13042024-LSTL-01.qxd 4/12/2024 10:16 PM Page 1 c m y b TAAPSEE, SPOTTED AFTER LONG After a long wait, actress Taapsee Pannu on Thursday night finally made her first public appearance post her wedding with badminton player Mathias Boe. Taapsee was spotted at the wedding reception of producer Anand Pandit’s daughter Aishwarya and son-in-law Sahil. TRIBUNE Star watcher Life Ayushmann Khurrana, who is receiving a positive response for his track Akh Da Taara, is fond of celestial bodies and has said looking at the stars has been his favourite pastime since childhood. LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 13 APRIL 2024 Finely edited and well-paced, Scoop takes you into the heart of the infamous Prince Andrew interview and the working of television studios NonikaSingh W HEN Jeffrey Epstein scandal broke out and his connections with the rich and famous, including Prince Andrew, Duke of York, member of the British royal family and Queen’s ‘favourite child’, unfolded, all hell did break loose. Scoop, however, isn’t about Epstein’s unpardonable crimes involving minor girls but the BBC interview, scoop if you please, that did Prince Andrew in. Truth & dare NET, FLICKS & MORE Film: SCOOP Cast: Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell, Billie Piper, Keeley Hawes, Connor Swindells, Romola Garai, Charity Wakefield and Paul Popplewell Director: Philip Martin Rating:  The starting point of this Netflix film is a paparazzi photographer chasing and managing a snapshot of Epstein with Andrew in 2010 in New York. The scene shifts to 2019. We are in the newsroom of the BBC studios. The broadcasting giant is apparently facing a crisis, which will lead to an axe falling on its employees. While bickering among colleagues begins, we are introduced to key players of the team, including Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson), lead anchor of Newsnight, the current affairs programme that created history. Sam McAlister (Billie Piper) is one of the junior producers who keeps her job by ‘booking people we just can’t call up’. She manages a foot in the Palace door where Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) is conducting Pitch@ Palace, an endeavour to back young entrepreneurs. Clearly the dirt on him has not settled yet. His PR team includes his press secretary Amanda Thirsk (Keeley Hawes), whose faith in him and his charm is touching, even if misplaced. She is busy strategising ways and means to contain the bad press created by his associ- ation with a convicted sex offender, Epstein. Damage control involves an outreach bid to ‘friendly journalists,’ though we see Prince Andrew rightly wondering aloud, ‘isn’t the term contradictory?’ Hustle begins for an interview and we get many authentic snapshots of how things work in actual studios. Of course, with the real explosive interview out in public domain, how do you make its dramatic recreation as arresting? But director Philip Martin, who directed many episodes of first two seasons of the royal drama ‘I am a realist’ Sam. She is ambitious, empathetic and persuasive. They band together and convince Prince Andrew to grant them an interview. Can they catch him on the wrong foot? Can ‘Randy Andy’ salvage his fast plummeting reputation? The think-tank on both sides is in overdrive. And on the side-lines, we the audience too prepare for the showdown, the climatic high. Though we don’t get a complete sense of what Prince Andrew actually said, which led to his final fall from grace and relinquishing of his royal duties. For that, perhaps, PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Neha Saini Alan Rickman Potter, then watched an interview in which Rickman discussed him and the rest of the young Harry Potter stars before his death. In it, Rickman reflected on the ‘huge Learning curve Kartik Aaryan on his role in Chandu Champion Hands full Work-wise, she remains busier than ever with another season of her talk show No Filter Neha, an international project Blue 52, an OTT project that deals with the issue of mental health, while she also has another one in the pipeline with Dharma productions, along with Vicky Kaushal. Neha has recently turned investor and is co-owner of a sustainable crockery brand. During the event, she also launched the FLO Amritsar Nothing captures our imagination like a scandal and nothing is more comforting than its expose, bringing the powerful down. Who knows this better than filmmakers? Scoop joins the long list of movies and web series based on similar themes. Here is a look at those which have created a stir in the past. SHE SAID: Sexual harassment at workplace found a global voice with #MeToo movement. Focusing on two New York Times journalists, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, who published a report against sexual predator Harvey Weinstein, the critically acclaimed film was hailed for its chilling realism. SPOTLIGHT: Tom McCarthy’s newsroom drama, this Oscar-winning film follows Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into child abuse connected with Catholic priests. Starring Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams, it won unequivocal acclaim for performances, direction, pacing and more. BOMBSHELL, AND THE LOUDEST VOICE: Fox News executive Roger Ailes' sexual harassment scandal has been the subject of a film as well as a series. Besides The Bombshell, the seven-part finite series The Loudest Voice takes you into the rise and fall of Roger, who not only threw the ethics of journalism out of the window, but was as predatory as Harvey Weinstein. THE POST: This Steven Spielberg film, starring two great actors Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, was yet another triumph of journalism as it recreates Washington Post’s decision to publish part of Pentagon Papers. STATE OF PLAY: One more journalist drama, starring Russell Crowe as journalist Cal McAffrey, the fictional story was inspired by real life politics. The plot uncovers the mysterious death of the mistress of Congressman Stephen Collins, a role played by Ben Affleck. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN: Often seen as a template and precursor for other movies of similar nature, this 1976 film is about the infamously famous Watergate Scandal, which led to President Richard Nixon's downfall. Based on the 1974 non-fiction book of the same name by two journalists, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, investigating the scandal. The memorable parts were essayed by Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford, respectively. Harry Potter intimidated! Actor Daniel Radcliffe has stated that he was ‘deathly afraid’ of Alan Rickman’s character, Professor Severus Snape, who taught potions at Hogwarts, in the first three Harry Potter films. “I was so intimidated by Alan Rickman. How can you not be by that voice? Even hearing that voice, you forget quite how low it was until it echoes through you,” Radcliffe said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “I was so intimidated by him for the first three movies. I was terrified by him and was like — this guy hates me,” he added. The actor who portrayed Harry the issue of too much social media, “I feel that there is a generation, especially today, which thrives on external gratification, but we need to cut the noise out. That is very important in life.” ON SIMILAR LINES Daniel Radcliffe reveals he was ‘terrified’ of his co-star Alan Rickman Amritsar women get a glimpse of No Filter Neha, as Neha Dhupia honours women from Punjab’s rural community Crowned Miss India in 2002 and debuting in Bollywood in 2003, Neha Dhupia has had a successful run in the entertainment industry for the past 20 years. During this time, the actress had never shied away from changing gears — from acting to TV to talk shows, she has done it all, unapologetically. Sharing excerpts from her journey and more, Neha recently interacted with members of FICCI FLO, Amritsar chapter, at a specially curated evening, Agaaz...Ek Nayee Subah Ka, dedicated to honouring women from Punjab’s rural community. While commending women, Neha, who is also a vocal advocate for body positivity, candidly shared how she has faced body shaming, rejections and more, but still felt quite confident and settled as an individual now. “I believe in being a realist. I feel that you have accept yourself; I enjoy myself as I am. Over the years, I have found gratitude and I feel my kids give me that confidence to continue, despite the criticism. So, none of the other stuff matters to me.” She also encouraged women to see themselves beyond the flaws that are often thrown at them unsolicited. She also spoke about The Crown, rises to the challenge. For one he moves behind the scenes, into, as he said in an interview, ‘the headspace’ of real men and women. The prep that went in the making of the infamous interview is laid out for us. Not surprising, for Scoop is based on Sam McAlister’s memoir, Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews. In fact, though we see Gillian Anderson as polished and tough as diamond Emily Maitlis, excelling as she always does, the real heroine here is attractive Billie playing the real interview would be more enlightening. But its dramatic rendering is striking enough to reignite our interest, much credit for which goes to Rufus Sewell for that unflattering depiction of Andrew. Sam’s one-liner, ‘An hour of television can change everything’ hits the nail. It did for Andrew only, not as he expected. The disastrous interview ended up painting a very sorry picture of him. And the one hour and 40odd minute film, finely edited and well-paced, takes you into the heart of the infamous interview and the working of the television studios. One of the telling moments in the film is when the three women, Emily, Sam and Esme Wren, and Newsnight editor (beautiful Romola Garai), step out in unison, like a formidable force. If victims were young nubile girls, those who lent them a voice too came from their own gender. This says a thing or two about women power. Emily’s comment about Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton saga, ‘he got his life back. She got decades of vicious misogyny’ too shares where the movie stands vis-a-vis sexual offenders. Besides, like the pointed question Emily asks Andrew, ‘is there anything you feel has been left unsaid’, much might be unsaid, but never ambiguous. The stance is clear and we hear it. Actor Kartik Aaryan, who is all set to come up with never-seen-before-avatar in the upcoming film Chandu Champion, recently got candid about his preparations for the film during the finale episode of Neha Dhupia’s talk show No Filter Neha Season 6. Kartik opened up about the film and his preparations. He said, “This is also a genre film. The meaning of genre is that this is a sports film… It’s not just transformation, there are even skill sets required to essay the role. Mujhe boxing seekhni padi, swimming seekhni padi, dangal seekhna pada (I had to learn boxing, swimming and wrestling.)” He will also be seen in Hansal Mehta’s film Captain India and Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. — ANI Rural livelihood initiative by honouring women from rural community in Punjab. These included Prabhjot Wadala, former sarpanch of Wadala constituency and ex-organising secretary of Punjab Women’s Cell, who has helped create opportunities for women to start their own businesses, Gurvinder Kaur, sarpanch of village Chamak, Sawinder Kaur, the sarpanch of Dal Kotla village and Navshant Chinna, a farmer by profession, and women rights’ advocate Kushwinder Kaur. Earlier in the day, Dhupia paid obeisance at the Golden Temple, a ritual that she shared has become an annual affair, with her kids, Gurik and Mehr. c m y b Kirsten Dunst, who is the mother of Ennis and James, has said being a mother has made her a better actress. She said, “I think once you become a mom, you’re just more fearless in life.” Dunst plays a renowned war photojournalist in the new film Civil War. Recently she needed an actor to play an unnamed soldier in a pivotal scene of the film, so she persuaded her husband to take up the job. — IANS Kirsten Dunst Daniel Radcliffe pride’ he felt for Radcliffe succeeding on Broadway at the time and the pressure that the young actors faced from an early age. “He cut short a vacation in Canada to come and see me Hey mom! in Equus. He saw every piece of stage work I did when he was alive,” Radcliffe said. The actor added, “He would take me out afterwards, and we would talk about it.” — IANS Ed Sheeran sings Bad Habitsfor Rohit Sharma’s daughter Samaira Music sensation Ed Sheeran recently appeared on the Indian show Breakfast with Champions, alongside cricketer Rohit Sharma and host Gaurav Kapoor. From discussing the game of cricket to talking about the music industry, the trio indulged in a fun conversation. Surprisingly, Rohit’s wife Ritika, and daughter Samaira also appeared on the episode. One of the main highlights of the episode was when Sheeran sang his popular song cover Bad Habits for Rohit and Ritika’s little one. After he sang, Rohit was seen smiling and applauding happily. Sheeran then turned to Samaira and asked if she enjoyed the song, and she seemed shy. Sheeran also asked Rohit about his retirement plans and whether he was interested in owning a team to nurture talent? The Indian High pitch Gaurav Kapoor, Ed Sheeran & Rohit Sharma captain replied that he had not given much thought to retirement, but discussed his timeline for continuing to play competitive cricket. “I am still playing well at this point in time, so I am thinking I am going to con- tinue for a few more years. And then, I don’t know,” Rohit said. Currently, Rohit is playing for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2024 season, while Sheeran has returned home after his India visit. — ANI