the wrongs that were done to him in his childhood,” says Cyrus. A year’s gap and the very hectic schedule due to his wedding, shooting for Potluck 2 was a challenge for the actor. “Wedding is an event that requires a lot of preparation. Five days post it, I was back on the sets, and was in a daze,” he opens up. Add to it that he is shooting with two children, it’s been quite a journey. What made Cyrus pick up a slice-of-life drama, when thrillers and crime sagas rule the OTT? “Thrillers really became popular through the lockdown. I love thrillers too. But Potluck is real and relatable. Slice of life drama as a genre is rather underexplored on OTT. Gullak caters to a certain segment and It’s GoT to be great Saiyami Kher is one versatile performer. She ended 2022 with Faadu, which marked Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s foray into the digital space. She will soon be seen playing a paraplegic sportsperson in R Balki’s Ghoomer. The actress has taken to social media to share a very interesting video. The video has Saiyami in an intense fighting sequence with one of key actors of Game of Thrones, who is admirably called Mountain aka Conan Stevens, who played the character of Gregor Clegane in the popular series. Saiyami said, “Besides loving the experience of working with the one and only Nagarjuna Garu, I also was grateful to be a part of this incredible action sequence. If you aren’t a GOT fan, then meet the 7 foot 4 inches Conan Stevens, who everyone lovingly calls Mountain and played the role of Gregor Clegane. Unfortunately, after we filmed this sequence, the pandemic hit. And Conan couldn’t come back to India to complete the shoot. But I’m glad I have the memory of having shot this.” As the drama at the Shastri household is about to unfold, Kitu Gidwani and Cyrus Sahukar tell us what to expect from Potluck 2 Potluck to urban nuclear households.” Cyrus is happy at the response. “When Potluck released, my Insta timeline was full of people expressing their love for show. Generally such shows win their following in a while, look at Schitt’s Creek or Seinfeld. We were lucky that Potluck got such amazing response.” Growing up in Delhi, Cyrus is the byproduct of two different cultures. His father, an Army officer, is a Parsi and mother, a writer, is a Punjabi. “I have been a weird mix, but I have held on to my Punjabi roots with my love for music and food.” The Mind the Malhotras actor also shares a close bond with the city. “In my initial theatre days, I did a play at Vivek High School, spending about two months in the city. I love Chandigarh’s architecture and its closeness to the hills.” In fact, he was here just last week, doing a show on industries opting for solar power. More web shows in the offing, Cyrus lately enjoyed meeting wonderful folks through the NatGeo series, It Happens Only in India. PLAYING PRAMILA Kitu Gidwani is back as Pramila Shastri, a role far removed from the real her, except their love for cooking. An independent woman, Gidwani loves portraying Pramila with all her quirks. “Season 1 got immense love for the Shastri family with all their crazy pranks and shenanigans. Its second outing goes deeper into the characters making the storyline more interesting.” Her charac- ter explores its own arc. “While Pramila continues to cook and take her daughter and daughter-in-law to task and treat her husband with sarcasm, now that her children are all grown up, she is out to explore her interests. How she deals with her midlife crisis and charts a new path takes Pramila’s journey forward.” Comedy is a tough genre to handle, believes Gidwani. “Comedy is a tough genre, subtle comedy even tougher. But I like a good challenge,” she says. With 35 years in the entertainment industry, Svetlana in Swabhimaan, Gidwani ruled the TV industry once. “There have been actresses whose careers have been a flash in the pan. Even after 35 years, I am doing good roles.” She looks fondly back at TV’s heydays. “TV those days was intelligent and very creative. The 20-year-span from 1980 to 2000 was just superb. TV offered variety of content right from light hearted comedies, historical shows, detective dramas to journalism and politics we covered across all the spectrum.” Gidwani has shown her talent, potential and versatility and doesn’t ask for more, “Ups and downs are part of everyone’s life, in every profession. Look at Marilyn Monroe. She died young. I am happy to be alive and kicking,” she laughs. When not shooting, Gidwani is busy rescuing, feeding and taking care of animals. She is also looking at her return to TV after 20 years with a Sony TV show. Potluck 2 streams on SonyLiv from February 24. Pathaan grosses ~1000 cr worldwide Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham’s latest action entertainer Pathaan has zoomed past the fabled Rs 1,000 crore gross worldwide becoming the first Hindi film to breach this milestone in phase one of its release. Pathaan, on its fourth Monday, saw a solid jump again at the box office. It collected Rs 1.25 crore net in India (Hindi - Rs 1.20 crore, all dubbed versions - Rs 0.05 crore). It has now recorded $45.94 million in the overseas alone, while net collection in India stands at Rs 516.92 crore! The total worldwide gross is an incredible Rs 1000 crore (India gross - Rs 623 crore, overseas – Rs 377 crore.— IANS Pathaan on its fourth Monday saw a solid jump at the box office Star comedian Hasan Minaj shared a video of Bollywood star Ranveer Singh trying to flaunt his rapping skills in a locker room during the NBA All-Star game. However, the social media users are not impressed at all. In the clip, Ranveer looks confident about his rapping skills in front of celebs like Hollywood stars Simu Liu, Janelle Monae and Nicky Jam. The clip begins with Minhaj saying, “All we gotta do, everybody, is get Ranveer Singh onboard today. On behalf of 4.561 billion people in Asia, let’s get Ranveer a bucket.” Reacting to his words, Ranveer in jersey gets up from his seat and starts to rap –IANS Fan boy moment Ranveer joined the NBA AllStar Celebrity team in Utah recently. He took to Instagram and posted a reel documenting his “chance” meeting with American professional basketball player LeBron James. Coming soon Hindi remake of Chatrapathi set for release SREENIVAS BELLAMKONDA WITH SS RAJAMOULI The official Hindi remake of SS Rajamouli’s Chatrapathi is all set for its nationwide release. The film marks the big Bollywood debut of Sreenivas Bellamkonda and was launched by SS Rajamouli in Hyderabad. The Telugu action-drama Chatrapathi is about the exploitation faced by immigrants who come to India from places far away and live without any official identity. The Hindi remake, directed by VV Vinayak and starring Sreenivas Bellamkonda, has been mounted on a massive scale and shot extensively on grand sets in Hyderabad. It is finally gearing up for its nationwide release. While Sreenivas Bellamkonda will reprise Prabhas’ role in the action-drama, the makers have kept the identity of the leading lady under wraps. c m y b Kangana Ranaut interacted with fans on Twitter. In an impromptu session, the actress answered many questions. Interestingly, when one of the fans asked her to choose the best actor between Diljit Dosanjh and Hrithik Roshan, the Manikarnika actress didn’t shy away from mocking the actors. Many know she has courted controversies with Hrithik Roshan and during farmers’ protest she attacked Diljit Dosanjh. While the actress praised Kartik Aaryan calling him a cool guy who does not belong to any camp in Bollywood, she ran down Hrithik and Diljit answering her fan’s query. She wrote, “I thought one does action and other one makes song videos, honestly never saw them act … can only tell if someday I see them act … if such a thing happens do let me know thanks #askkangana.” PTI Ranveer raps, fans find it Kangana gets cheeky ‘embarrassing’ ALIA BHATT & REKHA Rekha, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor & The Kashmir Files take away Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards The award goes to… Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri-directorial Brahmastra: Part 1 The Kashmir Files bagged the Best BEST ACTRESS: Alia Bhatt for GanFilm award at Dadasaheb Phalke gubai Kathiawadi International Film Festival Awards MOST PROMISING ACTOR: Rishab held in Mumbai on Monday. Vivek Shetty for Kantara took to Twitter and wrote, “This BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: award is dedicated to all the victims Manish Paul for Jugjugg Jeeyo of terrorism and to all the people of OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION IN THE FILM INDUSTRY: Rekha India for your blessings.” BEST WEB SERIES: Rudra: The Dadasaheb Phalke The Edge of Darkness International Film Festival CRITICS BEST ACTOR: Awards 2023 also saw Alia Varun Dhawan for Bhatt lifting the trophy Bhediya for Best Actress. FILM OF THE YEAR: RRR Her husband Ranbir TELEVISION SERIES OF Kapoor bagged the Best THE YEAR: Anupamaa Actor award for his performANUPAM KHER MOST VERSATILE ACTOR OF ance in Brahmastra. Veteran actor Rekha was honoured for her THE YEAR: Anupam Kher for The Outstanding Contribution To The Kashmir Files BEST ACTOR IN A TELEVISION Film Industry. SERIES: Zain Imam for Fanaa- Ishq Here is the list of winners: BEST FILM: The Kashmir Files Mein Marjawaan BEST DIRECTOR: R Balki for Chup: BEST ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION Revenge of The Artist SERIES: Tejasswi Prakash for BEST ACTOR: Ranbir Kapoor for Naagin —ANI