17052023-LSTL-01.qxd 5/16/2023 11:41 PM Page 1 c m y b WICKED THOUGHTS Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh is saying that taking on the role in the Wicked musical was a “risk.” “I’m trying something new right now - filming Jon Chu’s Wicked movie, which will be my first musical,” Yeoh said during the Fifth Annual Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival in Japan. IANS TRIBUNE What’s up? Life Gulshan Devaiah and Saiyami Kher in 8 AM Metro Television actor Gautam Gulati was spotted in the city of London. Gautam, who is a co-judge on MTV Roadies Season 19, is reportedly shooting for an international project. LUDHIANA | WEDNESDAY | 17 MAY 2023 Quite an emotional ride Sheetal G ULSHAN DEVAIAH is busy promoting not one but two of his projects. While web series Dahaad released on Prime Video last Friday to positive reviews, the film, 8AM Metro, is set for a theatrical release. Excited about the latter, Devaiah remembers his special appearance in Badhaai Do. But technically his last theatrical release in a full-fledged role was Commando 3 back in 2019. And ask him about his last theatrical outing with friends or solo, he immediately takes the name of Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer Afwah. Gulshan Devaiah has a personal connect with the film, 8 AM Metro. A similar ‘sweet and melancholic’ drama had played out in his life when he was a school student… “Although I didn’t pay for it as it was a premiere show, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience,” he jokes. And as why people should come for 8 AM Metro, he says it is a ‘sweet and melancholic’ romance drama, mind you ‘not romantic’. In this Raj Rachakonda’s directorial debut, Saiyami Kher is paired opposite Devaiah and the latter feels that they look great and gel along both on and off-screen. Truth be told, the biggest reason to bond was ‘cricket’. He says, “Besides all the gup-shup, the best part is to be able to hold a conversation with her on cricket. While there are other girls too who watch cricket or know about it but with Saiyami, you can throw any technical term at her and she would know it. She is someone who can talk, understand and play cricket. In fact, she is also hosting a special show on the sport.” On how the film came his way, Devaiah mentions the special person in his life—Anurag Kashyap, who told them about this filmmaker from South with a beautiful script that they should read. And that’s about it! But there’s another special person associated with the film. Poet, lyricist Gulzar has penned six poems and also launched the poster of the film. Devaiah can’t name one as his favourite from those six. “I am not the right person to do so. My character Preetam in 8AM Metro is that of a kahanikaar, who writes and reads, whose world revolves around poems and books but I am the opposite in real life. So, it was a challenge to remember those beautiful poems by Gulzar and recite those as if they are mine. But truth be told, I don’t even have the right words to appreciate his (Gulzar’s) work. All I can say is I feel fortunate to have met him,” he explains. As the name suggests, 8 AM Metro talks about two strangers, played by Gulshan Devaiah and Saiyami Kher, who meet in a metro and how that leads to finding themselves and each other. Devaiah related to the script as it Italian dream And a designer was born… seen posing for the camera in the balcony of her hotel room. She wore a halter neck bikini and slit skirt in the photos which she captioned, “Capri”, with a location emoji. Mouni Roy dropped more pictures of herself in Italy with Suraj Nambiar and the gang. She captioned the post, “Life rn x.”—ANI Mouni Roy STORY BEHIND SUPER GULLU “When I was teaching design at Wigan & Leigh College in Bengaluru, a student named Anees was consulting me for his project. During one of those Eureka moments, he used the word ‘SuperGullu’ for me. It fascinated me, so much so that it became my email id and now it has become my Twitter username.” Eminem SRK had no money after buying Mannat, so he turned to Gauri... Shah Rukh Khan ranks among the richest superstars in the country, but when he bought his landmark house, Mannat, he says he was practically broke and didn’t have any money to get it refurbished and furnished, so his wife Gauri Khan turned designer for the house. King Khan, who made a spectacular comeback earlier this year with Pathaan, was interacting with the media during the launch of Gauri Khan’s coffee-table book, My Life In Design. Sharing the interesting story behind their house Mannat and how Gauri Khan entered the world of designing, Shah Rukh said, “When we bought Mannat, it was way beyond our means, and once we were done buying the house, we didn’t have money to decorate it. We hired a designer, only to realise we couldn’t afford him. “So, I turned to Gauri, as she had artistic talent, and asked her to be the design- PTI PHOTO Mouni Roy is treating the fans with a glimpse of her vacation days. She recently went on a trip to Italy with her husband, Suraj Nambiar and close friends. The Gold actor took to Instagram and shared a string of snaps where she can be seen enjoying her holidays. In the first post, she can be reminded of a platonic friendship he shared with a girl named Anjum when he used to commute by bus when he was in school. He recalls, “Our talks were anything and everything under the sun. But then she graduated and I really missed her during my bus travel. Although I knew her brother, I never talked to her again. I am happy that a script like this came my way and I was able to translate those feelings and emotions into the film.” On the positive response coming his way for playing cop Devi Lal Singh in Dahaad, Devaiah feels humbled. Appreciated for getting his dialect right for the Rajasthani character, his response is quite different than a thank you. “I only had about 28 classes with our dialect coach, Varad Bhatnagar, who also played a small role, Qassim, in the series. But yes, I am happy that I got it right considering that I not a Hindi bhashi. In fact, even though I am from Bengaluru, I am not fluent in Kannada. We speak Kodagu (a dialect of Kannada) at home.” er for our house. Mannat started like that, and over time, we earned and kept buying little stuff for the house. We even once went to South Africa to buy leather for the sofas, and I think that training ground got her into designing.” Gauri ‘Absolutely disgusting’ Sam Asghari, husband of Britney Spears, has lashed out at the “disgusting” television special centred around his wife. TMZ Investigates: Britney Spears: The Price Of Freedom will release “details about her deeply troubled marriage, family estrangement, alarming behaviour, failed intervention and how she continues to be an enduring force in the music industry”, according to a report. However, fitness trainer Sam took offence to the upcoming special, as he explained in a clip posted on Instagram Stories, “I found it absolutely disgusting for the people who were in her life when she didn’t have a voice, they went and told her story like it was theirs.” The part-time actor also went on to reflect on the Circus songstress’ treatment while she was under conservatorship, which ended in November 2021 after 13 years. During those years, her father, Jamie Spears, had free reign to take control of her personal and financial affairs.—IANS Khan’s book charts out her journey as a designer with exclusive pictures of her and her family. Unseen images of Mannat and the design thought processes that went into turning around the heritage property, and other key projects as well, are a part of the book. Gauri Khan also spoke about her husband being the hardest to please. Her most challenging project has been designing the Red Chillies Entertainment office. She said, “Every project is dear to a designer, whether you’re working on something big or small, each project has challenges, and we have to give it our best. I have been working for so many years, but I think Shah Rukh’s project, the Red Chillies office, was a tough one to crack. Our team was always struggling to get his approval because he would come up with a better design, at all times.” —IANS ‘This is where it all started’ Sam Asghari lashes out at documentary on Britney Spears’s troubled life c m y b Acclaimed actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui visited Faculty of Performing Arts Academy in Gujarat where he started his journey in performing arts. Travelling through the lanes of the academy, it was indeed a nostalgic trip for the actor where he addressed the students. Nawazuddin captured some precious moments from his visit to his Faculty of Performing Arts Academy in a video on his social media. Remembering his good old days from the academy, the actor gave a speech to the students and the moment was filled with a lot of warmth and emotions. He wrote in Hindi that translates to, “This is the place where I performed for the very first time in a play. This is where it all started for me @faculty.of.performing.arts.msu. Special Thanks to everyone involved in this process.” On the work front, Nawazuddin has an interesting lineup of films which includes Jogira Sara Ra Ra, Noorani Chehra, Haddi, Tiku Weds Sheru’, and Adbhut. —IANS Speech therapy Nawazuddin Siddiqui visits Faculty of Performing Arts Singer Ed Sheeran said that rapping along to Eminem’s 2000 album The Marshall Mathers LP “cured” his stutter. Sheeran, who has since teamed up and performed with the rap icon, has shared that he has the Lose Yourself hit-maker, to thank for helping to fix his speech impediment. “(My uncle) just said to my dad, ‘This guy is the next Bob Dylan. You gotta let him listen.’ And by learning that record — and rapping it back to back — it cured my stutter,” he recalled when appearing on The Howard Stern Show on SiriusXM. Ed continued, “I think it’s different with Eminem because he is quite reclusive, doesn’t see or meet that many people. I’ve known him now (for) six years and we’ve done three songs together, I’ve How Eminem helped Ed Sheeran cure his stutter Ed Sheeran played with him twice onstage. He’s another person I really relate to, as he lives in his hometown still and has his eco-system around him.”—IANS