24082023-LSTC-01.qxd 8/23/2023 10:19 PM Page 1 c m y b MEET SHILPA AS SUKHEE On Wednesday, actress Shilpa Shetty revealed the poster of her upcoming film Sukhee on Instagram. Sharing the poster, she wrote, “This is my story, yours, all of us. Meet Sukhpreet Kalra, #Sukhee and come into my world, 22nd September, only in cinemas.” TRIBUNE Party time Actress Kareena Kapoor recently threw a small party for her close friends, including Karan Johar, Malaika Arora and Amrita Arora, at her opulent home in Mumbai. CHANDIGARH | THURSDAY | 24 AUGUST 2023 General impact Mona A CTOR Manish Wadhwa is currently riding the wave of success. Audiences have stepped back into cinema halls, rather thronged to see Gadar 2. Little before that, it was Pathaan that sent the house full boards up! The two blockbusters, and the connecting link — Manish Wadhwa — the actor who plays a Pakistani general in both these over-the-top actioners. Humble and jovial, Manish laughs out loud at the compliments coming his way, “The universe is writing its own screenplay; it was in my fate to be associated with these two megahits.” While he in no way accepts to be the lucky mascot for both Shah Rukh Khan and Sunny Deol, he credits them for giving a boost to his career. “Both of them are big stars with a massive fan-following. If anything, I am grateful to them to have given an impetus to my career,” says Wadhwa. He is also extremely grateful to the audience for accepting him in varied roles, “I am so grateful that the audience has accepted me in different roles.” INITIAL STEPS In fact, his first stage role was that of a daaku with veteran actor, late Vivek Shauq. “Right from my childhood, I knew I There is one thing common to Gadar 2 and Pathaan — Manish Wadhwa. As he basks in the glory of the twin hits, the actor reveals how playing the villain comes naturally to him GADAR 2 PATHAAN was going to be an actor,” shares Manish, who spent considerable years of growing up in Ambala and Chandigarh. “My first stage assignment was given to me by Vivek Shauq, a known figure in theatre and acting circles. I essayed the role of a daaku, and decades later I am still playing the villain,” he says. Playing Pakistani generals in one film after another didn’t pose any challenge. Set in two different time periods, each was starkly different from the other. “Yes, both these characters are Pakistani generals and their aim is the same — to destroy India. But both are absolutely different.” While General Qadir in Pathaan is a 2023 Instagram-savvy baddie; Major General Hamid Iqbal in Gadar 2 is a man frozen in the 70s. “I had a blast working with Siddharth Anand, he is an institution in himself. Anil Sharma ji has his own school of filmmaking. Both the directors give their actors the freedom to interpret a role and follow their instinct, but in very distinctive way.” CHANDIGARH CONNECT Mumbai has been his home for long, but Manish hasn’t forgotten his school days in Shishu Niketan and Manav Mangal School in Chandigarh. “I miss the amazing food, the wide clean roads and most of all the time a family could enjoy together.” Ask him about ups and downs in Mumbai, and he says, “There are only highs; we complain about traffic a lot here, but where hasn’t the traffic gotten worse? It is my karmabhumi and all that I am is because of this city.” In fact, life has come a full circle for Manish. His father, an ex-Air Force officer, left Ambala and moved to Mumbai to make it big in films, and has a few serials, and a film, as a director to his credit. Manish chose acting and is going steady for more than three decades. He’s been best known for his roles of Chanakya in Chandragupta Maurya, Kans in Paramavatar Shri Krishna, Amal Nanda/Dansh in Hero – Gayab Mode On. Now his son, Ashrit Wadhwa, is a young director, who has to his credit a web series and a film. “He is a young boy, all of 21, and raring to go,” says the proud father. Of course Manish has many projects lined up, but right now he’s happy riding the success wave of Gadar 2. Troubled times Britney Spears is seeking therapy amid divorce row with Sam Asghari Singer Britney Spears is reportedly getting therapy amid her divorce from Sam Asghari. She shared that she was a ‘little shocked’ as the personal trainer-turned-actor filed for a split from her on August 16, citing irreconcilable differences. However, her friends say she has a strong support network to keep her going, including a counsellor and her heavyweight celebrity lawyer. A source informed, “She has the ongoing help of a therapist and has hired famous divorce lawyer Laura Wasser. The lawyer, 55, charges $1000 an hour and has represented a string of A-listers over her nearly 30-year career, including Angelina Jolie, Heidi Klum, Kris Jenner, Ryan Reynolds, Christina Aguilera, Hilary Duff, Stevie Wonder, and others. — IANS Relationship ‘challenge’ Angelina’s mystery tattoos! JAVED AKHTAR Voices that matter Javed Akhtar talks about the void Kumar Sanu, Sonu Nigam and Udit Narayan filled KUMAR SANU SONU NIGAM UDIT NARAYAN Screenwriter-lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar said after Kishore Kumar, Mukesh and Md Rafi passed away, singers Kumar Sanu, Sonu Nigam and Udit Narayan filled up the void and paved their way into the hearts of the people with their melodious voices. Javed Akhtar on Tuesday was present at the launch of the song Ishq Hai, sung by Kumar Sanu and presented by Octave Music. “When Rafi sahab, Kishore da and Mukesh left this world one by one, there was silence everywhere. But Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan and Sonu Nigam filled up the void,” he said. “Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik and I have one thing in common. All three of us have had all the five nominations in Filmfare awards in one year! So there was a year when all the five nominations were for Alka Yagnik, there was a year when all the five nominations were for Kumar Sanu and there was a year when all the given nominations were for me. So the question was not who would win the award, it was for which film we would win the award,” he added. — IANS Angelina Jolie has got mystery tattoos on both her middle fingers. Mr K, who works at the New York City location of the celebrity-favourite Bang Bang store, posted a picture of Jolie’s fingers on Instagram on Tuesday with the new tattoo completely masked out to keep the design disguised. After writing, “Still can’t believe that I actually grabbed her hand and tattooed it,” Mr K tagged Angelina and posed a question to his followers, “Guess what’s she got on her palm?” Commenters referred to Jolie’s ex-husband Brad Pitt, whom she dated from 2005 until their eagerly anticipated wedding in 2014. However, the couple filed for divorce in 2016 and has since been involved in a heated court dispute about their shared winery and children. Another theory regarding her new tattoos is that they are memorials to her children, a ‘warning label for potential suitors’, or ‘something spiritual’. Additionally, Mr K is the tattooist who created Doja Cat’s contentious backpiece, which admirers have dubbed ‘demonic’. Fans of the popular downtown tattoo parlour include Joe Jonas, Michael J. Fox, Sophie Turner, and Miley Cyrus. — ANI 35th b’day in Dubai! Actress Vaani Kapoor, who will be seen in Mandala Murders and Sarvagunn Sampanna, has decided to treat herself to a welldeserved break, as she is celebrating her 35th birthday in Dubai. She is accompanied by her closest gal friends Akansha, Anushka Ranjan, and Raashi Khanna. A source shared: “While Vaani usually prefers low-key celebrations, this birthday calls for something extraordinary. She and her friends are gearing up for a thrilling time in Dubai, complete with luxury shopping, gourmet dining, and lounging at luxurious hotels.” The itinerary also includes dune buggy racing, desert safaris, etc. — IANS c m y b Jennifer Aniston reveals why she prefers to be single VAANI KAPOOR Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston, who was married to Brad Pitt and dated John Mayer, and then got hitched to Justin Theroux in the years since, has admitted that she was never excited to pursue adult relationships after seeing her parents’ divorce. “It was always a little bit difficult for me in relationships, I think, because I really was kind of alone,” she said. “My parents, watching my family’s relationship, didn’t make me kind of go, ‘Oh, I can’t wait to do that’. I didn’t like the idea of sacrificing who you were or what you needed, so I didn’t really know how to do that. So it was almost easier to just be kind of solo.” The former Friends star went on to explain that her late parents, who split in 1980 after 15 years of marriage, did not give her any ‘real training’ in the field of finding romance and still to this day, she finds it a ‘challenge’ to be in a relationship. “So I didn’t have any real training in that give and take. It’s just about not being afraid to say what you need and what you want. And it’s still a challenge for me in a relationship. I’m really good at every other job I have...” — IANS CANCEL CULTURE IS ‘OBNOXIOUS’ Actress Jennifer Aniston after being caught in the whole controversy regarding Jamie Foxx’s allegedly antiSemitic social media post has now called ‘cancel culture’ as an obnoxious trend, wondering if there is any end to it all. The 54-year-old actress said: “I’m so over cancel culture. I probably just got canceled by saying that. I just don’t understand what it means … Is there no redemption? I don’t know. I don’t put everybody in the Harvey Weinstein basket.” Cancel culture is the practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure. The trend has become very big and has been frequently criticised by many celebrities, ranging from Chris Rock, Lizzo, Cate Blanchette, Elon Musk and more. IANS