18012024-LSTC-01.qxd 1/17/2024 9:34 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE Standing tall Nicole Kidman, who stands at 5ft 11inches, confessed she lied that she was just half an inch shorter, 5ft 10 and a half, after she was bullied as a child for her height and called names such as ‘Stalky’. LUDHIANA | THURSDAY | 18 JANUARY 2024 Action meets comedy Nonika Singh R Sense & sensitivity Dua Lipa axes music video that includes demolition and explosions amid the Israel-Hamas conflict Singer Dua Lipa reportedly pulled a music video worth hundreds of thousands of pounds as she apparently decided it was “insensitive” amid the conflict in Gaza, which erupted on October 7. In a cover chat on the latest issue of Rolling Stone, she says, “I feel so bad for every Israeli life lost and what happened on 7 October. “At the moment, what we have to look at is how many lives have been lost in Gaza, and the innocent civilians, and the lives that are just being lost.” Lipa talks about how important it is to engage in current affairs. “It’s probably easier to be apolitical. I think there’s no kind of deep discussion about war and oppression. It just is something that we’ve seen happen time and time again. I feel like just being a musician and posting about something doesn’t make enough of a difference, but hopefully, just showing solidarity, which is sometimes all you feel like you can do, is important.” She apparently axed a pricey music video amid the Israel-Hamas conflict as it included explosions as well as fighting crowds. A music insider says the promo, shot before the war, was pulled after “emergency meetings” among Dua’s team. “At its heart the video was playful but contained themes of chaos – including car crashes, demolition, explosions, fireworks and crowds fighting. Dua and her team decided that it would be insensitive for the video to come out given what has happened on and since 7 October,” says the source. — IANS OLE Play has a fun and rather interesting premise and an underlying serious and intelligent note too. A seemingly normal wife, a mother of two happens to be an assassin. Before her identity comes to the fore and rocks the boat of domestic bliss, to spice up things husband Dave (David Oyelowo) and his lovely other half, Emma (Kaley Cuoco) decide to role play, in short, act out. ROLE PLAY Pretending to be strangers they decide to meet in a bar. But before they can whip up some exciting sexual tension, they come across a real stranger. Bob Kellerman (Bill Nighy) appears on the scene dramatically enough and heightens the drama, at least for a while. His identity too is a mystery. A twist and things truly heat up and role play turns on its head. Not merely for the strange encounter leads them into trouble but also for rather cleverly the director Thomas Vincent and writer Seth Owen point towards the role reversal. Damsel in dis- NET, FLICKS & MORE tress! But who exactly needs to be saved here? In the answer lies the play on Role Play. But while the concept appears more enticing on paper, in execution it runs the predictable distance. Who the cold blooded killer aka Emma nay Anna will choose when the push comes to a shove is pretty evident and holds no major surprise. Thus the thrill part is not thrilling enough in this comedic thriller where once the major reveal is out, there isn’t much to keep you in suspense, let alone on tenterhooks. While the first half-anhour is suitably energised It’s the Pitts! and you love the husbandwife bonding as well as the flirtatious overtures of Bob with some smart one-liners thrown in, the last half- anhour with a kill here and there is rather pedestrian. What is consistent, however, is the exceptional acting. Be it Emmy-nominated actor David Oyelowo as the clueless, hapless husband or The Big Bang Theory fame star Kaley Cuoco or even those playing out cameos, especially Nighy as the smooth operator, actors elevate the script. Oyelowo is so good with his expressions, which say it all, especially when he discovers who his wife of seven years really is. And the heroine Cuoco is in command, as good with action as emotion. Connie Nielsen (remember her in Ridley Scott’s magnum opus Gladiator and Wonder Woman) is impactful too as the ruthless mentor of Emma. Of course, Rudi Dharmalingam of Trinidadian and Sri Lankan heritage as her handler gets to do little and we hear him more than we see him. While his name Rajendra Bakshi piques our interest, his character in the film is far from engrossing. Only if the French director Knight, who incidentally ‘Tempers were running high’ Brad Pitt would go ‘longest without showering’, says former roommate Jason Priestley Actor and filmmaker Jason Priestley was Brad Pitt’s roommate and he revealed the Hollywood star’s shocking hygiene habit. According to the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum, Pitt wasn’t huge on hygiene back then. “We used to play this game to see who could go the longest without showering,” Jason said. “I think about it now and I’m like, ‘Dude, how disgusting. What were you thinking?’” As for who would win? “Brad,” Priestley shared. “Always Brad.” However, the 54-year-old noted that it’s unlikely Brad has stuck with the same routine. “I don’t think he does that anymore,” Priestley said “but back then he could go a long time without showering.” Jason and Brad, 60, were roommates back in the ‘90s when they were both up-and-coming actors. The duo lived in a two-bedroom apartment located in what Jason called the “really crappy part” of Los Angeles alongside a third friend.In his 2015 memoir, the Tru Calling actor recalled that the pair were basically “broke” as they struggled to find acting work. “We lived on Ramen noodles and generic beer—the kind that came in white cans labelled ‘beer,” Jason wrote in the book, “and Marlboro Light cigarettes.” But after Priestley was cast in Beverly Hills, 90210 and Pitt shot to fame in Thelma and Louise, the two lost contact with each other. Still, Jason has nothing but fond memories of the Oscar winner. —IANS Richa faces 4-hr delay with IndiGo flights Richa Chadha on Wednesday said that she too had to face delays in two domestic flights of IndiGo airlines. She took to X and said that she took three flights in the last three days, two were with IndiGo, and the third, an international flight, which was on time. Reflecting on the delayed flights issue, she suggested that factors like fog in Delhi and the recent air show in Mumbai might have contributed to Indigo’s challenges. “On my 3rd flight in 3 days… day 1, @IndiGo6E delayed by over 4 hours. Day 2, @IndiGo6E delayed by 4 hours. But the only direct flights on some routes are often Indigo. Day 3, international flight, no problem,” her tweet read. “On the 14th of Jan, there was an air show in Mumbai, because of which the runway was closed in the morning. And then fog/smog in North India - Delhi runway closed. Ripple effect? Flights delayed all over the country, staff overextended. I am surprised only one person got physically assaulted because tempers were running very high (I don’t condone violence),” she added on X. “Lesson: Monopoly whether airlines, airport ownership or leadership creates lack of accountability. Common citizens suffer, with no recourse. Till we don’t recognise it, we will be at a disadvantage while paying through our noses. And if we don’t wake up, we deserve it,” she expressed. —IANS directed the first episode of season one of Reacher, currently streaming on the same platform that is Amazon Prime Video, had found the heady balance of comedy and action. The touch is light, especially the music by Rael Jones but not enough to truly pep up our spirits. In the climax our gutsy heroine says, ‘I have a plan’. Wish the makers had a better one in place. In the present scheme of things, it ends up as just another film that ran but did not arrive at any major goalposts. Not exactly tedious, just about watchable. you wanted to take up studies all over again, I wondered if you meant it. But the day I saw you work so hard and perfectly manage a full-fledged student life along with home, career, me and kids, I knew I had married a superwoman.” He added, “Today on your graduation, I also wish I c m y b had studied a bit more to know enough words to tell you how proud you make me, Tina. Congratulations and all my love.” In the picture, Akshay can be seen giving a hug to Twinkle. She looked stunning in a green saree that she paired with a black graduation jacket and hat. Akshay, on the other hand, wore a long black coat with matching pants. Twinkle also took to Instagram and shared a video of herself from her graduation event. She wrote, “And it’s here. Graduation day. My first day at Goldsmiths feels like it was both yesterday and the character is so far from what she is in real life and it required her to go the extra mile to portray the character to perfection. Raveena said, “Indrani Kothari did put all my skills to test because she is completely different to what I am as a person. It is the journey of a woman who has reached a certain place in her life and there are circumstances that have made her the way she is. It’s very challenging to portray a character when you don’t even have one trait in common with that character and it is so far from you in real life.” — IANS Adarsh Gourav to be seen in Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel On a roll Amid the success of Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Adarsh has bagged a new project. As per a statement, Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise is heading to the television and it will feature Adarsh in a pivotal role. The four-month-long shooting schedule in Thailand will see Adarsh alongside a talented ensemble cast, including Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin and Essie Davis. Ridley Scott, the mastermind behind the Alien legacy, serves as the executive producer, adding his visionary touch to the project. Excited about it, Adarsh says, “The allure of working on a project of this magnitude, in a picturesque location like Thailand, is truly exhilarating. Noah Hawley’s creative genius combined with Ridley Scott’s legendary touch makes this an extraordinary venture, and I am eager to bring this story to life.” The Alien prequel, under the direction of Noah Hawley, promises a fresh perspective by unfolding 70 years before the events of the original 1979 film. — ANI Akshay congratulates Twinkleas she gets her master’s degree Proud husband Akshay Kumar penned a sweet note for his superwoman wife, Twinkle Khanna as she completed her master’s degree from the University of London. Akshay took to Instagram and posted a picture with Twinkle. He wrote, “Two years ago when you told me Raveena Tandon, who is awaiting the release of her upcoming streaming show Karmma Calling, has shared that her character of Indrani Kothari in the show put all her skills as an actress to test. The actress said that Raveena Tandon says Karmma Calling put all her skills to test The thrill part is not thrilling enough in this comedic thriller Cast: Kaley Cuoco, David Oyelowo, Bill Nighy, Connie Nielsen, Rudi Dharmalingam and Simon Delaney Director: Thomas Vincent Rating: ★★ Going the extra mile years ago. A sunny day, a pretty sari, and having my family with me make this day even more perfect than I ever imagined. There comes a stage when the easiest way to grow is horizontally, but we have to push ourselves to grow in myriad other ways. Agree? Disagree?” — ANI
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