10042024-LSTC-01.qxd 4/10/2024 12:29 AM Page 1 c m y b BIG B’S B’DAY WISH FOR JAYA As actor Jaya Bachchan turned 76 on Tuesday, Amitabh Bachchan shared a special post for his wife. He penned a note on his blog: “The better half celebrates her birthday today, and all the greetings for her…as always… A quiet family ‘bring in’ for the 9th on the midnight hour... and the love of immediate family presence.” TRIBUNE Lyrical note Life Taylor Swift has teased the lyrics of her latest song on April 8, the day of the solar eclipse, moments before the celestial event across North America. She gave fans a glimpse of what to expect from the upcoming album. CHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 10 APRIL 2024 Making sense of mayhem Documentary: THE ANTISOCIAL NETWORK — MEMES TO MAYHEM Directors: Giorgio Angelini, Arthur Jones Rating: ★★★ ‘Journey has just begun’ Harvard names Avantika South Asian Person of the Year Indian-American actress Avantika Vandanapu, who is known for her role in Mean Girls, has been honoured with the South Asian Person of the Year award by Harvard University. She said her ‘journey has just begun’. She was recongnised for her outstanding achievements and impact on both the international and Indian entertainment industries. Vandanapu said, “Being honoured by such a prestigious institution as Harvard University is truly humbling and incredibly motivating. This award not only acknowledges my efforts.” — IANS NET, FLICKS & MORE Vikrant Parmar P ICTURE this — a lonely child, bullied at school, ignored by busy parents, low on self-esteem; confidence at the nadir. What does this being do? Find refuge in the dark world of the web, internet, which boosts his ego, soothes his frayed nerves and ignites his hidden fantasies; a real…err… virtual dopamine rush! This is precisely what Netflix documentary The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem is all about. How during the early 2000s, a nondescript website, 2Chan, in the East, namely Japan, impacts children in the West, USA to be precise, in the form of 4Chan — a popular online portal, built by a handle named MOOT, a young chubby boy whose identity is revealed later. Notably, with time and growing popularity 2Chan spawns crime, as a Japanese youth hijacks a bus, even kills one passenger, in the infamous Neomugicha incident. These misguided youngsters come up with state- Into the ACTwas Kartik Aaryan The Antisocial Network — Memes to Mayhem brings viewers face to face with kids who facilitated a mob to storm into the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, back in 2021 ments like ‘Trolling is like performance art’; ‘We didn’t know we were right or wrong’, ‘I felt like the coolest criminal child in the world’, ‘ We were dumb kids’. Only that the ramifications are far wider, much beyond they can ever imagine. Meanwhile, as this online community grows, 4Chan gradually becomes a pressure group, so much so that it flames rebellion, decimating reputations and destroying established rules. From behind the curtains, anonymous is the word; anonymity is what appeals to most of these hackers, some among them even physically challenged. They become a band of chaos-stirrers called QAnon, a word which coalesces into an identity. In escapism, they find solace. Gradually, 4Chan becomes a hydra-headed monster, fuelling mass delusion of avid internet users; 4Chan leads to 8Chan and the chain grows as ‘vigilante Bade Miyan Chote Miyan release postponed by a day chief-mongers are brought too book; however, one wonders why the authorities took that long to act? Isn’t any anti-state movement supposed to be nipped in the bud, before shrewd politicians, Donald Trump in this case, use it to his or her advantage? It all becomes too political and commercial, with Facebook and Twitter making a quick buck from all this turmoil. Chris Poole aka MOOT wasn’t in it for politics in the first will be celebrated on April 11 in India.” Tiger joined it: “We had promised that the film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan will release on Eid. We are keeping our promise and will meet you in the cinema halls on April 11.” Presented by Vashu Bhagnani and Pooja Entertainment in association with AAZ films, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, also starring Sonakshi Sinha, Manushi Chhillar and Alaya F has , been written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. — IANS ‘I aspire to do tedhe roles’ Sheetal In Chandigarh, actor Pankaj Berry says had there been a way to earn a livelihood through theatre, he would never have left it for cinema and television calling in acting. I enrolled myself at the Panjab University for a diploma in drama. There was no looking back and I did Masters in the same field. I opted for a career in the film and television industry later,” he said. Theatre love Berry feels had there been a way to earn a livelihood through theatre, he would have never left it for cinema and television. But at the same time, every platform is great if you choose good content. He added, “I believe theatre is the PHOTO: VICKY On Day 3 of the Chandigarh Music & Film Festival, Tenali Rama-fame actor Pankaj Berry graced the event. The veteran actor, who hails from Ambala, surprised the audience with his attire, paired with Himachali topi and cream shawl, while his opening words word were Saareyan nu mere vallon Sat Shri Akal. Berry recalled how he was one of the first gold medallists from the Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University, Chandigarh. But till college, he was a shy boy who would always want to perform at youth festivals while pursuing graduation from Government College, Kalka, but at the last minute run away from the scene! It was one of his college friends, Vijay Joshi, who in the final year literally pushed him to audition before a director of their college play. “I read my lines for the lead role, got selected, performed at the youth festival and won the Best Actor award. It drove me to do amateur theatre for many years, until I found my toughest medium to perform on. There are no retakes. I think every film actor should do theatre once.” While Berry earned recognition for Gul Gulshan Gulfaam, he had already worked in Govind Nahlani’s TV show Tamas in a short role, and essayed 12 different characters in Shyam Benegal’s Bharat Ek Khoj. “It helped me learn a lot of things about the film and television industry, and how it was different from theatre. Only Gul Gulshan Gulfaam released first. In fact, before c m y b Luv You Shankar Trailer out Makers of the much-awaited animated mythological film Luv You Shankar, starring Shreyas Talpade and Tanisha Mukerji, have unveiled the official trailer. Luv You Shankar promises to weave a magical story of faith, friendship and adventure. The film has been directed by Rajiv S. Ruia. It stars Shreyas Talpade, Tanishaa Mukerji, Abhimanyu Singh, Sanjay Mishra, Hemant Pandey and Mann Gandhi. Set against the backdrop of the sacred city of Banaras, the film revolves around the endearing bond between an eight-year-old boy and Lord Shiva. — ANI It’s a Eid treat Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff have announced that the release of their upcoming actioner Bade Miyan Chote Miyan has been pushed by one day and will now release on April 11. The Ali Abbas Zafar film was earlier scheduled to release on April 10. Akshay and Tiger, who are currently in Abu Dhabi to promote their film, took to social media to make the announcement. Akshay said in the clip, “UAE has declared that Eid is on April 10, which means it spotted shooting for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 in Kolkata Director Anees Bazmee is leaving no stone unturned to put together his upcoming directorial Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. The director, who was earlier seen shooting the first schedule of the film with an injured leg, is currently in Kolkata to scout locations for the upcoming schedule. In the pictures, the director can be seen doing recce inside a graveyard, as he walks around with a walking stick, wearing a leg cast. The film features Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan alongside Tripti Dimri and Vidya Balan. The first schedule was completed in Mumbai. At the time, Kartik took to Instagram and shared a picture of himself with Triptii, holding a white clapper board. The upcoming shoot of the film will encompass diverse locations across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and West Bengal. — IANS justice online’. Such is their reach, also skill, that they hack CIA website, US Senate’s website, FBI, law enforcement websites and more. From protests on the streets to clashes with the law-keepers, to the final storming of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021, based on a thread, QAnon, the phenomena indeed goes from memes to mayhem! After a major crackdown, a bunch of hackers and mis- place; all he meant was fun, so he backs out officially. The creators of QAnon ultimately regret the Frankenstein they create. ‘Hacking can trick you into thinking that you are fighting for good, but in reality, you are just high on the feeling of having power’, says one of them. ‘The world of simulation is one where you experience less and less of life’, says another. Realisation dawns, but a bit too late, when things have gone too far, leading to destruction, chaos — ‘Anonymous, deanonymised everybody’. With a runtime of 1 hour 25 minutes, the documentary has been directed well, with neat animation in the backdrop. Real people, real stories, not told through the prism of virtual tools; the faces that narrate the stories are the ones who had lived them live. The camerawork is sharp and real footage lends much credibility to the narrative. Habbo Hotel, Black Avatars, Guy Fawkes mask, GamerGate, Otaku community, StopTheSteal, Occupy Wall Street, rise of QAnon, scientology… all these and more find mention; instances crunched amicably to form a wholesome package. ‘ You can fix code, you can’t fix people’ is the opening line of this documentary…true that! moving to Mumbai, I had worked in a Punjabi project, which never got released. It was made in Hindi and Punjabi, and had different titles for the same. I think the Punjabi title was Vagde Paani. So, basically I started my career in 1986,” he added. Long innings From Gul Gulshan Gulfaam (1987) to Qayaamat Se Qayaamat Tak (2024), Berry has managed to keep the audience entertained. “I always aspire to do tedhe roles,” he said. On changing characters and much-loved character of Tathacharya in Tenali Rama, Berry shared, “I feel blessed to have landed this role, which encapsulates all the nine rasas in one character. I have always enjoyed becoming a new character, and feel make-up and costume has a great role in it. For Dil Diyaan Gallaan, I played a Sikh grandfather. I actually grew a long beard and lived that character for the entire time.” The veteran actor shot for Crime Patrol Mega Movie for Sony TV, title Varchasva, in which he played a man aged 61, 74, 88 and then 108 years. As for his advice for budding artistes, he said, “If I can make it here after a fatal accident on a film set (Sainik) at the peak of my career in 1992, so can you. I lost 27 signed films and was the first choice to play a young villain, but the accident got me bed-ridden for many months. Except for two or three directors, everybody reclaimed their signing amount. So, have faith in your talent and God. This optimistic approach led me to where I am today,” Berry said. Imtiaz Ali and Shabana Azmi All the glitz From Imtiaz Ali to Shabana Azmi, here are celebs who attended Amar Singh Chamkila screening Several celebrities, including Imtiaz Ali, Shabana Azmi, Mrunal Thakur and Pratik Sehajpal, attended the special screening of Parineeti Chopra, Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Amar Singh Chamkila in Mumbai. Veteran actor Shabana Azmi looked stunning as she arrived for the screening on April 8. Pratik Sehajpal was also seen at the event. Director Imtiaz Ali was also spotted during the special screening. YouTuber Bhuvan Bham was also present at the screening. Helmed by Imtiaz Ali, Amar Singh Chamkila presents the untold true story of Punjab’s original rockstar of the masses, who emerged from the shadows of poverty and rose to the heights of popularity in the 80s due to the sheer power of his music, angering many along the way, which led to his assassination at the young age of 27. Amar Singh Chamkila will be out on Netflix on April 12. — ANI Ankita to star in web series Amrapali After Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, Ankita Lokhande is all set to come up with a web series, Amrapali, in collaboration with filmmaker Sandeep Singh. Ankita has been roped in to play Amrapali, the celebrated nagarvadhu. Taking to Instagram, Sandeep Singh treated fans with this exciting news and captioned the post, “Presenting @lokhandeankita as #Amrapali, the epitome of strength, grace, and resilience. This captivating series delves into the untold saga of the royal courtesan, revealing her journey filled with emotions and challenges. Stay tuned for this grand spectacle. — ANI