27102023-LSTL-01.qxd 10/26/2023 10:30 PM Page 1 c m y b STANDING OVATION Renowned director Shyam Benegal received a standing ovation at the India premiere of Mujib—The Making of a Nation in Mumbai. Among the guests was veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah. Trailer out Life After unveiling the intriguing first look, makers of the thriller Apurva, starring Tara Sutaria, launched the trailer on Thursday. The film has been directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat. LUDHIANA | FRIDAY | 27 OCTOBER 2023 Rooted in reality Nonika Singh SPY THRILLER GENRE IS VERY VAST AND THERE IS SCOPE FOR DOING DIFFERENT THINGS. BERLIN IS MORE IN TRADITION OF AUTHORS LIKE JOHN LE CARRÉ OR LEN DEIGHTON. V ARIETY is the spice of a writer’s world. Soon after giving us wondrous depiction of golden years of Indian cinema in Jubilee, writer-director Atul Sabharwal is ready with a spy thriller titled Berlin. The film, which has been selected for two major film festivals, MAMI and Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, is not like the fantastical Mission Impossible or Ek Tha Tiger’s spyverse. Rooted in reality, Atul shares, “It is more in tradition of authors like John le Carré or Len Deighton.” Most of us may think that thrills are integral to spy genre, Atul says, “Ingenuity of characters, how they wriggle out of discomfiting situations when caught in a bind is what matters the most.” Berlin the title has something to do with Germany. But, since it’s a plot point he won’t give in what it actually refers to. Yet, one secret he lets out of the bag is that deafness and muteness of one of its lead characters is not a trick/cover. Though his directorial venture Class of 83 and Jubilee, which he wrote, did exceptionally well on OTT platforms, he believes. “Every film small or big deserves to be in theatres.” STILLS FROM BERLIN Writer-director Atul Sabharwal, who is coming up with spy thriller Berlin, believes every film, small or big, deserves to be in theatres For someone who swears by the magic of larger-than-life silver screen, yet whose magic has been discovered on OTT, he finds no contradiction. Rather he wants us to toss this query to the industry bigwigs, who have this deep fear of tragedies even though our biggest blockbusters have been tragedies. By tragedy he does not mean weepy tragic endings, but films with serious and sombre soul. Having grown up on Doordarshan and films of Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, and serials like Buniyaad and Tamas, he observes, “You can’t escape the influence of your formative years.” Thus, his bent of mind has always been towards trials and tribulations rather than celebrations. Those of us who in mind as, “We only wanted to capture the spirit of that era.” Writing, he shares, is part imagination and part research. Hold it, research he thinks is a very academic word and he would rather replace it with taste or aptitude. Yet another word he would like to dispense with is ‘merciless’. “Every single line that is added or removed while on the sets where obviously the director in me takes over is a joy. Words like cutting mercilessly are corporate inventions and have no place in the creative process.” DEEPLY ROOTED SERIOUS AND SOMBRE believe Punjabis are always balle balle, this Punjabi with roots in West Punjab disagrees and has a credible thesis for it, “Balle balle Punjabi Bollywoodisation happened only during the nineties.” Of course, he has not lost the sense of humour that comes naturally to Punjabis. Ask him about the bonhomie between three Punjabis, he and his lead actors Aparshakti Khurana and Ishwak Singh, and he laughs, “It was great; asi pinniyan khaande rahe te film banande gaye.” Mind you, he insists, “I can speak better Punjabi than both of them put together.” MOOLAH MATTERS Never mind that he lived mostly in Agra, he has not lost touch with his roots. Currently, he is writing a novel based on his grandparents, who came from West Punjab. Drawn to the rural landscape of Punjab, its folk tales and musicians… if he listens to Asa Singh Mastana and Surinder Kaur, he reads up Avtar Singh Pash, Amrita Pritam and Bhisham Sahni. Plus, he has watched many Punjabi films, the latest being Maurh and Manje Bistre. Undeniably, he would love to make a Punjabi film and believes that some dose of Punjabiyat was present in Jubilee too. But, he agrees, “Unless you make it in Punjabi, the real ras won’t come through.” Viewers may have indulged in guessing games, in Jubilee he and director Vikramditya Motwane didn’t have specific actors Whether OTT is the medium where writers are the uncrowned kings, he quips, “If we are, where is the money?” He agrees that compared to mainstream Bollywood, things are not as skewed on streaming platforms, but adds. “Writers don’t get a king’s ransom. Actually no one does. The money goes in upping the production values.” Moreover, he opines, “OTT koi kranti thodey la sakta hai…they are here to make money.” Spoken like a true Punjabi… frank and upfront. As for Punjabis being a mighty force in the film industry, he views it as a topic of serious research, of ethno movements and how history plays out. Meanwhile, he is busy writing cinematic history and taking us to eras gone by as Berlin too happens to be a period film. Katrina loves to dance Actress Katrina Kaif is over the moon with the response she is getting for the song Leke Prabhu Ka Naam from Tiger 3. She said dancing is one of her true passions. The track has been composed by Pritam, and sung by Arijit Singh and Nikhita Gandhi. The Tamil and Telugu versions have been sung by Benny Dayal and Anusha Mani. Katrina said, “Leke Prabhu Ka Naam is being celebrated and it is such a wonderful feeling for all of us. Dancing is one of my true passions and seeing the audiences’ love for it is just pure joy.” Katrina feels people have a huge expectation from actors to not just showcase their acting skills, but also give them great songs to cherish, “I am aware of the expectations people have from our songs and it motivates me to deliver a better performance every time.” — IANS Sonu wraps up Fateh shoot a magical journey, and as I wrap up the shoot, I promise this will be your most memorable one. Jackie I truly appreciate your humility, hard work and dedication...Thanks for being yourself. As I promised this is going to be your best one @jacquelienefernandez.” The movie promises an electrifying cinematic experience with its action-packed narrative and Hollywoodinspired stunts. Fateh stars Sonu in the lead role and is based on cybercrime in the holy city of Amritsar, Punjab. The film has been directed by Vaibhav Mishra. — IANS PHOTOS: PRADEEP TEWARI Actor Sonu Sood on Thursday announced the wrap his debut production Fateh, and shared some behind the scenes pictures of the shoot. On social media, Sonu shared the photos and expressed gratitude to his co-star, Jacqueline Fernandez. The photos showcase the chemistry between the two actors. The pictures provide an exhilarating sneak peek into the film’s production, filmed at unique, unexplored Indian and international locations, delivering an authentic feel. The post was captioned as: “Fateh is just the beginning of Photographer Dev Inder’s exhibition is all about the play of light and shade Sanjay Dutt, Ishaan Khatter lend their voice to audio series Ravan Rising Hear them out! Ishaan Khatter Actors Sanjay Dutt and Ishaan Khatter have lent their voices to the podcast series Ravan Rising. The Audible Original series explores the moments that shaped Ravan's journey from a young warrior to the terrifying demon King. In the series, Sanjay lent his voice to the role of older Ravan, giving listeners a first-hand account of his journey. He masterfully recounted the story of young Ravan, voiced by Ishaan. Sanjay said, "It has been an incredible experience to voice the role of a complex and multi-dimensional char- Sanjay Dutt acter like Ravan. The audio format has opened up a fresh avenue for storytelling, and bringing this character to life through audio allowed me to explore a new format of entertainment." Ishaan added, “Bringing Ravan's character to life alongside the iconic Sanjay Dutt for Audible has been an incredible experience. This is my first time exploring the audio medium and to play a layered character like Ravan was a challenge. It's a privilege to be part of a series that delves into the rich tapestry of Indian mythology. I can't wait for listeners to embark on this epic adventure with us.” — ANI R Madhavan and Kay Kay Menon’s upcoming series The Railway Men will be released on Netflix on November 18. Directed by first-time filmmaker Shiv Rawail, the series has been produced by Yash Raj Films’ digital arm YRF Entertainment. Actors Divyenndu and Babil Khan also feature in the series. The Railway Men is set against the backdrop of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak, the c m y b Magic of black and white Dev Inder’s love for the camera started in the era of black and white photography. It has continued ever since. His photography exhibition in Chandigarh, Beyond the Frame Reimagining Reality, is a collection of 38 frames, capturing a beautiful play of light and shade, meandering roads and everyday objects — a bench, a towel, even a shoe. Most of the frames in monochrome bring about the beauty of everyday world. The beautiful strands of light sifting through a wooden bench; different brick combinations side by side, a tiny chair sitting pretty in a huge room. There are a few frames in colour as well; red, blue and green seem to be his favourite hues. Even simple concrete path with twigs gathered in corners make for a frame of beauty. Chandigarh reflects in these frames, whether it’s the drop-shaped bins with ‘use me’ written on it; even in grey, the pink screams through. There is an installation too — worn clothes, old tomes and signs of rural life. “This is a testament of the time machine that we have hopped on, a reminder of the time not too far,” shares the septuagenarian photographer. About his love for black and white, Dev Inder says, “It’s been 48 years that I have been into photography and monochromes stay my favourite!” The exhibition is dedicated to Dev Inder’s brother S Partap Singh, whom he lost in 2023. The exhibition that opened on October 25 is on at Sobha Singh Art Gallery, Punjab Arts Council-16, Chandigarh. — TNS (On till October 30) Get set for The Railway Men world’s worst industrial disaster, and inspired by true stories. It is dubbed as a ‘thrilling account of courage and a salute to humanity’. It is the first project to come out of the creative collaboration between Netflix and Yash Raj Films (YRF). The series has been written by Aayush Gupta. — PTI