22082023-LSTC-01.qxd 8/22/2023 12:11 AM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE Wrap up Actor Tiger Shroff has completed filming for Ganapath: Part 1 and described it as his ‘biggest and most challenging film yet’. It will be released in cinemas on October 20. CHANDIGARH | TUESDAY | 22 AUGUST 2023 PAWER TUSSLE Dark, yet shining Don’t take emotional weight of any character home, says Abhishek Banerjee We all have seen Abhishek Banerjee acing dark and twisted characters on screen, and with investigative thriller Aakhri Sach he pushes the envelope further. It is a spine-chilling story where he esssays the role of Bhuvan. Abhishek says: “I’m an actor, I believe in essaying multiple personalities and my previous dark role was widely accepted, so it’s a conscious decision to do more of that in varied scripts.” “I chose Aakhri Sach because I love crime dramas, it is one of my favourite genres. This is just the beginning of dark parts and there are more lined up. I’m almost devilishly excited,” he shared. About dealing with the emotional weightage of the role, he said: “I don’t take the emotional weight of any character back home.” One night, one family, multiple deaths, an investigating officer and various theories, Aakhri Sach is inspired by true events. The series will delve into the lives of each character as Tamannaah Bhatia, playing the role of Anya, the lead investigative officer, embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of the deaths. Other cast members include Shivin Narang, Danish Iqbal, Nishu Dikshit, Kriti Vij and Sanjeev Chopra. Produced by Nirvikar Films, directed by Robbie Grewal, and written by Saurav Dey, Aakhri Sach will stream from August 25 on Disney+ Hotstar. — IANS Rest in peace Acclaimed actor Pankaj Tripathi’s father Pandit Banaras Tiwari has died at the age of 99. According to reports, Pankaj was shooting in Uttarakhand for a film, but rushed to his village, Gopalganj, in Bihar. An official statement read: “It’s with a heavy heart to confirm that Pankaj Tripathi’s father, Pandit Banaras Tiwari is no more. He lived a wholesome life of 99 years.” — IANS Pankaj Tripathi’s father passes away at 99 As the divorce settlement proceeds, singer Britney Spears has offered to return her diamond engagement ring to Sam Asghari in lieu of her pet dogs! Here are a few other star couples who have fought over the possession of their pooches earlier Nick Jonas reveals his fondness for paneer, biryani and dosa Britney Spears and Sam Asghari T ROUBLE doesn’t seem to get over for the ‘Princess of Pop’; barely out of conservatorship, Britney Spears’ social media posts had her fans worried about her wellbeing. Add to it her third marriage with IranianAmerican model-actor and fitness trainer Sam Asghari coming to an end. They are currently in a quarrel over prenuptial agreement! And it reaches over to the couple’s two dogs — a Doberman called Porsha and an Australian Shepherd named Sawyer! While Porsha was a gift from Sam to Britney, they got Sawyer from Maui. Not only is Sam negotiating a higher amount than slated American popstar Nick Jonas, who is married to actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, has revealed his favourite Indian food. In a conversation with content creator Rebecca Tandon, Nick was seen discussing his love for Indian food. Tandon asked him about his favourite Indian food, to which Nick replied: “I like paneer, lamb biryani and I likedosa.” To which, the content creator replied: “Priyanka has taught you well.” It seems that the video was taken in the backstage area. She captioned the clip: “Had to ask an important question as an Indian and a fan girl of @nickjonas...” — IANS Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in prenuptial agreement, he also insists on having custody of dogs for he fears ‘neglect and meanness’ on part of Britney. Meanwhile, the Baby One More Time hitmaker has offered to return the diamond engagement ring to Sam in lieu of the dogs that she wants to keep! CANINE WARS Britney-Sam aren’t the only couple to have butted heads over pets! Actress Sofía Vergara gave the custody of her dog, Bubbles, to her estranged husband, Joe Manganiello. While Bubbles was Sofia’s dog, it bonded more with Joe and when it was time to call it quits in 2023, Sofia happily handed over their 10-year-old Chihuahua-Pomeranian mix, as she couldn’t imagine hurting either Joe or his pooch! Johnny Depp and Amber Heard reportedly had an issue over dogs too. In their troubled relationship, Heard apparently flew to Australia, smuggling along the pet dogs, Boo and Pistol, when Depp was shooting for Pirates of the Caribbean 5, on a private plane. Their divorce came through in 2016, and reportedly Heard was granted the custody of the two along with their horse, Arrow. Fans have expressed concerns as the Yorkshire Terriers are nowhere to be seen on Heard’s Instagram feed, while Arrow keeps making an appearance now and then. Dancing with the Stars winner Cheryl Burke not only had to go through the pain of a public divorce with beau actor-singer Matthew Lawrence, but they also clashed over the custody of their French bulldog — Ysabella. “I am still really hurt by the whole situation because that is my dog. Ysabella is my daughter; I am a dog mom. I couldn’t even imagine my life without her,” Burke opened up about her pain. However, she was granted full custody of the dog much to her joy. “Officially, a full time dog mom… 2023, we’re off to a great start,” she posted on Instagram with a sun-kissed photo with her dog daughter! MUTUAL PACT Not all pet custody stories end in a win or loss. Actor-filmmaker Justin Theroux and Age is just a number Friends star Jennifer Aniston had not one but three pets — white German Shepherd Dolly, Pitbull named Sophie and a gray Schnauzer mix Clyde. Post the legal split ‘mutual and lovingly made at the end of 2017’, they shared custody of their pets and have apparently stayed in touch! Hollywood star Drew Barrymore and Canadian-American filmmaker Tom Green got hitched July 2001, but filed for divorce soon after. The six months of matrimony led to battle over a yellow Labrador Retriever, Flossie. The pup had reportedly saved the couple’s lives in 1998 during a fire incident at their home in Los Angeles. The court gave possession of Flossie to Barrymore, who looked after it till the pet’s death in 2010. Bald new Salman! Michelle Pfeiffer tagged ‘most beautiful woman on planet’ in makeup-free picture Actress Michelle Pfeiffer, who has long been one of Hollywood’s favourite stars, has wowed fans with a completely makeup-free picture. The actress, who has a career spanning four decades, took to Instagram to pose without an ounce of makeup. The 65year-old blonde beauty could be seen lounging on her sofa in a simple grey sweatshirt. With her natural skin tone and texture in full view, the actress ditched concealer and foundation to instead parade her off-duty appearance. The actress’ hair was down and tousled, with her snapping the selfie as she gazed into the lens. Michelle appeared to ditch makeup completely, with seemingly no lip products, eye products or face base products on her visage. Michelle announced that she had amassed three million followers on the photo-sharing platform. Taking to the comments’ section, a fan wrote, “You really don’t age!” Another one wrote, “You truly are one of the most beautiful women on the planet.” Michelle has starred in many hit movies over the years, including Grease 2, Batman Returns, Ant-Man, Scarface, The Deep End of the Ocean, Hairspray and What Lies Beneath. — IANS Drew Barrymore Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello Justin Theroux and Jennifer Aniston Mona Indian platter Rahul Bhatt, Sunny Leone and Anurag Kashyap Curtains down Sunny Leone, Anurag Kashyap close IFFM 2023 with Kennedy Actors Sunny Leone, Anurag Kashyap and Rahul Bhat showcased their film Kennedy on the concluding night of the 14th edition of the International Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM). The closing night was a star-studded extravaganza, as Indian and Australian crowd gathered to witness the culmination of this cinematic celebration. Sunny said at the event: “First of all, I’m grateful to be here. It really means a lot when we can present films to every community and Melbourne is one very important stop for Kennedy. We are so proud to be part of IFFM.” The lead pair of the film, Sunny Leone and Rahul Bhat, took centrestage with their exceptional performance, captivating the audience, both on and off the screen. The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2023 was one of the biggest ones yet and hosted some of the shining names from Indian cinema, including Rani Mukerji, Mrunal Thakur, Kartik Aaryan, Prithvi Konanur, c m y b Karan Johar, among others. At the festival this year, 100 films across 22 languages were screened. Kennedy has been directed by Anurag Kashyap and also stars Rahul Bhatt. The neonoir thriller film marks the third collaboration between Kashyap and Bhat after Ugly (2013) and Dobaaraa (2022). The film follows the story of an insomniac former cop, Kennedy, who has been presumed dead for years. Kennedy premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival on May 24, 2023. — IANS Salman Khan, who is all set for his next movie Tiger 3, was recently spotted at a Mumbai restaurant in a new bald look. Videos and pictures of the actor have gone viral. He looked dapper in his black shirt and trouser at a dinner hosted by Raj Kundra for close friends. Apart from Salman, the dinner was attended by many well-known faces in the entertainment industry. Actress Bhumi Pednekar also arrived in style. She was seen wearing a bodycon printed skirt set and black pointed high heels. Mira Rajput looked beautiful in a white dress. Actors Karan Tacker and Rohit Roy were also spotted at the event. — ANI Pulled up Actor Prakash Raj faces backlash for mocking India’s Chandrayaan-3 Veteran actor Prakash Raj on Sunday mocked the Indian Moon Mission, but faced a backlash on social media. Taking to X, Prakash Raj shared a caricature of a man in a shirt and lungi pouring tea. He wrote the caption in his native language, which read, “First view just arrived from Chandrayaan ... #VikramLander #justasking.” This tweet did not go well among netizens and the actor faced severe backlash. One of the users wrote, “Actor Prakash Raj is making a dirty joke of scientist K Sivan wearing a lungi and the country’s achievement Chandrayaan 3. How you people can tolerate this?” Another tweeted, “What a shame you have become for just nothing...” — ANI