14052023-LSTL-01.qxd 5/14/2023 12:17 AM Page 1 c m y b SHARING SCREEN SPACE Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn and 3 Idiots star R. Madhavan will be sharing the screen in the upcoming supernatural thriller film. The yet-to-be-titled film will be directed by Vikas Bahl, who directed the National Award winning film Queen. The film is currently in the preproduction stage. IANS TRIBUNE Go getter Language is no barrier for Tamannaah Bhatia. In 2023, we will see her in Malayalam movie Bandra. She also has Bholaa Shankar in Telugu & Jailer in Tamil. LUDHIANA | SUNDAY | 14 MAY 2023 Law & Manoj Bajpayee, who plays an upright lawyer in Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, shares how the film is based on true events behold! Nonika Singh LEGAL TROUBLE National Award winning actor Manoj Bajpayee never fails to evoke awe or admiration among his admirers. Ever since he set the gold standard in acting as Bhiku Mhatre in Satya, he has been growing from strength to strength. But, the current phase, what with back-to-back films and the mega hit web series, The Family Man, up his sleeve, seems to be the best in his close to threedecade-long career. All set to be seen in Zee 5 film Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, he can’t say whether he is on the top right now. But yes, if OTT has given us breakout stars, established ones like him have gained immensely too. “It’s for everyone to see how OTT has boosted my career, given it fresh energy, widened my fan base. OTT is not limited, every good film every good project has a place here.” The Family Man in his long The makers of Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai were sent a legal notice by self-styled godman Asaram, sentenced to life for sexually exploiting a minor, and the Sant Shri Asaramji Ashram Charitable Trust alleging that the trailer of the film is “highly objectionable and defamatory.” Bajpayee says he is not the right person to comment on the issue, but the film, directed by Apoorv Singh Karki and written by Deepak Kingrani, is not based on “just one story”. —PTI and extensive filmography occupies a special place precisely for, “it has taken me one notch up, to every household, empowered and earned me new admirers across generations beyond borders.” But Srikant Tiwari is nowhere close to his real self. Sure Bajpayee is a family ‘I BELIEVE IN GOD’ Bajpayee might be playing a real-life lawyer fighting a case against godman in pursuit of justice for a minor girl, but that does not make him a non-believer. “I believe in God, only my belief is my belief. I have nothing against spiritual gurus either. I have one too, but he would not be comfortable if I were to talk about him. My character doesn’t take on the godman, rather he derives courage and inspiration from the girl who dared to call him out.” man, “Eighty per cent of people are, but the irony is Srikant Tiwary is less of a family man.” Besides unlike motor-mouth Tiwary, who lies through his teeth, Manoj is shy, quiet and reticent. Of course, he has enjoyed playing the character as much as fans around the country have loved watching him and is looking forward to the third season as eagerly. But to put a rein to your imagination and expectations, the shooting has yet not begun as the makers Raj and DK have been busy with other projects. So has Manoj been. Lately, he has been working with young All set for ❝❞ IF IT IS THE BEST PHASE OF MY CAREER I WANT IT TO LAST LONG, IT GIVES ME THE POWER TO CHOOSE THE BEST, RIGHT SCRIPTS AND WORK WITH GREAT DIRECTORS. crop of directors who come in for fulsome praise, “for they are experimental, daring and ready to take risks.” Apoorva Singh Karki, director of Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, he hails in particular as, “calm and collected, yet fully prepared with no chip on his shoulder” and reminds us how he helmed the TVF show Aspirants exceptionally well. What made the choosy actor say yes to the part of an upright lawyer in Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai is, “It’s a great character, great story, based on true events which are out in the public domain.” As a rule, there is no acid test that he applies to while signing on the dotted line. But the golden rule is, “If there are three great parts I choose the one which fascinates me the most. If I can see the character while reading the script, it’s an instant yes.” More recently we saw him ANI Special guest the big show Priyanka Chopra arrives in Delhi for her sister Parineeti’s big day Kennedy, Agra and Ishanou will be screened at Cannes 2023 John Cena All roads lead to Rome Hollywood came to the Colosseum on Friday evening (local time) as Fast X, the tenth movie of the Fast & Furious, held a star-studded Road to Rome premiere. Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, John Cena, Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno and others prancing on a red carpet rolled out in the Forum’s Temple of Venus, with the historical landmark as a backdrop. The social media embargo expired after the Rome premiere, and people who were lucky enough to see Fast X a week ahead of its stateside theatrical debut on May 19 are calling the movie “stupidly entertaining”, a “visual spectacle” and declaring that it puts the franchise “back on track”. Others praise Jason Momoa’s performance as the main villain, but admit there are also some “clunky elements” to the movie. The choice of the Italian capital as the first city in the world where the 10th installment in the Fast & Furious saga would screen, honoured the fact that some of the film’s most high-octane action scenes were shot in Rome and its surrounding cities. “All the action scenes we did in Rome were real. PHOTOS: REUTERS Vin Diesel headlines Fast X premiere outside the Colosseum Charlize Theron The 2023 Cannes Film Festival is around the corner and the Indian cinema is already creating a buzz. At this year’s festival, several Indian films will be screened, including director Anurag Kashyap’s Kennedy and actor Rahul Roy’s Agra. Kennedy has been selected as part of the Midnight Screenings section of the festival, which will take place from May 16-27. Coming from the house of Zee Studios and Good Bad Films, Kennedy is essentially a police noir film. The film revolves around an insomniac ex-cop, long thought to be dead, but still operating for the corrupt system, and looking for redemption. The film stars Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone in the lead roles. Agra, starring Rahul Roy, will have its world premiere at the Directors’ Fortnight section of the festival. Written and directed by Kanu Behl, the Hindi film is produced by Saregama India Ltd, UFO Production, and O28 Films. Agra has an ensemble cast headlined by Aashiqui star Rahul Roy. Manipuri filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma’s award-winning film of 1990 Ishanou will be screened on May 19 at the prestigious Cannes Classic section. —ANI Vin Diesel When we rolled that ball in the streets of Rome, that was a real oneton ball that we set on fire,” Fast X director Louis Leterrier said. Diesel also waxed enthusiastic about returning to the Eternal City on this balmy Italian evening. He said: “I could not believe that there was a (Dodge) Charger and we were shouting: ‘Action!’ in front of the Colosseum. I never would have dreamed that happening 20 years ago.” The star, who also produces the Fast films, walked the red carpet in tandem with Gibson, posing for photographers and camera crews flown in from all over the world. — IANS Poster of Kennedy c m y b in much acclaimed Gulmohar. And boy, did he have a fan boy moment while working with ‘the’ Sharmila Tagore. He gushes, “Imagine, here I was on the sets with an actress who had a great run as a star and as an actor. There was some nervousness and I was so envious of the fact that she has been a part of Satyajit Ray’s films.” Even otherwise there is many an actor (Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah) he admires. As for he himself being a critics’ darling, so much so we doubt if any of his performance has ever been panned. He says, “Critics may not have been disapproving, but I am rather harsh on myself. I avoid watching my performances; it is a torture for I will find a thousand flaws.” Even with three National Awards under his belt, he strives to grow, evolve with each new project, new role. Sure, he has his own process of acting but he lets nothing interfere with director’s vision. Beyond awe, admiration and respect the actor is not weighed down by others’ expectations either. “I expect a lot from myself and I put myself through a grind and since I am so brutal with myself, what people expect from me does not matter.” Any wonder excellence becomes a way of life/acting for the gifted actor. (Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai streams on May 23 on Zee5) Actor Parineeti Chopra just got engaged to AAP leader Raghav Chadha. And, global star Priyanka Chopra arrived in Delhi to be with her sister on her special day. On Saturday morning, Priyanka made a hush-hush exit from the Delhi airport. Several shutterbugs, who were stationed outside the airport, caught glimpses of Priyanka. Dressed in a brown-coloured oversized hoodie, Priyanka looked uber cool in her airport look. She teamed up her comfortable outfit with a black coloured cap. — ANI ‘A nod to the hard work’ Opium receives three nominations for the New York Indian Film Festival. Aman Sachdeva’s latest movie, Opium, is a collection of intriguing stories that explore human emotions associated with religion. The film features Vinay Pathak, Sharib Hashmi, Manu Rishi Chadha, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan and Kritika Deo as lead actors, Dilip Prabhavalkar as a supporting actor and Kabir Pahwa as a child artiste. The film premiered at the 35th Tokyo International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Best Film in the Asian Future Award. The film has been nominated for Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Film at the New York Indian Film Festival, recognising the exceptional talent and hard work that went into bringing this powerful story to the screen. Aman Sachdeva said, “I am honoured to have been nominated in three categories for Opium at the New York Indian Film Festival 2023. I believe this is a nod to the hard work that my team has put in.” A STILL FROM OPIUM