20092023-LSTC-01.qxd 9/19/2023 9:47 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE Bad times Actress Kangana Ranaut has not been keeping well for quite some time. On Monday, Kangana revealed on Instagram that she had battled several diseases within a year. LUDHIANA | WEDNESDAY | 20 SEPTEMBER 2023 Whodunit? Ask Charlie Perry rich! Singer Katy Perry sells rights to her music catalogue for $225 million Singer Katy Perry has sold the rights to her music catalogue in a deal reportedly worth $225 million. Rights of the 38-year-old singer’s songs and albums, released from 2008 to 2020, have been bought by Litmus Music, investing firm The Carlyle Group announced on Monday. The deal includes Katy’s five albums released through Capitol Records — One of the Boys (2008), Teenage Dream (2010), Prism (2013), Witness (2017) and Smile (2020). The I Kissed a Girl hitmaker is among the growing number of big-name artistes to sell the master recordings of their music catalogue. Justin Bieber sold a share of his own music rights in January to Hipgnosis Songs Capital for a reported $200 million. In January 2022, Bob Dylan had sold the rights to his entire catalogue to Sony, for an undisclosed amount, though the deal was said to be worth $183 million. Bruce Springsteen also sold his music to Sony in late 2021 in a mammoth deal worth $500 million. — IANS A still from Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley Mona A After delivering hits like Grahan and Jubilee, Wamiqa Gabbi is back as Charlie Chopra to solve the mystery of Solang Valley in Vishal Bhardwaj’s directorial. Life couldn’t have been more eventful for this Chandigarh girl Supporting act Parting ways Singer Ariana Grande files for divorce Popstar Ariana Grande and real estate agent Dalton Gomez have officially filed for divorce after two years of marriage. Reports of their separation broke out in July, but Grande and Gomez were living separately since January. Grande’s lawyer Laura Wasser filed the papers first on Monday citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ as the reason for divorce. Dalton soon followed suit. The couple tied the knot in May 2021 and had a prenuptial agreement in place. The date of separation was February 20, 2023. Grande (30) and Gomez (28) parted ways on good terms, an insider said. — PTI Acclaimed director James Cameron, who released his massive box-office hit Avatar 2: The Way of Water in 2022, will now be executive producing a new Maori-centric drama film called Taonga, by newcomer director Shane Rangi. Shane, while new to direction, is no stranger to filmmaking as such, having worked with Jameson production and writing of his Avatar films. Shane has written the script for the feature and will also be directing it. Drawing on his own life, Shane, who is of Ngati Porou descent, wrote Taonga to tell the story of an indigenous Polynesian rugby star who ends up becoming homeless, before a violent encounter with law enforcement leaves him for dead and changes his life. — IANS Director James Cameron to executive produce Maori-centric drama At your service IN THE HIMACHAL HILLS Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley was shot in the idyllic settings of Himachal Pradesh. “It was surreal to be out there in snow, but difficult to shoot. The first day was especially challenging, as it was terribly cold. We were using hot water bottles to warm our faces in order to deliver dialogues.” A huge fan of thrillers and crime documentaries, Wamiqa is happy to star in one, “It’s not just another whodunit. It’s a Vishal Bhardwaj project, which comes with its own quirks.” OTT gave Wamiqa’s career a new spin. “Ever since Grahan, which was an amazing experience, as I shot with brilliant director Ranjan Chandel, only amazing thing are happening to me.” Jubilee turned out to be another hit. “I am so happy at the response Jubilee received. My life has definitely taken a beautiful turn. The amount of attention and love that I have got after Jubilee is just crazy.” LANGUAGE NO BAR Wamiqa has worked in different languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Punjabi, and also in different formats – long and short. So, how does she choose? “For me, it’s very The generational oppression that women have faced makes him ‘feel guilty’ as a man, says filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, who believes it is his duty as a storyteller to speak up against injustice, whether it is political or social. Right from the beginning, Bhardwaj’s stories have featured women with agency, be it Tabu in Maqbool, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Konkona Sensharma in Omkara, Priyanka Chopra Jonas in 7 Khoon Maaf or Sanya Malhotra and Radhika Madan in Pataakha. The filmmaker is making a streaming debut with Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley, a web series that revolves around the titular female detective, Wamiqa Gabbi. Bhardwaj hopes to develop a fran- Act of faith chise around the character. The National Award-winner said while strong women characters come naturally to him, but when he writes he has to make an effort to create ‘good male characters’ to secure finances. “Otherwise, they don’t give you money on female-ori- ented things,” he said. “Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley, which will start streaming on SonyLIV from September 27, was earlier planned as a movie. But he faced difficulties in getting it financed with Gabbi as the lead, as she was a relatively Golden canvas Amrita Sher-gil’s The Storyteller becomes most expensive work by an Indian artist ever, bags ~61.8 crore Fetching a whopping Rs 61.8 crore, avant-garde artist Amrita Sher-gil’s oil on canvas The Storyteller has unseated Sayed Haider Raza’s Gestation in becoming the most expensive work of Indian art sold at an auction worldwide. The 1937 artwork, sold in New Delhi on Saturday at Saffronart’s ‘Evening Sale: Modern Art’, was among the 70 plus art pieces by eminent artists, including MF Husain, VS Gaitonde, Jamini Roy and FS Souza, featured in the auction. It was only last month that Raza’s 1989 Gestation, also an providing fresh produce for the staff kitchen. On anvil is a buffet that will be a la carte and also a specially curated menu. Reflecting on the hotel’s inaugural year, Kidwai extends heartfelt gratitude for the unwavering support received from the valued guests and local community. — TNS c m y b important that the character I am going to essay touches my heart. If it doesn’t, even if it is a big-ticket project, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy or put my heart into it.” Even more important for her is the director. “I have to click with the director. It makes a lot of difference,” says Wamiqa. Back-to-back projects have kept her busy and she hasn’t got a chance to visit her hometown, Chandigarh. But soon after Charlie’s release, followed by that of Khufia, she plans to spend time at home. In Khufiya, she shares screen space with Tabu and Ali Fazal, while in VD18 it is with Varun Dhawan and Keerthy Suresh. Meanwhile, Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley is set to stream on Sony LIV on September 27. Director Vishal Bhardwaj subconsciously comes up with strong female characters PTI PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR A push towards sustainable food practices, interactive hotel staff, focus on local with a global flair… Hyatt Centric Chandigarh counts its first year in the city as a successful one. Set in the heart of the city, Sector 17, the hotel draws inspiration from the heritage of the city. With a luxurious ambience, the place offers a multitude of food options. “It has been a pleasure to host the city’s gentry, which is well-travelled and open to experiment,” says Sohaib Kidwai, General Manager, Hyatt Centric. In the coming year, they plan to make a push for sustainable practices. Their terrace garden is already huge fan of crime dramas, documentaries and thrillers, actress Wamiqa Gabbi, who hails from Chandigarh, is elated about starring in a mystery thriller next — Vishal Bhardwaj’s directorial Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley, which is based on Agatha Christie’s The Sittaford Mystery. While web shows Grahan, Mai: A Mother’s Rage and Modern Love (Mumbai and Chennai) were popular, it was her Nilofer act in Jubilee that got widespread acclaim. Wamiqa had no hesitation in choosing the role of Charlie Chopra as Vishal Bhardwaj was on the director’s seat, but there was more to it. “It’s the title role and boasts of an amazing cast, including Naseeruddin Shah, Neena Gupta and Ratna Pathak Shah. Also, it is an adaption of Agatha Christie’s novel,” says Wamiqa. Her fourth project with Bhardwaj, including Khufia, Fursat, Modern Love Mumbai, and now Charlie, Wamiqa couldn’t be happier! oil-on-canvas painting, was sold for Rs 51.75 crore by Pundole’s auction house in Mumbai, becoming the most expensive Indian artwork ever sold at auction. The Storyteller, touted to be among the 12 works selected by Sher-Gil herself as her most important works, is widely considered an example of the artist’s most honest and expressive compositions. The painting was first exhibited at Sher-Gil’s successful solo exhibition at Faletti’s Hotel, Lahore, in November 1937. — PTI unknown face at the time. “After the pandemic, I was trying to raise money because I wanted to work with Wamiqa. I thought she would be the correct choice for this part, but she did not have commercial standing in the market. So, I was not getting that kind of money, which was required to make this. That’s when I happened to meet Danish Khan (of SonyLIV), who is the creative head. When he heard the idea, he said, ‘Why don’t you convert this into a series?’ So, that’s how the OTT debut happened.” The upcoming six-part series also stars Priyanshu Painyuli, Naseeruddin Shah, Lara Dutta, Neena Gupta, Ratna Pathak Shah, Gulshan Grover, Chandan Roy Sanyal, and Paoli Dam, among others. — PTI Gone too Vijay Antony’s soon Tamil actor daughter dies by suicide Meera Antony, the daughter of Tamil actor-composer Vijay Antony, allegedly died by suicide on Tuesday at her home in Chennai. She was reportedly 16. Meera was a Class 12 student of a private school in Chennai. According to reports, Meera, who was under stress and was getting treatment for the same. She was found hanging at her residence at around 3.00 am by the house help. The shocked family rushed her to the hospital where she was declared brought dead. — IANS