18042024-LSTC-01.qxd 4/18/2024 12:26 AM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE Oops moment Life In the latest episode of American Idol, pop star and judge Katy Perry encountered a wardrobe malfunction. Katy's fancy top suddenly broke, showing "more than" it should. CHANDIGARH | THURSDAY | 18 APRIL 2024 Anees Bazmee, who is ready with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, says he writes dil se and directs with junoon Nonika Singh Y Rue & her woe Zendaya says she doesn’t know if Euphoria will return for Season 3 Looks like nobody is really sure about when Euphoria will return with its Season 3. Forget ardent fans, even Hollywood star Zendaya claims that she, too, is unaware of when the third season will begin production. Although the Euphoria star is an executive producer of the hit HBO series, she said she’s “not in charge” of whether the third season will really happen. But of course, Zendaya wants to play Rue again. “If it’s right for the characters and everything turns out the way it should, of course,” Zendaya said at the Challengers premiere in Los Angeles Tuesday night. “But it’s beyond me.” — IANS Ulajh teaser dropped The makers of Ulajh on Wednesday dropped the teaser of the film starring Janhvi Kapoor in the lead role. The teaser introduces a young diplomat from a respected family, who gets caught in a perilous personal conspiracy far from home, at a crucial point in her career. In the video, Jahnvi is shown determined to seek revenge on those who betrayed her and her country. Sharing the teaser on her Instagram, the Mili actress wrote, “Enter the world of lies, deceit and betrayals- #Ulajh in cinemas on the 5th of July.” Directed by Sudhanshu Saria, the patriotic thriller film also stars Gulshan Devaiah and Roshan Mathew in lead roles. — ANI EAR 2022; Hindi films were flopping left, right and centre. Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 came and trade pundits heaved a sigh of relief as the horror.com turned out to be one of the biggest hits in the flop year for Bollywood. Circa 2024: The master of comedies is busy shooting the third outing of the successful film. If with the sequel he was rivalling the brilliance of Priyadarshan, who had directed the first part, now the noted writerdirector Anees is competing with himself. But then, the maker of superhit films like No Entry, Welcome, Ready, Singh is Kinng insists, “My competition is always with myself.” A tall order by all means for how do you better your own record of blockbusters? And he says, “Simply by working to the best of one’s ability.” Sequels, you may think are simply cut and paste, easiest job on the earth, with a ready template in place. But he says, “Carrying on a popular franchise, rising to people’s expectations is a huge responsibility.” Equally onerous is making people laugh. To those especially acerbic critics, who often dismiss his films as ‘brainless fun’, his repartee is, “Jo filmein hanste gaate ban jaati hain, making them is no joke.” Sure, there is a method behind the madness but no sure-fire formula. Indeed, he follows certain rules like no double meaning/entendre dialogues. While making Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, he was sure he did not want to create a psychological thriller like its prequel. For the threequel, the major chunk of which has been shot in vibrant Kolkata’, he won’t reveal much about the storyline. Will Vidya Balan reprise the JOKES APART... BHOOL BHULAIYAA 2 WELCOME READY Chosen one Big B to be honoured with Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar award NO ENTRY role of Manjulika of Bhool Bhulaiyaa, all he would say is, “Watch the film to know it. In her part lies the most beautiful mystery.” Right now he is only too happy she said yes to the film. Having worked with actors like Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Nana Patekar, et al, he observes, “What these actors bring to the table is phenomenal. Even if at times, let’s say writing or direction is a notch less than desired, they would raise it to par excellence.” Kartik Aaryan, his lead star of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 as well as part three, gets an encouraging pat for being ‘an honest and easy to work with actor.’ Tripti Dimri, the ‘national crush’, will turn a new leaf, ‘If in my film if she will not do comedy then what else would she do?’ Actually, he is very fond of all his actors be it Salman Khan or Anil Kapoor whose comic timing he swears by. He is a trifle sad that Anil will not be a part of No Entry’s sequel. Ideally, he would have loved to include Fardeen Khan too, who did a wonderful job in No Entry and who is making a comeback after 14 years in Heeramandi. Nevertheless, he is excited to work with the new crop of actors, including Diljit Dosanjh, whom he has signed for No Entry 2. On the Punjabi heartthrob, he says, “He is a very good actor as Chamkila has proved and retains the innocence of a rooted man.” Actually, Anees loves the quality of innocence. In his films even dons have that piquant charm and are not ‘out and out villains.’ His idea of comedy is not buffoonery but a healthy mix of situational slapstick coupled with rib-tickling punch-lines. You bet he laughs in his own films and can laugh at himself too. On the rare flops in his long career, like Pagalpanti, he quips, “Kabhi kabhi pagalpanti ho jaati hai.” But make no mistake as he makes us run in mad lanes of laughter, he himself is not lost in any maze. His motto is simple; be positive. In his movies he might turn SINGH IS KINNG it into a joke but his mission to spread positivity and laughter remains un-diminished. Driven by passion, a lesson he learnt from the ultimate showman Raj Kapoor whom he assisted way back in Prem Rog, he writes dil se and directs with junoon. Yet, despite glorious innings in the industry during which he has written as many as 30 films for other directors too, he does not take himself seriously. He only makes aficionados of his cinema double up with laughter. For that he can spend hours and hours on the editing table to get the mood of his film right. Any wonder the title ‘king of comedy’ remains well within his grasp. Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured with the prestigious third Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar award for his remarkable dedication to the nation, its people, and society, the Mangeshkar family announced on Tuesday. It was established by the Deenanath Mangeshkar Smriti Pratishthan in memory of the late legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar on February 6, 2022. — ANI Who’s that boy? Varun Dhawan’s dapper pic draws Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s reaction A stitch in time! Deepika Padukone takes up a new hobby Deepika Padukone, expecting her first child with actor-husband Ranveer Singh, is exploring long and short-stitch embroidery. The Pathaan actress took to her Instagram on Tuesday to give her fans a glimpse of her new hobby. The actress shared an adorable picture of her attempt at stitching a bunch of red roses. She captioned her post saying, “Hopefully I’ll be able to share the completed version!” Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh’s journey to parenthood has been a source of immense joy for their fans. The couple, married for over five years, announced their pregnancy earlier this year through a heartwarming post adorned with hints of their impending bundle of joy, set to arrive in September. — ANI Revival mode Pamela Anderson set to star opposite Liam Neeson in Naked Gun remake Pamela Anderson will star opposite Oscar-nominated actor Liam Neeson in Paramount Pictures’ remake of Naked Gun, a spoof comedy franchise that captured audiences’ hearts in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Directed by Akiva Schaffer, best known for his work on Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, the film boasts a script penned by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, and Schaffer himself. The original Naked Gun, created by Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker, was a humorous take on police procedural tropes, featuring Leslie Nielsen as the bumbling yet effective Detective Frank Drebin. In this modern adaptation, Neeson will step into the shoes of Drebin, while Anderson will portray his love interest, bringing her signature mix of glamour and goofiness to the role previously held by Priscilla Presley. The project is produced by Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins of Fuzzy Door, with Schaffer and Daniel M Stillman serving as executive producers. It is slated for a July 18, 2025 release. — ANI c m y b Varun Dhawan dropped a dapper picture of himself, and his banter with Citadel: Honey Bunny co-star Samantha Ruth Prabhu left fans amused. The Bhediya actor took to Instagram to post a picture of himself. The actor looked dashing in a black shirt as he posed for the camera in the image. He added an eyes emoji. Shortly after he posted the picture, Varun’s costar Samantha quickly responded to the post. The actress wrote, “Who this teenager?” and in response to this, he replied, “I dunno. I think he’s working with this pretty hot girl this summer in a series.” —ANI Film adaptation of JK Rowling’s children’s book The Christmas Pig in works Welcome to the fantasy land Author JK Rowling’s famous children’s book The Christmas Pig will be adapted into a film. As per reports, the project is in a very early stage and a production company has not yet been attached. Rowling’s production company Bronte already produces the BBC/HBO adaptation of her adult detective series Cormoran Strike. The Christmas Pig was first published in 2021 with illustrations by Jim Field. The book tells the story of a boy named Jack, who loses his childhood toy Dur Pig — nicknamed DP — on Christmas Eve after his stepsister throws it out of the family car. — ANI