15052023-LSTC-01.qxd 5/14/2023 11:38 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE All praise Actor Ali Fazal, part of the seventh instalment of Fast and the Furious, has called co-star Vin Diesel the ‘kindest man’ he knew, as he joined him for the premiere of Fast X in Rome. IANS CHANDIGARH | MONDAY | 15 MAY 2023 Script HALLE BAILEY Words of wisdom Halle Bailey, soon to be seen in The Little Mermaid, shares Beyonce’s advice to deal with racism Rising Hollywood star Halle Bailey said she is glad to have a bonafide Hollywood superstar like Beyonce on her side as she continues to find fame. The 23-year-old actress and singer will soon be taking over the box-office as Ariel in a live version adaptation of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. The lavish adaptation is set to hit the screens later this month when fans will finally be able to see Halle swim, splash and sing her way through the iconic musical. When her casting was announced back in July 2019, vile racist comments were directed towards Halle via social media. Halle revealed that she was able to turn to a mega-star for advice on how to handle the situation. She said: “I had a private conversation with Beyonc,e who told me not to read the comments on social media. It’s kind of sad, but very good advice for your mental health. I started in the industry so young that mental health has always been something I have tried to prioritise.” Halle and her elder sister Chloe have a special friendship with 41-year-old Beyonce, who offered them a record deal after seeing them cover one of her songs on YouTube. The sisters subsequently signed a six album deal with Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment record label, with Chloe releasing her debut album, In Pieces, earlier this year. The duo previously released albums together under the moniker Chloe X Halle, with The Kids Are Alright released in 2018 and Ungodly Hour in 2020. After being snapped up by Beyonce when they were 15 and 16, respectively, Halle added that she was happy that she was still able to call on the chart-topping icon for creative advice. The Little Mermaid also stars British actor Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as the villainous sea witch Ursula. Voice performances will come from Daveed Diggs as Sebastian the crab, Awkwafina as Scuttle the gannet, and Jacob Tremblay as FlounBEYONCE der the fish. — IANS KABHI KHUSHI KABHI GHAM Family sagas have been relegated to the background, as bold content shines on screen. However, the entertainment fraternity vouches for simple stories with melodious songs from the past Mona A family that prays together, eats together, stays together...Declared babuji aka Alok Nath in Hum Saath Saath Hain. Elaborate sets, big joint family, pretty dresses, petty quarrels and couple of delightful songs, there was a time when the parivar was a priority in Bollywood! The family sagas full of love, romance, shaadi and songs pulled crowds to cinemas, and the masala entertainers that exploited every sentiment — mother, sister, bhaiya, bhabhi, didi — sent the box-office cash registers ringing. Films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Naa Ho, 2 States, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Dil Dhadakne Do and more regaled the audiences. Different scenario Cut to the present; courtesy the change in plot lines, and treatment, movie watching is becoming a solitary outing. Stuck to one’s own screens, bold content has made family cinema outings a things of the past. Well, there have been exceptions; even after the pandemic sent theatres packing for a long haul, we have had the likes of Drishyam 2, Jugjugg Jeeyo and Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, but family flavour is largely missing from films. This International Family Day, we ask the entertainment fraternity if they miss the good-old family sagas? “With bold content and thrillers ruling the scene, family films are passé,” says director Manoj Agrawal, know for films like Hadh Kar Di Aapne and Pardesi Babu. “The films today are following Hollywood more than our own culture. See how films like The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story are doing so well at the box-office just because these are our stories,” says the director. “Apart from that, we have forgotten the art of simple story-telling, melodious music and artistic photography. Thus, we are paying a very heavy price for Papon makes swift recovery from stomach ailment, heads to UK All is well Renowned singer Papon recently experienced a health setback that required him to be hospitalised in Mumbai. However, he made a swift recovery and is now on a trip to the UK with his fami- ly for work and leisure. Papon, known for songs such as Jiyein Kyun, Moh Moh Ke Dhaage and Humnava, among others, posted a heartfelt note along with a picture with his son Puhor. In the early hours of May 11, Papon was admitted to a Mumbai hospital due to a stomach ailment. After one day, on the evening of the May 12, he was discharged, indicating a speedy recovery. — IANS Vidyut Jammwal explains why patriotic films are loved universally ‘It has emotions’ Bollywood action star and film producer Vidyut Jammwal, whose latest release IB 71 has hit the screens, spoke about why patriotic films give a tough competition to genres such as action, romance and comedy. Vidyut said: “It has emotions. Everyone has different tastes, but when it comes to the love for the country it’s the same for all. I have arguments with my close friends whether they believe they are more patriotic than me or I am more patriotic than them. So this is an emotion which is universal. That’s the only reason it works.” Directed by the National-Award winning filmmaker Sankalp Reddy, IB 71 tells the story of the Ganga hijack of 1971, which helped India gain a strategic advantage over Pakistan. The film is directed by National Award winner Sankalp Reddy. The story is by Aditya Shastri and the screenplay by Storyhouse Films LLP — IANS . c m y b HINDI MEDIUM all the misadventures in cinema,” states Agrawal, who would rather reignite the oldworld charm, “I do miss the innocence of the films of the past.” The family sagas going missing is also a reflection of the current times, believes film director Josan Sandeep. “Today, the society and social media has warped the family concept. A family sitting together at home or in the theatre just brings that union,” says the director. Actor Charrul Malik misses the times when the whole family would sit together without the need to mute or fast forward the scenes. “I miss movies like Mr. India, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and 3 Idiots. With entertainment moving from big screens to the small, much of OTT content today is totally off family limits.” Actor Sheeba Akashdeep makes a dash back to some rather simple times, “I have a bunch of films that I really like going back to. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham is one among them.” Passing phase? Rather than a final statement, it’s just a phase believes actor Nikhil Nanda. “Times have changed, but still the family values have not. I think we still need to make films that we all can go out and watch together as a family. Bold content is probably something which sells more on the OTT because you can see it in privacy. I have loved family comedies, and wish they make their way back.” Well, time and tide wait for none, who knows the big, boisterous family sagas make another dash...Here’s hoping for it! Going down memory lane Here’s how Raveena Tandon bagged her first role... Raveena Tandon made her debut in the Hindi film industry with Salman Khan-starrer Patthar Ke Phool in 1991. The actress spoke about how she got her debut role. Raveena would be seen talking about her maiden film during the The Kapil Sharma Show, which celebrated India’s influential women — Sudha Murty, Raveena, and Guneet Monga — each of whom have made a mark for themselves in their respective fields. During a chat where life stories and experiences were shared, host Kapil asked Raveena about her first movie and how she landed the role. Taking a trip down memory lane, Raveena said: “I was in my first year of college, and my friends and I would often go to the newly opened pizza shop on Linking Road. One day, while we were there, I saw Vivek Vaswani and Anant Balani sitting nearby. They were discussing the heroine for Salman Khan’s second film and Anant pointed towards me, and asked Vivek to talk to me. Vivek didn’t recognise me, but I recognised him as he is my brother’s friend and I told him the same when he asked my name. He realised I was Ravi ji’s daughter and that’s how we connected.” She added: “Simultaneously, I was interning with Prahlad Kakkar and assisting him in shoots. Whenever there was no model available, he would make me stand in for free. During one of these shoots in Bandra, Bunty Walia noticed me, told Salman I would be perfect for films, and brought him to meet me. However, Salman didn’t personally meet me, only noticed from a distance. My father later received a call from Salim ji and that’s how I got another opportunity. You know how destiny works, what’s written will happen.” —IANS True fighter Dwayne Johnson quit school during his earliest battle with depression Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson revealed how he suffered mental turmoil at various points during his life, from his college football days at the University of Miami to the height of his fame. “My first battle with depression was in Miami. I didn’t want to go to school. But at that time was I just know what depression was,” Johnson recalled. The former WWE star explained that depression had resurfaced at various points of his life despite success in both wrestling and movies, although his ‘saving grace’ is time spent with his daughters Simone, 21, Jasmine, seven, and Tiana, five. He said: “Years later, I went through it again when I got divorced, but didn’t know what it was. In 2017, I went through it a little bit. Knew what it was at that time and luckily had some friends that I could lean on.” — IANS