15012024-LSTC-01.qxd 1/14/2024 9:54 PM Page 1 c m y b Kit Harington opens up about his mental health struggles TRIBUNE Dosa star! Telugu superstar Ram Charan, who is known for the film RRR, celebrated Makar Sankranti with his family. The actor even flipped dosas like a pro! CHANDIGARH | MONDAY | 15 JANUARY 2024 Sense, sans drama note Religious PHOTO: NITIN MITTAL Harish Verma has donned a turban for the first time in this film and takes pride in it, “When I look at myself in the mirror, I get this feeling that I am looking good. Turban really suits me; even my friends and fans have complimented me. Wearing it carries significant responsibility, undoubtedly providing me with an identity that feels both new and special.” Gurnaaz Kaur Mind game Game Of Thrones star Kit Harington says his fame in the hit series caused him to struggle with mental health issues and alcoholism. Speaking on the wellness podcast Hidden 20%, Harington said he entered rehab in 2019 for alcoholism, and was diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) there. “I realised that my life was hinging on this,” he told host Ben Branson. “Luckily, it was the right place at the right time. I managed to forge a new life from there.” Harington now says he’s ‘sober’ and ‘present’ and is focused on his son, two years old, and daughter, six months. He shares his kids with Game of Thrones co-star and wife, Rose Leslie. “My head wants to go to every other thing in the room at once,” he said. He added that he was sometimes restless when he plays with his young children. Game of Thrones, where he played Jon Snow from 2011 until 2019, garnered instant fame, which was hard on him. “I tried to project this image of utter sophistication and coolness about what I was doing, but was genuinely sort of terrified about everything,” he said. That led to a downward spiral when it was coming to an end. “That is a dangerous rabbit hole to fall down because you find all of the bad stuff that people are saying as well as the nice stuff,” he added. — IANS R EADY to treat Punjabi cinema lovers with their acting skills and banter alike, Harish Verma and Sharan Kaur, who are leading the upcoming Punjabi film Drame Aale’ releasing on January 19, made a pit-stop in Chandigarh to share their excitement with us. This isn’t your typical Punjabi comedy, as the two actors promise. Harish Verma elaborates, “The movie is true to its title. It’s not just another entertainer, but actually has all theatre artistes as its actors. Even the theme is close to theatre. It blends the nuances of theatre and films beautifully, and the director has come up with something so new with this film.” Learning ground The lead pair of upcoming Punjabi film Drame Aale, Harish Verma and Sharan Kaur, believe theatre artistes are now finding more space in movies I tried to project this image of utter sophistication about what I was doing, but was genuinely sort of terrified about everything. Theatre artistes and Drame Aale are synonyms in different languages, so keeping the essence alive the team chose Tagore Theatre as their venue to interact with the city-based theatre artistes. Among those present were theatre director Sahib Singh, actors Anita Shabdeesh, Baninder Bunny, Sangeeta Gupta, and more. Encouraging them to give it their all, Harish and Sharan, who also began their journeys as theatre actors, spoke about the blurring line between the two forms. “In contrast to the past, where theatre artistes struggled for even background roles, today more and moreof them are finding space in movies. It’s a positive change.” Donning the turban Recounting his start as an actor, Harish Verma, who began theatre with Gursharan Singh in Chandigarh, says he owes a lot to the city. “I’ve spent years honing my acting skills under the tutelage of some renowned writers and directors here. I remember Gursharan Singh ji A legacy to cherish Rest in peace American actor Bill Hayes has passed away. He was 98. Hayes played Doug Williams on Days of Our Lives, the husband of Julie Williams who is played on the show by his real-life wife Seaforth Hayes. Days of Our Lives actor Bill Hayes dies at 98 He also played the father of Hope Williams (Kristian Alfonso), one-half of the famed Days of Our Lives duo Bo (Peter Reckell) and Hope. Hayes made his debut on the daytime soap opera in February 1970, and went on to feature in more than 2,100 episodes. His last appearance as Williams was on December 22, 2023. Alec Musser passes away All My Children actor Alec Musser is no more. He was 50. Musser was best known for playing Del Henry on the ABC soap opera All My Children from 2005-2007. He also appeared on ABC’s Desperate Housewives in 2011. — ANI Death of legendary Hindustani classical singer Prabha Atre has left a void in the Kirana Gharana of music Legendary Hindustani classical singer, author, composer and researcher Prabha Atre passed away following a brief illness at a private hospital in Pune on Saturday. Atre was 91 and had complained of some breathing issues, but succumbed when she suffered a cardiac arrest while being rushed to a private hospital. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar and other prominent personalities from various fields have condoled Atre’s demise. An exponent of the Kirana Gharana of music, Atre was conferred the Padma Shri (1990), Padma Bhushan (2002) and Padma Bhushan (2022), plus many other national-international honours. An acclaimed classical singer, she excelled in rendition of khayals, thumris, ghazal, dadri, bhajans and natyasangeet, besides composing, authoring books on music. Atre is credited with inventing new ragas like Apurva Kalyan, Madhur Kauns, Darbari Kauns, PatdeepMalhar, Shiv Kali, Tilang-Bhairav and Ravi Bhairav. She composed music for a fulllength dance recital Natya Prabha, a music composition adapted for jazz by a top artiste from Netherlands, and also created music for musical dramas or sangeetikas. Meanwhile, President Murmu said, “She gave a new dimension to Kirana Gharana and played a significant role in taking Indian classical music to the world.” Prime Minister Modi described Atre as, “A luminary of Indian classi- ANI Deeply saddened by the loss of the legendary classical singer, Padma Vibhushan Dr Prabha Atre ji. Her musical brilliance left an indelible mark on Indian classical music. Condolences to her family and admirers. Om Shanti. Sonal Mansingh, renowned dancer A doyenne of the Kirana Gharana, Prabha Atre passes away into the ages. Hansal Mehta, filmmaker Saddened to learn of the demise of Padma Vibhushan Prabha Atre ji. Her contribution to Indian classical music is exceptional. I remember listening to her renditions of ragas during my youth and she made an incredible impression on me. May she rest in peace. Adnan Sami, singer The beauty, grace and strength of her voice could be seen even with your eyes closed and purity of her music could be felt in your heart every time she sang ... Dr Prabha Atre ji was a loved vocalist amongst all the lovers of Indian classical music across the world. Durga Jasraj, singer-actor cal music, whose work was admired not just in India, but across the globe. Her life was a symphony of excellence and dedication. Her efforts have greatly enriched our cultural fabric.” — IANS c m y b would often say, ‘Harish has it in him; he should get his portfolio ready and go to Mumbai.’ This is where the actor in me was born.” There are many firsts in the film for Sharan, which makes it very special for her. “From being my first comedy film, representing the theatre fraternity for the first time, and for the first time getting to act with the artistes of Pakistan’s Punjab, Drame Aale holds a special place in my heart for numerous reasons.” Moving from theatre to TV to movies, both Harish and Sharan say, “Theatre is the bedrock; this is where the real training happens. An actor becomes an artiste when he has given his sweat and blood to theatre. The real polishing happens here. We can easily say it completes an actor’s life and journey when he makes his presence felt in theatre.” But so much emphasis on theatre, especially when it’s a promotion for a film? Director-writer Chander Kamboj explains the connection. “Yes, Drame Aale is a film but it is also a play. It features theatre artists from Punjab, Pakistan, and Punjab, India. Without revealing much, I would say their performances will tell why the name Drame Aale.” As the team wraps up the conversation, Harish Verma leaves us guessing when he says, “Many have missed it in the trailer, but when you watch the film, there is something to surprise you. I’ll give a hint; it’s related to me and my craft.” Hema Malini to present dance drama based on Ramayana in Ayodhya Dham BJP MP Hema Malini will be presenting a dance drama based on the Hindu epic Ramayana in Ayodhya ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, which is scheduled to take place on January 22, 2024. Hema Malini said in a video message, “I am coming to Ayodhya for the first time at the time of the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Temple for which people were waiting for years...On January 17, I’ll be presenting a dance drama based on Ramayana in Ayodhya Dham...” Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the ceremony at the Ram Temple on January 22. The event has garnered significant attention, with several VVIP guests from India and abroad receiving invitations to attend the ceremony. — ANI Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain to get 2nd ‘Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Award’ Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain has been named for the prestigious 2nd ‘Padma Vibhushan Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Award’. The award will be conferred on Hussain at a two-day concert festival in Thane and Mumbai to mark the third death anniversary of Ustad Khan, by his widow Amina Ghulam Mustafa Khan, on January 16-17. The first day (January 16) will see Hindustani classical music performances by legends Rakesh Chaurasia (flute), Purbayan Chatterjee (sitar) and vocals by Pandit Venkatesh Kumar, at K Ghanekar Natyagruha in Thane. On the second day (January 17), veteran singer Sonu Nigam — a disciple of the late Ustad Khan — will lead the music concert titled Haazri (presence) at the Shanmukhananda Hall, along with the award ceremony in the presence of luminaries from the world of music. Ustad Khan, an unmatched doyen of Honour board Hindustani classical music left an indelible mark on the world of music and his legacy continues to be celebrated through the award. Last year, the debut award was conferred on flute exponent Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia. — IANS He remained incognito! Hollywood star Jason Momoa was thrilled to have gone unrecognised when he was in Jordan, as he was abiding by their culture of ‘covering’ up during the filming of Dune. Momoa said: “I get recognised wherever I go. I’m 6’4”, Hawaiian, probably in stripes and in pink, not being subtle, so, it’s just the way it is. I saw a paparazzi picture of me just going like this. It’s still like, you’re not getting away with anything. It’s still me. You know when I got away with it, I was in Jordan and you’ve got to be fully wrapped and covered up. It was amazing. No one knew. I was standing next to people, it was great.” The actor almost got attention when one fan noticed that his tattoo was visible out of his covered-up look, but the fan realised that he should not cause any commotion. The actor is now featuring in the eight-part docuseries On the Roam. “It’s me on the road and all the things that I love to do. And all the things I’ve never done in my life that I’ve wanted to do,” he said. — IANS Jason Momoa managed to go unrecognised in the Middle East