11052023-LSTC-01.qxd 5/10/2023 11:09 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE New look Rashmika took to social media and shared pictures from her recent photoshoot. Her new look in Naruto style is unique. She is a big fan of Naruto, the anime show. Shahid Kapoor brings shades of blue to Wankhede LUDHIANA | THURSDAY | 11 MAY 2023 HIJACKED TO A Mona F ROM a hijack that never happened to a thriller tracking a sinister terrorist plot, a musical, another rom-com to regional outings in Hindi, this Friday, the cine-goer has God’s plenty. Comic book heroes Asterix and Obelix take a big screen outing and Priyanka Chopra leads a rom-com taking a detour from spy sagas. Here’s the lowdown on the cine outings this week! FANTASY WORLD NEW RELEASES Tuesday blues? After treating fans to their sunset picture, Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput Kapoor were spotted watching Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL match at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday night. The social media team of Mumbai Indians posted a happy picture of Shahid from the stadium. Dressed in a blue shirt and blue denim, Shahid looked super cool in shades of blue. “Jab We Met at Wankhede . #OneFamily #MIvRCB #MumbaiMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians #IPL2023 @shahidkapoor,” the post read. Shahid’s wife Mira also shared a few glimpses from her match diaries. — ANI ‘Kithe hai mera Padma Shri’ Angad Bedi celebrates fifth wedding anniversary with Neha Dhupia As they complete five years of marital bliss, actor Angad Bedi has asked for a Padma Shri for being with actress Neha Dhupia in a hilarious post. The actor took to social media to wish his wife on the occasion of their fifth wedding anniversary. Angad shared a string of pictures posing with Neha and captioned it, “Panj saal katt laye Neha Dhupia naal, kithe hai mera Padma Shri. Thank you for Mehr and Guriq. Waheguru shanti banaye rakhe, I mean Shakti de.” The duo got married on May 10 in 2018 at an intimate wedding ceremony in Delhi. The couple has two kids— Mehr and Guriq. On the work front, Angad, who was last seen in Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, will reportedly be seen in Salman Khan’s upcoming movie Tiger 3. Neha was last seen in A Thursday, starring Yami Gautam. —IANS While actioners like Chatrapathi, IB 71 and Nidarr define the mood of the week, romance and drama are also thrown in for good measure NIDARR IB 71 CHATRAPATHI FILM: CHATRAPATHI (HINDI) DIRECTOR: VV VINAYAK Pen Studios’ Chatrapathi marks the big Bollywood debut of Telugu superstar Sreenivas Bellamkonda in the big ticket, large canvas action-entertainer. Directed by VV Vinayak it is the official Hindi remake of SS Rajamouli’s Telugu blockbuster Chatrapathi. The film is written by V Vijayendra Prasad, SS Rajamouli’s father and veteran writer, known for his notable work in films like RRR, the Baahubali series and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Chatrapathi tells the story of a protagonist who rises against oppression to become a saviour of immigrants that suffered massive exploitation and is all set for its allIndia release on May 12. FILM: IB 71 (HINDI) DIRECTOR: SANKALP REDDY With Vidyut Jammwal, Anupam Kher and Vishal Jethwa in pivotal roles, IB 71 is based on true events of the Ganga hijack, infamously called The Hijack That Never Happened. The film uncovers India’s top secret mission conducted by Intelligence Bureau that became instrumental in India winning the 1971 war. IB 71 reportedly takes a deep dive into the world of espionage. IB 71 is slated for a theatrical release on May 12. FILM: MUSIC SCHOOL (TELUGU, HINDI) DIRECTOR: PAPARAO BIYYALA This musical film stars Sharman ASTERIX AND OBELIX – THE MIDDLE KINGDOM Joshi, Shriya Saran, Prakash Raj, Gracy Goswami and Ozu Barua. Popular singer Shaan makes his acting debut in Telugu-Hindi bilingual releasing in theatres on May 12. FILM: LOVE AGAIN (ENGLISH) DIRECTOR: JIM STROUSE This American romantic comedydrama film, written and directed by James C. Strouse, stars desi girl Priyanka Chopra opposite Outlander actor Sam Heughan. It has created quite a buzz among the masses and is all set to release in India. The film will also see Priyanka Chopra sharing screen space with husband Nick Jonas. Love Again also stars Celine Dion and features multiple new songs from Dion. Love Again hits the screens on May 12. FILM: ASTERIX AND OBELIX – THE MIDDLE KINGDOM (ENGLISH) DIRECTOR: GUILLAUME CANET One of the most popular international comic series in the world, Asterix LOVE AGAIN and Obelix, which has been adapted into films and translated into multiple languages, Asterix and Obelix – The Middle Kingdom is set for its theatrical release in India on May 12 in English, Hindi and Tamil. While the popular characters of Asterix and Obelix have been adored by generations across the globe and have a huge fan base, the audience is eagerly awaiting to see the entertaining comic characters come to life on the big screen. Directed by Guillaume Canet, who will also be seen portraying the role of Asterix, written by René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo and Guillaume Canet, the movie features Gilles Lellouche, Vincent Cassel, Jonathan Cohen, Marion Cotillard, Julien Chen and Leanna Chea and releases on May 12. FILM: TO LESLIE (ENGLISH) DIRECTOR: MICHAEL MORRIS A stirring tale that takes an unflinching look at addiction, To Leslie arrives in Indian cinemas, as PVR INOX Pictures are all set to release the film on May 12. Featuring Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie follows the story of Leslie, a single mother who gets another shot at redemption after messing up her life due to serious addictions. As she attempts to clean up and reconnect with her family, Leslie’s journey of turning her biggest weakness into her biggest strength forms the crux of the film. The film also stars Allison Janney, Marc Maron and Andre Royo in supporting roles. FILM: NIDARR (PUNJABI) DIRECTOR: MANDEEP CHAAHAL With action-thriller Nidarr, Raghav Rishi and Kulnoor Brar make their Pollywood debut. The film revolves around a terrorist plan that the armed forces are trying to avert. Mukesh Rishi, Vikramjit Virk, Vindoo Dara Singh, Mahabir Bhullar, Shivendra Mahal, and Malkit Rauni play pivotal roles. (Inputs by Dharam Pal) ‘I just had a baby’ Love is in the air ANI What is a love song if there’s no lover’s yearning and praising of the beloved’s beauty? Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu-starrer Na Rojaa Nuvve seems to have all the qualities that make it pass as a love anthem! The audio of the song from their upcoming film Kushi was released on Tuesday. Vijay and Samantha both shared the audio clip on their respective social media handles. The music is composed by Hesham Abdul. The song Na Rojaa Nuvve (Telugu) means Tu Meri Roja in Hindi. After Mahanati, this will be Samantha and Vijay’s second project together and also it is Samantha’s second collaboration with filmmaker Shiva Nirvana, who previously collaborated with her on Majili. —ANI Conspiracy theory Quoting Voltaire Janhvi, Gulshan Devaiah & Roshan to headline Ulajh Hollywood actor Robert De Niro has revealed that he has become father to his seventh child, just months before his 80th birthday. The actor, 79, shared the news in an interview while he was promoting his film About My Father. He was asked during the interview about being a father-of-six, with interviewer Brittnee Blair saying, “I know you have six kids.” Robert, however, corrected her about his family. The Academy Award winner commented: “Seven, actually.” He subsequently confirmed, “I just had a baby.” —IANS The cast of the upcoming film Ulajh has been locked. The film, which is a thriller, is set in the intriguing world of Indian Foreign Services (IFS). The film will be headlined by Janhvi Kapoor, Gulshan Devaiah and Roshan Mathew. It will be directed by National Award-winner Sudhanshu Saria. It follows the journey of a young IFS officer, belonging to a prominent family of patriots, who gets embroiled in a dangerous personal conspiracy. It has been written by Parveez Shaikh and Sudhanshu Saria, with dialogues by Atika Chohan. Excited to be a part of Ulajh, Janhvi said, “When I was approached with the script of Ulajh, it instantly attracted me because as an actor, I am constantly looking for scripts that make me step out of my comfort zone and portraying a character based Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has cryptically talked about the ban on the recently released film The Kerala Story in a thread about the “propaganda” film. Cryptically reacting to the ban of The Kerala Story in West Bengal, Kashyap tweeted, “You agree with the film or not, be it propaganda, counter propaganda, offensive or not, to ban it is just wrong.” He also shared a quote by French philosopher Voltaire, which read: “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” The Kerala Story courted controversy after the film’s trailer claimed that 32,000 girls from Kerala went missing and joined the terrorist group, ISIS. Later, the film’s makers had changed it to three women. Anurag tweeted it is “just wrong” to ban a film, even if it is “propaganda” and asked people to watch Afwaah, which “talks against misuse of social media and how inherent prejudice is weaponised to create hatred and unrest”. He tweeted, “You want to fight propaganda. Then go in numbers and see the film that talks against misuse of social media and how inherent prejudice is weaponised to create hatred and unrest. It’s running in cinemas and is called Afwaah. Go make your voice stronger.”—IANS ROBERT DE NIRO c m y b GULSHAN DEVAIAH, JANHVI KAPOOR & ROSHAN MATHEW in the celebrated world of the Indian Foreign Services was just that. Just as the name of the film suggests, my character and the story has so many layers, emotions and parameters.” The film also stars Rajesh Tailang, Meiyang Chang, Sachin Khedekar, Rajendra Gupta and Jitendra Joshi. Director Sudhanshu Saria shared, “In Janhvi Kapoor, the film has found its beating heart and it’s going to be a treat for audiences to watch her spar with thespians like Rajesh Tailang and Sachin Khedekar, maverick actors like Gulshan Devaiah, Roshan Matthews and Meiyang Chang. I can’t wait to start rolling cameras on Ulajh.” —IANS Anurag Kashyap’s cryptic post on The Kerala Story ban