27032023-LSTL-01.qxd 3/26/2023 10:54 PM Page 1 c m y b CAUGHT IN THE ACT Lady Gaga, who is portraying the role of Harley Quinn in Joker 2, was clicked on the sets. Joaquin Phoenix will reprise his role as Arthur Fleck in the sequel. Director Todd Philips had earlier shared Gaga’s close up in the character reveal. However, in the leaked photos, Lady Gaga is seen in full get-up as Harley Quinn. TRIBUNE Career path Paris Hilton doesn't want her son to be "in the spotlight." The mother of a baby boy says she'd prefer her son to pursue a different kind of career. —ANI LUDHIANA | MONDAY | 27 MARCH 2023 Twist in the tale Is Pooja Hegde set to replace Kareena Kapoor Khan in Bajrangi Bhaijaan 2? NASEERUDDIN SHAH JIM SARBH The chemistry between Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan in Bajrangi Bhaijaan was one of the highlights of the film. Fans have been waiting for the two actors to be back in the film’s sequel. However, the latest buzz suggests that Kareena will be replaced by Pooja Hegde in Bajrangi Bhaijaan 2. Reportedly, Pooja has been roped in to play the lead heroine in Salman Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan 2, which is titled as Pawan Putra Bhaijaan. However, it remains to be seen if Pooja will play a new character or step into Bebo’s shoes. Meanwhile, the film’s writer, Vijeyandra Prasad, said, “I narrated the story outline to Bhai (Salman Khan), and he loved it. Now, the ball is in his court to decide on timelines.” PANKAJ TRIPATHI The stage beckons Ruling millions of hearts with their acting prowess, they still get butterflies when on the stage. For, theatre will always remain these actors’ first love... MANOJ BAJPAYEE & KALKI KOECHLIN WORLD THEATRE DAY Sheetal THEATRE is a verb before it is a noun, an act before it is a place. —Martha Graham, dancer Many successful names in Bollywood started their acting career as theatre artiste. As we celebrate World Theatre Day today, we list a few actors who are still actively associated with the stage. The ‘white’ guy Jim Sarbh acted in plays before he turned to movies. After playing supporting roles in films like Padmavat and Neerja, he played the lead in Rocket Boys. He received critical appreciation for his performance in Death of a Salesman and Rajat Kumar’s stage production, MacBeth. In his theatre days, he was typecast as a white guy, but he was not bothered by it. “I was hungry and I was being fed,” he said. He has his own production house and has directed plays like Mike Barlett’s Bull and Michael Frayn’s Noises Off. Theatre is life Shabana Azmi has performed in plays like Safed Kundali and Tumhari Amrita. The five-time national award winner had once said, “I was a foetus in my mother’s womb when she would travel to Prithvi Theatre. Theatre is in my bloodstream.” Her most recent work was a play titled Broken Images, written by Girish Karnad and directed by Alyque Padamsee. Food for thought Bollywood’s Badshah Shah Rukh Khan also started his journey from the stage. circle and Bollywood. Though not a part of the National School of Drama, SRK had close association with many NSD graduates, thanks to his father who used to run the NSD canteen. He credits his NSD friends for igniting his interest in acting. One of his notable stage performances was when he played the role of an Italian lover in Delhi’s Action Theatre Group production, titled Rough Crossing. Made for the stage Piyush Mishra is an actor, music director, singer, script and dialogue writer and theatre actor. He was in his second year of graduation when he acted in the play, Hamlet. After graduation from the NSD in 1986, he started his career as a theatre actor and went on to write and direct several plays as a part of Act1 Group (1990-1995). In 1996 he joined Asmita Theatre Group. He credits his theatre years for discovering the singer and lyricist in him. ‘Theatre is ever-evolving’ Geetanjali Kulkarni, who is known for her performance in several shows, including Gullak on SonyLIV, says says, “Theatre has disciplined and empowered me as an actor, helped me to have better control over my craft, and enriched me as a human being by sensitising me to diverse thoughts and multiple perspectives. I am a more open-minded and inclusive person today because of theatre. Theatre has also taught me that we cannot do everything on our own. Be it on stage or in life, we need kinship.” The Living Room, featuring artistes like Sheeba Chaddha, Neil Bhoopalam and Jim Sarabh. She believes theatre will always exist but on the fringes. From the fringe PIYUSH MISHRA SHABANA AZMI Kalki Koechlin, known for her critically acclaimed roles in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Margarita with a Straw, also has her roots in theatre. She has her own theatre company, called Little Productions. She has directed a play, Life’s lessons Manoj Bajpayee credits theatre for preparing him not only as an actor but also a human being. His rejection from the National School of Drama did not stop him from making a name in the theatre Starting a new chapter Bhojpuri actress Akanksha Dubey ends life Bhojpuri actress Akanksha Dubey committed suicide in in Varanasi on Sunday. She was found hanging in her hotel room in Sarnath area. She was in Varanasi for shooting of a film. Akanksha was born on October 21, 1997, in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. She was fond of dancing and acting from a young age, and so she began her acting career on TikTok and Instagram by sharing her dancing and acting videos. —IANS The Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe is expecting his first child with long-term partner Erin Darke. The 33-year-old star and Darke are due to become parents later this year. The couple has been together for a decade after reportedly meeting on the sets of Kill Your Darlings in 2013. Radcliffe played poet Allen Ginsberg in the film, and Darke featured as Gwendolyn, a romantic interest. On career front, Daniel Radcliffe rose to fame when he starred as the bespectacled boy wizard in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 2001. On the other hand, Erin Darke is best known for her role in 2015 series Good Girls Revolt, and more recently appeared in Prime Video series, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. Challenge accepted Gangs of Wasseypur actor Pankaj Tripathi is also an alumnus of the NSD. He started performing on stage in Patna. He once said, “Theatre mein chunauti aur maza, dono zyada hai.” He is still in touch with his gurus —Anuradha Kapoor, Devendra Raj Ankur and Prasanna. Couple of plays Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah have also shared the stage during their times at NSD. Naseeruddin started Motley Theatre Group with Benjamin Gilani and has acted, directed as well as produced 42 plays in 40 years. In happy space Paresh Rawal feels that theatre is his first love and he is happiest on stage. He is known for playing the lead in plays such as Kishan Vs Kanhaiya. He was appointed as the chairperson of the National School of Drama in 2020. Other Bollywood stars with a foundation in theatre include Boman Irani, Radhika Apte, Kangana Ranaut, Huma Qureshi, Anupam Kher, Rajkumar Rao and Neena Gupta. (With inputs from Aanya Jatana) Suspense thriller, teenage drama and comedy, here are the top new web releases for the week A STILL FROM BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN Domestic violence Creed III star Jonathan Majors arrested for allegedly assaulting woman Jonathan Majors, who recently made appearances in the Creed III and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, was arrested on March 25 for allegedly assaulting a woman. As per the statement issued by the New York police department, the Marvel star was arrested after he was allegedly accused of assaulting a woman during a domestic dispute. However, Jonathan Majors’ representative has squashed these accusations. The rep said, “We look forward to clearing his name and clearing this up.” So much happening out there WEBSOLUTE FUN March 31: Murder Mystery 2 on Netflix March 31: Gaslight on Disney+Hotstar This is a classic whodunit! The thriller is directed by Pavan Kirpalani. It is headlined by Sara Ali Khan along with Vikrant Massey, Chitrangda Singh, Rahul Dev and Akshay Oberoi. March 31: United Kacche on ZEE5 Daniel Radcliffe, girlfriend Erin Darke expecting their first child Directed by Manav Shah, this eight episodic web series is the story of Tejinder ‘Tango’ Gill (played by Sunil Grover) from Punjab, who aspires to migrate to a foreign country. He somehow manages to arrange for a tourist visa for the UK and takes off without planning much. c m y b As per the police they responded to a 911 call in which a 33-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 30- year-old female because of the domestic dispute. The male was identified as Jonathan Majors. According to the victim, she sustained minor injuries to her neck and head and was taken to the hospital. Though Jonathan Majors is no longer in the police custody, he was arrested for the charges of harassment, assault, and strangulation. His relationship with the woman was described as ‘domestic’. March 31: The Power on Prime Video This series is based on British author Naomi Alderman’s award-winning novel. It features a cast of remarkable characters from London to Seattle, Nigeria to Eastern Europe. The first three episodes will premiere on March 31, with new episodes available each Friday, leading up to the season finale on May 12. Four years after solving their first murder mystery, Nick and Audrey Spitz (Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston) are now full-time detectives struggling to get their private eye agency off the ground when they’re invited to celebrate the wedding of their friend, the Maharaja (Adeel Akhtar), on his private island. But trouble follows the Spitzes again when the groom is kidnapped. March 31: Prom Pact on Disney+ Hotstar It’s the height of prom season and Mandy Yang and her best friend Ben are surrounded by over-the-top ‘80sthemed “promposals.”